Fan To Pro - The Blog of Professional Geekery

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

Interview With Neal Trotter of Game Zone Recreation

I first met Neal Trotter when I volunteered to speak at Kin-Yoobi con.  Over the years he's extended the range of his ambitions, and has now formed Game Zone Recreation, his own media company.  Mixing game development, animation and game events, and jounalism, Neal is carving out his own destiny.

Launch or Be Lunch, Day 27 - Pushin' Polycotton, Paper and Pixels

Well, in between the art, the writing, the rendering, the website coding, the font creation, three French hens, two turtledoves and a bottle of Advil in a pear tree, I spent time today talking with the folks over at my bank regarding the merchant account I'm going to need for the site store, as well as the API specifications required to get it to interact with the site.

Wait...what?  We haven't even launched and I'm already thinking of merchandise?  I'm sure all of you right about now are probably thinking the same thing:

The Production Revolution Isn't For All: Money

I've been spending the last few columns on the Production Revolution, the changes in technology that let any of us produce media.  Specifically I've been bringing up the factors that limit people from taking advantage of the  tools and technologies available to them and making successful media careers or side businesses.  I've discussed the limiting factors of lack of time, the lack of technical skill, and the lack of marketing skill.

I'm not finished discussing the traumatic truths of the Production Revolution limits yet - I've got one more reason why the new tools and tech out there aren't going to turn everyone into a potential artist, musician, or popular author.

Money.

Beyond the Loading Screen

Salutations, Progeeks, Profans, and Protaku.  Tamara here.  On this last day of the year, I’d like to announce my upcoming feature on this blog: Beyond the Loading Screen.

This monthly column is going to summarize the struggles and successes of a progeek and her threefold multimedia quest.  Or, in less flashy words: I will attempt to get a book published, make a TV show, and figure out what to do with my small animation startup.  Then I’m going to blog about it.

Here’s my current situation, and perhaps you can relate.  A geek from the start, I always wanted to do something creative with my life.  I graduated from university just as the recession started, and I have not yet had a steady job.  Well, there was one, but the Unemployment Pixies cast Outsource, and since then I’ve had only sporadic part-time work at various companies.

I always wanted to make films and TV shows, and I have not yet given up on that dream.  About a year ago, myself and two other dreamers started an animation company, which shriveled and died due to lack of startup capital.  One of the people left, but the other remaining person and I are trying to reinvent our company.

So now let’s take some Before pictures.

An Interview With Artist Bordin Marsinkul

Bordin Marsinkul is one of those people who is serious about leveraging his creative skills in his life.  A graduate of the Academy of Art in 2006, he does his own comic series, works the anime convention circuit as an artist (2-3 cons a month), teaches, and just launched his own convention, Hyper-Con.  I've talked with him on and off over the years and figured an interview was in order!

The Production Revolution Isn't For All: Marketing

You're hoping to leverage the Production Revolution to get out your novel, your music, your comic, what have you.  I've been covering the reasons that the new tools for media creation and distribution aren't going to turn everyone into a potential media success (such as time and technical skill) and I'm going to continue to rain on the parade by noting another factor: marketing ability.

The Fan to Pro Transition Survival Guide, Part Five

So now you and everybody else knows that you’re ready to take on the world. However, the world may have other ideas about that. Here are some possible solutions to the problems that often arise.

Problem: It takes money to make money, and I don’t have any to begin with.
Solution: Firstly, look at what you have available to you for little or no money. Getting a domain name isn’t too expensive and, if you learn how to make a kick-ass website on your own*, then that is a powerful promotional tool. Don’t forget about free social media sites like Twitter, Facebook, Myspace**, and the likes. Post some stuff up there, and call upon your network to forward it to their networks.

Secondly, depending on the type of project (like starting your own business), you might have to invest some of your own money. If you don’t have enough to get yourself started, there are always grants and loans you can apply for. Just be careful to read all the fine print before you sign anything.

