STORY ONE: WE ARE BACK FROM ALASKA!
Yes, we all returned safely from our Cruise Trip to magnificent Alaska.
For seven days we had the time of our lives visiting the Mendenhall
Glacier in Juneau, taking a ten-mile train ride deep into the wilderness
at Skagway, flying high over the incredible Misty Fjords near Ketchikan,
and watching huge ice slabs fall into the ocean at the Hubbard Glacier.
So much happened and so many pictures were taken that I simply have not
had the time to chronicle the entire experience. But I should start soon.
In the meantime, Gary Richardson will present a slide show of the entire
trip at the studio during Western and Whip Practice Night on Friday,
August 12th, at 9:30 pm. Everyone is invited to come watch whether you
were on the trip or not. I will also show a video of the magnificent
Inside Passage which gave us all that beautiful scenery as our ship
floated past.
Please join us!
STORY TWO: WE WILL MISS RACHEL KOENIG!! AND WELCOME BACK AMANDA!
The wonderful news is our beloved instructor Rachel will be a Mom late
this year, but the sad news is she has left us for Maternity Leave. Rachel
says she intends to return, but I think for now we should wait until the
baby is born and then let her decide.
Rachel has been one of the most charismatic teachers we have ever had here
at the studio and she will be missed.
Fortunately one of our friends is coming back to visit. Amanda Keiser is a
popular Western teacher who left us last year to begin Law School. She
reports that law school is just as tough as they say it is, but she misses
the studio so much she has decided to come back one night a week.
Look for her in Tango on Sundays in September!
STORY THREE: SALSA TROPICAL ON SATURDAY, AUGUST 13
http://www.ssqq.com/ssqq/party15.htm
CRASH COURSES 7-9 PM (to register, just show up and register at the door)
CUMBIA - Linda
LATIN CHA CHA - Martin
BACHATA - Luis
INTERMEDIATE SALSA PTNS - Mo
SALSA DIPS AND LUNGES I - Steve/Danielle
SLOW DANCING - Jill (cpls only)
We have a Salsa Dance Party for you in August. Since this is our hottest
month of year and Salsa is the hottest dance around, we suggest you dress
"hot". Wear a Caribbean outfit that will knock our socks off (assuming we
are wearing socks). In other words, dress "Island" and you'll leave "Smilin'"!
STORY FOUR: WHAT'S SPECIAL FOR THE AUGUST DANCE SEMESTER?
The August 2005 Dance Semester will start on Sunday, August 7th.
http://www.ssqq.com/ssqq/schedule.htm
A special class at SSQQ is usually defined as a class that isn't offered
every month.
Special classes in August include:
SWING BALBOA - Gloria Sanchez (Starts Sunday, August 7th, 4:30 - 6:30 pm)
ADV LATIN HUSTLE - Scott Ladell (Starts Sunday, August 7th, 4:30 - 6:30
pm)
GHOST TOWN 3 - Paul Holzhauer (Starts Sunday, August 7th, 7 - 9 pm)
INTERMEDIATE WHIP/WEST COAST SWING - Bryan and Lisa (Starts Sunday, August
7th, 7 - 9 pm)
SLOW DANCE AND ROMANCE! - Rick and Marla. (Starts Monday, August 8th, 7 -
9 pm)
(Note: This is the one dance class that any man with an ounce of common
sense should take. As a word to the wise, there are moments in every man's
life when the ability to dance gracefully to romantic music is mighty
important.)
INTERMEDIATE LATIN CHA-CHA - Anita Williams (Starts Monday, August 8th, 7
- 9 pm)
INTERMEDIATE BALLROOM WALTZ - Tracy King (Starts Monday, August 8th, 7 - 9
pm)
INTERMEDIATE SALSA 4 (Starts Tuesday, August 9th, 7 - 9 pm)
(Note: In August you can take Int Salsa 4 on three nights a week (Tuesday,
Thursday, Saturday) for the price of one!
ADVANCED SALSA 8 - Steve and Danielle (Starts Tuesday, August 9th, 7 - 9
pm)
Note: The Elite Tuesday Advanced Salsa class is incredibly popular!!
