Publicity Workshop

Publicity Workshop - Chat - 11/30/04

Other chats

Here's a transcript of the chat that took place:

18:07:19 [katdillon] Thank you for coming, everyone. Tonight we have Steve Cobb, FSP Publicity Director here

18:07:39 [katdillon] to talk about FSP publicity

18:07:39 [BaldEagle] Yay! (applause)

18:08:10 [katdillon] Steve, you certainly can offer an agenda

18:08:36 [scobb] Okay, then I'll start.

18:08:39 [scobb] Hello everyone. Thanks for taking the time to get involved!

18:08:49 [scobb] While the #1 goal here is to gather and share information from all of you, I thought a reasonable agenda would be for me to

18:08:57 [scobb] 1. Define briefly the publicity framework

18:09:03 [scobb] 2. Mention a few of the current FSP activities and resources

18:09:09 [scobb] 3. Describe some the types of talent and resources that we are missing.

18:09:55 [scobb] Some of you are in the leadership, and so have had the chance to see the draft Publicity Plan that I recently uploaded. Much of this text will come from there, though there is too much to repeat here.

18:10:11 [scobb] The goal of Publicity is to move people into 3 succeeding stages of attitude: Awareness --> Positive Attitude --> Enthusiasm

18:10:46 [scobb] I could think of 5 different categories of people that we might target: 1. Influential libertarians, 2. Donors, 3. Self-identifying libertarian potential participants, 4. Non-identifying libertarian potential participants, 5. NH population

18:12:07 [scobb] Of the two extreme general strategies (1. Target libertarians in their likely hideouts, and 2. Shotgun the general population ), I tend to lean towards the first one.

18:13:37 [scobb] If we shotgun our publicity efforts, we'll hit few libertarians and lots of statists. I believe that though the majority of libertarians are now in the Awareness stage about the FSP, we could do a lot more to move them towards Enthusiasm. To date, we have had the attitude that people will pack th

18:14:05 [clhfreeguy] Hi, Phil, long time no see (3 minutes) Chris

18:14:07 [scobb] their bags as soon as they find out about the FSP. We need more persuasive arguments.

18:14:44 [scobb] Phil Denisch is key to part of the publicity strategy: Merchandise!

18:15:05 [amanda42] steve - i actually disagree that the majority of libertarians know about us - i would say that the majority of *online* libertarians know about us. i still find people off-line who haven't heard of us

18:15:21 [svillee] I agree with Amanda

18:15:28 [katdillon] same here

18:15:31 [RussellK] me too

18:15:50 [BaldEagle] Yeah, there are people out there who are "libertarians" that didn't even know we were running a presidential candidate this election - let alone that there's the FSP

18:15:54 [scobb] We have advertised in every libertarian periodical, right?

18:16:02 [amanda42] but i agree with everything else - targeting libertarians is super important

18:16:42 [RichT] yeah, just b/c someone is a libertarian (even big-L) doesn't mean they are more aware of what's going on.

18:16:44 [amanda42] i'm just saying... when i went to freedom summit in arizona, more than half the people there didn't know anything about us

18:16:51 [BaldEagle] I find that "libertarian" periodicals are only read by activists. We might as well be trying to recruit our navels.

18:17:07 [BaldEagle] Look outside of the typical libertarian communication avenues

18:17:08 [scobb] What we have not yet tried is direct mail, but that is a centralized function that is now finally grinding into motion, so we probably don't need to talk about it here.

18:17:15 [RichT] Remember that a lot of libertarians hate politics, so may not be paying any attention to our current marketing.

18:17:34 [BaldEagle] Find pockets of like minded individuals and target issue-specific groups

18:18:33 [svillee] Libertarians are hard to reach, because they are suspicious of the media, including "libertarian periodicals"

18:18:44 [scobb] If the mines with concentrated ore are mined out, then we will have to mine places with lower concentrations. But the lower the concentration, the more expensive and time consuming.

