Change Is Good At Woody Boater®
You may notice some small changes here at Woody Boater, Ads moving around, OK, everything moving around. Sometimes if you hit refresh later in the day you can watch it change in real time. It will give you a headache, and I know how much the citizens of WoodyBoaterville hate change.. But as we grow, things need to be changed. Woody Boater is a work in progress. no plan, just adjustment to the market and to what our readers and supporters want.
Some of the changes include a new 2012 Classic Event Calendar, after messing around with different ones, it hit us like a bolt of lightening. lets make one calendar for all the hobby…..the ACBS the official go to calendar. That way you only really need to worry about notifying more than one place, and they are the masters of events. They have made this an OPEN CALENDAR so any event can be on there. It’s a kind and generous gesture to help the hobby. Trust me its not easy to do.. We honor that kind gesture with a massive real estate donation. Thanks to the ACBS for making this happen.
The Chris – Craft Antique Boat Clubs Boat Buzz in a new prominent position, since it changes by the minute we thought it should be more at the top.
Our Sponsors are now on Two sides of the page. These companies are who we have to thank for the continued growth of Woody boater. So they get the top space. Please support them back. That’s why this is all free to you.
Also of note, we are now officially a registered trade mark. WoodyBoater® is now a protected brand. Thats right, while you were sleeping and wondering why all things good are shrinking, we have grown up, and with that comes the need to protect what we have all built. We also have plans to expand and take over the globe.. Look out Starbucks…
We are also excited to invite some new sponsors to the table. St Lawrence Restoration, Sunrise Restoration, Soon Alpha Tango Marine and two more that I can not announce yet, but we are very very excited about them joining us.
There are more fun things in store. Yep soon we will announce a new online store. Woody Boater Apparel will sell .. Apparel, Hats, shirts etc. We plan on starting small, but its set up to go as big as needed. We will be making small collections of stuff. And move on to new stuff, so if you see something you like, get it, I hate making the same stuff over again. Collect them ALL! Yes there will be Sons Of Varnish Shirts, but this round will have a small change. If you were able to get one of the 150 made and sold exclusivity at lake Dora, you have the prototype.. Put it in a safe deposit box..
Thanks again for your comments and good cheer, the hobby, lifestyle, sport, whatever we call it, is better off because of it. We hope in a small way we can continue to grow and keep things fun and fresh.
Matt & Texx
Oh, Boy! More Sons of Varnish! Maybe in colors? I can’t wait to get a pink one . . . no, muave . . . no, chartruse . . . no, primary colors . . . no, I’ve got it! ARRRGH! midnight blue! Now that would be perfect! And do skeletons have mustaches?
If not, get your permanent markers & add one! A rainbow mustache would be so spiffy!
A couple things…
A while ago I noticed the Google Friend Connect widget broke. The box is there, now on the bottom right, but it always has some error text in it. I see it that way on any computer and my phone so I assume I am not the only one. Perhaps there is a spelling error in the config somewhere? 🙂
Merchandise over the web will be very welcome. It gives us a chance to market your site, show our woody pride, and also financially support this great resource.
As for merchandise, a 4×6 flag would look great on most docks. I understand demand may be small, but if you have a vector image file, or even just a high resolution pixel image, there are companies that can print one off or low volume runs at reasonable prices. I would also be happy to pay a license fee for the image file and have the flag printed myself or I could make a small run for anyone interested and send you the profits. Yacht ensign sizes can also be done.
Finally (yeah right) a header photo collection would be great. You put together some amazing header photos, and while the articles remain available and searchable, the headers are fleeting and disappear after a day or sometimes less. A calendar type archive would be really cool where we could click on a date such as May 4th 2009, and it would pop up the WoodyBoater(R) header from that day. A ton of work I know, but you can usually find a volunteer slave called an “intern” that will do stuff like that for free. If not, just a big repository with thumbnails would work, and there is software to automate that.
That’s all for now, and also a big THANK YOU for the effort time and money you and the sponsors put into this.
That f’n google connect thing is a lemon and we are going to kill it. We have around? following us on it though.. Regardless I HATE IT.. The header collection is in the works, AS screen savers. And 4×6 flags is a consideration, they aint cheap thats for sure..
