From Our Family To Yours…
Posted November 26th, 2008 by Howard TaylerFew things bring humility like an honest accounting of the things for which you are thankful. In my line of work that goes doubly. Of the blessings I count, anything founded in finance has at its very root the generosity of you the reader.
During my UTOSC keynote address in August (”The Free Content Business Model“) I was asked how I kept internet fame from going to my head. The question confounded me at first, and for an instant I worried that perhaps being e-famous already had gone to my head and nobody bothered to tell me.
Upon further reflection, however, I realized that while it might be possible for an arrogant man to stand in my shoes and revel in the attention, it is unlikely that he could remain arrogant for very long. Arrogance would destroy its very enabler — the goodwill of tens of thousands of happy readers. Only a fool would stand in front of that audience and proudly announce “oh yeah, it’s all about me, baby.”
A few weeks ago Sandra and I mused upon how fortunate we have been, and how grateful we are for all of you, and especially those of you who have bought things from us. We’ve been publicly thankful in months and years past, but we wanted to do something more this year. I suggested a Christmas card.
So we printed up a few thousand cards, bought a bunch of stamps, and shipped a card off to every address registered in our store. If you’ve shopped with us and are still at the same address you may have already received it. Every package that ships from two weeks ago until 2009 will also have a card in it (which likely means some of you will get two, or perhaps three.)
It’s a small gesture, though it added up to quite a pile on the kitchen table. If some of the mailing labels or stamps look like they were attached by a five-year-old, that’s because some of them were. Everybody helped put this together, and we were thankful to be able to.
From our family to yours, thank you.
Explore posts in the same categories: Home & Family
November 26th, 2008 at 6:26 pm
NOTE: in the linked video there are a few slides without attributions. Exporting from Powerpoint to OpenOffice stripped some data, dagnabbit. So:
The unlisted source for syndication information was Dave Kellet. The unlisted “top-of-the-market” guys are Jerry Holkins and Mike Krahulik. The Titanic comic is (c) 2006 by Kristofer Straub.
Additionally, those interested in making Grizzly Bear Soup in the webcomics arena should be following Fleen, Webcomics Weekly, and probably ought to buy the Guigar, Kellet, Kurtz, and Straub book Making Webcomics.
November 26th, 2008 at 7:52 pm
Woot! Got my card yesterday! A nice surprise! Thanks to y’all (that’s a technical Texas term) and have a happy Thanksgiving!
CUAgain!
November 26th, 2008 at 8:05 pm
Thank you, Howard! When I found it my mail today, my immediate thought was “How thoughtful!” I really appreciated it.
November 26th, 2008 at 9:17 pm
I received my card about a week or two ago- Very cool.
Thank you howard, for one of the coolest webcomics I’ve read.
November 26th, 2008 at 9:48 pm
Thanks Howard, I got mine last week. I’m glad to have supported you making a living at something that entertains me and thousands of other people.
November 26th, 2008 at 9:53 pm
We got our Christmas card yesterday. It was only the 2nd we’ve had so far this holiday season (sorry, Taylers, the State Farm agent beat ya to it).
Very thoughtful. Happy Thanksgiving and Merry Christmas.
November 26th, 2008 at 9:58 pm
Hurray! I’m in the same category as your insurance agent.
*sigh*
November 26th, 2008 at 10:04 pm
Thanks. Just… thanks.
November 26th, 2008 at 10:35 pm
i won’t get a card, you haven’t got my address, but happy thanksgiving, merry christmas and happy, prosperous new year to all in your house, with as many as possible to follow.
“gunner”
November 26th, 2008 at 10:38 pm
I don’t get Christmas cards from Best Buy or Circuit City or Newegg or Meijer or fast food restaurants… (this list goes on)
It’s uplifting and also a bit sad that it takes a tiny one-family operation to perform the sort of customer-appreciation gestures we end up liking so much, when every one of these retailers could focus a litttle less on the bottom line to show us how much our business really matters to them. And we’re really talking about cents per customer.
