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Facebook Rocks! But So Does Polo
By kirk noonan | August 8, 2008
Some experts are estimating that within a couple years social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace will all but eliminate E-mail. I can see why.
Comparing a Facebook page to a regular E-mail is like comparing a large screen, high-definition television complete with surround sound and a remote to a black-and-white set with a knob that must be turned manually to change the channel. In other words, E-mail just can’t compete with Facebook.
But Polo, the classic cologne with the refreshing masculine smell, can.
When I was in high school (circa-mid 1980s) every cool guy I knew wore Polo. One time I wore so much, all the guys in the car had to roll down the windows as we rode to a Friday night football game. I bathed in the stuff.
Saddly Polo (in the green bottle with the scent of wood, leather and herbs) eventually went out of style. Since that horrible season in my life I’ve seen Ralph Lauren’s other colognes such as: Polo Sport, Polo Blue, Polo Black, Polo Double Black, Polo Explorer, Silver, and one he named Romance. But as far as I’m concerned none of them compare to the original Polo in the green bottle.
While visiting my brother a couple weeks ago I saw a bottle of Polo (the green one) on his bathroom sink. Evidently, he never stopped loving the stuff. Either had I. Without hesitation I took off the cap and sniffed the Polo. It was real nice and brought back a lot of memories — one of which I just shared with you.
So, why am I traveling down memory lane with all this Polo talk?
Simple, I want to illustrate how things change and point out how important it is for us to embrace change.
Look, today, if you aren’t on a social networking site you’re out of the loop. Two years ago, if you didn’t have Internet access you might as well lived on a deserted island. In the mid-1980s if you didn’t wear Polo you didn’t have it together.
To stay connected to culture and with all the people (many of them strangers really) who want to gorge on all the public details you’re willing to release, you have to be on a social networking site. It’s hip, it’s cool, and it’s fun.
But most importantly, it’s becoming one of the best and most effective ways to communicate with other people (even if you don’t really remember the strangers that want to be your friends).
That brings me back to why Polo can compete with Facebook. Yeah, there are other Polo colognes today, but the classic has not only stuck around, it’s making a resurgence among old guys like me and fresh-faced high school kids. And that’s precisely why Polo can compete with Facebook — it has staying power.
Twenty-plus years from now, if Facebook is still going strong or even enjoying a resurgence, I’ll give it Polo-like props. Until then, I’ll use it until the next great communication tool comes along. And you better believe I’ll still be wearing my Polo.
Topics: Uncategorized |
August 13th, 2008 at 10:14 am
Polo! There’s a blast from the past. I have to admit that my favorite was High Karate. However, I ended up mostly using avon stuff…you know, the melodramatic smells that weren’t nearly as interesting as the bottle they came in?
Social networking sites, email, texting, are nothing more than tools in the box. New tools can sometimes be difficult to grasp, time consuming and hard to visualize how to utilize, but the end results are so worth it. Learning and absorbing new ideas are part of our life and we either grow with them or begin the rapid path toward mental decay. While our bodies are certain to follow that path here on earth, our minds are capable of so much and we can continue to grow and be dynamic until the day the Lord calls us home.
Kirk, as always, you are right on. Polo is worth hanging onto. It is a physical thing. Social networking is worth growing into. It is a cerebral thing. Live, grow and love.
August 20th, 2008 at 1:43 pm
I too, still like the classic polo in the green bottle. I have progressed into the 21st century with now wearing polo blue. I agree with you Kirk, regarding the need to adapt and use the tools available to us in the 21st century. However, I personally am struggling in particular with facebook. I have a teenage daughter, and from my experience with facebook, it seems like it could jeopardize her anonymity. I still let her use it, but I am concerned.