Headline Blues

Have you ever written something, whether it be a news release, an article, blog, book, or any written media, and then wondered “Ok, now what in the world do I call it?”

This happened to me today. I was writing a news release for a client of mine, and when I finished I had no idea what the headline should be. In an attempt to find some kind of creative assistance, I took to the internet to find some headline writing tips for the topic I was working on. As expected, my search turned up several results, all of which contradicted each other.

Everyone has their own way of doing things. Everyone has opinions on how to write “THE PERFECT HEADLINE,” everyone has different opinions on what is “catchy,” and everyone wants you to believe they are the industry expert about it. However; what many of these sources fail to mention, is that every industry is different and that there is no “PERFECT HEADLINE” formula. It is just a myth.

Certain situations call for different headlines. Writing about animals in need will require a completely different approach than writing about accounting. Writing about technology in videogames is different from writing about technology in computers.

So with that said, I’ve put together a brief list of somethings to think about that might help you in your headline and tilting adventures (based off my own experiences):

1. Consider the topic!
   Is it happy? Is it sad? Is it about people or objects? These things matter in how you approach your headlines.
2. Consider the audience!
   Does the market respond well to emotional appeals? Are they jaded to “typical” headlines? What would make ME want to read this?
3. The headline sets tone of the article!
   This is a given, but it doesn’t help to be reminded of it every once in a while. This is the first thing the audience will read before reading the piece you have put together. Make sure it fits!
4. Is it catchy?
   As I mentioned, there is NO definitive form of “catchy-ness”. Go with your instincts on this. Do you think it would appeal to your audience. Try copy testing it with some friends if you are unsure.
5. Does it fit the article?
   This should also be obvious, but you would be surprised at how many times “wrong” headlines pop-up on articles. Sure, a completely unrelated and catchy headline might gain attention, but will it be the right kind of attention? How many times have you read an article and then thought, “Wow…that was not at all what I thought it was going to be, why did I read that?”
   Sometimes you might do this and not even realize it. To avoid making this mistake, try reading the article as if you were an audience member and see if it makes sense.
6. Look at other headlines in the industry!
   Use these to see what appeals to your audience.

The main thing to remember is to, go with your instincts. Sure, using other sources can be helpful, and even provide valuable insight, but remember, the people who wrote those are just people too.

Community Managers: The Unsung Heroes of VIdeo Game PR

The need for Community Managers(CM) is growing every single day across every industry. Think about it, these people serve as the direct link between a company/product and its loyal fan base. They relay the perceptions, expectations, trends, and any other important information about the fans directly to the company. They also foster the community by giving them things to talk about and content to enjoy/critique. When you really think about it, why hasn’t this profession taken off before? After all, companies are supposed to be consumer oriented, and what better way to do this than to create a community with your consumers? It’s like being part of an exclusive club that only those with similar interests can be a part of.

This holds especially true for the Community Managers of the video game industry. In fact, I would argue that they probably hold one of the most important roles in the industry. Without an active Community Manager, you have no community. No community means there will be fewer people talking about your game. The less people talking about your game means less media coverage, less enthusiasm for the game/franchise, and it also gives an impression of poor support from the studio/developers responsible for making the game.

Active communities are what make good studios great. They generate hardcore and long-term fans of a franchise. These fans will fight your company’s battles for you all over the internet. They will spread your brand and message to those that have never heard of your company or franchise before. Where ever this is a nay-sayer about your franchise, these people will heed it as  a call to action and take up arms to defend you. All of this gets people talking about your company, and as a result, generates interest in what you have to offer. As long as the CM provides interesting content and keeps the community engaged, the community will thrive.

Community Managers not only serve as the company/developer liaison, not only in online social networks and forums, but also in early game testing, gaming blogs, and major conventions as well. They are essentially the ambassadors to the developers. If you beta-test a new feature a game and want to know what the fans think, you go to the CM. Communities also keep people talking about your company, as opposed to the competition. If people are spending their time on your sites, commenting on your posts, talking about your games, then you can argue that this means they are spending less time doing all of these things on your competitors sites. This is a good thing for you, because that means they will remember your product when they see it on a shelf or online catalog.

