Archive for the ‘News & Appearances’ Category
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12
Mar
2010
10
Dec
2009
18
Nov
2009
PREVIEW: Books & Braun (Recorded LIVE at World Fantasy 2009)
Recorded before a live audience at World Fantasy Convention and produced at Imagine That! Studios, award-winning podcaster and award-nominated author Philippa Ballantine and I unveiled (with the blessings of our literary agent) a work-in-progress now working its way through submissions: Books & Braun, a Steampunk take on The Avengers. This is the first time that we have revealed to the public any selections from the work, and our plan is to eventually podcast it in this fashion: Pip and I supplying the character’s respective point-of-view, production elements, a musical score, and artwork featured by Carrie Seidman. We hope you enjoy this listen at what we have cooking in the creative kitchen.
ATTENTION BLOGGERS & PODCASTERS: We are releasing this reading under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 United States License. Both Pip and I encourage you to syndicate this episode and point your subscribers to this endeavor of ours. We also would love to hear your feedback on this preview both here and at Pip’s website. Thank you for giving us a bit of space on your mp3 player of choice, and we will keep you posted on what happens with our daring duo from the clandestine organization that is The Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences.
PREVIEW: Books & Braun (Recorded LIVE at World Fantasy 2009) [30:11m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download
28
Aug
2009
The Golden Unicorn: Do Social Media Jobs Really Exist?
Is there such a thing as a full time job in Social Media? Of course, there are many job listings out there calling for it, and for those of you who are also following me on TeeMorris.com, you know that an influence on my posts and podcasts here growing further and further off can be attributed to my new position at Intersections in Chantilly, Virginia. I intend to address this lifestyle change in a later post; but for now, I’d like to take a moment to look closer at this elusive brass ring: the full time Social Media gig.
Many listings tend to make Social Media part of another position. Public Relations Manager. Communications Manager. Marketing Manager. This insinuates that Social Media, while important, could not really be that time consuming. Such insinuation you also get from employers looking for experienced Social Media producers, offering their available positions as internships.
The internships don’t bother me as much as the businesses looking for Social Media Gurus, Oracles, and (no kidding) Buckaroos.
7
Aug
2009
15
Jul
2009
My final post concerning Twitter…
What you are now reading is Imagine That! Studios’ final post concerning Twitter.
No, I am not shutting down my Twitter feed nor am I totally burned out (as my pal, Gennefer Snowfield, has vented with me before…) on posts about Twitter. I have decided that I will no longer be posting my thoughts on Twitter here.
Instead, I will be posting on Twitter here.
Birdhouse Rules is my new blog, just launched this week and still growing (comments and critiques are most welcome), that will serve as the official home of this book:
Yes, All a Twitter from myself and Que Publishing — and sporting one snappy foreword from Social Media juggernaut Chris Brogan — is now out! You can go into any Barnes & Noble bookstore and pick up a copy.
Birdhouse Rules is the official companion blog and podcast for both All a Twitter and (coming soon) Teach Yourself Twitter in 10 Minutes. The blog and podcast (also coming soon) will focus on developments with the book, new issues with Twitter, upgrades with popular clients, Twitter in the News, and questions & answers asked by readers and listeners. And just like In Your Right Mind, the episodes will be under ten minutes, exceptions being the good interview, round table discussion, or SVEs (Special Video Editions). Since Birdhouse Rules is going to be all things Twitter, I have decided to direct traffic there for people who want to find answers concerning Social Media’s unstoppable (and dare I say, unflappable) network.
Another reason why I will no longer be posting Twitter items on this blog is that I tend to find regurgitation in the blogosphere somewhat questionable and somewhat lazy. What do I mean? I have seem some “professional, successful bloggers” boast that they host several blogs and manage content with a master’s Fu. Visit this “network” of blogs, though, and the postings tend to be links to other blogs, or (I love this one) the same blogpost merely copied-and-pasted into a different location. “Content for Content’s Sake” does not work for me as a sound blogging ethic. If I want to set up a blog for Twitter, then I’ll generate content original and exclusive for that blog. Sure, I can borrow segments and even media from other blogposts, but I will still generate something new and original around the segments I cite from other sources. That is quality content management. Otherwise, I become no better than — to use an example from All a Twitter — the yahoo who is merely retweeting others and defining that as “participation” on a social network.
