2008
April Fools Day Prank! :( Fred Had Nothing To Do With The Joke
Posted by: Fashion06 in Blogging |
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Me, I, Fred had nothing to do with the JOKE! Let me say that first.
I think this may go down as the most evil April Fools Day joke ever! They spoke with me about doing a joke and I said okay, but didn’t know what exactly they had in mind.
One of our writers thought it would be funny to run a fake contest that most of you guys thought was real, saying Dobizo would finance your apparel line, but some people figured out it was an April Fools day joke…I’m so sorry if you thought it was real I’m away in Atlanta for the time being handling some business and my pocket pc email for fred@dobizo.com begin to go off every other minute!..so I knew something wasn’t right…either I was being attacked by spam or as I thought it was a joke.
The joke was kind of played on both of us in a way, but like I said I apologize personally if you feel any kind of way about the April Fools Day Prank…I knew nothing of what it would be.
Needless to say some writer will no longer be a part of Dobizo! If you still want to see the joke look here.
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April 1st, 2008 at 2:10 pm
[…] Advertise With Dobizo Refer This Post « Li & Fung Apparel Sourcing Giant April Fools Day Prank!
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April 1st, 2008 at 2:37 pm
That is a horrible prank and bad business. Your gonna burn so many bridges and lost visitors including myself. I am no longer going to spread your name or visit your site.
April 1st, 2008 at 3:02 pm
Jermaine..I Fred would hate to lose you as a visitor due to a mistake a writer made..but if that is what you wish to do then …there is nothing I can do about it.
April 1st, 2008 at 3:30 pm
For REAL business financing and a ton of other beneficial programs check out My Fashion Initative at http://myfashioninitiative.com or call Loius Sanchez at 201-857-3875.
MFI has more than $250M in SBA funding available for the Apparel and Fashion industries.
Many different programs available for the smallest designer to the largest retailer.
For more information you can write me at kboland@savit.com or call me at (877)416-3700 ext 354.
This is not a prank!
Ken Boland
Keystone Recovery Service
April 1st, 2008 at 3:32 pm
Great prank, i was sooo fooled. No bad blood here everyone have a great April Fool’s Day
April 1st, 2008 at 3:36 pm
That was a good one!
April 1st, 2008 at 3:37 pm
For what it is worth, I believe in Fred and everything that he stands for. Do not let this little mistake ruin the great relationship that we all have here on Dobizo. Chalk it up to a good prank and brush it off.
If you get so mad as to stop visiting the site and not participating then maybe there are deeper issues that need to be dealt with.
Come on everyone, this was all done in fun. Check out the other pranks that have been pulled on the ENTIRE WORLD by visiting:
http://find.msn.com/search.aspx?q=Top+April+Fools+Day+Hoaxes&c=0317+Top+April+Fools+Day+Hoaxes&FORM=MSNHAL>1=36000
Good thing people that were fooled by these pranks didn’t exact revenge on the pranksters…..
Can’t we all just get along????
Ken
April 1st, 2008 at 4:05 pm
Man, I was so excited about the contest. It was a good prank. Fred, if your got my email, just delete it!!!! haha I dont want anyone using my ideas! lol
April 1st, 2008 at 4:06 pm
I believe it had very bad taste for entrepreneurs who are always on the grind looking for their next break. I was also thinking about dropping from this site and just used my previous network contacts for the latest info. If Fred is smart and has pull he should make good on this contest with some of the big wigs he has interviewed, and get creed for help
making or connecting the next biggest clothing line. Keep it 100. No times for games
April 1st or any other day of the year!! Monitor what happens on your site better. Take responsibility, I took time out of my schedule to enter.
April 1st, 2008 at 4:16 pm
JOKES ARE FOR KIDS,THIS SITE IS SUPOSED TO BE ABOUT BUSINESS ITS DISRESPECTFUL TO PLAY WITH A PERSONS PASSION.NEXT TIME I SUGGEST
LEAVING THE GAMES FOR FAMILY MEMBERS
April 1st, 2008 at 4:22 pm
NickNack…I don’t think I will be making good on that contest…I would love to if I could..but I’m not a billionaire with that kind of money to burn…so I want be financing five clothing companies anytime soon. Do you realize how much money that would take? That was April Fool’s enough.
