Thanks for the compliment Don, but I'm not as inaccessible as you'd think. Next time I'm in Salt Lake, I'll look you up (my sister and many friends live there; heck most of my furniture and life is in storage in SLC).
The truth is email has always been an unsustainable communication channel well before I start blogging. Now, it's simply absurd. Every blogger is different, but in my case I seriously could spend every waking hour answering email and still never keep my head above water. Which, in turn, means projects I am working on get put on the backburner. Way too many folks emailing and linking are in actuality seeking a sprinkle of magic pixie Googlejuice via a link rather than initiating a two-way exchange.
The truth is it's going to take an all-out effort to do this non-profit (see About) this year. It's just little ol' me right now in this moment. It's not about money (I've made zero income this year as I halted consulting; honest, pouring my energy into other projects). It's about sanity and focus, focus, focus. I've finally perfected the fine art of Just Say No.
Yet, I've never turned down an invitation for coffee or another meeting when someone is in town (fyi, that's San Jose, California) or I am in your neck of the woods. Why? It's hard to articulate, but nothing beats one-on-one face-to-face.
So, to make it easier for folks out there, here's my schedule for next month or so (I'm making a big push to promote the tsunami storytelling blog project). Some of these dates are flexible plus or minus a day, please ping me and let's meet up:
New York City - South Asian Journalists Association Convention, June 15-20.
Seattle, Washington - Gnomedex 5.0, June 23-25.
Taos, New Mexico (will also visit Santa Fe) - Taos Summer Writer's Conference, July 9-15. My passion is narrative nonfiction.
Santa Clara, California (come out to my neck of the woods) - BlogHer, July 30th. I'm toying with organizing a brunch and hike the following Sunday morning too.
Portland, Oregon - Corante Podcast Hotel, September 6, 7. (FYI, I believe storytelling needs to extend to include audio and video, not just words. I suppose the hidden documentary filmmaker in me is sneaking out.)
Wow! Your link to me was completely unexpected. I stand corrected. And I'm up for lunch the next time you're in SLC.
The thing that attracted me to your blog was your post where you equated marketing to love. My philosophy is similar; if I'm not passionate about what I'm marketing, I'm not going to do the organization I'm working for -- or myself -- any good. For me, the best marketing appeals with truth, and that's a theme I see in your writing, too.
Thanks again, Evelyn.
Posted by: Don Seamons | Jun 10, 2005 at 06:55 PM
Thanks, Don. I checked out your blog when I saw your original link and your emphasis on human behavior (yep, rare in marketing!). I noted how you also don't agree with using baser emotions such fear to drive buying behavior. I think we'd have much to talk about...
Posted by: Evelyn Rodriguez | Jun 13, 2005 at 02:31 PM