GHOST TOWN 11 POLKA PATTERNS - Scott Ladell (Starts Wednesday, August
10th! 7:00 - 9:00 pm)
WESTERN WALTZ V - Sharon Crawford and John Jones (Starts Wednesday, August
10th! 7:00 - 9:00 pm)
INTERMEDIATE SALSA 4 (Starts Thursday, August 11th 7:00 - 9:00 pm)
ADVANCED SALSA 2 - Martin Anderson (Starts Thursday, August 11th 7:00 -
9:00 pm)
Note: Don't forget a parallel to this course will also be offered on
Saturdays at 4:30 pm!! Take both the Thursday and the Saturday Adv class
for the price of one!
One common question about the Intermediate and Advanced Salsa classes is
"Which one do I take first?"
You can take the Intermediate Advanced levels in any order you wish. Start
with any one of them. However there is one important note: The pace and
the patterns of Advanced Levels 1 thru 6 (offered on Thursdays and
Saturdays) are easier than the difficult Advanced Salsa class on Tuesdays.
MARTIAN WHIP TECHNIQUE II - Bryan Spivey (Starts Thursday, August 11th, 7
- 9 pm)
Note: Thursdays in August marks the second phase of Texas State Whip
Champion Bryan Spivey's Martian Technique class which concentrates
strictly on West Coast Swing. This class was previously offered in June
and received very high kudos.
TRIPLE TWO - Scott Ladell (Starts Friday, August 12th 7:00 - 9:00 pm)
Note: Beginning Triple Two is the legendary Western Swing export from
Dallas, Texas. Danced to Polka-speed music, Triple Two is a dance with
many aliases. Also known as Triple Twostep, Fort Worth Shuffle, and Dallas
Twostep, here at SSQQ we call it "Triple Two". This dance is very popular
among experienced Western Swing dancers because it is less strenuous than
a regular Polka and the patterns are unique and very flowing. You will be
pleasantly surprised at how much fun the Triple Two is to learn and to use
out on the floor!
FRIDAY MARTIAN WHIP! - Bryan Spivey and Lisa Palmer (Starts Friday, August
12th 7:00 - 9:00 pm)
Note: State Champions Bryan & Lisa offer Friday Martian Whip Level 8. Stay
after class and dance the night away with Bryan, Lisa, Rick, Marla, Mara,
George, and the rest of the Usual Suspects!
INTERMEDIATE SALSA 4 - David Schroeder (Starts Saturday, August 13th, 4:30
- 6:30 pm)
In August you can take Int Salsa 4 three nights a week for the price of
one!
ADVANCED SALSA 2 - Linda Cook (Starts Saturday, August 13th, 4:30 - 6:30
pm)
CUMBIA/TEJANO - Luis Castillo (Starts Saturday, August 13th, 4:30 - 6:30
pm)
R&B Twosteppin' - Willie Bushnell (Starts Saturday, August 13th, 4:30 -
6:30 pm)
Note: Rhythm and Blues Twostep is a popular dance used in African-American
nightclubs. It is a partner dance similar to Zydeco. The man and woman
first dance in closed position, then the man "swings her out". It is
danced mainly to R&B music such R Kelly's "Step in the Name of Love."
HIP HOP I - Kevin Coleman (Starts Saturday, August 13th, 4:30 - 6:30 pm)
Note: Hip-hop dancing represents an explosion of passion as well as
attitude towards music. Dancing to this should not be a routine or a
series of steps but it needs to come from within. It will be a solo style
of dance that will easily turn into a couple style of dance and has
elements that can be placed into swing or lindy. The class will also teach
how one can feel hip-hop music and how this style of dancing leaves room
for the dancer to freestyle easily at will. The students will learn some
combos that anybody can use and two bases that that person can use
whenever (including just before freestyling as well as couple dancing). No
experience will be required. (Kevin Coleman is a new addition to the SSQQ
Staff. He is a Rice University Grad Student in the School of Music. And
let me add he is quite a dancer with unbridled enthusiasm.)
For more details and lengthy descriptions of all the classes above, please
go to AUGUST EXTRA:
http://www.ssqq.com/ssqq/extra.htm
Please note if you miss the first week of classes, don't worry about it.
You can sign up in the second week without any problem since we spend the
first hour reviewing what was covered in Week One.
STORY FIVE: CI KELLY AND THE UPCOMING BEACH BALL PARTY BACK ON SATURDAY,
AUGUST 27
http://www.ssqq.com/ssqq/party16.htm
CRASH COURSES 7-9 PM (to register, just show up and register at the door)
BEG TWOSTEP - Abbie
BEG WESTERN WALTZ - Scott
BEG WESTERN CHA CHA - Rick
SWING ACROBATICS - Paul (cpls only)
GARY'S FAV GHOST TOWN PTNS - Gary R.
