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The lost art of writing

/ andyveilleux / 3 Comments

Writing isn't what it used to be. Blogs have ruined it, some say. Others say my dumb-founded generation, and the generation preceding it ruined it before that. This is too big of an issue to tackle in a blog post, but I wanted to share two prime examples of exceptionally good writing, from the modern era (last thirty years or so). I won't ruin them by explaining why I think they're great piece of writing, so that's up for you to decide. Here they are:

 

"…off to the right of this typewriter, on the floor between the beds, I can see an 8×10 print of Frank Mankiewicz yelling into a telephone at the Democratic Convention in Miami; but that one will never be used, because the god-damn hound put five big claw-holes in the middle of Frank's chest."

– from Hunter S. Thompson's Fear and Loathing: On the Campaign Trail '72

 

"I shaved carefully with an old razor

the man who had once been young and

said to have genius; but

that's the tragedy of the leaves,

the dead ferns, the dead plants;
and I walked into a dark hall
where the landlady stood
execrating and final,
sending me to hell,
waving her fat, sweaty arms
and screaming
screaming for rent
because the world has failed us
both"

– from Charles Bukowski's The Tragedy of the Leaves

Sudbury: a case study in foreign ownership

/ andyveilleux / 4 Comments

I came across an interesting article today concerning Canadian management statistics, and the oft-discussed (in Sudbury, and nationally I imagine) debate over foreign ownership. The article is written by economist Stephen Gordon, and is a response to an opinion piece written by Jeffrey Simpson in the Globe and Mail. To summarize the post, let me quote the Stephen’s initial reaction to reading Simpson’s article: “Oh god. Economic nationalism will be an issue. Spare us. #budget2010”

I've been reading Dr. Stephen Gordon's work for many months now, and his blog has always been informative and well-written. Stephen is an economics professor working at Laval University in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. His thinking regarding the failings of economic nationalism would be widely unpopular in a mining town like Sudbury (yes, it is still a mining town, despite claims to the contrary). That being said, his thinking is not wrong on this issue.

In some of my history courses with Dr. Mark Kuhlberg regarding environmental history, and northern Ontario history, I was fortunate enough to learn some of the failings of the xenophobic policy that is economic nationalism. Many a time it was not the foreign companies raping and pillaging the landscape, but our own Canadian companies. It was the foreign companies who often invested capital into repairing damaged eco-systems and re-greening initiatives, especially in the pulp and paper industry. To be certain, Mark is an authority in the field of pulp and paper industry.

All that being said, I do see the local case studies regarding foreign ownership, primarily in the mining industry. Let's take two polarized examples; Xstrata, and Vale. When it came time to negotiate with workers in their Sudbury operations, Xstrata and the CAW agreed upon a new 3-year contract this year without a work stoppage. When it came time for Vale and the USW to negotiate a settlement, there was a long and bitter strike, which ended up lasting about a year. Cries of evil foreign ownership were rampant in the city, and still are, at least among many of the working class individuals in this city I've spoken with [Note: my father is a miner at Xstrata].

It's worth reading Stephen's posting about foreign ownership, for a few reasons. Pay close attention to the opinions of Canadian management regarding education, and their lower education than their American counter-parts. Also, look at the discussion of how foreign-controlled operations are run as compared to domestically-owned operations. There are many arguments on both sides of the coin, so don't just write off foreign-ownership as evil because it's a trendy view in the Nickel City.

Sudbury: the great youth brain drain continues

/ andyveilleux / 2 Comments

While it is not news that Sudbury has had a difficult time keeping young graduates in the city following their graduation, having southern Ontario newspapers cover it is relatively new (at least in this blogger's eyes). I am referring to an article in the Globe and Mail written by Adam Radwanski on Friday, which you can read here. I'm not going to go into the politics of having a southern newspaper write about the north, but it's a great thing that Laurentian Univeristy is finally getting more southern exposure. Time to discuss the article.

