Lindy,

I was at a local business mixer this past week for the first time in two years. My hope was that things had improved. I was mistaken. They have gotten worse. It is so sad. This organization is incorporated as a (c)(6)nonprofit. That means it is a mutual benefit corporation. That means it exists not for the benefit of the community - like a charity - but for the benefit of its members(like most golf courses). These folks need something to life them up, to bind them together, to make them strong as opposed to weak. Back in Atlanta, I used to go to mixers where there was standing room only. No food. No refreshments. But, wall-to-wall people. What is it that makes people CARE in Atlanta and NOT CARE in rural Northern California?

The point I was trying to make about sliced bread is not that it was either a good or bad idea, but rather that it took Wonder Bread to create a marketing program to change the eating habits of Americans. People had to be convinced to eat sliced bread. Keep in mind, that was 15 years AFTER the slice bread machine had been created.

Will Pokens make people CARE about business networking at mixers here in Northern California? All by themselves, I would say absolutely not. However, packaged as a tool that demonstrates a benefit to people that they can comprehend, I think that it will help to turn things around in my community for the better.

There is a local yogurt shop that just opened up here. It's doing great business. Why? Because the community has figured out it has great yogurt at reasonable prices. Right around the corner from it is a restaurant that just a few months earlier installed a shaved ice machine with colored syrup to impress its customers. No one cares about that restaurant any longer. Why? Because the public would rather eat healthy frozen yogurt than shaved ice with colored syrup. The yogurt shop send a "we're classy" message to the public. The restaurant sends a "we're cheap" message to the public. Where would you chose to eat?

It's all about perceived and realized benefits. If people here get introduced to Pokens and like the idea, more people will not only be using Pokens, but they will also likely become more involved in social media on the Internet. Being more involved in social media is something I am convinced this rural area definitely needs. It needs to be more plugged in to what is happening out in cyberspace.

Lamar Morgan
CDMM - Synergistic Business Marketing
(707)709-8605
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