Blake Jennelle, receiving the oath of his 'urban cowboy' office from City Councilman Bill Green in front of a City Hall that is, by our best estimation, entirely unrelated to Philadelphia. Screenshot via a video from Revzilla

No one can be sure about the accuracy of Blake Jennelle‘s stereotype of a cowboy. Or how authentically the Philly Startup Leaders co-founder says ‘howdy.’

But what Jennelle has done is made a pledge, donned a Western hat and begun a month of wandering Philadelphia as an urban cowboy, the pledge he made as part of myDunkTank, the new experimental fundraising website launched last month by Jennelle and partner Chap Ambrose.

To participate in the site, individuals promise to do acts of personal humiliation if pledge goals for charities of their choice are met. The thought is that the more embarrassing, the more successful the fundraising effort.

Jennelle raised $2,095 for youth social business incubator Startup Corps, according to a post on his blog. To follow through with his pledge, Jennelle will spend 30 days parading through the city in denim, boots and a beard. He’ll be chronicling his adventures on the site’s blog.

Below, watch a spoof video from motorcycle retailer RevZilla that chronicles Jennelle’s ‘transformation’ into the myDunkTank cowboy, including a cameo from City Councilman Bil Green.

Watch Jennelle speaking at a recent PSL event — in cowboy garb.

Jack Broomall is nearly halfway in his journey to Alaska for charity. Photo courtesy of 2wheels2alaska.com

Just like many residents of the Philadelphia area, Jack Broomall made it a point to visit the Jersey Shore this week. Not because he wanted to work on his tan or to relax. On the contrary, Broomall waded into the Atlantic Ocean up to his ankles to kick off his 10,000-mile coast-to-coast motorcycle ride for charity.

“We took some pictures and tweeted:

The retired auto engineer and Malvern native is taking the next few weeks and cycling to Wasilla (Yes, that Wasilla), Alaska on his 2009 BMW F650GS in the name of the Austin Hatcher Foundation. The charity was created by two doctors who are fellow bikers and friends of Broomall who lost a child to brain cancer when he was only nine weeks old. Read their story on the foundation’s Web site.

“I have the opportunity to do it, so I’m doing it and I can bundle it with a charity I care about a great deal,” he said.

With the help of some sponsors, including local bike retailer Revzilla, the trip has raised “several thousand dollars”, and is nearing Broomall’s initial goal of five.

After the jump learn how Revzilla is aiding the cause, find out the tech Broomall is using to stay connected and find out how you can help and donate to the cause.

By the time you read this, Jack Broomall assumes he’ll be somewhere in Minnesota, maybe even North Dakota. But assuming on his location may be a waste of time. Broomall plans on extensively blogging, tweeting and posting about the progress of his trips on various forums and mediums.

The linchpin of all of his efforts is his blog, 2wheels2alaska where Broomall hopes to post daily.

“There may be places in Northern Canada and the Yukon” that may be tough, he admits. Broomall does have an air card for the times wireless isn’t available, and is traveling with a small HP mini netbook. He has also taken to posting small updates on to Twitter, a tool that he has been using for several months now, but only recently has he ramped up posting to help drive awareness for his ride and the Austin Hatcher Foundation.

“Twitter is mostly a tool to let my wife know where the hell I am,” he said with a chuckle.

Among those helping get the word about about his efforts is the motorcycle gear store tweeted:

Broomhall also kicks it Web 1.0 style by posting on several well-trafficked motorcycling forums, including this post on Adventure Rider that has already received more than 2,000 views and nearly 40 replies.

“I found it very useful as a way to get the word out through multiple channels, multiple venues,” he said. “Aside from money, there’s nothing that charities need more than awareness. I was already using [these tools] so lets try a little harder and try and make a good thing for a worthy cause.”

If you would like to donate to the Autin Hatcher Foundation, visit the Foundation’s donation page and be sure to reference Bromall’s trip in the form’s comment section. Follow Jack on Twitter.

Every Monday, Technically Not Tech will feature people, projects, and businesses that are involved with Philly�s tech scene, but aren�t necessarily technology focused. See others here.

Two years later, RevZilla.com is a premiere online destination for motorcycle and dirt bike gear and the company is racing to scale with the increase in orders. Recently, the company has redesigned its Web site, implemented what it learned from the past behavior of customers, and incorporated social media tools into its marketing; all from a warehouse in South Philly where it’s located.

“Philly is an interesting town to start a start up in,” said co-founder Anthony Bucci. Bucci believes that the entrepreneurial culture in the city has taken off in the past few years, crediting First Round Capitol and Philly Startup Leaders as examples.

After the jump, learn how RevZilla finds its best customers through Twitter and discover why shoe retailer Zappos has more to do with dirt bikes than you may think.

“We’re encouraging people to interact with us in the ways that they are comfortable with,” said Bucci. Those methods include an active Twitter account, regular Flickr postings, and making itself available on industry forums. The company has also advertised on blogs, and is considering sponsoring podcasts.

“The trust element is huge,” Bucci said. “When someone comes in from a site that is not Google, there’s a certain level of trust there.”

Many people may not peg the dirt biking enthusiast as a die-hard Twitter user, but RevZilla has found that the same geekiness that many people would associate with using the latest web application is what makes certain customers obsess over the latest biking equipment. In fact, those engaged with the company through Twitter often end of being a high-end costumer.

The customer base served by Revzilla is easy to divide into active communities. A first time visitor to RevZilla.com is given a choice: “Street,” “ADV/Touring,” or “Off Road.” Each kind of rider has subtle differences and each has its own community that the company tries to tap. In fact, once someone selects what riding niche they are a part of, the site will default to that section. Products may be cross-niche, but the customer will see more relevant items to purchase, and that translates into more sales.

Bucci said the company uses Zappos.com as a model for prioritizing personalized customer interaction. Zappos is best known throughout the business world for using unconventional tactics, such as paying new hires to quit and making sure every new employee does a stint in the lowly call center. RevZilla does its best to duplicate Zappos’ dedication to customer service, dedicating an unusually high amount of Web site real estate to customer policies and promises.

The extra effort has paid off, as the company’s biggest problem to date is meeting demand. “Its a good problem to have,” admits Bucci.

Every Monday, Technically Not Tech will feature people, projects, and businesses that are involved with Philly’s tech scene, but aren’t necessarily technology focused. See others here.