Category Archives: marketing

Justify your existence, contractor

It’s a joyous time of year, that’s right, TAX SEASON.  Those of you close to me (and even some of you not so close) know that I am a huge math geek.  I love me some numbers.  I even got me a purdy degree from a party school to prove it… But I digress.

Tax season is less about numbers for me and more about another passion, organizing things.  Mainly receipts, forms, etc.  My mom was meticulous at organizing her tax recepts and I have picked up that gauntlet to carry on.

This time of year always brings up the 1099 versus w2 conundrum, too.  As an employer, I am super familiar with the difference between the 2.   But as a long time helper of other companies (aka contractor or consultant), I thought I would share my checklist that I make sure that I maintain, so that I am sure I am on the up and up as a 1099 receiver.

- Contract it up – I always make sure I have a contract when I am doing work for someone.  This is my assurance that the talked about terms are in writing, but also a good piece of evidence to legitimacy.

- Business licence or sole proprietor – This is a big one for some companies.  It’s much easier to show someone is a contractor if they have a business license.  You can get one through your state and it comes with your very own Federal ID Number to boot!  I personally go the route of sole proprietor, tax wise, and therefore do not have a FIN.  This just means I have to have cross my t’s and dot i’s in a couple more places to justify my existence.

- Advertising – This could be as explicit as an ad in a trade mag advertising your services or as implicit as listing all the ways people find out about you.  For example, if you want to know about my skill set, you can read this blog, my LinkedIn, see my thoughts in clubs or listservs or see me at a speaking engagement.  Since most of my stuff in the past has been on the side and via word of mouth, it’s important that I maintain these if I ever get contract work.  Having business cards helps too.

- Master of my own schedule – Another big point is scheduling.  If you are scheduled to the hours you work, that leans more in the direction of employee – not a deal breaker, but just more on that side of the list.  If you decide when you work, you are more of a contractor.  Of course, meetings need to be scheduled as we are not in an anarchy (at least I am not).  But with the advent of asynchronous communication (IMs, emails, etc) it’s easier and easier to have less face to face time.

- Expertise included – People want to hire me for my expertise in whatever area.  Many times, we hire people for their instincts and their ability to react how we would in certain scenarios.  Now that doesn’t mean that if they have to know how to use all of the software we use when they start – of course we can train them on that.  But there has to be a baseline of ability expected as a contractor.

And we can also give them feedback if their work isn’t what were thinking about.  Think of a decorator or painter redoing a room in your house.  It’s your house, therefore if they design or paint something that is not to your liking, you don’t have to just accept it.  And if there are special instructions to different areas of the room or previous methods used, you will need to explain that too.  But they are still a contractor for you.

- My precious (tech) – I have all the technology I need, hardware wise.  If I have to buy tablets, apps, software, printer ink, paper, etc – that’s on me.  Incurring expenses is just part of the contract work lifestyle – but you also get to write it all off at the end of the year, so it works out.

There are other areas on the differences sheet, but as each person’s situation is different, it’s all case by case.  And you will probably never have to justify your existence to anyone.  I am just a prepared sort of person, so I like to know I am on the up and up & I am a community person, so I thought I would share. ;)

The Social Network… meh

Just a short post to point out a conversation I have had with a bunch of friends about the movie, The Social Network.  After I watched it, I didn’t feel like I had watched a cinematic masterpiece.  I couldn’t see what everyone was freaking out about.  It was a fine couple hours, but really, what’s the big deal?

When I dug a bit deeper, I figured out that it was because I knew that story, really well.  Not just of Facebook, but of tons of late aughts start-ups and silicon valley gossip.  I read those stories in Valley Wag and Tech Crunch and all the other online rags as they happened.  I’ve eaten tacos with Twitter execs while discussing COPPA fines and defended multi-million dollar business plans to tech VCs.  I’ve felt the rush of hope with new bridge funding and the despair of multiple companies closing.  I’ve become jaded of this industry.  Almost bored with it’s dramas.

Maybe that’s why I have turned my focus to projects that have a little more “oompf” in the heart-department.  I want to be proud of my work on a societal level, not just career and/or bank account.  You would think children’s properties would be a fair choice, but oy!  don’t get me started on some of the Television Execs and Licensing people I’ve met. :P

That’s not to say I don’t still pay attention a little.  I grew up a gal in America – I’ve been trained to absorb gossip, whether I like it or not.  At least I am getting better at the KIND of gossip I am absorbing (read: Please brain, less Kardashians!)

