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As an independent chain owner, I would love to support this whole-heartedly, monetarily or other-wise,

Yay!
were it not for the obvious appearance of "pay-for-play".
I'm not seeing that, but perhaps I'm biased.
This community is never at a loss for ideas or talent, though, and I am sure that the right idea will be found.

Yay!
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vistaprint.com

100 sticky note pads (50 3"x 3" sheets pad) = $99.99, shown on their web site as a sale.

There is a set up charge, but it is not expensive.

3M also offers custom post-it notes in larger sizes.

If this is a viable option, I am happy to do more research.

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When Don first harshed me out about 3 or 4 years ago for not having anything of his on the wall or on my website (well, I didn't have one at the time), I told him that I would proudly display a certificate, a la Washingtonian, or a sticker, a la Yelp, Zagat, City Eats, Fearless Critic, etc. etc. etc., but that I couldn't just make something up myself. I also mentioned that since he didn't publish actual reviews (which was the then the case) that there was nothing I could include in any of my literature.

At the time, I thought that a bit of promotion of the web-site was crucial to its future and that Don's original proclamations of impossible standards of nobility and selflessness when he started this site and his original vows to never make a penny from this site had painted him into a corner that he would later regret never being able to escape from, and I said so. Let's hope it's not too late to reverse that.

I love the whole underground, Banksky-esque, approach being discussed now and I think it could go a long way to making Don into the figure he wants to be and give this site the greater public presence it deserves.

At this point, however, it's not clear whether this is meant to shame offending restaurants and scold ignorant diners, or whether it is meant to bring exceptional restaurants to the attention of open-minded diners while also creating a groundswell of awareness to the site--but either way the support evidenced in this thread is validation in and of itself.

As an independent chain owner, I would love to support this whole-heartedly, monetarily or other-wise, were it not for the obvious appearance of "pay-for-play".

This community is never at a loss for ideas or talent, though, and I am sure that the right idea will be found.

I'll reply to this in more depth later (I'm running out the door, and it merits a more thoughtful response), but in terms of tagging, I envision two types of stickers: the "real kind" that people will be proud to put on their windows, and the "playful kind" that people will be in a rush to remove and discard after finding them affixed to their bathroom windows. Hopefully, based on the quotes I've seen here (a dollar a sticker?!) they'll come in at two very different price points - I'm hoping for more like a dime apiece for the bathroom models (like business cards?), and if we have to buy 2,000 to get that price, then let's do.

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Okay, here's a more thoughtful response than what I had time for last night:

When Don first harshed me out about 3 or 4 years ago for not having anything of his on the wall or on my website (well, I didn't have one at the time), I told him that I would proudly display a certificate, a la Washingtonian, or a sticker, a la Yelp, Zagat, City Eats, Fearless Critic, etc. etc. etc., but that I couldn't just make something up myself. I also mentioned that since he didn't publish actual reviews (which was the then the case) that there was nothing I could include in any of my literature.

Yes, and you weren't alone. I approached several people and groused about it, and the responses were all pretty much the same: 'We'd be happy to display a sticker - just give us one!'

At the time, I thought that a bit of promotion of the web-site was crucial to its future and that Don's original proclamations of impossible standards of nobility and selflessness when he started this site and his original vows to never make a penny from this site had painted him into a corner that he would later regret never being able to escape from, and I said so. Let's hope it's not too late to reverse that.

I was actually naive enough (dumb enough?) to think I'd get a MacArthur Grant to keep this website going. Well, first of all, Don, do you realize that someone needs to APPLY for one of these grants, and that they don't materialize out of thin air?

My problem is that, although I'm quite confident in my knowledge, abilities, etc., I'm just not a natural self-promoter. I *hate* talking about myself, and I also have problems distinguishing between "marketing" and "boasting" - to me, they both seem a lot alike (which is why, I suppose, people have agents). I kept thinking that the work I've done would speak for itself, and that Ed McMahon would show up at my door, and that all this venture capital would be pouring in, and that my phone would be ringing off the hook with requests for interviews, appearances, etc.

Surely, I thought, someone will take note of what I'm doing, and my entire future will all fall into place. "They" would be fools if they didn't.

Nope, doesn't happen like that. People have taken note, all right, the street cred is well-established, and the brand recognition is there, but without the pump being primed, Donny Boy will languish in relative obscurity until the end of time. I'm not comparing myself to Johnny Depp, but way back when, he was considered a highly respected cult actor who refused to sell out to Hollywood. He didn't go from being an unknown, substantive, art-house trivia question to "someone bigger than Tom Cruise" randomly; he got himself a good agent and people finally saw what he was capable of doing. There are plenty of brilliant people out there, in all professions, languishing in obscurity for exactly the same reasons this website is.

