Me Like The Interweb

Social Media and Relationships – Quoted in “Canadian Living”

monicahamburg — Tue, 13 Nov 2012 15:23:19 +0000

I was recently interviewed for an article in Canadian Living.

Here’s the premise:

“Is your relationship Facebook proof? Our experts share some helpful insights into how to avoid common arguments and misunderstandings about social media.”

To read the full column (which quotes some of the things I said) please go here.

I’ll follow-up (soon) with a post about some other answers I gave that didn’t make it into the article.

7 Tips to Improve How You Engage on Twitter and Facebook

monicahamburg — Tue, 19 Jun 2012 16:00:25 +0000

Yay! Glad you want to improve!

Below are the 7 most common mistakes made on Twitter and Facebook. (If you received a postcard in the mail, just find the number for your specific tip.)

We’re here to help you! Hire us to evaluate your social media efforts or to train you on Twitter.

Common mistakes on Twitter

#1 Broadcasting: Part of social interactions is listening and responding. You quickly tire of someone who spends all his/her time talking about his/her achievements – and so does everyone else. You become more interesting to follow if you engage others and spend very little of your time talking to others and promoting what they do. In that way, you become part of a community – one that that really whats to share ideas, appreciation of things they like, opinions etc. You can promote yourself – but keep that to a minimum.

#2 Incomplete Profile: The profile section is found in settings, under your name. By taking the time to craft a description telling the world about your interests and goals for Twitter, you take the 1st step to attract a relevant and like-minded community! A link to your website (or even a specific landing page) and your location helps this community learn more about you as well as assess if you will be interesting to follow and engage with.

#3 Retweet Addict: RT (Retweet) or a MRT (modified RT) is a good way to share something from someone else with your followers/community. But everything in moderation. If all you do is RT, you’re not contributing anything of your own and you don’t seem discriminating about what you’re sharing with your network. Try RTing amongst the other things you do – such as commenting, engaging in conversations in your network and sharing your information, finds and opinions. And when you do RT – provide some context (e.g. remark on why you appreciate the tweet posted.) Doing so brings this platform to a new and satisfying level.

Common mistakes on Facebook

#4 Standard page lacking style: Just because you can cross-post to Facebook from Twitter and other platforms doesn’t mean you should. What makes a Facebook platform interesting and engaging is when it not an aforethought but a real area of interactivity. So remember not just to auto-post from your blog/Twitter or other. And check out and respond to comments – these tend to be from people who want to engage with you and your company – which is a great thing! Also:

Keep in mind that Facebook is best for “siloed” content – people on Facebook don’t like leaving Facebook to consume content. So provide content that keeps people within Facebook (text, questions, pictures, Youtube videos, audio you can click on Facebook to hear etc.) and, hence, engaged on the platform.

#5 Low engagement level: The Facebook platform broadcasts interaction between people: Every like, comment, event, photo tag. But your material won’t circulate well if you post it on your wall and it does not receive any interraction (no “likes” or comments, or shares). So, it is in your best interest to encourage interaction. Post content that is interesting – and not just singularly to you – but more broadly. Posting something you think is intriguing, amazing, funny, or somehow share-worthy – whether it’s something you create or the work of others. Also: sharing the interesting bits about your company, business and industry as well as asking questions and providing insight are good ways to stand out from your competition.

Remember: don’t expect people to do too much. Asking people to responding to something that requires a relatively simple answer is better than expecting that they provide an essay… And do a few things to see what works best – it’s different for everyone. Getting people to contribute isn’t always easy but if you’re persistent and creative, you can make it happen – and it will be satisfying.

#6 Incomplete Info section: How can your Facebook Fans contact you if they want to – and where can find you elsewhere? In many cases Facebook is a result of a referral from someone in your network and can be the first point of contact for someone new. Why not make it easier to contact you and locate your website? Don’t expect people to do detective work…

If this was the Yellow Pages you wouldn’t think twice about adding your company phone number, a quick description of what you offer, links to your website, Twitter, Linkedin or promotions. So, why isn’t it on your information page? Make sure you make it easy for people to find you – because that’s what you want. Isn’t it?

#7 Not active. If you don’t post frequently (at least a few times a week), you lose momentum, people think you’re not around and you lose relevancy in searches. You probably frequently come across things that are interesting or insightful – so stay active!

To become a better tweeter, try addressing some of the tips above. (For more suggestions, see the bottom of the post for links.)

Are you ready for a your own SOCIAL MEDIA REPORT that evaluates and offers suggestions that are relevant to achieving your goals?

Work with us and let us tell you how to stand out!

We understand that companies have sometimes “dived-in”, using social media because they feel they should and finding themselves wondering if they are making any headway, what they are doing right or wrong – and, most importantly, if and how they can be doing things better to meet their goals.

We are two established social media strategists who have been involved with the ebb and flow of digital communication for over 5 years, with experience in marketing well before that, and can provide a social media evaluation with tangible key points that will make a dramatic difference.

Do you want to get trained on how to use Twitter effectively? We can come to your office and teach you in a fun, interactive session!

Social Media Radified is:

Monica Hamburg, Social Media Strategist, Marketer and podcaster.

Stephanie Michelle Scott, Engagement Strategist and blogger.

Get noticed, get radified!

Contact:

Stephanie – Call 604-723-2778 or email sm @ wildeffect (dot) com

All the best,
Stephanie & Monica

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Seeing It From the Audience’s Perspective: An Interview about Transmedia with Lucas J.W. Johnson

monicahamburg — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 23:41:21 +0000

I met Lucas J.W. Johnson at Merging Media 2011 where my friend, Cinci, suggested I blog about him. Lucas is exceptionally sharp and ambitious – and he has clearly spent considerable time researching the transmedia landscape. I figured it was in my best interest to sponge off his knowledge. (I found his responses to my interview questions to be quite thought-provoking – so I’ve added a few comments after some of his responses.)

What is a valuable lesson you’ve learned about the digital space?

Look at your project from the audience’s perspective.

You come to a project with the perspective of the creator — I have this awesome story I want to tell, and this awesome way I want to tell it.

[But] if you’re going to actually succeed, then before you actually release it, in the process of creating it, you have to shift that perspective, and come at the project from the point of view of the audience.

Not only things like what will they want, but also how they access the project. Imagine coming to the project as someone who’s never heard of it, right when it launches — how do you draw them in, and convince them to stay? What about if they come to it months after it’s launched — how do you make sure there’s an easy way for them to figure out what’s going on, and where they should start?

The same goes for how you’re presenting the story — what if they’re not on Twitter? Not on Facebook? Don’t have a smartphone? Never engaged with a transmedia or digital media project before? Any time there’s any friction, and moment when it’s easier for them to close the window than it is to delve deeper, you’ve lost them.

(I love this so point so much, because I think that seeing your project through your potential audience’s eyes is so frequently overlooked – even though it’s one of the most important aspects… Think about this more broadly: how many sites have you encountered where you can’t immediately find things like donate buttons or how to purchase a product. Or one with the message “we’ll be launching in December 2011. Come back then” with no way to pre-order the product or even enter an email address for updates? Or how often have you attempted to listen to a podcast only to shut it off after hearing an initial 5 minutes that consisted of an interminable and irritating musical intro or a lengthy introduction of who all the hosts were and what they got up to that weekend…)

Was there anything at Merging Media that you were excited by?

Most mindblowing at Merging Media was hearing Henry Jenkins speak (over Skype, interviewed by my friend Simon Pulman ) — he’s an academic, so clearly he’s smart, but man does this guy know what he’s talking about. He spoke about spreadable media, that what will succeed is not that which is easily broadcasted, but that which is easily shared among friends. Entertainment becomes a gift — let me bring you into this new world, let me give you this experience by sharing it.