18:18:49 [BaldEagle] Computer people tend to be very libertarian, bikers, home schoolers, and maybe 1/3 of gun owners

18:19:09 [scobb] Would such suspicious libertarians make good activists? Maybe we don't need that kind.

18:19:51 [clhfreeguy] Good point Steve

18:20:10 [BaldEagle] I dunno man, I can get pretty "black helicopter" paranoid, but I try to be a good libertarian and a good patriot too

18:20:44 [amanda42] lots of libertarians are busy with their businesses & families, and they don't spend time on politics or libertarian periodicals because they like to spend their time in successful endeavors. we need *them* in the fsp

18:20:47 [RichT] Here in NH, we have seen the benefits of wide-scale coverage (and some marketing), generating a favorable impression of the FSP so we can generate prospects and move folks from the knowledgable to the interested category.

18:21:05 [svillee] Computer magazines might be a good avenue. Also gun magazines.

18:21:25 [amanda42] i stopped subscribing to liberty & reason years ago when i discovered that i had no free time to read them. (of course, i subscribed again after they featured us!)

18:21:51 [BaldEagle] We've got the carrot, now we just need to draw people's attention to and highlight the statist sticks they are getting beaten with day after day

18:22:12 [scobb] I would say Computer and Gun magazines not for paid advertising (very expensive, very low return), but for *articles*.

18:22:15 [amanda42] richt, that's awesome. but what we need most right now is publicity outside of nh so we can get more people to join.

18:22:24 [katdillon] Steve's publicity plan for download: http://www.soulawakenings.com/FSPPublicityPlan.doc

18:22:30 [BaldEagle] I really liked the ad with the HS kids on the floor at gunpoint

18:22:38 [RussellK] It also seems repetition helps...so people know we are still alive and kicking

18:22:49 [RussellK] outside of NH

18:23:00 [katdillon] I agree totally about the articles

18:23:03 [Friday] thanks, Kat

18:23:04 [RussellK] I keep meeting people that know and like us in NH

18:23:06 [scobb] Evan's recent article in the gun nut (just kidding--don't shoot me!) magazine is a prime example.

18:23:31 [RichT] I agree Amanda, I've been saying that for a while. I'm encouraged by some of the ideas I've been hearing. I'm not up to speed on what's being done.

18:24:16 [katdillon] I've been kicking around writing an article for homeschool magazines

18:24:36 [BaldEagle] I've been thinking about making up some trifold fliers for the Porcupine Festival

18:24:48 [BaldEagle] o highlight the fun and freedom and downplay the politics

18:24:56 [katdillon] nice idea

18:25:04 [scobb] "for" the festival or "about" the festival?

18:25:09 [BaldEagle] and putting them in gun stores, Walmart, gun shows, gun ranges, etc

18:25:29 [katdillon] to draw people to the freestate via the festival

18:25:30 [BaldEagle] Also local political meetings where people see the horrors of zoning

18:25:51 [BaldEagle] We have to go in under the radar

18:26:06 [RichT] Whenver I travel out of state I find opportunities to put FSP cards or flyers out where people will see them.

18:26:09 [katdillon] Some people will be drawn by the idea of living near so many like minded people

18:26:18 [BaldEagle] Give people what THEY want before we ask them for what WE want

18:26:45 [scobb] Good stuff, but Walmart? Not a libertarian hangout, but that brings up a point: decentralization! We should provide the resources for every individual to publicize according to his own preferences and priorities.

18:27:17 [BaldEagle] They have those bulletin boards where people hang business cards and stuff

18:27:21 [BaldEagle] Walmart sells guns

18:27:23 [katdillon] people buy guns at Walmart

18:27:29 [George] Maybe we could target Joe libertarian sixpack at Walmart...

