Facebook, Twitter and the like..
polycounter lvl 15
Let me get this out first: I really don't like these social networking sites. I'm just a "if you know me, then you have my email/phone number... and that's enough" kind of person. Avoiding becoming a member was easy, friends would ask if I had an account, I'd laugh at them and say "Hell no!" with my head held up high and chest out. With that out the way, I am on the verge of finishing my first game on my own, and everyone is telling me "You gotta use FaceBook, it's soooo important".
I don't want to use Facebook. I want to make a sub-domain, park some graphics, video, smart-talk and provide info, let people email me if they want and that's it. There aren't enough hours in the day for me to deal with anything like this. I do understand marketing your product is important, but there has to be better venues...
To summarize:
[ame]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0UJ9Ggs3Dkk[/ame]
So my mind is kinda made up, I don't see a reason for me to do anything like this. BUT if someone can show/tell me anything good that's come out of doing "social networking", I can reconsider (since I know nothing about this stuff). Well I am 50/50 really. Just nervous about participating in something I don't have time for. Those of you who do use it for work, I want to hear from you. I don't want things to be personal at all: "Today I took a shit, it was blue... it made the water blue. Should I go to the Dr.?".
So if it's important, I'll use it. If not, I'll be more than happy to pass.
Thanks for any responses.
I don't want to use Facebook. I want to make a sub-domain, park some graphics, video, smart-talk and provide info, let people email me if they want and that's it. There aren't enough hours in the day for me to deal with anything like this. I do understand marketing your product is important, but there has to be better venues...
To summarize:
[ame]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0UJ9Ggs3Dkk[/ame]So my mind is kinda made up, I don't see a reason for me to do anything like this. BUT if someone can show/tell me anything good that's come out of doing "social networking", I can reconsider (since I know nothing about this stuff). Well I am 50/50 really. Just nervous about participating in something I don't have time for. Those of you who do use it for work, I want to hear from you. I don't want things to be personal at all: "Today I took a shit, it was blue... it made the water blue. Should I go to the Dr.?".
So if it's important, I'll use it. If not, I'll be more than happy to pass.
Thanks for any responses.
Replies
I'm not totally innocent since I have a Linked in account but at least that is focused on business versus this supposed "friends" atmosphere Facebook and the ilk try to convey. That and you shouldn't have to give your facebook or any other names to employers.
And I don't see role of facebook in marketing your game. Indie forums and portals/blogs seem like better options to me.
However, a few of my close friends and family post things of interest to me. For example my Bro is in the US right now and he'll post stuff like 'Just driven 6 hours through Arizona' where he hasn't had time to contact any of us but a quick minute to leave an update that everyone can read. That's kinda cool.
But it is just another timesink and I see no real 'productive' reason to have one.
For that exact reason, I don't know how great it would be for marketing. I know that all the bands and companies on my friends list just get thousands of comments like 'First!!!' and 'So and so is better'. The demographic who would likely pay any attention on FaceBook are probably people irrelevant to the campaign.
Twitter for me is just basically a short, manageable RSS feed. The large majority of my 'follows' on Twitter are companies and coorporations and I just check in to see their little news updates when I haven't got time to browse a fully fledged RSS feed.
Again though, I really dislike the whole 'Just ordered a tall decaf skinny latte with chocolate spinkles mmmmmmm' thing and try to keep those tweets off of my list.
So I guess Twitter could be a nice quick way to broadcast, but getting a lot of relevant followers is a bit of a marketing campaign in itself.
They can download my CV from there, link to my portfolio and read recommendations from my old colleagues and managers. I think not having one these days is a big disadvantage in the creative industry's
@ Sandro - Going to indie forums and blogs might be the best way. Kinda like "keeping it in the family" and giving back/helping.
@ creationtwentytwo - I thought about Twitter as well, but it doesn't fit right with me, just like FaceBook.
@ Skulburn - Thanks for the post. I think it's just a damn socializing though these kinds of sites fear. But how is it any different than these (or other) forums? That's pretty kick-ass. Almost as kick ass as unicorns... with NPH.
I'm gonna go downstairs, drink some water and figure out WTF I am going to do. Everyone, your posts are very helpful.
Just make a place for a bunch of people to gather without signing up to another new forum, so they can talk and read about your stuff easier (for them, it's easier, since they use these social networking sites daily).
And no one really cares if you have no use for personal stuff on facebook.
On a related note, social networking sites have never been the source of news for me when it comes to finding games I may like or enhancing my gaming experiences.
I usually rely on my Kotaku and indiegames.com RSS feeds for gaming news.
From what I've seen, twitter is pretty good at spreading the word about your stuff even to strangers. You can tag posts with one of the tags similarly interested folks check for twits (something like #indiegame or whatever). If your game is worth talking about, it has a good chance of going viral more than a forum thread. At least, it has more chance for strangers (venture capitalists, angel investors, etc.) to discover.