(This is brilliant. And an excellent reality-check for the “this will go viral” mentality. We all want to have our posts and projects spread, but there are a number of factors that make people truly want to do so. The premise that “I really want people to share this [project/message etc.] so they should” is oddly at the heart of many campaigns and pitches. The concept of the gift is fantastic. And looking at it from that perspective, and of making your content truly great so that people will be motivated to share can be very eye-opening. Because “it’s OK” or “I like it because I made it” or even “it’s good enough” does not constitute a gift.)

What have you learned from players in the Transmedia space (that you’ve interviewed, read about or had at your Transmedia Meetups)?

To be very broad:

listen to your audience, engage with them directly, build loyalty;
give a big chunk of your work away for free, especially if you’re working on IP that isn’t already a blockbuster success, to get people in the doors;
don’t be afraid to pimp yourself, just don’t be an ass about it;
experiment, try new things, know that you’re going to fail — but get back on the horse, iterate, move forward; genuinely be a good and honest and open person — people like that.
Finally, do something with your work — be aspirational, be inspirational, be a force for good; you’re asking a lot of people for a lot of attention and potentially a lot of money — to do anything else is irresponsible.

(These are all very insightful. My favorite is the first, because I feel that the direct connection with one’s audience is how social media has truly empowered artists. And it’s a beautiful, exciting and, occasionally, humbling thing to have such an immediate and easy access to people who connect with what you do. But those artists who have something special to offer along with a real relationship with their audience (which they demonstrate that they value) are the ones who gain the most from social media.)

What projects have inspired you?

The ARG known as the Beast, for the movie AI, back in 2001, because it was so groundbreaking and inspiring for the time — now of course it doesn’t hold up and there are a host of problems with doing something like it, but the point isn’t that we should do the things the Beast did, it’s that we should find new things just like the Beast did. Lance Weiler’s Pandemic project, for the hugely innovative and experimental nature of it, and his Robot Heart Stories project for its educational and aspirational nature. Failbetter Games’ Echo Bazaar, for its twisted and entirely engrossing story and setting.

I’ve also been inspired a great deal by the old tabletop role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons. Like transmedia visionary Jeff Gomez, D&D did a lot for me as a kid to be able to express the stories I wanted to tell, and the things that make for a great D&D game are in many ways the same as those that make for a great transmedia experience. (I even wrote a whole six-part article about it all on my blog.)

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Lucas J.W. Johnson is a freelance writer and transmedia storyteller from Vancouver, BC. He received his BFA with Honours in Creative Writing from UBC, and has worked in advertising, PR, television, digital media, gaming, and transmedia. He’s published short stories and stageplay, organizes the Transmedia Vancouver Meetup, and is an active member in the international transmedia storytelling community, with his business Silverstring Media. A storyteller above all else, whenever Lucas isn’t writing, he wishes he were. Find him online at silverstringmedia.com, lucasjwjohnson.com and on twitter @floerianthebard

“Azrael’s Stop is very much an experiment for me, but I think it’s a fun one, and I’ve already had people respond quite positively to the story and even the way it’s told. I’d love for you to check it out, and especially let me know what you think, at azraelsstop@silverstringmedia.com”

Social Media Radified!

monicahamburg — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 21:08:49 +0000

Stephanie and I were putting together an application for the Successful You awards. We created a video to explain what we’re doing.

Since we’re both children of the 80’s we thought the 80’s gal photo call would be a fun concept:

More about Social Media Radified

Video link

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Another post you might like: Promoting Your Festival Affiliation via Social Media.

Avoiding the Supermarket Approach When Pitching Bloggers

monicahamburg — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 16:55:09 +0000

Note: this post was originally published on One Degree.

At a night club recently, I felt the need to tell a guy that I was taken. He then looked at my friend and said, “OK, what about her?”

It’s something I call the “Supermarket Approach”: if you knock enough products into your cart, eventually, one with a honey nougat centre will fall in.

I’d never think it a good plan to dump a bunch of things into my basket and hope the one I wanted would be there. Just as it might to be the best course of action to randomly target single girls.

Or send emails to every blogger in Canada.

That does, however, explain the theory behind such blogging pitches as,

“Hey, I like your blog and I want to tell you about a totally irrelevant product” and “Your [cut and paste] blog exists so I thought you, [your name pasted here] would be interested. You guess why.”

And while that’s not a targeted approach, if you do it enough, you will get some results.

Rob Jones who writes the music blog, The Delete Bin, explains his experience:

“I do think that many marketers tend to think of bloggers as a sort of digital grist-mill, which is a big mistake. A lot of the time, in my particular context, the best pitches and experiences I’ve had have been with artists who are reaching out personally. They understand that marketing through blogs is a partnership, and that it should be mutually beneficial. We’re both after a bigger audience, after all!”

While it is time-consuming to research each blog/blogger and individually tailor pitches, doing so increase the likelihood that she/he will respond – and write about what you’re asking her/him to write about.

A personalised touch is respectful, sets a better tone and will help her/him view you (and your company) in a positive light. The best responses I’ve received as a marketer have been to pitches that focused on why she/he might like the product rather than on the fact that I’d love it if they wrote about it. And I’ve been most responsive as a blogger to pitches that were targeting me based on what I was actually interested in.

So how can you best do this? Let’s assume you’ve done some research and have a list of bloggers in mind for your outreach. Here are some of my suggestions, based on what I aim to do when I pitch. And, to avoid the continuous use of the generic term “blogger”, for the suggestions below, let’s assume her name is Jeanne.

To guage interest and how to tailor, you should try to read:

A number of Jeanne’s posts. It will give you a better idea of her style and the topics and products she tends to write about. This might provide an angle for your pitch.
The About and Contact pages along with the FAQs/ Pitch policy ones. Beyond her name and email address, these pages might provide insight as to whether Jeanne is in fact the proper person to pitch for the campaign. (For instance, say the product is location specific: an ice cream available only in Canadian supermarkets. A search leads you to her blog and a number of 2008 posts where Jeanne showcases her unique dessert creations and writes about how much she enjoys living in Winnipeg. Her love for baking might be enduring – but the About page informs you that she’s recently moved to Las Vegas for a job opportunity. Or that she’s since sworn off dairy and sugar. Or, maybe, that she’s not interested in receiving pitches.

When crafting your pitch:

Make it short, easy to scan – and to the point. Describe the product in a way that doesn’t sound like the description’s been copied and pasted from the press release.
Address Jeanne by name. Avoid mail merge – or be sure to double-check the fields. (As an aside, my favorite bad pitch had the following greeting: “Dear Author of ‘Monica Hamburg Presents: Your Dose of Lunacy’”. If only there was some way of determining who was writing this blog…)
Be sure to introduce yourself and mention how you are involved with the company/project. It makes the pitch friendlier, more human and more transparent.
Make clear very early in the pitch why you are targeting Jeanne specifically. Blogging is a community – and bloggers within niches or cities might know each other, so a templated “I know you’re revered in the foodie world” etc. might not be too flattering if Jeanne later finds that the same pitch was sent to many other foodie bloggers.
Address the value of what you are proposing. What’s in it for her? You might choose to offer Jeanne a few products so she can run a contest for her readers. Many bloggers appreciate your providing something for their readers more than a treat you are willing to offer just them.
Address what it is you’d like her to do. Don’t just tell her about the project and hope something will happen. (E.g. You might offer to send her the product so that she might write a review.)
Create and link to a Media Kit/Page created for the product. This will allow you to write a brief and to the point pitch – and Jeanne to learn more, if she wants to.

Indeed, it is a more involved process than sending out a slew of the same pitches to a large group of bloggers. But it helps you learn about the people you are writing to.

And leads to more contacts with honey nougaty goodness.