 

I'll begin with a quote that summarizes the article: "But ultimately, employers must have enough high-end jobs to keep graduates around permanently. And For all of Sudbury’s progress, that’s where the constraints typical for northern Ontario cities still fall leave it short." Beginning a sentence, much less a paragraph with 'but,' and some of the obvious grammar errors, may send some of our more grammar-savvy readers into a frenzy, but that's not the focus of the discussion.

Sudbury's exodus of educated youth is nothing new, nor is the discussion of it. I cannot count the amount of people who I've talked to about it, in both the private and public sector. The discussion is usually centered on my future, or the future of associates of mine, in Sudbury. I'm at the age now (23) where seeking a career is a priority and something I’ve been working on for quite some time. I’m not opposed to leaving town for work, in fact I’d welcome it some days, but in my heart I know I’d prefer Sudbury. Where does that leave me?

Well, I’ve applied to work at some of the typical, available options in town. These include Laurentian University, the Greater Sudbury Chamber of Commerce, Cambrian College, the city itself, the provincial offices, and federal offices. Beyond that, there are a host of other public development corporations, several private institutions, local media, and community colleges I’ve applied to also. I’ve worked for some of them, and been interviewed by more of them, but in the end I have not found a career out of it. Once again, where does that leave me?

At the moment, I’m continuing my studies. I’ve already got my Honours Bachelor of Arts in History from Laurentian University, my diploma from Print Journalism from Cambrian College, and will be finishing up a BA in Political Science this year. At 23 years old (24 when I graduate PoliSci), that’s not too bad of a resume. Add in all of the local volunteering, my hefty work resume, the various sports teams and committees, and the internships I’ve completed, and it looks even nicer. The sad reality, however, is that it’s difficult to find entry-level careers in meaningful work in this city. That’s the reality of the situation.

Simply put, the city needs to refocus their strategy on the youth brain drain. I understand that career turn-over has become a bit more stagnant due to the “harsh economic times,” as my favourite professor likes the call it. I also understand that companies want to hire people with experience, because they don’t have to train them. The problem with this two factors is they are causing educated people of my generation to have to leave town for employment. What’s the solution?

I would suggest more internships as a start. With internships, recent graduates, and even students, are able to gather valuable work experience. The issue with these internships is that they are usually too short-term. Take my current internship as an example. As a summer contract, I’m working for the Greater Sudbury Chamber of Commerce. My contract expires this Friday. In total, I’ll have spent about three months and change here. Was it valuable? Definitely. The issue is that while it’s been a positive experience, it hasn’t nearly been long enough.

Another fellow Chamber intern has been here for almost a year, and then will be departing because her contract is up as well. Without diving too far behind closed doors, the Chamber will be sad to see her go. She has become an integral part of events planning here. The Chamber has asked for an extension, but has been declined. It simply is not in the budget to offer a new contract without government funding (remember, we’re a non-profit organization.) It is probable a new intern will be brought in, which will not be as efficient as retraining is a must for any new intern.

I’m really not sure what the answers are for this problem. It seems Sudbury, and Northern communities in general, have struggled mightily to attract educated youth into the work-force. I want to hear from you. How can Sudbury work towards attracting more educated youth into the workforce? Will a new government help the situation? Will the municipal candidates positions on this matter in the October elections?

Life after Facebook, and why you need to get on Twitter

/ andyveilleux / Leave a comment

 

Hi everyone, I wanted to change up my usual blogging routine by offering you a guest-blog from a friend of mine, Matt Southern. His story is a fairly interesting one, as he is a PR graduate, who decided to delete his Facebook account months ago, and only keep his Twitter. Without further adieu:

Twitter is one of the most powerful tools of the post-modern era for communicating with individuals and reaching an audience. It’s direct and succinct with unmatched user-friendliness and accessibility. However, after over a year of being an avid twitter user I’ve discovered one simple truth about the social networking service: it’s not for everyone.