David-
Professional, business or not..people are still people and everyone has a sense of humor rather you’re bill gates or the guys over at google or Ralph Lauren. Sites 10x as big as dobizo had April Fools jokes up on their blogs..so I don’t see it as disrespectful.
April 1st, 2008 at 4:33 pm
- - - - FLat Line - - - -
April 1st, 2008 at 4:51 pm
Carl..it was your idea
April 1st, 2008 at 5:01 pm
Whose ever idea it was, I think it was a good way to get conversation going. Now if the subject matter could be about expanding our businesses that would be great. I still think it was a good joke, b/c if you can’t take a little thing like this, then Fashion might not be the industry you want to be in. There will be much more aggravating things coming your way (goods and no sales, sales and no goods, cancellations, scheduling, customs delays, defaulting customers, non-performing sales reps, shipping errors, and that is just the tip of the iceberg.)
April 1st, 2008 at 5:02 pm
I don’t see it as disrespectful, but rather unprofessional. I figured that it was an April Fool’s joke, but others may not have. Like someone above said, you’re playing with people’s passions, and to brush it off as “other BIG companies did it too” seems like a cop out to me.
Take responsibility. People are busy, and anyone that took the time to respond to this “foolishness” could have been doing something more productive with their time. If a “writer” wanted to pull an April Fool’s joke, it could have been done with much more class and taste than to play on people’s hopes AND waste their time simultaneously.
Maybe a fake CEO audio or something. Yes people like to have fun, even business people. There’s nothing wrong with fun or jokes, but sometimes fun and jokes can go too far.
Whoever the “writer” is took this fun too far.
April 1st, 2008 at 5:03 pm
Exactly Don!…Thanks
April 1st, 2008 at 5:17 pm
Interesting point, Don. I look at as we are people coming to this site for help and assistance. In short, we are “Dobizo Customers”. Even if there’s nothing wrong with it, I think it’s bad business to irritate your customers :). Start telling your customers that you pulled a joke on them, and if they don’t like it, to get over it because it will make them stronger, and see how long you have customers :). Leaving an informative site because of something so small as an April Fool’s joke seems to be taking it to the extreme. But I can see how it can be disheartening to think you have a real chance to help your brand that means so much to you, and have the wool pulled over your eyes by a site that you trust for good content and information. That’s the real problem. People have come to trust Fred and Dobizo to help with information. That’s what makes it a bad joke. I’m sure people put time and effort in it because of the trust they have for this site, only to find that it was fake, and the time was wasted. People are out here struggling, and trying to find ways to get their brand off of the ground. It’s not a big deal. Jokes are jokes. There just could have been a better joke, is all.= :).
April 1st, 2008 at 5:21 pm
Greg???
How are you customers? What do I sell to readers? What do you buy?…I don’t sell anything on here, but I get your point. I thought the site was 100% Free?
Maybe I need to start selling this information?..no just kidding, but I will come up with the April Fool’s joke for next year…
April 1st, 2008 at 5:38 pm
You don’t make any money from these ad banners, Fred?
Not direct customers, but I get what you’re saying, too. But, without people coming to this site, you lose the revenue from those advertisers, I’m sure :). I’m not leaving. I like the site, and think what you’re doing for others in the business is great. But, if you looked at your web stats and they dwindled to being almost non-existent because those that visit your site were upset, you probably wouldn’t be too happy, and neither would the businesses that paid for banners on your site. I’m glad you’re doing the joke for next year yourself. I hope you keep some of this negative feedback in mind when you do! 
April 1st, 2008 at 6:55 pm
I think dobizio.com is a great resource for designers and you know if a samll mistake was done, forgive and forgive a little more. Our industry is hard enough.
If any designers would like help with arranging financial help for your Fashion Business, please reach out to any member of our staff. 201-857-3875.
