I thought it might be worth a discussion on how social media engagement is undertaken by people in the community. This post is in response to some feedback I’ve seen on Twitter to the GetClassicPress account.
Obviously, everyone wants to get the word out, but we need to make sure the tone of this is the best it can be to attract people to ClassicPress. I don’t necessarily agree with all of the feedback that was given,but thinking about it, amusing as the jumping menu gif was, it might be better if such posts were not from the official ClassicPress account so that this project can take the high ground.
At the moment it is natural that a lot of the engagement is around WordPress 5 and Gutenberg as these will be the drivers for a lot of people complaining on Twitter (and other fora) who might consider a move away from WordPress.
However, the feedback is correct that an overriding positive message for ClassicPress is needed and to be done in a way which focuses on the positives of ClassicPress as opposed to the negatives.
Is there an official message of this type or is it something which needs to be discussed?
So I’m the person behind the Twitter account, and one thing I don’t want to see is us folding to whoever shouts the loudest. We are allowed to have fun, we are allowed to highlight issues with Gutenberg and WordPress, and from time to time some people won’t like what we say.
That’s not to say sometimes I’ll get it wrong - I have in the past and will do in the future, so it’s important that get feedback and reflect on whether changes need to be made.
In this instance however, I’m standing behind that Tweet. It’s OK to laugh at a funny bug.
As for the comment about spamming - that is something that needs to considered and thought about.
I don’t disagree with anything you say there. Representatives of the project should absolutely stand their ground and there will be people very invested in WordPress who will unjustly push back, and Gutenberg does have major issues and will drive a lot of the conversations by nature.
I’ve started writing posts on ClassicPress which I’m then sending to LinkedIn, Twitter and my Facebook page. I’ve also been responding to some people on Twitter who’ve sounded off about Gutenberg and the problems they have.
Others are doing the same which is good and we’re all going about it our own way (I generally try to avoid most humour as mine rarely goes down well online ), but I think having some general guidance around messaging would help.
@azurecurve humor can be misunderstood, I agree.
But some humor here and there gives out some important things in my opinion:
we are positive humans who know how to find a reason to squeeze a laugh among hard tasks
if ever someone would make a joke about us, we are the kind of people to enjoy it gratefully.
we are a community is worth participating in, we are not heavy people all business and nothing else (see, there is also a petition for an April’s Fool joke)
Humor can open doors if used wisely IMHO. I think @scott and the others are doing great mixing a laugh within serious posts.
@azurecurve , yes, I have seen a lot of your posts or replies on Twitter. I liking them, and I encourage others to search for and like appropriate Twitter posts, and mention ClassicPress in replies (which I have been doing as well).
I do think there should be some basic guidelines in place. I don’t mind being cheeky, but we want to avoid misunderstandings. I also agree with the spamming comment… people are starting to react negatively to that. I’ve had my hand slapped for “pushing” CP when I wasn’t, I was asking a question out of curiosity… and it was interpreted as me trying to hijack a post to promote CP.
The obvious guidelines are: be authentic and be nice. Focus on the positives. Take the high road.
When dealing with naysayers or people making negative comments: answer with grace and kindness. There are ways to stand your ground without poking someone in the eye.
My two cents, as someone who does not use much social media and definitely is not a marketer:
Taking the high road and being kind is very important. Our mission is to offer an alternative, not to compete or fight. We also need to show, through all of our communication channels, that we are creating a pleasant and welcoming community.
There is nothing wrong with promoting our software. We are offering an alternative that many people don’t know about. Right now, for every person who already knows about ClassicPress there are 10 more that we can reach and inform.
How about one explainer video as a goal that can be put forth as the “trumpet call?” It can be fun, short and breezy, but let the public and other markets out there know what’s going on. Once that is done, it can distributed to all social media outlets.
Clearly, I’m not on the Committee so am not privy to all CP mechanizations, but I don’t see how that could be negative to have at least one piece of collateral that can be distributed more. (And again, there may be more going on than I’m aware of, but I’m always an advocate of action.)
Hi @voltaire, please elaborate on what kind of video you’d like to see – what format? What would be the general script you would follow? Please feel free to write something up and submit it – and if you have any connections that could create the video (for free would be ideal), please let us know.
Sure @BlueSkyPhoenix (interesting name that ties into my “real world” identity, as I love the color blue and have about 15 pairs of blue glasses and about 5 blue suits). I’m thinking of a basic 30-60 second “explainer” video with a cartoon man or woman simply using ClassicPress as a narrator explains what it is and how it works. Similar to what I see on the ClassicPress YouTube channel but explaining what it is and it’s purpose. Simple, direct, upbeat, dummy-proof, yet differentiating it from clearly from WP. The main part would be writing out the text first, of course. Then I suppose anyone with PowerPoint or a video editing program could do the job or send it off to Fiverr. Get it as MP4 format, post it on YouTube, Vimeo, LinkedIn, DailyMotion, etcetera and use it as a “front piece” of marketing collateral as the “trumpet call” launching CP V.1.
Marketing plans need collateral that can be distributed through as many social media channels as possible. Video is numero uno, as I’m sure you know. Press releases, I don’t know yet who I’d send them to (maybe the UK’s “Web Designer” magazine, the US’s “Website Magazine,”) any other industry trade publications, and so forth. But first we need a good promo piece and I’d task others with establishing a plugin repository, establish a revenue development division, and so on down the line.
@damiebee this is what I had in mind. It doesn’t have to be a Steven Spielberg production and the Universe reward action. It doesn’t reward contemplation of action one day.
@voltaire - good questions. There’s no sense in investing in it (no matter how cheap it may end up being) if we don’t have a way to use it effectively. What do you suggest?
The answer would depend on the direction the Committee wants to go in, which I don’t know, or if there is a direction. One good video, though, could be used to let the world know about ClassicPress and circulated like a public service announcement of sorts and simply circulated by CP forum users and that alone would get it out there. The more eyes on a general overview video, the better. If there were to be no marketing plan at all until a year from now, and that’s something that’s done elsewhere or conversely just not done for whatever reason; exposure alone is valuable to me. One decent overview video submitted to all social media outlets every few days, circulated to WP user groups, to support forums, to agency forums, sent to someone at the PRSA for their thoughts, on and on, is still better than not doing it.
I’m a firm believe in taking action. With purpose. It’s what won World Wars. It’s what made Apple what it is today and what built Google and WordPress. But in lieu of a plan with levels of strategy, having one short overview video explainer that can be submitted across the web is a clarion call that CP is launched.
Thanks Voltaire. While I’m not fond of your continued war analogies (I’d really like to get away from the concept of doing battle, being anti-__, being at war, and being generally antagonistic) I do appreciate your feedback.
), but I think having some general guidance around messaging would help.