Where to share stuff in development?

Hello folks,

With the power of social networking etc, I've been sharing more of my development work with Expat Audio on both our Facebook page and on Twitter. They are both quick and easy to share pictures and video's, without having to commit too many details (that are still being ironed out).

Despite that, I feel like it's not the best way to communicate with our customers (Expat Audio customers that is...). Many of y'all still get your information from groupdiy. I've asked a few folks that have emailed us, and the  general feedback I've received is that some folks have facebook, and virtually none of y'all use twitter.

So what's an attention seeking, need-motivation-from-customers type person supposed to do to show what he's up to and get feedback? Create a post at the start of the project, specifically for that project? Have a single thread that's dedicated to "workshop stuff"?

Thoughts on a postcard.

/R

For a small commercial enterprise like yours I think you should be hosting a blog on your own site.  Then you can link to it from teaser pics on twitter, small articles on Facebook and of course your signature here and on other forums.

You'll never be on every platform for every user, have control and just bring them to yours.  If you share interesting topics it will get shared and linked to when relevant, here and elsewhere.

^ +1

Some companies also have development groups on facebook...good way to get free feedback

Twitter = graffiti (#asthetic eye cancer)

Blog best, I'd think. Could link to entries anywhere and offer share/distribution buttons on blog (RSS, FB, Twiitter, etc.) Don't expect overwhelming engagement but it keeps the info in one place.

Instagram is another place to post but Iwwouldn't rely on it solely.  Pintrest as well which can have links back to your site.

Yea, Instagram is said to have gained some impact lately - I signed up but still trying to grab hold of the whole idea..

JAkob E.

If you want people to actually see the details of your work, do a blog, and link to it.

If you just want to "spread the word" that you exist, and that you are doing things, Instagram seems to be good these days.

Gustav

The folks from Analog Devices send me a monthly newsletter linking to their site. (Today's post has at least one mis-link.....) IIRC, TI used to do the same thing; but being a far bigger house, it got overwhelming.

Lawrence Block, a good writer pushing a 50+ year back-catalog, sends an occasional newsletter saying where he is vacationing, what people are saying about him, and new or re-issued books you can buy, and his closet-sale deals. He's done this for a decade, it's classy (if you like this stuff). While I do not love his bulk-mail host (Vertical Response), it works for him.

Done right (not overwhelming), a newsletter pointing to blog seems appropriate. DO make the OPT-OUT very obvious, as TI did (I'm glad).

Thanks for all your inputs folks. It does mean a lot.
This post is a little bit rambly.

I tried keeping blogs before, but I've found that blogs don't seem to drive much traffic, unless you notify folks, in some method or other, that it's been updated.

One of the best bits about groupdiy is that folks check in daily (if not multiple times a day). If they are anything like me, they hit "show unread posts since last visit". where they can be triggered to check into something.

Today, I use facebook as my main method of communicating with customers, and facebook automatically posts to twitter for me. It's clear from behavior that there are a number of folks that follow expat audio on facebook and some more generic "makers" on twitter that follow some of the lab-work that I get up to, but I can't help feel that it's a fraction of the traffic that comes to groupdiy.com.
The ease of posting pictures and small updates fbook/twitter is also appealing. A small breakthrough in the lab can be shared in 20 seconds from my phone. Writing a blog post can take much longer.

I think my next step is to create a generic Expat audio Lab-Time thread on groupdiy that I crosspost whenever I update our fbook.  With a few bookmarks, I should be able to semi-automate the process, so that once the facebook post is made, I can easily duplicate the data on groupdiy. By keeping it all in one thread, it should minimize folks sensitive to "spam". (despite it not really being spam, as it's all relevant to audio).

Anyway, end of rambling.

Rochey said:

I think my next step is to create a generic Expat audio Lab-Time thread on groupdiy that I crosspost whenever I update our fbook.  With a few bookmarks, I should be able to semi-automate the process, so that once the facebook post is made, I can easily duplicate the data on groupdiy. By keeping it all in one thread, it should minimize folks sensitive to "spam". (despite it not really being spam, as it's all relevant to audio).

Anyway, end of rambling.

Click to expand...

I do project specific threads as I design. Its great because the folk here give great feedback about what users actually want rather than what is most convenient for the designer and there are plenty of good designers here to who help you create good designs. For me its the best on line community ever.

Cheers

Ian

ruffrecords said:

Its great because the folk here give great feedback about what users actually want rather than what is most convenient for the designer and there are plenty of good designers here to who help you create good designs.

Click to expand...

That's exactly what I was thinking. The feedback I get on facebook is pretty good, but never as detailed as what I get on here.
I get the feeling that I get "likes" just because people see a PCB in their newsfeed!

Rochey said:

That's exactly what I was thinking. The feedback I get on facebook is pretty good, but never as detailed as what I get on here.
I get the feeling that I get "likes" just because people see a PCB in their newsfeed!

Click to expand...

I think the difference is that grouDIY is a place for like minded people and Facebook isn't!

Cheers

Ian

ruffrecords said:

I think the difference is that grouDIY is a place for like minded people and Facebook isn't!

Cheers

Ian

Click to expand...

+1 Hadn´t looked at it this way (probably too much Donald Trump :)

If you look at a forum like Muffwiggler there´s seperate subforums of manufacturers, like the black market, but on the "front page"...
Still the diy section there is clutterd with build threads :-\