Two days ago, I celebrated something special in my life. It was the third birthday of the Merrill Dubrow Blog. When we first started this I never knew how long I would be posting on the blog. I never knew if anyone would comment and frankly I wasn’t sure if anyone would care about my opinion and what I blogged about.
In a lot of ways I was wrong. Over the past 3 years we have had:
- Over 100,000 hits on the blog
- Almost 6,700 comments
- Over 1,000 different people have posted a comment
- Over 435 posts
FIRST OF ALL, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!
I am often asked why do I write a blog and the simple answer is I enjoy sharing things and also have a deep desire to learn something every day. This blog has accomplished both of those things. I never thought in a million years that I would learn as much as I have. Although I might not agree with everything that is posted on the blog, I like hearing opinions from people like: Bob Graham, Ed Sugar, Stephenie Gordon, Jennie Lovejoy, Janet Savoie, Steve Schlesinger, Paul Kirch, Willie Martin Fee Sepahi, Magda Cooling, Steve Gentile, Amy Shields, Michael Halberstam, Jeffrey Lorber and so many other people.
If . . .
- You have a comment
- You have a potential blog topic
- See a funny picture
- You disagree with me
- If you agree with me
I WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU! That is the only way we can learn from each other and have this blog be very dynamic.
Thanks for a great 3 years and I look forward to many, many more.
Stephenie Gordon says:
Thanks for writing the blog. It gives me something to do when I’m bored at work. (that was a joke Steve – I AM NEVER BORED AT WORK)
On a more serious note, it is great to read the opinions of my market research colleagues, especially when they challenge my own.
And thank you for spelling my name correctly; that just made my day!
Paul Kirch says:
Merill – Like everyone, I am busy and I try to be selective about the distractions during the day. I use RSS feeds to capture some different pieces from different sources, but I religiously follow your blog directly. I think your blog is unique from many others, and I love the engaging dialogue that often gets started. Though not every subject is something I view as important, many of the topics are. I appreciate the effort that goes into writing this and having it managed, so I’m glad the reward has been there and I hope you continue. For me, the business and research topics are the ones that appeal the most, though some of the Friday fun has been great.
Keep up the good work!
Paul
Merrill Dubrow says:
Paul,
Appreciate your comments and support over the years. My hope is the blog was a good outlet for a few minutes that would allow readers to learn something in a fun and easy way.
Thanks again.
Merrill
Bob Graham says:
In the introduction to “Danse Macabre” Stephen King writes about an interviewer who asked him “Why do you write horror stories”. King replied “What makes you think I have a choice?”; as if there is something deep in his psyche that pushes him to explore the dark side.
For those of us who are regulars here, I think the same reasoning applies: we are driven to express ourselves, our interests and the industry that has chosen us as much as we have chosen it.
Thanks, Merrill for providing the stimuli to our communication. And Happy Birthday, Blog!
(ps., I also use King’s reply when people ask me why I got into market research…)
Merrill Dubrow says:
Bob,
Appreciate your comments and passion over the years! Keep the comments coming it has been a great venue to share opinions from so many people and learn along the way!
Thanks again!
Merrill
Michael Halberstam says:
Mozel Tov! I appreciate the opportunity to read and respond to thoughtful and even frivolous (Red Sox) posts. The comments from you and others have been helpful as well. Whatever your
reason(s) is/are for posting, let’s hope it/they continue/s!
Toby Bloomberg says:
Adding my bloganniversary congrats! and feeling like a proud blogmama
Merrill your blog is one of the best examples to combine authenticity with transparency, professionalism and passion in social media . For anyone who thinks social media/blogs don’t work in B2B I point them to The Merrill Dubrow Blog!
Merrill Dubrow says:
Toby,
I still remember our first discussion where I was beyond uncomfortable with this idea. You have been a great inspiration and every time I post something it has a little bit of “Toby” in it. thanks for all you do for the industry and have done for me!
Merrill
Michael Mermelstein says:
Merrill, happy anniversary. It is a great thing you do for the profession and it is good to see that you not only get enjoyment from writing the blog, but that you learn from everyone else. Speaking for many – we look forward to a lot more years or your blog.
Seanjjordan says:
I keep my eye on several blogs related to marketing and marketing research, but Merrill, yours is by far the most FUN. Your posts are insightful, and often amusing, and the comments from folks who read this blog are really intelligent. You’ve got some of the nicest fans of any blog I’ve seen.
You’ve been an inspiration to me, and once I finish school this fall, I’m planning on doing an MR-themed blog and video podcast of my own. Not in the spirit of competition, of course – in the spirit of “being a resource,” as you’ve asked us all to do.
So thanks so much for a fun blog, some great posts, and some wonderful insight!
