Philadelphia

Progress is Priority

by tonymont on May 21, 2009

TO ALL WHO CAME OUT ON FRIDAY, THANKYOU FOR YR SUPPORT. The 5 days of madness that I went through leading up to the day was TOTALLY worth it.

-RAD T-Shirts (If you want one, tell me! We’ll print you one on yr own shirt; free of charge!)

-WONDERFUL CD’s

-MASSIVE TURNOUT (I was very proud of my friends for coming as well as bringing new faces and informing them about our cause)

-Mindblowingly AWESOME Performances

-AND THE MESS AFTERWARDS WAS SUPRISINGLY NOT SO BAD!

—if you couldn’t make it, its okay, more awesome social events are going to be happening (AKA CARROTMOBS)—

Friday’s event hit a bit of a benchmark; the focus is shifting from “Get the word out” to “MOB SOME STORES!” (BUT that doesn’t mean we’re not going to be spreading the word, just that we’ve gained enough momentum to begin what we’ve all been waiting for)

We feel confident enough in our publicity up to this point:

-Earth to Philly (Philly.com)

-Green Jobs Philly

-New York Times

-Time Magazine (online for now; but soon to be in print!)

-Sustainable Cherry Hill

-As well as countless social and commercial network invasions all around Philadelphia (campaigning/blabbing/blogging)

WANNA SEE WHAT HAPPENED ON FRIDAY?

Despite my missing camera; I have many friends who managed to take photos (mostly of the night-activities):

-Kate Kell’s Photostream

-John Rehr aka Chang Chang’s Photobucket

-Alex Hannah’s Facebook Album 1(cooking craziness) and 2 (only the last seven or so)

OKAY, so  late-afternoon on Friday we all sat down in the basement and had a very in-depth group discussion about when, where, and how we should carry out our first CM. Although this will be the first of many; the initial mob must be passionate, crisp, and easily attendable. We decided that instead of choosing (a) store(s) in Center City, where we originally intended to begin, we decided to pick a neighborhood with a sense of community, longstanding residents, and neighborhood store rivalries, of course I’m speaking of the WEST. Trust me, by no means do we mean that no other neighborhoods in the City are any of those things noted above, most of us are simply more familiar with the underlying consumer tendencies and sometimes strange store followings/loyalties that surround the area between 38th and 50th Streets below Spruce and above Grey’s Ferry. SO THERE ARE OUR BOUNDARIES:

-We’re surveying the local FOOD MARKETS, but we have set some spec’s to narrow our targets a little:

-Must sell fresh produce of some sort and/or have a deli on premises

-No tiny “cornerstore” types; the store has to be able to handle some volume, sorry all you little minimarts.

-Rather extensive selection, variety-type stores i.e. baking, cleaning, toiletries, drinks, cooking, etc.

So the process (so far) is figured as this:

-We tell the stores what we’re doing; explain ourselves and why we’re going to their store. Tell them to read up about it on the internet and watch that infamous video.

-We decide on the store incentive (Do we want to do a simple Percetage Based method, or do we want to do things like they’re doing in Eugene and focus on supply chain as well as waste-reduction in addition to energy efficency): It will depend on the store.

-We return to the stores for their bid/willingness to participate and to what extent; determine the highest bidder.

-We do our networking thing and let as many people know as possible

-MOB, MOB, MOB.

Carrotmob is gaining recognition nationally AND internationally; it’s time for Philly to step up! Put the PARTI in Participate, the ACT in Action, and the MOB in CARROTMOB!

A complete list of businesses containing location, size, and speciality will be posted ASAP, not to worry.

BEFORE YOU GO ANYWHERE, KNOW THAT WE’RE HAVING (A) MEETING(S) in anticipation to our first Mob.

-I’ll try and hold them Twice a week Starting with THIS SUNDAY @ THE BIRDHAUS AT 1PM. The meetings will be strictly business (I say that with a bit of light-heartedness, of course we’ll have fun and such, but we have some progress to make!)

So that’s Sunday, we’ll get some final specifics down and set future meeting dates as well as go around to more stores and map out our potential mob locales. (Bring a (blank) t-shirt if you want one made for you)

-Did I forget anything? We’ll see..

For now folks, keep fighting that good GREAT fight.

—- <tony3 —-

p.s. Its YOU guys and gals that keep this train a-runnin, don’t forget it.

Category: Meeting, Update!

Sorry this is taking so long!

by tonymont on May 19, 2009

I’m gathering data, photos, and such; a post will be up very soon.

In the meantime; did you see that Time™ Article? It’s also going to be in the next print issue of the magazine! How exciting.

-We’re in the process of choosing stores and getting an exact proximity, much more will be up very soon.

Thanks for being so patient! It’s been a crazy week..

-Tony.

Category: Uncategorized

LAST MINUTE REMINDERS.

by tonymont on May 14, 2009

Okay now,  Friday’s closing in with a tailwind and before we dive into this venture, I figured I may as well give a few heads ups’:

DAYTIME:

-There it looks like a lot of traffic is going to be circulating through the house; so if you find yrself having been through the inside workshops, the food selection, and (potentially) an email sign-up, make yr way out front to the Pitch Workshop out front and then when thats through, over to Clark Park to kill some time until the closing discussion (4:15) and subsequently the Music (5pm).