18:27:33 [BaldEagle] Seemed natural to me

18:27:48 [clhfreeguy] you know Kat, that is for real, when you get so frustrated to have like minded folks near by is really important

18:27:55 [amanda42] basically, i take fliers & cards with me everywhere i go & i look for places to drop them

18:28:22 [katdillon] That's one of the coolest things about living in NH

18:28:31 [BaldEagle] I used to bring stuff with me onto the DC metro and leave it behind on the seat when I left the car

18:28:51 [scobb] Let me ask a question: what resources do people need from the central organization to facilitate their activism?

18:28:58 [BaldEagle] at every stop I'd move from car to car doing an impromptu literature drop

18:29:17 [PhilD] money

18:29:32 [Friday] what Phil said!

18:29:36 [TimB] Steve, Graphics support for advertising layouts!

18:29:36 [BaldEagle] bulleted lists that summarize why people might want to move to NH or attend the festival

18:29:50 [svillee] fliers and cards

18:29:57 [BaldEagle] I agree with Tim, but not with his color choice

18:30:04 [katdillon] We do need graphics help...all of us

18:30:07 [RichT] From central - Literature, proven ideas, local contacts, encouragement.

18:30:16 [TimB] Sorry BaldE...I'm changing it.

18:30:27 [katdillon] Bill, you've seen the 101 Reasons to Move to NH?

18:30:31 [amanda42] resources needed: fliers, info, speakers,

18:30:32 [scobb] Graphics help is also my #1 need. Tim, try again!

18:30:50 [Friday] Gov. Benson was still in the 101 Reasons, last time I checked

18:31:00 [amanda42] what resources do amway & mary kay provide their people?

18:31:04 [katdillon] He's still in office

18:31:06 [BaldEagle] Yep, good point, Kat.

18:31:28 [amanda42] friday, i had a *ton* of updates to the 101 reasons that i sent to michelle & still haven't seen yet. she's a busy lady.

18:31:32 [BaldEagle] Pens and notepads with "FSP" on them

18:31:37 [TimB] Ooh...nice question Amanda, I don't know. Cheerleading seminars

18:31:37 [katdillon] amanda, Varrin's wife does Mary Kay. I pumped her for info about that the other day

18:32:13 [katdillon] I need printed envelopes from the FSP

18:32:24 [RichT] Amanda, you still have those powerpoint slides we used for the FSP "promo tour

18:32:38 [amanda42] steve asked what resources we need from hq... i was just thinking about what other organizations do

18:32:41 [katdillon] One of the big things people get from Mary Kay is comraderie

18:32:59 [BaldEagle] If we had a running list that was sorted by ideas that people voted for, it would be easy to look at whatever other people have already come up with

18:33:03 [TimB] A continuation on ad graphics support....we've not been able to get local volunteers so we're looking for a freelancer to hire.

18:33:13 [Friday] don't forget the pink cadillacs

18:33:20 [katdillon] and printed FSP header paper...blank with just a logo and stuff

18:33:28 [BaldEagle] so as not to duplicate efforts, and it could act as a checklist in case people like me forget something they wanted to work on

18:33:42 [amanda42] rich, they're wicked out of date - they had all 10 states listed on them. i update it every time i use it. if anyone wants a powerpoint presentation, drop me a note. aphillips@freestateproject.org

18:34:36 [katdillon] Maybe we could ask Dave Mincin to try and find a graphics person

18:34:39 [clhfreeguy] Steve, please tell us your opinion as to what is the most powerful pr/adv tool to reach our 14,000

18:34:46 [scobb] Hiring paid help is expensive, but at least the job gets done.

18:35:06 [TimB] Exactly

18:35:13 [scobb] Looking back at our more successful moments, we get few signups from advertising, and more as a result of articles in respected places, like Reason Magazine or a Walter E. Williams column. I personally thus favor the strategy of 'persuade the persuader'.

18:35:21 [Toonces] Three cheers for Amanda's use of the adjective wicked... man I miss NH...

18:35:39 [RichT] LOL

18:36:03 [katdillon] Yes, the numbers support steve's strategy

18:36:13 [TimB] So....we start a list of local persuaders and strike up relationships?

18:36:22 [RussellK] I agree with you stevec

18:36:23 [svillee] Okay, so who are the influential libertarians who need to be persuaded?

