I get ridiculed all the time when I tell people that I don’t read any of the other publications in Harrisburg. I truly don’t. I hear comments like, “don’t you want to keep up on current events?” or, “aren’t you interested in what your competition is doing?” Actually... not really. I then proceed to remark how coincidental it is that the top publications in Central Pennsylvania did some sort of a “best of” issue one after the other (like lemmings) for the past four months. If that isn’t convincing enough of how small a town this really is, I continue with an illustration of how a publication like MODE can do a restaurant review in November and that exact same restaurant be on the cover of another magazine the following month. Pleeeeeease. Yawn. (Martini, anyone?)

So, when people ask me, “If you don’t read anything in Harrisburg, what do you read?” I answer almost everything else. You see, the trick isn’t to emulate your competition. The goal is to be just 10% better. It’s how MODE has doubled in sizein just two years. Besides, if a publication does something stellar, or remarkably stupid, believe me, I get about a dozen e-mails from all the folk that do read the other Harrisburg papers.

Getting back to my (now quite distant) point, it’s hard to have an original idea when you’re chin deep in other local media. It’s almost impossible. Even if you vow to yourself that you won’t copy anyone else, your subconscious does it for you. C’mon, you don’t come up with the idea of an entire issue based in the 50’s, (our April 1998 MODE,) from reading that paper that starts with a “C” and rhymes with sh*tty street. (Touché.) I actually came up with the idea while daydreaming about Ponyboy, one of the characters from the book The Outsiders, if you really need to know.

But seriously, I’m going to tell you about some things MODE is doing in the near future, and I want you to commit them to memory. I want you to remember them so when you see another publication doing one, you can say, “Hey! MODE came up with that idea first you treacherous, unoriginal copycat.”

Starting this month, MODE is proud to present the “Search For Harrisburg’s Messiest Office” competition. MODE, Secretarial Services Unlimited, and Day Runner are going to make one horrible office owner very happy. All you have to do is send in a picture of your really messy office. Or you can nominate someone else (without their knowledge, even), we have no scruples. The messiest office owner will win a full day of organizational services from Secretarial Services Unlimited (they don’t do windows), and a sweet executive organizer set from Day Runner. Photos will be posted on our website, (named worst local Internet site by that C paper), and the winner will be announced on National Clean Off Your Desk Day in January. You can find out all about the promotion and how to enter on page 19. Good luck you dirty devils.

Finally, the person who can tell us the most creative use of MODE, (other than reading it) while drinking a Budweiser will win the slick Wilsbach prize pack featured in our Bud Box Giveaway on page 8. This one has to be in writing, and just one spelling mistake disqualifies you. (Not me, you.) As always, employees and their immediate family are welcome to steal this baby away from our loyal readers. (Gotta have some fun.)

Thanks for reading.

       Scot Giambalvo, Publisher