Problem: I can’t get a job without experience and I can’t get experience without a job.
Solution: Phht. What are you, living in the 20th Century? Do something. Learn from it. Now you have experience. Infinitely loop that and you’re good.

Problem: I’ve got a good idea, and I’ve done all I can with it, and I would like to continue but I don’t know where to go next.
Solution: You might be able to find a mentor. Go online, and search for local people who have done something similar to what you want to do. Contact these people, and politely make your case: here’s a one-sentence summary of my idea, here is what I have so far, and here is what I need. Because of your accomplishments in [what the person did], could you offer me any advice? The person or their secretary might be impressed and want to help you out. They might also tell you to F- off or just never get back to you, but it is worth a try. Just don’t go into too much detail until you know that they are interested.

Problem: There are too many people already doing something similar to what I want to do.
Solution: Take whatever makes your version different from everyone else’s and make that the prime feature. Focus on what makes you unique or better than everyone else. If you can’t find said feature, then go back to the drawing board and ask yourself some questions:
1. Why do I want to do this in the first place?

2. What is something else I like, totally unrelated to this main thing, and can I put the two together?
3. What are all the things I am good at and like to do, and how do they fit together?



That should give you some ideas for how to modify your project. The last thing I have to say here is that there are a lot of brick walls, but none of them totally encircle the path. It may take some climbing or changing your route, but you can eventually get to where you want to be. Now get out there and make yourself proud.

*Or beg a friend to do it for you.
**Myspace is actually useful when it comes to music.

-Tamara Hecht

The Fan to Pro Transition Survival Guide, Part Four

“What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us. ”
-Ralph Waldo Emerson

So far, we’ve only discussed confidence when looking into the future.  What happens in the heat of the moment, when a big ugly roadblock jumps in the way?  There are two battles to fight: the one against the big ugly roadblock and the one to win over the hearts and minds of...well, probably yourself.

First, let’s talk about the problem going on within, because that one has to clear the way first.  Next week, we’re going to talk strategies for dealing with the actual issue.

In my experience, confidence gaps aren’t really related to any single problem.  They’re more like a long expanse of “meh” and “I don’t know” that can usually be ignored until a roadblock forces you to look the “meh” in the face.

As luck would have it, there are ways you can harness that “meh” and make it carry you right over that roadblock.  Remember, “meh,” grows out of uncertainty (the same breeding ground for fear and game shows).  However, uncertainty is also where you find curiosity, and eventually, discovery.

Problem: My skills aren’t up to par.
Solution: Maybe you need a lot more practice.  So do the people who have already made it in your industry.  Even the established pros are constantly learning and updating their skill set.  Join in.

Problem: I can’t rely on this job because it’s not a decent source of income.
Solution: Change your framework.  Maybe you’re not making as much money as you want (or you’re not making any money at all).  That’s okay too.  Who do you know out there who is being paid exactly what they want and doesn’t wish for more than they’re making now?  People only get paid for their jobs, not their hobbies.  What makes a job is the fact that you get paid for it.  If your hobby has meant something to you all this time, and you’ve devoted so much of yourself to it, then clearly you see value in it.  Therefore, there is a chance that someone else will too.

And on that note, unconventional jobs sometimes result in unconventional forms of payment.  Maybe you’ll make money online.  Maybe you’ll trade your services with other profans (that’s how it worked in the middle ages, and I know people who do it like that now).  Maybe you just need to keep pushing until you get your big break.  In the meantime, remember that your job that pays the bills is just a temporary gig and not your destiny.  That guy waiting tables in Hollywood does not think of himself as a waiter.