18:36:27 [katdillon] Great idea

18:36:34 [Friday] whatever happened with the guy from "the Man Show"?

18:36:36 [RichT] Articles seem to come from two things - generating news, or having an interesting story to tell. What can the FSP do to get one or both?

18:36:39 [amanda42] toonces - that's wicked pissah

18:36:55 [amanda42] yep, target the magazines & the influential libertarians

18:37:07 [scobb] svillee, you just asked the $64 question.

18:37:07 [TimB] We've got a local shock-jock that we suspect is libertarian leaning and couple members have said they would try to contact him, but have not delivered

18:37:11 [RussellK] the story to tell is all the people moving richt

18:37:16 [TimB] Chicago that is

18:37:17 [Toonces] For what it's worth, I had heard about the FSP at college (in UNH) but actually go interested (and realized it was a bonafide movement) when I heard Jason on NPR's This American Life... I don't know if advertisements will ever really get Free Staters...

18:37:37 [BaldEagle] I had an idea about using file-sharing networks like Kazaa, WinMX, eMule, etc.

18:37:40 [amanda42] the man show... doug stanhope still has us linked from his website - we get a lot of hits & recruits from him.

18:37:55 [Toonces] I think most Free Staters are (and I can say this with a smug amount of self-righteousness here) not the type to be persuaded by any advertisement or short media spot.

18:37:57 [scobb] The $64K question is how to persuade them to actively help us, i.e. move to the Enthusiasm stage.

18:38:12 [BaldEagle] Make MPG or AVI ads for the FSP, do short videos of the shooting range,

18:38:12 [Friday] Penn Gillette just got married; let's send him a card :-)

18:38:13 [amanda42] like walter williams

18:38:17 [katdillon] how so Bill?

18:38:31 [scobb] Friday, good idea! How to get his address?

18:38:33 [BaldEagle] People send these things around by email

18:38:39 [BaldEagle] They share them with friends

18:39:00 [svillee] Based on Doug Stanhope's website, I'd say he's quite enthusiastic.

18:39:03 [katdillon] Penn and Teller seem to know about us, just not endorsing us

18:39:18 [BaldEagle] Other people use their own resources to spread them around, and we don't pay for postage or anything

18:39:27 [svillee] Have they said why?

18:39:44 [Friday] press@penn-teller.com

18:39:53 [katdillon] don't know

18:40:53 [RichT] Penn&Teller did promote Badnarik during their act in Vegas. Now that the campaign is over, if we can interest them in the FSP, they might promote us.

18:41:00 [Friday] my dream endorser: Clint Eastwood

18:41:26 [BaldEagle] Not Clint, Mel Gibson!

18:41:48 [BaldEagle] The Patriot, Braveheart

18:41:52 [Friday] methinks Mel is NOT a libertarian

18:42:08 [RichT] "FREEDOM!!!"

18:42:08 [Friday] hey, I was talking politics, not looks ;-)

18:42:14 [Toonces] That could be a lot of fun. I'd love to make this magic trick where a FSP volunteer vanishes off a Las Vegas stage and winds up in New Hampshire...

18:42:27 [BaldEagle] Learn to use people and what they've already done to sell what you've got

18:42:29 [Toonces] No, Mel is more of a papal stormtrooper than a libertarian...

18:42:33 [amanda42] isn't there a forum thread about this? libertarians whom we'd love to have on our side

18:42:34 [clhfreeguy] Mayor Clint eastwood, banned ice cream on the sidewalks of carmel

18:43:20 [TimB] Forum thread....it'd be a nice start....no recreating the wheel

18:43:21 [BaldEagle] But what he said in the movies is unalterable - use clips from the movies to stir people up

18:43:28 [scobb] Let's not worry about semi-maybe-libertarian celebrities. There are plenty of real, self-identifying libertarians of influence, and we need to get them on board. A simple endorsement is a good first step. Kat did a great job getting an endorsement out of the president of the Mackinac Center.

