Talk is cheap. No matter how you slice it, you can talk about a problem all you want; it's not going to fix anything. But talking and, in this case, blabbering has led to action. You might know that a few articles on Dartmouth Branding have appeared in The Dartmouth during the past few weeks--but all that talk hasn't gone for naught. What some call "cheap talk" has alchemized into golden action. There is a movement happening at Dartmouth bubbling beneath the green summer grass. The movement is the Blabberforce.
The Blabberforce is the swiftly growing student group dedicated to telling Dartmouth's story. On to the specifics the "force," which was started less than a month ago, now boasts 61 members. Essentially, the force is a web of students that celebrates all things Dartmouth. For example, the prosecutor in the Kobe Bryant case is Mark Hurlbert '91.
Lillian Glidden '05 of the force brought this to the group's attention--some group members then turned around and emailed their friends at other schools: "Did you know that a Dartmouth guy is prosecuting Kobe?"
The story of a Dartmouth alum was being told.
Why is this so important? In the words of a senior administrator who embraces the Blabberforce -- "Damn it, we've been defensive about our image for so long. It's about time we became offensive." Think of the last few times Dartmouth made the national news: pink eye, swimming team gets cut, two murders. Bad news sells more, but the accumulation of many negative stories, according to another senior administrator, has left Dartmouth with a less than pristine image.
In fact, the College has already hired an able man: Bill Walker, Vice President of Public Affairs, to deal with some of Dartmouth's public perception "woes" and to promote Dartmouth. If you are wondering why and how a stronger name could benefit the College, just read some of the previous branding articles the case is arguably laid out.
The Blabberforce is the student component in the large process of promoting Dartmouth's image. It might fall flat on its face, but we're better off for trying. Another group of individuals are designing a Dartmouth font that will be released to several large font web-sites. The Blabberforce follows a simple process: brainstorm ideas, find able creators and spread the product and idea to the world.
So how can you benefit from the Blabberforce? As an example, say you've recently published an article in a national science journal, a magnificent accomplishment. Join the Blabberforce so your story, Dartmouth's story, can be told. Let the force know about your accomplishment -- more students will know about your triumph, the media might pick up on it -- who doesn't like a little positive reinforcement?
Say you're a Senior Fellow and are conducting an opera seria; join the force. It's a tremendous feat to conduct an opera, why don't you let the force blabber about it? The force isn't meant to brag--it's meant to illustrate why Dartmouth is so special: we have talented and special people here. Let's tell our story.
Perhaps one misconception is that the force is out to change Dartmouth. This simply isn't true. According to the Blabberforce's circulation letter, "Our aim is to increase Dartmouth's educational experience through enhanced exposure of the Dartmouth name while at the same time maintaining Dartmouth's unique undergraduate experience." Dartmouth is beautiful -- let's let people know.
How do you join the Blabberforce? Blitz me. You'll start to receive a few blitzes and see how the group operates. You'll start to understand what exactly the movement is. We're proud of who we are and our lovely school. The Blabberforce, in my humble opinion, shows that talk isn't always cheap. It's refreshing.
