Boomerang For Gmail: A Must Have Tool For Any Marketer

51 replies
I installed Boomerang recently and I must say, I don't how I've done without. Anybody else appreciate this useful tool?

Originally Posted by Baka2k View Post

Boomerang can help you:

-Remember to pay bills
-Schedule birthday/holiday notes when you have time to write them
-Make sure you follow up with a sales lead
-Communicate with people in different time zones
-Clear out travel confirmation emails, returning them on the day of your trip
-And lots more!
#boomerang #gmail #marketer #tool
  • Profile picture of the author MarkTrueman
    there is a google labs option that does the same thing and so does Streak which is better.
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  • Profile picture of the author Broderick Boyd
    Cool, I'll try it out!

    -Brody
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  • Profile picture of the author locke815
    Originally Posted by Steve Longoria View Post

    I installed Boomerang recently and I must say, I don't how I've done without. Anybody else appreciate this useful tool?

    Boomerang for Gmail - Demo - YouTube
    Great tool indeed. Thanks for sharing
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  • Profile picture of the author Paul Gram
    Wow, I hadn't seed Boomerang before. Looks pretty cool, I'm definitely going to start using it.
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  • Profile picture of the author GuyDon
    can we use as an autoresponder system like aweber?
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    • Profile picture of the author Steve L
      Originally Posted by GuyDon View Post

      can we use as an autoresponder system like aweber?
      No, Boomerang serves a different purpose. It's more for 1-on-1 communication. It's not meant to replace Aweber, it's complimentary.
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  • Profile picture of the author celente
    wow, did not know this existed, gunna try it. thx
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  • Profile picture of the author wilhb81
    Hmm, Boomerang? Never heard of it before. I'm going to give it a peek now! Thanks Steve.
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  • Profile picture of the author CDarklock
    Nobody is saying anything to make me interested in watching the video, so I can't be arsed.

    I can, however, be arsed to take a few minutes - probably longer than the video - to educate people on the basic idea of engagement. I just clicked on a post in this forum and I am not engaged yet.

    Steve says this tool is good. Well, that's fine. I hear a lot about how great Buffer (Buffer - A Smarter Way to Share on Social Media) is, too. It's fantastic if you want to automate and schedule your activity on Facebook, but I don't want to, so meh.

    See, most marketers are doing crap I don't want to do. They don't understand what is or is not good for my business, because they do not have my business and quite likely do not care about my business. So "this tool is a must-have" means jack squat and does not generate any interest at all for me.

    If Steve had said "I don't how I've done without [this stuff that Boomerang does]" he might have gotten me interested in the tool, but he didn't. So I'm not. And therefore, I won't watch the video. Or click the link.

    There's a powerful marketing lesson in there, incidentally
    Signature
    "The Golden Town is the Golden Town no longer. They have sold their pillars for brass and their temples for money, they have made coins out of their golden doors. It is become a dark town full of trouble, there is no ease in its streets, beauty has left it and the old songs are gone." - Lord Dunsany, The Messengers
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    • Profile picture of the author Steve L
      Originally Posted by CDarklock View Post

      Nobody is saying anything to make me interested in watching the video, so I can't be arsed.

      I can, however, be arsed to take a few minutes - probably longer than the video - to educate people on the basic idea of engagement. I just clicked on a post in this forum and I am not engaged yet.

      Steve says this tool is good. Well, that's fine. I hear a lot about how great Buffer (Buffer - A Smarter Way to Share on Social Media) is, too. It's fantastic if you want to automate and schedule your activity on Facebook, but I don't want to, so meh.

      See, most marketers are doing crap I don't want to do. They don't understand what is or is not good for my business, because they do not have my business and quite likely do not care about my business. So "this tool is a must-have" means jack squat and does not generate any interest at all for me.

      If Steve had said "I don't how I've done without [this stuff that Boomerang does]" he might have gotten me interested in the tool, but he didn't. So I'm not. And therefore, I won't watch the video. Or click the link.

      There's a powerful marketing lesson in there, incidentally
      Dude, the video is super short. It's a free email tool that makes any entrepeneurs job easier. That should be enough incentive to watch a short video which explains further. If not, your loss.

      Also, I'm confused. If my thread wasn't engaging enough for you, what made you even click on the thread?
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      • Profile picture of the author CDarklock
        Originally Posted by Steve Longoria View Post

        Also, I'm confused. If my thread wasn't engaging enough for you, what made you even click on the thread?
        The title is engaging enough for me to read a thread.