BEG WEST COAST SWING - MG
HOT HOT HOT WCS PTNS - Bryan
Wear your most colorful Beach attire and join us for a night of Whip and
Hustle Dancing to famous Motown, Blues, and R&B hits sung by Ci Kelly and
her C Street Band!
And the Western dancers will have non-step Western Swing, Waltz, Night
Club and Western Cha Cha music down in Room 4 as well.
And just who is Ci Kelly?
One night in 2004 a pretty lady named Cindy handed me a music CD when she
arrived at class. Cindy had been in my Martian Whip class for two years
but I didn't know much about her other than I knew she was a
representative for a company and had to travel a lot. She must have been
busy because she always came to class straight from work wearing her
business clothes. Not once did I ever see her dress comfortably. Cindy is
very tall to begin with and her business suits made her seem quite
formidable.
Cindy smiled and said this album was a gift and that there were several
cuts on the CD we could use for dancing in class.
I quickly reviewed the music and discovered she was right. We soon danced
to the second song on the album. After it was over, several people thanked
me for finally playing some good music. I smiled at the left-handed
compliment and left it that.
Once Break started, a lady came over and asked if that was Toni Braxton's
new album since it sounded like her. I looked on the cover. It said "Ci
Kelly". I had no idea who the artist was so I went over to Cindy and asked
her who "Ci Kelly" was. I figured it was Robert Kelly's sister.
Cindy smiled at me and said it was her! I was stunned. How could the same
woman look so "different"? I took one look at the intimidating Cindy in
her professional clothes and another look at the Goddess on the cover of
the CD and suddenly realized I had just received a lesson in "marketing".
I was also reminded for the umpteenth time what my shoe tasted like if you
get my drift.
Cindy explained to me that her last name was "Kelly", something I did not
know. She said she had been singing all her life and her day job was just
something she had to do to pay the bills while she pursued her dream of
professional singing at night. I asked who "Ci" was. Cindy laughed and
told me I was probably the only person she knew who called her "Cindy".
Everyone else called her "Ci" (pronounced "Cee").
I put my memory of her beautiful singing in the back of my mind and began
class. "Someday," I thought to myself.
Fast-forward the story one year to May 2005. One night Philip Easterling
came up to me on a Thursday night. He said he had really enjoyed hearing
Luther and the Healers at the Sleazy Bar Party and now he had a favor to
ask me. He said he had heard a lady singing at a club who was very
impressive. She seemed familiar so during a break at the club he
introduced himself. It turned out to be none other than our very own "Ci
Kelly". Philip wondered if we could hire her to sing at one of our
parties.
I asked him how easy was her music to dance to. He said her music was
perfect for Whip and Hustle dancing. Since she was a Whip dancer herself,
Ci played all her music in the dance range. Philip told me he heard her
sing classic Soul, Motown, smooth R&B, sensual jazz, Blues, plus Dance and
Pop favorites.
He smiled and mentioned one more thing. Philip said he was now Ci Kelly's
unofficial agent and by coincidence, Ci just happened to be taking class
that night.
I took the hint and went to find Ci. I asked her if she could sing at the
upcoming August Beach Ball. Ci told me she performs regularly around
Houston. I asked about her music and she said Blues and smooth R&B were
her favorites. Based on the CD I had heard and Philip's recommendation, I
was pretty sure I was going to ask her to perform for us. But I had one
more question.
I asked her if she was going to wear one of her intimidating professional
outfits with pants and a suit. Ci smiled and in her gentle modest way said
she looked pretty good in her sarong…
Join us for a great night of Whip and Hustle music at the Beach Ball (plus
Western dancing in Room 4)! And please wear something bright and beautiful
so you will look wonderful when we take your picture!
http://www.ssqq.com/ssqq/party16.htm
STORY SIX: LAST CHANCE TO JUMP ONBOARD THE SEPTEMBER RHAPSODY REUNION
CRUISE!!
Our Rhapsody trip sets sail on Sunday, September 25th for a week of
fun-filled adventures across the Caribbean. Our current passenger total is
92. Based on the many nibbles from the Indecisive Crowd, we may still hit
100.