Before I return to the final two chapters of Teach Yourself Twitter in 10 Minutes, I did want to bring to light a recent revelation, something that — yes — I did blog about on Birdhouse Rules but wanted to share with you here as part of my “final” Twitter post. In the first week of All a Twitter‘s release, people are tweeting it up and giving it a nice, solid introduction to the world. I’ve been treading lightly when it comes to promoting the book on Twitter as I do not want to become “that guy” on Twitter pushing their latest book/software/hardware/crap on to the network. However, the book won’t sell itself.
Then it dawned on me: hashtags. You know — hashtags? From Chapter Six, page 123? Hashtags (a keyword preceded by a pound sign, such as #allatwitter, for example) are convenient tracking devices for tweets. If enough people use a particular hashtag of my creation, All a Twitter could easily creep into the Trending Topics of Twitter alongside Harry Potter, Firefox 3, and New Zealand. This way, I can promote (and so can you) in a fashion that won’t be considered abusive or obtrusive.
So please, when you are talking about All a Twitter or if you have a question for me concerning Twitter, use this hashtag:
#allatwitter
Thank you again for all the support, kind words, and “At-a-boy’s” for this week’s premiere. Keep talking, keep tweeting, and if you would care to have me on your blog or podcast to talk Twitter, drop me a line!
8
Jul
2009
Radio New Zealand: “It’s All Geek to Me” (Part III)
And here is the conclusion of my morning at Radio New Zealand and Chris Laidlaw of Sunday Morning. Te Papa, the National Museum of New Zealand, arranged this interview with Chris, and here we wrap up with the addiction of Social Media and the best way to handle it.
While you can find the audio here, Imagine That! presents (with gracious permission from RNZ) an exclusive video of our morning in Wellington, NZ.
Feel free to share this video, and provide feedback or topics you’d like to hear discussed on In Your Right Mind at 703.791.1701, tmorris (at) imaginethatstudios (dot) com, on Twitter, or here at Imagine That!
6
Jul
2009
Radio New Zealand: “It’s All Geek to Me” (Part II)
With special thanks to Te Papa, the National Museum of New Zealand, for making this interview happen, here is Part Two of my morning at Radio New Zealand and Chris Laidlaw of Sunday Morning. On the “National Public Radio” for the Land of the Long White Cloud, Chris and I focus a bit on Twitter and Facebook and we discuss when “so much information” is “too much information.”
While you can find the audio here, Imagine That! presents (with gracious permission from RNZ) an exclusive video of our morning in Wellington, NZ.
Part Three (and maybe some pre-interview banter) will becoming shortly. Feel free to share this video, and provide feedback or topics you’d like to hear discussed on In Your Right Mind at 703.791.1701, tmorris (at) imaginethatstudios (dot) com, on Twitter, or here at Imagine That!
3
Jul
2009
Radio New Zealand: “It’s All Geek to Me” (Part I)
Te Papa, the National Museum of New Zealand, introduced me to Radio New Zealand who, in turn, introduced me to Chris Laidlaw of Sunday Morning. RNZ is the “National Public Radio” for the Land of the Long White Cloud, and Chris opened his mics up for me to talk about being geek, the impact of podcasting, and a few things concerning Twitter.
This was a fun interview; and while you can find the audio here, Imagine That! presents (with gracious permission from RNZ) an exclusive video of our morning in Wellington, NZ.
Part Two (and maybe some pre-interview banter) will becoming shortly. Feel free to share this video, and provide feedback or topics you’d like to hear discussed on In Your Right Mind at 703.791.1701, tmorris (at) imaginethatstudios (dot) com, on Twitter, or here at Imagine That!
11
Jun
2009
14
May
2009
10
May
2009
ANTI-Social Media: Part Four — Mainstream Mistakes and Conclusion
Welcome to the conclusion of my video miniseries, ANTI-Social Media: What NOT to Do with Web 2.0. This is the final segment where I go into the common assumptions and poor judgment calls the “mainstream” (defined here as those not willing to give Social Media attention) has made concerning the potential in blogging, podcasting, and social networking tools. I admit there was a huge gap between Part Three and the final part, but keep an eye here for the reasons (all good) as to why!