        The post is not engaging enough for me to watch a video.

        I have read this thread five times and it took less than 15 seconds each time I clicked it. And after a dozen responses, there is still nobody saying what this tool does. That tells me this tool is not well understood.

        Which rather detracts from all the rave reviews, n'est-ce-pas?
        Signature
        "The Golden Town is the Golden Town no longer. They have sold their pillars for brass and their temples for money, they have made coins out of their golden doors. It is become a dark town full of trouble, there is no ease in its streets, beauty has left it and the old songs are gone." - Lord Dunsany, The Messengers
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        • Profile picture of the author Paul Myers
          Caliban,
          there is still nobody saying what this tool does.
          The main function is to schedule the date and time certain outbound emails from a Gmail account will be sent. It also allows you to track follow-ups, specifically based on whether someone doesn't reply to an email within a user-specified time period.

          Other stuff, too, but those are the high points.

          As with any such system provided by a third party, I'd have real concerns about the security of passwords. Assuming, that is, that I used Gmail for anything important enough to care about getting hacked. Which I don't.


          Paul
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          • Profile picture of the author CDarklock
            Originally Posted by Paul Myers View Post

            The main function is to schedule the date and time certain outbound emails from a Gmail account will be sent.
            Thank you.

            This tool is completely irrelevant to my business. Like I said: "They don't understand what is or is not good for my business, because they do not have my business and quite likely do not care about my business." I cannot imagine when I would ever want to email someone on a specific date and time in the future AND know exactly what I was going to say on that date and time.

            That doesn't make it a bad tool. It would be great for someone who does a lot of one-to-one marketing, perhaps a sales or PR representative. It is just not useful to someone like myself who works in an almost exclusively one-to-many context. GetResponse and other mail service providers do a much better job of this for my purposes.
            Signature
            "The Golden Town is the Golden Town no longer. They have sold their pillars for brass and their temples for money, they have made coins out of their golden doors. It is become a dark town full of trouble, there is no ease in its streets, beauty has left it and the old songs are gone." - Lord Dunsany, The Messengers
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          • Profile picture of the author sbucciarel
            Banned
            Originally Posted by Steve Longoria View Post

            You're right, I could've been more descriptive. My bad! I understand there are some who hate video, but they are becoming (if not already) the minority.
            Actually, there are some due to bandwidth constraints that simply cannot watch video without hopping into their pickup truck and driving to McDonald's for free wifi. So, whether they're in the miniority or not, seems like a typewritten description of something you think is something every marketer should have would deserve a couple minutes of your time in explaining what is so great about it.

            Originally Posted by Paul Myers View Post

            Caliban,The main function is to schedule the date and time certain outbound emails from a Gmail account will be sent. It also allows you to track follow-ups, specifically based on whether someone doesn't reply to an email within a user-specified time period.

            Other stuff, too, but those are the high points.

            As with any such system provided by a third party, I'd have real concerns about the security of passwords. Assuming, that is, that I used Gmail for anything important enough to care about getting hacked. Which I don't.


            Paul
            Thanks for the clarification. I was wondering too what it did and most people know by now that I live in the country and video isn't in my vocabulary. Just not possible, so some details in actual typing is nice.
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        • Profile picture of the author Steve L
          Originally Posted by CDarklock View Post

          The title is engaging enough for me to read a thread.

          The post is not engaging enough for me to watch a video.

          I have read this thread five times and it took less than 15 seconds each time I clicked it. And after a dozen responses, there is still nobody saying what this tool does. That tells me this tool is not well understood.

          Which rather detracts from all the rave reviews, n'est-ce-pas?
          what do you have against short videos?
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          • Profile picture of the author CDarklock
            Originally Posted by Steve Longoria View Post

            what do you have against short videos?
            What do you have against saying "This tool does X" in your post?
            Signature
            "The Golden Town is the Golden Town no longer. They have sold their pillars for brass and their temples for money, they have made coins out of their golden doors. It is become a dark town full of trouble, there is no ease in its streets, beauty has left it and the old songs are gone." - Lord Dunsany, The Messengers
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            • Profile picture of the author Steve L
              Originally Posted by CDarklock View Post

              What do you have against saying "This tool does X" in your post?
              the video did the explaining for me. that's why.
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              • Profile picture of the author CDarklock
                Originally Posted by Steve Longoria View Post

                the video did the explaining for me. that's why.
                But I didn't watch it, so nothing was explained. You could have spent five extra seconds typing an explanation, and gotten more people to watch the video.

