So, "Blue Heaven" has been out for a few weeks, and the Great Silence
has been, more-or-less, present in the same form, and to the same degree
as I expected. There've been a few little surprises here and there, and
I've spoken with some friendly folks in the audio drama community. Some
of the peeps from my usual haunts have been nice too. Most haven't
heard it. Again, pretty-much like I expected.
This is the area I was sure I'd have issues with before I started this
project -- the promotions, I mean. And, indeed, I've turned out to be
prophetic in this regard. It wasn't any big mystical moment, though,
as, historically, I've been dreadful at networking. In a way, such
things don't take a whole lot more than merely being present in certain
communities. I understand that. But when I've spent an hour pouring
through forums, or lurking on the IRC, or reading microblogging
conversations, all without ever jumping in, it begins to seem a little
pointless. And, I suppose, if that's all I'm ever going to do, it truly
is.
Marketing. Promotions. Selling.
Dirty, dirty words...
Well, anyway, in order to participate meaningfully in the communities of
others, I would need to put in time and energy. Not just in reading the
words, but in regard to the various subject matters of the conversations
as well. See, THAT'S where the real time commitment comes in. Whenever
you join a new community -- especially one that has been afield of your
usual interests -- there is a great deal of learning to do.
Terminology, major players, popular subjects or content that everyone
but you is familiar with. Getting up to speed on these things takes
time. And if your ULTIMATE goal is to promote your own material within
said communities, you absolutely need to put in that time, lest you
appear opportunistic or spammish. Should you come across in a negative
way, your actions actually hurt your case, rather that help it.
So without the proper commitment, I become very reluctant to insert
myself into the conversations of others. The commitment should, at
least in theory, be a reflection of honest interest and enthusiasm. But
when you have myriad and disparate communities that you (maybe honestly)
want to become involved in, your time needs must become carefully
managed. NOT my strength. Maybe I can re-implement my Shotgun
Schedule? That's the sort of thing that requires regular maintenance
anyway -- you know, dropping old tasks and adding new ones,
nip-and-tucking the placement of them throughout the day, etc.
But, whatever the system, I need one in place for this sort of thing. I
mean, it isn't TOTALLY self-interest here. There's a lot to learn from
the various audio drama communities out there. The level of skill and
talent on the InterWebs is much higher these days than it was even a few
years ago, when I last did a serious survey. It's certainly worth
exploring. Though the cost is steep (my time), the results can only be
positive.
Friday, Feb. 18, 2011
(c) 2011 lostnbronx
CC BY SA 3.0
lostnbronxATgmailDOTcom