For people who are new to SSQQ or unfamiliar with our Travel history, SSQQ
has taken one or two cruises a year for the past four years.
Like the proverbial Love Boat of TV fame, our passengers go non-stop 24/7
chasing each other all over the ship. We have 24-hour round the clock
birds and bees activity. Besides the countless romances under the radar
("what goes on the ship stays on the ship"), we have had several important
relationships develop that continued on shore after the trip.
Yes, believe it or not, our yearly cruises have become a major part of
SSQQ's legendary reputation for creating romance.
By now our group is so comfortable on the Rhapsody that we act as if we
practically own the ship. Fortunately we are actually quite popular. The
Rhapsody crew remembers us fondly. They love the energy we bring to their
ship. In particular our dancing absolutely stuns the passengers and crew
alike.
Last September's trip set new standards for misbehavior and creative
mayhem. For a review of all the antics and hijinks from last year's 2004
trip, be sure to visit:
http://ssqq.com/information/rhapsody2004home.htm
Now guys, it is time for me to have my annual serious GUY TALK with all of
you single men. There are currently a DOZEN more women signed up for this
dance cruise than men.
Women love to cruise. They enjoy the security of traveling in a group like
ours because they feel safe in every setting. Even better, they like
hanging out with the men in our group because they know our guys have the
Marla Stamp of Approval on them. An SSQQ guy is a Good Guy and in this
dangerous world we live in this is very reassuring to our ladies. Best of
all, they know if a flame starts on board, it has a real chance of burning
further on shore when we get back home. Including my marriage to Marla and
the recent wedding of Luci Howard and Darren Burns earlier this year and
the engagement of Michelle Spiris and Kevin Lee on last month's Alaska
Cruise, we now have had six marriages come out of these trips! (and when
you add in the mischief, the six marriages are just the tip of the
iceberg…)
If there is some way you can get yourself on this trip, then you should do
just that in the flick of an eye. Cruise Trips are unbelievable
opportunities to find romance. As most of you already know, I happen to
know exactly what I am talking about - I met my wife on the 2001 SSQQ
Cruise.
If you still don't believe me, just to get in the mood go rent 'An Affair
to Remember' with Deborah Kerr and Cary Grant, the classic love story of a
wonderful romance that began aboard a cruise ship. You will see that a
trip at sea renders women wild with spirit.
Then think about the 70s TV hit 'The Love Boat'. This show lasted 9
years!! Yes, 9 years! I never watched it. You never watched it. Someone
had to watch it… yes, women watched it. Now you are catching on. Women
watched it. They loved this show! Women are all about romance and for some
reason cruise ships capture their fancy.
Assuming you have a little more going for you than the average dork, all
you have to do is be in the right place at the right time and it wouldn't
hurt to smile a little… well, you aren't going to be in the right place if
you don't get on this cruise!
A cruise is probably the easiest way to find an adventure of the heart
there is. You are with your friends for 7 days and 7 nights. During the
day you get to know some of the ladies on the trip. You talk to them at
the pool or at lunch or during dance class. Eventually you find the lady
that you feel the most rapport with and you ask if she will join you for
the dancing later on. The moment you are waiting for is the slow song.
During the evening, you talk, you dance, and you flirt. Eventually the
beautiful love ballad you have been waiting for will get played. Now is
your chance to hold your lady friend close in your arms and move real
slow. As she looks out over your shoulder there is the ocean outside
glistening under the moonlight. The music, the ocean, the moonlight, and
the dancing will all thrill her. She will be mesmerized! As we all know,
Slow Dance leads to Romance.
After the dance, now is your chance to invite this lady out of on the
deck. The two of you sip Margaritas under the Moonlight and talk. And talk
some more.
Guys, if you have any sense at all, you will join this trip as fast as you
possibly can.
Cruises are about Romance. Don't be cynical - it's true. But someone has
to make the first move… The ladies made their move - 34 women are already
on board. Now it's YOUR TURN.
Answer the siren call to romance - These women want you to join them.
Don't disappoint them - now is the time to make your move! If you are
sitting on the fence, now is the time to make your move.
Email Marla Archer at marla@ssqq.com
or call her at 713 862 4428. You have till the 15th of July. After that
all bets are off about going.
For further information on this year's trip, visit:
http://ssqq.com/information/rhapsody2005.htm
STORY SEVEN: WINNER OF THE VOTING FOR A WESTERN BAND!
