Converting my friends....advice by nrdpwr

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Converting my friends....advice

POSTED BY: NRDPWR
UPDATED: Saturday, April 8, 2006 16:02
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Friday, April 7, 2006 6:47 AM

Hi everyone,

I'm hoping to get some advice. I'd like to get some of my friends hooked on FF/S and I'm trying to figure out the best way.

Do I:

a) Tell them about a great program I think they would like and invite them over for a DVD night with food and drinks.

b) Invite them over to watch some movie I know they like, discover that I "mistakenly" rented something I know they don't like so we end up watching FF instead while eating and drinking a lot.

C) Meet them in a dark alley or coffee shop, render them unconscious in whatever way is most appropriate (reciting War and Peace, watching C-Span, etc...), take them back to my place, strap them into a comfy chair with plenty to eat and drink (I like to make sure my guests are well fed no matter what the circumstances), press play, walk away, and let the DVD's work their sinister magic.

What has worked best for other people?

On a side note: Was at a small gathering last night for a friends birthday and started talking about FF. Out of the 20 people there, 8 were closet FF/S fans but didn't think anyone else liked the show. Maybe I'll have a Shindig if there's a critical mass...

____________________________________________________

Do you know what the chain of command is here? It's the chain I go get and beat you with to show you who's in command.

alpha squad, 1st platoon, Pasadena Volunteers

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Friday, April 7, 2006 6:57 AM

JEHANE

Hm. So far I've managed to make one guy watch the movie and I'm still not sure how I did it - I didn't talk about it over and over again. The guy said, when asked, that he had read what I'd written about it on my website so he thought he'd give it a shot

As for others... I haven't converted anybody so far. As soon as I mentioned that Firefly resp. Serenity were by Joss Whedon who gave us Buffy and Angel, they'd go "Ewwwwww sounds like crap" - without having seen it, mind you.

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Friday, April 7, 2006 7:12 AM

AENGUS

What has worked for me so far is to let the person borrow the series(after telling them a few things about it, but trying my best to not gush so much it is a turn off) and tell them to just watch the pilot. If they don't like it, stop watching. It is only 90 mins or so of their life. I am sure they have wasted more time doing less worthwhile things. So far, I am 10-0.

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Friday, April 7, 2006 7:12 AM

SAB39

Just lend them your DVD set.

If you can't bear to part with it - buy another copy to lend them. (But don't tell them that it's a second copy, or they might not give it back...)

Then ask them every day what episode they're up to so they can't get away without watching it - at least until they've seen the first couple. After that, it sells itself.

(If you're particularly confident they'll fall in love immediately, only lend them the first disc so they have to buy their own to see the rest. Personally, I lend them the whole thing. If they fall in love like we all did, they won't need any extra incentive to buy their own copy. If not, they wouldn't have bought one anyway)

I'm up to two converts this way so far. I didn't manage to convert my wife - in fact I turned her off it by being too obsessed. If you're trying to convert someone you spend an awful lot of time with, try to tone down your adoration until you get them hooked themselves.

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Friday, April 7, 2006 7:13 AM

GEEKMAFIA

The way I did it was to casually mention this wonderful show i'd watched and when that didn't work I went for all out almost constant hint dropping. Eventually more to shut me up than anything he agreed to watch an episode, I showed him OMR (the same one used on me) and it was a surfire hit. a week later I showed him Serenity (the episode) and then by the next week he had bought his own copy of the dvds.

"Every day's a negotiation and sometimes it's done with guns." - Joss Whedon
Liu koushui de biaozi he houzi de ben erzi.

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Friday, April 7, 2006 7:30 AM

ISAACSHEPHERD

Since everyone is different the same method may not work for everyone. I listen to browncoat radio and on there someone sent in an article that was read and it was actually about different methods to converting people. I suggest you take a peak.

One way I converted one of my friends was to have all my other Browncoat buddies around and we watched and laughed together watching the pilot causing the previous non-beliver to be interested. After that they will usually ask to borrow the dvd, but if they don't ask them if they want to borrow it anyway. After they get through disc 2 they are hooked (as long as they don't posses the "bad taste gene" like Fox anyways).

Another method is persistance, although this can turn some people off to it. It worked for one of my co-workers who had disc 2 for about 3 weeks. I loaned her disc three a day after she brought disc 2 back. She watched all 4 in one night, a week night mind you. Her mom is also interested in the series now. But every day she had disc 2 I asked her if she watched the episode. Not to bug her, but I was waiting to hear her reaction from the series. Again, persistance can turn some people off so use with caution. The key to the whole thing is once the person actually watches it, they become a fan. Hope I was of some help.
IS

The Bible's a bit fuzzy on the subject of kneecaps.

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Friday, April 7, 2006 7:54 AM

DAYVE

Quote:
Originally posted by nrdpwr:
What has worked best for other people?

ok, maybe not for everyone...but it honestly has worked for me...I keep at least 3 new sets of the BDS - unopened at home - (never get below 3...)

On several occasions friends have come over and usually at least one of them will be having a birthday coming up or just past. i act like all, "oh, gee, i forgot to get you anything...yada, yada, yada," and then say, "wait i think i've got something you might like....and give them a shiny new box set of Firefly..."

Also, i usually don't go on and on about what a great show it is, just to say that it's something i really like and maybe they will too...and tell em if they don't like it, to just give it to someone that might.... try not to be too pushy...

everytime i've tried this, the person becomes a fan...that's when you can talk about what a great show it is and compare notes about favorite stuff in the series....

i've also done this at work...given away 3 sets to coworkers & a customer without going overboard - i've found that putting undue pressure on someone to agree with you hardly ever works...

give em a set & let them think they discovered the best damn series ever themselves... they will eventually thank you for it....