Also, I accidentally put a giant crease through my postcard and was sad about it, until I got a second one in the mail that was sent to my old address. Woo!
So yeah, thanks for the postcards; it makes me recognize I’m giving my money to a real person, not a faceless corporation that treats me as just another statistical outlier, and therefore not a “real” market.
November 26th, 2008 at 10:48 pm
I must agree with Conflicted Hero:
Thanks.
I (and I’m sure many others with me) feel indebted to you simply because of the smiles and laughs you deliver on a daily basis. I wish I had more money to send your way. So far I have only been able to afford the three first books, but I WILL collect them all.
Until I manage to find a proper job and my economy settles down a bit, the best I can do is say thank you.
November 27th, 2008 at 12:29 am
Are you shipping off-shore aswell? I’m yet to recive a postcard, but even if I dont… I’m touched. :)
If someone would like to send YOU a christmascard.. whats the adress again?
November 27th, 2008 at 12:30 am
Yeah, I got one – it’s now on the postcard-wall (actually, a row of cupboard doors in the kitchen). I thought it was a nice touch, and since it arrived before reading this message, a nice surprise too.
November 27th, 2008 at 12:34 am
>> TheJohan: I don’t suppose it’s quite got to the point where you can successfully mail it to “Howard Tayler, Utah, U.S.A.” :)
Actually, I find e-cards good, for sending to far-flung places, and better for the planet too.
November 27th, 2008 at 12:39 am
I got my card a few days ago – and my girlfriend, who’s (sadly) not a reader, was just as happy to see it as I was; she thought it was a very _cool_ thing for you to have done. And (as is usually the case) … she was right! ^_^
November 27th, 2008 at 12:47 am
We did ship cards overseas. They’ll take a bit longer to get there, but I’ve gotten reports of them arriving in the UK already.
November 27th, 2008 at 12:52 am
TheJohan: you may look here http://www.schlockmercenary.com/blog/index.php/2008/02/11/wall-of-postcards-batch-one/
It’s a wonderful idea, I haven’t received anything yet but I thank you for the thought.
November 27th, 2008 at 1:36 am
Just signed up so I could say thanks very much for the card, received mine today and it put a big smile on my face. A very happy holiday season to you and yours, and thanks for a great comic.
November 27th, 2008 at 2:25 am
That was good timing as I also received my card in Nottingham yesterday. I love getting mail so it was really nice to find it waiting on my doormat when I got home from work. It now has pride of place on my mantel piece as my first Christmas card. Thankyou
November 27th, 2008 at 2:42 am
Arrived in Scotland yesterday!
A very nice surprise; thanks Howard.
A very good Thanksgiving to you & yours.
November 27th, 2008 at 5:45 am
Just a thought, if I recall correctly from other posts, the number of amorphs matches the number of Howard’s family. So, assuming Howard is Schlock, which ones are the others?
November 27th, 2008 at 6:09 am
I was VERY excited to see the card! It is a mighty fine business you run, Tayler family, and I am looking forward to supporting your efforts for many years to come.
November 27th, 2008 at 6:25 am
The Netherlands have also been hit by cards today. Thanks a lot!
November 27th, 2008 at 6:44 am
I too, received a card in the mail a few days ago, and I was very touched. I would like to say thank YOU for having the courage to do this full time, and for bringing a smile to my and thousands of other faces on a daily basis. I know that when I’ve had a bad day at work or school, I can just log on to your site and either with the new day’s strip, or by browsing through the archives, I’m soon smiling again. I can’t wait for the day that I finish school, get my nursing job, and can start showing you my appreciation in a monitary manner.
Thank you Howard, and the entire Tayler family for all that you do.
November 27th, 2008 at 6:58 am
Thanks to the mercenary family. your card got to my frozen north of the border address yesterday. It’s nice, it’s thoughtful, and if you make a new one every year it’s a nice little piece of schlock collectable memorabilia, you sly dog you.
November 27th, 2008 at 7:26 am
Thank you, Howard & Family, from Casa Grue! The card was indeed a pleasant surprise, and VERY thoughtful of you!
