It seems that there are still a lot of people who do not know about e-cigarettes. True/False?

[Papagoatee]

This post on reddit.com

Is smoking an instant turn off for you? : AskReddit

Not a single reply says anything about e-cigarettes. I also chanced upon some hobby websites last week that spoke about the harmful qualities of cigarettes. Again, not one mention of e-cigarettes and their benefits.

To me, the knowledge about e-cigarettes are not as wide spread as I thought. Seems like word of mouth is not that effective. We can also account that to bad first time experience.

What seems to be the cause? Bad press? tobacco lobbying?

 

[Slickstick]

E-cigs are hardly known at all. We are a VERY small community. Not everybody smokes cigarettes, Not everybody has televisions or internet. Word of mouth and personal testimonials is the only way word is getting out. It would be nice to have a place for donations to have an e-cig commercial made, but unless it's the superbowl at $2 million for 30 seconds, it will still take a while to be known widely until people start vaping in public.

 

[MikethePipe]

Very true. I have found this out here in the UK, no-one seems to have heard of them.
NHS-DOCTORS-PHARMACIST-ELECTRICAL COMPONENT SUPPLIERS-BROTHERS-SISTERS-UNCLES + other members of the family tree...All reply "WHAT'S AN E-CIG" never heard of it.

 

[sanfordf]

These things have only been around for a few years. So, true. Invented in China around 2005 and starting around 2007 began to be seen in the rest of the world. Give it some time. If they don't become 'medical' devices or banned or some form of 'regulated' devices, they'll catch on. Caught on with us didn't it?

I vape publicly every chance I get. I welcome questions (and looks) from people. Most think it is some kinda' medical device. I wear a Tornado on a lanyard around my neck, so it is clearly visible.

 

[Col. Gaunt]

I think that it is true also, when I walk around with mine blowing out vapor, people look at me like what the heck is that!

I use my Janty stick and Ego a lot when I am out vaping and people can see that it is not an analog. They don't know what the heck it is. I recently had a meeting with an officer at a bank and pulled out my e-cig and started vaping. Man, you should have seen the look on her face!8-o

 

[kalmakazee]

@ Col. Gaunt

Lol. You shoulda seen the lQQks on peoples faces especially the workers in Walmart when I was smoking my electronic pipe in there at 3:00am in the morning. The workers were trying to act as if they didn't notice anything unusual. You could tell that they musta been telling themselves that "Hey it's 3am, I'm probably JUST imagining things. No way this dude is smoking in here," rofl!

 

[the_antisheep]

Most people haven't heard of it... I only knew about it because the Blu add campaigns are on so many random websites, I finally tried to figure out what the heck they were...

Unfortunately, the people that actually know about them are the people we'd rather didn't and us. A lot of paranoia and misinformation sites have joined the bandwagon of proclaiming that e-cigs are dangerous and will kill everyone around you.

These organizations are ludicrously under tax shelters in their sham of misinformation. One such organization is "Ash.or" I saw this in someone's signature, visited it, and I was floored. It is unfortunate you cannot legally go after people for misleading propaganda: Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) <<There are so many lies on that site, you'd start to think that the belly of the beast was being funded by big tobacco.

 

[Col. Gaunt]

@ Col. Gaunt

Lol. You shoulda seen the lQQks on peoples faces especially the workers in Walmart when I was smoking my electronic pipe in there at 3:00am in the morning. The workers were trying to act as if they didn't notice anything unusual. You could tell that they musta been telling themselves that "Hey it's 3am, I'm probably JUST imagining things. No way this dude is smoking in here," rofl!

The funny thing is that only a few people seem to have enough guts or curiosity to actually come up to you and ask what it is. Usually when I smoke in restaurants, the waitress usually does, but outside of that, not many, if any.

 

[Slickstick]

That happened to me at Walmart checkout once. A manager walked up to me and said I can't smoke in there. I calmly said that it was an electronic cigarette in a way like it was perfectly ok and she went along with it. She said... OH ok! and walked away and that was the end of it. Now some walmarts sell e-cig kits. I was a butthole the other day. I went to the tobacco line and was looking behind the counter for a kit. A cashier asked can I help you? I asked, " do you have any electronic cigarettes?" she said NOOOOOOOOOWA is a nasty way, So I got mad and said, OH I See.. you only sell stuff that kills people then, took a hit of my pv and walked away and continued shopping and vaping.

 

[cliff5550]

We are such a minority.
Someone in forums said if the e-cig gets banned only then will people become aware and suddenly want them. Wrong. I argue only we will know if they are banned. Millions will never know they had a safe alternative to the deadly Big Tobacco cigarettes.
I used to be extremely cautious where I vaped but no longer. The word is not getting out like it should. We need to vape in public as often as we can, answer any questions, give as many explanations and demonstrations as possible.
No one else is going to do it. We have the answer. Too many smokers don't even know there is a question.

 

[Papagoatee]

Well, I got "caught" once for vaping in a public toilet. (Hey I got to keep myself occupied while doing my business right?) Got chased out by the cleaners and accused of smoking even though there wasn't any smoke smell.

