For the past week, those of you who follow Draper on social media outlets such as Twitter and Facebook may have noticed us posting photos, with the hashtag #YearOfDraper.

Our first #YearOfDraper post, featuring the starting point for a lot of customer interaction-Beth, our receptionist.

No, you didn’t miss some big announcement. There’s been no Presidential order or Congressional action. There’s nothing on the calendar about this being named the Year of Draper by anybody.

So what gives?

The #YearOfDraper is simply a way to help our customers (and potential customers) get to know us better, and for us to get to know you better, as well.

In today’s fast-paced world, we often conduct a business transaction and move along, barely having looked up from our phone and possibly having never met the person with whom we just dealt. They are a mom, a dad, a sister or brother, a Gemini, a trumpet player, a collector of blue bottle caps. But to us they are a voice or an email … zeros and ones representing a big block building somewhere.

The folks at Draper Europe in Sweden are also getting in on the act.

Of course, Draper has always had a closer relationship than that with our dealers and end users. When you’re headquartered in the same 800-person town for well over a hundred years, being friendly and making connections with people is in the DNA. But still.

Over the past few years, Draper has grown and made lots of new friends. We’ve added tons of new customers. More and more people out there are seeking the products we offer. And, more importantly, people are using new ways to find us and our products. So we decided it was time to step outside onto our social media front porch, say hello to everyone, sit on the swing for a spell, and share what we’re all about. And what we are all about is not only the products we sell. It’s also our people—our moms and dads and blue bottle cap collectors—that make Draper what it is.

The #YearOfDraper has had a cold start, but it’s never too cold for a lunchtime walk!

Throughout 2015, we will be posting photos of us at work and at play. Making and selling projection screens, window shades, projector lifts, videoconferencing solutions, gym equipment, and solar control products. Hanging out. Doing what we do. And we will be sharing these photos pretty much every day with the hashtag #YearOfDraper on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Google+.

At the end of the year, we plan to go through all the pictures and put the best of them into a music video.

If you’re a Draper dealer, you can take part, too! When we visit you, snap a “selfie” with your Draper Regional Manager and share it. Or if you visit us at a trade show, make sure to do the same. If you have a Draper product in your home or business, take a picture of you using it.

And don’t forget to use the hashtag #YearOfDraper!

To keep up with the #YearOfDraper, follow us on twitter (@DraperInc and @DraperAV), Facebook, LinkedIn, and Google+. You can find links to all of Draper’s social media form the main page of our web site, www.draperinc.com.