Bulletin to ThinkTech Hosts - Week of April 24, 2022

Dear ThinkTech Hosts:

Host Bulletin, Week of April 24, 2022

Fund Drive

Thanks to everyone who has made donations, recorded promos, and otherwise promoted our Spring 2022 Fund Drive. Please continue to promote the drive; we've been posting about it in all our advisories, livestreams and social media. To make a donation through PayPal or with a credit card, please click here. Or send your check to ThinkTech Hawaii, 1164 Bishop Street, Suite 603, Honolulu, Hawaii 96813. Thanks so much.

Graphics

We have designed a new automated Permissions Form for all photos, graphics, video clips, audio files and live music (excepting host and guest logos and headshots, websites and graphics from our staff) you want to use in your shows. You can find the form at http://thinktechhawaii.com/graphics-guidelines/.  The permissions on the form will help us minimize the risk of infringement, appeal from claims of infringement, and allow us to use these materials on other productions.  

Zoom Update

Zoom recently updated to version 5.10.3. Please install it by (a) clicking on your profile picture in the Zoom app and clicking on Check for Updates, or by (b) downloading Zoom Client for Meetings at zoom.us/download.

Troubleshooting Video and Audio Problems

Please keep your chat box open and check it regularly. The engineer may message you about production issues.  You may need to take a 1-minute (or longer) break to resolve them. Here’s a script suggestion for breaks: https://thinktechhawaii.com/hosts-guests-2/script-suggestions/. If we have to edit the show afterward, it will take longer for us to upload it and distribute the links.

Promotion Tip

Use our resources! ThinkTechHawaii.com is our most valuable resource and is full of information about our platforms and productions. You can send potential guests a link to our Hosts page to let them know about you, and you can send them a link to our Press Kit to let them know about ThinkTech Hawaii.

Questions, please contact hayley@thinktechhawaii.com.

Bulletin to ThinkTech Hosts - Week of April 17, 2022

Dear ThinkTech Hosts:

Host Bulletin, Week of April 17, 2022

Fund Drive

Reminder: this is the start of our spring fund drive that enables our platform, and each host’s show to exist. We are deeply grateful for host contributions of time and expertise, but we also need your financial donation. The best endorsement as we reach out to guests is that hosts have donated.  Please donate through this link or send a check to ThinkTech Hawaii, 1164 Bishop Street, Suite 603, Honolulu, Hawaii 96813.

Graphics

Graphics are due 10 pm the night before your show. You need to submit a permission statement for all graphics you want to use with the form in our Graphics Guidelines. We added buttons to make the process easier.

Pre-Show Checklist

Our engineers are there to ensure you have good video and audio for the show. Please follow their instructions; they will go over the checklist below. View the full Appearance Guidelines at https://thinktechhawaii.com/remote-shows/.

• Situate yourself in a quiet space with good lighting.
• Place your device in front of you, with the camera at eye level. The ceiling or floor should not be visible.
• Enable the “Blur” background (Settings > Background & Effects > Blur). Let the engineer assist you should you have issues finding this option.
• Keep the chat box open during the entire show to see audience questions, time reminders and possible suggestions from the engineer.
• Once the show starts, remain in the same position and look straight into the camera. Avoid moving around so as to stay within the frame(s).
• During the show, do not touch the camera or the microphone unless the engineer requests it.
• Avoid any possible camera shaking (i.e. leaning on the desk)

Listening

Practice effective listening. Don’t focus on your next question! Your guests will feel heard and your understanding will help you develop more thoughtful questions, which makes for engaging discussions. Close all unnecessary programs and set your phone to Do Not Disturb to avoid distractions and improve audio and video quality. Then remain alert throughout to your guests and to the chat window throughout the show.

Promotion Tip

Express your pride as a ThinkTech Host! You work hard to make your shows great. Tell colleagues and people you meet that you're a talk show host on ThinkTech Hawaii, a nonprofit that has produced over 12,000 talk shows and short movies, and streams 30 new live talk shows every week. Send them to your shows and a link to your playlist when you can.

Questions, please contact hayley@thinktechhawaii.com.