DIY Band Promotion: Mykel Exner Talks about Selling Kill Matilda

monicahamburg — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 21:26:07 +0000

Mykel Exner is the Bassist for the band “Kill Matilda”. He recently sent my friend, Bill Allman, an email in which he thanked Bill (who taught him at Trebas Institute) for emphasizing that a band must not leave their promotion to management and the importance of taking control of your own brand and management. Bill told me about the email and I asked Mykel to participate in an email interview about artist promotion. Fortunately, he agreed. Here’s what he had to say. (Note: I took my questions out here as it flowed better without them.)

About the band

Kill Matilda is a do-it-yourself band that has been touring Canada since 2009. We are a 4-piece female-fronted hard rock band that began in Vancouver and has since based itself out of Montreal and South Western Ontario. We’ve self-produced, recorded, released and promoted our self-titled EP along with 3 music videos to support the release – one of which, “She’s A Killer” has been put into rotation on MUCHLOUD, providing us with national exposure. We’ve gone from complete unknowns to playing large festivals like NXNE and opening for acts like Econoline Crush and Die Mannequin. We are blessed with an amazing front person, Dusty, with a killer voice. We have been making a reputation for ourselves for putting on high-energy, fun to watch live shows. We’ve been lucky enough to work with some of the most talented and dedicated artists and professionals, who’ve seen value in our project and have helped us by lending the skills and talents that have brought us to new levels that we never thought possible.

The DIY Movement

Initially, when you first dream of being in a “well-known” band, you dream about being “discovered” by someone and having them take you and your music to the heights of being a “rock-star” – or even just simply heard and appreciated by a larger audience. The reality of the music industry today is that NOBODY is willing to take the chance with their money or time to push and promote an artist that isn’t already making a name for themselves.

We’re facing a crisis in the Canadian music industry where “Music Industry Professionals” are not equipped with the skills and know-how to even make posters to promote shows they organize. Bar owners don’t see the value in investing in promotion for shows that are booked in their establishments and most bands don’t even know how to begin to promote themselves or the shows that they are a part of. From the inside of this beast, the system looks broken. If you aren’t a jack of all trades, i.e. a photoshop pro – a video editor – a photo editor – a booking agent- along with being an artist and performing musician, you’ll never have anyone take notice of your music or project.

No one is going to take you by the hand, discover you, put you on the cover of the Rolling Stone, put your song on the radio, pick out your first single or do anything for you… unless you’re willing to pay for it… and pay big for it

How Kill Matilda raised nearly $2000 in donations in a week via their merchandising sitelet

We’ve investigated fundraising options out there like pledgemusic.com and others but the thought of “All or Nothing” fundraising really scared the crap out of us. In reality we didn’t need a lot of money to help us reach our goals. One big incentive we found helped make it easier for fans to help us was to include a limited time offer to have their name in the credits of our new album “I Want Revenge”. That push really drove a lot of the action we saw. Providing those unique and one of a kind incentives to your fans really open the door to their wallets.

Building an fan-base online

Basically, we built a strong online fanbase through having a lot of good content online and following that up with a killer live show. We have Youtube videos of us bringing people along on tour, and we provide personal experiences for our fans when they come to our shows. We interact with our fans online a lot and I think that providing that personal interaction combined with kicking some ass on stage live over a long period of time really helped us achieve some of our goals and gave our fans a feeling of being a part of our growth and pride in “growing” with us.

Here is one piece of free advice to performing bands… Mention your Facebook Page on stage as a part of your banter. We urge our new fans to like us on Facebook so we can connect with them and comment on pictures of their cats..dogs…babies… all of that. Give your audience directions and where exactly they can find you. It’s amazing going home after a good gig and logging onto Facebook having fans “requesting” your friendship and “Liking”and commenting on your page.

In 2010, before we left Vancouver we asked our fans which track off the Kill Matilda EP they would like to see made into a music video and through a series of votes and comments they picked “Fault Lines”. It was a pretty fun experience to see people actually care and provide their opinions on what Kill Matilda should do next. Ask your fans questions about what they like… what they don’t like… those sort of exercises get your existing fans talking about you and thinking about you when they start thinking about a question you’ve asked, or associate you with the topic you got them thinking about.

Promoting the “She’s a Killer” video (viewed over 14,000 times on YouTube).

The key is constantly reposting and sharing and reposting and sharing. Encourage your fans to do the same for you. Research who promotes music videos online in your genre, show them and talk to them about your video. Create an “online street team” to post your video on relevant pages and just don’t be afraid to share and re-share! We’ve used “She’s A Killer” to promote Kill Matilda to new listeners and used the video to help us gather a lot of opportunities. (BTW!!! If you like that video share it!)

Social Media in general

Social Media has basically been responsible for Kill Matilda being able to have reached where it has today. Just being able to exist, get further, reach more people, have them listen to our music, watch our videos and enjoy it is really amazing and fun. Without it we wouldn’t be able to operate at all.

My personal favorite was tweeting at Bif Naked and having her check us out. She loved and shared my personal favorite Kill Matilda song, “Geisha With A Switchblade” with her followers. Being a big Canadian rock fan-boy that make me feel like a kid again.

Tips for musicians doing DIY promotion

Be pro-active not RE-active. Have your own website. Facebook/Myspace/Twitter profiles are good, but a dotcom is the BEST!
If you don’t care to share about your bands shows or videos or songs online… then why should anyone care about it? Think about your comparables… sound like Tool? then go after Tool’s fans… Sound like Radiohead? Go after Radiohead’s fans. Don’t think you sound like anyone? Then ask someone else. You have to have a comparable otherwise no one will care at all.
Don’t just promote your music! Promote all music you think is good! Promote other bands shows! Let people know that you are a part of a scene and that you care about not just your success but the success of your favorite bands and your friends bands.
Learn that there is a difference out there between a “booking agent” and a “promoter” ANYONE can book a show, cats and dogs can book shows. It’s a simple process of saying, “Hey you wanna play at this place at this time?” Booking agents do not promote shows. Get this through your head and you will not be disappointed when no one shows up to your show. Take control of your own promotion because quite simply, the booking agent, the bar owners, the other bands and fans that don’t know about you DONT CARE who you are if you dont give them a reason to care. Its amazing how many show posters we here at Kill Matilda have been required to make for booking agents across Canada. If you allow someone else to control your destiny… to poster for you… to promote for you… to hold your hand and tell you its going to be alright… you might wanna take up another lifestyle choice.
It is EVERY member of a band’s job to promote. One person should take the lead of course in being pages and website admins BUT if your lead guitarist is “too-cool” to promote… stick your foot in their ass and set them on the right track. No one is too cool to promote, except for bands and musicians that no one has ever heard of or cares about.

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Find Kill Matilda:

Site: http://killmatilda.com/

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/KillMatilda

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/killmatilda

Twitter: @KillMatilda

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Want to learn more about Artist promotion? You might also enjoy other posts in my Artist Series.

Engage Your (Film) Audience

monicahamburg — Tue, 17 May 2011 20:07:52 +0000

I’ll be speaking tonight at Projecting Change through Social Media (Club), an informational session for the Projecting Change Film Festival. Stephanie Michelle Scott (my Twitter Workshop/Twitter Parlour partner) and I are conducting sessions on Twitter – however, since we are both passionate about film and have a film backgrounds we’ll also discuss some tips/examples with regards to social media for film in general.

Here are some of my thoughts.

Promotion (is a part of your production)

Find Your Audience Early. Figure out who your audience will be (you likely already know) and start reaching out early. Start your research ASAP and begin building your audience relationships pre-and during filming.
Generate and Release Content. Consider what you can put out to create interest during the process. What kinds of material would flesh out your story more (text, video, pics) or give it an added dimension. Remember that your characters had a life before the film too. (In a post on this topic I wrote: “Allowing the character to live in other platforms before the film is released – and whilst the film is being made – gives the character a larger/broader life – and helps with publicity.”
Examples:

Twitter can be an additional platform for the story. Perhaps you could take pictures and create a part of the story that goes out only via this medium.
Get the audience (and others on Twitter) involved via a Twitter chat. If the film is screening on television have people watch and live-tweet or comment (use something like Cover-it-Live)
Are there characters who were interesting but received little screen time? Can they become more of a part of the story online?
If there are follow-ups to the non-fictional account you provide in the film, allow the people involved to record a video about what has happened since.

