marketing campaign: code name: City Buddies, Google Docs setup

[andy]

hey there folks,

As I mentioned in one of the meetings, I have an idea for an OSBridge marketing campaign, currently code-named, "City Buddies."

The idea to identify other "underdog" cities (usually small, but not always. For example Houston is on my list, not Austin), and arrange a series of shout outs, interviews, and cross-promotion.

I have some very specific ideas, right down to visuals and, um, theme songs.

@osbridgebot has also agreed to help me encourage people to participate.

What do I need from you? While later on I will be soliciting some feedback and design help (Reid? Don't run away!), what I need right now I need help identifying candidate cities.

Here is the list I have right now:

• Nashville (just an interesting story, i can tell it later)
• Baltimore (will host RailsConf)
• Houston (home of Caroline Collective, a co-working space + event venue)
• Omaha
• Atlanta (Ignition Alley Co-working)
• Tucson (one of these has got to go)
• Phoenix (one of these has got to go)
• Boulder (one of these has got to go)
• Denver (one of these has got to go)
• Salt Lake City
• Philadelphia

I'd love to hear your thoughts on both: other cities to consider, and any major contacts/ novelties/ attributes of the city.

I want to move this to a Google Docs Spreadsheet, but don't have everybody's Google account info.

If I could be invited to any single Google Doc that has everybody already, I can create a shared folder (a great hack in Google Docs that makes manually sharing one-by-one way easier) that can save us from a lot of invite work later on.

thanks,

Andy

[Bram Pitoyo]

> I have some very specific ideas, right down to visuals and, um,
> theme songs.

I would totally love to hear this! Also, I’m volunteering myself as a
designer besides Reid, so when his hands is full, mine is available.

> @osbridgebot has also agreed to help me encourage people to
> participate.

And I have never met this @osbridgebot individual in person. How sneaky!

Bram Pitoyo
http://bram.me

[andy]

I have some very specific ideas, right down to visuals and, um, theme songs.

I would totally love to hear this! Also, I’m volunteering myself as a designer besides Reid, so when his hands is full, mine is available.

Welcome to my design sweatshop.

@osbridgebot has also agreed to help me encourage people to participate.

And I have never met this @osbridgebot individual in person. How sneaky!

 

@osbridgebot and I are like this. (at least that's how i see our relationship. @osbridgebot thinks @osbridgebot doesn't need friends. i always tell @osbridgebot, "@osbridgebot, no robot is an island.")

Andy

http://twitter.com/thesethings

[John DeRosa]

On Oct 25, 2009, at 11:15 PM, andy wrote:

hey there folks,

As I mentioned in one of the meetings, I have an idea for an OSBridge marketing campaign, currently code-named, "City Buddies."

The idea to identify other "underdog" cities (usually small, but not always. For example Houston is on my list, not Austin), and arrange a series of shout outs, interviews, and cross-promotion.

I would think that a list of other cities, without respect to underdog status, would be useful. I would think (hope) that you'll again target Seattle this year, as well as Vancouver, BC.

Shout outs, interviews, and cross-promotions will also be needed, or at least extremely desirable, for any city whose name doesn't start with a P and end with a d. :-)

John

[Lev Tsypin]

Fun idea. If you want to add Minneapolis to the list, I have some contacts there.

On Oct 25, 2009, at 11:15 PM, andy wrote:

I'd love to hear your thoughts on both: other cities to consider, and any major contacts/ novelties/ attributes of the city.

I want to move this to a Google Docs Spreadsheet, but don't have everybody's Google account info.

If I could be invited to any single Google Doc that has everybody already, I can create a shared folder (a great hack in Google Docs that makes manually sharing one-by-one way easier) that can save us from a lot of invite work later on.

Lev Tsypin
_____________________
Level Online Strategy, LLC
503.342.8044
levelos.com | twitter.com/loubabe

[andy]

John Re: Seattle, other cities: They need outreach for sure, great point. I'll be sure to make a list of global cities to target to make sure the words gets out cohesively.

But specifically for the City Buddies campaign, it's so intensive (hint: custom "seal" for each city, just for starters), that one couldn't do it for every city one approached. 

City Buddies isn't just about marketing OSBridge, but for highlighting cool stuff going on in overlooked places, and generating some civic pride a la homecoming (apologies to anybody who didn't attend American high school) :D

Lev: Minneapolis. Sounds great/perfect I've been reading a few Portland/Minneapolis comparisons lately :D

Andy

http://twitter.com/thesethings