Happy Thanksgiving!
November 27th, 2008 at 7:36 am
Heh. Not quite. You don’t call during dinner and try to sell me something. Even if you did, I probably wouldn’t rudely hang up on you.
November 27th, 2008 at 8:05 am
I got my card last week; thoroughly made my day! I can’t wait to get my new office so I can put up Rule #37…
November 27th, 2008 at 8:23 am
@ fartlighter: Ouch! Your insurance agent cold-calls you during dinner? (I guess that’s technically not a “cold” call, but still…)
Little known Howard Tayler trivia: I worked phone sales on two occasions – for four hours one evening in high school, and for six hours one day after graduating college. I didn’t have the stomach for it.
I’m going to add “I’m thankful I don’t do that for a living” to my list of blessings today.
November 27th, 2008 at 8:32 am
When I got my holidays card in the mail, it was the high point of my week. Thank you, Tayler Family!
November 27th, 2008 at 10:16 am
Howard, your card almost got thrown in the trash heap along with the rest of the junk I get this time of year. Luckily I flipped it over and saw the amorphs on the back! It shall be tucked into one of my schlock books and used as a bookmark =)
Have a wonderful thanksgiving, and if you’re deep frying your turkey, be careful!
November 27th, 2008 at 1:02 pm
Got mine last week, immediately said to myself, “That’s a class act.” (Of course, we know it’s NOT really an act.)
I also thought, though… you needed Tagon or one of the other Toughs in a good ‘ol red uniform to get really seasonal colors. :-)
November 27th, 2008 at 1:48 pm
Mine is getting kept as well, over in the not-so-sunny south of England. Happy Holidays to you and yours as well, Howard. Schlock features as a high point in my daily routine every morning – Get to work, Coffee, Comics. And woe betide anyone who interrupts me during those blessed quiet minutes.
Thanks for all the laughs!
November 27th, 2008 at 3:11 pm
Thank you, thank you! My card is going to work with me so I can prop it up in front of the monitor so I’ll have something to smile about when people call to complain about their cell phone bill. Not just at the artwork, either, but at the thought of you and your family working together to get the cards out.
November 27th, 2008 at 3:45 pm
Just got home from about a week on the road for work and I found amorphs stareing up at me from my pile of mail………
Thanks, Howard, Sandra etc……..
Oh yes I must be cursed….my books were returned to you by the post office, but were unschated – the card got scratched on the way :-((
Gobble gobble and Merry Christmas!!
Jim
November 27th, 2008 at 3:49 pm
Thank you and bless you! Having read Schlock during break (of course) at work I came back to Mum’s to find the card on the mat! You have cheered me up no end Sir!
May your Thanksgiving and the upcoming festive season be joyful, peaceful and blessed, and may the new year fill you and yours with joy.
November 27th, 2008 at 4:11 pm
Card arrived. Much appreciated.
Now, if this round of norovirus would just move the *&^%$#@!
along…. :P
November 27th, 2008 at 5:14 pm
We got the card and was quite tickled by it.
Thanks much! Many blessings upon your family this season.
November 27th, 2008 at 7:52 pm
Got my card several days ago and like so many others here it is proudly displayed upon the wall where all our cards go during this time of year.
Sadly, it is still the only Christmas card up there but soon that ought to change. :-)
Thank you Taylor family and may the Lord richly bless you and all that you do.
November 27th, 2008 at 8:44 pm
Regarding the fact that there are six amorphs and six Taylers in my household, I plea coincidence. This picture was not drawn with that in mind. I just kept drawing amorphs until the picture seemed balanced.
The coincidence is amusing, and I caught it as we were sending the cards out.
