Looking for votes in creative ways

Sunday, September 13, 2009

This contest isn't about getting people you know to vote to send you to Antarctica. It is about getting people you know to vote, and then get people they know to vote, and then get those people to get people they know to vote, etc. It is not just a popularity contest, it is a marketing contest.


As time gets shorter and I need more votes I'm starting to get more creative in who & how I ask. Most of you who know me in real life already know that I am Jonathan Coulton's Merchandise Minion when he plays in Minneapolis/St. Paul. I have already gotten Mr. Coulton to tweet the link to vote for me. Unfortunately his zombie hoards did not come out in the numbers I was hoping for. Zombies must not have email.

I have been avoiding form letters when reaching out for votes. I don't want to annoy people with form letters, and I want to convince them with the personal touch.

On that note, I just send one of my strangest ones so far! Here is the email I sent to John Hodgman, Daily Show Correspondent and the PC in the "I'm a Mac, I'm a PC" commercials. With over 80,000 followers on Twitter, lets hope he goes to bat for me!


Mr. Hodgman,

As someone who knows everything, can you help me learn SOME INFORMATION THAT I REQUIRE? I would like to know if Antarctica is real. Because the interwebs are full of lies & crazy talk I can not believe them when they say that it is. This is something I must find out for myself.

I am trying to use the interwebs to get to this mythical land to see if it is there. I have entered a contest at http://www.blogyourwaytoantarctica.com/blogs/view/548 and the winner of this contest will be decided by who receives the most votes. I would like to ask you a favor. Would you tweet and/or blog the link to my voting page and ask your minions to vote for me? I have made a conveniently short url for the TwitterLand: http://bit.ly/FrozenSharon or if that is too long, http://bit.ly/frzn will also work, although it is not as catchy & easy to remember.

I have offered to bring back a penguin for everyone who votes for me. I could send you your penguin through the U. S. Pony Express upon my return, or if you would prefer, I could wait and give it to Mr. Jonathan Coulton, Mountain Man Extraordinaire, at his first Minneapolis performance after my trip. Although, given his lack of care for your cats, that is probably not a wise option.

Because I am not an Internet Superstar, or Daily Show Correspondent, or anyone of consequence really, I have been reduced to asking those sorts of people to pimp me out for votes. Mr. Coulton and his two manservants Paul & Storm have already asked the TwitterLand to vote for me. I'm not in the lead yet though, so they are obviously not powerful enough. You sir, would be powerful enough.

If you are thinking to yourself right now that this is intriguing, but you have an aversion to helping complete strangers, we are not strangers. We have met once before in the strange land of St. Paul, Minnesota. I forged a bond with your strange mountain man companion that night by bribing him with homemade cookies. I am his official Minneapolis Merchandise Minion now. On that fateful day in St. Paul, I also had a Moose. Here is evidence of the Moose:

If I can get the votes to go to Antarctica, you won't be sending just me. A vote for me is a vote for Moose. This Moose has traveled to 5 continents and met Celebrities. He will be going with me to Antarctica, if it does indeed exist. Will you help us? Don't do it for me. Do it for the Moose.

If your schedule of Important Business does not allow you the time to write a Tweet, I can do it for you. Perhaps something simple like: "Does Antarctica really exist? @HellZiggy & Moose want to find out. Vote for them at http://bit.ly/FrozenSharon & then RT this."

Thank you for your valuable time, Mr. Hodgman, and I look forward to your reply.

Sharon Snyder, Future Antarctic Explorer

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