cxagent Posted February 3, 2019 Share Posted February 3, 2019 We have been working on a new trail across south Austin to form a loop around Austin that includes south Austin. Yesterday, we met with a neighborhood that backs up to Williamson Creek. I am extremely disappointed at what many of the speakers said. Without going into great detail, the reputation of MTBr's was really really bad with this group. If I didn't know better, I would have thought they were talking about an off shoot of the Banditos motorcycle gang. I found out that we "destroy trees and creeks and kill off the wildlife". We "ride thru in huge groups with our music playing so the neighbors have to put up with that thump thump thump all night long". And "if they allow one trail, then many many more trails will pop up including trails cutting thru peoples back yards to get to the street." And "since the police can't get back there, the only way to stop them is to prevent the trail from being built at all." Never mind there is already a trail there. Absolutely nothing would change these peoples' mind. Hard data, recommendations from representative of Austin Parks Foundation, Keep Austin Beautiful, GA/VA and others were just ignored. And such reputable groups had sent representatives to the meeting to show that they DID support us and the trail, not just some yahoo saying those groups supported us and the trail. The KAB representative even handed out her cards and said she would email reports and papers to document what we were saying was true. My point in posting this is that we MTBr's absolutely must improve our reputation with the community. IMHO, every negative interaction with the public gets talked about, spread and multiplied a hundred fold. And every positive interaction only offsets one of those negative interactions with one person. Please try to be a good representative of our sport/community. Right now I'm not sure if it makes sense for me to spend time to try to improve relations with this community or to ignore them as a lost cause. If I ignore them, we may have some gaps in the official trail across south Austin. 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Tip Posted February 3, 2019 Share Posted February 3, 2019 That is disappointing. Were these the homeowners along Yellow Rose Trail? That group was present at a Violet Crown Trail routing discussion several years ago. They totally lost any sort of credence in my mind when a lady jumped up and almost screamed, "I don't want the value of my home to increase (when presented with the fact that urban trails do that) because my property taxes are too high now!" We've already heard that "kills wildlife" thing. Ridiculous of course. This just proves to me that the anti-trail homeowners just make things up. I'm sure I heard some out right lies from the Sunset Valley people in our presentations there. Perhaps we could try and find and recruit sympathetic to our cause homeowners prior to any of these meetings. It would be great if we could find, if not an actual biker, at least a biker that knows someone that lives along the route that could refute some of the dumb accusations that these vehement anti folks make. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cxagent Posted February 3, 2019 Author Share Posted February 3, 2019 If I remember the numbers right - the final vote was 12 to 8 against the trail. The 8 (I think) decided to send their own letter saying there were neighbors that supported the trail. This was the other end of the proposed trail from year ago and more recent events (SSV). It just amazes me how adamantly opposed some people are. I have started thinking you can hand out $100 bills to strangers and there would be some people opposed to it. The trouble is that people opposed to something write letters, sign petitions, etc. People supporting something don't seem to do much. I guess their feelings are not as strong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Tip Posted February 3, 2019 Share Posted February 3, 2019 What I have observed is that it only takes ONE adamantly opposed person to be the driving force. Then her neighbors seem reluctant to "cross" the vocal one and just remain silent. A very interesting phenomena. Sharing my list of advantages to urban trails again so anyone that is up against an "anti" group can use for ammo: Mountain Bikers and Urban trails are GOOD -Homeless Camps. They are discouraged by our presence and move on. We can monitor them for city if asked. -Bad Guys Discouraged by our presence We will report suspicious activity Why fear “access” to the back of your house? The street is closer and they can use the street to back up a van! -Wildfire help Would report smoke or flame Trails are natural fire breaks Trails provide access deep into the woods for fire fighters To repeat, less homeless camps, that have caused wildfires. -Trails increase property values Cities and developers pay millions of dollars to build this exact amenity. Just like swimming pools and soccer fields. People pay high prices to have a house with golfers practically in their backyard. What’s the difference between these two activities? -Mountain Bikers are the most active trail maintenance group Keeps trails open for all user groups Most mountain bikers will pick up trash, not generate it. Work days remove invasive plant species that could enter homeowner’s yards if allowed to spread. -The Maintained trails are for more than just mountain bikers Great place to walk dogs (mountain bikers have been known to find lost dogs too!) Nature trails for children 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RidingAgain Posted February 3, 2019 Share Posted February 3, 2019 (edited) And now for a bit on the matter of publice relations... Edited February 3, 2019 by RidingAgain Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RidingAgain Posted February 3, 2019 Share Posted February 3, 2019 (edited) Can I afford a public relations campaign? written by Todd Brabender It’s a phrase I hear over and over again from many entrepreneurs, small businesses owners and inventors: “I’d love to hire someone to launch our publicity campaign professionally, but we can’t afford it, so I’m just going to have to do it on my own.” Over the past several months, I have been conducting an informal survey among entrepreneurs and business owners who have contacted me about my services. I have found that due to their lack of information or knowledge on the topic, many businesses typically over-estimate or over-budget the cost of a prospective public relations/publicity campaign. During my PR consultation with them, I asked: “How much do you think it will cost to launch a solid, effective PR/publicity campaign for your product/business?” Of the 102 people I’ve queried: 11% – Thought a professional PR campaign would cost $10,000+ per month 32% – Thought a professional PR campaign would cost $5,000-$10,000 per month 39% – Thought a professional PR campaign would cost $3,000-$5,000 per month 12% – Thought a professional PR campaign would cost $1,000-$3,000 per month 6% – Thought a professional PR campaign would cost less than $1,000 per month The truth is — you can get a publicity/PR campaign in all of those price ranges. What you get for your money and how effective the campaign will be is the real question. It is true that the more you pay the more you get. But getting the most publicity/PR exposure doesn’t mean you have to get the most expensive PR agency or specialist. A good rule of thumb is to align yourself with a PR business that best reflects your business size. Most times their rates will be in line with your prospective PR budget. If you are a small business owner with two employees, you need not hire a high-dollar PR agency with dozens of employees. Find a PR business whose office size and capabilities closely resemble your business. Case in point — there is a large PR agency in a fancy building downtown a few miles from my office. Frankly, we are not even competition to each other — in fact we have even referred clients to each other. Why? They typically work with large corporations and implement campaigns of around $10,000 per month. My business works with smaller businesses/individuals — a PR/publicity campaign with my company would be about $10,000 for an entire year — not just a month. Mechanically, the downtown firm and my business do the same thing when it comes to PR campaigns: professional media release composition; extensive media market research; articulate personalized distribution to the media; months of media relations (article placements/interview scheduling/media request fulfillment, clipping/tracking of media placements, etc.). Signing up with the big firm doesn’t mean you’ll necessarily get an experienced associate working on your campaign. So are you getting what you are paying for? A friend of mine who works at a major PR firm gave me the following breakdown of billing fees in his office: Interns/junior executives – bill at $75 / hour (Very little, if any professional experience) Account executives – bill at $100 – $125 / hour (1-3 years of professional experience) Senior account executives – bill at $125 – $200 / hour (Multiple years of professional experience. Agency decision makers.) Compare those prices to many small PR shops or individual PR specialists. Many have started their own PR businesses after years of experience in the industry and typically charge $50 – $100 per hour to professionally launch and maintain your campaign. Many times, you can get a seasoned PR veteran who will work directly with you and your staff for cheaper than the “Intern/Junior Executive” rate at a downtown firm. However, one word of advice — when choosing a smaller firm or individual to do your PR, make sure they have the same tools that the bigger agencies do: updated media lists/contacts; personalized media distribution capabilities; professional clipping/tracking services to get copies of each of your media placements (articles, tapes from TV/radio shows) as well as the intangibles of expert communication/media relations skills and professional pitching prowess. If they are cheaper, but don’t have all the tools to help you in the best manner possible, you are probably better off spending a little extra money to make sure your campaign is launched and maintained correctly. The major benefits of hiring a professional (individual PR specialist or PR firm) to launch your campaign are: Proper campaign implementation – Improperly composed or poorly pitched campaigns are the major downfall of many PR efforts. Poorly written, over-commercialized media releases; uncalculated, misdirected mass e-mailing of the release pitch; no follow-up media relations/media request fulfillment; etc. Your first impression to the media is a lasting one – make sure it’s a good one. Media contacts – Most PR agencies have established multiple media contacts over several years that can lead to much better and more numerous media placements for your campaign. Let their foot in the door benefit you. Efficiency and effectiveness – PR specialists/agencies generate publicity full time, 8-12 hours per day and know the ins and outs, shortcuts and secrets to getting the job done better and quicker. Sure you could hang your own drywall or do your own plumbing, but do you have the tools, the time and the expertise to make it cost-effective? I always tell my clients, “You do what you do well, I’ll do what I do well and we’ll collectively move this business further up the ladder.” One caveat when it comes to choosing a professional PR agency or individual to work with – signing up for a higher-priced campaign doesn’t necessarily mean you will get better results than a cheaper campaign. And the inverse is true as well. Over the past year or so, many “low-cost PR/publicity services” have