Targeting and Blogger Outreach. You are best to truly pitch bloggers when you have something to actually show them, content-wise. (As you know, everyone wants to make a film – but few actually end up completing one.) Really contemplate who would be interested in your project – don’t just target the most popular film-related blogs. Remember that your audience isn’t only composed of film fans and people who read movie-themed blogs. If you’re making a documentary about, say, dancers struggling to find work, you might reach out to others who blog about similar struggles. You’ll get more buy-in if you:

Remember to personalize the pitch as much as possible.
Target those who might be truly be interested – not just because their blog is of the same general genre as the film. (Meh: “you write a humorous blog and this is a comedy film”. Better: “You write about the craziness of the internet – and that’s what our film is about!”) Note: this takes a fair bit of research – but it might be worth it.
Consider the blogger’s time. As is frequently mentioned – for most, blogging is a hobby and a labour of love. Watching a trailer might happen. Watching an entire film is less likely.
Address what’s in it for them. Don’t be smarmy about it – but if there can be something in it for them, let them know. Often this aspect is neglected and the pitch is is basically: “Here’s how you can help us out!” – without addressing why they would want to.

Crowdsourcing Content

This is a great way to get clips for your film – even if it’s just short clips or vignettes – providing your outreach tactics are effective. A few examples of films that have invited people to submit clips for their productions include:

“Life in a Day“: Director Kevin MacDonald and Producer Ridley Scott invited creators from all over the world to capture their world in 24hrs on a single day (July 24, 2010) and upload to YouTube. The winning content was then edited into the final film, a Sundance hit. (Watch trailer).
Of course, not everyone has the clout and reputation of these mainstream directors. But independent productions can also fare well in obtaining crowd submissions. For instance, “Lost Zombies“ received thousands of submissions of “zombie encounters” – far more than anticipated. (They are now in the final submission stage. More information about the project on the Lost Zombie site, on this post and on 4D Fictions post/interview.)

“DSB the Movie” a film which “tells the story of the Netherland’s DSB Bank NV which was declared bankrupt by court in October, 2009.” All elements of this film were crowdsourced including the film’s logo, producer, scriptwriters, soundtrack, editor, camera, actors, and publicity. (Read about it on David Meerman Scott‘s post – which includes an interview with the director.) Crowdsourcing everything is not something I would recommend doing – but it certainly worked for this production.

For a documentary film, audience-produced content can be particularly compelling since people can submit their own, personal, experiences – and particularly cost-effective since people can be filming anywhere rather than your sending crews to other locations.

Crowdfunding

Here’s where your social media savvy can really come into play. Filmmakers are now asking people to micro-fund their film – be it by simply asking for funds, offering financers credits in return for cash, or selling products to make some money.

You can set up funding on your website (make that the key aspect of the site) or use one of several platforms set up for micro-funding such as IndieGoGo and Kickstarter.

Getting people interested in financing some aspect of your film will be (slightly) easier if you have something to show them. Which is why compiling materials and working on YouTube videos early on about your production will be doubly useful.

Keep in mind – it might take a number of years to get the money you need.

Spanner Films has written a useful guide on how to Crowdfund your film includes the following tidbit:

“If you are planning to make a campaigning film like The Age of Stupid, then you should definitely try to find a way to access the people out there who are already aware of and give a monkeys about the issue you want to highlight. If you can get some campaigners believing in your idea early on then they can be a huge help finding investors. You need to explain clearly why investing in your film is a strategic and cost-effective way to further your cause.”

A few examples of projects being crowdfunded include: “I Am I“, “My Million Dollar Movie” and “Iron Sky” which, writes Ross Dawson, has “four different mechanisms for raising money directly: a store selling merchandise such as T-shirts, a sneak peek of the first minutes of the film for which fans can pay any amount from 1 Euro, Fan Investments for qualified investors and up to 99 individuals in EU and some other countries, and ‘War Bonds‘, which are basically framed certificates.”

Casting
There are also many examples of productions (e.g. Paranoid Park, Moderation Town) which cast online (e.g. via YouTube etc.). This can be effective for certain parts, can drum up publicity and can allow you to watch more auditions than you could in a single casting session. (I don’t like the process of seeking votes for submissions – but I’m also speaking from an actor’s perspective.*).

There’s obviously lots more to say on how to leverage social media for film. Please comment below with your suggestions, examples and input.

For further reading, a few posts on the topic are bookmarked here (including some I’ve written).

The Shimmy, Shimmy Social: Promoting Your Festival Affiliation via Social Media

monicahamburg — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 18:57:39 +0000

My Twitter workshop partner, Stephanie Michelle Scott, and I are fans of Burlesque. We wanted to offer some quick tips to advertisers and vendors of the Vancouver International Burlesque Festival as to how they could promote their VIBF involvement (as well as Burlesque in general) via social media.

Photograph by Foxtongue Photography

Here are our suggestions:

By showcasing VIBF and Burlesque content you can have something interesting to talk about and engage upon, while subtly mentioning your involvement.

1) Keep your Twitter account active! It’s the perfect time to revitalize a dormant account. If you tend to feel you have nothing to say – well now there’s plenty! So get back to tweeting!

Things to keep in mind:

Twitter works best when you talk to and mention others’ content) and only occasionally promote yourself (the general rule is 80-90% promotion of others and 10-20% self-promotion). So do spend the bulk of time talking to people and reposting interesting content.
Link your promotional posts with your VIBF involvement. (For instance, how are you participating in the VIBF? E.g. is a performer wearing your fashions? Which ones will they be wearing? You can post pics of those photos onto your Twitter feed. You might also wish to highlight those performers.)
Also, pay attention to other content being mentioned about the festival (you can search using http://search.twitter.com/advanced). You might do searches for VIBF or #VIBF (in the hashtag section) or the complete phrase Vancouver International Burlesque Festival
We’ve also started a Twitter list of people involved in the Vancouver Burlesque scene. Check out what they have to say about the fest – or in general. (More cool people? Let us know and we’ll add them)
Remember to tag all your VIBF-related Twitter posts by placing the designated hashtag for the fest somewhere in any of the messages. (It might be #VIBF – but I’m not sure, so ask the organizers.)

2) Interface – employ Facebook!

Remember to:

Update your fans! If you have a Facebook Page, remember not only to post content – but also to send an update to your Facebook Fans (Go to “Edit info” and then click on “Marketing” in the left-hand column. “Send an Update” will be the last options).
Don’t be shy – tell people that your supporting the VIBF. If you post this message you even remind even those you know about you of your efforts – and you encourage them to spread the message to their circle.

3) Be engaging!

Critical:

With social media you are looking to create interaction – so don’t just post content – ask questions. (You can also get information – even about what people like most about you!) Think of interesting ways of interacting with your audience.

4) Try running a contest.

Have a few tickets to the VIBF that you are planning on giving away? Why not run a quick contest?

Some thoughts:

The easiest contests to run are ones where people can just enter their name for the draw. You can make a simple form via Google Forms to get entries.
If you have a blog you might just put up a quick post and ask people to comment to win. (You might want them to also “like” your Facebook page in order to enter. (e.g.))
You might just run one for your Facebook fans – ask a question (e.g. “What are you excited to see at the Fest?” or “What do you plan to wear to the fest?”)
Perhaps try a Twitter contest. Perhaps there too you might ask a question and get them to answer in order to enter.
Or you can go more complex on your blog and ask for photo entries or video entries.
Remember to promote your contest on all your social platforms in order to get maximum exposure.

5) Find cool content!

Stumped for fun burlesque content to link to via social media?

