Water Cooler My Eye

What do radio promotions and blogging have in common?

 

A lot... maybe.

 

Many who read this know that in a previous life I was in radio. I spent twelve years playing in that sandbox before jumping in to the related field of commercial banking. (see - sarcasm)

 

I know, it's weird.
 

Radio is a highly reactive industry, meaning the content must be associated to what is going on in the world. I remember sitting in promotions meetings at the end of the year, literally going through the calendar and marking local events and holidays.

"So, are we going to do the Freedom Rocks concert for 106X this year? We need a beer permit for the park and let's order some promotional balloons."

 

"We're kicking around the idea of doing an Easter Egg Hunt on K-Shasta where we hide eggs all over town and give away grown up easter baskets to the finders. We'll give clues on the air."

 

"Where's our booth going to be for Oldies 105 for Kool April Nights? Last year we were next to the smelly nelly and we got some listener complaints."

 

"Is KQMS going to hook up with the Mission again this year to collect blankets for the homeless? How about the canned food drive?"

 

Stuff like that. It was fun. And I miss it. Pulling off a great promotion, concert or giveaway is exhausting stuff, both creatively and often physically. But it's also extremely rewarding.

 

I started thinking about this blog last night, and all blogs for that matter, and how that same philosophy translates to blog writing.

If I was well organized, I would pull up a calendar and start mapping out Holidays and known events for next year and begin to plan what I might write in any given week.

 

I'm not. But if I was, that's what I would do.

 

In radio, in addition to calendar items, it was always important that the stations react to news items, whether in the entertainment arena such as a highly anticipated movie debut, or with major news event such as an election or a major disaster. I'll never forget coming in to work as the events of 9/11 were unfolding. You've never seen a group of mostly goof-off creative types become so focused and cooperative so quickly. I was proud to be managing that crew at that time and don't think any of us will ever forget it.

 

That certainly also applies to blogging. On the internet super highway (haha) search engines, Tweets, etc. are all driven by keywords. So if I want to attract people to my blog I probably should write about big events people are currently discussing.

 

Makes sense. And it's a natural thing to do. It's what's on everybody's mind.

 

For instance, I wrote a blog post about the recent tragedy in Newtown. You know, like everybody did. (Some were brilliant, by the way.)

 

I didn't post it. In the end I didn't want to jump in that pool. But I did write one.

 

Why is that? What am I thinking?

 

I should be writing Hobbit posts, Christmas posts, posts about the "fiscal cliff" and Mitt Romney's son recently talking about how Mitt didn't want to be president anyway. (That last one is something I saw on Yahoo this morning.)

 

Why don't I?

 

What do you think? Should I consciously connect my blog to the calendar and the news?

As Doris Day would sing, "Perhaps. Perhaps. Perhaps."

 

Thanks for reading!

 

Casey

 

Comments

  1. Joanna Jenkins25/12/12 18:07

    You reminded me of my publishing/advertising days when I did the exact same thing with the calendar. Maybe that's why I don't do an editorial calendar for my blog-- It was sooo much work back then.

    Now I just kinda wing it but always tell myself I should be more organized or at least regular in my postings. I'll be watching to see what you decide.

    Merry Christmas! jj

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

This is where you come in...

Popular posts from this blog

Hotel

Image
I feel like every time I come over to Crescent City I write the same blog post. You know, appreciate my family, wish I was home, like driving by myself, love my wife, want to hug my kids, blah blah blah. So let's try something different. When you are away from home and by yourself: What's on the radio on the road? I've gone through stages for sure. NPR, scanning for local stations, my own iPod music etc. But for the last couple of years it's been audiobooks and nothing else. I belong to audible.com now and get a new book every month for $15. I have a bumper sticker that says, "Shhhh, I'm listening to a book." What kind of crap do you eat? Do you go to a restaurant? My love has no trouble at all spending the evening by herself at a busy restaurant. I'm not made that way. I usually buy some frozen garbage I can nuke in the hotel microwave that will make my tummy ache for the rest of the night. What kind of TV do you watch? Channel 45 for me here, whi...
Read more

Her Cottage

Image
She lives in a one room, cozy cottage she built in the middle of a lush green forest. Her home sits in a grassy clearing, backed up to the base of a fern-covered cliff where in the Spring, sweet clean water trickles down to her waiting barrels. Tiny, baby blue flowers grow amongst the ferns on tender, too-thin stems of pale green. She is young, and happy, and full of hope. One day a pebble dislodges from the very top of the cliff. It’s not much larger than her smallest finger. It tumbles as it falls, briefly touching its brothers along the way. Seeing the pebble’s joy, the brothers break free and join his race down the steep slope. Others join, larger friends, who bring larger friends. And soon they are singing a thunderous roar of glee as they race each other ever faster down. She hears the song and runs out of her cabin, looking up to see them ripping through the ferns, plucking the flowers and consuming all in their bliss. She backs away, then trips. As she hits the gr...
Read more

What Nurtures You?

Image
One of the coolest chicks in the blogosphere suggested that we all come up with twenty things that nurture us. Everyone who has taken this challenge seriously has approached it in a slightly different way, which is one of the things that makes blog communities so cool… the differences within the similarities. For me, I must define. Nurture - to care for and encourage the growth or development of Since really only humans can care for and nurture other humans, what we’re really looking for here are twenty things that inspire us to nurture ourselves. Here we go: 1 – The scents of my woman Which makes me think of the feel of her skin, which makes me think of other nurturing things I will not bring up… 2 – “Hey Dad,” as I walk in the front door at night If those two words don’t ease my soul, nothing will. 3 – Golf The last seven years of my life would not be the same without those long walks and the man-bonding previously missing in nearly my entire adult life. 4 – The smell and fee...
Read more