                Here, think of it like your email open rates and clickthru rates and conversion rates.

                Open = thread.

                Clickthru = video.

                Conversion = signup.

                I keep telling people: everything is a list. GMail contacts, Facebook friends, Twitter followers, YouTube subscribers, fellow forum members - they're lists. You can build relationships and market to them very much the same way you do in email.
                Signature
                "The Golden Town is the Golden Town no longer. They have sold their pillars for brass and their temples for money, they have made coins out of their golden doors. It is become a dark town full of trouble, there is no ease in its streets, beauty has left it and the old songs are gone." - Lord Dunsany, The Messengers
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                • Profile picture of the author Steve L
                  Originally Posted by CDarklock View Post

                  But I didn't watch it, so nothing was explained. You could have spent five extra seconds typing an explanation, and gotten more people to watch the video.

                  Here, think of it like your email open rates and clickthru rates and conversion rates.

                  Open = thread.

                  Clickthru = video.

                  Conversion = signup.

                  I keep telling people: everything is a list. GMail contacts, Facebook friends, Twitter followers, YouTube subscribers, fellow forum members - they're lists. You can build relationships and market to them very much the same way you do in email.
                  You're right, I could've been more descriptive. My bad! I understand there are some who hate video, but they are becoming (if not already) the minority.
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                  • Profile picture of the author Paul Myers
                    I understand there are some who hate video, but they are becoming (if not already) the minority.
                    Wow. You are REALLY off the mark here, Steve.

                    Caliban doesn't hate video. He uses video. What he hates, if I am reading this right, is people presuming they know what is and is not essential for him, and wasting his time and attention in the process.


                    Paul
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                    • Profile picture of the author Steve L
                      Originally Posted by Paul Myers View Post

                      Wow. You are REALLY off the mark here, Steve.

                      Caliban doesn't hate video. He uses video. What he hates, if I am reading this right, is people presuming they know what is and is not essential for him, and wasting his time and attention in the process.


                      Paul
                      he didn't have to click on this thread.
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                      • Profile picture of the author Paul Myers
                        Originally Posted by Steve Longoria View Post

                        he didn't have to click on this thread.
                        And you, sir, didn't have to give birth to a flaming canary simply because someone else didn't respond the way you would prefer they respond.


                        Paul
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                      • Profile picture of the author Baadier Sydow
                        Originally Posted by Steve Longoria View Post

                        he didn't have to click on this thread.
                        I really thought it read "he didn't have to dick on this thread" I thought full on flamewar launching in about 5..4..3..2..1

                        Completely random.
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                        • Profile picture of the author Steve L
                          Originally Posted by Baadier Sydow View Post

                          I really thought it read "he didn't have to dick on this thread" I thought full on flamewar launching in about 5..4..3..2..1

                          Completely random.
                          haha, that made me laugh. thanks!
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                        • Profile picture of the author Paul Myers
                          Baadier,
                          I really thought it read "he didn't have to dick on this thread"
                          That sort of thing is precisely why the word "flick" was forbidden in comic books, under the Comics Code Authority, for so many years.

                          I love those misfires of the recognition skills. One of my favorites was my misreading of a billboard for a restaurant called the "Frog Pond." They used an odd font for the name, and when I first saw it, I thought it said "Frog Porn." Seeing that while driving down a country road, between small towns, was an ... interesting ... experience.


                          Paul
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                          • Profile picture of the author Baadier Sydow
                            Originally Posted by Paul Myers View Post

                            Baadier,That sort of thing is precisely why the word "flick" was forbidden in comic books, under the Comics Code Authority, for so many years.

                            I love those misfires of the recognition skills. One of my favorites was my misreading of a billboard for a restaurant called the "Frog Pond." They used an odd font for the name, and when I first saw it, I thought it said "Frog Porn." Seeing that while driving down a country road, between small towns, was an ... interesting ... experience.


                            Paul
                            Its quite funny when you spot it and even better when it hits you late. A lot of the guys in my mastermind group have been sharing business URL's that go around and clients determined to stick with it. Not going to share too much details but one that comes to mind is a blinds company who's url amounted to blind sex act!
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                          • Profile picture of the author CDarklock
                            Originally Posted by Paul Myers View Post

                            Baadier,That sort of thing is precisely why the word "flick" was forbidden in comic books, under the Comics Code Authority, for so many years.