Filmed at the Merrill-Lynch Conference Center in Washington, DC and hosted by the Washington Network Group, ANTI-Social Media: What NOT to Do with Web 2.0 are case studies on Social Media when initiatives fall short. It is clear from the demand for Social Media in the professional sector and the popularity of Facebook and Twitter that companies and organizations are anxious to tap into this potential and promising outlet. Unfortunately there are many failures that cast doubt on whether or not these initiatives truly work.
The problem isn’t the media, but how it is handled.
Featured in this final segment are the success stories of Social Media (and the nod to CNN was before their Race to 1M followers which still disappoints me…) as well as my own personal secret in achieving success with Web 2.0 initiatives.
Thank you, all, for joining me in this mini-series. If you liked what you saw, rest assured: More is on the horizon here at Imagine That! Studios.
Feel free to share this video, and provide feedback or topics you’d like to hear discussed on In Your Right Mind at 703.791.1701, tmorris (at) imaginethatstudios (dot) com, or here at Imagine That!
11
Apr
2009
The new look for Imagine That!
So yeah, this is a new look for the blog. Please, let me know what you think.
5
Apr
2009
ANTI-Social Media: Part Three — Socially-Challenged Networking
Welcome to Part Three of my video miniseries, ANTI-Social Media: What NOT to Do with Web 2.0. This segment is the longest one yet (close around the 20-minute mark!) as I talk about two social networking sites, Facebook and Twitter. I also give some playful shout-outs to Chris Brogan, Robert Scoble, and Jeff Pulver. For those of you who are subscribed to the high-resolution downloads, the video is going to be a good chunk of data (the joys of video podcasting) but worth the time and space!
Filmed at the Merrill-Lynch Conference Center in Washington, DC and hosted by the Washington Network Group, ANTI-Social Media: What NOT to Do with Web 2.0 are case studies on Social Media when initiatives fall short. It is clear from the demand for Social Media in the professional sector and the popularity of Facebook and Twitter that companies and organizations are anxious to tap into this potential and promising outlet. Unfortunately there are many failures that cast doubt on whether or not these initiatives truly work.
The problem isn’t the media, but how it is handled.
I put myself under the microscope in Part Three as I talk about the blurring lines between the professional life and the personal one. From Facebook, I move to Twitter where I make a connection between new school Twitter tech, old school marketing, and high school hijinx.
Feel free to share this video, and provide feedback or topics you’d like to hear discussed on In Your Right Mind at 703.791.1701, tmorris (at) imaginethatstudios (dot) com, or here at Imagine That!
22
Mar
2009
ANTI-Social Media: Part Two — When Does a Podcast Become Problematic?
Presented by the In Your Right Mind podcast, this is Part Two of my video miniseries, ANTI-Social Media: What NOT to Do with Web 2.0. I could not be happier with the reactions from Part One (which included a shout-out from Wellington, New Zealand) and I’m thrilled to share this event with you.
Filmed at the Merrill-Lynch Conference Center in Washington, DC and hosted by the Washington Network Group, ANTI-Social Media: What NOT to Do with Web 2.0 is my seminar on where Social Media falls short. It is clear from the demand for Social Media in the professional sector and the popularity of Facebook and Twitter that companies and organizations are anxious to tap into this potential and promising outlet. Unfortunately there are many failures that cast doubt on whether or not these initiatives truly work.
The problem isn’t the media, but how it is handled.
Part Two takes delves into podcasting and three case studies where expectations and results fell far from the intended goals…assuming there was a “goal” in place to begin with.
Feel free to share this video, and provide feedback or topics you’d like to hear discussed on In Your Right Mind at 703.791.1701, tmorris (at) imaginethatstudios (dot) com, or here at Imagine That!
9
Mar
2009
ANTI-Social Media: Part One — When Does a Blog Go Bad?