I love the whole underground, Banksky-esque, approach being discussed now and I think it could go a long way to making Don into the figure he wants to be and give this site the greater public presence it deserves.

At this point, however, it's not clear whether this is meant to shame offending restaurants and scold ignorant diners, or whether it is meant to bring exceptional restaurants to the attention of open-minded diners while also creating a groundswell of awareness to the site--but either way the support evidenced in this thread is validation in and of itself.

dr.com was founded with several tenets in mind, one of the most important ones being "kindness." (Yeah, I know, how do I reconcile that with Rosa Mexicano Sucks Ventworm Nut.) "Shaming" and "scolding" are two words that I prefer not to even think about. On the other hand, "creating a groundswell of awareness?" Yes, for sure! But this can be, and should be, all done in a positive way, and it's largely a matter of mindset. I strongly believe that kindness is one of the most underrated qualities a person (or for that matter, a corporation) can have. It is a quality that I value perhaps above all others.

I've learned many things over the years. One of them is that "If you build it, they will come" is not necessarily a true statement, romantic as it may sound.

As an independent chain owner, I would love to support this whole-heartedly, monetarily or other-wise, were it not for the obvious appearance of "pay-for-play".

You've always supported this website, and I for one have always appreciated it. Do not think for a moment that I've forgotten that extra $1,000 you wrote in that check to Emmaus' Services for the Aging. You're successful enough now where you don't need this website in the least; ironically, it's the ones who *do* need it, that don't even know it exists. I've had numerous restaurateurs tell me, in so many words, 'Damn, your community has a huge reach.' Just pulling a random example out of the air, if the owners of, say, Himalayan Heritage, became active here and posted about themselves a couple times a month, as well as becoming active in other topics, I'll bet that within one year, their business would increase by 20% as a result. That's because when people post here, it's not "just here." Everyone sees the stuff - I've said it before, and I'll say it again: it trickles up, it trickles down, it trickles sideways. There are huge, indirect effects of being active on this website that really aren't even measurable. Can I prove that as fact? No. Do I know it to be true? Yes.

This community is never at a loss for ideas or talent, though, and I am sure that the right idea will be found.

I really think the double-sticker thing (the funny, bathroom sticker, and the serious, window sticker) is a good idea. I should probably also get a PR rep, but then again there's also the Michael Landrum model.

Name recognition is key. I've recommended this site to many people, and no one can ever remember the name of it. It doesn't stick in their heads as a food site, or a DC site. I get "Oh yeah, that site with some guy's name" :-/

Yep, it's a problem. The ironic thing is that people often ask me, "is Don Rockwell actually your real name?" Because it sounds so ... I don't know ... "strong." I guess I could always make this website dcdining.com, but that precludes me expanding outside of DC, and I really have my sights on New York and beyond. For me to get the website brand out there, I've got to simultaneously get my name out there, and I just don't think there's any other way to do it. It's a problem, but it's not the worst problem in the world.

Okay those are my dehydrated, still working on my first cup of coffee thoughts of the moment.

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Yep, it's a problem. The ironic thing is that people often ask me, "is Don Rockwell actually your real name?" Because it sounds so ... I don't know ... "strong." I guess I could always make this website dcdining.com, but that precludes me expanding outside of DC, and I really have my sights on New York and beyond. For me to get the website brand out there, I've got to simultaneously get my name out there, and I just don't think there's any other way to do it. It's a problem, but it's not the worst problem in the world.

Maybe I should donate the www.Gourmet411.com and .net URLs that I have parked.

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Here's the current situation: we have lots of volunteers, even donors (although I've politely declined their kind offers). I got this email from a member which has fallen through - nobody seems to do Post-It notes:

I will contact Master Print for a quote on Post-it Notes.

If I can get 10,000 5'X9" four color, two sided postcards on card stock for less than $1K, I can probably get this done. And I would love to plaster them all over town but with the wife sick, the kids school, and work killing me, I don't even EAT on most days.

Do you have a graphic designer? I can try to find one on the cheap but surely there is one in membership.