We are helping many designers ge financed without having to give away your business. If ou have bad credit or no credit, we can not perform overnight miracles, but we do promise to work with you to make you a financially qualifed fashion business so that you can sell through wholesalers, distributors and buyers.
Our site is http://www.MyFashionInitiative.com
April 1st, 2008 at 7:31 pm
Long Story Short “Sike”!. WE HAVE NO TIME FOR JOKES OR GAMES. Most of us are not six figure companies, and are planning for the next level. Do you think P. Diddy would appreciate it if the company he trust, some how let a joke arise that he could open up four stores in Dubai. Then he finds out it was a April fools joke after he had pitched confidential information. I tell you what, if what I sent is seen or used and my reps tell me they think I’ve been infringed on because they now see some products like mine, Im suing. I keep my mouth shut about my niche until the appropriate time and I thought this was one. I promise you that I am not lying I’ve been so busy checking feedback on my clothes in the store and trying to figure out how to make more of my jeans, that I didn’t realize it was APRIL 1st. No Kidding. I understand a joke, sure. But this iz not really the place for it. If we wanted that we would have a Myspace account of which I DONT HAVE.
I understand your not a billionaire but like a business man told me from Africa “Contacts , Information, or Pull with the right people is far more valuable than money at times” with the right contacts I know people who have skipped a few stages up the ladder and didn’t need money because of who they met. If you have met these owners of companies why don’t they REALLY help you by having some type of opportunity for the top brands here on your site. Let this be a site where companies can come and invest in trendsetting and possibly market changing lines. You have a hotbed of talent here somebody needs to pay attention to. I am really not mad about the april fool joke its just that the information I entered for the contest is what I depend on to be truly unique. And I do not go about throwing my ideas out in cyberspace for someone who may be better funded BUT uncreative to take my ideas and run with it. Delete my e-mail its from ndominic1@mac.com Holla Back ;}
April 1st, 2008 at 8:39 pm
Ha ha! I thought it was a joke. Financing one business, let alone several, is hard enough. Top it off with the fact that today was April Fool’s and well, c’mon. I think most folks got it. They had too. Didn’t they?
Wowww!
It’s purty gitchy marketing, though. Like Don Mahmood said above it’s “a good way to get conversation going.”
Happy April 1!
April 2nd, 2008 at 1:02 pm
Who ever made the “joke” should never be a comedian. I don’t see how anyone would get a kick out of that.
What I’m wondering is, Did anybody sign up to this contest? Was there any comments or entries? Even though this is a bad joke. I’d still like to see what young designers feel they have what it takes to desvere such reward. In a good way. I want to shop from designers who have passion in their business. I’d liked to read about passionate designers. It shows confidence if you truely think you have what it takes to win.
April 2nd, 2008 at 1:19 pm
Remember, when something sounds too good to be true, it probably is. — Ralph (my dad) I like that some people are still willing to rock the boat a bit with jokes like this, I think the writer should be promoted, not discarded. I told my parents that I was dating a 48 year old (their age) yesterday, and let them sweat that one out for a few hours, it’s a little rough during, but afterwards its just funny. Grow up ya’ll
April 2nd, 2008 at 2:36 pm
Stephanie:
The comments were turned off..so you couldn’t enter the contest that way..it was part of the joke I figured out later, but my email has at least a few hundred bios and emails from startup companies that wanted to win..so they entered..I was getting atleast one or two email per minute for a couple of hours..it was crazy. Still getting them today..many haven’t seen this post.
April 2nd, 2008 at 3:36 pm
Hey Fred,
I think people should be grateful that you have started this site and have dispensed such useful info to them, free of charge, and it is your perogative to play an April Fools joke.
You should remind them (the ones who feel you are a bad man) that they can always hire a consultant to assist them while they are in their startup phase and this will set them back at least a few grand, to start. Point out that the information a consultant will dish out to them is found here, and more , in it’s entirety at no cost to them.
I would be blocking email adresses of a few of your commenters here Fred as they appear to be just plain troublemakers.