Look at the list of performers and hosts of the VIBF: You might try a search for any of them on Google for articles about them, videos etc. (use advanced search to narrow down content). You might also type in “Twitter” next to their name in the search to get some interesting content (Such as )
Search for “Vancouver Burlesque” or “Vancouver International Burlesque Festival” at Flickr photos – there’s loads of fun pictures to link to!
Search Google for “Vancouver International Burlesque Festival 2011” and you’ll turn up content about the fest. Or you might simply Google “Vancouver Burlesque” for general content about the scene. (e.g.)

6) Watch what others in the scene are saying.

As above, we’ve started a Twitter list of people involved in the Vancouver Burlesque scene so if you’re looking for cool content about Burlesque, these people likely have it. Retweet them!
Similarly, look some VIBF related Facebook pages to see about content you want to share (e.g. VIBF’s FB can be found at: http://on.fb.me/vibffb ). Go there and you’ll see some great stuff such as a recent post about a workshop that the East Vanity Parlour girls will be putting on.

Those are our tips – what would you suggest? Do you have some good tips for sponsors of an event etc.? Please share your ideas in the comments. Cheers!

—

Note: Our next workshop is on May 21! To register for Twitter Parlour: (Twitter for Your Unique Business) Workshops (we’re currently rebranding go to http://twitterforbusiness2.eventbrite.com/

Here’s a cute post about how to tease on Twitter: “How to Tweet Like a Burlesque Dancer“.

Exposure or Exploitation?

monicahamburg — Tue, 11 Jan 2011 16:18:29 +0000

I was reading the Utne Reader recently and I came across an pretty ad for Fluevog with an artist’s drawing.

The accompanying text read:

“Do you have the world’s best Fluevog Ad stuck in your head? Get it out at Fluevogcreative.com”.

I went to the url and read that this contest was offering $1,000 (in Fluevog gear) and exposure to the winning ad artists.

So…. is an ad worth only $1,000 and will the exposure really benefit the artist?

My initial reaction is “probably not”, because I have concerns when it comes to artists and contests. And because my antennae prick up when I hear the word “exposure”.

See, “exposure” is a woefully overused term. It is a huge “incentive” (really need the quotation marks there) offered in the indie film world – especially directed at actors:

“Work for free (and coffee!) on our production. Great opportunity for exposure!”

Now, granted, the Fluevog ads are being placed in decent magazines – so this is actual exposure, for what it’s worth, as opposed to imagined (many films don’t see the light of day as their filmmakers don’t fully grasp the challenges of getting their film into a festival). And the winners also get bios on the Fluevog creative site (e.g. the ad I saw featured Heather Mulligan’s art and her bio is on the site).

But is there a true value for the artist in said exposure? This is not a rhetorical question. I would be interested in an unbiased follow up to this type of contest. It is entirely possible that someone else would notice the ad and hire the artist for a project. But is it likely? How many of the ads/artists will there really be a success story for? I’d sincerely like to learn what happens.

The prize amount irks me a bit, though. An ad results in $1,000 of product for the artists – which , by the way, in Fluevog dollars equals… about 2 pairs of shoes (perhaps less)? Fluevog could reasonably pay more reasonably. (Of course, I can never wrap my head around purchasing shoes that are $400+, so my understanding of the value factor is clearly limited. Oh wait, the value is only $1,000 no matter how much you love the shoes! OK, I’ll proceed then.)

In the Fluevog case, it also strikes me that the exposure might benefit one party to a degree greater than the other. The ad showcases Fleuvog. The artist’s concept is secondary – although I commend Fluevog for actual including in the creative, in addition to the artist’s name, their url (something I’ve rarely seen). (The ad I saw provided the link to Heather Mulligan’s Deviant Art page: www.auroracle.deviantart.com )

Of course, on the plus side, the artist may not get magazine ad level exposure were it not for the contest (and, in this case, I’m assuming that the exposure might have some value, which of course, is still up for discussion). And the artist could very well re-purpose something they already created (although I haven’t checked the rules on that) and just plug in a shoe or the name Fluevog or what not, and Boom!, ad created. So it may not, in fact, involve a huge effort on their part.

And, of course, there is the fact that here I am, & Pete is, talking about it. So the “tactic” is working, in some respect. (Although, again, perhaps more for Fluevog?)

But back to the bad side: Fluevog gets the ad(s) created for far less than they would pay an agency to create, and the art for far less than a fair price: I think this serves to devalue at both industries.

Now, I understand that nobody can be exploited in these cases without their consent. The artists have to agree and do the work – and the transaction seems to be clear. That said, the lure of “exposure” is a strong one – especially for artists – who sometimes encounter difficulties in terms of getting paid to do what they love.

Your thoughts? You might also consider weighing in Pete’s post on One Degree.

—

*At the risk of sounding like a hypocrite, I should note that I work on and enter contests. Obviously for those I don’t see the imbalance as much – although there’s always the possibility cognitive dissonance could be at play.

I have also written about the topic of artists, contests and crowdsourcing on the following posts:

Please, Sir, Can I Have Another

Contests for Artists

Learn About Using Twitter for Business at Our January Workshop

monicahamburg — Sat, 01 Jan 2011 13:00:02 +0000

(Note from Monica: Originally the amazing Tanya Roberts and I were running the workshop, but Tanya is at full capacity with her work and I am fortunate to have another awesome and brilliant gal to work with. I am thrilled to have Stephanie Michelle Scott of Wildfire Effect as my new partner.)

—

On January 22nd Tanya Roberts and I will be presenting our Twitter for Business Workshop.

We’re aiming to offer this workshop, geared towards beginners, monthly. If you’d like to be kept posted, please fill out this quick form and we’ll keep you in the loop. (We might also offer advanced sessions at some point in the future. Again, please fill out our form if you want to be updated.)

FYI, the sessions will be informative, educational – and fun!

General Session Information

You’ve heard that Twitter is a great marketing tool, but you still don’t get it, right? As Steven Berlin Johnson wrote in his Time Magazine story on Twitter, “The one thing you can say for certain about Twitter is that it makes a terrible first impression. The service allows you to send 140-character updates to your followers,” he writes, “and you think, why does the world need this, exactly?”

The goal of this workshop is to demystify Twitter and give you tangible, real life examples that you can use to get on the Twitter bandwagon, beef up your marketing efforts, and ultimately grow your online presence.

Topics:

Twitter: What is it good for?
Getting Set-up: Creating a compelling profile and generating content.
Growing Your Following: Building your following and engaging followers.
Twitter & Marketing: Adding social media to your marketing mix.
Best Practices: What works? Real life examples, cautions, and what “not to do.”

If you’d like to read more about us, check out Tanya’s post here.

–

And if you’d like to get an idea of my presentation style, here’s a video of my Northern Voice talk on “Finding Your Online Voice”.

Tell Them – “It Gets Better”.

monicahamburg — Thu, 30 Sep 2010 05:12:51 +0000

If you’re looking for a tremendous example of using social media for good, here it is.

I doesn’t involve donating money. But it’s beautiful, and powerful. And learning about it made me cry.

Dan Savage is asking adults to tell youth “it gets better”.

(From the Georgia Straight: )

“In response to the suicide of Billy Lucas, a 15-year-old gay teenager from Indiana who hung himself on September 9 after suffering from bullying, Savage started a YouTube channel as a place where people can post videos with messages of hope for LGBT youth.

Hundreds of responses have already been uploaded by individuals who faced similar struggles in their adolescence.”

Michael Buckley from “What the Buck?”

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Michael Buckley of “What the Buck?”

I don’t know what it’s like to grow up gay – but I understand that for many it’s not a pleasant experience (to say the least). What I do know something, or rather plenty, about is how crappy it is to feel disliked, alienated, bullied and out-of-sync with those around you. The thing I hated most about my childhood was going to school – from when I was about 7-14, because, for a number of reasons, I was the school freak. I spent recess and lunches alone and would often eat hiding in a bathroom stall to avoid the insults and the taunting. Then there was the general awkwardness of always being watched and criticized, and of being alone in an environment where no one else was. Simply put, it sucked. I was in a very dark place over those years – but I was fortunate enough to somehow think that maybe it could get better. Maybe, if I was finally allowed to change schools, someone would think I was likable and worthy. Maybe.