My talk at Pratt

Hi All,

I was asked to do a short talk at Pratt Institute, so I decided to share my slides.  Basically I wanted to have a short visual aid to a myriad of mainstream, large and successful properties and brands that did/do well interacting and connecting with their audience through online community and fan engagement .

Let me know if you would like more info or examples or if you have any questions.

Oldy but goody links

So I was clearing out my favorites on Twitter and thought I would aggregate some of the random old articles I had saved to look at later….. way later.  Why not put them here, right? ;)

Learning

Big Thinkers: Henry Jenkins on New Media and Implications for Learning and Teaching

Why playing in the virtual world has an awful lot to teach children

Is Video Game School Training a Generation of Professional Princess Rescuers?

The Changing Views of the Online Experience – from Fears to Possibilities

Raising Future People (aka kids)

Commentary on: Are you raising a Douchebag? Your indulgent parenting is spawning a generation of entitled hipster brats

A Healthy Day Starts in the Classroom with School Breakfast Programs

Online Safety

Twitter Safety: Keeping young people safe on Twitter

Social Media etc

15 Ways to Measure Return on Engagement (ROE) of Social Media

Game Design for Social Networks

Why Community Management is still misunderstood

What is Social CRM? An Introduction

2010: The Year of the Community Manager

35 social media KPIs to help measure engagement

Play!

Playtime can teach us all

Backyard Adaptations Of Video Game Classics

National Geographic Animal Jam – Open Beta!

Hey everyone!

The reason I haven’t posted in forever is because I am hard at work on our newly launched project (albeit in open beta) National Geographic Animal Jam!

The day is finally here to live wild with National Geographic Animal Jam™. Now you and your kids can be among the first to monkey around in this virtual world of discovery and fun. Combining the chance for kids to be the animal of their choice with access to National Geographic’s limitless libraries, National Geographic Animal Jam will open your child’s eyes to a world of adventure and exploration like no other virtual world out there. Your kids will soon realize that they’re having tons of fun in the coolest jungle around!

Two years in the making, National Geographic Animal Jam represents an ongoing creative collaboration between the great minds at National Geographic and the gaming gurus at Smart Bomb Interactive. The goal of this virtual world is to provide a fun, exciting, and safe environment for kids to play online, as well as inspire them to explore and protect the natural world outside their doors.

So come prowl around inside National Geographic Animal Jam. With lush tropical kingdoms, amazing adventures, and fascinating facts in store—plus the chance to live it up as your favorite animal—mommy and daddy bears (and their cubs alike) will find a wild world worth discovering!

National Geographic Animal Jam – Jump into the Jungle Today!

We are tweaking and polishing through the summer, and as such, it is completely free to play through the open beta! When we have our Grand Opening this fall, we will offer premium subscription content, but the game will always have free to play features.

Check it out and let me know what you think!

SOCIAL AND ONLINE GAMES LEGAL ROUND-UP

SPEAKER/S: Mark Methenitis (The Vernon Law Group, PLLC)

10 legal developments for 2010

1. What happen with “Glider?”
- EULA violations can be considered copyright infringement
- don’t be afraid to sue, but only for big ones
- What happen to Worlds.com
- patents case

2. Why should I care if kids are making content
- kids cant enter in a contract
- kids do have a valid copyright that is licensed
- prent is license – get permission
- cc’s are implied consent
- unclear stil
- assent to machinima rules
- does cc to service (xbox live) assent to all games
- user content when there is no parental license

3. You’ll never take me alive COPPA
- 13 is magic number
- must post privacy policy
- regulation on controls PII
- verifiable parental consent
- parents choose whether 3rd
- minimize pii collected and maintain
- COPPA 2.0 (little COPPAs) – extends to 17 and under
- NJ, NC, GA, IL, ME all have separate
- looking more like francise sale regulations, comply with the most stringent state
- COPPA ties into CAN-SPAM
- ecards and forwrd to friend
- requires an opt out list
- might have a issue with inviter and invitee emails

4. what is govt talking about
- COPPA 2.0
- FTC report on explicit content in VW for minors
- recommends age screenign and segregation
- more self-regualtion and possible lang filters
- No news on FTCs look into Dig Rights Management
- concerns over possible regulation on dig dist related to consumer protection
- Always worried about predators

5 Europe rules are different
- Server rules on privacy are complicated
- adequately protected data transfers – encrypted
- have to spell it all out in TOS

