Dear friends in the Search for Bianca,
It was December when I last sent a newsletter to the email list. While
announcing the conclusion of
the Claudia Bella chapter of the search, I mentioned that I intended to
send out the
next newsletter when I felt the long term classified ad campaign I had
proposed had fallen into place. With all the hardships this winter has
brought to New England, from the merciless weather to soaring energy
prices
and hyperinflation, I'm about
two months late in my follow up. But it has also taken some additional
time for the classified ad campaign to take shape and it is still in a
state of evolution, as I'm sure it will continue to be.
The following is a list of publications and web sites where classifieds
promoting
the search have run or are currently running. As it turns out, most of
the outlets are on line only:
Publications targeted to Brazil:
Classificados Brasil - I first used this publication in May and
June of last year
when I was trying to locate the model I had discovered (who of course,
turned out to be Claudia). I refer to the company behind it as "the
Craig's List of South America" and they obviously have the heaviest web
traffic of any
publication I am currently using that specifically targets Brazil. The
current ad has been running since
shortly after my last newsletter. A week or two after it began, a lady
from Rio named Anna wrote to me mentioning that the Portuguese I was
using appeared to be coming primarily from an Internet
translation. She offered to provide a real native translation, and she
also ended up doing one or two other brief translation
tasks for me, for which I am very grateful.
As it turns out, the ad in Classificados Brasil is the only one I've
been able to place so far that actually costs something... a whopping 4
U.S. dollars per month, in fact. After the high rolling
expenses I amassed in the wake of last year's developments, it's a
relief to
know that the search is currently costing me only $4 per month.
Que Barato! - This had looked
to be a good on line classified publication for Brazil. But the ad was
pulled after 71 views because I violated some "term of use." I
resubmitted the ad to them directly asking their judgment as to proper
category and how to comply with their terms. But lacking a reply, and
the difficulty of reading a very long "terms of use" statement in
Portuguese, I recently resubmitted it to see how long it will last.
Redeparede - Another on line classified publication for all of
Brazil
that can be pinpointed by city. My biggest problem with Redeparede is
attempting to fit into one of their categories. With most publications,
I have had the smoothest run in the "miscellaneous" designation
("Diversos" in Portuguese). But Redeparede and Que Barato lack one. I
actually tried their
adult category, but I was advised a few days later that it didn't
belong there. I may decide to try again in their "dating" category
where you can actually create a new subcategory. I thought I would
create one
called "Lost Love/Missed Connections." But when I gave the
ad another shot a few days ago, I could not change the category.
Craig's List, Rio de Janeiro Porthole - A year or two ago, many
of the foreign portholes that Craig's List set up seemed to have little
activity. That was certainly the case for Rio de Janeiro. But recently
there seems to be more activity with new ads showing up daily and many
of them in Portuguese. So I submitted one for the "missed connections"
category under personals. Yes, there is still far less activity in this
Craig's List porthole than there is for a major American city. But they
make it up to you by keeping the ad available for 45 days instead of
the mere 7 you get in Boston. My ad is in Portuguese with English
translation at the end.
Publications targeted to Brazilian immigrants in New England:
Tá Ná Mão - Old tried and true. The largest classified
publication in
the region for Brazilian immigrants. My short copy runs in both the
print and on line versions. I have to resubmit the ad every 15 days to
make each edition, but the process is quick and easy. And... it's free.
Metropolitan Brazil News - A publication based in Malden that I
have seen on
newsstands in Framingham. Like Tá Ná Mão, I have to renew the ad every
15 days, but they notify me when the ad has expired and been removed.
It's an easy account to maintain. However I still haven't determined
for sure whether the ad reaches the print edition. I tend to think it
doesn't because there is no word limit and the total number of
classifieds running on line is rather small.
Craig's List, Boston Porthole - This ad is basically the same as
the one in the Rio porthole but with the languages reversed. It only
runs for seven days at a shot and I am currently renewing it only once
a month. But as all of us in the States know, the exposure you get on
Craig's List is staggering. And it's free, no less. One lady who read
the ad suggested I try a service called MyPersonalTracker.com.
