Bulletin to ThinkTech Hosts - Week of April 30, 2023

Dear ThinkTech Hosts:

Host Bulletin, Week of April 30, 2023

Fund Drive

Our Spring 2023 Fund Drive, Discovering Our Future, is happening! Please spread the word among your networks. Thanks to everyone who has recorded promos, promoted our drive and has made a donation. We hope all of our hosts and guests will make a donation.  You and your guests can donate through the button below or on our website, or by sending a check to ThinkTech Hawaii, 1164 Bishop Street, Suite 603, Honolulu, Hawaii 96813.  Thanks so much.

  DONATE  

Minor Release Form

If you plan to bring a minor onto your show, a parent or legal guardian must give permission for them to participate. If applicable, the Minor Release Form should be sent to shows@thinktechhawaii.com by 10 pm HST the night before your show. Without the release we cannot and should not include minors in the show.  Note that this week we had to set aside an episode because of a missing release.

Family

Please try to avoid having immediate family appear as guests on your show. It can skew the scope of the discussion and undermine your credibility as a citizen journalist. You can recommend immediate family to other hosts if you want. If you do bring them on your show, please be sure that it’s not just a talk story with family and that the discussion adds value to the content of the episode.

Websites and Contact Info

If you'd like us to show a website or contact information in the lower thirds during an episode, put that in the “Website / Email to show" field on your Show Information Form. Note that we only share contact information if we have permission and we have it on the form. 

Promotion Tip

Participate in online communities--such as LinkedIn groups, Reddit, and Facebook groups--related to your shows. They can help you promote your content and connect with potential viewers and guests.  When you engage with them, don’t be shy; talk up ThinkTech and your show.

Please regularly review past Host Bulletins and other resources - it leads to better shows. See our equipment suggestions at https://thinktechhawaii.com/equipment-suggestions-2/.

Questions, contact hayley@thinktechhawaii.com.

Bulletin to ThinkTech Hosts - Week of April 23, 2023

Dear ThinkTech Hosts:

Host Bulletin, Week of April 23, 2023

Best Device

You and your guests should connect from a desktop computer or laptop if at all possible. They have more functionality, stability, and better video and audio quality. Phones and tablets should be used as a last resort, but if you need them, 1) have a phone stand, books, and tape ready to make adjustments; 2)  learn how to navigate the Zoom settings, including rotation lock; and 3) connect headphones with a mic to your device.

Professionalism

To present yourself in the best light, please wear semi-professional clothing and choose a presentable location to record. Do not wear clothes that are white, striped, seersucker or have small patterns like checkers or dots. They create distracting video artifacts around your head and shoulders. Also wear clothing that distinguishes you from the background. Appropriate dress not only looks good on camera, but also creates a positive and professional image for you, your guests and your show.

Zoom Chat

Keep an eye on the Zoom chat box throughout the show so you can watch for notifications. The engineer may message you about show timing (e.g., "5 minutes to close") or issues that need to be fixed. Wrap up promptly when the engineer messages you to close the show--time has already run out, please refrain from asking final questions or making closing remarks. This will ensure that we stay on schedule and end the show on time.

Show Cancellations

If ever you or your guest can't make it to your show, please plan alternatives:

1. Keep an updated list of other hosts and/or guests to step in as last-minute backups.
2. If host is unavailable but guest is ready, and you can't find a backup host in time, with some notice we may be able to find a substitute host
3. If guest is unavailable, and you can't find a backup guest in time, 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. Let us know a week in advance.

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

Promotion Tip

Encourage your network--family, friends, coworkers, colleagues, and anyone else who would be interested--to like, comment, and share your video. This will not only boost engagement and expand your audience, but also improve the ranking of your video, increasing the chances that it will be discovered by even more people.

Please regularly review past Host Bulletins and other resources - it leads to better shows. See our equipment suggestions at https://thinktechhawaii.com/equipment-suggestions-2/.

Questions, contact hayley@thinktechhawaii.com.

Bulletin to ThinkTech Hosts - Week of April 16, 2023

Dear ThinkTech Hosts:

Host Bulletin, Week of April 16, 2023

Introducing Your Show

When you introduce your show, tell your viewers who you are, full name and affiliation of your guest, title of your show and connect your episode to your series (and current events, if possible). Then the engineer will cut to the stinger. See our script suggestions for openings at https://thinktechhawaii.com/hosts-guests-2/script-suggestions/.

Proofread

Always triple check your show information before submitting it to us -- especially the title, tagline, and guest names and affiliations. This information is sent to thousands of people and is included in the video itself. Of course misinformation or misspellings appearing on the screen is embarrassing and not professional. It's very difficult and costly for us to make corrections after the show is published. And sometimes, it is just too late to make any corrections.

Recurring Guests

If you find yourself repeating the same guest more than five times, consider rethinking the purpose of your show. Bringing on the same guest over and over can limit the information offered to the audience, which can hinder the growth and development of your show. To viewers, repeat guests may be boring and lead to a loss of credibility. Focus on bringing new guests to diversify your show and provide viewers fresh content. Consider whether your regular guest can either become a co-host with you or act as a substitute host when you are unable to host a show.

