Email to Chris Wilson, developer of the TigerSelfieApp

Since the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge was in the news yesterday, I didn't want to wait for our creatives to come up with messaging, so I took your ideas and turned them into this page:  http://bigcatrescue.org/selfie  Our creatives can tweak the message to help it gain steam.  Happy for your input as well.  I then added the graphic to the side bar of our website to start pulling in traffic for the app.  Our website had 2.8 million unique visitors in the past year, so hopefully a number of them will click on the link.

 

I also added the call to action on the main page of our site and on two of the popular pages about Cecil the lion at:  http://bigcatrescue.org/cecil-lion/ and http://bigcatrescue.org/cecil-the-lion-an-agent-of-change/  Today I will be sending out postcards to members of Congress, asking them to support our bill, but will use the Tiger Selfie Challenge as the image, so that when they start seeing it, they will notice it.

 

I will be posting Cecil stories on Examiner and Medium next, but because of the tie in, of 99% of lions shot as trophies starting out as cubs born in cages for photo ops, I can work in that call to make the Tiger Selfie Challenge in those articles, and then still come back a week later with the article just about the app.  I also picked up the URL Tiger Selfie Challenge since I think people might search that phrase.  I pointed it to BigCatRescue.org/selfie where all of the links then go to your app in iTunes.

 

I created a Facebook ad to run for $1000 targeting English speakers who list cats (and wild cats species, nature, wildlife, etc) in their interests lists.  FB says that based on this criteria, only about $350 will be spent in the next month, but I want to get the big cat enthusiasts onboard first and then could open up the demographics to a larger audience.  I'll give One Green Planet the go ahead to re purpose my article to their 5 million readers.  I think they will run w/ it.  I'll keep you posted.  For the cats,  Carole Baskin, CEO of Big Cat Rescue

 

I also sent it to reporters for Huffington Post, the Dodo, Tigers4Tigers and Jane Velez-Mitchell.  

I sent this FB message to the 52 most influential people I know there:  Would you help protect lions like Cecil by taking the Tiger Selfie Challenge?  It’s a fast, fun, easy app that enables you to post your selfies that turn into a message about why posing with lion, tiger or liger cubs is always Cruel NOT cool.  http://bigcatrescue.org/selfie/

 

I also sent it to our lobbyist, Carson Barylak at IFAW, GFAS, Bruce Perlowin, Keepers of the Wild, the conference members from the Big Cat Workshop.  Mike Markarian said he would check it out.  I asked him to promote to HSUS.  Searched the term #TigerSelfie on Twitter all the way back to Nov 2014 and DM’d each with: Take the Tiger Selfie Challenge to protect lions like Cecil and tigers.  http://bigcatrescue.org/selfie/  #TigerSelfie

 

Hi, I’m Carole Baskin and I’ve been writing my story since I was able to write, but when the media goes to share it, they only choose the parts that fit their idea of what will generate views.  If I'm going to share my story, it should be the whole story.  The titles are the dates things happened. If you have any interest in who I really am please start at the beginning of this playlist: http://savethecats.org/

 

I know there will be people who take things out of context and try to use them to validate their own misconception, but you have access to the whole story.  My hope is that others will recognize themselves in my words and have the strength to do what is right for themselves and our shared planet.  

 

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Music (if any) from Epidemic Sound (http://www.epidemicsound.com)