It’s the idea that “maybe” this would change, the true hope and belief that it wasn’t always going to be like this – that it couldn’t – that was the reason I didn’t really consider suicide. But I also had the advantage of living in a big city (Montreal) where I saw plenty of different people. And not all of them were walking down the city streets alone. Even most of the weirdos had found a compatible weirdo. It seemed if I could just get out of the insular fishbowl that was my school, I could make it.

Or at least, that’s how I recall why I didn’t throw in the towel. Really, I don’t know what saved me. But I am so grateful that I didn’t give up, because, while it took time, I’ve never been as happy with my life and as comfortable with myself as I am now.

Which is why I am so touched by this project and what it could mean to the teens who don’t yet know that it won’t always suck.

There’s been some improvement over the years in terms of society’s acceptance and acknowledgement of LGBT, but it’s still far from where it needs to be. While our society works through these issues, it’s crucial to have teens understand that elementary and high school isn’t “the end”. And that how you are defined – and define yourself – especially once out of these environments, is largely up to you. Showing people who have made it through, who now have self-acceptance and a support network – I can’t say enough about how inspiring a message that sends to gay youth, as well as others dealing with difficulties and being “different”.

Please participate in this project if you feel you have something to contribute. Let LGBT teens know that it does get better. So much better.

http://www.youtube.com/itgetsbetterproject

You’re not a Product: But You are Your Presence

monicahamburg — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 13:00:10 +0000

Young woman sporting pink hair and wild clothing poses with her arms stretched behind her back. Horizontal shot.

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Here is the article I contributed to the May 2010 issue of Dan Schawbel’s “Personal Branding Magazine” entitled: “You’re not a Product: But You are Your Presence”:

Are people products when it comes to branding? The answer is somewhat complex. When we expect companies to become more “human” we often forget just how inconsistent humans are. We can be overwhelming responsible overall and still act like fools on occasion. Yet, when it comes to a public image – especially online, first impressions do matter. Likewise, our continued online presence has a strong bearing on our business: who we are affects who responds to us – and how they respond. You don’t need to be a walking slogan, but should be aware of perceptions.

The web already includes facets of you: mentions about what you do and images from gatherings, to name just a few. Social Media can you help represent yourself optimally. Take Twitter for example, where you’re able to prove yourself as an expert in your field, while simultaneously conveying the person behind the work. You’re already endearing, right? So leverage that fully.

Firstly, take control of your Twitter background and make it as evocative of your personal/business front. (And unless your business caters to fly-vision don’t tile the background with an image.) Include your url and have your bio describe what you want to be recognized for/as. Know that you can only be seen to be so many things. I know someone whose business card has at least 12 distinct professions including “Pilot”, “Film Director” and “Psychic”. It makes him seem sub-par at all. Such is the case when a bio includes “Doctor, Real Estate Agent, Career Coach”. What are the key things you do? Just like a first date, no one expects (or wants) to know everything right off the bat.

And when you tweet, don’t always be “on message”. Someone who only talks about business – especially his business – is a dull fellow indeed. Who are you after work? Again, you don’t have to be too revealing but do let people in on your interests. You don’t want to give the impression that you wear a tie in your leisure time and mumble “I can increase your sales with just one click “in your sleep.

Of course, you’re there to make friends and influence people, so be sure to answer questions, offer advice, help people and share valuable information. The beauty is that you don’t have to shill yourself: by virtue of participating in these ways, you showcase your expertise.

And always be mindful of what you say. In real life, your interactions have social cues and a greater context, so every comment matters less. It’s worth checking how your Twitter posts (as well as status updates on other sites, post comments etc.) appear when read in succession. Do you frequently complain or use negative phrasing? Looking at the content objectively, what would you surmise about this person?

A person isn’t really a product. But if you optimize your web presence you might find yourself selling yourself – without needing to hard sell.

—

Note: Now online – video of my Northern Voice talk on “Finding Your Online Voice”.

//

Interview with Pourhouse about their Twitter Strategy

monicahamburg — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 20:02:09 +0000

Recently, I was preparing a presentation on Twitter for a client*. To emphasize the benefits of using Twitter, I wanted to give them an example of a business in their industry (restaurant) which had seen results. I emailed some questions to Chuck McIntosh of Pourhouse and he was kind enough to respond. (Note: find them on Twitter at @pourhouse_van)

Here’s what he had to say:

Q: What were/are your key objectives re: using Twitter?

Chuck: few things we focus on using Twitter:

1. To generate positive awareness and new customers for our business.
2. To constantly keep top of mind consciousness.
3. To keep in touch and communicate with customers, their needs, and moderate feedback.

Q: How do you use Twitter to drive business, communicate etc.? Do you use Twitter separately or is it part of a larger social media strategy?

Chuck: We use multiple social sites to drive business and to communicate with customers. Yes, we use both Twitter and Facebook among others, they all work together to create our social network.

Q: What benefits and results have you seen from what you’ve done?

Chuck: Consistent feedback from customers in real time, people tweet straight from the bar or their table about their experiences. Whether good or bad, we can address it immediately which has been fantastic for us. Another obvious benefit is the awareness it creates. If someone is having a positive experience and they share that, others read it and want to try Pourhouse as well. If you consistently strive to make every customers experience great, then you are getting a consistent feed of testimonials sent out from people to their friends, you can’t beat that. And if there are negative ones, you can monitor them and deal with both the customers concerns and with your staff immediately. It’s a great monitoring system.

Q: Would love some links to coverage you’ve received re: your use of social media.

Chuck: http://www.pourhousevancouver.com/media.html

Many of these articles came from the awareness that our network creates.

Q: Can you offer tips or suggestions for others in your industry in terms of what you’ve learned, discovered?

Chuck: When using Social Media, be real and authentic, be consistent, and contribute.

—

*On a related topic: In July, Tanya Roberts and I will be running a Twitter for Business Workshop together. If you would like to be put into our database to be notified of the date of this session – or to find out about future monthly workshops, please enter your name and email into this form.

One more thing: Laurie Pawlik-Kienlen wrote a great post “How to Find Your Blogging Voice – 8 Tips for Bloggers” which mentions some points from the “Finding Your Online Voice” talk I gave at Northern Voice.

Psychology and Social Media (Part III) – on OneDegree: Anonymity

monicahamburg — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 13:00:14 +0000

(Note: This post was originally written for – and published on – OneDegree)

Our hearts raced.

Our friend picked up the phone.

“You smell bad!” we said in unison, masking our voices in creepy falsetto. Then we slammed down the phone and laughed.

I was a tween in a time before the ubiquity of Caller ID/Display and prank calls were in vogue. I was slightly ashamed of what we were doing, and yet we made the calls, and our ability to do this ugly, passive-aggressiveness and hurtful thing was facilitated by one critical factor: anonymity.

Without this cloak we were kind to our friend with whom we, clearly, had some issues. There were certainly more effective and decidedly more respectable ways to address our problems. Did we have the emotional maturity to do so? Clearly not. And the lack of identity gave us free reign to express our feelings honestly – and distastefully.

The benefit of online anonymity is often provided in the extreme. It enables users to offer information or perspective without fear of retribution or recrimination (e.g. whistleblowing, expressing political points of view under repressive regimes). Stigma is also a consideration: a person might be hesitant to attach their name because the revelations might lead them face discrimination (e.g. at their workplace for certain points of view or for their sexual orientation) and someone, for instance, who experienced sexual abuse or is dealing with depression might want to comment on a blog post or forum to express solidarity – but not if it meant revealing their identity to everyone.