6. Cookies in Europe
- 11/24/09 – new rules in force by 2011
- cant use cookies unless the user consents after getting “clear and comprehensive info”
- or stictly necessary to provide services explicity requested by the user
- browser settings can be considered consent not clear

7. Biz model changes when taxed
- all income earned by US companies is taxed when it’s receieved
- only earn income when points are spent, even in wallet system
- income earned outside of US is taxable in both places
- get acct in intl taxes and attourney

8. What do you mean I might be a bank
- virtual currency considered bank
- anythign that can be bought with cash now and then cashed out later or as refund
- besides the poss implications in banking regs, you then may also be uner financial institution privacy regs

9 Hedging currency
- if you are running a global micro-transaction model, you should probably at least look at hedging currency
- buy insurance against price fluctuations
- micro-transaction model may find it especially beneficial b/c transaction volume can be erractic and over a long period of time

10. Zynga Poker
- subject of online gambling investigations
- gambling=
- consideration (payment of something to participate
- chance random element determines outcome
- prize – thing of value to be won
- sweepstakes are governed under gambling law
- take out consideration rule (no purchase ness)
- some states require bonds to insure sweepstakes
- check your rules, dont just cut and paste

KIDS AND PARENTS PLAYING TOGETHER ONLINE: THE NEXT FRONTIER OF CASUAL GAMING

http://www.edge-online.com/features/gdc-bringing-families-together-with-video-games

Jessee Schell
- toy story mania ride
- pixie hollow
- toon town
- pirates

10 things to try to achieve:

1. You have to decide to design for both kids and parents

2. Find themes that both kids and parents care about

- Toon Town’s executives takeover theme – work/play tension
- Last child in the woods – nature – offline tasks
- Nostaligia bridges generation gap – children want to learn about their parent’s childhoods

3. Understand what family wants and provide it

- Families want shared experiences and shared accomplishments
- Parents want to feel that they provided meaningful and useful experiences
- Parents also just want to feel like they provided
- Kids want to be more emotionally connected to their families
- Both kids nad parents want to connect to distant relatives

4. Parents want to teach & kids want to learn

- Adult jokes are teaching/learning opportunities
- Need situations where kids are in over their head where the parents can save them
- Opportunities for kids to brag/show off

5. Co-opt existing roles for quick immersion

- Parent’s understand how to buy a doll, that’s why Webkinz had a big jump off

6. Reverse roles to delight everyone

- Everyone wants a break
- when child’s skills surpasses parent’s – it’s a landmark moment

7. Consider Gender Issues

- There are 12 POV in a 4 person household (Dad, Mom, Sis, Bro)
- Make play patterns to facilitate

8. Deciding to pay is collaborative

- Club Penguin – elastic Velvet rope – effectively teasing enough in a free-to-play situation
- Mailers in Toontown gave the impression of value add

9. Safety is paramount

This is where Mr Schell’s up-to-this-point wonderful talk went off the rails for me.  Instead, he decided to perpetuate the culture of fear mongering that is so popular to do nowadays when discussing children in the online space.  Instead of going off on the rant that this point caused from me, I will just leave this point as the title, and move on. grumble…

10. Design for the family as well as for the individual
- Design to let them connect with one another
- Families are busy now
- Connection btwn parents and kids is a stoong emotional bond.  Leverage it.

Marketing Impact

So I have been thinking alot lately on marketing impact and promotional goals, especially in online media buys.  It’s the constant double edged sword:

  • Do you spend your money on the high traffic site that cost more but you know you will get more click-thrus, and therefore, more traffic to your site?
  • Or do you spend that money on a lower traffic site that will allow you to have a deeper engagement with the members of that community?

The ideal answer is YES or BOTH!  If you have the money, you should totally go for it, as you will get the benefit of traffic AND engagement of your brand.

But the Iron Triangle of project management looms large:

You rarely are able to have all three points of the triangle in any project.

So what do you do?  If you are lacking in resources (money, usually) make up for it in features.  But before you get all tactical, make sure you are clear on your project objectives.  Figure out what is your ultimate goal?

