Can You Be Social, Alone?

Issue 1 | Social Wealth

Author

Ducky Tran
November 22nd, 2023

Can You Be Social, Alone?

It may seem contradictory, but it’s more common now than ever before.

The Pyramid of Luxuries
The Bespoke - $4,000 Vacation + $1,000 VISA eGift Card
The Ultra High End - Apple Watch Series 9 + Apple Care
The Superpremium - Dallas CityPass
The Premium Core - Ducky Tran Membership
The Accessible Core - Can You Be Social, Alone?
The Affordable Luxury - Which prize would you rather have?
The Everyday Luxury - 2 Referrals - Duck Keychain
The Bespoke

Click on the banner to enter The Bespoke Photo Contest. Click here for the Official Contest Rules.

  • Prize: $4,000 Vacation Voucher + $1,000 in VISA eGift Cards [ARV $5,012]

  • Odds: For every 760 Ducky Tran premium member by the time of judging, I will give out one (1) vacation bundle Prize

  • Contest Period: November 22, 2023 at 10 AM CST to December 31, 2023 at 10 PM CST

Since this is the first Bespoke Photo Contest and Ducky Tran’s first newsletter, I’ve made the Contest Period 6 weeks long so we can get more submissions and members to join the community.

This week’s focus is social wealth. And what’s a better way to be social than going on a vacation with your family and friends!

Take your loved ones to Disney!

Relax on a weekend cruise with your significant other.

Or how about going on the European trip you and your friends have been thinking about.

Wherever you plan to go, I’ve got you covered. With this vacation voucher, you will be working with a dedicated travel agent to help you find the best deals and setup for you and your group. The VISA eGift Cards will allow for flexibility during your planning-- you can use it to pay bills, buy souvenirs, save it for tax season, or even bring along another friend.

Don’t forget to invite your friends to join Ducky Tran and grow the community so I can give out more prizes like this!

The Ultra High End

Click on the banner to enter The Ultra High End Photo Contest. Click here for the Official Contest Rules.

  • Prize: Apple Watch Series 9 with Apple Care [ARV $508]

  • Odds: For every 210 Ducky Tran premium member by the time of judging, I will give out one (1) Apple Watch Prize

  • Contest Period: November 22, 2023 at 10 AM CST to November 28, 2023 at 10 PM CST

The Apple Watch is the epitome of luxury, style and technology. I personally don’t have any Apple products, but my wife on the other hand has every variant you can think of, to include the Apple Watch. Through her usage of the watch, I have seen the benefits it can bring to someone’s social life.

Yes, it is expensive.

Yes, it can be a distraction.

Yes, it is an Apple product. (these were all my complaints for a long time)

BUT-- it can actually be an extremely useful tool to maintain a healthy social life. Other than dropping all your social media and technology and going to a place where everyone else is disconnected, it is near impossible to find someone without a smartphone.

In fact, I’ve seen homeless people and 4-year olds with better and more expensive phones than me!

Like many people, my wife would be stuck on her smartphone quite a bit, mostly browsing social media and text messages. She had asked for an Apple Watch for a while, but I am pretty stubborn and frugal. Lucky for me, she won one at a work event! Not only did I not have to cough up 500 bucks, but this is the first Apple product that I believe is worth the money.

Since she’s won the watch, she has picked up her calls more often (through the watch). She replies to her messages more often. This sounds like it’s just between my wife and I, but actually she’s more responsive with everyone. Not only is it more convenient, but she’s not browsing her phone as much because she doesn’t need it to message people back.

She still browses social media and messages during down time, but I’ve noticed when we are out she isn’t stuck on her phone as she was before. I’m not saying if you get an Apple Watch, you’ll automatically become a social bug-- but I think the watch can help those that are currently too attached to their smartphones.

The saying, “out of sight, out of mind” really holds true here. With a watch in place of her phone, she has given more time to socialize rather than browsing. It isn’t life changing, but it definitely changed how responsive my wife is, so it’s good enough for me!

The Superpremium

This week’s Superpremium topic is the Dallas CityPass.

Are you from the Dallas area? Where’s the first place you would bring your out-of-state friends and family to when they are in town?

If you’re not from the Dallas area, what’s the first thing you think of when Dallas is brought up? The Dallas skyline or the Dallas Cowboys Stadium, right?

Surprise! The Stadium is actually in Arlington, Texas!

Well, if you’re not sure where to go or what to see, I have an itinerary that I think captures some really interesting experiences in Dallas, Texas. And the best part-- it’s a fantastic deal!

For the Ducky Tran staff, this itinerary cost $221 which includes a small breakfast, lunch, 4 different attractions and 4 paid parking fees for 2 people. Even though the staff completed the entire itinerary in a single day, it is recommended to break it up into 2 days to enjoy your attractions without feeling rushed.

Reviews about the individual experiences may be posted in the future, but today I’ll just review the Dallas CityPass.

The Good:

  • The Dallas CityPass is a deal created so you can experience 4 of 5 attractions for nearly half price! Personally, since I’ve been to these attractions before, this deal isn’t as attractive to me. But for any first-timers, this is a great experience for the price!

