Just Finished Up An Interview

I think I’m starting to do better about getting the word out about Mars One. I just finished up an interview with the Peoria Journal-Star and I scheduled a presentation with the Normal Library for February 18th, right after a teen event, so some of them might stick around for my talk about Mars One. It’s funny how things can start to fall into place all at the same time.

It’s going to be interesting. I actually had the interview with the Peoria Journal-Star at my own dining room table earlier today. Just a reporter from the Journal-Star and me. He says the article will probably come out Sunday or Monday. From what some other Aspiring Martians have said, that’s going to be the thing that could start an avalanche. Some have actually been contacted by nationwide media outlets. We’re doing pretty good for being a bunch of everyday people with big dreams.

With the Journal-Star interview done (and waiting for it to go to press as of now), I’m starting to plan for the library event. I’ll need a good slideshow and possibly I’ll do a question and answer session. I also asked if I could take some copies of my book to sign. The library staff said they’d help with promotion by sending out flyers with their newsletter. The rest is going to be up to me. Maybe I can see if I can get the Bloomington-Normal Pantagraph in on this. They’ll probably want to talk to me anyway once they see the Journal-Star article.

However, all the attention I’m going to get will have a flip side. I already got an email from Mars One asking us candidates to tell them what we’ve been doing so far to promote the project. It included this reminder:

“WARNING: Some applicants are being contacted by ‘representatives’. Do not sign any contracts. More information will come soon.”

So, basically, besides reaching out for interviews, we need to also watch out for fraudulent activity. There’s already one or two scams out there trying to ride in and make a profit from our popularity. If you hear about a Mars One movie, do not donate because this is one of the scams. Anything that cannot be verified on Mars-One.com is likely to be a fraud.

And that will apply equally to endorsement deals. I imagine we’ll be asked to endorse corporations at some point while we’re doing this. If I get asked, my preferred strategy would be to refer them to Mars One. Let the businesses figure out how to get a logo onto our spacesuits. I’ll be too busy figuring out how to take this next challenge, and then going through the training process, to really worry about the details. I could end up looking like one of those race car drivers with logos on my driving getup for all I care as long as the spacesuit actually works. Sorry, corporations, but your profit margin is not my concern when I’m aiming for Mars.

It’s worth going through all the effort of promoting Mars One even if it must seem like a minefield at times. I might have mentioned a few times that interviews make me nervous, but I think I’m starting to get used to the idea that my name and face are going to be out there. And who knows? You might see me slogging through the challenges on TV sometime.

For Those Of Us Who Might Need To Improve Interview Skills…