Bulletin to ThinkTech Hosts - Week of April 10, 2022

Dear ThinkTech Hosts:

Host Bulletin, Week of April 10, 2022

Graphics

Please review our Graphics Guidelines before submitting slides or visuals for your episode. If graphics are submitted after the 10 pm deadline, missing permission statements, or wordy, we may reject them. Too many words and small text can make slides illegible, so we strongly recommend the 5x5 rule.

Distinguished Guest Election/Survey

Voting is open! Thanks to everyone who made nominations. Cast your ballot for our ThinkTech Distinguished Guest at https://bit.ly/april2022-poll and take our optional Current Events Survey. Vote only once, but feel free to share the ballot link.  Voting closes on April 17 and we will announce the results in our Email Advisories on April 20. Last month's winner was Alan Brennert. You can view his profile at https://youtu.be/IQkxjVofv8M.

Framing

Keep your head 3/4 the way up in the frame and maintain that position throughout the show. Don’t get too close to the camera - we can zoom in if you're further away from your camera than standard, but there's no option to zoom out if you're too close. Do not adjust the camera during the show unless it falls somehow or you are instructed to adjust it by the engineer (this will be in the Zoom chat.

Zoom Chat

It's very important to keep your Zoom chat open so you can watch for notifications. The engineer may send you viewer questions, show timing (e.g., a one-minute warning for the end of the show) or issues that need to be fixed during the show or a break.

Promotion Tip

Why don’t you play the ThinkTech Hawaii livestream on the TV in your business or professional office, if you have one there. You can post flyers for your shows, and you can generate QR codes for them for free at https://www.qr-code-generator.com (for example, see the QR code for Community Matters below) and copy and paste them in your email along with the playlist link for your shows.  The more promotion you do, the better!

Questions, please contact hayley@thinktechhawaii.com.

Bulletin to ThinkTech Hosts - Week of April 3, 2022

Dear ThinkTech Hosts:

Host Bulletin, Week of April 3, 2022

Distinguished Guest Nominations

Click here to nominate one of your guests from one of your March shows to be a Distinguished Guest! Only the first 10 nominations will make the ballot. Nominations close next Thursday, April 7 and voting will begin on April 10. The results of the election will be posted in our email advisories on April 20. The winning candidate for Distinguished Guest will be profiled in a short video for our livestreams and social media.

Cancellations

If you or your guest must cancel at the last minute, please plan alternatives:

1. Have other hosts and/or guests ready as backups.
2. If host is unavailable but guest is ready, with some notice we may be able to find a substitute host.
3. If guest is unavailable, host can do a solo show, preferably with slides or other graphics.
4. Pre-record a show on your own Zoom account. You need approval for this option, because it doubles or triples the staff time and expenses for the show.

If you do end up cancelling, let us know ASAP so we have time to recover and set up an alternative live show.

Questions

Answering viewer questions is important to increasing engagement and building a loyal viewership. When promoting your upcoming shows, ask viewers and people in your network to tune in to the livestream and send questions by

a) emailing questions@thinktechhawaii.com, 

b) clicking "questions@thinktechhawaii.com" in our ThinkTech Daily,

c) clicking "Send a question" on thinktechhawaii.com, or

d) entering them in the chat box on our YouTube livestream.

You can encourage viewer questions during your episode as well. The engineer will send you questions in the Zoom chat, so make sure to keep your chat box open and check for notifications. If you're watching a show and want to pose a question to your fellow hosts, you can send questions to questions@thinktechhawaii.com. It’s easy and gratifying to see your question answered on air.

Fund Drive

Our Spring 2022 Fund Drive: Finding Clarity in an Uncertain World is coming up, so we'll be recording promos before/after your shows. We'll provide you with scripts to read. The fund drive will take place from April 15 to May 31. We hope all hosts reach out to guests and friends, promote the Fund Drive on social media, and donate. More information will be posted in our email advisories.

Promotion Tip

Add your show(s) to your website if you have one. Here's a tutorial for embedding YouTube videos and playlists in your website.

Embedding allows viewers to watch videos without leaving your website, but you can always post the link if you have trouble setting up the embed code. You can encourage guests to add episodes to their websites as well. Here are some examples of ThinkTech Hosts' websites with embedded episodes/playlists:

• http://RustyKomori.com
• https://hawaiicouncil.org/condo-insider/
• https://www.grassrootinstitute.org/hawaii-together/

Questions, please contact hayley@thinktechhawaii.com.