The Prank That Took on a Life of Its Own
The congratulations are still rolling in, and I’m feeling a wee bit sheepish.
A bit of an imp, a rascal.
Last week for April Fools I pulled a prank. I wrote here that I would be accepting the role of social mission director for Ben & Jerry’s.
Note to all: I will NOT be joining Ben & Jerry’s (not that this episode hasn’t gotten me to think about “what if?”).
I’m not a big April Fools prankster. I can’t remember the last time I pulled one. Perhaps decades ago?
But this one just came to me.
I hadn’t intended to write about it again this week but thought you would be interested in a brief follow-up because boy o boy, did it ever work.
Congratulations on my new gig came from around globe, from Singapore to Seattle.
While shopping at Albertson’s grocery store I was stopped by someone I hadn’t seen in years who said he’d be missing me – and good luck in Vermont!
Word spread fast on LinkedIn. A big post here me here hits about a thousand impressions and gets maybe 50 likes and several comments. This one accumulated nearly 28,000 impressions, 270 likes, and 204 comments on LinkedIn – and it’s still going.
A torrent of emails and DMs found their way to my inbox.
And this, my favorite response of all from well-wisher R. Ezra Poore (screenshot below) on LinkedIn.
Three Takeaways
I learned three things from this prank.
Brand positioning – On a prank of this nature, even as bodacious as it was, it helps to have credibility. Three+ decades of social impact seems to have delivered that for my personal brand.
It’s in the details – Believability is all in the details, the little “nuggets” sprinkled throughout a prank like this. Names, dates, events – even the concept of “ageism” – all combine to make it convincing.
People don’t read an entire story – I made it clear at story’s end that this was an April Fools and yet many – perhaps even most people – didn’t read far enough to see the reveal blossom. What this tells me: If as a writer I’m to get all my points across, I need to be more succinct, especially on social media.
Since I don’t believe I’ll ever be able to top this one, I guess I’ll retire while I’m on top.
Perhaps 😉.
To the good people of Ben & Jerry’s, I wish you well on your hunt for a sweet warrior to direct your social mission. One day I hope to visit Vermont, and I’ll look forward to walking the paths of your flavor graveyard.
And to my fabulous friends and readers out there, thanks for your vote of confidence that I could do this work. Perhaps in another world, another career.
Godspeed, friends.
Russ
💬 Think About It
"Yes: I am a dreamer. For a dreamer is one who can only find his way by moonlight, and his punishment is that he sees the dawn before the rest of the world." Oscar Wilde
✍🏼 National Poetry Month
Yes, I know it's NOT a poem, but it's as close to a prose poem as you could hope to find. The novella, Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan, is a rare treat. (As is another of her novellas, "Foster.")
The novella is such an art form. I was introduced to it by Jim Harrison’s Legends of the Fall, and I’m always on the lookout for opportunities to find one to explore, as for the reader they are less intimidating to begin and for the author, I'd imagine, much harder to write.
A novella is very loosely defined as being shorter than most novels, but longer than most short stories. Got that?
The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association puts a novella's word count at between 17,500 and 40,000 words; if you figure on 250 words per page, that's from 70 to 160 pages.
So, yes, Small Things Like These is not a poem – unless we want to call it a "poemella" (and hope the folks at National Poetry Month don't mind.)
💥 Quick Hits
• Two tales of the DEI tape – Oh boy, it's time for boycott updates. Target, which renounced its DEI programs, has experienced eight consecutive weeks of declining foot traffic, while Costco, which has defended its DEI programs, has seen foot traffic increase for 13 straight weeks. Read about it here.
• Celebrate an overlooked culinary bounty – Looking to forage in the urban environment? Check out Falling Fruit, a collaborative project that shows edible plants, fruit trees, dumpsters, and other sources of free food in cities.
• Shout-out to a friend Down Under – Thanks to Angeli Weller for becoming a financial supporter of Godspeed. 🙏 Angeli is a business ethics executive and board advisor living in Melbourne, Australia.
• Special offer – Friend of Godspeed Kim Allchurch-Flick is offering our readers a special discount (25%) for her Mighty Impacts Continuum, a 9-week live cohort program designed for cause-driven founders, entrepreneurs, and teams who want to grow their businesses while making a positive difference in the world.
Find the Most Meaningful Work of Your Career
Our partner One Work has you covered with meaningful work that goes beyond a paycheck, a cubicle, or a weekly team Zoom call. You'll find purposeful jobs like those below, along with many more at the One Work job board.
• Wefunder - Stand on the side of the little guy and democratize access to growth capital with this public benefit corporation. Lead Designer, San Francisco, CA.
• Noodle - Definitely an opportunity to noodle on at this provider of tech-powered products and services for higher-ed. Senior Account Executive, REMOTE.
• Charm Industrial - If you're mechanically inclined and think you could benefit by going to charm school, this job's the ticket. Plus, you get to capture CO2 from the atmosphere. How fun is that? Mechanical Engineering Intern, Fort Lupton, CO.
Need help in some way? Have a story idea, question, or request? Perhaps a social entrepreneur we should interview? Let us know – We're here to help. Just reply to this email with whatever you've got. We'll see you next week.