So, what does it take to be a CM? Well, one needs to be able to multitask….seriously multitask. Social media experience is a must, because who has ever heard of an active community that did not utilize Facebook or Twitter? Providing content requires more than just words on a page, that gets boring and overlooked. Content needs to have graphics, videos, and some level of interactivity. Actually knowing how to make this content is an added bonus. Great verbal and written communication skills…since you know….you will be communicating with thousands of people on a daily basis. PR knowledge can go a long way for community managers, since you will need to know how to appeal to the public, convey the brand message, recognize potential threats/problems and know how to take care of them, and build relationships with journalists and other high-profile industry figures to generate publicity for the franchise. The CM’s role expands beyond “Ambassador” title that the community sees. It also involves PR/Marketing. The CM should be aware of marketing objectives and assist in the creation of the marketing/PR campaigns, since the CM should interact with the community on a daily basis, they probably have a pretty good idea of how to appeal to them, and by extension, the target market.

Now how does one go about building a community? The answer: create content. Not just ordinary content, as was mentioned before, content needs to be innovative, unique, and gets the community involved. Encourage the audience to create fan art, videos, and more. If done correctly, the community will take on a life of its own. Something that has become popular with some studios is to provide exclusive perks to active members of a community, this can include special online name badges, or early access to betas.  This can either be the easiest or most difficult thing to do. This is also where some companies struggle because they want to monitor and control everything. The thought that people can freely post things on the internet scares some companies to the point where they just don’t want to create the content at all. There is no worse hindrance to community development than not providing the content.

Do you agree or disagree with me? Have anything you would like to add? Comment below!

Note: I realize I just mentioned the basics of community management so please comment if you think I left out something important.

Another One Bytes the Dust

8 bits make a byte.

That is the perfect way to describe this semester for me. 8 major bits of data that have come together to make a byte that has been included in my personal code.

1. A Job Over Done: This may sound strange. How do you “overdo” a job? The answer may surprise you. It is possible to do a job so well, that the company you are doing the job for wants to have someone come in and do it full-time.  Now you might say, “if you were doing the job right, they would have kept you.”  Under normal circumstances, I would agree with you. However, when the position you were hired for did not exist until you convinced the company it was worth their investment, that is a bit different. It gets even more complicated when you are a college student and you have to divide your responsibilities between work and school. This is where my point comes in. I was so good at what I was doing, that the company liked it. They liked it so much that they wanted to have someone who was hired specifically for that position and was able to handle the job responsibilities full-time. It was an interesting situation to in really. On one hand, I was honored that they felt my efforts were seeing such results that they wanted to keep the position going. On the other hand, it was still my job. I have no hard feelings towards the company. In fact, as I mentioned, I was happy to be able to make a difference within the company and open their eyes to something they would not have considered otherwise.
2. Best Break Ever: This year I took my first real Spring Break trip. I went to Orlando Florida with my girlfriend for the week. We had a flex ticket that allowed us to spend one day at each of the theme parks in Orlando (excluding Disney). It was amazing. I must say, Sea World has stepped up its game lately and was probably my favorite park. I needed that trip. It was my last Spring Break of college and it was probably the last time I will ever get to do something like that ever again.
3. Self Discovery: I discovered what I want to in my career. I always knew what industry I wanted to work in, but I never knew exactly what it was I wanted to do. I want to be a Community Manager in the video game industry. It is not your traditional PR role, but that is what I love about it. It is direct interaction with fans from the community.
4. Networking: Since discovering what I wanted to do, I began a quest to start networking with professionals in the industry. I now have a career path that I never would have thought possible. Side note: even though I know she will never read this, Jessica Merizan is awesome.
5. Testing My Abilities: This has been the most stressful semester I have ever had. It is good to know that I do not crack under pressure, and can operate on very little sleep. I have also learned that I am a pretty decent researcher in the field of Communication Studies. This surprised me, considering how nervous I was about having to write some communication studies research papers.
6. New Friends: I have met some interesting people this semester that I hope to stay in contact with. Some of which I never thought would even speak to a person like myself.
7. New Future: My girlfriend and I have signed a lease on a one bedroom cottage together for next year. I feel like this is a pretty big move in our relationship. We already live together now, but we each have our own separate bedrooms should the need arise. We also have three floors and two other roommates now.  Going from all that, to a one story, one bedroom cottage is going to be a big change, and we are also  having to furnish the entire place.
8. Change: Two things I learned from this semester involve change. The first one is to never wish for anything to change. If you want something to change badly enough, then go out and do it. Don’t just wish for it. Make it happen. The second one is to keep mind that things happen for a reason. It is how we choose to respond to them that define who we are. Even things that seem terrible at first glance, can lead to something good and unexpected happening later. Just keep your head up and stay strong!