April 2nd, 2008 at 5:54 pm
Just found out the Contest was a Joke, and after reading all the comments, I felt I wanted to add one of my own. I guess what this is coming down to is we that responded feel silly, stupid or gullable for entering, We sent important information to you that we have held close to our hearts. I hope and pray that all our email are deleted and our information kept safe. I have worked hard to make the right decisions with the start up of my company and apparently need to pay closer attention. Your site is excellent and I appreciate all the free information you provide. I will chalk this up to a lesson learned and move on.
April 2nd, 2008 at 7:00 pm
That was not funny!
April 2nd, 2008 at 11:22 pm
LOL IT WAS A COOL JOKE ……………
http://www.REYESCLOTHINGINC.COM
April 3rd, 2008 at 5:37 am
I saw this joke, after a couple of reads I figured it was an April Fool!
April 3rd, 2008 at 10:29 am
Think long and hard before you send anyone all this cherished info that you hold close to your heart. Your lucky it was Fred who was asking this time. Next time it could be someone with other intentions.
April 3rd, 2008 at 1:05 pm
Thom-
I think I received at least 200-300 emails from companies giving every facet of their clothing lines. It gave me some ideas for the website, because I see financing is what most see as their roadblock to success.
Maybe we can do something close to the prank, but with real intentions in the near future. Need some quality sponsors and we maybe could make it happen.
April 3rd, 2008 at 1:57 pm
OMG, if you are all hung up on this then maybe you should spend more time working on your product so that it sells itself and you wont need funding. Get a job or two, work 80 weeks and fund it yourself.
At least it got you to practice your proposal, so if you were ever put in a situation that you could pitch your concept to someone you would be better at it. Everyone could use the practice so if it does happen you wont look like a fool.
Maybe Fred and his crew could critique peoples proposals then you could see what you could work on. And then you would be thanking him(or whoever just got booted from Dobizo) for messing with you.
The bottom line is that this site is free and there isnt another one out there that can compete. If someone wants to to mess with after giving all this insite into the industry then they should be able to without all the BS coming back at them. Get over it. If you want a business consultant other than Dobizo I know pletty for hire, $30,000 and there isnt much more info they could give you that hasnt been talked about on this site. How’s that for funding, he just saved you $30,000 and you are whining.
All the fools threatening to leave, sue, and not recommend Dobizo, shut up. This site is legit and you know it.
I got something for you to concider; If your stuff doesnt sell itself then maybe your stuff sucks and funding should be the least of your worries. If your stuff is good the funding will come to you.
now go make a baby so I have more customers. and dont forget to look for us in Journeys Kids this summer. RUN SON!!!!
By the way, Fred when will you be sending that wire transfer to the factory for my next production, the XF is next week? ahahhahaahhaha suckas, I won the contest!!!!!!
April 3rd, 2008 at 6:07 pm
I knew it was too good to be true and I ain’t mad at you Fred but it is unprofessional.
What makes it worse is posting up it wasn’t your fault, this is your website if i’m not correct.
If you do not stand by what’s on it you should take care of the problem meaning the writer of the prank.
April 3rd, 2008 at 6:19 pm
Well I’m glad you knew it was fake..don’t get me wrong..I run this site, but while I’m not here things still happen. I’m not on it 24 hours a day like I used to be, but still very actively monitoring it radical.
I don’t think its unprofessional to be honest, but my opinion is just that…my opinion.
April 3rd, 2008 at 9:33 pm
Poor taste to post a joke like that . I have just recently recommended several top industry people and my professors to visit this site and now I am a little embarrassed. I am not quite sure why you just can’t delete it.
April 3rd, 2008 at 9:41 pm
Would you find it funny, Fred, if on Tuesday you applied for a loan at a bank, filled out all the paper work, attached all your personal info and were told you were “approved.” Only then to find out 3 hours later that it was all an April fools prank - The bank wasn’t really giving out money on that day! You’d cry foul for sure!
If you want to be respected, you need to show a little professionalism.
