Better Living Thru Blogging!

Building Buzz

Spocko left a comment on my entry about the movie “Snakes On A Plane” and seemed to think that I was some sort of “viral messenger” for the movie, and that my blog entry and purchase of a SoaP t-shirt were somehow part of a larger campaign to promote the movie. In fact, there is no such campaign that I am aware of. I read a few entries on MetaFilter and Digg and a few other sites several months ago about the movie, and my first reaction was that it was some sort of gag based on the Saturday Night Live sketch. Lo and behold, it turns out to be a real movie (presumably). My interest in it is based on the following: the sketch on SNL was bizarre to the point of being humorous; the concept of snakes on a plane stretched into a movie-length story is oddly intriguing; anything with Sam Jackson gets my attention; and the t-shirt that I bought has such cute, simple graphics that I thought it would be fun to wear.

And it is: I received it in the mail yesterday, washed it today, and wore it to the bookstore this evening, and the cashier pointed at it and said, “Cool shirt! I can’t wait to see the movie!” I mean, admit it: tiny little squiggling snakes (reminiscent of the “Whacking Day” episode) + an airplane = Snakes On A Plane! It’s simple, cool, and graphic.

Spocko went on to ask how many “personas” I have created, presumably because he believes that I have created this blog for the purpose of pimping the movie. Uh, not quite: I’ve been blogging right here since 2000, never adopting any other persona or identity. I’m Dave, the host of Better Living Through Blogging, and have never pretended to be anyone else here or on any other blog. If you Google “davidmsc,” you’ll see that I use that moniker for all message boards and collaborative blogs. By the way: Spocko appears to be of the “progressive” persuasion, based on a cursory look at his blog. And I offer an apology to Spocko for not noticing that he does indeed post his e-mail address (in his header); I stated that he didn’t offer an address, insinuating that he was “hiding,” and I was wrong.

So. No conspiracy. No viral campaign (at least none that I know of, or am part of). I have received no compensation for my blog entry. The t-shirt cost me $25. The bottom line: “Snakes On A Plane” is a bizarre meme that has morphed into a movie, and the sheer oddity of the phrase (and subsequent wordplay and usage of the phrase) has caught on with the blogging community.