journalism | Bradley Robb

Things have been quiet around here lately, but not for lack of trying. Frankly, for someone who hasn’t earned an honest paycheck since June, I’ve been remarkably busy. First, I’ve been doing a good bit of freelancing work, so much so that I had to take a good joke and try and turn it into an honest business. If you remember The Pandemic Group – the fake new media marketing company I started when the Swine Flu first became big news – you might be shocked (shocked!*) to see that the fake website has since been replaced with a brochure landing page.

Yes, that does mean I am starting my own company. And I already have some really cool clients. Instead of operating a strict SEO company, I’m leveraging what I call “conversational marketing” – that is combining smart SEO practices with helping companies take advantage of social media to find current and new customers and turn them into friends.

And speaking of social media, I presented on that very topic – of honing in your passion and finding others who share it – at this month’s Social Media Club here in Richmond. I had a blast and will post the videos of said presentation when they become available. I use the plural because not only was my presentation recorded, but I was also interviewed by Jolie O’Dell who came up what I believe she called “Robb’s Theorem on Furries in Niche Marketing.”

The basic premise of that theory is that furries, people dressed up like animals pretending to be people, is perhaps as far removed from normal life as any particular niche or vertical can be. And yet, when you take that passion and expand it onto a global scale, furries measure in the millions. If such a finite passion can measure in that quantity, other niches can reasonably duplicate that kind of community.

The video interview wasn’t the only bit of press that night. Grid Magazine was in attendance and snagged not only the photo of my above, but also a fairly good recap of the night in general. I do believe that this article officially marks the first time I’ve been on the other side of a printed byline. Yes, I’ve been on the local NBC affiliate a few times, but there is a special place in my heart for printed journalism.

And finally, in fiction writing news, I am now a full chapter into the second act of Project Kingdom. In the traditional Three Act Structure, this one is always my favorite. Why? Because the first act is really a setup, establishing the characters, pushing the hero on their call to action, setting the characters on their chosen paths and providing small victories which seem huge at the time. The first act, in other words, is driving by the characters. In the second act, everything is taken away from them.

Mark my words, the second act of Project Kingdom is where things get real. Across the board, characters find their best laid plans going to waste, and even those pulling the strings find themselves losing control. People die. Things go wrong. Powers shift and roles are revered on a regular basis. And I’m exceptionally excited about writing it.

But I’m going to pound out a short story first. Why? Well, I watched the documentary “Postcards from the Future” on Friday night, and Chuck Palahniuk got me all inspired. I started thinking about technology, darkness, and the digital artifacts we leave behind. Throw in a castoff line from a Washington Social Scene Song…(“If any rock’s going to save my soul then what the fuck is it waiting for?”) and a story started to brew.

I banged out an outline in a few minutes, and I liked what I saw. I still don’t know the characters, but I’ve got 4,000 words left on my goal for WriteClubRVA, and I figure it’s about time I knock out something I can show.

I guess that means people are going to get a free story from me. If you’re wondering what my short stories typically look like, I’ve got a couple online in my portfolio.

*Bonus points if you got that movie reference. Hint – it’s my all time favorite film.

Yesterday I was profiled at a website called Tweeple Blog – a blog which runs profiles of Twitter users. From my time working as a journalist, I am more than familiar with writing profiles, much more so than being the one on the other end. Being profiled was certainly a first for me. The profile also came as a shock. Why? There wasn’t an interview.

For most journalists, the idea of writing a profile sans interview means wading through piles of marketing copy hand chosen by the subject or the subject’s handlers . And every scrap of that copy is going to be carefully screened to be on message.

The point of the interview is to get beyond that message, and to the meat of the subject. The interview isn’t a means of trapping a person. There’s no “gotcha” involved. Rather, an interview is a process of distilling empathy into understanding. The profile then conveys that understanding.

It’s a game that’s played. Journalists presented with PR, and asked to find the person.

That being said, Tweeple Blog is pulling from a less-than-traditional PR source – Twitter. Much has been said about the marketing ability of Twitter, and for a large part, it’s a good method to promote a message. However, the speed and ease of Twitter derails all but the most predetermined PR messages as easily as the chaos and unpredictability of the battlefield destroys all plans. On Twitter the message gives way to many messages; at its core, Twitter is a cacophony of conversations.

David, the force behind Tweeple Blog simply takes the message – bio, website, location – and pairs that with the various strands of conversations that the subject is having. If an interview looks towards the trees to find the forest, a Tweeple Blog looks at the forest first.

Whether this works for you, as a journalist or someone who is simply studying others, is left to be said. It is perhaps something that we all do on Twitter, or in any other social medium. The question that is left to be said, is are you on message, or are you on Twitter? Is there a golden ratio?

Bradley Robb

I'm Here Purely To Amuse Myself

Tag Archives: journalism