Welcome to what will be special video features from In Your Right Mind. Anytime I speak, I intend to film the event and then edit the footage together to create a miniseries for your iPod or iTouch. This event turned out great, and I’m thrilled to be able to share this event with you.
Filmed at the Merrill-Lynch Conference Center in Washington, DC and hosted by the Washington Network Group, ANTI-Social Media: What NOT to Do with Web 2.0 is my seminar on where Social Media falls short. It is clear in the demand for Social Media in the professional sector and the popularity of Facebook and Twitter that companies and organizations are anxious to tap into this potential and promising outlet, yet there are many failures that cast doubt on whether or not these initiatives work.
The problem isn’t the media, but how it is handled.
In the opening of this seminar I look at blogs and go into two instances where the marketing plan behind two corporate blogs backfired. I also go into the lessons learned from these case studies.
Feel free to provide feedback or topics you’d like to hear discussed on In Your Right Mind at 703.791.1701, tmorris (at) imaginethatstudios (dot) com, or here at Imagine That!
6
Mar
2009
24
Feb
2009
CREATE 2009: Sun, Surf, and Social Media!
photo by Kreg Steppe
As you might have guessed, this image is a favorite of mine. I absolutely love it. I’m hoping that I will have a new image to add to my gallery from the same photographer at the same event as I gear up for…
CREATE 2009
Saturday, April 25
all day
hosted at
Horry Georgetown Technical College
Grand Strand Campus
Myrtle Beach, SC
I have been asked by CREATE’s organizer, Dave Slusher, to return to the beautiful beaches of South Carolina for a day of creative thinking and passion on Social Media. This event is free to the public and a great place to learn creative concepts from creative people of the South. The one-day event is still in the planning phases, but I have accepted the invitation and invite you all to attend.
Ξ
And don’t forget: This week you have two chances to catch me speaking on Social Media. The Washington Network Group and The Washington DC Write to Publish Group have invited me to come in and speak, and I am thrilled to present:
ANTI-Social Media: What Not to Do in Web 2.0
Thursday, February 26
4:30 PM – 6:30 PM
hosted by
The Washington Network Group
Merrill Lynch Conference Center, 6th Floor
1152 Fifteenth Street, NW
Ξ
Social Media for Writers: Making Web 2.0 Your Marketing Machine
Saturday, February 28
2:00 PM – 3:30 PM
hosted by
The Washington DC Write to Publish Group
Arlington Central Library
1015 N. Quincy St., 2nd Floor Meeting Room
Arlington, VA
Feel free to pass along the appearance links on your own feeds, and I hope to talk to you then!
18
Feb
2009
Talking the Talk in Washington D.C.
photo by Kreg Steppe
Are you in the Washington D.C. area, within driving distance of the Nation’s capital, or happen to be in my stomping grounds next week? If you are, you have two chances to catch me speaking on Social Media. The Washington Network Group and The Washington DC Write to Publish Group have invited me to come in and speak, and I am thrilled to present:
ANTI-Social Media: What Not to Do in Web 2.0
Thursday, February 26
4:30 PM – 6:30 PM
hosted by
The Washington Network Group
Merrill Lynch Conference Center, 6th Floor
1152 Fifteenth Street, NW
Ξ
Social Media for Writers: Making Web 2.0 Your Marketing Machine
Saturday, February 28
2:00 PM – 3:30 PM
hosted by
The Washington DC Write to Publish Group
Arlington Central Library
1015 N. Quincy St., 2nd Floor Meeting Room
Arlington, VA
If you are in the area, I hope you can make it for the discussions. Feel free to pass along the appearance links on your own feeds, and I hope to talk to you then!
16
Feb
2009
This Is Just Part of What I Do…
If you follow me on either of my Twitter accounts, you might have noticed that my updates averaging 50 – 100 a day tapered off for a while…
Well, okay, they dropped off rather suddenly. Two weeks ago, as a matter of fact.