18:44:03 [TimB] We've had a local member working on a Cato Institute contact he has

18:44:17 [RichT] We still looking for endorsements or words of support from NH personages?

18:44:44 [katdillon] Yes Rich. We'd like welcome messages from lots of NH residents

18:44:59 [amanda42] richt, that would actually be helpful. it would show some of the naysayers outside of nh that we're welcome here

18:45:07 [svillee] How about emailing people who do regular columns on sites like Lew Rockwell? Ask them for their frank opinion of the FSP.

18:45:17 [katdillon] like these: http://freestateproject.org/about/endorsements/welcome.php

18:45:19 [BaldEagle] There's a guy named Kim DuToit who runs a website and does "Ammo Day" - we might get a lot of hits if he put some FSP ads on his site

18:45:22 [amanda42] svillee, yes! great idea!

18:45:39 [RichT] I'll ask the folks who say they're happy the FSP is coming if they'll make their feelings more public.

18:46:30 [katdillon] Anthony Gregory, who writes for Lew Rockwell, was hanging out on our forum, so I asked him for an endorsement

18:46:40 [scobb] If someone can give me names and addresses of influential libertarians, we (the Ricks) have 30 high-end packets waiting to mail to them.

18:46:42 [katdillon] He said he was thinking about doing an article on us

18:47:00 [Friday] I know Anthony; I can bug him

18:47:15 [katdillon] Cool, thanks Friday!

18:47:54 [Friday] Clint Eastwood really IS a libertarian; I know that's reaching, though

18:48:03 [katdillon] Rich, you could write one too

18:48:40 [clhfreeguy] I talked with Lew rockwell about 2-3 weeks ago and asked him if we might have some common connections and he was very standoffish, I was taken aback because the Ludwig Von Mises Institute is very hard core Libertarian and we should have liaisons. I am now contacting FEE in NY I think they may be m

18:49:11 [RichT] I'll put it on my list...

18:49:22 [clhfreeguy] more receptive

18:49:29 [katdillon] cool

18:49:41 [svillee] Did Lew articulate his concerns at all? I'd really like to understand them.

18:50:19 [BaldEagle] The band Poker Face that played at the LP National Convention is a great way to reach media, young people, esp. college campuses

18:51:12 [Friday] I have tried ascertaining the leanings of the Violent Femmes, but no luck yet

18:51:18 [BaldEagle] I think the biggest obstacle that people have brought up and are most concerned about is the job market and NH economy

18:51:27 [scobb] We need some polished people to apply the hard sell to Lew Rockwell and the rest of the libertarian establishment: their current methods aren't "working", and endorsing us won't cost them anything. It's time for them to walk the talk, if they really believe it.

18:51:46 [BaldEagle] If we successfully address that issue, we'll make major headway

18:51:55 [clhfreeguy] Well he seemed to intimate that since his organization was not really a join up type of group that we wouldn't have much in common. I didn't buy that but did't want to be too confrontative on first visit. I will contact him later but hopefully with ;more inside contact like the guy hangin out on

18:52:15 [katdillon] polished people, amanda or jason?

18:52:35 [clhfreeguy] our site, maybe you could get his name and address.

18:52:35 [scobb] Perhaps some local NH people could partner with an employment agency?

18:53:58 [katdillon] Evan's plan of moving businesses to NH should help the job market

18:53:59 [scobb] Amanda and Jason, for example. Not our loose cannon types, and preferably people with credentials. Dr. Edelstein, for example--my brother in SF was aware of him!

18:54:12 [clhfreeguy] Steve, I totally agree with you on that. They are not an island but I think they think they are

18:54:16 [scobb] That is, aware of his support for us!

18:54:17 [RichT] The job market here is ... interesting. High tech is still very selective. Office work is easy to come by.

18:54:32 [katdillon] (don't send me!)

18:54:56 [Friday] <-- completely unravelled cannon

18:54:58 [BaldEagle] Oooh. Office work. Why didn't you say so? Count me in!

