Would you buy a shirt from this man? Remember Woody Allen's "Sleeper"?

If you're a regular reader of my blog, you'll notice something different today. The bots and automated search algorithms that only scour keywords but don't actually read anything won't notice, but if you have two eyes and a brain, you will.

I've been blogging since 2005, and I love to write. Those who know me will know that my blog has never been a commercial venture, and I have this old school Church/State thing about keeping my content/thought leadership separate from the pressures of making a living. For that reason, I've always maintained a separate website for J Arnold & Associates, and that's where you go to learn about my practice and areas of expertise. As I always tell people, my blog is where I do my telling, and the website is where I do my selling. Fair? I think so.

So, what's new today? OMG, there's a banner ad at the top of the landing page! What's that about, and why there an ad here for a... tailor - huh?

Ok, so let me explain. I've never done this before, but am happily giving it a try. Here's the story. I get a lot of inquiries and offers from outside tech/telecom - some of it is way off base, some want to tap into my traffic and some really like my writing.

Generally, I only write about tech/telecom here, but will occasionally write about the Red Sox, Americana, music, film and culture - and I could easily create standalone blogs and write endlessly about any of them. Any sponsors out there?

A few weeks back, I was contacted by Modern Tailor, and as you can guess by now, they do everything on the Web - a very modern take on tailoring. I'm old school enough that I still like suits and dressing well, although that seems so out of place in telecom. I don't shop online much, but I'm interested in their products, so we're doing a small contra deal.

It's not that big of a stretch, really. My readers are consumers too, and the males buy shirts and suits from time to time. If the ad catches your eye, hopefully you'll click through to their site, and you might even give them some business. In return, I get to try some of their handiwork, and if all goes well, we'll keep it going.

As Harvey Fierstien used to say, "is that so wrong?" Well? I don't think I'm compromising my analyst integrity, and I happen to love nice shirts. No money is changing hands, and we're both trying something new. I'm dipping my toe into the Wild West world of Internet commerce...

So, now for the really big question - would you buy a shirt from this man? I've never understood why people would buy personal attire like clothes and shoes online, unless they knew the fit was good. I've come across a few online tailors like Modern Tailor (mostly for shirts, mind you), so they must be doing something right.

I don't know about you, but the first thing that popped into my head was the scene from Woody Allen's futuristic Sleeper, where he gets fitted for a suit by a robot tailor. If you haven't seen it (or it's been forever since you have), take 90 seconds now and check out the clip.

Nu, so you vant a suit? Plain or fancy? This scene says it all, but I'll close here by telling you my first experience with Modern Tailor was exactly the opposite. They have a great process, a virtually unlimited pallet of options, and the fit was great. If you trust me for my telecom writing, I hope that transfers to Modern Tailor! It works, and I'll be back for more.

That's my story, and if you're still with me, I'll be writing a more detailed review shortly about the process and results so far with Modern Tailor. It works for me, and if you have your doubts, you'll want to read my review.