This Week I Am Talking About…Baseball???

Well, this is going to be a difficult topic for me to write about. This week I am being asked to write about baseball. I have been involved in baseball in nearly every aspect at some point in my life. I have been a VIP in a press box, a guest in the stands, and I even played the sport for a couple of years while I was in elementary school. Despite all of this, I find very little interest in the sport. There is just something about the idea of sitting waiting for that one chance moment when someone hits a small ball across a field; typically to be caught immediately by someone in the outfield, that seems very unappealing to me. Finding ways to generate interest in something that I find completely uninteresting is going to be a challenge, but with that being said, LET’S DO THIS!

In the world of baseball, there seems to be two types of people. There are the hardcore fans who will do anything and everything to support their team, then there is everyone else, with VERY few moderates.

I feel like trying to appeal to a hardcore baseball fan must be pretty easy. If you love a team enough, you will go to their games, win or lose, rain or shine, life or death. I’ve seen Braves and Yankees fans go to extremes to make sure they do not miss a game, or even find ways to involve the team in their daily lives, like decorating a room in their house in the style of the team. I have a friend who flew him and his girlfriend, at the time, all the way to Yankee Stadium just so he could propose to her on the jumbo-tron screen during a Yankee’s game. I am happy to report that they are happily married and have a son on the way, who has his room already themed after the Yankee’s. This is the audience that you do not need to worry about, in my opinion. Obviously, you want to keep them happy, but you can keep doing whatever it is you are doing with them and they seem to be ok.

If you are trying to generate new interest in the game, and expand your audience, it is the other crowd that you may want to try to appeal to. So I think the best way to try to appeal to this audience is to have a person, like myself, involved in trying to think of ways that would make them interested in coming to a baseball game, winning team or not.

1. Giveaways: Everyone loves a good giveaway. People also love knowing that no matter what happens, they are going to win something, but they like the idea of a bigger prize being given out at random. I suggest giving away some type of cheap memorabilia, that can double as a promotional effort as well, to every attendee of a baseball game. It can be a key-chain, a foam finger, or even a whistle with the team insignia and logo on it. It does not matter, just as long as it is something that can make a guest happy, and is low-cost to make. The fact that it has the team logos on it means that when they take it home, they will always remember the time they had at YOUR team’s game. It will also give people something to talk about, which is good as well. Have a random winner of a “Grand Prize Giveaway”. This prize can be season tickets, a signed baseball/bat, or a private meet-and-greet with the team, just something “extra special” that people would want to have/do.
2. Approachable and FUN: Right now Baseball comes across as a sport that you will only enjoy if you are a devoted fan. For the most part, this is true. Something should be done about this. I do not know what, I am not a sports expert, but something needs to change about the way the game is perceived to most audiences.
3. Fan interactivity: The majority of the games I have attended involved me sitting in an uncomfortable position in an uncomfortable seat, surrounded by uncomfortable people. This contributes to one’s negative perceptions of an event. I understand that some teams have their various chants and etc, but baseball needs something more. Something to keep people interested in what is going on. Face it, unless someone finally hits the ball, fan activity and energy is pretty low. Even when the ball is hit, chances are it is just going to be caught, making it a full two seconds of excitement every thirty minutes. This is baseball’s greatest fault. They could offer trivia at the end of each game about the events of the game. At the end of the game, when people begin leaving, they could have a series of mini-stages/platforms or areas roped off at the each of the arena’s exiting areas. Prizes can include a free hot dog, some team swag, even a ticket to the next home game, or something along the lines of that. They could be staffed by the crews that would normally be staffed at the carts, or other food outlets, typically found in the stadium’s outer ring or exterior. Announce at the beginning of each game to pay close attention to the game for a chance to win prizes. Obviously, this is a very rough idea, but it is a start.
4. The climate: Is it too much to ask for indoor stadiums? The GA Dome is covered! Why can’t baseball fields be covered? Perhaps I am missing something? The prospect of sitting outside for hours in intense heat and humidity does not sound appealing. Want to get people to even consider being interested in the game? Guarantee them comfortable seating and that should turn some heads. The likelihood of this happening is VERY slim, but if any of the major cities are in the market to build a new field, then perhaps a modern approach would best fit the new design.
5. Secret handshakes and all that other “elite” stuff: Make people feel special at the games. They came out to support whatever team they are there for, make them feel special! If I were an eight-year-old boy with a group of friends at a baseball game, we would love the idea of learning a “secret handshake” or something. Something that we would know, and do in public, to make all the other kids jealous. For an older audience, have “meet-and-greets” at the end of the games. Have players actually talk to their fans. It would be so revolutionary, that even a non-baseball fan like myself, would think, “Wow…that is really cool! I would like to meet that guy and see what he is like.” The only way to have that happen would be for me to go to a game.