18:54:59 [amanda42] i'm happy to work on people if you guys want to point me in someone's direction

18:55:41 [BaldEagle] Massad Ayoob

18:56:21 [scobb] Amanda, where is Randy Barnett's endorsement?

18:56:39 [BaldEagle] Dr. Alexander Shulgin

18:56:59 [TimB] What's up with Badnarik? He's participant right? Any possibility of getting him to be more active?

18:57:13 [amanda42] that's the influential libertarian lawyer i was anonymously mentioning. i need to take him out to lunch again. work has been tough for me lately so i haven't been able to get out for lnch

18:57:29 [katdillon] Seems like he'd have time now, but I heard he was going to run for governor or something in TX

18:57:41 [svillee] I think a meeting between Amanda and Lew Rockwell could be very productive, if it could be arranged.

18:57:42 [BaldEagle] Mas seems very republican/conservative, but he's a NH resident and HIGHLY respected in the gun community

18:58:21 [clhfreeguy] Amanda, you can try Lew Rockwell, maybe the fem touch will work better also Dr. Richard Ebeling at FEE 914-591-7230 (Foundation for Economic Education) They were just in Georgia (Russia)

18:58:33 [BaldEagle] Shulgin is a HUGE figure in the "drug subculture" and writes lots of articles about freedom and ending the drug war

18:58:37 [amanda42] in my experience, these things tend to work best if you accidentally bump into each other at a libertarian event. i'd be happy to schedule meetings with people and don the power suit

19:01:28 [PhilD] I looking for a volunteer to keep track of the LP conventions over the next year

19:01:41 [PhilD] ure we have a presence at as many as possible.

19:01:47 [katdillon] have they been losing conventions?

19:01:51 [amanda42] so who else should we target? what other influential libertarians can we approach? and how do we contact them?

19:01:58 [svillee] I agree, it may be best to find some event Lew is attending, and accidentally bump into him there.

19:02:01 [Friday] let me know how I can help, Phil

19:02:03 [PhilD] and make s... (should be in there)

19:02:23 [svillee] What are some big names at the Cato Institute?

19:02:49 [PhilD] please to fork over email or contact me at pdenisch@freestateproject.org

19:02:54 [RichT] PJ O'rourke lives in NH. I think someone asked him about the FSP (or was it the LP?) in an article.

19:02:59 [Friday] Dr. Tom Palmer

19:03:11 [katdillon] would targeting more activist groups be better than targeting these groups based on discussing theory, like Cato and Lew Rockwell?

19:03:20 [Friday] Phil, my email is scitarel@yahoo.com

19:03:31 [amanda42] i've already spoken with pj - oddly, he seems too busy selling books to want to help us

19:03:45 [scobb] Target them all! The important thing is that they be influential.

19:03:55 [katdillon] PJ O'Rourke lives not too far from me

19:04:10 [scobb] Kat, could you get his address?

19:04:18 [amanda42] and i think he must be gay because he is the first libertarian guy i've never been able to persuade with a wink & a smile (while still wearing a professional power suit, of course)

19:04:36 [amanda42] just kidding about pj - who else should we contact?

19:04:36 [katdillon] I'll check the phone book :P

19:04:44 [katdillon] lol

19:04:48 [Friday] oh, Toonces...

19:05:07 [BaldEagle] No, he's definitely gotta be gay

19:05:15 [amanda42] tom palmer is a good idea - maybe we can get adam or kate rick to accidentally bump into him down in washington

19:06:31 [clhfreeguy] Hey no joke, this bumping into idea can really work

19:06:38 [scobb] Kate at least occasionally visits Cato. I will probably move there in January, so I will visit often also. It would be helpful to have some logo promo items to leave behind there, like puzzle key chains.

19:07:28 [PhilD] Speaking of merchandise...

19:07:44 [svillee] Kate may have already bumped into everyone at Cato worth bumping into

19:07:56 [PhilD] should we have a non-fsp branded item that might be popular inthe general liberty public?