SSQQ is in the process of hiring Two Tons of Steel for our mid-November
Western Party. Last month I asked for recommendations and several of you
were nice enough to make some suggestions.
I have listened to their latest CD. Not only were there three excellent
Twosteps on it, there were some great Rockabilly Swing songs on it as
well.
This band sounds like a knockout!
STORY EIGHT: THE SSQQ LOGIC PUZZLE WINNERS FOR JULY 2005
Only 7 people aced the July Logic Puzzle that dealt with people being
interviewed for jobs at a dance studio (surprise! One of them was SSQQ!)
This puzzle was without a doubt the hardest puzzle I have ever published.
Sure enough, our Logic Puzzle Superstars have shown the brightest. Not
only did our current Champion Ann Faget and her constant shadow Susan
Arevalo ace this difficult puzzle, but our former champions Jeff and
Connie Woodman came out of retirement to conquer the puzzle as well.
In addition Ritesh Laud continued his fine performance with his 15th
consecutive victory and newly-wed Anita Leung overcame the distractions of
connubial bliss to somehow concentrate and persevere as well.
Connie & Jeff Woodman (Our former champions are back with a vengeance!)
Susan Arevalo (Right behind Ann at 21 months in a row!)
Roger Cantley (Second Time Winner!)
Ann Faget (Our current champion at 22 months in a row!)
Serita Serfoss (Second Time Winner!)
Ritesh Laud (15 Months in a Row!)
Anita Leung (5 Months in a Row!)
Here are some of their comments:
"Is this correct? I believe it meets the criteria, but I am awfully
tired." - Roger Cantley
"I think my head is going to explode now" - Anita Leung
"Rick, that was TOUGH. I'm curious to see how many finish this one. Took
me five charts printed from Excel, other scribbling, and over four hours.
For at least the first two hours, I was convinced there weren't enough
clues, particularly with respect to the schedule. One small breakthrough I
had was realizing that 11:00 and 1:00 are two hours apart, not one! But
the major breakthrough was figuring out Grace's schedule, then the rest
steadily came together. Thanks for a fun challenge." - Ritesh Laud
"Rick, The best puzzle yet! I restarted it three times trying to organize
my thoughts on the best way to approach to the puzzle." - Susan Arevalo
"Hi Rick - I knew you were going to do this! After you said last month's
puzzle was hard and I said it was fun, I knew you would strike back with a
real toughie. However, you can't fool me. I recognized this puzzle
immediately as the one you asked me to help you solve about six months (?)
ago, maybe a year (?) ago. So you solved it way back when, and you've just
been saving it up to throw at us. I remember giving up on it at the time,
way too many variables, if only I'd saved my notes. But I didn't so I had
to start from scratch. It was tough getting started, I ended up with 6
charts, but once I cracked the schedule for Grace, everything else kind of
fell into place. So it was rough at first, but ultimately fun, and I did
enjoy the challenge. However, I don't think I'd like to work this hard
every month! I don't know if you're trying to discourage people from
joining the logic club, but puzzles like this would certainly do it. I
think most people enjoy solving the two dimensional puzzles, once you add
the third dimension, the level of difficulty increases such that a lot of
people just won't bother." - Ann Faget
The cream definitely rose to the top. If you ever meet these people,
acknowledge them for their superhuman prowess. They are smart cookies
indeed.
STORY NINE: THE AUGUST LOGIC PUZZLE - PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT
Last month's puzzle was so difficult that my conscience started to bother
me. So this month I published a logic puzzle that quite possibly is the
easiest one I have ever offered.
Six women are taking six types of dance lessons. Your job is to put their
first and last names together and link them with their particular dance.
Piece of cake. If you have ever desired to try an ssqq logic puzzle and
hesitated for lack of confidence, this one is the perfect place to start.
Go for it! 2005 AUGUST LOGIC PUZZLE: Practice Makes Perfect
http://ssqq.com/archive/logicpuzzle29.htm
STORY TEN: JOKE PICTURE OF THE MONTH
Anita Williams sent in this month's Joke Picture winner. That makes two
months in a row for Anita. In case you didn't know, Anita loves pictures
that portray the dark side of human nature. This month's picture portrays
a deeply embarrassing sign held over a hockey referee's head. I am certain
that somewhere on earth the referee and his friends and relatives are
mortified at his lousy fate to be connected with such a wonderful
snapshot.
