Thu 4 May 2006
The beautiful and weird thing about blogging is that you never know who your audience is. With 90 Days, I’ve learned that certain topics catch the attention of specific audiences. Only a few posts have cross-over appeal. One way to tell which audience is reading the blog is by who posts comments — agents, employees, friends, surfers, strangers.
But comments can be misleading. Plenty of people have told me they read the blog or love a particular post, but never make a comment. (One guy admitted to me that he was “afraid” to do so.) And there also are people who comment a lot, but who may not be representative of any audience at all.
Which brings me to Laraelo.
Laraelo, as even the most occasional reader of 90 Days should know, is a constant commenter. She has been known to add as many as six comments to a single post. Sometimes she carries on a dialogue with herself, posting one thought after another. She has even made a public vow to try to curb her commenting appetites, without much success.
As a result, I’ve learned more about Laraelo than I have about any other member of the audience. I know that she is an agent, that she has an eighteen-year-old son who will be moving out of the house the first week of June (Thank God), that she’s gonna miss 90 Days when we’re history, and that she seems to live in ND, which I think is North Dakota, but could be Non-Disclosure or some other state of being.
I, too, have shared quite a bit about myself and what I think in the 102 pieces (this one makes 103) I’ve posted since February 7th. Now I’d like to know more about everybody else out there. What brought you to the site? What else do you do with your time? What has interested or annoyed you about 90 Days?
Go ahead, be open and honest and transparent. Everything you say will be kept strictly off the record.
RSS
May 4th, 2006 at 6:55 am
I don’t post too often because I usually read with just a few quick moments to spare.
I’m an agent. I am married. I work full time. I have two little munchkins that keep me very busy!
I enjoy reading 90 days and the bee log because I enjoy getting an inside look at the Hive. Honestly it reminds me of a company I worked for years ago. We were all young (20-45), worked together, played together. Our office was relatively small, about 80 people, and had what I think are similar dynamics to the Hive. I miss that experience and those people. This brings me back a bit.
Oh, I’m also originally from Massachusetts, so I have a fondness for all things Boston!
May 4th, 2006 at 8:20 am
Go, Laraelo!! Whoot!!
May 4th, 2006 at 8:27 am
I was an agent, now I am a new Com Dev employee, thanks solely to the 90 Days blog. I don’t know if Michael (Com Dev Manager) is grateful to you or hates you for that
. I can say that I NEVER would have applied for the job without the two entries you posted about it. I’ll miss the 90 Days blog when it is gone, too. I’ll have to get my fix from the Bee Log, which doesn’t give me as much a feel for what is going on in that Hive as this does.
May 4th, 2006 at 8:56 am
God bless 90 days and the BeeLog. It makes us agents feel like employees. I hope Mr. Butman will post a weekly message on the BeeLog, as he is a compelling storyteller.
May 4th, 2006 at 9:26 am
As a reader of the 90 Day I am an agent first, fiance of an employee, an admirer of the concept and organization, friend/acquaintance of the hive, and a member of the soccer team. For those of you on the inside, it should be pretty transparent as to who I am, but then again I never try to hide it. I find myself on the 90 Day Blog day after day and sometimes find myself reading this more than doing the work that is needed to be done. I have converted 75% of my staff to BzzAgents, and nearly my entire family. I love the 90 Day for what it offers … an outsiders opinion of the happenings of the hive and commented on by the masses. The commentaries are amusing, serious, and make any agent feel like they are on the inside and a part of the everyday happenings.
John, it has been a pleasure to read your work and Laraelo’s comments day after day, and I only fear that I will be lost at work when the advent of the 90 Day is only a memory.
Thank you again for your commitment and best of luck.
To the rest of you bloggers… I’ll see you on the BeeLog.
May 4th, 2006 at 9:57 am
I have been reading 90 Days faithfully and I love it…it makes me feel more a part of Bzz Agent and has been a wonderful window on how you operate. I have great affection for Bzz Agent and do my best to represent it well and provide valuable Bzz reports. It is very cool to see comments & little hints that reveal how Bzz employees think of Bzz Agents.