Self-Advertising

As you know, ThinkTech dedicates time and effort to promote every show, host and guest on our various platforms to advance our mission of raising public awareness. We also display the websites for you and your guests from the Show Information Form you submit.  Our mission does not include commercial promotion or advertising. Connect your show to current events and the world we live in. For example, discuss how the plastic ban affects business. Refrain from hosting strictly promotional shows.

Promotion Tip

Your views will depend in large part on how well you describe your show in your show information. Write a compelling description that includes relevant keywords and phrases, so you can provide viewers with a clear understanding of what your video is about and make it easier for search engines to find and recommend your content.

Please regularly review past Host Bulletins and other resources - it leads to better shows. See our equipment suggestions at https://thinktechhawaii.com/equipment-suggestions-2/.

Questions, contact hayley@thinktechhawaii.com.

Bulletin to ThinkTech Hosts - Week of April 9, 2023

Dear ThinkTech Hosts:

Host Bulletin, Week of April 9, 2023

Distinguished Guest Election/Survey

Voting opens tomorrow! Thanks to everyone who made nominations. Click here to cast your ballot for ThinkTech Distinguished Guest. Vote only once, but feel free to share the link.  Last month's winner was Lee Sichter, nominated by host Jay Fidell. We also appreciate your response to our Current Events Survey. Voting closes Monday, April 17, and we'll announce the results in our email advisories on the 20th.

Time Management

Please wrap up when the engineer messages you about closing the show. Please avoid asking your guests further questions that will put the show over time. Ending late creates a domino effect that affects other hosts and guests, because they may be pushed to start and end late.

Joining Zoom

Please open your show's Zoom link 15 minutes before showtime. You may have to wait a few minutes for our engineer to admit you to the meeting. If you see one of the following messages when you join the Zoom call, leave the window open and wait for the engineer (the Zoom meeting host) to let you in. If not, email shows@thinktechhawaii.com or call (808) 784-3426 for assistance.

• "Waiting for host to start the meeting.” (Our engineer hasn’t started the meeting yet.)
• "The host has another meeting in progress.” (The previous show is running late; the engineer will start your meeting as soon as possible.)
• "Please wait, the meeting host will let you in soon.” (You are in the Zoom waiting room.)

Fund Drive

Our Spring 2023 Fund Drive, Discovering Our Future, starts at the end of this month, and we are therefore taping short host Fund Drive promos when you come in to do your shows. The engineer will guide you through the process. See the scripts at https://docs.google.com/document/d/1EB5WZGeAaTRD49KZ5V7c55frXb_UPSKV8WAonpgsy7c/edit?usp=share_link.

Promotion Tip

Add your shows to your website if you have one. Here's a tutorial for embedding YouTube videos and playlists in your website: https://youtu.be/c74kMCOmP80?t=230.  Embedding allows viewers to watch videos without leaving your website, but you can always post the link by itself if you have trouble setting up the embed code. You can also encourage your guests to add episodes of your shows to their websites. Here are some examples of ThinkTech Hosts' websites with embedded episodes and playlists:

http://RustyKomori.com

https://twowheelrevolution.weebly.com/shows.html

https://hawaiicouncil.org/condo-insider/

https://www.grassrootinstitute.org/hawaii-together/

Please regularly review past Host Bulletins and other resources - it leads to better shows. See our equipment suggestions at https://thinktechhawaii.com/equipment-suggestions-2/.

Questions, contact hayley@thinktechhawaii.com.

Bulletin to ThinkTech Hosts - Week of April 2, 2023

Dear ThinkTech Hosts:

Host Bulletin, Week of April 2, 2023

Distinguished Guest Nominations

Click here to nominate a guest from one of your March shows to be selected a Distinguished Guest! Only the first 10 nominations will make the ballot. Nominations close on April 7 and voting will begin on the 10th. Distinguished Guest Election results will be posted in our email advisories on the 20th. The winning candidate will be profiled in a short video for our livestreams and social media.  Last month's winner was Lee Sichter, nominated by host Jay Fidell for his appearance on "Catching up on Kaka'ako".

Troubleshooting

Need help with your setup? Contact our studio manager Michael Pangilinan. He can meet with you 1-on-1 on Zoom to assist and provide guidance if you have any concerns about tech--your computer, Internet, Zoom, camera, microphone, etc. Email Michael at michael@thinktechhawaii.com to schedule a meeting, up to 40 minutes long.

Beverages

We'd like to keep our productions professional, so if you need to sip your beverage during the show, please wait until you're offscreen. The engineer's Zoom window shows you what's being recorded. If your face is not there, it means you’re offscreen and thus free to sip your beverage.

Reading Text

Avoid reading lengthy resources (articles, statistics, biographies, etc.) on air.  That will bore and turn off viewers. Instead, quote the most important points (NMT three sentences) or summarize the resource. Slides with bullet points about the resource can be helpful visual aids. In any event, never read more than 60 seconds.

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 prospective guests a link to our Hosts page, Press Kit, ThinkTech Stats, About ThinkTech, and A Brief History of ThinkTech to let them know more about you and about ThinkTech.

Please regularly review past Host Bulletins and other resources - it leads to better shows. See our equipment suggestions at https://thinktechhawaii.com/equipment-suggestions-2/.

Questions, contact hayley@thinktechhawaii.com.