A Brief History of Words & the Internet
(...Or at least my small part.)
As a Gen Xer, I was taught how to use typewriters, card catalogs, floppy disks, and film strips. I typed research papers on my PCjr with its dot matrix printer while listening to my Walkman, earning a degree in History from the University of Minnesota, where I graduated Summa cum Laude. When the internet went mainstream in the mid 1990's, I plugged a modem into my PC and dialed up. Back then, the internet was usenet, ftp, gopher and a text-based World Wide Web. And it was almost entirely made out of words.
My wife Millie and I started selling toys and baby carriers online in 1998. Our primitive website, peapods.com. was simple, with a few products and a mail order form to print out. Inventory quickly took over our living room and we decided to open a brick & mortar store, which has supported our family ever since. After Peapods closed in 2015, we launched Mischief Toy Store, which is aimed at teens and young adults instead of babies, a reflection of how our family had changed over the years. Launching a new business was a lot of work--building, ordering, attending trade shows, securing finances, and, of course, writing.
From the beginning, my contribution to our stores' successes was mostly through writing (although I'm a pretty fierce gift wrapper, too). I've written hundreds of newsletters, product descriptions, in-store signage, and blog posts spanning 17 years of retailing.
As a Gen Xer, I was taught how to use typewriters, card catalogs, floppy disks, and film strips. I typed research papers on my PCjr with its dot matrix printer while listening to my Walkman, earning a degree in History from the University of Minnesota, where I graduated Summa cum Laude. When the internet went mainstream in the mid 1990's, I plugged a modem into my PC and dialed up. Back then, the internet was usenet, ftp, gopher and a text-based World Wide Web. And it was almost entirely made out of words.
My wife Millie and I started selling toys and baby carriers online in 1998. Our primitive website, peapods.com. was simple, with a few products and a mail order form to print out. Inventory quickly took over our living room and we decided to open a brick & mortar store, which has supported our family ever since. After Peapods closed in 2015, we launched Mischief Toy Store, which is aimed at teens and young adults instead of babies, a reflection of how our family had changed over the years. Launching a new business was a lot of work--building, ordering, attending trade shows, securing finances, and, of course, writing.
From the beginning, my contribution to our stores' successes was mostly through writing (although I'm a pretty fierce gift wrapper, too). I've written hundreds of newsletters, product descriptions, in-store signage, and blog posts spanning 17 years of retailing.
Collaboration & Advocacy
From the beginning, we've always been very collaborative with other businesses. I've served on the board of our buy local organization, MetroIBA, for which I've written press releases and policy testimonials and created education events about social media and green business practices. I've also created social media campaign and press releases for in-store events like our annual Sidewalk Sale and Minnesota Toy Fair, which brings many of our local vendors together for a buy-local kickoff to each year's holiday season.
In 2008, when I learned that new federal toy safety laws threatened many of our small business suppliers, I founded the Handmade Toy Alliance, mobilizing hundreds of other businesses through social media to protect small-batch toymakers. Through this project, I wrote dozens of letters to Congress and government agencies; appeared in the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and the Wall Street Journal; and twice presented my testimony in the US House of Representatives. Our efforts culminated in 2010, when Congress passed legislation to preserve small batch toymakers. A new law was passed, made out of words.
These experiences taught me the power of words to change minds and affect change. Words that convince without imploring or demanding. I used words to tell our story, state our case, and create action.
Now, I'd like to make my words available to your business or organization. Let me put words to work for you.
In 2008, when I learned that new federal toy safety laws threatened many of our small business suppliers, I founded the Handmade Toy Alliance, mobilizing hundreds of other businesses through social media to protect small-batch toymakers. Through this project, I wrote dozens of letters to Congress and government agencies; appeared in the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and the Wall Street Journal; and twice presented my testimony in the US House of Representatives. Our efforts culminated in 2010, when Congress passed legislation to preserve small batch toymakers. A new law was passed, made out of words.
These experiences taught me the power of words to change minds and affect change. Words that convince without imploring or demanding. I used words to tell our story, state our case, and create action.
Now, I'd like to make my words available to your business or organization. Let me put words to work for you.