How about a Bzz Agent convention in the not-too-distant future? Hint hint!
May 4th, 2006 at 10:12 am
I run Germany’s largest firefighting weblog as a proof of concept for alternative revenue streams. I am also running a pilot WOM campaign that is widely modeled on what BzzAgent does, albeit with a European twist, since we tend to be more sceptical of new developments
The above mentioned campaign is going pretty well though, so I am convinced there is an opportunity for WOM across the board in this country, ie beyond firefighters.
I am very excited by what BzzAgent does, and therefore thankful for any kind of information about the workings of the organisation. 90days will be sorely missed.
Should your (or BzzAgents) travels ever take you to Munich, feel free to drop in for a beer!
Keep up the good work!
Irakli
May 4th, 2006 at 11:25 am
Well, I’m an employee of BzzAgent (Biz Dev). I grew up in Acton, MA but was born in the town in which Mr. Butman resides. (Arch rivals, you know.) I try to check out the 90-Day blog because I enjoy hearing other people’s opinions and reflections. Mostly, though, I really enjoy John’s writing.
I, for one, am hoping that John will continue to spend time with us. He’s a blast to have around - even though I often find myself wondering if I should have opened my mouth and offered my opinion.
The 90-Days experiment feels unfinished. So much has changed since February, but the horizon is still a long way off. I hope John will be there to capture it in words as only he can.
Go Colonials.
Scott F.
May 4th, 2006 at 11:50 am
I’m on a mailing list with a bunch of college (UF) friends. Somedays the traffic was too much, or too techie and other days there weren’t enough topics. I would often post to the list after a day in Kindergarten as the leader of this band of troublemakers and be too tired to edit.
Then i’d edit the post by replying to it, or adding more info. I see a similarity between L and myself there. The mailing list now calls replying to your own post for any reason, ribbiting now. That’s because of me.
So it’s probably lucky for you and L and the readers that I was too busy to get here until now. I’m out of the classroom. Boy are you in trouble. Just kidding. I’m on dialup, so i can’t reply that fast.
A bzz agent client dialup as i just happened to find out.
I’m thrilled with the whole concept of WOM and bzzing. I do it naturally about most aspects.
I’ve posted on livejournal and opendiary for years now about stuff i just tried, or places i went. I found out about bzz agent from a bzz agent through the college mailing list on his live journal posts.
So why did I comment yesterday? Because the blog is thought provoking, intelligent, and well written. It needed a response.
Why today. Because you asked.
Keep writing. Tell us more about the office. I wondered from day one of my signing up for bzz agent status if Jono was a real person’s name or if he? was an amalgam of let’s say, John, Owen, Ned and Oscar? Well? I haven’t seen labeled photos? Not even in the bzz welcome folder.
Secretly, (and not so secret anymore) I wonder what it would be like to work there. But alas, i’m too far from Boston, and my husband won’t give up his job here.
May 4th, 2006 at 11:57 am
I began reading 90 Days to fill in the gaps in my workday, but after a while I became fascinated by the similarities between BzzAgent and the software company where my boyfriend works. They have a very similar employee demographic and have been through the same growing pains that BzzAgent is now facing. It’s interesting to see the same dilemmas unfold.
I am 28 and work full-time for the government, hence the surfing. Actually, the reason my employee morale has slipped is because I have been fixing up an old sailboat and in July I will be casting off the lines (i.e. the cushy gov. job and nearly all of my material belongings) to do some sailing about the globe. It’s difficult to think about much of anything else right now.
90 Days is now part of my morning and afternoon surfing regimen, during which I devote a good 15-30 minutes to visiting my top 10 favorite sites. I credit the 90 Days blog with showing me the human size of BzzAgent and transforming my initially shallow interest in BzzAgent (getting free stuff) into a genuine concern for the success of the company. I will be sad to see 90 Days go.
May 4th, 2006 at 12:40 pm
Froglette,
First off, I like your name. There are far too few diminutives in the English language, so I am pleased to see that you’ve given us another.