These are just some thoughts. I know if these were implemented, I would definitely consider going to baseball games more often. As I mentioned though, the likelihood of any of them happening is VERY rare. Baseball is a sport that is set in its ways, and its audiences are not supportive of changing their favorite past-time.

Traveling

If money were no object and I had plenty of spare time with a job that offered plenty of vacation time, there are a few places I would like to travel.

The first place I would want to travel to is a place that I have written about in my Bucket List. I want to travel to Tokyo, Japan. This place has always been somewhat of a mystery to me.

A quick shot of a crowd in Tokyo, Japan

The people, the technology, the culture, and the lifestyles are all very interesting. The fact the people over there are so accepting of so many groups of people (at least on the surface) amazes me. I want to go to Tokyo’s technology district and see what it has to offer. If you do not know, I am a huge tech geek/junky/nerd, so naturally I would want to go to the technology capital of the world. I also want to find the gaming scene and see just how awesome those people really are. The idea that cos-players are accepted over there as equals is something that I wish to be a part of. It is the combination of technology, people, and accepting culture that make Tokyo, Japan very appealing to me.

 

A view of the skyline in Edmonton, Canada

The second place I would want to visit is Edmonton, Canada. Now many people may wonder why I would want to go to such a place, it is Canada after all. However; what many people do not realize is that Edmonton is a thriving city. At first glance, it resembles some of America’s larger cities, except with more greenery spread throughout. But alas, that is not the reason why I wish to visit Edmonton. Edmonton is home to one of my favorite game studios, BioWare. I have talked to some of the developers up there and even played a few games with them, via Xbox LIVE. It would be nice to make a trip up there and actually meet the people, face-to-face, that I have been talking too.

The Age-Old Issue (Pun Intended)

Convincing an older generation to accept new technology is like that age-old debate that never really makes any progress, unless the person/people from the older generation(s) are willing accept change. Once you begin to break these barriers, you can begin to introduce new technologies on their most basic levels. The major issue with traditional business experiences, in my opinion and experiences, is that they do now want to try to change something they believe is working for them. Perhaps it is the area I am in or the people I have been exposed to, but anytime a younger person has a suggestion about the business, it gets immediately ignored because the older generations think that the know best simply because they are older.

If asked to try to convince a business owner of another generation; who is set in their ways, to use social media; a platform they have never used, I would try my best to respectfully decline. Now if the person was open to suggestions, I would start by showing them their competitors page. Nothing stirs a business up more than seeing what their competitor is doing. From their, you can relate their success and point out improvements that would work for the person you are trying to convince. That is probably the best start when trying to convince someone to try something new.

You should also have an entire campaign pre-planned. This will help illustrate your points. Whether or not you use the campaign does not matter, just be ready with one to present to the person you are trying to convince. It will also show motivation, which should help you improve your self-image to the business.

