23 October 2008
We're releasing 100 Carsonified Journals
As soon as I blogged about the Carsonified Journals we created for FOWA attendees, we had a mob descend on us asking to buy them.
I originally said we wouldn’t sell them, but I’ve caved to the masses and we’ve decided to release 100 for those who want to buy one. They’re actually quite expensive to produce so we thought we’d claw back some of the costs and spread a little joy, all at the same time :)
Here’s what you’ll get:
1. Limited edition (numbered) Carsonified Journal
2. Pencil and sharpener
3. Jute bag with the Carsonified tag – completely compostable and climate neutral. Perfect size for a MacBook Pro.
4. Personalised thank you card from the Carsonified Crew
Enjoy this article?
If you liked this article, feel free to re-tweet it to let others know. Thanks, we appreciate it :)
We love .net Magazine
We're big fans of .net so they've hooked us up with a rad deal: Save 50 percent on your subscription.
Jake
# October 23, 2008 - 1:21 pm
Er… Right… Going against the whole ethos, are we?! :-)
J.
Ross Scrivener
# October 23, 2008 - 1:22 pm
Wow, Think I’ll put mine on e-bay now!
Pascal
# October 23, 2008 - 1:23 pm
Still using my bag and journal everyday. They are ideal, really useful and pretty unique. And now with added value! I wholeheartedly recommend you grab one before they’ve all gone.
Lee Wilkins
# October 23, 2008 - 1:27 pm
ordered mine moments ago. thanks Ryan the crew. See you guys in Miami?
Carsonified » Blog Archive » The Carsonified Journal
# October 23, 2008 - 1:27 pm
[...] [Update: We’ve decided to release 100 to the public. We didn’t want to sell them, but so many people asked to buy them we decided to give in. The journals are expensive to produce and it’ll help us offset some of the costs.] [...]
Ryan
# October 23, 2008 - 1:29 pm
@Jake – That’s a fair comment and I appreciate you raising it. We weren’t planning on selling them initially. However, we have a ton of extra journals lying around so we thought we might as well allow folks to buy them. Also, they were quite expensive to produce so we’re trying to cover some of our costs.
Sulcalibur
# October 23, 2008 - 1:59 pm
:P I kinda just grabbed one before leaving the show on Thursday. Keir didn’t tackle me down as I was going so I guessed it was ok :P
They are really decent pads though. Pad is much better than the bag imho or maybe that’s just me being the sketch-o-holic.
Bag is nice and I’m all for the eco stuff althougfh it does look like one of those £1 Tesco shopping bags and I’m not 100% on it being secure enough to take the weight of a MacBook over time (insert legal garb here).
Was a nice gift to all the people at the show, business is business and no one is forcing anyone to buy them so it’s a win win situation for everyone.
Carsonified make money back
Buyer get to have something they may not have been able to get otherwise
Attendees to the show get to say “I got that for free I did” :D
Rich Adams
# October 23, 2008 - 2:00 pm
Excellent! I couldn’t make it to FOWA for various reasons (money, day job getting in the way, etc) but very happy I can now get my grubby hands on one of these. They look so pretty!
Michael Carter
# October 23, 2008 - 2:21 pm
Sounds great! I was never given any swag at FOWA, were we supposed to claim these?
Jake
# October 23, 2008 - 2:32 pm
For what it’s worth, Ryan, I think you should sell them. I don’t think it in any way goes against the ethos of the thank-you gift. And all this stuff about uniqueness is just to enable people to show off to their mates!
If you’ve made something that people like (which you clearly have with these), let ‘em have lots of them! Sell ‘em ’till they’re gone, then get some back-orders in, and print some more!
Cheers,
Jake.
Tom SInclair
# October 23, 2008 - 2:36 pm
They look great, might get one myself. I’m all for you selling them but maybe do them as a special treat after every FOW changing them slightly :)
Lachy groom
# October 23, 2008 - 2:45 pm
No more! :( If your selling anymore, please email me! :D
Cheers
Kendall
# October 23, 2008 - 6:39 pm
Ryan, I have to say I’m disappointed with the flip-flop here. I thought the best part of you creating and giving the journals in the first place had nothing to do with money and everything to do with thanking your attendees.