So everything is in limbo - which is the usual state of things for me and my projects. :) I'm really good at two things: high-level, big-picture visualization, and low-level microscopic minutiae (which is essentially what I do in running the site day-to-day, keeping up with which mushrooms are being served on H Street, etc.) It's that gaping middle ground that slips by, that 90% of mid-level detail that involves seeing the forest *and* the trees, together, at the same time. I see things as a satellite picture, or under a microscope, but not very well with the naked eye.

Can anyone help me get this kick-started?

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What about magnets? That would solve the removability problem and there should be some type of surface in most bathrooms that they'd adhere to; mirror parts, stall doors, etc... Haven't researched, but a quick google search brought up this

Magnets are almost surely too expensive; we need nice stickers for the front windows, but we can go super downscale for the underground stuff.

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I looked again at vista prints, and they seem to do the right product at the right price point (200 units of 50 sheets each for $249.99) as mentioned above by DCandOhio. The sticky notes are only 3X3, though, so about the size of actual post-its. A friend has used them before for custom printing and was happy with the results. They also do window decals and something called "business cards stickers," which might be an alternative to window decals. Magnets would seem to be a great idea for distribution to the public, while window decals would be something businesses could display.

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I They also do window decals and something called "business cards stickers," which might be an alternative to window decals.

I believe the business card stickers are paper business cards that have an adhesive backing, so those wouldn't be suitable for window decals.

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Thank you to everyone for helping with this. Just to keep things rolling, I look at the window decals as something to be proud of, and that's going to cost some money for design and quality decals; the "bootleg tapes" can be a lower quality recording. :)

I have my checkbook open and ready to go.

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How about an Avery Easy Peel address label (I think the product code is 8163)? these are 2 inches by 4 inches and I THINK they'll peel back off of a surface in one piece, just with a little more effort than a post-it. And they are designed to be printed on, obviously, in a laser printer, then peeled easily off of a sheet of 10 per sheet (I think). IIRC these are under $10 or $12 for a box of 250...

I know we don't want to harm property but I just think post-its are not adhesive enough to last more than ten minutes on a restaurant bathroom wall. Need to check on how easy these are to peel off, will raid office supply cabinet tomorrow & report back. If anybody is interested in this different approach.

just googled, these are what I'm talking about: http://www.avery.com/avery/en_us/Products/Labels/Shipping-Labels/White-Shipping-Labels_08163.htm?N=0&Ns=&refchannel=c042fd03ab30a110VgnVCM1000002118140aRCRD

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We can have multiple underground approaches going on at once. :)

A long-time website member has stepped in, and is going to work with me using a printer and designer he knows (I'm in contact with the printer, and it looks like it will be doable and affordable), so the urgency of scrambling for a design and a printer seems to be at bay. Give me a couple of days, and I'll have some more information.

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How about an Avery Easy Peel address label (I think the product code is 8163)? these are 2 inches by 4 inches and I THINK they'll peel back off of a surface in one piece, just with a little more effort than a post-it. And they are designed to be printed on, obviously, in a laser printer, then peeled easily off of a sheet of 10 per sheet (I think). IIRC these are under $10 or $12 for a box of 250...

I used to work with those all the time when I worked in a mail room, and they don't peel off that easily. Or, at least, they did not back in the late 90s...

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I guess no-one clicked on my Post ItTM note full size printable sheets.

  • Write labels by hand or print with laser and inkjet printers

http://www.amazon.co...28041418&sr=1-5

Yeah, this is not a bad idea for the backroom stickers. I think 8.5 x 11 is too big, however - maybe we can do 2-3 per sheet? Is this something you can do? There's honest-to-goodness momentum here right now (and not just in this thread), and I want to run with it, big time. I definitely don't think we need a uniform "look" for the underground stuff; just to get the word out there. I wasn't kidding when I said I was thinking of handing out flyers to people walking around tourist areas, bad restaurants, etc., and for that we don't need Post-its, but for the other stuff - I agree, nobody is going to want to walk around with a roll of tape.

Did you know that the concierge at one of the absolute tip-top, most expensive hotels in the city recommends La Perla to his clients (even though it's a cab ride away)? Also, these restaurants in Woodley Park on the east side of Connecticut? Guess where the concierges of two of our city's largest hotels (Omni Shoreham, Marriott Wardman Park) send them. And guess why. This is all just wrong.