-The rain in the forecast isn’t predicted to begin until the evening, so the park and outside events should be just fine; but just in case, bring a jacket and maybe a change of clothing in the car or backpack; if it does in fact rain during the daytime, we’ll deal with as it comes, there are plenty of coffee shops and stores close-by to take refuge in while awaiting the 4:15 closing discussion.

-KYW3 News may be in attendance around the start at 12noon, they have contacted us and shown interest in doing a story on the Carrotmob, so if you want to show up early to get us a steady crowd all day (rather than all at once); please do.

Nighttime:

-Factors of Four have cancelled at the last minute; they extend their sincere apoligies; they’ll still be on the sampler though.

-Keep trash-management in mind; don’t litter or make a mess; ciggarettes will be best enjoyed outside.

-When the music ends; clear out, we’ll have a lot of cleaning ahead of us and unless you plan on sticking around to help with the process, we need an empty house.

LETS CROSS OUR FINGERS ABOUT THIS RAIN, BUT AT THIS POINT, IT’S OUT OF OUR CONTROL; I’m gonna give Friday the old “Rain or Shine” tag and say show up no matter what.

SEE YOU SOON!

P.S. Links to the Facebook Event and LastFM Event.

VOLUNTEER MEETING PART 1. MONDAY (NOT SUNDAY) @ RITTENHAUS SQ.

by tonymont on May 7, 2009

SUNDAY MONDAY!! AFTERNOON: 12-3pm (Forgot about Mother’s Day!)

I’ll be on the grass! Join me for what the forecast says will be a very pleasant day.

We’ll be discussing:

Duties and Tasks at hand leading up to Friday (Setup, Food Cooking, Activity Schedule)

Delegating Who does What and what everyone would be happiest participating in.

Setting up teams and coordinating the 15th so everything runs smoothly.

I’m bringing some baked goods, Not gonna call this a “potluck” or “picnic” or anything but if you feel the need to bake something back at me, FEEL  AS FREE AS YOU WANT…

If you already agreed to Volunteer, you should be receiving a separate e-mail, and if you are interested in Volunteering but haven’t gotten back to me about it, HERE’S YR CHANCE!!

-Seeee Youuu,

——tny—–

Category: Uncategorized

CARROTMOB WORKSHOP/PARTY DETAILS.

by tonymont on May 1, 2009

Informative, Enlightening and Awesome Show Party Extravaganza!

@ THE BIRDHAUS -1343 S. 46th Street

FRIDAY MAY 15TH, 2009 -12pm-2am

FREE ADMISSION until 5pm; 3$ thereafter. Money Goes to covering food and cd costs and if anything’s left; the bands.

MUST BE CARROTMOB CONSCIOUS
(understand what we do and why); i.e. If yr bringing somebody, let them know why this is going down.

(if you don’t quite know yrself then check out Carrotmob’s about page and subsequently our blog; not to mention the helpful and delightful video that explains the concept very well, see right column)

FOOD/SNACKS/DRINKS PROVIDED while supplies last: Homemade Goodies From Us!

Daytime Activities:

-Carrotmobbing 101: For the unfamiliar and/or confused

-Pitching Perfect: Getting yr own comfortable mob pitch down in a short time with confidence

-HandOUT withOUT nothin’ to pOUT abOUT
: Quick, easy, and Eco-Friendly ways to make Carrotmob handouts with limited time and money

-Networking in the 21st Century: How to take advantage of Free Social networking online and off and methods for spreading the word; whatever the intent

-Fun, Fun, Fun: For those who want to stick around for the music, but have already been through all of the activities, Kickball and Frisbee will be going on at Clark Park, only 3 blocks away! (We’ll have signs pointing the way)

Wrapping Up the Daytime Activities around 4:30:

-Past, Present and Future Mob (Discussion Session/Q&A): Potential Long-Term Goals and effects of the Carrotmob on both local and national communities and societies, positive and negatives, economic significance, as well as ideas for other mob activities.

Basically, we’re promoting individual power by demonstrating some ways of spreading the word and networking not just with Carrotmob, but also for causes and grassroots movements anybody wants to get started in their local community!

We’re bringing together local like-minded individuals and encouraging everybody to get involved in some form positive of societal change.

Nighttime Activities:

~~After 5pm the Activites Will End and the Music Will Begin~~and it will start costing 3$ to get in!

Passable Plastic on the 1’s and 2’s Providing the Tunes

Bands Include (in no particular order):

The music is going to diverse, energetic, and carry a unique sort of purpose; none of these artists are expecting any money so this one is straight from the heart, and we greatly appreciate them all.

Thats why a FREE Sampler CD is going to be handed out (courtesy of Carrotmob and Sire Press), but they aren’t going to be given out until after 5pm (so at least those who paid are sure to get one). The sampler will feature songs from every artist who performs, granted they all have attainable recordings.

Hope to see you there. It’s going to be an awesome experience for everybody!

If you are interested in Volunteering for this let me know! I’m making sweeet teeshirtsss.

Category: Uncategorized