Enjoy!
http://www.ssqq.com/ssqq/jokepicture.htm
STORY ELEVEN: BEST NEW JOKES AND HALL OF FAME JOKES
We have fifteen new jokes this month. They were contributed by Chris
Holmes, Carol Gafford, Judy Walsh, Gary Richardson, Sandy Lenar-doozy, Sam
Longoria, Mae Neihouse, Maureen Brunetti, Patty Jones, and Gareld
McEathron.
Patty Jones got Best Runner-up for her wonderful joke about a lesson in
Manners.
Judy Walsh won the Best Joke of the Month award for her joke about the
husband who surprises his wife with a special gift on her birthday. Enjoy!
http://www.ssqq.com/ssqq/jokesnew.htm
Newcomers to SSQQ may not be aware of how wonderful our Joke page is. Over
the years Newsletter readers have been sending in their favorite jokes. I
dutifully collect them, edit them, and save them. We are now up to
somewhere around 700 jokes.
August is no exception. I just got through listing 64 Hall of Fame jokes
including these seven from August 2004:
August CS 33: Bureaucracy - Gary Richardson
August CS 34: Never Send a Woman to the Hardware Store - Judy Walsh
August CS 35: The Curse - Gary Richardson
August CS 36: The Lawyer, Rabbi, and Holy Man - John Hall
August BS 26: The Beautiful Daughters - Gary Richardson
August BS 27: The Coincidence - Judy Walsh
August BS 28: Wedded Bliss - Judith Williams
You can read the jokes above and many more on our Joke Page.
http://www.ssqq.com/ssqq/jokes.htm
Plus if you have a good one of your own, please send it in and share it
with us! dance@ssqq.com
STORY TWELVE: BRYAN SPIVEY AND LISA PALMER PLACE SECOND AT DANCE HOUSTON
There was a big Whip/West Coast Swing dance competition over at Melody
Lane this past weekend. Our resident Whip superstars Bryan and Lisa did
very well by placing second in one of the toughest categories.
-----Original Message-----
From: bryan spivey
Sent: Tuesday, August 02, 2005 2:46 PM
To: Rick Archer
Subject: Re: results of the dance competition
"hey rick,
lisa and i placed 2nd in the male pro-am progressive at dance houston.
cher longoria placed really well in the pro-am of 41 students. she did
extremely well especially since they do not divide the students in their
respective categories. she beat out a lot of INT dancers and placed 15th
overall out of 41 students.
we are going to madison wisconsin this weekend to try and expand our
resumes in out-of-state-competitions.
see you thursday, bryan"
Rick Archer's Note: I have a feeling Bryan is getting tired of having me
post his emails on the web site. What is it Shakespeare said? "Brevity is
since brevity is the soul of wit, And tediousness the limbs and outward
flourishes, I will be brief."
Actually I prefer this quote: "Brevity is the soul of lingerie" but that's
another story. I enjoy chronicling Bryan's development in the world of
dance. He has incredible natural talent. As always, I am very proud of his
work. Although Bryan and Lisa seemed disappointed at not winning,
obviously they danced very well.
I also heard there was a huge turnout of SSQQ dancers. Hope you all had
fun!
STORY THIRTEEN: CAN I BUY THE SSQQ DOMAIN NAME?
-----Original Message-----
From: SW Graphics [mailto:swgraph@co.uk]
Sent: Wednesday, February 09, 2005 2:48 PM
To: ssqq.com
Subject: ssqq.com for sale?
Importance: High
"Hello,
I'm seriously interested in buying "ssqq.com"
Would you be interested in selling your domain ssqq.com?
If so, what is your asking price?
We can make the domain transfer operations safety, over escrow.com.
I can pay for the cost of domain transfer operation. Thanks.
Sincerely,
SW Graphics"
-----Original Message-----
From: Rick Archer
Sent: Wednesday, February 09, 2005 3:29 PM
To: SW Graphics
Subject: RE: ssqq.com for sale?
"No"
…………..
Rick Archer's Note: People ask all the time how our dance studio got such
a great domain name. After all, who can't remember "ssqq.com" at the drop
of a hat?
I have one person to thank - David Schroeder
(david@e-cats.com )
Back in 1997 David insisted I get a website. This was at a time when only
20% of our customers had a personal email address and the Internet was
hardly the household phenomenon it is today. I had only the vaguest idea
of why he thought it was so important. We were doing well financially and
I had lots of other things going on that I thought were more important. I
resisted David's advice, but he brought the subject up time and time
again. David would not give up. Finally I listened. On perhaps his tenth
try I gave in and gave him the authority to begin creating a studio
website (thank goodness!)