Problem: I’m not so sure this is going to work out.  (This often appears in the form of “meh” and “I don’t know”).
Solution: Be confident.  Everything you do in the name of your hobby-turned-career now counts as professional.  Don’t say “I’m learning programming.”  Say you’re a programmer, even if you’re still learning.  You will ALWAYS be learning something new.  That’s how you become great at it.  Being a professional isn’t about already knowing everything.  It’s about the attitude you have towards yourself and your craft.  Practice, learn the market, and give yourself the credit for the work that you do.  No one else can do that for you.  Set a goal and reach it, then set another, and so on. 

What makes someone an artist or a programmer or a webmaster or a writer is that they CARE.  They MAKE something.  They DO something.  They TRY.  It doesn’t matter if the quality is not up there at the “professional” level yet.  If you take yourself seriously, and you tell yourself and everybody else that you’re in it for the long haul, then you’ll push yourself to improve.  The quality will get up there in time, with a lot of hard work.  On the other hand, if you brush yourself off as just another n00b, then you’re probably not going to work as hard.  You’re not going to fully commit, like there’s some kind of shame or embarrassment about not being top dog from the get go.  That’s not the case, but if you act like you’re not up to standards, then that’s how people will treat you.


Problem: People keep telling me I’m wasting my time.
Solution: Keep your friends close.  Don’t keep your enemies at all.  Be open to advice but always stay focused on your ultimate goal.  And always, always, stay geeky.

-Tamara Hecht

The Fan to Pro Transition Survival Guide, Part Two

“If you really put a small value upon yourself, rest assured that the world will not raise your price. “
-unknown, but they were definitely right

As discussed last week, you’re not a clueless n00b; you’re just new on the job.  Now how do we convince the people of this planet that that’s the case?

If you did an amazing job at Step One, perhaps you exude confidence that is a guiding light for those in doubt.  If not, then let new people know you’re out there, show old contacts evidence of your progress, and be armed with facts to fight off the naysayers.

If you’re going to be a progeek, especially in a non-traditional industry or a niche you’ve created for yourself, you need to promote the heck out of yourself and/or your job and/or the thing you’ve created.  Convince people you’re the real deal.

That means making business cards that reflect your new job, actively networking in your industry (eg: meetups), and perhaps building a website to showcase your creation or service if that’s relevant for your niche.

This only works, of course, if you believe in yourself (Step One).  All the surface professionalism in the world will still fail if you label yourself as a n00b. 

Go forth with confidence, and surround yourself with people who will advance your progeek career.  That means: people who know your industry, people who work at companies where you’d like to offer your skills, people you can learn from, and people who inspire you.

But what do you do about people who knew you back when you were still a self-proclaimed n00b?  Sometimes your friends and family will be proud of your progress.  Sometimes they will, with the best of intentions, try to convince you back to something more traditional.  Some people will just laugh.  How do you deal with that?

Firstly, a note.  If your friends don’t really care about your career either way, don’t ramble on about it.  These strategies are for dealing with people who are expressing an interest, negative or positive.

For the people who are being civil, it’s important to keep them updated as to what you’re doing.  It’s reassuring to those who are worried about you when you show them that you are, in fact, making progress.  It’s also nice to give little updates to those who support your decision.  They’re taking an interest in you, so return their attention.

When you finish a draft of a screenplay, mention it.  When you arrange a meeting with a potential investor, mention it.  When you figure out a bit of code with which you’ve been struggling, mention it.

And then, there are the trolls.  Do not confuse these with a well-intentioned relative who constantly offers their unsolicited advice that you should go back to med school.  Trolls are the people who are actively tearing you down for the sake of tearing you down.  Avoid the subject of careers with these people, and if they don’t let it go, then minimize contact with them.  Remember, you want to surround yourself with people who are a good influence.  Let the trolls go.

If you’ve got a persistent troll, or if your confidence isn’t exuding light like a bug zapper in July, then there are some things you can tell yourself to keep your confidence high.  Fortunately, it’s a long list so you’ll have a lot to back you up.  Unfortunately, its length means it warrants its own post, so it’s only going up next week.  Until then, go meet some good people and show them what you’re made of.

-Tamara Hecht