The Inbound Marketing Blog

Two weeks ago, I had an brilliant idea. I decided I wanted to start exploring some of the smaller cities around the Metroplex each weekend, find their points of interest, and blog about them. The only catch — I have to meet someone from each city before and sleep on his or her couch in order to get the insider’s tour. Sound crazy? It is a little bit. Over the last few weeks I’ve been to: Comanche, Denton, Glen Rose, Keller, Las Colinas and Roanoke. I want to visit Ennis this weekend (*update: didn’t make it).

Last Friday night, I couchsurfed in Las Colinas. Last Saturday, a family in Keller, Texas. I won’t mention their names for the sake of anonymity.

How did I do it?

I started by putting an ad out on CouchSurfing.com offering up some services in exchange for one night on someone’s couch. While some people may offer house cleaning or cooking, I got a little creative and offered a little more unconventional labor.  Plus, I’m not really good at cooking or cleaning anyway.

Couchsurfing Tip #1 : Offer something of value in exchange for your stay. This is something of value to your host, not you. It does not have to cost money. Think of everything you are good at and enjoy doing for others and make a list of services, which most would consider valuable. This may sound obvious, but don’t offer anything you are not really willing to do,  because he/she may take you up on your offer. This means, if you hate washing dishes, do not put it on your list! Put a dollar value on your time.  Most all of these services I could do in one hour and I put a $50 value per hour on my time.

See the slightly HILARIOUS list of services I offered inside: Read the rest of this entry »

If you haven’t already guessed, I am from Texas and I am also a huge fan of the state. In this state we see a lot of armadillos. Albeit, most are on the side or middle of the road and not moving too much, they are quite common in Texas.

I have seen many live ones, and they are fun harmless creatures, unless they are digging holes in your yard or tearing up your flower bed. I thought I would share this list of off beat armadillo facts for those lovers of everything Texas, including the wild animals.

1. By a Different Name – In Spanish armadillo means, “little armed one.” Germans have a different word for armadillo which means “little pig.” I think armadillos would take offense to that if they only knew. I know I would. In the 1930s Americas called armadillos Hoover Hogs, as a knock on the presiding president. Some less fortunate souls had to end up eating these lovable creatures or they would have starved. They blamed the president at the time for his plan to supply jobs which, in their minds, was not working.

2. Guinea Pigs for Science - Armadillos are very cold blooded, which isn’t an insult on their personalities, it is just a fact. Due to this, they are used in research for leprosy, which they are prone to contract. There is very little chance of humans getting leprosy from armadillos, but armadillos are used in finding cures and understanding the disease in humans.

3. Baby Soft – Baby armadillos, much like crabs or any other hard shelled creature have soft shells for the first months of life. Similar to a human fingernail, they harden over time through a process of depositing bone under the skin to make a shell.

Get three more Unkanny Facts About Armadillos in Texas. Read the rest of this entry »