Got a Question for the Group

But before I ask it, here’s a grateful year-end shout-out to Stephanie for the nice tip. Could this be my last shout-out of 2015? Tomorrow will tell.

And now my question: I’m toying with the idea of creating some custom merchandise using the CafePress create-on-demand system. It might not be super profitable, but it could be a fun way to create little souvenirs of the site in 2016.

My question is, what would you be interested in? CafePress would let me put a custom design on:ย T-shirts and other clothing; coffee mugs and travel mugs; tote bags; maybe a wall calendar. (There are other categories, these just seem like the most promising.)

I would only do this if I could come up with an exceptionally clever idea and a design to go with it, using one of the photos featured on the site. What do you think?

You already voted!

35 thoughts on “Got a Question for the Group

  1. Faye December 30, 2015 / 6:00 pm

    T-shirts. When we are all out and about we can spread the word about NTMTOMinism.

      • Faye December 30, 2015 / 7:12 pm

        NTMTOM Spread The Word Pamphlets. Just kidding.

        Would seriously wear a t-shirt with the blowfish in the brown suit. That made me coffee-spitting crazy with laughter.

  2. Jennifer Bullis December 30, 2015 / 6:03 pm

    THE NTMTOM COFFEE TABLE BOOK.

    !!!!!!

    • Not That Mike The Other Mike December 30, 2015 / 6:13 pm

      That had occurred to me as well. I would only create a book if I could create something fairly substantial. I wouldn’t want to rehash posts from the blog, but instead create longer stories just for the book — and a lot of them, enough to make it worth the price. It would be a lot of work for me, and I would hope that it could find an audience beyond this blog’s regular readers.

      • dubravkamcvmd December 30, 2015 / 7:03 pm

        You have to understand that your loyal readers/fans have been clamoring for the NTMTOM Coffee Table Book for YEARS and we want your greatest hits, including from the old ranch, contractual difficulties be damned.

        That said, I am the proud owner of a World Peace Hamster tee shirt, no doubt hugely valuable now, and would be happy to make similar investments on this site.

        • Not That Mike The Other Mike December 30, 2015 / 7:31 pm

          I could try asking nicely, but please understand that everything I wrote for C.O. is their property now. They have a right to say no, and if that’s the answer, then that’s that.

          • dubravkamcvmd December 30, 2015 / 7:40 pm

            Sigh. I figured. But your stuff is just as great now, and there’s more of it!!! Even better!

      • Faye December 30, 2015 / 7:06 pm

        Go for it. Make it so. Engage. Phasers on funny. Beam us out, up, over. You get the idea.

      • Mr. Max December 30, 2015 / 9:00 pm

        Please rehash away! Especially with “The Offering” (which I hope doesn’t turn out to be prophetic!).

        Since we never know when there will be a power outage/solar flare/end of days we might as well enjoy some of your greatest hits in print form, along with new stuff! I would be all over that, as well as the other CafePress merch you mentioned.

        L. Ron Hubbard’s got NOTHIN’ on NTMTOM!

      • April December 31, 2015 / 10:05 am

        Heck…I’d be happy with a slim paperback full of your Spambot responses! Those crack me up every time! ?

  3. AJ December 30, 2015 / 7:14 pm

    Book and wall calendar are my two votes. I’d love to have a pic every month from this site and maybe the other place with his wonderful captions.

  4. Alison December 30, 2015 / 7:21 pm

    I still need a calendar for 2016.

    • Smartypants December 31, 2015 / 7:21 am

      I got a nice one called “Bon Appetit – Vintage Food Posters” for my kitchen (I get that every year). It’s available on Amazon (thru the NTMTOM portal, of course).

      And for my dog-owning friends I got “What Dogs Teach Us” – that one’s good too – cute photo and motto for every month.

  5. 6rabbits December 30, 2015 / 8:32 pm

    I’m still holding out for a coffee table book! (maybe C.O. would allow you to have classic material if they were given a teeny smidgen of the proceeds?) I would LOVE a page-a-day calendar–I need funny every day! T-shirts are good as long as they come in extended sizes–maybe the pic on front and NTMTOMism on the back?
    Go forth and merchandize!?

  6. Muppet2171 December 30, 2015 / 9:07 pm

    Calendar please! With hovertext! Um…can you DO that? ?

    • Faye December 31, 2015 / 10:50 am

      Funny hovers superimposed over pic and regular caption or story. Plus best comment.

    • Haha December 31, 2015 / 3:10 pm

      Mug with pic and comment on the side and hover on the bottom.

  7. joods December 30, 2015 / 9:11 pm

    Book, T-shirt, Calendar.
    Please and thank you!

  8. Smartypants December 30, 2015 / 9:29 pm

    I’d lean toward the mugs, totes and calendars – reason is, many of the greatest NTMTOMisms are several sentences long, so to read it on a T-shirt, the reader would have to stare at the wearer for an awkwardly long time, where mugs & calendars tend to hold still. ๐Ÿ˜€

    • Not That Mike The Other Mike December 30, 2015 / 9:37 pm

      If I were to do shirts and mugs, I would need to come up with ideas that can be expressed in a few words. And I think I could do that, once the right photos come along.

  9. Arne December 30, 2015 / 10:05 pm

    But isn’t photos a problem with copyright and stuff when it comes to commercial offerings?

    • Not That Mike The Other Mike December 30, 2015 / 10:10 pm

      The only photos I could use are ones that are licenced by their owners using the Creative Commons licenses. CC licenses allow me to use a photo even for commercial purposes as long as I provide an attribution to the creator. I think I would discuss my use with the photographer in advance, simply as a courtesy, and offer a free product to say “thanks.”

  10. Deb December 30, 2015 / 11:02 pm

    I like tote bags and mugs, those are the most useful. And of course the long-awaited book.

  11. ffleur2 December 31, 2015 / 1:54 am

    Mike, your witty storytelling reminds me of Jean Shepherd (writer of movies: Ollie Hopnoodle’s Haven of Bliss and A Christmas Story). If you did the much wished for coffee table book I’d be delighted.

  12. beemoused December 31, 2015 / 6:48 am

    I vote for mugs and calendars!

  13. The Commenter Formerly Known as Ricky's Mom December 31, 2015 / 8:55 am

    I vote for mugs, travel mugs, and calendars – not that T-shirts are bad idea, but personally I don’t wear those in public. And of course I long for the coffee-table book.

    Although you can’t do this on Cafe Press, something to think about in what passes for your idle moments is a computer desktop wallpaper/calendar – although those might be more difficult to monetize, as there are so many lovely free ones around.

    Thanks for the Amazon links. I’m trying to remember to start with your Amazon Smile link and not go straight to their website. Old habits die hard, alas.

  14. Michelle P December 31, 2015 / 9:14 am

    Love the idea of a calendar! Especially a journal-style calendar with room to incorporate some of your longer captions/stories.

    Pictures are good and all but I think most of us are here for your writing. That’s what makes you exceptional!

    • Faye December 31, 2015 / 10:55 am

      Well said.

      A journal calendar would bump down my t-shirt request. Maybe official NTMTOM thought for the day post card type things so we could spread the word.

      • Transentence December 31, 2015 / 5:02 pm

        Yes, thought for the day post card type things. Like Ashleigh Brilliant’s Pot Shots. Good for keeping, mailing, gifting.

        • Faye December 31, 2015 / 8:19 pm

          Yup!

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