2009....where have you gone?!

As 2009 comes to a close, I have been taking an inventory of where we've come this year…and where we need to go.



While there are tangible things that help convey the story (like having launched the basic site, continuous growth in traffic and membership, and still having a roof over mine and my dogs' heads), I find that the feedback and comments you have been sending my way are more indicative of where we are…and the direction Jack is heading.



"David, I don't get what you're doing."



- good point…it was kind of messy and hey, I'm still not convinced that I know what I am doing…but it feels good.



"Dude….it's not working"



- who knew Mac users also used Firefox?! Resolved.



"I have been waiting for a site like this."



- Me too! But really?



"This site is friggin cool"



- Thanks…that's what I like to hear!



"I think this is the best site ever. I love photography and I love sharing what I have. But best of all, I love helping those who need it whether it be human or animal."



- You make me blush! But seriously…the basic idea was initially around picture sharing to make cents for the charity of your choice. After all, I love photography…and love creeping through other people's pictures. Given how private facebook had become for many, I saw this as an opportunity to bring back some of the fun I used to have creeping through friends' friends' profiles and pictures. Call me a degenerate? I am what I am. JackTheDonkey.com encourages socially responsible and acceptable creeping and socializing…for the charity of your choice.

- That being said, I realized early on that in a public forum like this, some might be a little hesitant (or shy) to share images with the public…so we made it even easier to give a poop about the charity of your choice….in the form of the "deep thoughts" you can create, click with…or comment on…hhhhwhat? Yes, put up a 141 character thought (not including the subject tags you can add…which will be used for a future roll out to the site) and see what reaction you get from the community. Or hey…if you see a thought or subject you like…stick to those boards…place a comment and see what reaction you get…or just keep on creeping around, and please…keep on truckin!



"I think what you are doing is tremendous and have signed up myself. I'll pass the site info along to everyone I know."



- You don't know how much I appreciate hearing this. I always thought that when people heard about JackTheDonkey.com, that there would be this kind of reaction…but absent of reviews from some of the larger social media, tech and startup forums (Mashable, Techchrunch, Venturebeat etc etc)…these types of reactions have been sporadic.

- We also don't have an invite your friends function on the site yet…so the more people who hear about this "virally" from their friends who give a poop…the better. Thanks again! (and if you want to join JackTheDonkey.com's Facebook fanpage…that would be much appreciated).



"You're clicking around and before you know it, you've already made 25 cents for your charity. It's addictive. I got hypnotized by the names scrolling across the screen."



- I tend to have an addictive personality myself…and admit to having gone through a phase where a good chunk of the time I spent on my computer was spent on…FACEBOOK…and then Twitter…I am hoping that the basic idea of being social for a cause starts to become a little more infectious.



"This is going to be huge. Do you know how much good this can do?"



- I'm not quite sure of the upper limits…but with what is being created, I am convinced that we have started to establish a platform for the "giving a poop…regularly" movement. The future is so bright…I have to wear shades!



"I saw one of your stickers last night about giving a poop and had to check this out. I wanted to send a message to whoever started it that this is the coolest f***ing idea."



- Dude. Much love.



"This is such a great way for us to keep in touch with our supporters"



- Early on, I disagreed with this. I had some ideas for tools that I wanted to roll out for the charities…but didn't want this to be another "social media" tool the charities would feel compelled to manage daily etc. With all of the great work that the charities have been doing on Twitter, why recreate the wheel? So now, if the charities are tweeting, you can see their Tweets real time on JackTheDonkey.com (if they have added their login info to our backend…we are working with the others who have had issues inputting their info…stay tuned…their feeds will hopefully be up soon)



"I can't believe someone is doing this. Has anyone nominated you as a CNN Hero? Have you contacted Oprah?"



- Again…you make me blush! But seriously…no. The CNN Heroes are people who really are making the world a better place, like the people who work at the charities on JackTheDonkey.com. They are all my heroes…and that's why I am hoping that JackTheDonkey.com can help expose a new audience to charities and causes they didn't know existed…or perhaps didn't know how easy and rewarding it can be to support them. I'm just an ass who gives a poop. You with me?

- Re. Oprah…yeah, that's kind of the dream…but I realize that JackTheDonkey.com has yet to accomplish poop so why would Oprah fly me out to chat? Furthermore…with Oprah departing the airways in the next couple years…does she really have time to chat with an ass who gives a poop when there are plenty of others she needs to put on the couch…like Tiger Woods (I personally have heard enough about Tiger's escapades…but am hoping that by name dropping him in this blog…that there might be some SEO benefits….sooooo Tiger Woods Tiger Woods Tiger Woods Tiger Woods Tiger Woods Tiger Woods Tiger Woods Tiger Woods Tiger Woods Tiger Woods Tiger Woods Tiger Woods…and one more for good luck, Tiger Woods). I also don't know how I would react if I was on her show:



Oprah: "David, tell me about JackTheDonkey.com"

David: "Um…um…um" (cut to scene of Tom Cruise jumping up and down on a couch…and thus ends the dream of getting people to give a poop a little more regularly).



"The basic premise will no doubt be appealing to people the world over who want to do some really productive with their time. If you think you could be one, checking the site out at the address that is provided will certainly not go amiss."



- What's with all the big words? But seriously…thanks!



"The work around is pretty impressive and you are at least glad that the revenue generated by your time on the site is utilized for a good cause and doesn't end up in the pockets of the people."



- Just to clarify…a large chunk of the revenue goes to the charities. Actually to clarify further…to date, more has been going to the charities than Jack is taking in (for a looooooooooong time we didn't have paying advertiers, so I added google adwords to try and cover some of the 1.1 cents per impression being paid to the charities)…which is cool…I expected this to be the case during startup…hopefully in the new year, advertisers will come on board to cover this...and hopefully once the next piece is rolled out (some time around New Years) that other forms of corporate involvement will make this a non-issue (this roll-out will be even more beneficial to the charities, community members and corporations who enable this miracle of support).



Soooooo that's where we are today…I'm starting to like rambling away like this…one day it may actually make sense to you and me!



If you haven't started to give a poop yet...please join us: http://www.jackthedonkey.com/WhySignUp.html



Source: http://www.jackthedonkey.com/JackDonkeyBlog_MjM=.html