April 4th, 2008 at 12:36 am
wow, there are seriously a lot of pathetic people that were put off by this.
cant you just appreciate what the site has to offer and get over it? Everyone complaining that you are customers, your not! You are reading a blog with suggestions. Fred is giving information others wont, but you can look past a silly prank. Those that that sponsor the site and were offended by the joke then why dont you cancel your sponsorship, oh wait there is only one company sponsoring the site.
This is the most I have ever participated in a post because it seems that you are hating on this site for something so stupid. and forget what this site has to offer.
Note to those leaving a remark in the future….If it includes how all you dreams of getting rich quick were crushed by the joke, or how you are considering legal action dont bother telling us about it.
Fred/Dobizo you can play jokes on me all day just keep the information flowing and get your industry sourcing section back to what it used to be, i need a contract sewer in CA. that can do kids sizes.
Hey do you want my Rolodex of sources? I have people that do whatever from NY to Hangzhou, and I will be at the global sources show in Hong Kong on the 20th getting more. That is the least i can offer to support your site. I dont care who has all this info. One day people will realize its not about who has the info it’s what they do with it.
Stop hating and start participating!!!!!!
April 4th, 2008 at 1:40 am
Thats so true..I tell everyone its not what you know..its what you do with it.
and yes forward those contacts to fred@dobizo.com or you can upload them yourself on the new industry sourcing page…its easy.
Thanks
April 4th, 2008 at 11:28 am
Geez You guys are still talking about it.. Get over it!
Talk about hating, what’s up with the huge Novel..
Instead of judging those who judge, don’t add to the to the problem.
Every one get back on track!
April 4th, 2008 at 3:04 pm
It’s interesting to see how many people want to put others down for not liking the joke, or being bothered by it. If it didn’t bother you, great, but people have the right to feel the way they want to about it. Just a couple of points, and I’m certainly done and moving on:
1. Quote from Fred, himself: “Me, I, Fred had nothing to do with the JOKE!”. Why did he say that? Probably because he feels this way about the joke: “I think this may go down as the most evil April Fools Day joke ever!”.
2. Fred would not have done this because I’m sure that he knows that some of his readers would not like something like that, and obviously that is the case. So the fact that Fred wouldn’t do it, making PERFECTLY CLEAR that he had nothing to do with “the most evil April Fools Day joke ever” and apologizing, kind of gives credence to those bothered by it. So saying someone doesn’t have the right to be bothered because they don’t pay for the info here is really oversimplifying the matter.
April 4th, 2008 at 3:29 pm
I thought it was funny
April 4th, 2008 at 3:37 pm
I don’t think people are saying that there was no right to be bothered. I think it is more along the line that people need to understand that April Fools Day is an American tradition, as silly as it is, and will continue to be a tradition until ong after we have passed. My children already know about April Fools Day and pull pranks on me every year.
I don’t “get over it”, I understand it. And I realize that this is a whole different animal than a child’s prank but look at the big picture….it was a joke.
When I arrived at work on Tuesday, there was a meeting in the conference room and we were all told that as of the close of business on Friday our company would be closing. You should have seen the panic and distress that went through the room. A few minutes later it was revealed that it was only a joke.
Now I understand the “livelyhood” issue and even the feeling of being “duped” but after I had a chance to think about it, it was quite funny. A real good one if you ask me. I harbor no resentment or ill feelings toward my CEO for this prank. As a matter of fact it was nice to see that he is a human being with a sense of humor.
If anything this generated a lot of traffic to the site, an increase in readership and a whole bunch of side discussions concerning actual financing options and a mention from Fred that there may be something of substance in the future concerning financing for your businesses.
I think that alone made this whole prank worth every bit of the “drama” that it created.
Just my 2 cents.
April 4th, 2008 at 6:02 pm
My 2 cents - There is nothing wrong with an April fools prank, it would have been funny if after reading the ad for free financing you were directed to a page that said April fool’s. It crossed the line when people poured out their hopes, dreams and ideas to a phony email address - it should have been stopped before it got to that point.
April 22nd, 2008 at 9:28 am
[…] you remember the Dobizo Will Finance Your Clothing Company April Fool’s Day Prank long story short one of our writers said we would finance your apparel company and we would pick […]