You MUST be prepared to encounter resistance from management about social media. They will focus on the negatives, your job is to focus on the positives. If you are being asked to convince someone of anything, be ready for any question and try to quell any fears that they might have. While we are exposed to social media all the time, and can see its positives, the current generation of business owners have not. They sometimes get scared by stories that they hear on the news, internet, or other businesses.

Just be prepared to deal with the ultimate question: Why would I change, when what I am doing now is working just fine?

The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers

It is my understanding that The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers still exists. I even think they are still making new episodes in some strange or unrelated universe that is different from our own. I honestly have no idea where the Power Rangers stand right now. The possibility that they could still be on the air sounds like it would be awesome; however, viewing some of the later episodes reveals different story than what we used to see when I was kid watching Power Rangers. I understand, as you get older things change. Your perceptions change, your knowledge of the world changes, and you mature. I get it. So just to see if I was just trying to hold on to my childhood nostalgia, I watched some of the older episodes of Power Rangers. This eventually led to me watching The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie.

The Original Power Rangers

The sad fact is, the show has changed from its roots. The original show was about doing the right thing, all the time. Moral questions posed a serious dilemma for children. It made you think about what you would do in a situation. Granted, as you get older the choices are obvious, but for a six-year-old, the problems were thought-provoking enough. The costumes were not too outlandish. There was a sense of team work and good nature among the Rangers. Their leader, Zoron, was devoted to helping the Rangers the pest way he could, since he was the one that made them Rangers in the first place. The bad guys had one goal, that was to cause as much destruction on Earth as possible. They created monsters that needed to be defeated. When the Rangers showed up, the monster would undoubtedly get “supercharged” into causing more destruction. This made the Rangers call on their Zords and team up to create the “Mega Zord.”

To a young kid, this is perfect. Heck, even for a 21-year-old, this makes for a good show. Everyone is working together to stop an evil force. There are very little issues among the Rangers, until the Green Ranger shows up, but that is a whole other story that I am not going into. The costume design is simple, but effective. The effects, not spectacular, but get the job done. Everyone walks away from the show feeling good.

I remember coming home from school/daycare every day excited for the next episode of Power Rangers. They were my heroes. Every kid needs something to look up to and a person to be like. I wanted to grow up and be the next Red Ranger.

Then some time passes…and this is where we have our problems.

This is what happens when you change a show every couple of years

The current generation of Power Rangers does not resemble its predecessors in any way. They have been transformed into something nearly unrecognizable. The new Rangers bicker with each other constantly, they are overly dressed, they are in some strange universe that makes no sense, their costumes are a joke, and the villains are even more laughable than ever. There are no real moral issues for kids to think about. There is no real story for the show. It’s interesting because the overall idea is the same; there is a really bad person, they send monsters (or themselves), the Rangers must stop it. However, this is like comparing Power Rangers to Dora theExplorer. There is a challenge/obstacle, not overcome it. That does not mean that the shows are similar. The issue lies in its execution. There are no good feelings to be found in the show, rather it seems to be built off of the current trend of teenage melodrama. This is not how Power Rangers should be. They should be respected by kids everywhere, not watched to see how the new Pink Ranger is going to handle her new boyfriend and being a Ranger. What happened. Also, what is with the costumes and scene change? Where is Earth???? Heck, where is anything sensible?

So basically, I just want my Mighty Morphin Power Rangers back!

Selling Social Media

Selling social media to a company can be a very tricky task. It is not as east as it may seem, after all, essentially what you are trying to do is explain to a business why they should pay you to look at and manage free websites. This is something that gets very tricky. The average business person does not want to pay some one to do a job they believe they can do themselves. The biggest obstacle is convincing the businesses that the social efforts are worthy enough to consider a monetary investment.