If you missed at TeeMorris.com my interview on Conversations with Coach Ian Scott, I can sum it up as “the last week of January.” A series of events that week suggested I step away from Twitter for a spell. I needed some downtime, some time online where there was no signal as well as no noise. What was odd about this “Twitter Moratorium” was I remained plugged in to Facebook. I took some time to get to know the networking platform a bit better. (Sadly, this was before Facebook came out with their somewhat broad Terms of Service update. Not sure if there is a blogpost from me in there, but I am now looking at them with a cautious eye.) During my break from the community, I was still working on expending my network by attending Jeff Pulver’s Social Media Breakfast here in Washington D.C. Even with keeping my toe dipped in the Social Media pool, this Twitter hiatus I found liberating. I found it educational. I also found it a bit ironic.
Why “ironic” you ask? The other reason I took a break from Twitter was because I had just closed negotiations with Que Publishing to write All a Twitter. Yes, my next book will be out this summer and it will cover something I am truly passionate over: Twitter. I guess my 28,000 updates on TeeMonster are finally going to amount to something.
Oh, you didn’t misread me — the book will be out this summer. As in June. As in to make sure we have time and ability to polish and edit the manuscript, I have roughly two months to write this book. Two months. Why the rush? Let’s just say, much like with Twitter itself, it’s a personal issue and an accomplishment I would love to achieve.
Back to that “Cone of Silence” I took a brief getaway in…
So I stepped back from Twitter to ask myself if I could seriously do this. A solid resource for both the experienced and novice user, in two months time. Was something like that possible? Could I have that much to say about Twitter? I figured I would find out soon enough as I took a seat in my studio, installed Que’s Word template, and started Chapter One.
In two weeks I produced over 20,000 words and over thirty screen captures, all based around Twitter. Today I turned in 25% of the manuscript to the publisher.
I think I’m off to a good start.
So what this means is that my MOREVI projects, both the podcast of Legacy of MOREVI and the writing of Exodus from MOREVI, have been put on hold until All a Twitter and another creative project (that I had begun developing only a few weeks before this request from Que) have been completed. I will still be on Twitter, taking notes on what’s happening around me as I forge ahead. I will also blog progress reports on All a Twitter, post forthcoming episodes of In Your Right Mind, and continue commentaries on creative solutions and ideas for the workplace. There will also be video and audio clips from speaking events that are starting to come in, and news on a future talk I will be giving in New Zealand. You can expect all that here.
You can also expect me to be ready to celebrate, come Balticon 43, the pending release of what will be the all-in-one-and-all-around-go-to-guide for Twitter.
This is going to be a fun ride, everybody. Strap in and hold on to something.
9
Feb
2009
Jeff Pulver’s Social Media Breakfast: A Review
Jeff Pulver & Tee Morris at the Social Media Breakfast
Washington, D.C.
I have been called a “master of self-promotion” and sometimes been accused of being a “shameless promoter” but I look at what I do as just meeting people and having a good time doing so. Networking is something that, believe it or not, makes me nervous. When I am invited to networking opportunities, I always cringe. (Yes, it’s that same cringe when I’m called a “podcasting pioneer” which I am…but I cringe, nonetheless.) I do not necessarily want to be perceived as someone who has something to sell all the time, nor do I want to be pitched on things that I have no interest in whatsoever. Still, I love connecting with people and I love chatting with folks who are as passionate about subjects I’m passionate about. So when I RSVP-ed on Facebook to Jeff Pulver that I was going to attend his Social Media Breakfast at USTelecom in Washington D.C., I was as nervous as I was excited. Once again, I was connecting with Social Media enthusiasts as I did at Jeff Pulver’s Social Media Jungle in Las Vegas; but I was also heading into what I knew was going to be a networking event.
Now if you are not familiar with Jeff Pulver, you should check out his website where his schedule of appearances, his commentary on Social Media, and his photography are all featured. When it comes to Social Media, he is one of the pioneers and continues to spread the word about it through talks and sponsored events like the Social Media Breakfasts. If you are not familiar with Jeff Pulver’s Social Media Breakfasts, I recommend you check out his orientation on Facebook where he explains to you exactly what they are all about. The breakfast starts with a few words from the sponsor (in this case, USTelecom who took great care of us!) and Jeff himself, where he introduces his Social Media Toolkit:
- A ball point pen
- Two blank name tags
- A sheet of smaller labels.
