Professional Geekery

Promoting Professional Geekery #42 – Be Interviewed

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(The Promoting Professional Geekery Roundup Is Here)

A big way to promote the ideal of the professional geek, the fan-to-pro dream, is to be that dream.  However people actually have to see it in action, and there’s more to do after the usual blogging, books, con speeches, and so forth.

That is to be available for interviews – and to get interviewed.

See you’re testimony to the Power of Progeek.  Also you’re probably good-looking and charismatic.  So we need you out there sharing your wisdom and experiences, and if nothing else your bad examples.

So first, be available for interviews:

  • Make sure there’s contact information on your site, blogs, cards, etc.
  • Make sure that if you are interviewed, you list it on your website with contact information, so people know you can and will be reached.
  • Respond to any contact requests on interviews promptly.
  • If anyone contacts you about information, note your availability for said interviews.

Secondly, go get interviewed.  No, this isn’t arrogant, this is about you sharing your knowledge in a format that people like.  If you’re uncomfortable then reconsider or tone it down, but you need to seek out changes to share you and what you do.

  • Join groups like Help A Reporter Out (http://www.helpareporter.com/) and respond to the posts for information and interviews.  Yes, journalists and researchers are seeking people like you, so go get involved.
  • If you hear about calls for research, information, and interviews go for it!
  • If you’re helping out people with a website or other form of communication, offer to do an interview as a way to share information.  It’s a pretty efficient format, actually.

You’ve got a lot of wisdom to share.  This is just one method to do it – and one that’s pretty efficient when you do it right.

– Steven Savage

Steven Savage is a Geek 2.0 writer, speaker, blogger, and job coach for professional and potentially professional geeks, fans, and otaku. He can be reached at https://www.stevensavage.com/

Promoting Professional Geekery #40 – Help A Professional Association With Communications

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(For more Promoting Professional Geekery, see this Roundup of past columns.)

You know I’m big on joining professional associations as a progeek (I’ve been talking about it throughout this series). But beyond hooking up and doing some promotion, you can also dig a bit deeper and apply your communications skills and abilities.

Professional Associations have newsletters, blogs, and websites. Perhaps you can contribute to one – with your uniquely personal and progeeky point of view. There’s doubtlessly some things you can write on, so help spread the word to reach your fellows – and help people understand them.

Not up for doing a little content? Then apply your technical, clerical, or other skills to run the engines of communication. If you can put up web pages, configure blogs, or know Mail Chimp, you can help your professional association with cutting edge communications.

None of this appeals to you (or you don’t have the time)? Hook your Association up with some of your fellow geeks that can. Your friend who’s a master of Android can write a blog post about, well, Android. Your web guru friend who normally does sites for indie bands can jump in with the website. You help your association, your friends (who get practice, references, and maybe a bit of out-of-the-box thinking), and you do it all while maintaining your busy schedule.

All of these activities ensure that your association has progeeky content and contacts, so you can help them out – and help them keep in touch with progeeky content and contacts. This is especially good if the association needs to connect with the geek/fan/otaku side more, or is in danger of slipping away from it. Think of it as a subtler form of my suggesions for evangelinecing for or to the association.

Of course you also get to practice various skills, increase your contacts, and get other benefits yourself! So keep this optioin in mind when you want to promote progeekery.

– Steven Savage
Steven Savage is a Geek 2.0 writer, speaker, blogger, and job coach for professional and potentially professional geeks, fans, and otaku. He can be reached at https://www.stevensavage.com/.

 

Promoting Professional Geekery #39: Help Out Parents

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(For more Promoting Professional Geekery, see this Roundup of past columns.)

If you’re the parent of a future progeek, or a progeek with kids, you know the kind of concerns you have. That concern for your child’s future, that concern about how to shape their lives, or the concern you have no idea what the hell your kids are talking about.

It’s hard enough being a parent in changing times, but support for progeeky parents and parents of progeeks isn’t exactly forthcoming. Trust me, I’ve seen it.

So if you want to help out professional geeks – help out the parents of the next generation guide their children or at least understand what’s going on.

What you can do depends on your skills, knowledge, and what you’re willing to provide:

  • If you’re culturally knowledgeable, you can explain things to parents – the significance of anime, terms, etc.
  • If you’re in a profession or know about one, you can explain it to parents and give them an idea of their offspring’s future.
  • If you’ve got a good understanding about the economy, employment trends, etc. you can impart wisdom to concerned parents, allay their fears, or reinforce them (which, sometimes, you have to do).

Want to find the best way to help – ask what you can provide the parents don’t have (or know they have). Then provide it. Even comforting words make a difference.

The next question is how you provide it. That also depends on your inclinations – and what you’re able to provide:

  • Conventions are excellent opportunities to reach parents who are in attendance, or in attendance with their children.
  • Blogs and sites are useful to reach parents. Just remember you want to do stuff that’ll help you reach people. Consider anything you post you a personal/geek blog could be something to do at a parenting site.
  • One-on-ones. If you know geek parents/parents of geeks you can help out personally.

When helping out parents, you have to also gauge your level of commitment. How much can you say and how long will it take to say it? You could find yourself involved in a deep project . . .

. . . which may be what you wanted. Parenting is certainly a deep project as it is.

– Steven Savage