19:08:17 [PhilD] something like a tshirt with "I'm liberty-minded...and you?"

19:08:26 [BaldEagle] Porcupine-brand alcohol, tobacco, and firearms?

19:08:35 [RichT] the stuffed/puppet porcupines were very popular, people still ask about them.

19:08:50 [svillee] I want one of those!

19:09:14 [katdillon] Phil are there still porcupine crossing signs?

19:09:19 [PhilD] Note made, I'll check into getting some.

19:09:24 [amanda42] i have the ordering info - i'll have to check with the leadership circle before i can order the porcupines

19:09:40 [amanda42] or i can pass the info along to phil & steve

19:09:53 [katdillon] ordering porcupines...that's gotta be worse than herding cats

19:16:06 [scobb] Another topic: who could be project manager for the "Lose Your Chains" campaign? That was Evan's idea to get into Guinness Book of World Records for most chains contributed/collected. We would announce the results at PorcFest, and have the chains made into an objet d'art. guinnessworldrecords.com

19:16:36 [BaldEagle] I could go to the Porc Fest from Richmond, accidentally via DC

19:16:42 [PhilD] How long does it need to be - is it doable?

19:16:46 [scobb] I'm not big on publicity stunts, but I think this would attract the right attention.

19:17:25 [BaldEagle] My god, do you know what the shipping on that many chains would be?

19:17:34 [RichT] Speaking of outside-NH publicity, how goes the regional PorcFests?

19:17:55 [BaldEagle] There are regional ones? :O

19:18:04 [scobb] Each person would ship just a single, small chain, to someone near PorcFest.

19:20:58 [BaldEagle] Who is running the regional festivals, and when?

19:21:31 [RussellK] I think Brian Sullivan has one going in upstate NY

19:21:44 [RussellK] and there is talk of LA or Vegas

19:21:56 [amanda42] we had a small turnout at the one in ny, but it was still a good time

19:22:07 [amanda42] we should do more of the regional ones

19:22:29 [RichT] How was the promotion before and coverage after?

19:22:45 [RussellK] exactly rich

19:23:00 [scobb] I see no mention of regional Porc Fests: http://www.freestateproject.org/news/festival/ , http://www.freestateproject.org/community/localgroups/

19:23:56 [scobb] Wouldn't we rather have one big annual Porc Fest, and spend the rest of the year focused on recruiting?

19:24:43 [amanda42] regional porcfests are good for recruiting - get free staters and non-free-staters in the same place at the same time for a nice little party

19:24:50 [BaldEagle] Depends - I like the idea of a smaller, but less isolated Porc Fest - have it near something else that's big and get people's attention

19:24:55 [katdillon] I think people getting together to talk is the best way to get them active

19:25:29 [amanda42] a lot of people want to meet their fellow porcs before they'll join - the regional porcfests give them that opportunity.

19:25:38 [BaldEagle] We could reach a lot of people through "leakage" from a larger, more mainstream event

19:25:53 [amanda42] if we publicize the regional porcfests correctly, we can get local media attention out of it

19:26:03 [RussellK] I kindof like the idea of 2 fests that is floating around

19:26:07 [katdillon] man, talking about Depends and now leakage

19:26:31 [amanda42] there's no mention of it on the site because the ny one has come and gone. there were lots of mentions when brian was planning it

19:27:22 [BaldEagle] OK Kat: Go take a time-out in the corner and eat your Olestra potato chips

19:27:38 [scobb] As long as these fests really are a means to an end, and don't become a distracting feel-good end in themselves...

19:27:46 [katdillon] it's time for me to take an all night time out

19:28:08 [katdillon] God, we wouldn't want to enjoy life along the way

19:28:27 [scobb] I wrote a haiku about Olestra once: Pooh-pooed Olestra, succumbed to its temptation, poo-pooed Olestra.

