RustedRobot

Well, folks, this is about the going rate I suspect we’ll see here on the blog going forward. In April, I have posted four times to the blog, an average of once per week. That is a record low in the almost ten years I’ve been doing this. That’s what happens when your commuting time is taken up by, um, actually commuting. I did try the Dragon Diction app on my IPhone that someone recommended (thanks Chris), but it’s of limited use because when the phone does its auto shut-off thing to save the battery, the app shuts down as well (or stops recording). As mentioned before, it seems small bursts are about all I can do right now given how busy the new job is. Find me on Twitter and Facebook if you really care that much about keeping up with me more often. I’m not that exciting, though, really.

The job is going quite swell. It’s so different than my tenure at Ask, but it’s very good for me to get out of the comfort zone I was in for nine years. In some respects, I have to use my brain in ways I haven’t used it for years, so that has been a real awakening and an adjustment as well. There are most definitely times when I’m kicking myself and saying “five years ago you would have KNOWN that, dude!” But I know this – I’m doing more creative stuff via the marketing and it’s a blast to see something I’ve done be successful, even if it’s little victories. For example, I started little micro-blogs for each one of the stores we’re opening soon - and they actually get traffic! In the big picture, these don’t drive huge sales of course. I mean, I can’t see any direct correlation between two little blogs and the ring of a cash register, and I know a blog isn’t necessarily intended as a revenue driver. But the good thing about online is that numbers don’t lie - people are engaging with us more because of stuff I’m doing, and well, that feels good. Have a look at Pure Hockey Facebook activity since I started in early March:

This is, of course, a small part of a much larger intiative to completely re-launch the face and voice of two brands, but it shows that some of the stuff we’re doing online is working. The stripping down and bombing of two websites inevitably will affect any business in the short term, but I’m really excited, challenged and so ready to tackle the much bigger obstacles that lay in front of us. There is so much opportunity in the big picture and long run. It is a really exciting thing to be thinking about constantly.

So while it’s fun to riff on Facebook and Twitter about hockey and our business, the real work – and what I am judged and compensated on – is still to come. Re-launching two new sites and creating a voice in a noisy market is no easy task. We have two huge competitors, for example (Hmmm…..sounds a lot like working at Ask, doesn’t it) in a market that is arguably and relatively finite. There is so much to think about. So much to do. And I’m so jazzed to do it. To put up my best against their best. With some of the ideas we have, I think our best will be something to see. It’s all coming soon.

But enough about work for now. I just got my New Pornographers tickets. I know I can listen to the stream of the new album on NPR right now, but I’m holding off. Same goes for Band of Horses. I’m going old-school on these two album releases. I’ve heard bits and pieces here and there, but I’m doing this ’80s and ’90s style and waiting for the album release date. I won’t get to hold a CD and unwrap it with tremendous anticipation like I used to because I don’t buy CD’s anymore, but I will still get the thrill of buying and hearing a new set of  music from bands I love. There is almost nothing better.

I also got my Bruins tickets for the upcoming second round. The buzz around here is deafening – and eerily similar to last year. I’m kind of glad the Bruins got challenged in that first round vs. Buffalo, because last year when they swept Montreal in the first round I think they might have subconsciously thought they were the bees knees. Today, they must know that they are actually less of a threat than they were last season. I truly believe this team only will succeed if they are challenged, i.e., by being an underdog, or falling behind or whatnot. Look no further than the egg they laid in Game 5 of the Buffalo series. Hell, look no further than the entire regular season, where they played so uninspired. They’ve clearly woken up. Very exciting! So while I do want as easy a road as possible (I’ll happily take a series with Philadelphia), part of me kind of wants to see Pittsburgh. You want a challenge? That is a challenge.