On one label, you write your name and a personal tagline, something that sums you up quickly and memorably. (I was particularly pleased with August Jackson’s tagline: I can haz Social Media.) The other label remains blank, but not for long as the breakfast attendees “tag” you with the smaller labels, creating a “real time-real world” tag cloud. The exercise is not only revealing in how you are perceived by others but a brilliant demonstration in how tag clouds work online.
It is also a wonderful icebreaker.
The Breakfast’s atmosphere, particularly with those who are playing along with the tagging, is extremely disarming. I never felt, at any point, with guards up or anxiety that I was coming across as overly aggressive. (Alright, maybe my networking tactics with Shireen Mitchell as captured in my Flickr account could be argued as “aggressive” but that is open to interpretation…) Those attending the breakfast had no agenda outside of connecting and communicating with others embracing Social Media; and while you might think that would be a given considering this was a Social Media Breakfast, I have attended other “social” events that were actually networking opportunities. Those best forgotten events made me want to shower under high-pressure nozzles afterward. Jeff Pulver’s Social Media Breakfast was a great mixer, and never was the social aspect of it missing. I not only made connections, but I had a great time.
If Jeff is bringing this to a town near you, attend. Whether you are an active participant in Social Media, someone interested in implementing Social Media, or simply wanting to connect with others working with Social Media, this is unlike any networking opportunity you might attend. For that morning, I joined others unified under banners of blogging, podcasting, Twitter, and Facebook, making the Breakfast less networking and more of a homecoming. I felt very welcomed and met some really incredible people. Jeff Pulver’s Social Media Breakfast also reminded me exactly why I enjoy Social Media so very much.
Jeff will be returning to Washington D.C. in April with his Social Media Jungle. After this terrific event on a very cold February morning, I look forward to warmer weather and even more promising opportunities coming in April.
6
Jan
2009
In Your Right Mind: Episode #1
As you read this posting or listen to this podcast, I will be on a plane heading west. Las Vegas, baby! I’ll be attending the Social Media Jungle, hosted by Jeff Pulver at the CES 2009 Expo. If you didn’t know about this event, you can still join us. If you are planning to be there, I would love to meet you! Don’t be shy.
And if you use the phrase…
“You’re Tee Morris? I’m all a Twitter.”
…on meeting me in Vegas, I’ll have a “special” moo card for you. I only have a few, so make sure you remember the special greeting.
Since I am heading out to Sin City to brave the Social Media Jungle, I thought building social communities would be a good topic for this episode. We take a look at the real costs of a Social Media initiative to your business. It’s not money. It’s not even resources of your workplace, or even your computer.
The cost is time.
Feel free to provide feedback or topics you’d like to hear discussed on In Your Right Mind at 703.791.1701, tmorris (at) imaginethatstudios (dot) com, or here at Imagine That!
4
Jan
2009
In Your Right Mind: Episode #0
As mentioned in my previous blogpost and throughout the week on Twitter, I have been working on something special for 2009, something new from Imagine That! to herald an exciting new year of possibilities and opportunities…
Well, here it is!
Welcome to the beginning of the latest podcast project from Tee Morris. In Your Right Mind, officially launching on Tuesday, January 6, in celebration of the Social Media Jungle and CES 2009, is your monthly ten-minute visit to the right side of my brain. Along with the content featured here, In Your Right Mind will feature creative solutions for the workplace. I am very excited about this podcast, and after Tuesday’s launch, I hope you will be, too.
16
Dec
2008
20
Aug
2008
Double Trouble: Phase Three — The Book Tour
For those of you who think Double Trouble ended on 08.08.08, I have some news for you — that was merely Phase One. With Phase Two (the New Media Expo in Las Vegas) completed, Pip and I are hitting the road with our latest books. Catch up with us at the following locations…
- 08.20.08, starting at 7pm — Barnes & Noble of Camp Hill, PA (Yes, TONIGHT!)
- 08.22.08, starting at 6pm — Moravian Bookshop of Bethlehem, PA
- 08.23.08,from 3-5pm — Constellation Books of Reisterstown, MD
STAY TUNED
for photographs, blogposts, and reviews from the road!!!
