Avatar photoSteven Savage

Fandom Reminders

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You're in a job you don't like or aren't thrilled with.  You want to move up or out (or over).  It's tiring, exhausting, and you are having trouble focusing on what you like.

It's time for a Fandom Reminder.

Those posters in your cube?  A reminder of what you love.  That action figure?  A reminder that you want to move on to marketing.  That amusing LOLCat?  A subtle hint of the business you plan to start.  Those pictures from your last convention?  More than a conversation piece, a constant lighthouse guiding you to the day you'll have your own fan/geek career.

Those seemingly pointless reminders, collectibles, decorations, and pictures are a way to remind you of what you care about even in the worst job situation or bleakest career.  They're little sparks of light to guide you a bit farther whether you want to change jobs where you work now or want to start your own company.

Those geeky reminders that seem so pointless or ephemeral may be very important to you to help keep you on track in your life.  Don't discount them at work – a single desktop theme may be what you need to keep going a little farther.  Everything does add up.

In fact, it can be more.  Want to move to the IT division?  Put up articles on IT you've been reading for your co-workers to talk about and you to be reminded by.  Want to be a voice actor? Put up that picture of Scott McNeil or Steve Blum you took at a con.

If you're lucky your job reinforces you.  But if not, find a way to make your environment a little more of a guide and reminder to where you're going to go.

– Steven Savage

Convention focus: Erie-Anime-Experience

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See the rest of our convention ideas!

Erie Anime Experience is a small convention in Pennsylvania, and I had a chance to talk to the convention president, who gave me some interesting insights on the convention, and a few ideas for folks working on a fan-to-pro route.

One event at the convention is discussing the historical background of anime – in this case, the Kenshin series.  This has proven to be a twofold advantage – it not only takes the fans interest deeper, it's also proven an interesting way to get the professionals who've worked on the series involved when they visit.  It's a different take on the usual talk-to-a-pro panel that intrigued me – involving the professionals in discussing the larger context of their work.

In fact, we discussed another element for future cons that I think is needed more in any professional track – the history of an industry and deeper understanding of it.  Many career-oriented people can benefit from knowing the history of what they do – and passionate fans/geeks often get into the history of their interests, from anime to computer games.  A good history of any property or media can be useful.

Some interesting insights from the convention. If you're in the area, give it a try!

– Steven Savage

News of the Day 8/25/2009

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Business:
25 things that are going extinct – Mostly business/economic/culture wise. An amusing and intriguing read to make you think about how the world is changing. Give you any ideas for your career?

Economics/Geekonomics/Freakonomics:
You may want to move to North Dakota? The economic picture doesn't look half bad. I'll stick with California for now thanks.

Freaky numbers: there's more horsepower in American cars and trucks than power plants. Makes you think about efficiencies and so forth. Also, really, it's a good example of geeky math work.

Yep, expect more foreclosures. I suppose I don't also have to mention I still think it's an awful time to buy a house. Well, I dunno – check out North Dakota.

Why Venture Capital will shrink – and why this may not be bad – Basically it's too risky right now, may have been overdone anyway, and is expected. However the author argues (very lengthily, and for econo-fans) that it's not going to go away, will probably be better, and frankly Silicon Valley isn't even going to notice.

Publishing:
Sony goes all out with THREE versions of it's e-reader. Yes. Three. It looks like they're working to be very competitive with the Kindle and then some – and are open to other deals. The e-book wars are still hot and going apparently – so tech types watch for openings and those of you writing want to watch your e-distribution deals VERY CAREFULLY for maximum exposure.

Technology:
Yahoo purchases Arabic portal site Maktoob – sites potentials for ads, etc. Yes, Yahoo is hitting the Middle East market. They're looking to change what they do, expand offerings, and I'm betting they see this as a chance to beat others in radically different markets. Side note, recall what I've been saying about Crunchyroll and regional markets as good targets for fannish niches – and even more in this case.

Did Chrome OS kill Android Netbooks – Looks like it may have. Asus dropped the idea. I can see the reasons for dropping it, and wonder if this was intentional or a side effect on Google's part. For those of you wondering about developing on Android but for Netbooks, look like it's time to go to Chrome OS.

Video:
Youtube is rolling out a partnership program – Basically a way to monetize your content if it meets certain standards. Only in the US for now. Still, another revenue stream for google and others, maybe those instructional videos you did on cosplay can be worth something more . . . and monetizing even a simple effort may sound good to a client or potential employer.

Hulu won't be rolling into the UK until 2010 – Giving competitors an edge and further reminding us that some of the video wars involve complex licensing agreements.

Video Games:
Synergy Alert, a Dragonball Z MMO is in the works. Now we may laugh at the idea of an MMO where it takes 3 hours to punch someone in the face, but I admit to some curiosity. The feel of the preview is punchy-actiony-fun, with dare I say it a family feel? My intuition tells me to see how this goes – I can easily see a DBZ MMO being a middle ground between hardcore and casual MMO if it keeps this lighthearted spirit and makes beating the utter bejezus out of colorful monsters easy and fun. Secondly, how many anime could make good MMO's – Full Metal Alchemist? Assorted Gundams? Could be something to look out for – or suggest if you're in the right position . ..

Sony is losing money on the PS3 slim, but seems to be making a profit when you toss in all the peripherals, software, etc.

Game marketing weirdness: Guild Wars/Aion cross-game promotional. Buy a particular Aion item . . . unlock a special emote in Guild Wars. Odd, but perhaps inspiring to the marketing-inclined.

– Steven Savage