Merrill Dubrow says:
Sean,
thanks so much. I have read your blog a number of times and I am VERY VERY impressed with your style. Keep up the good work!
When you are ready I would be happy to help you find a job or be a resource to you in the future.
Thanks again.
Merrill
Lisa Goin says:
Merrill, three years! Now that is an accomplishment.
In this day and age, of more information than we can all keep up with… you really have now proven yourself as a web 2.0er.
Keep up the good blogs, tweets and whathaveyou.
And can I hear a w00t! w00t! for all the guest entry bloggers!?
(GO GEB).
Congratulations.
Lisa Goin
Merrill Dubrow says:
Lisa,
You did a great job as a guest blogger! Thanks.
Merrill
Fee Sepahi says:
Hi Merrill,
It’s truly an honor to be a participant in your blog.
Every week I look forward to your top and your insights and the ensuing self analysis about the matter at hand. Although I don’t always participate given the subject, timing, etc., I never miss knowing the topic.
Happy Anniversary and bravo for this novel adventure and creating a community of enthusiastic thinkers, contributors and collaborators and elevating this humans spirits, on a weekly basis!
Merrill Dubrow says:
Fee,
What can I say! Thank you for starters. I love reading your comments and glad you enjoy the forum!
Merrill
Sybil Stershic says:
Congratulations, Merrill! It’s always a treat to read your posts to keep up with what’s happening in the field and what’s on your mind (besides the Red Sox). As a “related” blogger (our dear friend, Toby Bloomberg, was also my blog-mama), I appreciate the effort that goes into a business blog. Keep up the great work!
Take care,
Sybil
Christopher Dallion says:
So now that Merrill has made his 3rd year blog anniversary post I thought I would enlighten everyone with some behind the scenes details of the blog. I am the person responsible for keeping the blog up and running for all you people that have visited these past three years so I have a very good perspective on it.
1. Here’s what happened in the original meeting about the blog…
Merrill Dubrow: It’s been suggested that I should start a blog to reach out to others in our industry.
Christopher Dallion: HAHAHAHA are you going to spell things out so people can pick up your Boston accent?
MD: (stern look)
CD: Oh, you’re serious
Okay, so maybe I am exaggerating but I have given Merrill lots of grief about the blog so why stop now?
2. The name “The Merrill Dubrow Blog” was intended to be a place holder until Merrill decided on something he preferred – obviously his ego got the best of him.
3. Merrill personally writes every post on here. I swear he doesn’t sleep as he is usually prepared with at least 2 or 3 weeks of posts in reserve. He even emails himself when he comes up with another idea for a post!
4. Merrill has been known to rush to torture our resident Yankees fan when he makes a post that could possibly annoy her.
5. I have been providing Merrill statistics on the blog since day one. He just has a hard time getting me to send the reports. I have at least scaled back on the “Amazing! I can’t believe people are reading” commentary when I send them.
6. Merrill has probably read this comment before anyone else because he is really that engaged with the blog.
In all seriousness, Merrill has done a great job of getting behind the blog. He has really put forth more effort than anyone with his schedule would ever be expected to do. I personally receive much joy from teasing him whenever I can about it but no matter how you slice it the feat is impressive.
Happy anniversary Merrill – keep up the good work and I’ll keep up the smart aleck comments
Merrill Dubrow says:
Christopher,
Thank you for all you do and have down. You should be very proud of what we have accomplished. We didn’t know what we were doing three years ago and we have been very successful for along time. Most blogs start and stop very quickly that hasn’t been the case with this one and you have done a nice job.
Thanks again.
Merrill
Ed Sugar says:
Just about every Monday, Wednesday and Friday for the last three years, to quote Hunter S. Thompson, “You have killed like a champion”.
Thank you for the wide breath of topics and allowing us to share our thoughts and points of view on them.
Merrill Dubrow says:
Ed,
GREAT quote! As always thanks for sharing!
Merrill
Tony Amador says:
Congrats man! Very impressive. As I’ve always said, this is a perfect medium for you and you’ve proven it again and again and again (had to add the third ‘again’ as a back-to-back-to-back reference)
Willie Martin says:
Happy Blog Birthday to you Merrill!
For nine years I have been doing the same in a differing degree. For the first time I am now able to archive. Truly a labor of love. Information is served best when you can pay it forward.
You have taught me alot on how to be specific in identifying a need, and being able to fulfill said demand. I thank you for that.
I can also tell you that seeing you in action reminds me of an old Albert Einstein quote,’ Imagination is far more important than knowledge.’
Take care Merrill, as always!
Merrill Dubrow says:
Willie,
Appreciate your comments, kind words and addition to the blog!
Merrill