  • All the attractions are within 10 minutes drive from each other (except for the George W. Bush Presidential Center, that’s why I didn’t’ include it in the itinerary).

  • Each museum can take 2-3 hours, the zoo 3-4 hours and the GeO-Deck at least 30 minutes. This means you can easily fill 1 or 2 days of activities for your group.

  • Plus, there are some really amazing restaurants in this part of Dallas.

  • The Perot Museum and Zoo are amazing for families, they are quite interactive and fun for the kids.

The Bad:

  • Parking! This is the worse part of city life, most parking is paid parking unless you are lucky to find some of the coveted free street parking.

  • The other 2 museums are not catered to young kids like the Perot, so taking kids with the CityPass should probably be completed in 2 separate days unless your kids are a little older.

  • This is a minor issue, but once you have visited the first attraction, you have to use the CityPass within 9 days. (if you use a similar itinerary to mine, then you don’t have to worry about this).

The Ducky Tran staff did note that even though all the attractions were good, the Holocaust Museum and GeO-Deck only require a single visit while the other attractions and restaurants can be re-visited again in the future.

Well, there you have it, an itinerary for your next visit to Dallas, Texas. Don’t forget, bring along some friends!

The Premium Core

This week’s Premium Core product is the Ducky Tran membership.

Since this is the first issue and most of you don’t have any information to compare to, I want to show you how much value you can get with a Ducky Tran membership. Also, at the end of this section, I’ll have a special deal for all the members that joined early!

Obviously, many of you may have already read the membership 101 issue or watch the benefits Youtube video. I will not be going over that again; instead, I’ll be diving deep into other aspects of the benefits and giving examples so you can visualize how valuable the membership can be.

Odds of Winning

I just want to point out that the general odds of winning in Ducky Tran is much higher than any other contests out there. You can win from the photo contests, you can get gifts from referrals, you can take advantage of The Premium Core deals-- and you can do this every single week!

If you read the odds of winning The Bespoke and The Ultra High End photo contests, you may have realized that I give out prizes based on the number of members in the community. However, there can be fewer people that submit for those contests than the actual number of premium members.

EXAMPLE: The odds of winning an Apple Watch this week is 1 out of 210 members. Let’s say by the time of judging there are 450 members, but only 300 members actually submits for the Apple Watch. That means your odds are now 2 out of 300 (or 1 out of 150) to win a watch.

The odds will be exaggerated even more as Ducky Tran grows, since not everyone will be active 100% of the time.

Prize Frequency

Like I hinted above, if you think about the Apple Watch only, it seems like you have a 1 in 210 chance of winning a prize. But, if you consider the monthly Bespoke contests, the weekly Ultra High End contests, the weekly Premium Core deals, and the Everyday Luxury referral program, you will see that you are likely to receive something nearly every month as a prize or deal. Plus, if you invite many friends to join, when your friends win, the prizes may be beneficial to you too!

EXAMPLE: You refer 4 friends in the first 3 weeks, and receive the first 2 referral gifts. You don’t win any of the photo contests, but one of your friends that you referred wins the Bespoke vacation prize. That friend then invites you to travel to Vegas with them in 2024. During that time, you’ve invited another 10 friends, so you receive another 3 referral gifts. In January, you win a weekly prize worth $500. From December through February, you’ve used 6 Premium Core deals. That means within 3 months, you have received 5 referral gifts, 1 Bespoke prize (through a referred member), 1 Ultra High End prize (your own), and 6 Premium Core deals.

This just shows the more involved you are, the better your experience may be. And what goes around, comes around. Your referrals will be rewarding!

Prize Variety

With contests happening weekly, there is a possibility of more than 60 different prizes through a single year. Even though the referral program currently shows gifts up to 40 referrals, I have planned out to 200 referrals already, and I expect to continue to expand it as Ducky Tran grows. I believe by having this variety in prizes and gifts makes the community fun and maintains the excitement of opening the weekly newsletter!

Online Community, In-Person Community

Yes, Ducky Tran is an online community. However, my intention is to meet with as many members of the community in-person as possible. I believe that in-person social interaction can never be replaced by any technology. So even though I will host many online opportunities weekly, I will have more in-person events as Ducky Tran grows and facilities become more available.

Not Just a Gym

I believe the Facilities Access will be the most valuable benefit in Ducky Tran.

My goal is to not lease or have temporary locations, but actually buy the sites. This means over time, Ducky Tran can actually have many facilities throughout the U.S., where members can come together to socialize.

EXAMPLE: Members vote to get a clubhouse. The majority of members are located in the DFW area, so I pick a mansion in Dallas to purchase. That building becomes a place where members can go to visit for refreshments, games and socializing. Also, staff will work from there to make it dual-use. I plan a Thanksgiving Dinner party in Dallas for Ducky Tran members, so I don’t have to rent a location anymore. After 6 months, members vote to build a gym. The second highest concentration of members are in Omaha, so I purchase a gym in Omaha and use it as a second location for members and staff. As the community grows, more facilities throughout the U.S. will be made available.

