WHO WANTS A FREE $25 WAL-MART GIFT CARD, AND WHY AM I GIVING IT AWAY?

We all know that we’re in the midst of some pretty tough times right now. But tough times call for tough measures, and it forces us to get creative. I have had an idea brewing that I think will lighten the load for everyone during this so-called “recession”, and I think it will be a load of fun getting it started!

As we struggle during this stagnant downtrend, people are now looking for the best deals and breaks in the local market economy. At the same time, businesses are making an extra effort to connect with people in the local community on a grassroots level. I’ve got an idea that will help people find the best deals in our local area, which will also help business owners connect with and serve their local customers better. And all the while, if this works just right, we’ll be able to give away things like Wal-Mart gift cards and gas cards in a monthly or weekly drawing for all of the registered participants!

Here’s how it will work…

To get the attention of the local business owners, and to motivate them to give US better deals, we all need to stand together strong and united. When we speak as a group, we can get things done. I’ve created a private email list where people in the local community can register their names, addresses, and email addresses. It’s important to gather the address information to show the local businesses that these are really their local customers, and not just random people across the country. The email list will be owned and maintained by me, and will not be shared with anyone outside of the group for any reason whatsoever. The only people who will see the information will be the local member businesses, to verify that we are who we say we are.

Next, I will have a monthly or weekly drawing for free shopping cards. This will be done on my new web page. What will happen is that we will end up with a highly targeted amount of local traffic to our member web site, and this will attract local advertisers. Member businesses will be able to “sponsor” a spot on the giveaway page, which will fund the free cards. But they will also have to provide some special deal or discount to the members of the email list exclusively, that nobody else has access to. That will be our sole advantage!

On a monthly or weekly basis, a name (or names) will be drawn from a hat from numbers assigned to each member when they get on the membership email list. That person will receive a giveaway card! As long as people remain on our special email list, they will be in the drawing for the free cards. All they have to do is check in every week to see who has won. And the winners will be displayed on the webpage in a picture or short video!

This will be a load of fun, and thus far I’ve had a lot of people who have said they’d be interested in getting free Wal-Mart gift cards or gas cards. I did a survey, and the Wal-Mart card idea edged out the gas cards by 60% to 40%, but I still think it will be a good idea to try a gas card every now-and-then.

What will make this work the best will depend on people telling their friends and family in the local community. The more people are on this list, the more businesses will take us seriously and offer us better deals. My goal is to get 50 people on the list the first day it goes live, and then build it to several thousand people. So when the site goes live, pass the word and increase your chances of winning a free gift card! The more participants, the hotter the site will be. The hotter the site, the more the local advertisers will want to sponsor a spot on the page. The more businesses sponsorships we get, the more free cards will go to the members in the drawings!

So that’s the long and short of it. I don’t know what the official site name will be, but for now I’m hosting the signup page on one of my own domains. If you want to get a head-start and get on the list, go to the Local Jefferson City Giveaway Page by clicking the link right now!

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I wanted to lern y’ins how to dig a garden. This instruckshunal video should teech ya cleerly how to do so.

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I’ve got to share this little family video with you. It was my wife’s 42nd birthday today, and we celebrated by going out to eat at her favorite dining spot in town, “Ria’s”. About a week ago, while she was busy with Parent-Teacher Conference time, me and the little ones (Christian & Sydney) kidnapped one of her many pigs from the mantle (also known as the “Pig Shrine”) to take it into town for a little project. We visited my cake artist friend Kelly, so she could take pictures and study the pig to make a Piggy cake!

As you can see in the video, the Piggy cake turned out exceptionally well. I didn’t expect it to look as much like the porcelain version as it did. Kelly did a spectacular job on it, as she usually does, and it was a big hit with the family. We enjoyed the dinner, and had “pork chops” for dessert! It was a great birthday for my wife, and I just had to share it with you!

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