Too often I’ve seen people join twitter only to post a few dozen tweets before abandoning the service altogether. To them I would say they’re doing it wrong. You could argue that they didn’t give it a chance but I would argue that they never learned how to use it to suit their needs. It’s remarkable how in 140 character updates there’s truly something out there for everyone.

To get the most out of your experience on Twitter you have to decide what you seek to gain from it. If keeping up with current events is as important to you as it is to me then you need not look any further. There’s no denying it’s one of the best news services available, I almost always get breaking news on Twitter before I get it anywhere else. However, the people who sign up only to follow their favorite celebrities and athletes may never discover that it’s actually a very useful news source.

If you’re a creator of digital content such as a blogger, vlogger, graphic designer, writer of short stories etc. there’s no better way to directly reach an online audience than through Twitter, especially if you’ve built up a healthy number of followers. Similarly, if you’re a consumer of content and like to keep up with your favorite bloggers, youtubers and graphic artists then you can do that as well.

One of my personal favorite ways to use Twitter is as a personal contact maker. I love connecting with people who are passionate about the same things I am. Twitter offers me that opportunity that I otherwise wouldn’t get in real life. For example, living in a small Canadian city where Hockey is the sport of choice it’s difficult to connect with people who are as passionate as I am about pro wrestling and mixed martial arts. Twitter provides me an outlet to share my thoughts and opinions with hundreds of people who are just as passionate, many of whom I’ve developed friendships with even though we’ve never met.

Additionally, as a Public Relations grad and current student of Communications I aspire to have a career involving social media one day. I value Twitter as a business contact maker as I’ve connected with many PR professionals and look to them for guidance as I prepare to begin my career in the next year or so.

After a while I became so satisfied with my Twitter experience that I did what others would believe to be unthinkable: I deleted my Facebook account. Quite simply, it wasn’t doing it for me for me anymore. I see the utilitarian value in Facebook for keeping in touch with friends and family but there’s numerous other ways to do that. E-mail, instant messaging, text messaging, or even good old-fashioned phone calls to name a few. If you take that aspect away there was nothing else to keep me coming back. I wasn’t getting any valuable news updates that I couldn’t otherwise get on Twitter. I wasn’t making any new connections because Facebook doesn’t offer the ability to view what people all over the world are talking about. I had a very limited audience to introduce to new blogs I was writing at the time. Plus, the privacy issues were starting to get to me so I felt the time was right to delete my account altogether. I haven’t looked back since. Twitter more than satisfies my social networking needs and I still keep in touch with everyone I used to while I had Facebook, proving that life does indeed go on.

sex, sex, and SEX

/ andyveilleux / 4 Comments

Well, now that you're all here because of the keyword "sex" (half-joking…), I'd like to open a serious dialogue about the topic.

First, I believe that we live in a society where sex is rarely spoken about, and is treated as though it's something to hide. If a person speaks about it too frankly, or too often, they are classified as either a pervert or a slut, and sometimes both. That being said, I still talk about it openly, honestly, and relatively often (labels/stereotypes be damned!).

The response I get when I discuss it is usually something sexist. "Typical," most people say, "a guy wanting to talk about sex." HELLO!? Women have sexual needs too, and some of them are not afraid to discuss it openly and honestly, if they trust you. There's some mystifying sexist belief that men talk about sex, because they're the perverted gender. I've had far more discussions about sex with females, and not just because I had a sexual interest in the person I was conversing with (because I know everyone was thinking that was the reason).

As a male in his twenties, I become pigeon-holed the moment I bring up sex oftentimes. As soon as I mention the subject I get the above-mentioned 'typical' response. It's frustrating for a number of reasons. First, I legitimately enjoy discussing sex. It's a fascinating subject, and explains a lot about the person you're talking with. Second, despite the conventionally-held belief, as a male, I don't want to sleep with every girl I try to chat up. Third, sex SHOULD be discussed in great detail, it's one of the most important parts of life (if not the most important, depending if you talk to heavy supporters of evolution and general supporters of humanity's on-going existence :P). 