November 27th, 2008 at 9:13 pm
Speaking of christmascards… I remember an old promotional christmas E-card kinda thingie of Sgt. Schlock stuffing a snowball down the barrel of his plasmagun and a caption saying something along the lines that “if Sgt. Schlock is looking a bit guilty it is because he knows that stuffing a snowball down the barrel of his plasgun won’t result in a really fast snowball – it will only slightly increase the humidity of the plasma beam”…
When was that? :-D Good times… Good times…
November 28th, 2008 at 1:54 am
Thanks for the card Howard, brought a smile to both our faces, what a lovely thing for such a small company to do it was greatly appreciated! It’s only our second Chrstmas card so far – the other was from Royal Mail, UK (stating how hard they plan to work this year to get our cards to us) – and I’ll believe THAT when I see it! – Oh look there goes a flying pig! :-)
Tracie, Bristol, UK
November 28th, 2008 at 2:25 am
Card arrived in Belgium this morning. First Christmas card I’ve received this year, and I was really pleased to see it. Seems it fended off the never-ending stream of bills, at least for one day.
Thanks Howard!
November 28th, 2008 at 3:28 am
I got mine last week & it was a wonderful surprise, especially since I do not get a lot of cards in general! It’s hanging in a place of honour next to the picture of my now 11yo as an infant sitting in front of the computer with a big grin on his face.
I love it, thanks so much Howard! ^_^
November 28th, 2008 at 3:43 am
Got the card earlier this week, myself.
Thank you! :)
November 28th, 2008 at 4:38 am
The card arrived 10 minutes ago here in Copenhagen, Denmark. Thank you, it’s great.
November 28th, 2008 at 7:26 am
FWIW – the Amorphs have landed in Japan, too. Thanks!
November 28th, 2008 at 9:29 am
I got my card yesterday: it was a very pleasant suprise! Enjoy your holidays!
November 28th, 2008 at 12:05 pm
I got my card! I got it and immediately thought, “Holy crap, best webcomic artist ever.” Webcomics have a larger fan interaction quotient than any other medium, and being a genuinely nice guy has propelled you to the top of my list.
Besides, you signed my ceramic plasma cannon and put up with my ridiculous sketch request, so hey.
Hats off, Howard!
Gavin King
November 28th, 2008 at 12:20 pm
I want amorphs landing in my neighborhood… guess I have one more incentive to buy stuff now!
Even without being on the receiving end of such a gesture, just the fact that you took such a step unprompted restores some of my faith that good customer service- and beyond that, customer /loyalty/- does still exist somewhere. That, and is another tick in the “you’re good people” column. I like seeing good people get ahead.
Anyone else getting a kick out of seeing all the “cards have arrived /here/” messages? I’m so tempted to start plotting them on a map of the world…
November 28th, 2008 at 1:06 pm
I got mine ealier this week. It had an unfortunate journey that produced a rip across the address (yet it still got here) and a string of postmarks across both front and back. I especially like the kiwi stamp that is the same general color as many of the amorphs on the front.
Thank you Howard and Sandra and family and have a happy holiday!
Thomas Moore & family
November 28th, 2008 at 4:30 pm
Could we possibly get a high resolution wallpaper of the amorph postcard? It’s a cool image, I’d be willing to shell out. :)
November 28th, 2008 at 10:57 pm
Reporting arrival of a card in Finland. Thanks, likely to be the only dead-tree card I’m getting this year. Most of the folk I know either don’t sen cards or have gone electronic.
November 29th, 2008 at 1:25 am
Got my card, very touched (kids seriously impressed), and mildly frustrated as I had hoped to beat you to it and send you a card thanking you for brightening up my life on a regular basis. You’ll get one anyway. Thanks, I’ll really treasure this card.
November 29th, 2008 at 2:06 am
Have to say thanks as well. It was a neat surprise and actually started a conversation with my wife’s friend’s husband. Turns out he’s a big fan of Schlock, as well as a myriad of other webcomics that I like. It is now taped to my tower next to me so I can feel safe knowing that Schlock and his homicidal group of amorphs are watching over me this holiday season. I might have to take it with me when I go shopping… Wait, you mean he can’t actually clear my way with his plasma gun? /me sad…
November 29th, 2008 at 10:45 am
Got the six poops last week.
Don’t let Schlock know I said that,
I don’t want him to get annoyed with that Plasgun.