                            The Megaflicks video store in Port Ritchie, Florida did not get the memo.


                            Two for $5.99?! AWESOME
                            Signature
                            "The Golden Town is the Golden Town no longer. They have sold their pillars for brass and their temples for money, they have made coins out of their golden doors. It is become a dark town full of trouble, there is no ease in its streets, beauty has left it and the old songs are gone." - Lord Dunsany, The Messengers
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                          • Profile picture of the author JimDucharme
                            Originally Posted by Paul Myers View Post

                            Baadier,That sort of thing is precisely why the word "flick" was forbidden in comic books, under the Comics Code Authority, for so many years.

                            I love those misfires of the recognition skills. One of my favorites was my misreading of a billboard for a restaurant called the "Frog Pond." They used an odd font for the name, and when I first saw it, I thought it said "Frog Porn." Seeing that while driving down a country road, between small towns, was an ... interesting ... experience.


                            Paul
                            Reminds me of the time I was living in SF and in a new part of town. I stopped to call a cab and when he asked me of the address I looked up and noticed there was a Tai restraunt (seemed a good landmark to cite) called "Phucket." Not being familar with the name (this was before the Tsunami) I pronounced it to the dispatcher phonetically and he wasn't impressed.

                            The cab never showed up.

                            Regards,
                            jim

                            PS: gotta love a good tangent.
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                            • Profile picture of the author Baadier Sydow
                              Originally Posted by JimDucharme View Post

                              Reminds me of the time I was living in SF and in a new part of town. I stopped to call a cab and when he asked me of the address I looked up and noticed there was a Tai restraunt (seemed a good landmark to cite) called "Phucket." Not being familar with the name (this was before the Tsunami) I pronounced it to the dispatcher phonetically and he wasn't impressed.

                              The cab never showed up.

                              Regards,
                              jim

                              PS: gotta love a good tangent.
                              I was thinking the exact same thing, this thread has drifted off on its own and im staying subscribed
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                            • Profile picture of the author CDarklock
                              Originally Posted by JimDucharme View Post

                              PS: gotta love a good tangent.
                              It's a sine of the times.

                              (runs away)
                              Signature
                              "The Golden Town is the Golden Town no longer. They have sold their pillars for brass and their temples for money, they have made coins out of their golden doors. It is become a dark town full of trouble, there is no ease in its streets, beauty has left it and the old songs are gone." - Lord Dunsany, The Messengers
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                              • Profile picture of the author jnels999
                                I never would have watched the short video. But now I've spent so much timing reading this thread that I MUST WATCH IT.

                                Just to justify the time I've "invested" already....
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                                • Profile picture of the author Baadier Sydow
                                  Originally Posted by jnels999 View Post

                                  I never would have watched the short video. But now I've spent so much timing reading this thread that I MUST WATCH IT.

                                  Just to justify the time I've "invested" already....
                                  Lol you managed to get through a 50 post tangent, well done
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          • Profile picture of the author Paul Myers
            Steve,
            what do you have against short videos?
            That's rather a tall conclusion you've leapt to in a single bound, no?

            He didn't say he had anything against them. He said you hadn't motivated him to spend the time watching this one. And, given the number of requests many of us get for time every day, it seems more than a little presumptuous of you to be so annoyed that he chose to spend his in answering your OP, rather than the content recommended in what could be considered a blind ad.


            Paul
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  • Profile picture of the author Robert Montgomery
    Thanks for the share, seems like a nice tool for free but not sure I would take the option to pay though.

    Rob
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  • Profile picture of the author Baadier Sydow
    I use boomerang as part of my daily workflow. I tend to work on proposals after hours and then schedule the sending for more business appropriate time in the morning.

    Another extension for Gmail that has become indispensable is Yesware. Yesware - Email For Salespeople - Yesware. It lets me track the opening of emails, template storage, follow up emails etc.
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    • Profile picture of the author CDarklock
      Originally Posted by Baadier Sydow View Post

      Another extension for Gmail that has become indispensable is Yesware. Yesware - Email For Salespeople - Yesware. It lets me track the opening of emails, template storage, follow up emails etc.
      See, that's more than enough info for me to know whether I should click that link or not. (I shouldn't.) Just a quick sentence or two, and it saves me the time and trouble of doing something you already did.