19:28:44 [BaldEagle] Raising morale and getting people pumped with a taste of what the Free State can be like is a laudable goal in itself

19:28:47 [katdillon] good one

19:29:03 [amanda42] having a good time at a regional porcfest *is* a recruiting tool

19:29:14 [BaldEagle] Exactly

19:29:27 [BaldEagle] Plug the fun, not the politics

19:29:49 [scobb] Yes, but...we have a growing tendency to take our eyes off the prize. I understand that it *might be* a good recruititng tool , but it can also easily be a distraction.

19:29:50 [BaldEagle] We're recruiting Americans, not Soviets

19:30:08 [RussellK] If I don't have fun at a local group meeting ... I would stop showing up

19:30:47 [BaldEagle] Yeah, I'm losing steam at my county government meetings

19:31:19 [BaldEagle] All zoning and no political debate makes bored out of my stinkin' mind

19:31:25 [scobb] Look, no one is saying we shouldn't socialize and have a good time, but if the FSP becomes a club instead of a movement, it will fail. We invested an unbelievable amount of effort into PorcFest 2004.

19:31:30 [amanda42] fyi, new england town meetings are a *lot* of fun. i'm serious

19:31:42 [scobb] Show me the numbers.

19:32:20 [BaldEagle] Right, but the goal is to plug the fun to people OUTSIDE of the FSP, and use it as a recruiting tool and a way to generate material for media

19:32:27 [amanda42] lots of people visit the porcfest before the decide to sign up with the fsp

19:32:47 [BaldEagle] Whatever happened to the documentaries that were being made?

19:32:49 [amanda42] mrs edelstein joined at our 2004 porcfest, for example, while dr edelstein has yet to sign up

19:32:55 [katdillon] Thanks for coming everyone. Good night! If someone could do a /save and send me the transcript, I'd appreciate it.

19:33:10 [svillee] remember that second stage of publicity: positive attitude. comes from having fun.

19:33:15 [BaldEagle] Sure, Kat.

19:33:19 [amanda42] lots of people joined at the escape to nh in 2003

19:33:25 [amanda42] goodnight, kat

19:33:40 [katdillon] thanks Bill!

19:33:43 [BaldEagle] Good Night, say Hi to Kira

19:33:44 [scobb] Good point, svillee. We should be inviting VIPs to PorcFest 2005.

19:33:49 [amanda42] and we got a few great media stories out of porcfest 2004

19:33:55 [PhilD] 'night Kat

19:34:18 [amanda42] it's about the only thing we do anymore that is newsworthy

19:34:27 [PhilD] Does Varrin have anyone big on the list yet?

19:35:34 [BaldEagle] Yes, Steve. A major big-time blowout Freedom orgy where anarcho-capaitalists have a great time, don't break any laws, and do a service to the community

19:35:35 [scobb] PorcFest 2004 was definitely a success. I'm just leery of decreasing reward, if we have more for our own feel-good benefit rather than out of practical considerations.

19:35:36 [RussellK] he is trying for walter williams

19:37:05 [amanda42] steve, the idea for the regional porcfests came out of a brainstorming session with the fsp-doers on things we could do to recruit more locally

19:38:15 [scobb] Well, anything that gets people more involved.

19:39:41 [scobb] I have to be going soon myself. Does anyone have something more they want to suggest or, better yet, a project they want to run with?

19:39:59 [amanda42] maybe they're working really hard to save the money so they can move

19:40:26 [PhilD] Not that isn't already on the burner.

19:47:40 [scobb] It seems to me that the server or network has slowed down, so maybe this is a good time to close the session?

19:48:17 [PhilD] I think that's about it for me - G'night

19:48:39 [svillee] sounds like a plan. good night.

19:49:08 [BaldEagle] I thought it was just my crappy machine coupled with dialup from Richmond to MD and using Internet Exploder

19:50:11 [BaldEagle] Anyone can email me for any reason at creativechemist888 - at - yahoo - dot - com

19:51:39 [scobb] Yeah, time to sign out.

19:52:08 [BaldEagle] Thanks Steve, good night