Some tips I recommend in selling social media to businesses and clients:

• Show versatility!
  • Do not sell social media as just social media. Show how it can be integrated into any ad or PR campaign. Also show the different ways social media can be used outside the traditional sense of pushing products.
  • Show how it can be used to kick-start a consumer driven campaign.
• Prepare examples!
  • Show work of other businesses using social media to their advantage. Potentially show some competitor’s social activities as well.
• Sell yourself!
  • Do not sell the social sites. The employer already knows about the sites. Even if they do not really know all about the sites, they think they do and that is what matters. Sell your skills, you abilities, and what you can do for the company.
• Emphasize direct customer communication!
  • Show the potential market research tools that are available, at a significantly reduced cost than traditional market research  tools.
  • Also show the potential to get immediate feedback on products and services. This can allow for quicker detection of crises and immediate action when they occur.
• Active consumer base!
  • Having an active social media presence gets your consumers active in communicating about the company. Active consumers think about the companies they like more often than those who do not.
  • Customers can also directly participate in campaigns and help spread your messages.

While doing this, don’t forget to keep mentioning how you are able to do all of this for the company. Right now, the traditional small business owner thinks that to have a social media presence all they need to do is post/share random posts that pertain to the company’s products and services. They do not try to start conversations. It is treated as a thing you update every once in a while and forget about it until the next update. Once you break that barrier, then you can begin making progress in selling the importance of social media.

New FreshMAN Year

If I could go back to my Freshman year of college I have some things that I would love to change. I came into my freshman year looking for a fresh start on life. I wanted to see what all the fuss was about college, I was excited to finally be away from my family, and most of all, I was finally able to escape all the labels that had been chasing me since middle and high school. All these factors influenced my behaviors my freshman year. I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. I thought I did, but I really did not.

I think I would focus most of my efforts on my first semester, rather than my entire year. First semester was a rough time for me. I treated college a bit like high school. I was shy, nervous around people, and generally did not speak, except to those that I knew. I was on top of all of my work, which was good, except for one class, which was bad. I guess mostly everyone has that one class they wish they could go back and erase or ignore without consequence. It wasn’t that the class was hard, I just did not like the amount of work that came with it. Looking back on it, it was nothing compared to all the work I do now. I wonder why I let it get to me so much. I want to go back and scream at myself so that I will do all the work the first time. Even though it was not the best semester, I will say that it helped me get focused on my education, and I was able to recover very well.

Other than class, I would be more social. One of the main things I was excited about when I came to Georgia Southern was the fact that I would have a fresh start in all aspects of life. I would be with different people who I had not been in school with since Kindergarten. I could completely revamp my social image. This is something that I believe I have met some success with now. It took longer than I wanted it too, but I think it worked. No one would be able to recognize me from high school, or even freshman year. I think that if I had been more social and open to people, I could have avoided a bunch of mistakes my freshman year.

So the moral of all of this is:
You want a new start in life? Use your freshman year of college to kick-start some changes!
Want to go places in life? Don’t slack off! Every class counts!

A Short Post About Social Media

Social media is a new world for businesses and people alike. All the advantages and disadvantages of the new media are still being discussed, discovered, and developed. For businesses that like to have a tight grip on every communicated message, social media is viewed as a very bad threat. Those companies that embrace social media, use it as a very powerful tool.

Some of the advantages of social media include having direct and immediate feedback with your customers. You can communicate with them in ways that were never possible, until now. Companies can share reviews of their products, share other customer reviews, have full length conversations with individuals, help solve customer responses, see customer reaction to products, and even give insights into the company workplace. All of this happens in real-time with customers. People can feel like they actually know a company if they manage their social media properly.

All of those same reasons are why companies who want tight control over their messages feel social media is bad. If a customer has a bad experience with a company, and the companies social networks are not helping out the customer very much, the customer can then share their negative experiences with the company’s social networks and, if bad enough, those negative impressions can spread and become incorporated into the company’s image. Social media nonrestrictive in what users can share with each other, even if it involves company messages. This is why a company needs to monitor social networks and be able to respond to issues as soon as they happen. Whether a company is on a social network or not, they are being discussed on it.

In my opinion, I think the advantages of social media far outweigh the potential negatives. Social mediums allow companies, that would not normally have huge advertising budgets, to communicate and advertise directly with their customers, no matter how expansive they are. The critical component is that the company MUST manage their networks and give the person in charge of the social networks some free rein to communicate with customers. Now that social media is part of the world, integrated into so many people’s lives, it does absolutely no good to block and ignore social media.