      Time is precious. Use it wisely. Help others use theirs wisely.
      Signature
      "The Golden Town is the Golden Town no longer. They have sold their pillars for brass and their temples for money, they have made coins out of their golden doors. It is become a dark town full of trouble, there is no ease in its streets, beauty has left it and the old songs are gone." - Lord Dunsany, The Messengers
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      • Profile picture of the author Steve L
        Originally Posted by CDarklock View Post

        See, that's more than enough info for me to know whether I should click that link or not. (I shouldn't.) Just a quick sentence or two, and it saves me the time and trouble of doing something you already did.

        Time is precious. Use it wisely. Help others use theirs wisely.
        Next time I'll be sure to ask myself if my thread is engaging enough for CDarklock.
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      • Profile picture of the author Baadier Sydow
        Originally Posted by CDarklock View Post

        See, that's more than enough info for me to know whether I should click that link or not. (I shouldn't.) Just a quick sentence or two, and it saves me the time and trouble of doing something you already did.

        Time is precious. Use it wisely. Help others use theirs wisely.
        I only added it in after reading through your previous posts lol
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  • Profile picture of the author Steve L
    i don't know what else you want me to say. i already said that yes, i could've been more descriptive about the video. I'll be sure to do that in the future. I appreciate your feedback CDarklock!
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    • Profile picture of the author Paul Myers
      i don't know what else you want me to say.
      I don't really have a strong preference in the matter. I'm using the conversation more as a reminder to other people not to throw unsupported assumptions out there in the form of allegations.
      i already said that yes, i could've been more descriptive about the video.
      That's Caliban's point, or one of them. Not mine. My concern is with the way you attempted to twist the discussion into something it wasn't.

      Recognizing that is a useful skill for folks to develop, especially in forums. As a rule, most people learn it more readily in non-critical situations like this than when there's something larger on the line and they're more invested in the outcome.
      geez
      Seriously? Did you just try that?


      Paul
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  • Profile picture of the author Baka2k
    Boomerang can help you:

    -Remember to pay bills
    -Schedule birthday/holiday notes when you have time to write them
    -Make sure you follow up with a sales lead
    -Communicate with people in different time zones
    -Clear out travel confirmation emails, returning them on the day of your trip
    -And lots more!
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    • Profile picture of the author Baadier Sydow
      Originally Posted by Baka2k View Post

      Boomerang can help you:

      -Remember to pay bills
      -Schedule birthday/holiday notes when you have time to write them
      -Make sure you follow up with a sales lead
      -Communicate with people in different time zones
      -Clear out travel confirmation emails, returning them on the day of your trip
      -And lots more!
      Thanks for sharing but you really should have read the rest of the posts. There was an audible sigh from the other commenters on this thread.
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      • Profile picture of the author Steve L
        Originally Posted by Baadier Sydow View Post

        Thanks for sharing but you really should have read the rest of the posts. There was an audible sigh from the other commenters on this thread.
        An audible sigh that has nothing to do with the topic of this thread. Moving on!
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        • Profile picture of the author Paul Myers
          An audible sigh that has nothing to do with the topic of this thread. Moving on!
          [chuckle] There's a useful phrase for folks who worry too much about this sort of thing, Steve:

          Drift happens.


          Paul
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    • Profile picture of the author Steve L
      Originally Posted by Baka2k View Post

      Boomerang can help you:

      -Remember to pay bills
      -Schedule birthday/holiday notes when you have time to write them
      -Make sure you follow up with a sales lead
      -Communicate with people in different time zones
      -Clear out travel confirmation emails, returning them on the day of your trip
      -And lots more!
      Thanks for that. It helps to understand the possible uses for it. Really, there are many uses for it, even for the average joe with no business.
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    • Profile picture of the author Baadier Sydow
      Originally Posted by Fraggler View Post

      What do you call a boomerang that doesn't come back?
      A Stick.

      Ive heard it before
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    • Profile picture of the author CDarklock
      Originally Posted by Fraggler View Post

      What do you call a boomerang that doesn't come back?
      Brown and sticky.
      Signature
      "The Golden Town is the Golden Town no longer. They have sold their pillars for brass and their temples for money, they have made coins out of their golden doors. It is become a dark town full of trouble, there is no ease in its streets, beauty has left it and the old songs are gone." - Lord Dunsany, The Messengers
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  • Profile picture of the author Paul Myers
    Caliban,
    The Megaflicks video store in Port Ritchie, Florida did not get the memo.
    Having spent a few months in Port Ritchie, I am reasonably confident that was not an oversight.


    Paul
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