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Also, I got this message from the printer. I guess we'll just use the logo on the top-left of the main screen unless someone has a better idea. (This is for the window stickers). I'm thinking the text should read "Best Restaurant Award" - something that could go on both Marcel's (superlative) and Ben's (noteworthy). But what about the OTHER 90% of all restaurants? It would be nice if we could have a sticker that says "DonRockwell.Com Rated" or something like that, but those are pretty boring words - can someone come up with a few words of text for restaurants that aren't distinctive but might benefit from a sticker anyway? Maybe that should use dcdining.com since it's a stronger term?

I know everyone is more excited about the underground stickers (and so am I!) but the window stickers are what will get people to take us seriously in the long run, so I have to worry about both for sure.

If you could please send over your logo in its original vector file we will need that to print properly and capture the correct color. This is a file that usually end in one of the following extension: .ai or .eps If you don’t have one of those, but have a .psd we can see if it is high enough resolution and made with layers that we may be able to use that.

I want to add one thing for emphasis: I'm struggling right now for the basic survival of this website which is why I'm so genuinely grateful to everyone here. Damn, I just need the right person to notice what we're doing here and it's just not happening.

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If you could please send over your logo in its original vector file we will need that to print properly and capture the correct color. This is a file that usually end in one of the following extension: .ai or .eps If you don’t have one of those, but have a .psd we can see if it is high enough resolution and made with layers that we may be able to use that.

Also, for the underground ones, do we want to do 5x3 or 6x4? I vote smaller so they can be pocketed more easily but I really don't know anything about this stuff.

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Also, for the underground ones, do we want to do 5x3 or 6x4? I vote smaller so they can be pocketed more easily but I really don't know anything about this stuff.

Yep, If we went 5x3 we could print 4 stickers per 8.5x11 page. Cut them with a guillotine.

Name the design.

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I'm late to the party, but I have a few observations. First, I respond better to praise and enthusiasm than shaming and scolding, and I suspect most restaurateurs do too. I also pay more attention to what is in the window of an establishment than what is in the bathroom when making choices on where to dine. I'm guessing that's pretty much universal. And I found myself thinking about this when I went to Elephant Jumps in Merrifield for lunch and found, in addition to the menu, a Xeroxed copy of a recommendation from Tyler Cowen in the window.

And I love the phrase "This place Rocks!" as a quick seal of approval.

My take is that something in the window of an establishment would happily be posted by most restaurants as an indication of the DonRockwell.com community's recommendation. It would also serve to notify the public that this is a website worth checking out. As to stickers, I wonder if if that is necessary now that smartphones serve as instant note-takers and reminders for a large number of people. I have nothing against it, but it involves a lot of work that might be better put to another use, maybe like handing out flyers in a coordinated, one-day publicity blitz?

I love the ideas that so many have come up with and would love to see this happen in a big way.

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More thoughts: I too like the, "This Place Rocks!" with the logo underneath, or somewhere. I think the window sticker needs to show that we are fun, have a little personality.

On the other stickers: I feel really uncomfortable about anything that can be inkjetted only for the reason that I think if it takes any more work than just touching the thing and being able to pull it off (so anything harder than a post it, or scotch taped business card) would not be very nice, as it would take work for someone to pull it off, and could pull off paint or etc. Unless I am wrong about the stickiness factor. I have never used a label through a printer that I have been able to easily get off anything. I could be wrong though. The nice thing about a business card type of thing, is you wouldn't even necessarily need to use tape. As an example, a business card corner could be slipped between toilet paper holder and wall without tape. Or one could be placed on top of a picture frame. I just don't like the idea of there being an annoyance factor. I would be more than willing to go in on business cards or post its or something that wouldn't be a real sticker, but would feel uncomfortable with that.

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More thoughts: I too like the, "This Place Rocks!" with the logo underneath, or somewhere. I think the window sticker needs to show that we are fun, have a little personality.

On the other stickers: I feel really uncomfortable about anything that can be inkjetted only for the reason that I think if it takes any more work than just touching the thing and being able to pull it off (so anything harder than a post it, or scotch taped business card) would not be very nice, as it would take work for someone to pull it off, and could pull off paint or etc. Unless I am wrong about the stickiness factor. I have never used a label through a printer that I have been able to easily get off anything. I could be wrong though. The nice thing about a business card type of thing, is you wouldn't even necessarily need to use tape. As an example, a business card corner could be slipped between toilet paper holder and wall without tape. Or one could be placed on top of a picture frame. I just don't like the idea of there being an annoyance factor. I would be more than willing to go in on business cards or post its or something that wouldn't be a real sticker, but would feel uncomfortable with that.