  • Is it to get tons of traffic? If your goals are about building awareness and this is but one of your plans in a long term campaign, put an ad on one of the “big guns” for tween traffic  – TV networks, gaming sites, etc.  Traffic is great and the more people see your ad on other sites then the more people you can get to your destination, the more brand awareness you spread.
  • Is it to get some great quotes for sales packages, etc? Then go to a smaller community that will be able to build a deeper, more immersive experience for the users.  Many times you can organize a community or world event and get the players talking either directly to you or about your brand.
  • Is it to maximize your spend? A targeted ad network might be a better idea for you.  You might not get an ad on the heavy hitters and you won’t get the engagement you would from a smaller site, but you can spread your brand around to more sites.  There are some great options out there to help you target collections of site within the demographic you are looking at.
  • Have you thought about offline engagement? It’s funny, but ever since the web came around, it becomes the only thing people can think about.  But TV still dominates most peoples lives.  And don’t discount the level of engagement that a well planned event sponsorship/promotion can have.

Other factors to consider in your choice include whether this is a one time campaign or part of a larger strategy, what sorts of users you are looking for, whether you are looking for awareness, conversions or something else.

At the end of the day, it’s a question of priorities and choice.  It’s best to weigh all of your options and objectives before jumping into implementing tactics.

Turns out, this is good advice for your non-work situations as well. :)

2 golden nuggets from Liisa’s firm

Maine Kid’s Privacy Law Takes Effect September 12

As we have previously reported, the Maine governor signed a new law that: (1) puts an absolute prohibition on using personal information of a minor to market to the minor or to promote any course of action regarding a product to a minor – whether parental permission has been obtained or not and whether you know the person’s age or not; and (2) prohibits knowingly collecting personal information from children in Maine under 18 for “marketing purposes,” without first obtaining parental consent. The prohibited activity of using a minor’s personal information seems to be broadly drafted, and may include not just email and text messages sent to children in Maine – including those between 13 and 17, but also marketing messages sent directly to a child through social networking websites like Facebook and Twitter. It’s possible that it could also prohibit analyzing and internally using a minor’s personal information to determine how to market to individuals generally. The prohibition on collecting information for “marketing purpose” is similarly broad. Unfortunately, the exact meaning of the law is subject to multiple interpretations. The law allows not only for the Maine Attorney General to bring actions for violations, but also allows for a private right of action. Although many have objected to the law, an immediate delay or modification does not appear on the horizon. TIP: If you have an ongoing promotion, consider how you will address the eligibility requirements (for example, prohibiting all persons under 18, persons from the state of Maine who are under 18, voiding to Maine residents, or having a verifiable parental consent mechanism). If you do not currently collect date of birth for your marketing activities, consider doing so, or voiding Maine residents. For your existing database, consider separating out those who are under 18 and reside in Maine, and be sure not to send marketing materials to them.

For more tips, see our bulletin at: http://www.winston.com/siteFiles/Publications/4_ME_Tips.html.

Linking to a Non-Compliant Website Is a Violation of CARU Guidelines

The Children’s Advertising Review Unit (“CARU”) recently found that Kidz Bop LLC violated the CARU Guidelines when it contained a link on the Kidz Bop website to a website which allowed the collection of personally identifiable information from children without fully complying with CARU guidelines. The non-compliant website did not implement a neutral age-screening mechanism to filter children under 13, and various areas of the site collected personally identifiable information. CARU found that Kidz Bop could reasonably expect children under 13 to visit their website and CARU guidelines specifically provide that operators of websites which are for children or contain areas for children should not knowingly link to other websites that do not comply with CARU guidelines. In addition, the Kidz Bop website privacy policy did not include Kidz Bop’s contact information, as required by the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act.

TIP: If you operate a website which is likely to appeal to children under the age of 13, ensure that your website is compliant with CARU Guidelines, including removing any links to websites which you know are not in compliance with the Guidelines.

Got these from The Winston & Strawn email newsletter.  To subscribe for yourself, go here:

http://www.winston.com/index.cfm?contentid=170

OCS09 – Are you going?

The Online Community Summit will be held October 8th & 9th in Sonoma, CA. It is hard to believe that the Online Community Summit is now in it’s eight year!

The Summit was originally convened by Jim Cashel of Forum One in October of 2001 as a unique invitation-based event, bringing together thought leaders from business, government, finance, academia and the media, who despite different positions share a keen interest in online group collaboration. Each year we gather a select group of senior online community professionals to discuss topics addressing business strategy, emerging technologies, key trends, as well as many tactical issues during the breakout sessions.

This year, I will be hosting the Summit, along with co-host Joi Podgorny, Head of Community at Mind Candy. Joi is an online community expert with areas of expertise in virtual worlds and online experiences for children.

Online Community Summit 2009 – Initial Topics & Session Leads

Really excited to be helping out with this this year.  Love this event and always leave excited and invigorated. :)