Apparently, if they don't find who you are looking for, you pay
nothing, but if you confirm that they have, the charge is only $97.
Having been down that route before, with nothing but the sparse
details we have had to work with over the past 3 1/2 years, it's going
to take a lot more than a $97 effort to find Bianca through public
records. As those of you who have been familiar with this search from
the beginning realize, she is not going to be found by filling in a
form. You have to think outside the box and look at the situations and
geography of her life in 2004 and find someone who knew her, or find a
current friend or family member in Rio who knew the circumstances of
her life in 2004. Nevertheless, I plan to finally submit my case to
this company. It shouldn't take long once I get the chance to do it.
Now, anyone familiar with print and on-line Brazilian
media - both
locally and in Rio - is probably asking the question, "What about the
'big guns'?" In Massachusetts, what about the Brazilian Times,
another
publication where I have advertised in the past? How about the big Rio
dailies such as O Globo and their on-line ZAP classifieds, and O Día
and their on line classifieds? As for the Brazilian Times,
there is no mention of them carrying classifieds in their on line
version. The advertising I purchased from them in 2006 was display
advertising and it cost $100 a pop. I simply cannot afford that price
now. As for the on line versions of the big Rio daily newspapers,
their on-line rates are actually very reasonable. In fact, they are the
same as Classificados Brasil - $4 U.S. per month. Classifieds in the
print versions are considerably more - around $55 U.S. for 17 or 18
words run one time. But here is the problem with the Rio dailies: The
program on their servers that handles classified ad submissions can
only accept ads from legal residents of Brazil. If you do not have a
valid Brazilian tax ID number, the forms will not allow you to submit
the ad. When I was finally able to take this problem to customer
service through live chat, O Globo confirmed
that their system is not set up at this time to accept ads from people
living outside Brazil. Of course, a Brazilian resident on this email
list or
elsewhere could come forward and offer to submit an ad locally on my
behalf. Considering how financially strung out I am right now, I
can only handle the on line versions. But baring an offer like that,
which could take some time to set up, I have to consider the classified
campaign pretty much set.
As for things on the personal side, on a Sunday afternoon back in
January I discovered just how much I can still be touched by this whole
situation
and its history. For several hours on that
day, it just seemed natural to collect all of my various non-electronic
souvenirs of the search and organize them into several large clasp
envelopes. In essence, I was picking up where I had left off on the
last Sunday of February 2007 - the day I stopped in my tracks realizing
just how much that Rio de Janeiro porn model looked like Bianca.
Apparently there was just enough distance at this point from the end of
the Claudia Bella chapter, combined with how vividly the souvenirs
rekindled memories of late 2004, 2005, and 2006. I found it
difficult to keep my eyes dry through much of the rest of my task.
This newsletter will most likely be the last for the foreseeable
future. As time goes on, the classified campaign may drop certain
publications and add others. I may also receive suggestions worth
trying. But such developments will not warrant another newsletter. Only
a significant breakthrough will make any more necessary. If
months go by and you are curious as to how the search is doing, simply
visit
the web site. I will list incidental updates with the ad campaign on
the home page. Also, I have begun a feature at the bottom of that page
where I briefly look at the current month in search history. It takes
discipline to review the search at the beginning of each month and
write this summary. But I am always happy with the results and glad I
devoted the time. Often I am able to reveal information that was too
sensitive to reveal at the time it was happening. It has certainly
been a beneficial monthly exercise.
As always, I thank all of you for your interest and support and offer
my best wishes.
Sincerely,
Jeff
--
Troubadour 1700 AM
Shirley, MA
Home Brewed Micro Radio
Progressive Easy Listening Music
Progressive Talk Without the Gatekeepers
Live internet stream
http://www.t1700.net
The Search for Bianca/Daniela
A mission of Love since July 2004
http://www.voltabianca.info
Domain for sale:
http://www.claudiabella.com