Stick with this ... this is a classic.

VIA

The biggest reason we're here is to help increase the profile of the Des Moines creative community. That means YOU. So how can you help? Sign up for a member profile. It costs nothing. Zip. Zero. Nada. And, it's an easy way to promote you, your expertise and a sampling of your best work. What bad could possibly come of that?

Building a member profile is simple. Plus there are benefits, like seeing local job postings three days before anyone else, having the ability to comment on articles, stories, editorials and forums ... and, did we mention you could be "discovered" here?

Here are the basics: Choose a user name. This is the name that will show up at the top of your profile page. Then select your "listing name" (the one you enter after the initial user name and password setup). This will be the one used to list you on the talent category pages along with other members.

Fill our a few additional details. If you don't have a website, please put your email address or phone number in your description so people can contact you. Then take a gander through the digital/development listings to find someone to build you a site!

Select and upload a few examples of your best work so people can get a feel for the type of work you do. Viola! You've got a profile that can be seen by the entire creative community!

Start here: www.thedesmoinesegotist.com/join

Damn, we missed a great opportunity to help our Ego brothers and sisters in other cities pile on and thrash a self-promoting blog wannabe who is using Ego sites around the country (and other top advertising blogs) to drive traffic to his own lame site through comments, THEN, blatantly bashing those site with this huge banner graphic:

Meander through our comments section of our humble site and you'll find this hack listed a few times recently. He's done the same on other Ego city sites as well. Our favorite retort comes from our friends in San Francisco:

Shitting in the punchbowl at the company party will get you noticed, too. But not in the way you want.

And that's kind of what you just did here.

See more drama (and a back-peddling apology) on the site.

Don't know how they'd do in a knife fight, but in a battle of blogging wits, it's good to know San Fran's got your back!