The Internet and social media have really changed the face of business – or at least for Folbot they have. Traditional ads and direct mailings have been dramatically reduced or completely eliminated. Now with tools ranging from email blasts to Google, from Twitter to Facebook and MySpace, from YouTube to StumbleUpon, there are faster and more effective ways of reaching Folboters and potential Folboters. And the Folbot website and the Folbot Forum have never been more important.
Check out some of what is going on…
The Citibot assembly video has now been viewed over 10,000 times! (I know it says less than that, but we had another version up first which had about 1000 views.)
In just 3 months I have over 1000 “followers” on this social microblogging site. People can tune in and hear my thoughts on everything from Folbot to Tabasco sauce by following me (@davrutick). Will the Intern is now running the Folbot page (@Folbot) and is sharing useful bits of information.
Twitter has generated a lot of activity and some sales, and even the slogan on the back of the new t-shirt came from a Tweeter who won a contest for a Folbot hat!
Thanks to the efforts of Will the Intern, Folbot is one of the most popular members of this social networking site for paddlers. PaddleFriend is a cool site to interact with all sorts of paddlers.
The Folbot Facebook group now has well over 200 members and grows on a daily basis. This is a great place to exchange information and make friends with other Folboters.
Will the Intern also created a growing Folbot presence on this social networking site. In just a few days of being on MySpace, Folbot’s friends are rapidly increasing.
StumbleUpon is an interesting site which randomly presents websites to visitors based on their interests. We get hundreds of hits on our website from there. It is a great way for people who don’t even know they are interested in Folbot to find us.
And these are just a handful of the websites and social media where people meet Folbot. (You should also check out Foldingkayaks.org and Paddling.net — really useful and excellent sites.)
To paraphrase Thomas Friedman, the world may now be flat, but it is sure is exciting.
David A.
Folbot - In the Fold 