12
Aug
2008
A Perspective on Success
A lot of things were happening on the eighth of August. The Summer Olympics launched in Beijing, China. World Hula Hoop Day was being celebrated (well, in Washington D.C. at least) with quite the fanfare. A mixed media magazine, Verge of LA, was also launched. As 08.08.08 (on account of the natural repetition of the number) was considered a good omen of prosperity in Asian cultures, many things were happening on this date.
For those of you who listen to my podcasts, you all knew that last Friday marked the simultaneous launch of two new fiction titles from Dragon Moon Press, The Case of The Pitcher’s Pendant: A Billibub Baddings Mystery and Digital Magic. In a nutshell, author Philippa Ballantine and I decided instead of competing for readers and listeners on Amazon, we would pool our resources and host a “shared run” up the book vendor’s charts. This was a different kind of promotion — the first of its kind — as we were going to see how far we could make it up the charts together. To promote what we called “Double Trouble”, Pip and I appeared on many, many podcasts. A few of our hosts asked about the competition for numbers and whether or not we were worried about diluting sales by splitting support across two books. We both responded with “So long as people are buying our books, we’ll worry about the numbers later.” At the end of 08.08.08, Pip’s Digital Magic made it as high as #57 in the overall rankings while The Case of The Pitcher’s Pendant reached #48.
Did we crack the Top Five (or Top Ten) of Amazon’s overall ratings? No. Did we sell enough books to go full time in our writing? No. Was Double Trouble a success? Absolutely.
Competition can drive you to perform at your optimum best. Competition can also bring out the worst in people. Just look at the 2008 Democratic Primaries to see how nasty competition (a kissing cousin to ambition, if you think about it…) can get. Pip and I, however, took a different road, collaborating with one another to score success. We proved without question that a promotional collaboration was not only possible, but profitable. Pip and I had marketed this day as a shared event between two authors, made evident in our promotional avatars, the sidebar graphics, and our numerous interviews. By adopting this strategy, we focused our respective fan bases on each other’s works. In working together, both titles enjoyed a strong showing on Amazon’s individual charts:
- The Case of The Pitcher’s Pendant, #2, Science Fiction & Fantasy > Fantasy
- Digital Magic, #3, Science Fiction & Fantasy > Fantasy
- Digital Magic, #1, Science Fiction & Fantasy > Fantasy > Magic & Wizards
- Digital Magic, #1, Science Fiction & Fantasy > Fantasy > Contemporary
- The Case of The Pitcher’s Pendant, #2, Movers & Shakers on Amazon
- Digital Magic, #1, Movers & Shakers on Amazon
While our new titles remained at the top of these charts (The Case of The Pitcher’s Pendant topped only by the recent release in the Twilight series.), Double Trouble also enjoyed another accomplishment (predicted by J.C Hutchins in our interview on the Ultra-Creatives podcast): An unexpected rally of two other titles, Billibub Baddings and The Case of The Singing Sword (written by me, released in 2004) and Chasing the Bard (written by Pip, released in 2005). Seemingly from nowhere, these two books appeared in Amazon’s Fantasy Top 20 and stayed there for the day.
Many measure success by #1’s, gold medals, and sales profits. Success, however, is a matter of perspective. What did your promotion accomplish? Was your goal achieved? Were there any unexpected windfalls or setbacks? More importantly, what did you learn? Your answers to these questions will provide a brutally honest assessment of your business strategy, and give a perspective on your overall efforts. For Pip and myself, here is what we took from this joint promotion:
- The Case of The Pitcher’s Pendant and Digital Magic remained at the top of Amazon’s Fantasy charts for the day of 08.08.08, topped only by the new powerhouse of our genre, Stephanie Meyer.
- Digital Magic hit #1 across three charts on Amazon.com.
- The Case of The Singing Sword and Chasing the Bard joined Pitcher’s Pendant and Digital Magic in the day’s rally, bringing four of our books into Amazon’s Top 20 Fantasy.
For Pip, myself, and Dragon Moon Press, we were (and still are) the happiest #48 and #57 authors on Amazon.com, and are still enjoying places on Fantasy’s Top 100 at the writing of this post. I’ve been asked again and again “Are you happy with your performance on 08.08.08?”
