I was very excited when I was asked to create an ASCS Northwest Group/Fan Site on Facebook to be used as a partner site to help promote the main ASCS Northwest website (http://www.ascsnorthwest.com/). I've been wanting to get involved in the sprint car racing scene in some form (other than photography), and this little Facebook project is the perfect beginner step for me to see what I'm made of. :)In my opinion... so much money is spent advertising to the diehard sprint car fans... which seems kinda silly to me... since the diehard fans are going to be at the races whether they see a poster or hear a commercial on the radio or not. Yet, that's where it seems like much of the promoting energy goes. It goes to places where only the diehard fans will see it ('cause non-fans don't notice it).
I say go for the casual fans who have a well-rounded number of interests. Mediums like Facebook and MySpace are an excellent way to connect to these type of fans, because whoever signs on as a member of the group is saying that they are at least mildly interested in seeing some dirt track racing. Granted, their ASCS Northwest group link will probably be displayed next to their Weekend Fishermen Warriors, Green Thumb Gardeners, and Soccer Moms Rock group links... but that's where the fun comes in. The challenge (or fun) is to see if there is a way to get those casual fans clicking on the ASCS Northwest group link more than all the others they have stored in their interest areas on Facebook and MySpace. Because the more they start clicking on the ASCS Northwest group link... the more likely it is that an interest in sprint car racing is being programmed into their lives.
And the hope would be that the more these people interact with an ASCS Northwest site on Facebook (or sites like www.NWRaceTalk.com), the more likely they are to start connecting with others who share an interest in sprint car racing. And once you've built a network community, the job of promoting becomes much easier.
Hahaha... slightly idealistic I know. But as Einstein once said, "Imagination is everything. It is the preview of life's coming attractions." Just give me some space and let my imagination work here. You (and I) might one day be amazed by the results. ;)
I have some ideas for the ASCS Northwest group on Facebook. I've got ideas that will hopefully have people clicking on the ASCS Northwest group link more than their other links. I'm thinking fun stuff... like contests and such. We'll see. In any case, if you do have a Facebook account check out the ASCS Northwest group site and lets see where it goes.
As far as promotion of the ASCS Northwest and sprint car racing in general... I've got some ideas. But that my friend is a whole other blog post. :)
I know for some, "all this" is really no big deal. I'm sure there are veteran photographers out there that would laugh at my excitement with the idea that "it's just part of the job." Hopefully I never fall into that way of thinking. Hopefully each little achievement will be just as new and exciting as the last. 'Cause there's nothing worse than having something (like a hobby) that you love and are excited about turn into "just another job." I think sometimes people try so hard to squeeze some sort of profit out of their beloved hobbies... that eventually they also squeeze the passion right out along with it. For ethical reasons and a mutual respect for the motorsport photography profession, I have turned my little hobby into a business. But the business and finance parts of it all mean very little to me... and that's the way I intend to keep it. I want to keep my excitement where my heart tells me it should be kept, in the little achievements like the Saldana example described above. Because I know when it gets right down to it... when I'm old and reflecting back on my life... those little achievements are going to be the ones I'm most proud of. How much money I made at the end of the year will mean next to nothing when taking that final inventory of my life. :)
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