Up until recent years, I would have thought "This Place Rocks!" would have sounded childish for a front window sticker, but look at names such as "Yelp!", "Google" and everything else. If anything, we're graduating from baby talk to teen talk. :) (*)

I'm working with the designer / printer on the non-invasive factor. In the meantime, the ball's in my court, she's waiting for me to get her this:

If you could please send over your logo in its original vector file we will need that to print properly and capture the correct color. This is a file that usually end in one of the following extension: .ai or .eps If you don’t have one of those, but have a .psd we can see if it is high enough resolution and made with layers that we may be able to use that.

And I don't even know what a "vector file" is! So if anyone can help me get a vector file, that would be on the critical path. (Thanks in advance because we're dead in the water without it.)

(*) There's just something "stately" I miss about the old Washington Post, although I guess these "window dressings" have *always* been marketing B.S. Everything now seems to be flash this, and buzz that. I don't like it. And I'm quite certain a similar mindset is the difference between short-term wealth vs. long-term legacy. That having been said, I'm pretty sure we've got the long-term legacy thing covered; now, we just need to survive.

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Image files are vector (printing) or raster (computer) based because of the intended audience.

http://en.m.wikipedi...iew_normal_site

In any of the 'illustrator' type programs you can choose the output format.

Brian just sort-of whipped up the dr.com logo on his computer; I don't think he really did any kind of illustrator thing, so we may be vector-less.

The "Eat This" picture (which everyone I've talked to except one person thinks is perfect for Tagging Art) was done on this thread so I'm not sure how it was generated.

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The "Eat This" picture (which everyone I've talked to except one person thinks is perfect for Tagging Art) was done on this thread so I'm not sure how it was generated.

I don't have a super strong opinion on this one; however, I would like to cast a(nother) hearty vote for weezy's "This Place Rocks" for the official fancy sticker.

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Brian just sort-of whipped up the dr.com logo on his computer; I don't think he really did any kind of illustrator thing, so we may be vector-less.

The "Eat This" picture (which everyone I've talked to except one person thinks is perfect for Tagging Art) was done on this thread so I'm not sure how it was generated.

What program did he use? It will be like 'Microsoft Word' in that you can save a different file formats like word97, .doc, ... Here the printer is asking for .ai or .eps format.

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Everything now seems to be flash this, and buzz that. I don't like it.

"I used to be with it, but then they changed what it was. Now what I'm with isn't it, and what's it seems weird and scary to me, and it'll happen to you, too."

Sorry. I was imagining you with your pants pulled up to your ribs, waving your cane at the computer monitor and having the cyber-equivalent of "YOU KIDS GET OFF MY LAWN!"

:D

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+1 for "This place rocks!" That's briliant, funny, a tad irreverent, different from the other toads in the best of ways, and easy to remember. How about member t-shirts or ballcaps with "I rock. Do you?" Sales could go to giving invision the boot or Matt's college fund, either of which would be grand with me.

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+1 for "This place rocks!" That's briliant, funny, a tad irreverent, different from the other toads in the best of ways, and easy to remember. How about member t-shirts or ballcaps with "I rock. Do you?" Sales could go to giving invision the boot or Matt's college fund, either of which would be grand with me.

I want a T-shirt that says "I Rock. Do you?"

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I may be able to help with a printer. I have a printer in VA I use for work who I can ask if you can give me quantites and dimensions. He does all our printing and we do alot of volume with him. I saw you said 10,000 earlier but is that really how many you want?

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I want a T-shirt that says "I Rock. Do you?"

I have a place in Virginia I've used before that kicked butt and I'd recommend for t-shirts. In fact, after I get this next batch of "ambush marketer" shirts made up, I'll write them up for the anti-yelp section.

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All this will great, but I'm going to have to get vector files of the logo + the Eat This thing to the printer before we do anything at all (I think) - and I want to get *something* printed and done first. I have this biting fear that I'm not going to be able to get these files to the printer because I really don't understand what they are. This is a lot like trying to get something programmed when I need an Invision change - it's totally out of the area of my expertise, and I'm like a deer in the headlights (which is why I'm asking for help here!) I've been a one-man band for way too long, and I need to go back and refocus what I'm good at (and delegate what I'm not).

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The short answer is, there's no effective way to convert an image in JPG, GIF, etc. format to a vector image. You have to redraw. Some of the advanced graphics packages have an "autotrace" feature that sort of does this, but I wouldn't consider the resulting image high-quality - you still have to edit.

Bottom line - someone with Photoshop or the equivalent needs to rebuild your logo files for you.

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