Suffice to say, I lost the argument and acquired many hard stares. They even wanted to send me to management office. Talk about ignorance.

 

[Kobudo]

The funny thing is that only a few people seem to have enough guts or curiosity to actually come up to you and ask what it is. Usually when I smoke in restaurants, the waitress usually does, but outside of that, not many, if any.

90% of people are sheep, the other 10% are either sheep dogs or wolves. The sheep will never ask and draw attention to themselves.

 

[CaptJay]

If I hadn't been on holiday in Las Vegas I'd never have heard about the PV either.
It was pure chance (or was it..FATE?!) that I was watching TV in our hotel room cos I wasn't feeling too well. I had a bad cough and cold (yes made worse cos I smoked) and was in our room while my hubby was playing hte tables. I was bored, and watching TV, late at night; something I don't do at home (If I'm awake Im on the PC surfing lol).
I saw several 'infomercials' about 'smokingeverywhere' which really caught my attention.
I was feeling ill, coughing up a lung and here was some guy talking about smoking..without smoking!
The next night I went straight to the same channel to watch it all the way through. Still interested, but I wasn't about to 'call this number now' cos my mum didn't rasie any fools .
The next day we were at the mall, shopping for a watch for hubby as his had crapped out, and theres a stall selling the exact same product I'd seen on TV. I tried one - and coughed a LOT. The I tired the lower nic one - still coughed a lot but boy was i tempted.
I held off though and came home a few days later and did my reasearch. Found ECF and the rest is history.
Until that ONE time though - I had not heard a WHISPER about these devices. Not seen a single add on the Net about them. No-one I know uses one (even now).
It doesn't surprise me at ALL that its not well known - its up to us to get the message out there. I use mine whenever I can, hoping someone will ask about it ( so far, not a soul lol).
Since then Ive seen items 'on the news' but its all been negatively slanted; if I didn't already know I'd assume these were made by Al Queda to kill us all or something...

 

[the_antisheep]

Actually, the biggest advertisers and gateway to vaping is BluCigs... I had seen their banners and popups on so many sites, that I finally figured I should check them out (after all, it wasn't like I *really wanted* to smoke).

 

[SheerLuckHolmes]

Many smokers are deep down afraid to let go of their 'habit'. It can be very threatening and scary. Better the devil sitting next to you than the devil in the dark.

I grew up in a time when everyone smoked. John Wayne for crying out loud! Then the celbrities started quitting and wearing 'I Quit' buttons and getting busted for smoking grass. Go figure?!?!?!

In forty short years we have gone from a society that wanted to be like their heros and started smoking to a society that condems smokers to the status of 3rd class citizens for participating in a legal activity. Man, are people nuts or what?

 

[Melwig]

Its kind of remarkable really that awareness of the product(s) has spread as far and as fast as it has in the time its been around. I do agree that there is a sense of urgency to get the news out there because of the big money behind banning them, but I also have the feeling that we are close to a tipping point when the knowledge will go viral if we all just keep up the good work

 

[Victor Frankenstein]

Many smokers are deep down afraid to let go of their 'habit'.

Isn't that the truth.

Here, packs of cigarettes are $7.50-10. I smoked Dunhill and paid $88 a carton. That right there should be motivation to quit - or at least consider the e-cigs.

A few of my smoking friends knew I was trying the e-cigs and were quit interested in what they were. When I offered to let them try it (on a fresh, clean, cartridge) they've all declined. After I explain it a bit more sometimes they'll take a wimpy drag off it.

Even after I tell them how much I love e-cigs over regular cigarettes they still aren't interested. One guy even said "if I'm going to convert to e-cigs I might as well just quit."

That said, they are jealous of me "smoking" inside.

 

[DC2]

When I first started vaping in June last year, nobody had heard of them.
Now I run into more and more people that have at least heard of them.

Word is definitely spreading, but not real fast yet.

 

[HeatherY]

Product placement in a popular tv show may get the word out - OR have e-cigs show up on one of the reality tv shows. Suppliers could send gift sets to highly visible people in the industry that smoke. Tabloid photos of stars e-smoking may be helpful. Social media could help, too. One positive tweet from Ashton? Or perhaps a piece by John Stossel - one that points out how FSC happened under the radar? Someone should start a rumor that the President has quit analogs with e-cigs. All it takes is one good tweet.

I know I've read an article somewhere that said congressmen gave the President a kit when they banned smoking on the hill. That one picture of the President smoking that has circulated - someone could photoshop the tip blue and pass that around. Putting a disclaimer on it that it IS in fact altered or prefacing with "I heard a rumor..." or "Wouldn't it be nice if..." could protect one, couldn't it? (She typed cautiously imagining them tracing all this chicanery back to this very post)

Although, that could backfire and get e-cigs shut down faster I suppose. Okay, forget I typed anything.

 

[Slickstick]

I believe that is the wrong way to go about it. It's like stooping to their level. sending to stars is a great idea though.