But it requires maintenance, which I don't have time to do so I never bothered to have an account. Basically you have to be active be it entering personal stuff/opinions, rants, etc, responding to others, re-tweeting, etc. so you can get followers or at least start a "brand" people will grow to recognize.
I've checked twits by random people based on what they've responded to in the ones I follow.
If your product involves a lot of people right away, like for beta testing, server stress tests, etc. twitter is good for recruiting.
It'd take you a day to set up and figure out how to use both well. And once you have, you've a 24 hour hub that you can release information to, and people can "like" and retweet.
It's a shame that you're only just doing it for launch, because these things, like all other communities, require a little time to grow and catch interest.
A twitter account to note is that of Team Meat's. They use their twitter almost every day, releasing teasers and other info, or just goofing around. It allows their followers to get a taste of them, their game. It causes a lot of hype and it makes their community give a shit about their product, because twatters (?) are able to contact them, and feel connected. There's less layers of insulation for people to have to navigate around, which seems to be very important.
The last point I'll make, as I need to get running here, is that tweeting and facebooking content and information can catch like wildfire. It all depends how much effort you put into it and, of course, what kind of content you release, but there's no harm in helping yourself by getting the word out through these sites. Catch more fish by casting an ever expanding net
Best of luck with you game release, man. Can't wait to hear more!
Yeah, I recently lucked out on a potential freelance gig since I didn't have an i-phone.
My last communication with the prospective was "Do you have an i-phone".
Me: "No"
:thumbdown:
They pay for it? I still am. I mean other than the energy near your head. Whose gonna call me for $30+ a month?
Also, clicking "like" button on random facebook fanpage does not equal revenue. You might want to target audience that is interested in indie games and actually buys them. They usually frequent specific places/read specific blogs e.t.c. You need to reach them - how you do that is up to you.
Facebook fan page thing is getting too popular these days and unfortunately plenty of people are doing it wrong.
Facebook, I can understand not liking, but you ought to make a Facebook page for your game, at least.
Getting the most out of Twitter and Facebook is hard work. I can't really imagine just ignoring really effective ways of exposing people to your game.
This is what we have been doing:
http://blog.wolfire.com/2009/09/gdc-austin-wolfires-pr-tips/
yes, now I'm one of those guys who doesn't have a landline, cell phone only.
That's a decent twitter like entry.
It's the kinda thing 300+ people would instalnly follow
You gotta build it up like you're gonna go on a meltdown...then before the end of the bizness day you sic your spam (disguised as an afterthought of course) for your app or game.
Don't forget the itunes link.
But if you leave that statement in a forum...it's a "meh".
I would say that if sharing of things you find, think, or care about is important to you than Facebook is a good tool for that. You don't need to do what the norm does and upload 100's of picture or use 4square to let people know where you are at any given moment.
Used right, Facebook can be very useful.
Update: If you're still adamant that you can share just as easily than friends, then perhaps a professional point of view on the whole thing is what you need. In that case, LinkedIn does a lot of what facebook does without maintaining your personal information (age, religious views, PHOTOS, etc.) but holds on to your business contacts and resume. From there you can choose to share Tweets or media as you wish.
[ame]
http://myparentsjoinedfacebook.com/
Really the question you should be asking is "Can anyone convince me of a reason to NOT use facebook and twitter?"
Edit - Also, I got my current job via Facebook. My current employer searched me out and found my Facebook profile, started chatting with me via Facebook chat, and had me on a plane to an interview the next morning. It's certainly not the norm, but in the same way that it makes sense to market your game to millions of people, you are also marketing yourself when it comes to your career. Most people will argue that LinkedIn is a better place to market yourself for your career, but it happens on Facebook as well.
DON'T make a personal Facebook page for your game. Just make a company Facebook.
There is no reason why you need to create a personal Facebook if all you are after is promotion for the game.
The above comment sums it up in all honesty, avoid the personal page and focus on the company/game for promotion.
That's all I use it for, quick and easy.
But yeah, you're right, people do post some stupid crap on there that is just damn useless and really makes them look bad.
Seriously a dedicated marketing guy is what almost all indie studios need but dont have. We have a guy whos entire job is making promotions and sending out press releases and organising events and personally i think he is one of the most valuable people in the company.
Anyways just a mini rant
[ame]
This.
Also a nice tool to keep in contact with friends who have moved away...or if you happen to move....ya know...cause like...they're your friends, and you care.
You don't see the benefit of 100's of millions of people possibly being exposed to your game when compared to the hundreds or thousands you'll find on a niche forum for an indie game?
Battlefield 3 has nearly 1,000,000 people who have 'Liked' their page. That's a guaranteed ONE MILLION people who've at least seen 1 image for the game. You'll never get that at a forum or blog.
@polycount