Fan To Pro - The Blog of Professional Geekery

2012 Predictions: It's Not The End of The World As We Know It

We have one big prediction hanging over our heads as we try to decide what lies ahead of us in the next 12 months, and it has to do with a certain calendar put together by a certain tribe a long, long time ago. Given the number of apocalypses that have come and gone over the years . . . this looks like yet another one.

So, given that it's not The End Of The World As We Know It, what's ahead of us during the coming year? Let me get out my crystal ball and figure this out . . .

Fire Under Fire

So now that the Kindle Fire has sold at the rate of more than a million devices a week, the inevitable backlash has begun. Apparently, there are security issues with the reader-tablet that has Amazon promising a software update that will patch them. Also, some early adapters are not pleased with an interface they call clunky and the device's lack of iPad-like controls like volume buttons.

This might be a case of inflated expectations for what is, after all, a $200 device.

Vaporized by Fire

Okay, we know the Kindle Fire is selling like crazy. To absolutely nobody's surprise, it's cutting into iPad sales this Christmas. (What is surprising, though, is that Apple's own MacBook Air is also cutting into iPad sales. So much for all those predictions of the death of the laptop at the hands of the tablet.)

However, at least one analyst says that the Fire is going to get so big, it's going to vaporize other Android tablets. Yes, that is the exact word that Evercore Partners' Robert Cihra used - vaporize. Pretty strong, isn't it? 

Making Stuff That People Will Want To Share

If you’re promoting your video/comic/whatever online, you’re probably hoping it will go viral.  Here are some things to keep in mind that will help it along.

1. It’s About The User
Think of the last few links you forwarded to your friends.  Were they cute kitten pictures that showed you have a softer side?  Was there a funny video that implies you have a great sense of humour for appreciating it?  Maybe it was an article about something complicated yet important, thus showing you’re on the ball about current events.

Make your video say something good about those who like it.  That is, make it funny or clever, so people will want to affiliate those characteristics with themselves.  Forwarding a kitten picture doesn’t just say, “here’s a kitten.”  It says “my name is _____ and I like cute kittens.”

2. It’s About Being Useful
We forward things for a reason.  We want to entertain, inform, or cheer up our friends.  If your video does not do any of those things, it is less likely to be forwarded.  This is why simple things like, “I have an owl, so your argument is invalid” will come up often enough in chats but indie film trailers do not. 

Your video can’t just be good in and of itself.  It has to relate to other things that people will do.  That’s the only way the link will be repeated.

3. It’s About Association
Does your video have a signature image or catchphrase that will be repeated later?  It couldn’t hurt.  I’m not saying you have to force a silly word into your video for its own sake, but it helps if people have something to remember your video by.  If you can incorporate a phrase that people would want to repeat, then you have a better chance of making it go viral.

4. It’s About People
If one person tries to start a meme all by themselves, it will probably fizzle out.  If several people pick it up right at the start, it stands a much better chance.  Therefore, you can ask your friends to pass it along. 

-Tamara Hecht

Launch or Be Lunch, Day 11 - Lrn 2 Advermatize and Market (At Least Better than HP. Ouch, Lawsuit in 3...2...1....)

Aside from merchandising, one thing that you may want to look into is A&M (that's Advertising and Marketing, for those who didn't stay awake during Business Ed.)  If you want your endeavor to be successful, you have to get the word out there; it's rare when they come looking for you from the very start.  So you have to make the effort.

I'll get this right out of the way: advertising and marketing sucks.  It's a specialized skill, and not many have the knack to do it.  There are a very few who are a natural when it comes to it and they usually find new and unique ways of approaching it (my favorite is Scott Stratten's UnMarketing methodology).  Chances are, you're like me and abhor it.  Well, it sucks but it has to be done, and with that in mind, let's get cracking.

(Oh, and forewarning: due to the examples of just sheer wrongness people do, this post is slightly NSFW.  No naughty bits, just lots of language.)

Launch or Be Lunch, Day 17 - Originality is SO Original, Part 2: Composition is Not a Crime

Aaaaaaand we're back.  Yesterday, we talked about the concepts of originality vs. unoriginality, and why unoriginality isn't rated high enough or that originality is overrated; in the end, it's how you treate the unoiriginality in an unoriginal manner.  In a sense, it's like the concept of Fair Use in copyright: it's the transformative and new meaning to the source that counts.

And now it's time to get into that little shibboleth. Hang on to your pens and pencils, boys and girls, because what I'm about to say is probably going to turn a few heads at best and floor people at worst.  Also, because I could go forever on the subject and all its different permutations, I'm only going to stick to how it related to manga and comics; I'll acknowledge that it happens all too often in other media and others can cover that better than I can.  

So with that, let's get started.

Launch or Be Lunch, Day 22 - Fonts, Part 1: Comic Sans MUST DIE

Okay, for today's little lesson, I'm going to be sending you to another site.  Yeah, really.  I want you to go here, look it over, and then come back.  No worries, we'll be right here when you return. 

Okay, for those of you who are convinced, you can just skip the next sentence.  For those of you who still think Comic Sans is a whimsical, cute font, read this, then meet me after the jump.

Launch or Be Lunch, Day 25 - Rembrandt Doesn't Work Here Any More

Yup, we're back again, and this time, we're going to focus on the artwork side of the house.  If you'll remember yesterday, I talked about why it's necessary to have a good but brief script.  You can have the greatest novel ever written and it won't matter a bit if you have to have the script to the greatest graphic novel ever written.  The two are not the same.

So it is the same with artwork.  The artist spends most of his time focused, learning from the great and the grand, mastering the styles and finding his voice.  It is a worthy endeavor, as any artist worth his salt would never want to populate his pages with drek.  In fact, you'd think a good artist would craft his work to perfection, giving nothing other than grand endeavors to the writer to work with.

Right?

Uh oh....

Launch or Be Lunch, Day 29 - Building a Better Yin-Feng, Part 1

Building a character is always a proud endeavor of any creator.  You breathe life into the creation, give it wings, give them a place in the greater universe of your works.  Sometimes it makes for happy campers.  Sometimes it makes for thrilling engagement with your fans.  Sometimes...well, let's not get into those ones, those are creepy enough. ^_^;;;

But there's one thing that you can often count on: you'll have to, sooner or later, modify your character.  Such as it is with two of our characters.  Today, I'll detail the headaches we've had working the fun for Yim-Fong Yim-Feng Yin-Feng.

Launch or Be Lunch: 30 Days to Production

Hello, all, this is Rob Barba of Megami Studios.  I'm writing this article series for the wonderful folks here at Fan to Pro detaililng the launch of our primary series Claude & Monet.  After all, what better way to show moving from fans to professional geeks than to do it right before the cameras?  During the next 30 days (okay, well, 29, since we started late), either myself or Ayne Hart (the studio artist) will be presenting what we're doing while prepping for launch, from the high points to the low, from the scars to the bottles of aspirin, and everything in between.  You'll also get to see some of the behind the scenes look at what it takes to launch a work; even at the end of the 30-day-period, when there's just one starting page on the screen, it takes a lot more than people tend to realize, and we're putting that out there for you.

Now, one bit of warning: we're showing you all the ugly sides.  Which means that oftentimes, we're going to have opinions that may be different than the standard (because when you really want to make a good impression, start insulting people...right.....) and that many might vastly disagree with.  Well, that's what the comments section below is for.  Voice your opinions!  Let them fly!

And with that....