Twitter

140 characters of what? Yes, some of it is, well, questionable, I agree. But six weeks ago I made the commitment to include social media in my program. With the invaluable help of George Moen I have been learning and building my social network and it has been amazing.

It’s all about people.

One of the key points that I love about Drag Racing is it’s accessibility for the fans. At the track, and away from the track, I love to answer all their questions, hear about the car they are building to race, or their dream car. And it is not just car people I meet, I have met horse people, and others who are into trains, countless cyclists, mountain bikers, road racers, doctors, lawyers, you name it. The neat thing is, that I have “met” them. I get to know them. I go back to their track and follow up with them. They become friends.

Social media, in particular Twitter, but Facebook, Linked In, and others I have yet to start using, (but I am pretty sure I will) too, has taken this meeting of my fans to another level, and it is fantastic. In the last six weeks I have ‘met’ more people from all over the world. At first it seemed kinda weird, but then I get to know them little by little from reading their posts, and they get to know me too, and now I call them friends. I follow their links when they post, I read their blogs, and their websites if they have a business. I learn about them. I retweet the things that I find relate to me, or that I think that other people following me might enjoy or appreciate. Many of them have made me laugh out loud, no really laugh, not just LOL.

But it gets serious.

These people are friends. I have a relationship with them. I value and respect that relationship, just like I would any other relationship.

Let me tell you a short story: I have a friend who has a consulting business. His business has helped my business in the past and I am sure it will in the future. I recently introduced another friend to this consultant. I made this introduction because I believed they would both benefit from that introduction. It is important to me, that both these friends enjoy benefits from this introduction, and if they cannot enjoy a benefit directly, perhaps they may re-introduce to someone else who might. Have you worked out where I am going with this yet?

I have some great Sponsors: Paradise RV, Drayton Valley Ford, CV Transport, and others who will be announced over the coming months. When I introduce you, my fans, followers, and supporters, I am introducing friends. I am introducing you because I believe you will enjoy a benefit from the introduction. The relationships I have with my sponsors is personal. I could not introduce you to them if I did not have confidence in their integrity. My relationship with all of you reading this is personal too.

Personal

I get a lot of email, and a lot of direct messages and Tweets, a huge amount really. I personally read and reply to all of them. It is me, because it is a relationship, and I respect that relationship. You have taken the time to send me a wish, or ask a question, or tell me about your baking. I respect that. But more than that, I enjoy it. I love hearing what you are up to. I love helping with your setup, or helping your fiance get involved in racing, or seeing the photos of your holidays. So don’t hold back, do not think to yourself that I am not interested in little old you wherever you may be from, I actually am, and I want to hear from you. And I want you all to know that when I introduce you to a sponsor, through a sign on my car, a link I Tweet or post here, or any other way, it is personal. They are my friends too, and I want us all to be friends so we can all benefit.

If you don’t already, follow me on Twitter, and like my Facebook fan page, and connect with me on Linked In.

Merry Christmas to my Fans and Followers

I want to say a very sincere thank you to everyone who has supported me and helped me achieve my goals this year. Next year is already shaping up to be spectacular!

Dean Murdoch, from Speedzone Magazine has very generously donated some of his fantastic calendars for me to give to my fans. You can see them on his website.

If you would like on of these great calenders, ( I have had them on my walls for years, they are my fave), send me your mailing address and I will happily send one to you where ever you are in the world, totally free of charge. You can send your address to me via email, regular post, or text it to my cell phone, or you can send me a tweet, of through Facebook. You can find my contact details on this website, or they are easy to find at: http://jimobalek.tel/

I will keep sending them until I run out, and Dean said he has more for me. So if you want one, just ask, I want to send you one.

And not to worry, your address will only be used for this mailout, and will not be shared with anyone.

Merry Christmas to you all, and thank you.