When google throws you lemons, make lemona…nah, just tell them to screw off!
I have no problem with you tossing it, I think it was part of the cookie problems, but it does look funky having the error message there.
As for the flags, I know the cost, and in the sun all day, they usually don’t last long which is why I am often in the market for new ones. That is why I suggested you selling the rights to use the images. Let the flag buyer assume the expense and risks, I’d hate to see you tie up your inventory dollars in something only a few of us would buy.
Sign me up for a flag, and I’ll just keep buying from Matt as the old one’s wear out. Great idea.
Does that mean I can’t write WoodyBoater anymore or do I just nee to spell it WooodieBaoter?
You can write it all you want, you just need a contract giving you permission first, and then you must pay a royalty equal to 7% of net revenues. I think there was something in there about having to wear a mauve SoV shirt and orange shoes as well.
Oh goodie! Now I don’t have to go to boat shows anymore to buy stuff, I can sit home & just click & buy. But…..that is just wrong, I need to see boats, smell varnish & exhaust & cruise with friends….I love cruising with friends! But, late at night & during the dark cold winter WE CAN ALL BUY COOL STUFF!
So will there be a WoodyBoater Hacker offered next Christmas to compete with the Neiman Marcus one.
Not this year, but I hear a line of remote control mahogany cradle boats is in the works.
Go for it, guys!! I’m really enjoying the site and the news from Woodyboaterland. Now I don’t feel so alone!!
“The world hates change, yet it is the only thing that has brought progress.”
“If you have always done it that way, it is probably wrong.”
-Charles Kettering
GREAT quote Chad! I think of Kettering almost every tiime I start a car, or an inboard boat or almost any engine for that matter….
“If you plugged your nose and your mouth while you sneezed, would it come out of your ears or would your head explode?” ~ Unknown
Thanks Matt for helping promote all kinds of events, (not just shows and not just ACBS events) to your readers. We’re happy to provide a place for all to post and search for events. If you know of an event not listed, we invite you to list it on our calendar! Antique Boat Center, Hagerty, Century Boat Club and now Woody Boater all point to this calendar. Chris Craft Club is invited to do the same.
Thanks again from the ACBS. Find an event and go have fun!
I learned in History class years ago that the South lost the civil war because of one tiny thing.. Each town and city had different rail widths.. So each time a train would reach a town it would need to change.I got a C by the way so dont quote me.. The lesson though stuck with me.
You can see why each town liked that since they could use it as revenue. But in the long run, it was about the towns, not the rail system and the greater good. This move to one calendar is for the greater good. Everyone has set there egos aside for this. Thanks Jim for providing this, I to wish the Chris Craft club would do the same as would classic boating magazine. That way it helps all of us..
I am sure the CCABC will give the calendar change full consideration, just give the new board members and volunteers some time to get things sorted out.
Invitation to the CCABC is a standing one. No rush.
Matt you have started a positive wave of change. Good on you. I feel privileged to be connected to the WB community.
Especially because I work everyday in the digital marketing space and you in your 50 + years are pioneering. Marshall MacLuhan said ” The medium is the message ” and thats never been truer than in this instance. Go you good things.
Good to see a one source calendar, where non ACBS events can now be included. Last year about this time I was planning out our boating season trips, and had to search several places for interesting locations to visit classic events.
This was the reason I have put together the efforts to add an Antique and Classic Boating events calender in the Great Lakes Scuttlebutt Magazine. I did not know this new effort to conslodate events into one source was going on at the same time. It’s great to see the smaller local Classic boating events will now get the exposure they need.
Thanks to every one for thier efforts.
Ill bite: How do you post boat shows to that feed?
Thanks for asking. ACBS.org/calendar/ then click “submit event”. Once you submit, it will be reviewed for approval (you know….Matt’s dictionary use, etc) then posted. That may take 24 hrs or so to do. At the bottom of the submission form, there is a memo field for questions to the calendar administrator if you have any problems. Or, email her directly at webmaster@acbs.org. Thanks!
good boating