Just from that example, you can see how this will be a very valuable benefit. I can’t wait to see everyone at our first clubhouse!

The Price is Right

The value of any membership or subscription is mostly subjective. However, from what you’ve read so far, Ducky Tran really makes it worth while when you are more involved. That means with some effort, you can make your membership worth even more!

EXAMPLE: In 3 months, you have spent $105 on your Ducky Tran membership. You are a social bug and don’t check your email often, so you didn’t enter any contests or use any deals; however, you did refer 30 friends to Ducky Tran. Through the referral program, you are gifted 8 items worth $235. The value on the 8 referral gifts are not even true retail value since I’ve priced the products in the Ducky Tran store to barely break-even. I did this so everyone has the opportunity to get merchandise to represent the Ducky Tran community.

Notice, even without doing anything else except referring friends, the membership is quite valuable. If you win a single weekly prize during those 3 months, your membership will be closer to $700+. Now, include 2 deals per month and the value is nearly $900 in prizes/gifts/deals.

What’s the Deal?

I’m about to make your Ducky Tran membership worth $1,000+ with this first deal! This deal will only happen ONCE!

I want to give the founding members of Ducky Tran something that is worth their time and to show how much I value their support in 2023.

Deal #1: Any member that refers at least 12 premium members to Ducky Tran in 2023. I will give them 12 months of Ducky Tran Membership for FREE!

Deal #2: Any member that completes Deal #1, will have an opportunity to win $1,000 eGift Card from a drawing in January 2024.

That means, you have the rest of 2023 to get at least 12 family/friends to become a Ducky Tran premium member. You will still receive the referral gifts. And you will be part of a drawing for $1,000 eGift Card. The best thing is, everyone you’ve referred can also take advantage of this deal until the end of 2023!

Because this deal is so unique, I will mention it every week until the end of the year. If this isn’t an amazing deal, then Ducky Tran is probably not the community for you.

The Accessible Core

Can You Be Social, Alone?

Technology is truly a double-edge sword to humankind. It has made the world so small, yet people are lonelier than ever before.

In-person social interaction cannot be replaced by any technology. However, it is difficult to remove all technology from our lives. So why not make it work for us like its original purpose rather than be trapped in a lonely world behind screens?

You may think:

  1. No one picks up their phone anymore

  2. I don’t have anything to talk about

  3. Everyone is always too busy

  4. I have no friends

But let me give you some examples how technology can help you with these problems.

  1. Instead of sending plain text messages, use the audio or video message function. It has been proven that hearing someone’s voice can make you happier. And if you pair it with facial expressions, it can be even more effective. Ask your friends to do the same, and you’ll realize the difference it will make for your friendship.

  2. Sometimes I feel like my neighbors and I only talk about the weather. So I ask ChatGPT, “What are some interesting things that happened on November 22?” Now, I have some really cool topics to mention when I see my neighbor at the mailbox today. You can also download a table topic app, which gives you a variety of things you and your friends can video message about.

  3. Your friends are normally too busy because they work, eat and sleep during the same hours of the day as you do. So setup a reminder during a time you are doing chores, so you can call up a friend and multitask. Or, using a shared calendar or group chat, have your close friends post their availability during the week. Normally, it isn’t that everyone is busy, rather it’s because you just don’t know when they are free.

  4. Obviously, there are dating and social apps that try to bring people together. But many times, those apps actually make us lonelier. Instead, you need to find people with similar interests, meet via video calls and/or in-person. Here’s my experience. I am part of my neighborhood’s Facebook group. I have replied a few times on some of my neighbors’ posts/comments. I attend some neighborhood events and meet the people I have replied to. We hit it off with the topics that I replied to in the Facebook group. From then on, we hang out during other events and schedule some play dates so our kids can spend time together. This isn’t how all friends are made, but it sure helps if you’re at zero. Don’t forget, Ducky Tran can be that community that connects you with your future friends!

These are just some examples on how I use technology to socialize, but there’s definitely many more. Don’t be trapped behind your screens, make technology help you be more social!

The Affordable Luxury

This Week’s Community Polls

How much time do you spend on house chores each day?

Login or Subscribe to participate in polls.

If given an extra hour every day, what would you do with it?

Login or Subscribe to participate in polls.

For The Ultra High End prize, which variation would you rather have?

Login or Subscribe to participate in polls.

The Everyday Luxury

(The referral program is only viewable on the email version of the newsletter.)

The D-Logo Duck Keychain

The first referral gift is a very special gift. It is an exclusive item that cannot be purchased in the Ducky Tran Store. At 2 referrals only, it is achievable for every member, but requires some effort. This exclusive item helps other members recognize that you’re a part of Ducky Tran and can be the ice breaker if you see other members in public. Even something so small can be the tool that helps us become more social!

I want to thank everyone that have supported me in my development of Ducky Tran. Thank you for your trust, your encouragement and your friendship!

Visit shop.duckytran.com with the weekly password: apple

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