To be honest, I've been incredibly surprised by a lot of my conversations regarding sex. Some people have zero (or almost zero) experience with sex, well into their twenties. Despite the obvious assumption, some of these individuals are not overly-religious, and are actually attractive. On the flip-side, some of my friends have a vast amount of sexual experience (yes, even some of the ladies too, who aren't "sluts.")

It's always interesting to have perspective into the sex-life of friends. Humans are naturally social creatures, and therefore love discussing things we can relate to. EVERYBODY can relate to sexuality, even if they haven't had sex before. It's rare to find an interesting topic, which everybody can discuss. Interesting + relative + passionate = great conversation. And if there are three things I know about sex; it's that these words describe it well, at least most of the time. ; )

What are your thoughts about sexuality? Are people open enough about it? Do you find people who discuss it honestly and openly? Are you open and honest when discussing it with others? How strong are the stereotypes regarding sex?

Being hot: friend or foe at work?

/ andyveilleux / 4 Comments

 

Being attractive is usually seen as a positive thing in our material world. Most discussions involving hot employees and their jobs used to suggest the same. While I wouldn't suggest the prevailing trend has reversed, many have suggested the opposite may be true in some cases. Everyone recalls the Citibank employee who was 'fired for being too sexy.' I refuse to get into a lengthy conversation about it, as we definitely don't have all the facts, but it is an interesting case you should become familiar with.

Elizabeth Bromstein recently wrote a great blog on Workopolis about whether or not being hot could prevent you from being hired. The blog also discusses the idea of competition among same-sex employees, as well as a myriad of other interesting sexual statistics.

The most interesting profession in regards to sexuality has got to be that of a teacher/professor. EVERYBODY has had a teacher-figure that they were attracted to at some point in their education I'm sure. They were, or maybe are, often the topic of idle, or not so idle, chatter amongst your peers and yourself. High school teachers are a natural target for this sort of attraction, considering hormones and puberty. Beth Aviv recently wrote a great article for Salon Magazine concerning”hot young teachers.” The perspective is a fresh one, as it is told from the view of a not-so-young, and not-so-hot group of teachers, who are struggling to find jobs when stacked up against this new wave of female teachers.

I want to mention another struggle female employees are having due to their attractiveness; namely, attractive female professors. Dr. Ebony Utley wrote an article concerning the way some of her male students don't show her enough respect, and ask her out on dates even. I found this curious, but not altogether surprising. The most surprising part was how much this apparently shocked her, even though she talks about how important sex appeal is in an article in the Chronicle of Higher Education, which discusses attractive professors.

This issue doesn't just apply to female professors, as you'll notice from reading the Chronicle of Higher Education article linked above. Dr Gary A. Hoover actually moved 45 minutes away from the campus he teaches on, just so he would not run into any of his potential students and create an awkward, and potentially ethically-ambiguous situation.

The opinion on whether attractiveness is a burden or an asset is still on-going. Among professors, some just find it flat out hilarious either way (as referenced in the Chronicle of Higher Education article). One professor actually thought it was a joke when he heard he had been named to the famous Lemondrop list for hot male professors. There is a co-ed version of the list here.

What are your thoughts on attractiveness in the workplace? Does it hurt or help your career? Are professors and teachers in a unique situation with this dilemma?  

With great [influence] comes great responsibility

/ andyveilleux / 2 Comments

Over the past 36 hours, some interesting things have happened. I got to witness first-hand how influential some of my writing could be. I want to share it as a case-study for all of you to follow.

Recently, I have been reading a lot of articles concerning influence, so I guess it is fitting that I got a practical crash-course in it. Influence is not the amount of followers you have on Facebook, or Twitter. Influence is how many of those people listen to you, and heed what you're saying. There are a lot of sides to this story, and many opinions, and I will try to go over as many of them as I can without violating any of my sources' privacy.