David's foresight allowed SSQQ to come in right at the tip of the Internet
wave. By getting in on the ground floor, the SSQQ website had a huge head
start on every other dance studio in America.
By coincidence I have two friends who own travel agencies. One man
invested heavily in a web site about the same time. His agency is now
enormous thanks to the traffic brought in by his sophisticated site. The
other man has no web site at all. His business is no bigger now than it
was eight years ago. Coincidence? I don't think so.
Now read the next article.
STORY FOURTEEN: SSQQ WEBSITE IS NOW NUMBER 5 IN NATION OUT OF 8 MILLION
DANCE STUDIO LISTINGS
-----Original Message-----
From: Nancy Rankin
Sent: Saturday, January 29, 2005 8:16 PM
To: dance@ssqq.com
Subject: SSQQ Dance Studio Website
"Hello,
My name is Nan and I came across your website today while looking up
"dance studios" online. I am the Marketing Director for Lavation Design, a
professional website development and business image company.
Your site currently comes up seventh on a Google search for "Dance
Studio," which is remarkable. A Page One listing is quite an
accomplishment considering the aggressive competition to acquire
close-to-the-top listings.
I was surprised that I did not see a designer link on your site. We would
like to help you maintain your excellent position. If you are not
currently represented, and are interested in a new look for your heavily
trafficked site, please log on to our website and have a look at our
portfolio. Our prices are among the industry's absolute lowest and our
quality among the highest.
If you are completely happy with your site as is, or if the services of
another design firm has already been retained, please disregard this one
time e-mail.
Thank you for your time and consideration!
I look forward to hearing from you, Nan Rankin
Marketing Director
Lavation.com"
Rick Archer's Note: The only Dance Studio websites on Google that are
ahead of "ssqq.com" are ones that appear to have "paid" for their location
such as Fred Astaire and Arthur Murray. I can promise you that SSQQ does
not "pay" to achieve this lofty status. We got there the old-fashioned way
- people actually come to visit our website.
What makes our prominent position even more remarkable is that our website
is primitive by modern standards. It contains no animation, no amazing
design, no sound, and definitely no bells and whistles. We have no
pop-ups, no links, no nuthin'.
So how do we lure so many people to our "heavily trafficked" ssqq website?
The answer is simple - there are lots of fascinating articles about dance
and many other subjects as well. I will take the credit for the dance
articles since I wrote them myself, but my many friends who supply me on a
constant basis with all the interesting pictures and stories of things
happening around the world deserve just as much credit.
Just like Jay Leno wouldn't be nearly as funny without his joke writers or
CSI-Las Vegas nearly as incredible without its intricate scripts, the SSQQ
Web Site would not be the same without "Readers Like You" who send in
great material.
Believe me, I do not take you for granted! I would like to personally
thank all the many contributors to the SSQQ Newsletter and web site. It is
the many fascinating jokes, pictures, and stories you send me every month
that make the ssqq website so interesting to visit.
For example, it might be the beautiful Burj al Arab Hotel in Dubai (
http://ssqq.com/archive/vinlin23.htm Gary
Richardson) or the luxurious Greg Norman yacht (
http://ssqq.com/archive/vinlin24.htm Gary
Richardson). Or perhaps it is the amazing Roller Coaster in Sandusky, Ohio
(
http://www.ssqq.com/ssqq/jokepicture.htm Anita Williams) or the woman
without clothes who walked unnoticed in public (
http://www.ssqq.com/ssqq/jokepicture.htm Chris Holmes). Or perhaps it
is the great jokes sent in by Chris Holmes, Judy Walsh, Carol Gafford,
John Hall, Milt Oglesby, and Leroy Ginzel.
The point is that many people try to help me put out a great Newsletter
and I am aware I owe much of its success to your help.
Thank you all very much.
And I would also like to thank our newsletter readers. Every time you
click into the website to read the Newsletter or an article, you help
ensure that ssqq.com stays on top.
And that's a wrap for August.
Thanks for reading this month's issue of the SSQQ Newsletter!
Rick Archer
dance@ssqq.com (email)
www.ssqq.com (the SSQQ Web Site)
