Presidents’ Day weekend is over and I did not celebrate our past great leaders with that all-American tradition of buying a mattress or a new car. Instead it was a three-day weekend of partaking in events that I don’t do on a regular basis.

I spent most of my extra day off at a kid’s birthday party regaling a group of youngsters with tales of how when I was a child we got two different days off from school to celebrate the births of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. Ah, the good old days.

Yeah, nothing makes you feel as old and decidedly unhip as observing more than a dozen 10-year olds for several hours. I kept having to hold back from shouting that jeans are to be worn around your waist not at your knees. But they wouldn’t have heard me above the custom ring tones constantly spewing from their cell phones.

My husband and I also went to the track. Neither of us had ever been to a live horseracing event. I’m not much of a gambler but how did I ever get to this ripe old age without knowing the glorious joy of the trifecta?

Also it’s not everyday that I’m semi-stalked by a nearly toothless elderly man, who repeatedly asks me (at least six times) if he could bum a smoke. I quit years and years ago, but was tempted to buy a pack and leave give them to him just so he’d leave me alone. And I’d have to go back to my rowdy college days to recall the last time I’ve seen so many people belly up to the bar just a hair past noon.

We also spent an evening at a poetry slam. I’m no stranger to prose and I greatly admire those who can use their words creatively, but when did being angry become a prerequisite for being a poet. In some cases, three minutes felt like a lifetime - a very angry lifetime.

Each of the situations had its share of stereotypical elements mixed with my own preconceived ideas. However, there were also many interesting and surprising (and very enjoyable) things that came out of my experiences and observations.

The bottom line for me was a great reminder that I shouldn’t make assumptions about people or situations. I think that’s very much like affiliate marketing. Take the time to find out who your audience is. Don’t make assumptions about your customers or what they want. Get to know your customers and it will pay off big for you.

Start blogging and tell me some techniques you use to get to know your customers better.