Many of you will recall the ordeal I had with Bodyworks (which was not truthfully their fault at all, as the blog posts will inform you) yesterday. I was contacted by an individual advising me of a course at Bodyworks. They were not authorized to market on behalf of Bodyworks, but were running their class out of the gym. The text message I received seemed like the person was pretending to be a friend of mine, talking about how plans had changed, and they were going to be meeting me at the gym at a different time for the course (which they spoke at length about).

My realization of influence started with a phone call this afternoon, around 4:15pm. A friend filled me in on the course instructor's side of the story (who he is friends with, and had just met with at the time of his call). He warned me that my influence was greater than I thought, and I should wield it responsibly, as the instructor's course was now cancelled. I informed him that I would talk with the owner, and discuss the course being reinstated, due to the miscommunication. The question is: what set me off, and made me pursue this?

First, I should say that it has been mentioned several times that must people would have just ignored the text message. I am not most people, in this context, for a number of reasons. I am involved with social media consulting, strategy creation, etc. This certainly doesn't make me an expert marketer, but does make me an interested and active marketer. Also, I am a trained journalist, who still practices journalism, and pays particularly close attention to ethics of companies. Lastly, I am always interested in legal decisions as they pertain to companies' decisions, and i was certain text message marketing was illegal.

To address these concerns, let me explain chronologically. I was at work when I received the message. I was annoyed by it, and frustrated with it. I feel text-message marketing is unethical, because texts should be used for personal communication only. I have been informed the text message was meant as a personal message rather than a marketing message, but there were definitely elements of marketing in it regardless.

Upon receiving the text, I fired my own back. I included the fact that it was illegal to text message market someone without their consent, and asked the identity of the person messaging me. I asked if they were Bodyworks, or a company representing Bodyworks. In their reply, they did not address my questions, and told me to take a 'chill pill,' 'learn how to breathe,' and etc in a rather snarky way.

I sent an email to Bodyworks, demanding an explanation. I was commited to uncovering who was at fault, and why they were getting in touch with me. I was never a member of the gym, and they couldn't have gotten my number that way (was my line of thinking at the time). As it turns out, it was meant for the previous owner of this phone number, and he gave consent for it (which would not become fully clear until a bit later yesterday). Bodyworks replied to me, and was quite unimpressed with the message I had received, and how it made their company look. 

The texter messaged me today to apologize for the miscommunication, and I accepted their apology. The issue is this: Bodyworks has stopped them from being able to teach their course out of the gym. I understand Bodyworks' decision in the case, but have asked them to reconsider. I like to support athletics and fitness whenever possible, and I felt this was a great avenue for both. I expressed this concern to the representative of Bodyworks, and he understood my concerns. He informed me he was not pleased with the situation in general, but would reconsider allowing the course to operate out of Bodyworks. When he visits Sudbury in a few weeks, he plans to discuss it with his staff before making a decision.

It is important to say that Bodyworks' response to my concerns was swift, and helpful. They never tried to brush me off, or leave me hanging. They treated all inquiries and concerns seriously, and respected my perseverance in getting to the bottom of the situation. The gentleman I dealt with, who I believe owns the company, can not be blamed for their decision to close the course. They were looking after what could have become a legal issue, which all companies must take seriously in this day and age. That being said, he is reasonable, and I'm sure he will fully consider allowing the course to use his facility. 

The lessons to be learned:

– Let marketing professionals handle the marketing, and always consult with the company who is helping you out when launching any sort of campaign. (I was told it was a personal text message, but I've had the phone number for over a year, and this is the first time they contact me. How many friends do you have that don't text you in over a year?)

– One needs to be careful of how much influence they wield, and how they choose to use it. It is possible that I was hasty in reporting on the entire issue. I did not report any inaccuracies or misinformation, and have nothing to apologize for factually, but my friend suggested I should consider how much influence I have before reporting on such issues so quickly. On the other hand, I consulted with some friends who felt the reporting was justified, and that I was soft on the people who sent me a message. Some people felt my response was unnecessary, but not quite uncalled for. The spectrum ranges greatly on this issue.