As far as your question regarding JonO, he is real, and in fact if you check out the rotating photo of the office at the top of the 90 Days site, you’ll see him depicted prominatly in one. But I’ll leave it to you to figure out which one he is!
May 4th, 2006 at 12:45 pm
Love 90 Days!! I subscribe on bloglines. 36, swf, live in JP. Tree-hugging, dirt-worshiping PR person for NFP environmental agency in Boston. Getting my MBA at MassArt and produce theater for fun.
I’m a former BzzAgent, very recently retired (agent kmacjp); I met some pests in person, and I was so revolted at the thought of being associated with them that I freaked out and retired. I know that sounds snotty but I just got really pissed off by pests’ greed and utter disrespect for BzzAgent employees, who seem to be very nice, hard-working and dedicated - and other BzzAgents. Hearing people biotch about not receiving 50 cents worth of candy was just too much. Loved being a BzzAgent and am rooting for BzzAgent and its employees to live long and prosper. Thanks for 90 days! Keep it going if you can.
May 4th, 2006 at 12:47 pm
John, you have created(through your story telling skills) an incredible experience for all individuals directly and indirectly involved with BzzAgent. I am actually a director of the company, and I try to read your missive nightly before bedtime. In many ways you have been a therapist who has facilitated mass group therapy. Congratualtions for a job well done. Oh, I think you will be always involved with BzzAgent-and that is good for eveybody!
May 4th, 2006 at 3:13 pm
I am a Bzzagent, and have been for awhile, and love doing it. I am the typical person that is perfect for Bzzagent, cause I talk about everything I buy anyway. I’ve bzzed enough that my mom is a bzzagent (and she’s blind!!), and my mother in law is too. My husband is just the recipient of the Bzz. I am a full-time Program Manager (half my team at work has signed on to Bzz too!), and mother of 2 little girls under 4. I interact with so many people, that it’s an awesome opportunity. I’m a self-proclaimed freebie-aholic, BUT I do not log unnecessary Bzz reports OR bilk the system. Honesty truly is the best policy.
May 4th, 2006 at 6:38 pm
A former Bostonian, now living in Southern California, I’m older than most agents - married, children moved into their own lives, a journalist who keeps trying to retire and never seems able to do so.
Since I’m noted for “being in the know”, Bzzing is a perfect match, and it’s fun!
I’ve Bzzed everyone from captains of industry and people “in the business” (if you live in SoCal, that’s the entertainment biz)to cab drivers and everywhere from Limos to Airports.
I sincerely hope 90-days keeps on for a long while more, I *need* to know about the move, and all the other events.
May 4th, 2006 at 7:21 pm
I read this blog to see what Laraelo’s going to say next. Oh, and John makes some interesting points too.
About me…I believe I am in the majority group of agents. I am your typical young mom with 16 kids. Well, 2 are biological (boys ages 2 and 4) and 14 are my kindergarten students. So any conversation at above a third grade level is a welcome change for me.
In my rare moments of spare time, I play the flute and piano, read or if I get crafty, scrapbook and cross-stitch.
I probably would have never made a comment on 90 Days if it wasn’t for that stupid Pop Quiz contest and the Take 5 prize. I am an admitted chocoholic.
I feel like I’m a good fit with BzzAgent because I can also be very opinionated. I will share with others what works and I’ll also tell them what I think if it doesn’t. I think that it has something to do with being a mom. I also pride myself on being a bargain shopper. In fact, I first learned about BzzAgent from a “freebie” site
I feel like 90 days has changed my life. No, not so much. But it has given me a more well-rounded perspective about BzzAgent. And it’s been fun. Who’s up for round two?
Now, to just sit back and wait and see what laraelo says next.
…
May 5th, 2006 at 6:19 am
I’m an agent and in marketing, so interested in WOM and Blogs, and my husband was part of a start-up technology company and I lived through that, so 90 days attracted my interest right away.
90 Days has been interesting in getting random insights. But no topic was developed, none of the personalities of the senior managers or staff was really developed. No description of the management styles or approach, what is working, what is not working, how they are dealing with the biggest obstacles to WOM becoming more widespread.