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Friday, April 7, 2006 8:30 AM

NRDPWR

Well, I don't know if they'll thank me for it. I'm still kind of annoyed with the person the got me hooked. I had a fairly normal, non-obsessive life before this.

____________________________________________________

Warning...objects traveling faster than the speed of light are closer than they appear.

Pasadena Volunteers

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Friday, April 7, 2006 8:42 AM

DAYVE

yeah, but admit it...you love it, right?.....besides normal is boring...

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Friday, April 7, 2006 8:46 AM

DAYVE

btw...i like option C.......

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Friday, April 7, 2006 8:57 AM

KUANGZHEDE

Quote:
Well, I don't know if they'll thank me for it. I'm still kind of annoyed with the person the got me hooked. I had a fairly normal, non-obsessive life before this.

This really nails it on the head. I was always diversified in my taste for shows and the like. This show came out of left field, I never saw it coming, and now I fear I am trapped forever. It is kind of like the reaver-to-be in "bushwacked." It only seems to get worse.

Its bad when you start using firefly for all methaphors in life these days.

In regards to converting people. As with all good sales, go to the people you know first. Family are always easy targets, I converted my entire family by telling them to watch and I literally said "This is the best damn show I have ever seen, but be warned, there are only 14 episodes and you will be crushed when it is over, and then you will start rewatching it....forever." Warnings like "be careful, this could significantly change the reality in which you live" or "now, I must tell you, if you watch this, there is no going back..." are some good examples of nifty phrases I have used.

I have found throwing in these "warnings" drastically increases a persons curiousity by allowing the person to see how much it effected me without gushing while adding the eliment of risk. People like the challenge created by being warned. They want to dive in to prove to themselves and to you that is just a show, and then they watch it. The bigger their reservations, the harder they fall. 4 members of the family + 7 friends and counting.

BROWNCOAT CONVERTING OFFICIAL WARNING
If you show somebody the dvd's, they watch, and they do not like it... there is a good chance that you will no longer view that person the sameway again. So becareful when converting family, loved ones, and friends.

Browncoat stabled to my skin for life...I just don't see anyway out...

Kuang Zhe De

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Friday, April 7, 2006 10:32 PM

FLORALBUNNY

nrdpwr, creative methods! giggle.
But! E Z Duzzit. The show sells itself if you don't get so hard-core that you drive folk away.

An example: Years (and years and years) ago a lot of people in my workplace decided I should watch a show they liked. They pounded and pounded on me. Relentless bunch of wimmen!
Finally I gave in and told them I'd watch it that very night. I can't even remember what it was called. The hero lived in a sewer or something and I think he came out at night and righted wrongs or wronged rights -- well, he was a pest.
I could barely get through the hour.
In the morning I was greeted by shamed-looking faces and the question: had I watched it?
I gave them a look I think of as "basset hound" in which I can feel even my ears begin to droop.
Someone said, "Last night's show was the worst ever. It really sucked."
"Yes," I said, "It did."
They left me alone about it after that.

Now Firefly doesn't have anything that bad in it (no sewers in space, thank our dear and fluffy Lord -- only the vat in the ship) but it isn't going to be to everyone's taste, and when you get all pushy about it you could make a monster -- someone who'll actually say Bad Things about it -- and our BDHs don't need that.

I'm also always amazed when I discover a closet browncoat. Found three yesterday, wouldn't have suspected any of them, and they didn't suspect each other. Offered encouragement and we also had a good yak about it in front of others who started to look interested. Wished I had a coat full of DVD sets to hand out to the bystanders...

bun
-- bastards singed my turtle --
----- why's the rum gone? -----

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Friday, April 7, 2006 11:00 PM

MMMWIFESOUP

I work in a DVD shop and I try selling Firefly to anybody who'll listen - if they're buying something sci-fi/TV show related I always casually ask 'Have you ever seen Firefly?' and try to convince them to buy in the few seconds I have serving them. It's even worked, once or twice.

I did lend the show to a girl at work, who'd heard vague things about it - turns out she really enjoyed it, though she did have a few mean things to say about the characters. Wanted a certain pilot to die and was pleased when she heard the outcome of the movie.

Some people...

Managed to get my Dad obsessed just by dropping hints about it, then buying him a copy of the box set. He loves him his Firefly now!

-- My days of not taking you seriously are certainly coming to a middle --

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Friday, April 7, 2006 11:16 PM

DESKTOPHIPPIE

I simply chose an episode my victi- erm, potential browncoat would like. In the case of my litte brother it was Our Mrs. Reynolds, which I knew would suit his sense of humour perfectly.

Did it work? Yep. You met him earlier in this thread. He posts here under the name GeekMafia

Desktop Hippie: at one with the 'verse

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Saturday, April 8, 2006 12:28 AM

SERENITYLASS

I give the DVD's as birthday gifts to people who I think will love FF (friends, family, workmates). Nobody has complained about my gifts since.

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Saturday, April 8, 2006 4:02 PM

FLORALBUNNY

MWS wrote:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Wanted a certain pilot to die and was pleased when she heard the outcome of the movie.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Yeeps! Do we want to know why? Or what kind of person she is? Got a thing about plastic dinos? Semi-muscular men? Rumpled hair? How is she about children and small animals?

bun
-- bastards singed my turtle --
----- why's the rum gone? -----

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