Thrilled would be more accurate. Positively and utterly thrilled.
3
Aug
2008
Status of MOREVI: Remastered
Sometime last week my Alesis MultiMix-8 developed a nasty hum, and it is getting worse. I searched for work-arounds, but the easiest solution was to purchase a new mixer.
The questions on many’s minds are (1) what happened, and (2) what new mixer did I pick up?
Here are the answers to both…
- I have a very curious studio staff. One of the perils of allowing pets into your recording environment is they might get curious of what exactly is on your desk; and while you might step away from your desk if only for a moment, something might happen. I left a full glass of iced tea by the mixer, thinking the kittens were preoccupied with other fascinations of a finished basement, but apparently Benedick (the gray-white kitten) really wants to podcast. Like any skilled podcaster he wanted to whet his whistle before recording. The tea was soon everywhere, and while I was assured “Nothing got on the mixer…” that was when the hum appeared. A hard (and expensive) lesson learned.
- The Alesis MultiMix-8 FireWire Podcast Package from BSW is still my mixer and podcasting kit of choice. I picked up the MultiMix-8 before the Billibub Baddings podcast and both mixer and microphone (included with the purchase) has been rock solid for all my recording and mixing needs. I even took it on the road and used it for an interview with award-winning author Robert J. Sawyer. The mixer is a workhorse and reliable to a fault…provided kittens do not knock over glasses of iced tea across it. So I am replacing the humming MultiMix-8 with a new MultiMix-8 (and the AKG Perception-100 is a FINE microphone, one I highly recommend) and I expect to be back into the recording of Chapter Sixteen (and Seventeen) of MOREVI: Remastered by Monday night.
As far as the posting schedule goes, I am still aiming to get episodes of MOREVI online this month. With Double Trouble and my tour schedule as it is, that will make posting on a regular basis a challenge. However, I do have a good portion of Sixteen already recorded. I can continue with audio clean up and resume mixing voices, music, and special effects. Sixteen may not post as one complete episode (I may have to return to chapters divided into sections.) but I should still be able to produce something and keep the story moving forward.
Thanks for checking in with Imagine That! Studios, and thank you for listening to MOREVI: Remastered. Please tell a friend about the podcast, and enjoy the ride.
28
Jun
2008
Imagine That! Studios: A New Beginning
For those of you who know me and have worked with me in previous years, you do not need to check your URL’s or even worry that Tee Morris has moved on and surrendered his business to someone else. No, this is still Tee Morris, this is still Imagine That! Studios behind the creativity of numerous print, web, audio, video, and live seminar presentations.
This is, however, a new beginning for Imagine That! Studios, and I invite you all to join me on this new adventure.
From New Zealand culture, the “Koru” is the uncurling fern frond, a symbol of regrowth and new beginnings. This symbol feels perfect for the new icon of Imagine That! Studios as what I do here is not really changing. Everything I do will still have that trademark creative touch I am known for, but Imagine That! Studios has been destined for new and exciting directions. With the emergence of New Media initiatives, Imagine That! is now upgrading to its own 2.0. This is an exciting time for me, for Imagine That!, and for creative endeavors yet to be taken.
Welcome to the new beginning. Welcome to Imagine That! Studios.
INTERVIEW: All a Twitter (and Social Media) on Breakthrough Business
Meet Michele Price. She queried me before I tweeted!
Michele is the host of Breakthrough Business, and on her BlogTalkRadio show we talk about Twitter, about my job at Intersections Inc (which you will find out more later on this blog), and about approaches that go against the grain of the marketing books. We talk about how “old school marketing” just doesn’t work with Social Media, and how businesses need to understand that Twitter (and Social Media, on a whole) is about people.
We had a blast on this interview, and there are more slated for the month. Keep an eye on my RSS feed for more!
Tags: All a Twitter, audio, Blog Talk Radio, business, Chris Brogan, creative thinking, creativity, Intersections, marketing, Michele Price, networking, Podcast, Social Media, Social Networking, strategy, technology, Tee Morris, Twitter, writing
Posted in Commentary, News & Appearances, Social Media | 2 Comments »