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Well the Community Organizer of Signs Of The Times Magazine is asking people of the sign industry to find a way and support it. What a good question, the Sign Hugger is all over this one too. I wonder what he wants OTHERS to do, that of which he SHOULD be doing? I know he thinks he supports the sign industry through his magazine, performs a platform of information exchange, but in the way the electric sign industry needs to be served, he fails to meet those needs. He serves/supports only The International Sign Association, his advertisers, and the large National Sign Companies. When it comes to the smaller shops, suppliers / Distributors, Neon & Fluorescent lamp manufacturers, all which is the larger makeup of the sign industry he either doesn't ask the tough questions, doesn't want to get involved, or chooses to purely only support what supports his interests and his magazine. Sadly to say and being quite frank, some of you may not want to hear this BUT, the majority I just named is faceless, voiceless, and isn't organized with each other and it's left to do nothing more but follow, and that's what they want you to do. It's easier that way, it's an easier crowd to sell to. You see, they want you to believe you're the "Movers and Shakers" so you'll clap your hands at them, and feel good doing it. But that's just a marketing pitch for you to feel good about yourself, and that you're a integral part of what makes this industry work. It's true, but only if YOU believe and do what your nicely suggested, or believe what you're being told. Now, they have to clap for themselves to get it rolling, that's marketing, that's the setting of the stage. I think this site has done a very good job of supporting what is REAL in our industry, carving through all the misnomers, myths, and false marketing claims. Matter of fact, you merely support this industry in a large way by merely logging in and participating. BUT, YOU....have to participate. We have too many people "comfortable" riding in the passenger seats of this carriage, with too few horses actually pulling the cart. We got some strong horses pulling, but too many people just enjoying the ride. Maybe what the Community Organizer is talking about, getting "involved". I don't think you need to only support and buy from Vendors who spend money to be at a convention, or be an advertiser in a magazine. I think you need to support those manufacturers that sell based on Integrity, honesty, and real quality products that sell themselves, market with facts, THAT helps our industry, and THAT displays our industry in a great light to sign users, not ones who just "Market" We have too many marketers in our industry, I know our industry IS about Marketing, but NOT BAD marketing. Our Industry alone has too many people in key or leadership role/positions that are marketers, Marketing = Something executed but never explained. They just want to collect and move on, sort of like those fly by night sign companies who only sell on cheap statements. They just want to Bullshit their customer, throw up a sign and collect a check, never look back on what they sold or what will/can happen to in the next year. I get emails and phone calls from topics and threads I start, or from topics others have started, but it's harder to get those individuals to openly express in the public what they tell me. Why? Share something, Gripe about something, Rant about something, Tell US about the new project you did, Tell US worked for YOU and what didn't. You all are only going to get back what you put into it. In the last couple of years this board has made a difference by "holding feet to the fire" as the Community Organizer put it, let's make a bigger difference now and create a bigger change. The Trade Magazines like the Community Organizer, and the empty suits in the Sign Associations won't do anything about the REAL problems within our industry because it'll hurt their pocketbook. One of our biggest issues when it comes to our industry has been the cheapening and the whoring of our industry. It's been caused in a couple of ways, In a lot of ways by our trade magazines and in a lot of ways by our associations. The thing they both have had in common is the Omission, to acknowledge or act. There are a couple of theads that have downgraded it, but let's focus for now on an integral part that WE can fix right now, something that can have a quick fix. But it requires "Participation" on a grand scale. HERE'S WHAT'S BEING PROPOSED AN ASKED FOR HERE ON THE SIGN SYNDICATE.COM BY IT'S MEMBERS Starting January 1st, 2012. Everyone, and I mean EVERYONE demand a deposit or payment within 30 days of invoice from the National Sign & Service Companies AS WHAT IS REQUIRED BY MOST STATE CONTRACTORS LAWS.....or DON'T do the work. Stand your ground, have the fortitude and deny the work. National Sign Companies, this goes out to you. There are a lot of you that are good companies that pay on time, and there are a lot of you that abuse your suppliers and subcontractors. We know who both of you are. Let's have the best of you continue to pay on terms or pay a deposit at initiation. Let's look at who has good reviews on our National Sign & Service Review List WHILE denying the worst of you OUR ability of hard work in a timely manner, to help you serve YOUR clients needs, your further requests will fall on deaf ears leaving you alone to complete something you probably shouldn't even have in the first place. The Sign Associations won't EVER help us in this matter because they've combined both Sign Suppliers and National Sign Companies in a annual summer summit and they're too worried about membership fee's based on employee count, these Nationals pay their lunches, and if you think an Association will EVER attempt to discipline their members with breaking their Code of Ethics/Conduct whether it's their high paying member or their Chairman, forget about it! You have a better chance of Magic Mouth forward thinking on honest marketing. You should ask, has a large national member ever been suspended or booted? NOW, I've been doing my part by not even taking on calls from National Service companies in the last 3 years, as I believe this work should return to the local contractors, and I won't let them dictate to me how much to charge for gas and travel, or how much to charge for components and time Anyone want to play the serious game of Chess, or do you want to continue to waste time with checkers and hound your money and BEG for it???

The American Sign Museum gets a $900,000 donation from an "anonymous" donor so it can complete it's long anticipated permanent home. Hmmmmmm, why would a donation so huge be SO anonymous? What is there to hide? A little odd, is it not? What IS interesting is. On one side of the fence you have a brother creating antiquities by the way he mis-characterizes neon and surrenders the typewriter to his advertisers in the form of obligation pieces in his brochure magazine, to the likes of individuals like "Magic Mouth", the "New England Sign Spinner", or just about anyone who will claim that they can save end clients money by using LEDs and saving 90% in energy consumption. Throwing Neon and Fluorescent lamp technology under the bus with false claims of Mercury Dangers, and LEDs as a clean light sources sold under "green" in his "Signs Fiction", ummm, "Signs of The Times" brochure rag. Then opposite of the Community Organizer you have the "Signtologist", who just got a mysterious large anonymous donation of $900k which made a new dream possible. I like antiques too, but let's not "Create" them! One creates, one exhibits. Lastly, I think I vomited in my mouth a little bit here when I read it. The Sign Hugger finally gets her presidency for the California Sign Association. It was bound to happen sooner or later right? A Hippie throw back, Green (I mean Red) marketer just got elevated. Someone who executes statements but never explains them, another regurgitated multi-assoc. member name and face of other places & events, IS once again in charge of something. How can someone be in so many places at once? This I would like to know. Will we EVER see new faces? These associations need a serious face lift, not a small nick and tuck. Like California needs another environmentalist wacko at the top of something. Not that I really SHOULD care, I would never be an association member but she did say that "Green" is a migration, not a trend and we all better get used to it, *Cough* Cap & Trade *Cough*.... *Cough* Solyndra *Cough*, oh my, gotta clear my throat. I sure hope people at CSA has stocked up with plenty of Broccoli, and their manur...errrrr, work boots. It's going to get thick in there with constant FaceBook and Twitter "Green", and saving the planet announcements! Look around everyone, YOU are the movers and shapers of this industry! Now listen to what I need YOU to know....and believe! I'm just not a big broccoli eater myself