Happy Holidays and Best Wishes to the Tayler family!
November 30th, 2008 at 8:26 pm
Belated thank you, deeply and humbly, from the kiddo and me.
The Taylers are good people.
D.
December 1st, 2008 at 11:28 am
i got mine a while ago, it put a stupid grin on my face for a good day. i was going to write you a proper thank you but then i saw this thread, and figured i could just tack my thanks on here. so thanks, its a very nice touch and it now sits on the wall of schlock art i picked up that one year i happened to be in the right place at the right time to catch two of your conventions… any way thanks again.
December 2nd, 2008 at 12:08 am
Oh, I TOTALLY forgot to post. I got my postcard last week.
I was all like: WOHOO! Lookit the nize ppl who sent me postcard.
And my gf was all like: Meh. Thats just to make you buy more stuff.
And I was all like: Ok. I will.
And she was like: Good, you understand. …. Wait WHAT?!
And thus I got my credit-card privileges revoked by my loved one.
(Nah, not really. I just cant afford the new book yet, with christmas coming up and all… But soon… Sooon..)
December 2nd, 2008 at 2:42 am
Just got it! Thank you!
December 2nd, 2008 at 8:44 am
@ TheJohan: When I told Sandra I wanted to do something nice for anybody who had shopped with us, I didn’t really expect the gesture to pay for itself. When we added up the projected printing and postage costs I was convinced that it couldn’t pay for itself.
Anybody who is likely to shop with us again is going to do that regardless of whether or not we send out postcards. Those who have given up on the comic are unlikely to be swayed by a postcard.
I’m mercenary enough to have run the numbers, and the numbers support me in saying that we honestly did this just to be nice.
Unfortunately “being nice” seems to have rewards in the longer term. It pays better than being a jerk, anyway. So maybe the cards will pay for themselves. I don’t know. I could second-guess my own motivations until the proverbial cows come home, and I’ll never reach a convincing conclusion.
We made enough this year that we could afford to do something nice for our supporters, so we went ahead and did it. I’ll have to leave it there.
December 3rd, 2008 at 12:20 am
Back @ Howard: I didnt by any means try to imply that your postcards was sent to boost sales. It was a very nice gesture by you. Me and many others im sure are very happy to know you thought about your (more or less) loyal comicreaders.
I just thought our conversation was funny!
As you said most ppl who would buy something from your store probably would do it anyways, as would I.
Keep up the good work! I enjoy it every day.
December 3rd, 2008 at 5:23 pm
Just received the card in the mail. made my day. Season’s greetings from Canberra, Australia :)
December 3rd, 2008 at 7:39 pm
@ TheJohan: Oh, don’t worry. I wasn’t misconstruing your original communication. I was just trying to explain the muddy waters that are my thoughts on all this.
Because, you know… being nice DOES have rewards, so it’s hard to tell when somebody is being nice because they like the way it makes them feel, or because they think it’s an investment.
OH NOES IV RIUNED TEH XMAHS!
December 3rd, 2008 at 10:00 pm
Another very happy Oz recipient here. Mine is currently pride of place on the fridge being held up by a Dangerous – Deep Archives magnet. Seemed appropriate.
December 4th, 2008 at 1:18 am
Just got the card from the hands of my postman :) Thanks for the extra effort you made. Seasons greetings from South Africa to the Tayler family, may you have a merry Christmas.
December 4th, 2008 at 6:10 am
I got my card here in the UK :) Many thanks Mr Tayler!
December 17th, 2008 at 2:48 am
I just got the card this weekend, passed on by my parents whose address I use for packet shipping since I once lost a packet because it didn’t reach me (also they are far less likely to move in the next few years than I am), and it was really something to see it, read it and think “yes, this is how it works”. It just felt good to read your letter.
Then I showed it to my wife. She was quite enthusiastic about it and said (roughly) that your way of doing things is great.
See, it’s been a few days since then, and already her exact words elude me, but the feeling stayed: Sandra and Howard, you’re doing it right.
Enjoy your holiday!