– Text-message marketing is a difficult path to tread. With the frequency of number changes and lost phones, it is vital to double-check (or 'vet' as journalists say) your contacts, to ensure they are still the people you think they are. Not sending out a message in over a year, and then sending out a  marketing message is treacherous legal territory to walk on.

– In communications, always work fast and efficiently to clear up any miscommunication and answer queries. A simple text message response to my initial questions would have prevented all of this mess from happening. An explanation of who was texting me, what their purpose was, and who they were representing was all that was required. Ignoring a situation does not make it go away. Unfortunately, I think they got more than they bargained for when they accidentally fired that text to a journalist/marketing professional, and then encouraged me.

All things considered, I have no ill will towards the course instructor or gym. I have offered to consult the instructor regarding his marketing strategy next time, to ensure it goes smoothly, and hopefully help build his following. I think the program sounds rather interesting, and you can look into what was going to be taught (Systema – a Russian martial art) here.

If only I would have tripped that burglar, Uncle Ben… er… wait… 😉

Guys talk about their feelings…seriously!

/ andyveilleux / Leave a comment

I talked for a few hours with a dear friend of mine last night. He's been having a bit of a rough go of things, and I wanted to discuss them with him. As one would imagine, the pain involves love.

I think many will find it interesting that guys do, in fact, talk about love, hurt, and painful emotions we are experiencing (note: you may close your mouths at any time ladies [and I bet most girls are surprised I made an open mouth joke that was not sexual by nature!]). While writing this post, I had the privilege of stumbling upon a post by my friends over at WTF is up with my lovelife?! that discussed how many guys are actually reading and following along with their site (which was intended for women). They discuss being surprised by the response from guys, who legitimately want to discuss their love lives, and ask for advice. Imagine that, guys seeking advice AND discussing romantic, mushy things?! Bizarro world, right? Wrong.

In fact, there are some guys that often discuss their romantic lives with one another, at least in my friends circle (and no, by "romantic" I don't mean sexual). I'd like to talk a bit about what I learned from my discussion with a friend going through a serious break-up. Read their post first, so you can understand the study they mention which discusses how guys tend to store up emotions, resulting in massive break-downs, and being more hurt than their female counter-parts when things go down the tubes. It will put this in proper context, I think.

There are no words you can say to a friend to make them feel better when they're suffering through the aftermath of love. When love is lost, a part of you is as well. Time is the only thing that will heal you, but time does not pass in moments like these. Instead of the age-old cliché that time heals all wounds, I would like to offer a modification. Experience heals all wounds, at least to a degree where life is livable again. Let's face it, that person you love, is never going to go away 100 per cent. They will always have a special ability to irritate, anger, and even delight you. It's weird, but it's true.

Time passing in and of itself, does nothing. If one sits in solitude and broods over their loss, one does not heal. The scar tissue will also become much greater. I tend to brood when I'm miserable, and it's not healthy. It's a lonely place, losing love, and you can feel very much alone for some time afterwards. The key is to make sure you're trying to experience life again. GET OUT OF THE HOUSE. Go spend time with people. Get out and talk to other people. Sure, you'll get a lot of the same responses: "I know it sucks, but you'll feel better soon," "To be honest, I didn't really like her," "You're better off without her," etc etc etc….  but it's better than nothing. Conversation lets you express what you're feeling (well, try your best to express that which can not truly be expressed – and trust me, we poets have been trying to express it forever, and failing).

It's interesting how friendship is. Last night my friend apologized for being 'selfish' by talking so much about the storm of badness that is currently his life. I laughed, and explained how it's funny the more modest/self-aware guy friends tend to feel like they are doing a disservice to a friend by a discussing their problems. If it were a disservice of friendship, then what is friendship for? (Note: this does not apply to THOSE friends who always have "issues," and always bring them up, who are actually annoying because they're so woe-is-me). Life is meant to be discusses, and shared, with your friends. Communication is great; it brings people together, and makes life that much more enjoyable as a result. Guys, don't be afraid to talk about your problems. It's unhealthy not to, and it will lead to some serious problems for you.