Of course many anonymous remarks don’t fall under these categories. And while online anonymity, which has long been a contentious issue, allows for the expression of honest points of view, it is also an appropriate shelter from which to fire off damaging or defamatory remarks. It is theorized that “Good Lamps Are the Best Police” and anonymity – and even the illusion of anonymity – provides a cloak under which to operate, and is an excellent sanctuary for those wishing to use the internet for hateful comments, intimidation and character assassinations.

Recent occurrences have once again thrown this issue into the spotlight. There are, as just a few examples, a court case which requests the unveiling of anonymous posters who made defamatory comments, a newspaper which revealed their discovery that the anonymous comments on their site which were “disparaging a local lawyer, were made using the e-mail address of a judge who was presiding over some of that lawyer’s cases”, Anonymously authored blogs exist, as do as skewed Amazon reviews made under a pseudonym and social sites or applications that encourage anonymous feedback.

The sad truth is that people sometimes comport themselves differently when their identity is not known. Even those comments which express honest dissenting opinion frequently lack respect when posted anonymously. The anonymity adds yet another layer of distance from the other party: without the person in front of you, you can avoid considering his/her emotions and possible reactions, but now that you that your identity is also concealed, it is easy to dispense with any civility at all.

Take for instance a comment on a blog that remarks something such as:

“This post makes it clear you are a complete moron. I would be embarrassed to be you.”

How? Why?

With anonymity the opportunity is presented to phrase even one’s legitimate opinions in an inconsiderate and scathing way. Were there an obligation to attach one’s name – and all the reputation that may go with it – the user might be more inclined to take into account the other party’s humanity and feelings and rather than release vitriolic comments, perhaps provide constructive criticism.

Scott Rosenberg of Salon.com makes the argument that moderation rather than “real names” would help to encourage responsible discourse. This makes good sense with respect to online conversations not descending into “barroom brawls” but does not address the difficulty in distinguishing between true and untrue statements made online. And, without attaching identity, there is also no way of gauging the perspective/conflict of interest of the party.

Writes Randy Cohen: “’Says who?’ is not a trivial question. It deepens the reader’s understanding to know who is speaking, from what perspective, with what (nutty?) history, and with what personal stake in the matter.

Certainly, anonymous posters aren’t the only ones who write distastefully or choose to grind their axe online. But this allowance does grant a great deal of power without responsibility. Power on its own can be a dangerous intoxicant. Without repercussions it becomes even more worrisome.

Recall the question: “Would you kill someone if no one would ever know you did it?” Replace “kill” with “defame” and you have a fair concern for the internet age.

Note: If would like to recommend articles or books, please feel free to suggest in the comments, or contact me through Twitter.

Product vs. Presence

monicahamburg — Wed, 19 May 2010 13:00:19 +0000

This is just a quick plug to mention that I contributed an article to the May 2010 issue of Dan Schawbel’s “Personal Branding Magazine“. My piece is entitled: “You’re not a Product: But You are Your Presence”.

Here is the issue summary:

Volume 3, Issue 4 is focused on celebrity spokespeople, and includes interviews with famous individuals, such as Kathy Ireland, a former model turned entrepreneur, and Vanna White, from the TV hit “Wheel of Fortune.” Celebrities are able to maximize their brand, leverage it, and even endorse products and other companies. In this issue, you will learn how to become the ultimate spokesperson for your own personal brand, and achieve success. You’ll read tips and tricks on how to turn your voice into money!

Dan is offering a free sample (containing 9 of the articles) on his blog. Apologies though, I’m posting about this late, so I’m not sure that if you end up subscribing you can receive the full version of this particular issue anymore.

However, I will post my article next month on this blog for my lovely and patient readers.

Where in the World is Monica Hamburg – Spring 2010

monicahamburg — Tue, 11 May 2010 11:00:54 +0000

Me Like the Internet will be taking a siesta until mid June while its author (er, me) goes on vacation. (Although there might be one or two posts popping up during this period.)

In July, Tanya Roberts and I plan on running a Twitter for Business Workshop together. If you would like to be put into our database to be notified of the date of this session – or to find out about future monthly workshops, please enter your name and email into this form.

Have a lovely time while I’m away!

Cheers!

—

The title (in case you are frightfully younger than me) is from the “Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego ” game – I loved the game most especially because the fugitive would run around carrying the flag of the country he was in. Now that’s an excellent criminal thinking.*

*Yes, I’ve used this joke before. I’ll be using my vacation time to come up with new material.

And, finally: a bunny pic! Happiness.

Online Voice – Part 5 – Presentation for Northern Voice

monicahamburg — Fri, 07 May 2010 13:00:32 +0000

Here’s the presentation on “Finding Your Online Voice” that I’m giving at Northern Voice today (wish me luck ).

To read other posts I wrote on this topic, click here.

Updated: For the video of my talk, click here.

Online Voice – Part 4 – What can you do to find your voice?

monicahamburg — Thu, 06 May 2010 17:30:07 +0000

Note: This is the 4th part in the series I’m writing on “Finding Your Online Voice” (in part to prepare for my Northern Voice talk) . To find the other posts, click here.

As Isabella Mori pointed out nicely in her comment, it’s the “how” of “being yourself” that’s troublesome.

Truly, “Be Yourself!” is a tall and painfully vague order. I remember this advice from when I was young(er, er) and just starting to date. And before job interviews. And auditions. And. And. And.

And therein lies the problem. Sometimes who you are, really, is not readily apparent to you. Sure, you have a vague idea, but do you really know? (For instance, recently, at a friend’s wedding, the groom made a toast and described me as having a very big heart. Sure, he was drinking at the time, but descriptions like that floor me.)

We all have an image of ourselves. Further, there are things we want to project and aspects we are uncomfortable showing. And some traits which we come to value more over time. For instance, my sense of humor has only recently been any public use to me at all. Being funny isn’t something we tend to encourage in women. One of my friend’s remarked (quite profoundly, I think) that if you saw two people on a date, and it was the man who was laughing at what the woman said, it would strike you as odd. Women aren’t the ones expected to be funny. (To that effect, there’s a recent article that talks about this in the latest Scientific Mind.) I am also aware that being caustic has implications in how people perceive me. I occasionally have to make an effort not to censor myself too much to avoid those judgments.

We are frequently encouraged to stifle our personalities and silence our voices. It’s certainly been the case with some aspects of my personality and my experiences. In fact, I think for many of us, who we are, is to some extent not who we were supposed to be.

So we want to write smarter, have people believe we are [insert characteristic here (upbeat, professional, charming, together etc.)] I tried a few times to be be poised, because I think women who are, are lovely. I can’t hack it though, and it becomes really painful…

Now, how do we get to who we really are… Of course, write, write, write (Oh, noes…). Also, ask your friends what they think of you. No, really. Just tell them to tell you the stuff they like.

