Spot on Martin H & JonnySpeed!
Yet, another generational type issue with the York train meet. Most people I know use FourSquare and Facebook check-in’s, this would promote the hobby to all their contacts and could (should) be used by the larger manufactures to promote their brands – ie, “Jason Checked In at the OGR booth at York,” which then has a link to the publications web site and just exposed the fact that I am at York – again with a link to their web site – and OGR Magazine to the more or less 500 people I’m connected with via Facebook multiplied by the 10K plus folks at York who are connected and 5 million connections are made. Why would any business, club, or event not want to promote itself far and wide to possible customers, members, etc.?
Last year there were over 250 million photos uploaded to Facebook a day! Many of which are tagged, indexed, and searchable – again giving younger people looking on the web for trains a means by which to find, publications, dealers, clubs, and events. Why other than “just because” would the TCA, York, the dealers & manufactures, publishers, & clubs, not want to use the most powerful media tools currently in existence to market themselves and the hobby?
Tens of millions of smart phones are being used this very second all around the world, to talk, e-mail, text, IM, Tweet, update Facebook, access the internet, and in commerce – buying, selling, and banking.
People of a certain age have connected most of their lives to their smartphones, mine tracks my marathon training runs, monitors my expense reports (through a quick photo/scan of a receipt), contains my personal and work calendars, is connected to my bank and brokerage accounts, is linked to both personal and business e-mail accounts, not to mention Facebook & other social media, and even to this forum – I’m writing this from my phone now. Asking me to leave my cell phone at home is about as practical as asking that I leave my life outside while I enter train la-la land. Sure is going to hard to run the trains at the MTH Booth via my cell phone, as Mike promised at last year’s York, with it out in the car or at home – heck I use it for GPS I would not even be able to find York if it were left at home.
Rich Melvin – How about a big QR Code at the OGR booth with a free subscription give away, scan the code to sign up? You clearly get it, and your publication has done a wonderful job on going electronic and offering electronic solutions to meet the expectations of those under 60.
Good luck with this one, I too am shocked to see Alan posting this.
Jason