That being said, all of these topics were introduced, and that is probably the most to expect from the blogging approach. I learned a lot about WOM from your posts and give you a lot of points for taking this on.
May 5th, 2006 at 8:37 am
All this talk about Laraelo and no postings… Laraelo where are you?
May 5th, 2006 at 9:00 am
I am a mom of two little ones in Florida. I am fortunate enough to work for a great company that let me drop to part-time once my first was born. I like to keep up with the blog for a variety of reasons… First, I work in marketing and am currently leading a project to measure the relative influence of various contacts on purchase behavior for our industry and brand. This has led to a lot of internal discussion around word of mouth, so I am interested in the approach of BzzAgent. Another reason I keep up with 90 days is the company I work for is fairly large (about 10,000 employees) and I often miss working for a smaller, flexible, faster moving company. I like to hear what is going on inside BzzAgent. Finally, blogging is interesting to me as a forum to communicate with others of different backgrounds. I guess I miss being in school (I would be a student forever if I could) and learning new things and networking with other professionals in various industries.
May 5th, 2006 at 9:55 am
well, i’ve posted comments a few times, but i read regularly–except this last week, i’ve been too busy with too many things. i am a bzzagent, and stay at home with my young daughter. my husband and i have a small business that i run from our home.
i love bzzing, and i am a person who bzzes all the time and did before i joined bzzagent. i do a lot of bzzing but don’t always get time to fill out reports.
i love reading 90 days, and used to read the beelog. i just love seeing the inner workings and knowing what is going on. i agree with an earlier poster who said that it makes me feel like an employee of bazzagent.
May 5th, 2006 at 11:20 am
Wasn’t someone supposed to let me know I was on the menu as this entry’s Roast?
I’m happy to see that others have finally decided to Blog here. The weight upon mine and Kristin M.’s shoulders was becoming too much to bear as a group of few who bravely showed the Agent side of Bzz Agent without ranting ever much. We allowed others to see how we ‘try’ to interact with this growing company and conjure up changes that from our perspectives could better things, or if not, at least lend another point of view from this side of the Hive. It’s important for the company to realize that most Agents are not marketing savvy and though 90 Days was put to writing as a way to see inside, sometimes the picture remained obscure on just what exactly Bzz Agent is.
Granted, chatting up “X million bucks checks” or having fun at French Eriks’ expense (though I consider him to be exceedingly intelligent and I am humbled by all of his points!) was not necessarilly Bzz Agent workings, it was the Hive interaction that brought 90 Days out of the shadow and into the light. All of us can read about the goings-on within the Hive, but the interaction was priceless, right down to knowing that Dave makes animal/chirping/electronic sounds, or that Rob Toof has very (really very, very) bad days.
Touche’, John! Thanks for allowing me to post and more than that, thanks for taking it on the chin so well…almost.
This company is about sharing. Need I say more?
P.S.
If there’s a relative of 90 Day’s in the works, for the love of God people, create an EDIT button and some actual RULES to go in the RULES click-on. Argh.
Can I find myself suddenly aboard a cruise ship now, preferrably heading toward my own island?
~L~
May 5th, 2006 at 11:39 am
“without ranting ever much”
HA! Speak for yourself, Larelo!
. You are right on in the rest of your post, tho’!
May 6th, 2006 at 8:16 am
As an infrequent reader of 90 days, I have found it to be a wonderful way to feel connected to the Hive. It is great to feel the humanity in a group that I will probably only know electronically. It strengthens the sense of community and purpose at the most basic level.
As for myself, I am married, two kids (17 and 23) and work full time. My hobbies include reviewing romances for an online site, sweepstakes entries (not many wins but fun!) and some crafts. I have participated in just a handful of BZZCampaigns and have enjoyed them immensely. My coworkers are fascinated, but so far not enough to play.
I will be sorry to see the project end, and hope that future plans include other glimpses into the Hive.
