Promoting Professional Geekery #18: Evangelize About A Professional Association

Last week I mentioned that, to promote the idea of professional geekiness, you should let a professional association you belong to know about your fellow fans, subcultures, etc. with an interest in said profession.  OK, so you got your fellows informed about people like, well, yourself, right?

Now it's time to turn it around and let your fellow fans know about your professional association.



Your fellow fans, those who want to turn their otakudom and fandom into a career, need to know about these professional associations.

There's a reason *I* evangelize about them all the time.  I covered that last column.  I'll probably cover it again in my usual posts and rants in the next few months.  I don't need to repeat myself on how important they are to careers.

(Come to think of it, by now I probably don't need to).

So, tell your fellows they're out there and get them involved:

  • List your membership on your various fandom profiles.
  • When you speak or do events with your association promote it on Twitter, Facebook, and your fan endeavors.
  • Invite people you think would be interested to various professional association events.
  • Speak on your association(s) at a convention.
  • Invite geeks from your professional association to come to your various fannish events.
  • If your association is really a festival of fans, then have them set up a table or do events at a convention.

All of these get your fellow fans, geeks, otaku, and more aware of the professional association you belong to.  They also get informed in a way that doesn't scream "be professional" and risk being a turnoff.

When they join?  They keep up that cause of professional geekery, which is always worth it.

Steven Savage