Now that they are for sale, it seems that that gesture and commitment to your attendees is tainted. If you had said off the bat that you were going to be selling the extras to offset costs, no problem, but the change in stance when there was a market seems to go against all that you stand for.
Brit Mansell
# October 24, 2008 - 1:03 pm
Cool journal, check.
Funky bag for journal/McBook, check.
Ticket for FOWD, NYC, check.
See you guys there. Can’t wait.
Vero Pepperrell
# October 24, 2008 - 1:40 pm
@Kendall Not to defend Ryan’s choice at all – he’s a big boy and can do that himself – I’ll point out a purely practical aspect. I’m in marketing, and after every event, we find ourselves with extra schwag, goodies, etc.
Most are a bit rubbish and not worth handing out, but occasionally, as with the journals, there are real gems that don’t deserve to rot in the marketing cupboard til next year.
I’m pleased Ryan’s decided to share the wealth. I probably would have priced them at slightly less, but I don’t doubt they’ll go like hotcakes because they’re well-crafted, original gifts and amongst the best conference schwag I’ve seen in my years of attending events.
James McDonald
# October 24, 2008 - 1:45 pm
So bloody tempted :P
Kendall
# October 24, 2008 - 9:46 pm
@Vero
I understand that there are leftovers after a conference. They seem like great schwag, and that has been echoed by all the people who got them at FOWA. I have no problem with Carsonified selling them. It’s just when Ryan announced the gifts, he made it very clear that selling them would “go against the whole reason we made them”. Then when it was evident that there was a market, Carsonified (Ryan I’m assuming) decided that there was a market for them, and they could be sold. There’s nothing unethical about it, or inherently bad, it just seems unprincipled.
Ryan
# October 26, 2008 - 11:29 pm
@Kendall
I understand where you’re coming from. The only reason we’re releasing some to the public is because we lost more money than I was planning on and to be honest, times are tough, and we need to claw back some of that revenue. Call it the recession, call it whatever you want, but I think everyone is looking to maximize their revenue and cut their costs right now :( I hate the fact that we have to sell some of them, but it’s just the way it’s got to be right now.
David Turnbull
# October 27, 2008 - 8:30 am
Does anyone know where I could get a similar bag to that one? I missed this unfortunately but I really like the look of that bag.
Simon
# October 27, 2008 - 10:44 am
Mike and I chatted briefly on camera about the journals, the thinking behind them and the design process at FOWA; you can see the interview here.
Gary Lake
# October 27, 2008 - 1:25 pm
So are there any of these actually left? I’ve just ordered one and got my paypal confirmation but no word from the Carson guys…
Clinton Montague
# October 27, 2008 - 2:14 pm
Are there any of these left? If there are, will be buying one this afternoon!
James F
# October 27, 2008 - 4:27 pm
Ryan,
Could you let me know what company you used to get these produced? Would love to investigate something similar…
Kendall
# October 27, 2008 - 5:29 pm
@Ryan. It’s too bad that finances altered how you had to approach the journals. I understand. Times are definitely getting tough. I still think that these journals are great, and a great gift to FOWA attendees.
And just to be clear, I don’t think you, or Carsonified are unprincipled as people or business-people. I appreciate what Carsonified stands for and fights for in business and on the web.
David Turnbull
# October 27, 2008 - 11:23 pm
Is there a reason when I want it shipped internationally it’s sold out, but when it’s within the UK there are still some left?
Sonny Gill
# November 2, 2008 - 4:27 am
These are super cool. Can’t make it to FOWD so unfortunately won’t be able to get one (if available there also). Are any of the 100 still available?
sbs başvuruları
# November 7, 2008 - 10:15 am
I just love this books cover. I will buy after this photos
Boski
# November 12, 2008 - 9:11 am
Hi Ryan and everyone @ Carsonified,
I just wanted to say thank you for the journal and other goodies. It’s been a great boost to my day while I’m still job-hunting!
Simon Green
# November 12, 2008 - 12:08 pm
Just caught your twitter update and ordered one. Cheers!
Jarod Luebbert
# April 1, 2009 - 4:25 pm
Ordered one about a week and a half ago! I’m very exited. Getting mail at my college is a little weird and I was wondering if there was a way to track the shipment? Thanks guys! Keep up the great work!