UPDATE: Bodyworks not responsible for text-message marketing

/ andyveilleux / 8 Comments

UPDATE (6:39PM): A friend called me and informed me how the process works. The martial arts program is being run out of Bodyworks, but not directly tied to them. The previous owned of this phone number had signed up for the course, and was therefore texted about it. However, the approach taken by the marketer who contacted me quite strange.

Also, I have owned this phone number for well over a year, so the information of this marketer was terribly outdated. It makes sense that Ray from Bodyworks was confused about the message. That being said, he was not aware of Systema being run out of his gym tonight it appears, or was at least not wanting to be involved with it officially.

To be clear, it is not the fault of Bodyworks in anyway. My journalistic curiousity is satisfied. Thanks to Mike for calling me and filling me in on their sign-up system.

I have received an email response from Bodyworks, concerning the text-message marketing I received earlier today.

I’m not sure what to think about the email response yet. I’m happy it didn’t take them long to get back to me, but it still seems odd that someone would message me to attend their gym, who was not hired by them.

“Dear Mr. Veilleux,

We have received your complaint and I have reviewed the link you sent me directing me to your personal website.

I can assure you that this was not directed from our facility.  We DO NOT, HAVE NOT and WILL NOT provide any of our membership information to any individual or organization without having a court order to do so.  We run generic advertising campaigns with TV, radio and print and never via email/text messaging.  The campaign that is referred to in the message that you received was run last year by a local radio station so it is not even current.  I have no clue who that number belongs to and have tried calling it a few times and receive a voicemail.

We are very clear on our advertising policies and the rules and regulations that we are required to follow.  All of our material and methods are not only vetted by our legal counsel but also the groups we advertise with.  My guess is that someone has somehow sent you an old message.

We always give away prizes for charity events as well as marketing campaigns.  Any information captured by these agencies is kept and maintained by these associations.  We never receive this information as they have to comply with their privacy laws in the same manner that we do.

I have also reviewed your comments about the message you received and they are unjust and I would kindly request that you remove such unwarranted comments.

Trusting that I have satisfied your query.


Best Regards,

Ray”

In regards to Ray’s request concerning my comments: when I mention the marketer’s grammar, I assumed it was a third-party hired by them. The comments were not aimed at Bodyworks, but the third-party company I believed was working for them. The comments concerning it being illegal to text-market without customer consent is accurate, however. Ray has said it was not on his company’s behalf, but some questions still remain about it. To clarify, Bodyworks was apparently not responsible for the message, and it came from someone else. Who would message me concerning a company they aren’t reprenting? Questions abound. Any ideas?

Bodyworks fail: text-message marketing

/ andyveilleux / 2 Comments

I just received a text message (1:28pm), from a number I don’t recognize. The message is from 1-705-###-####. It reads:

“Hey, slight change. And an update. 1- the Systema is still at Bodyworks in the downtown mall. 2- starts at 7pm. Not 6pm. Oops. My bad. 3- Tonight is a FREE trial. I love free trials. 4-It is at our own intensity. EX: so push ourselves as it is suggested. 5- lets see how well you recognize me in casual clothing. Lol. Let me know if you can make it or not. ###-####.”

First, I have no plans tonight, and have never been a member of the above-mentioned gym. Second, when did text-message marketing start? Third, is it illegal for a company to text message someone, posing as a friend, in order to try and get you out to their event? Fourth, marketing professionals should use decent grammar and have a respectable grasp on the English language (in my opinion). This marketer clearly does not have either of these traits.

Is membership at this gym so bad they need to text message random people to come? Has anyone else been marketed at directly through text messages? What’s the legal policy on this?