With regards to suggestions, let’s begin from there:

Ask your friends how they would describe you. Try this: Your best friend meets a new co-worker that she thinks would gel perfectly with you. She says, “Oh! You have to meet my friend!” He says, “Really?! Why?” She responds, “well, she’s just like you, she’s _____. “ What would your friend say here? Use any many adjectives as you can. This will give you some idea of your positive (or, at least, enjoyable ) traits.
Read other blogs. You’ll learn what you like, what inspires you and, as Dave Taylor notes in this brilliant tip: “One of the best ways to learn your blogging voice is to read a lot of other bloggers and ask yourself whether you’re comfortable with their writing style, whether they seem to be a friend chatting with you or some self-important twit pontificating, and which you find most appealing. Then be inspired by that and try to create a writing persona that matches what you believe are the best practices.”
Did you particularly enjoy writing a specific post? Or feel proud of it? Look at why: is it more “like you”? Did you enjoy the way you approached it? Sometimes it’s that one post in which you find your voice.
If you are interesting in writing content that is more intimate, more revealing, take a look at Isabella’s book recommendations and this blog post on “Blogging Yourself Home“. (With respect to journaling privately, I also enjoyed her post on “using your negative voice“.)
Even if you don’t consider yourself “a writer”, you can find the authentic “you”. To make the process less daunting, take Matt Crowe’s advice on how to finding your voice as a blogger: “Think about what do you absolutely love doing more than anything else in life and blog about that.”
Jean Berg-Sarauer also suggests journaling: “When you let yourself write about anything you want with no intention of ever showing your words to another living soul, it feels safe to be real. And the more you let your authentic voice come out in your private journal, the easier it will get to bring it out for your readers.”
Additionally Jean advises that bloggers let their writing suck on initial drafts – to be cleaned up later. I understand how difficult it is to allow yourself to do so, but she’s right, it really helps. You can forget about proper spelling and grammar for a moment, and give yourself permission to leave blanks when you can’t find the words (trust me, getting stuck on trying to find that elusive word can be time-consuming and inspiration killing). You might feel like a dolt during the process (“Wow, I can’t even formulate sentences… What an idiot,” but allowing yourself to just write without censoring, just as it pours out of you can be very eye-opening – and freeing.

Note: I’ll be posting the slides for my talk tomorrow on this blog, and on Slideshare.

Online Voice – Part 3 – Why do people care about your blog?

monicahamburg — Thu, 06 May 2010 12:00:33 +0000

http://www.flickr.com/photos/katie_made_me_do_it/ / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

(Note: This is the 3rd part of a series I’m writing in preparation for my Northern Voice talk on “Finding Your Online Voice“. (1rst & 2nd)

On the survey I sent to bloggers, I also asked:

“Why Do People Care About Your Blog?

What do you think (or have you heard as feedback) that makes people read your blog?

There are many, many blogs around. The fact that a blogs has any audience at all beyond the blogger’s immediate family is often a testament to a blogger’s persistence (sticking around, continuing to blog, and allowing their voice and audience to develop). Oh, and there’s also that ever important content thing.

The feedback I get is mostly with respect to my Your Dose of Lunacy blog. People tend to read it because they think it’s funny. I also hear: because “you find the weirdest things” (some people can walk tightrope, noticing the freaky appears to be my gift). Another popular response is that they have the same raunchy sense of humour, or taste in inappropriate, but (for obvious reasons) feel they should resist making that aspect of themselves public. So my blog appeals to them. And is an outlet.

Basically, people read that blog because it’s funny. If it ceased to be, I would lose my audience. They go there for amusement. That’s fine with me because it gels with why I write the blog – fittingly, it’s to amuse.

Here are a few reason the bloggers provided for why people read their blog:

Miranda Lievers

Blue Olive Photography

As a business blog we are read by all sorts of clients – past, present, and future along with people in our industry from other photographers to wedding planners and the like. We’re also often surprised to hear that we have a lot of readers who fall into neither category – girls who don’t even have a boyfriend following along with our wedding work because the images themselves resonate with them.

Our blog allows people to get to know us as people more than our work on its own ever could, and I love that!

Classifies her blog as:
Business

Erica Lam

The Style Spy

People can relate to our tone of voice, they know there are real girls behind the site, it’s like talking to your girlfriend in person.

We cover everyday brands – it’s affordable fashion – most fashion outlets are high-fashion, unattainable. People can relate to us.

The inside scoop. People want to read stuff they can’t find elsewhere. So we have many built relationships with brands to ensure we get the best information to share w/our readers.

Classifies her blog as:
Style/Fashion/Shopping

Monique Trottier

So Misguided

The feedback and comments are usually from people who want to thank me for sharing a particular book or insight. They care because they’re interested in the same sorts of books, or they want to share what they find interesting. It’s nice.

Classifies her blog as:

Book blog, with a bit of technology, marketing, tap dancing and party tricks

Eagranie Yuh

The Well-Tempered Chocolatier

I write about chocolate.I was going to leave it at that, because that’s probably one major reason people read it. Other reasons include the curation factor: that I’m sourcing chocolate and talking about issues so that other people don’t have to look for that information themselves. And also that I present an expert opinion – my background in science and chocolate makes me a credible source.And, the voice thing. People like my voice. I like to think that I make an esoteric topic (artisan chocolate, science) accessible and fun.

Classifies her blog as:

Food (specifically chocolate, often science, sometimes pastries/sweets/candy)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/katie_made_me_do_it/3768103622/” title=”I care about you. by _mandrew_, on Flickr”>http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2628/3768103622_da1ecf7e7c.jpg” width=”333″ height=”500″ alt=”I care about you.” />

Online Voice – Part 2 – Advice from bloggers on finding your voice

monicahamburg — Wed, 05 May 2010 15:00:34 +0000

http://www.flickr.com/photos/katerw/ / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

As I mentioned in the last post, I’m presently work on my Northern Voice talk that deals with “Finding Your Online Voice“. This post is the 2nd in the series. (The first is here.)

I asked a few bloggers I knew to fill out a short survey. One of the questions was:

“Did you have any difficulty finding your online voice? If so, how did you discover it? Do you have any tips on that for new bloggers?”

(Yes, these are three separate questions I asked as one. This made the form look shorter and hence. more likely to be filled in, and I apologize to no one for that! No one!)

Here are some of the astute responses:

Kimli Welsh

Delicious Juice Dot Com

Tips for new bloggers? Be real. Start small. While you don’t have to share as much as I do, you should share SOMETHING – a thought, an opinion, a story. Stick to the blogging rules: no one cares what you had for lunch. Don’t force anything; let it come naturally. Did I mention being real? Please be real. Give people a chance to know YOU, not a false image.

Classifies her blog as:
highly personal, leaning toward comedic (I hope) – I share information about my day-to-day life on a daily basis.

Kim Werker

Kim Werker

I find it easy to write, and when I first started blogging (on a different blog), I had no trouble being the voice of the website I was writing for. When I finally started *my* blog, I found the transition to be a little awkward. I felt like I had to be the “professional” me, since I was the person behind some fairly prominent publications in the crafts industry. So I was writing about stuff not related to crafts, but I felt the need to be my professional persona. I didn’t want to rock the boat or say anything that might make a reader judge a publication negatively because they didn’t like what I wrote on my blog.

Eventually, I just ripped the bandage off and started to just be myself. That was a HUGE relief, and it contributed almost entirely to me becoming a better – and happier – blogger. Readers became more engaged on my blog, and I found I had a lot more to say and I just said it as me. (And to my knowledge, my book sales haven’t hurt. )

Classifies her blog as:
It’s a whatever-I-feel-like-writing-about blog, with a focus on creativity, business, crafts and books.

Erica Lam

The Style Spy

No. Blogging is all about being yourself. The voice online is exactly the way I talk in person and to my girlfriends when I discuss shopping. Showing off your latest purchase, the newest beauty discovery. It’s all about keeping it real and not over-thinking it. For new bloggers, be true to what you believe in, don’t try to conform or copy a popular style of writing.

Obviously the more you write, the easier it gets. And it really should be easy & natural.

Classifies her blog as: Style/Fashion/Shopping

Isabella Mori

Change Therapy

It wasn’t difficult but it also went through a bit of a process. I’ve been writing for many years, so i didn’t have to work hard on finding my writing voice. I’m someone who suffers from writers and idea tsunami more than from writers and idea block, so my challenge was more on how to focus so that my voice would not be a dissonant jumble. what has helped with that was to see what readers were interested in, and also looking back after a few months on what and how i enjoyed writing on such a regular basis.

Classifies her blog as: business/op ed/educational with a good dose of personal

Miranda Lievers

Blue Olive Photography

The approach I took and what I’d suggest to new bloggers is to simply be yourself and write how you talk. It will come across more authentic and genuine than if you try to write how you think others want you to write.

And of course, don’t take yourself too seriously

Classifies her blog as:
Business