When you have completed reading this post you will understand my babbling, but to do so I will tell you a little bit about myself.
Up until recently my favorite flower was a Yellow Rose. Something about a Yellow Rose was always calming. Maybe that was wishful thinking. Again that was until recently. Now I have lost all relevancy to them. We will not go into the reasons today…
As writing this I would have to say that the Dandelion has taken the place of the Yellow Rose as my flower of choice. When I see a Dandelion I immediately go back to my childhood. It has been over twenty years since I have seen a field covered in Dandelions. As a kid growing up on the outskirts of a small town in the Midwest there were not many organized things to do, so most of the kids in the neighborhood collected at a nearby field. The field was often covered in Dandelions. Each night as we were walking home from playing baseball or whatever game we happened to play at the time, the air would be heavy with the distinct aroma of smashed Dandelions. This smell has never left my memory even two decades later.
Now I would like for you to close your eyes for a moment and think of the sound that a Dandelion makes as you pop the head of the flower from its stem and the soft moist texture as you crush it between your fingers. If you have ever pulled one from its stem you know what I am talking about.
About now you should be asking yourself what in the world am I getting at? Why am I decapitating the heads from innocent flowers? If not, you may be the one with some issues. For those of you that did question what am I talking about read on.
The Collective Thoughts blog is about Social Media. Social Media to me is about using interactive elements of a website to get your proposed message across. What better way of getting into someones head then to let them see a little bit into your own mind. It is all about how you build your rapport.
So what is your favorite flower? I would like to know what your favorite flower is and why you would classify it as your favorite. Take this assignment with a small sense of seriousness. Don’t tell me “buds” are your favorite flowers and the reason is that you like to smoke them.
Today’s task is about building a rapport between us. So this is what I would like for you to do on your end. If you are reading this blog I am sure you have already installed the StumbleUpon toolbar on your browser of choice. I would like for you to use that toolbar to create a review of this post and in doing so tell me your favorite flower. In turn, I will write a small review for one of your sites in a future post on this blog.
So what are you waiting for? Be one of the first to have a review of your site on Collective Thoughts by Mark Laymon.
Hi Mark, I can’t believe you are having me tear up before my first cup of coffee.
I remember my first loved and still favorite flower..Forget-me-nots.
You asked for an SU review and here’s the URL http://spostareduro.stumbleupon.com/review/17724108/
Thanks for making me remember.
Kimberly
Done! http://www.stumbleupon.com/url/collective-thoughts.com/2008/02/20/what-is-your-favorite-flower/. Great idea, Mark! Much better than some typical social media reciprocal linking.
Thank you to everyone who is participating in my social experiment to form a personal connection with you.
I am looking at alternative formats that I can connect with each of you and I saw this as a way of meeting some of you that would not normally cross paths with.
pretty stuff, great job
I think I like dandelions too when I was little. Maybe it was a Midwest thing. 😛 I did pop heads off. But my favorite was blowing the seedlings off never knowing where the wind would take them. And knowing I would never see them again. It was like setting them free.
My favorite flower is a Tulip. They really don’t have much smell so I think the reason I like them is for the sheer simplicity of them. Any color is acceptable.
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Hi Mark –
Thanks for nice post – it was a bit like a tootsie pop – sweet and crunchy on the outside with a secret chocolate center. The idea of connecting with your readers obviously isn’t new, but I think you did a good job here by evoking a happy childhood memory and then tying it into social media. Not always an easy task, but good job.
In any event, if nothing else, you prompted me to install the SU toolbar and write my first SU review at http://smugbaldy.stumbleupon.com/
If you’re still willing to do site reviews, I can always use some decent feedback at http://www.smugbaldy.com
Hi Mark,
I literally stumbled upon this post by absolute accident, one link after another. This will be the first ever that I am inclined to post on any blog… What you wrote and how you wrote it, it was mesmerizing…
I’ve been living in the world of direct response copywriting, and found this post to very rich… full of colour. Enjoyed it tremendously!
Thanks for making me smile, and remembering some long ago sun-filled days… BTW, lately, I’ve been favouring daffodils 🙂
Dina
Direct Response Copywriting
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My Favorite Flower is “Red Roses”. I will give Red Roses on the Occasions – Valentine’s Day to my boy friend. If you want to make your Valentine’s Day memorable one give Red Roses to dear one.
wow, MARK…instead of a coffe, I may get my ipod and look up for “Don’t Stop Believin’ by Journey” to bring back sensitive memories of Calla Lilies…
Why is my favorite flower? In 1985 Mexico City suffered a horrendous earthquake, the most deadly in the history of the Country. Thousand died and lost their home. After weeks of general desperation, piles of flowers appear around the pieces of buildings, to remember does who were lost.
One morning my Dad brought me dozens of Calla Lilies “Dear, you been non stop helping in the streets, I thought this may cheer you up for your voluntary work today”…
Since then is been my favorite Flower!!!!!
Thanks, your make me write again in English…Love your blog!!
I love the Orchid…because it’s “independent” and blooms while embracing adverse conditions. It’s extremely symbolic for me.
Beautiful post Mark. Thanks for Asking
AKA…@twittgoddess
My favorite flower is a rose. I find roses very romantic and very classic.
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