A Full-Time Wet Shaving Advocate!

[Squire]

Welcome to the club Mark, I find retirement to be rather liberating.

[brothers]

I'm ready to take the plunge. I've loved it, but it's time. Six months more or less.

[mantic]

Speaking of retirement, I really "dodged a bullet!" It's only been 2 weeks and I just found out my old department is being "reorganized." My old boss is now assigned to "Special Projects" (which is a euphanism for "we're not going to fire you right away but you better be looking for a job") and the rest of the staff is being absorbed by another group. The department essentially no longer exists....

[CMur12]

Wow, sounds like really good timing!

- Murray

[nwohio]

Congratulations! I am envious!

[Raze R. Blade]

Speaking of retirement, I really "dodged a bullet!" It's only been 2 weeks and I just found out my old department is being "reorganized." My old boss is now assigned to "Special Projects" (which is a euphanism for "we're not going to fire you right away but you better be looking for a job") and the rest of the staff is being absorbed by another group. The department essentially no longer exists....

Having just barely dodged the bullet a number of times myself, I know how it feels. Kind of a "I'm sure glad I got outta there when I did" sort of thing. Anyways, congratulations on your retirement!

You asked what we would like your role here to be. My take is your role could transcend the different wetshaving silos of information by linking them to the offline world. That has been done before, but to a very limited extent. I think the best example was Corey Greenberg's seminal Today show segment back in 2005. Since then, there were The Great Shave in Chicago, The Big Shave West held today at The Old Town Shaving Company in Pasadena, and a few other events. I even saw a couple stacks of Leisureguy's Guide to Gourmet Shaving at a local chain bookstore several years ago. All those events were very helpful and useful, but unfortunately few in number.

You have great communications skills to get the word out and the shaving knowledge to go with it. Perhaps you could come up with a means of linking your videos, the forums, wetshaving books, the retailers, and manufacturers with the general public? I'm not sure what the best way of doing that would be, but am hoping that you might. Maybe an instructional DVD that would show the fundamentals of traditional shaving? Brick-and-mortar stores could hand them out as promotional material. It would serve to both instruct the public on traditional shaving and also bring customers to the stores to buy gear. It could be as simple as stringing together several of your existing video tutorials. Just a thought.

[mantic]

...My take is your role could transcend the different wetshaving silos of information by linking them to the offline world. That has been done before, but to a very limited extent.

Thanks for the suggestions! I've already taken the first tentative, preparatory steps. I just debuted a new feature on Sharpologist that starts to "transcend the silos" by displaying new, on-topic posts in blogs and forums that have been created in the last day or so and displaying them on a single page. Although it doesn't really give the reader a sense of "community" it does allow them to cut through the noise and stay abreast of the latest discussions.

I'm also planning a DVD and working with a major shaving wholsale distributor to come up with brochures and other ideas to place in "brick and mortar" settings.

[Raze R. Blade]

Thanks for the suggestions! I've already taken the first tentative, preparatory steps. I just debuted a new feature on Sharpologist that starts to "transcend the silos" by displaying new, on-topic posts in blogs and forums that have been created in the last day or so and displaying them on a single page. Although it doesn't really give the reader a sense of "community" it does allow them to cut through the noise and stay abreast of the latest discussions.

I'm also planning a DVD and working with a major shaving wholsale distributor to come up with brochures and other ideas to place in "brick and mortar" settings.

Wow, how totally cool! The wetshaving world is twice as good because you are part of it. Many thanks for all you have done, and all you are doing now.