May 7th, 2006 at 7:37 pm
I read 90 days often, and always come back to check on any new comments that have been added. I have always wished that there was a forum for bzzagents to communicate amongst ourselves, other than just being able to add comments here or at the bee log. Im still unsure why BzzAgent doesn’t provide this, because I know that we’d get a lot out it, as far as information that would improve our bzzing. 90 days went fast, and Im bummed that there are only 4 days left. I love Mr. Butmans writing style, and I’ll miss the blog. I do wish the information here was a little bit more in depth, but what are you going to do. I see a few people wish that this blog would extend past 90 days, is that a possibility? The beelog has improved from when I first became an agent, so that may have to do once this blog is gone.
Im an agent from San Francisco (I wonder why there aren’t as many of us on the west coast?) I’m a mom and I’m married and I’m in the 19-30 yr. old bracket(if there is such a thing) I hate pests, they ruin it for the rest of us. I also, applied for the Com Dev postion, but never heard a response. Thanks again John, I’ve enjoyed what you’ve wrote for us.
May 7th, 2006 at 9:45 pm
I’m an agent, married with 2 toddlers (3 and 19 months). I’m living in Los Angeles but moving back to Iowa in less than 2 weeks (Hmmm, maybe I need to change my ID to ia2ca2ia hehe). I stopped working when my first was born so I’m very selective on what campaigns I sign up for as some aren’t as easy for me to Bzz.
I have “90 Days” bookmarked and read it as often as 2 toddlers allow. I enjoy hearing the inner workings of the company. It helps satisfy my cravings for the parts of corporate life that I miss (but also helps me remember some of the things I don’t miss)! Because it takes me several days to log back on, there’s always a wide variety of posts/replies to suit whatever reading mood I’m in. I typically only reply when I feel I have something valuable to contribute (which isn’t very often.)
I would love for the casualness of “90 Days” to find it’s way into an area on the regular blog. Thanks for opening the door to the hive and welcoming all of us in!
May 8th, 2006 at 1:30 am
I read 90 days whenever I can, sometimes that’s daily, sometimes not. It’s warm, casual, entertaining.
Two small children here, too, six months and 4 1/2. Have been a bzzagent about a year. Love the insight into the company that I’ve gotten from Grapevine and the blogs.
Before I was a sahm (stay at home mom) I was an artist/small business owner, and expect to be so again, when the wee ones are a little older.
BzzAgent meets me on several levels. First, there’s the fun of getting new things to try, that I am interested in but may have hesitated to buy myself, then to share that experience with friends and family - and total strangers.
Then there’s fun little boost of the rewards. Lastly, the ongoing learning process, an immersion into wom on the front lines, which will be useful to me later, when running my next small business.
Right now, my online time is primarily absorbed by online roleplaying games, whatever’s left goes to email and message boards. (I would love for there to be a BzzAgent message board) Offline, it’s all about family life as defined by two little ones.
I found the BeeLog and 90 days when someone else mentioned them on a message board. She was enthusiastic about things she was reading and I had to come see for myself.
I’ve enjoyed it, and will miss it. I haven’t posted a lot but have as I could, and was inclined. Loved getting to know the company, and its employees, through your words.
May 8th, 2006 at 12:32 pm
I will also be sorry to see the 90 days end. But I will continue to read the beelog. I comment once in a great while when I feel the need to input my opinion.
I am a 37 yr old female with a 19 yr old son, who is unfortunately not making plans to move out yet. I work full time in a somewhat smaller office setting (about 50 people) and I really enjoy reading about a similar situation that you have at the Hive.
I love the fact that you are expanding and find it very interesting to be able to read about the goings on while the company grows. I find it very exciting.
I really enjoy being an agent and have referred a few people that have also signed up. After all, I have been practicing bzzing my whole life. I always talk about new things that I try to anyone who will listen. This 90 days has made me feel even more a part of the Bzzagent community. I also hate pests and wish that there were a way to avoid having them. I have had fun with the campaigns that I have been in. I try to report on all the bzzing I do, but sometimes have a hard time finding time to do it and not forget what I already posted (not knocking anyone for the backlog of answering reports) that have not yet been reviewed, so I now keep my own Bzzhistory. I usually access the site from work on my lunch hour or at home on weekends.
Thanks John for all of your great writing and I hope we see more of you in the future.