begun to pop up all over the Internet. Ones that promise to write and launch a press release for as low as $99. They are low in cost, because, frankly, many are low in quality. Bigger is not necessarily better, and cheap does not always mean a good bargain. If you have the time, tools and talent to launch and maintain your own campaign, you should definitely do so. If not – there are a number of public relations/publicity firms, specialists and services out there. Research to find the one whose services and fees match your business plan. Once business owners, entrepreneurs, and inventors learn more about their options when it comes to launching a PR campaign — many find that they can’t afford NOT to have one. Originally published on Bplans.com. Edited February 3, 2019 by RidingAgain Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RidingAgain Posted February 3, 2019 Share Posted February 3, 2019 (edited) In another thread I mentioned Bentonville and someone immediately responded with something along the lines of... "Find me someone who will donate $15,000,000." Thing is... Donations are tax write-off opportunities... And... Huge opportunities for great, long-lasting... You got it... Public relations efforts. This morning I stopped in at a McDonalds that's located in a Walmart. Picked up two breakfast sandwiches and on the way back to the car saw yet another RV in the parking lot. I turned to my wife and said, "Isn't it cool that Walmart allows RV folks to stay in their parking lots." But then I thought... "It's also a great way for them to get good PR, and, sales of stuff the RV folk need." You think Walmart management are dumb? You think most successful business people are dumb? You think Walmart simply gave $15,000,000 to the local mountain biking community just because they are nice and have $15,000,000 to give away? Fast forward to homeowners in South Austin.... I can't tell you how many people I've spoken to over recent years that have in one way or another expressed their resentment regarding the development of Austin and its surroundings. Do you think this resentment will not influence all things they encounter during the day... Including some people wanting to "...build..." trails on the land behind their home? To many homeowners it will simply be seen as one more intrusion in their everyday life. My father has lived in the same house in Coral Springs, FL, for some 35 years. His house is one street (two rows of houses) away from a golf course. Meaning, the back of his home meets the back of another home, then there's a street, and then another home that backs onto the golf course. Thing is... None of the homes were developed with any kind of high fencing or hedges along the property lines... So... From my father's home you could look out the back and actually see the golf course that was maybe 200 yards away. But then the house behind him was sold... And the new owner put in a thick, tall hedge. And just like that, there went the view of the golf course. Now keep in mind, from my father's house you could see into the back yard of the house behind also, which could have made the new owner feel a bit uncomfortable. Intrusion. It's a hell of a thing. And no one really likes it. Edited February 3, 2019 by RidingAgain Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mack_turtle Posted February 4, 2019 Share Posted February 4, 2019 (edited) I have to wonder what's really going on. Either these people are making stuff up to validate their NIMBY stance or they have a legitimate problem with rowdy teenagers / vagrants throwing parties in the woods because loud music and killing wildlife are incompatible with mountain biking. Edited February 4, 2019 by mack_turtle 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RidingAgain Posted February 4, 2019 Share Posted February 4, 2019 Maybe it's a thought of all mixed together. And as for what is or is not compatible with mountain biking... If they're not into mountain biking, why should they care. And therein lies the issue... Why should they care about what mountain bikers care about? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cxagent Posted February 4, 2019 Author Share Posted February 4, 2019 Another person who has been working on several new trails said they think they know the real issue. These folks want to keep the area to themselves. If an official trail is allowed, then other people might use it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tree Magnet Posted February 4, 2019 Share Posted February 4, 2019 6 minutes ago, cxagent said: Another person who has been working on several new trails said they think they know the real issue. These folks want to keep the area to themselves. If an official trail is allowed, then other people might use it. I think this is always going to be at the core of where these arguments come from. This is 'their' parkland and letting in other users will mean that they lose control. It doesn't matter if mountain bikers came in spreading bars of gold behind them and farting rainbows. IMO, the only way this works is if stakeholders that are all upset about it realize there are options about what happens with that land and trails is the best option they have. They would prefer to to have everyone stay out but is that actually an option? Can they put up a fence ala. Sunset Valley? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anita Handle Posted February 4, 2019 Share Posted February 4, 2019 Perhaps eminent domain needs to be used to run a "pipeline" through there? The "pipeline" would carry carbon based lifeforms and such. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cxagent Posted February 4, 2019 Author Share Posted February 4, 2019 The City just finished a project running a pipeline thru there. But that pipeline carried the stuff that came out of carbon based lifeforms. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.