Bulletin to ThinkTech Hosts - Week of July 23, 2023

Dear ThinkTech Hosts:

Host Bulletin, Week of July 23, 2023

Show Description

Please review your show description at https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1wTryiidjPg8lC69UbSSbCR5Ukhx5szg8vZPvRmY88-8/edit?usp=sharing and make sure it's up to date. You can also check out other ThinkTech shows through the hyperlinks.  A better show description will help you get more views.

Connect it Back

Please make sure the coverage of your episode is consistent with the name and description of your show. If you expect that the discussion will be outside of your show's name and description, you should find a way to connect it so your viewers will understand what you are doing.

Labor Day

Labor Day, Monday, September 4 is a building holiday, and we will not be producing shows that day.  If your show is scheduled for that day, please let us know if you'd like to reschedule to another day in that week or the following week.  Note that the next building holiday after that will be Thanksgiving, November 23. See the schedule at https://thinktechhosts.blogspot.com/p/faq.html.

Promotion Tip

You can reach new audiences through thoughtful cross-promotion.  If your episode is related to another show's theme, it would be great if you mention that host and show on your show. You might also want to recommend potential topics and guests to other hosts. Cross-promotion will expand both viewerships for both shows. 

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 July 16, 2023

Dear ThinkTech Hosts:
Host Bulletin, Week of July 16, 2023

Last-minute Guests

Reminder: we really can’t include any last-minute guests in your shows. They create problems for our staff. Your list of guests and their information should be on your Show Information Form by 10:00 pm HST the night before so we have enough time to prepare for your episode.

Zoom Camera

Leave your camera and the Zoom program on at all times, and don’t move the camera unless the engineer asks you to do so.  If you disturb or turn off the camera or the Zoom program, we will have to cut out that part of the video.  If you need to get up, just leave your camera alone.

Sound Interruptions

During the show, be sure to turn off your cellphone and set your computer devices to Do Not Disturb in order to avoid notification sounds, which will be picked up on the Zoom audio. Here are some instructions on how to do that: https://blog.rescuetime.com/do-not-disturb/

Reading Text

Avoid reading lengthy resources (articles, data, 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 succinct bullet points about the resource can be helpful visual aids. If you have notes, put them in a word-processing document or notepad window on your screen as near as possible to the camera so you can look into the camera and maintain eye contact with the audience. In any event, never read more than 90 seconds.

 

Promotion Tip

Help us help you! Remember to tag and mention ThinkTech Hawaii in your social media posts so we can share them with our viewers and followers. Type the “@” symbol and then start typing our page's name:

Facebook - @ThinkTechHawaii
Instagram - @ThinkTechNews
LinkedIn - @ThinkTech-Hawaii

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 June 4, 2023

Dear ThinkTech Hosts:

Host Bulletin, Week of June 4, 2023

Slides

Avoid using excessive text or graphics. The clutter can make slides illegible. They should be minimalistic and complement, not repeat, your spoken words.  This allows your audience to focus on the key messages. We strongly advise the 5x5 rule; NMT 5 bullet points per slide, with NMT 5 words each. Watch this episode with award-winning videographer Larry Jordan for more tips:  https://youtu.be/MU8LYOF-ft0.

Preparing Guests

Prepare your guests for the show by sending them the Appearance Guidelines and Graphics Guidelines when you first recruit them. Last-minute back-and-forth emails from uninformed guests is stressful for everyone, and we may have to reschedule the episode if their video or audio is not up to our production standards. Sending the guidelines to your guests before you complete your show information gives them more time to prepare themselves.

Writing Show Information

Run-on sentences can confuse readers and make it challenging for them to understand your writing. Use appropriate punctuation, conjunctions and sentence structure to break down long sentences. This improves the clarity, readability and impact of your writing.

Clean Lens

Dust, fingerprints and smudges on your camera lens  will produce blurry video. Take a moment and  clean your camera lens regularly for clear and professional video quality.

Promotion Tip

Reach new audiences through cross-promotion!  If ThinkTech Hosts from other shows are on your show, or if your episode is related to another show's theme, mention that other host and show. Promoting each other will predictably expand both of your audiences.

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 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 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 March 26, 2023

Dear ThinkTech Hosts:

Host Bulletin, Week of March 26, 2023

Live Open Forum This Saturday

Join us! Point-Counterpoint Hawaii: Challenges to Public Transportation is this Saturday, April 1st from 12 to 1 pm. You can watch it live on ThinkTechHawaii.com, YouTube, Vimeo or Facebook. Actively participate with our panel of local host experts, let your voice be heard, and send your questions to questions@thinktechhawaii.com.

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.

Show Information

Make sure to 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.  If errors caught after show is streamed, we can edit but with added time and cost. 

Zoom

Help us help you. Please familiarize yourself with Zoom's latest features and updates. Review this tutorial: https://youtu.be/LSUD5le5Y-w. If you need help with setup and troubleshooting, our engineers can assist you. You can read https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/201362623-Changing-settings-in-the-desktop-client-mobile-app for detailed descriptions. Virtual backgrounds without the use of a green screen are unacceptable. The one exception is the use of Blur, which we highly recommend.

Promotion Tip

Try to connect your episode to current events and popular subjects that people are following. For example, recent Global Connections episode "What Does Moldova Think of the Ukraine War" got over 1,500 views within the first 24 hours.

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 March 5, 2023

Dear ThinkTech Hosts:

Host Bulletin, Week of March 5, 2023

Distinguished Guest Nominations Are Open

Click here to nominate a guest from one of your February shows to be selected a Distinguished Guest! Only the first 10 nominations will make the ballot. Nominations close on March 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 Wesley L. Boykin, nominated by host Stephanie Dalton of "The State of the State of Hawaii".

Confirm Guests

All guests should be confirmed, and all the information called for by your Show Information Form should be provided by 10:00 pm the night before the show. Make sure your guests know they cannot invite an additional guest to join the program without first emailing us at shows@thinktechhawaii.com by the 10 pm deadline. We and your guests really do need sufficient time to review what you are submitting so we can properly prepare for your show. 

Spelling

Triple check your show information before submitting it to us -- especially the title, tagline, locations, and guest names and affiliations. When appropriate, consider using diacritical marks for Hawaiian words, e.g., Mānoa, Oʻahu and ʻohana. You can check these out on wehewehe.org.

Audio Equipment

Please consider getting an external headset or earphones with a mic. These greatly improve audio quality. The internal microphone of your laptop/computer is more susceptible to audio issues such as noise and echo. Viewers need clear sound to hear your show. Equipment suggestions: https://thinktechhawaii.com/equipment-suggestions-2/.

Promotion Tip

Help us help you! Help us help you! Remember to tag and mention ThinkTech Hawaii in your social media posts so we can share them with our viewers and followers. Type the “@” symbol and then start typing our page's name:
Facebook - @ThinkTechHawaii
Instagram - @ThinkTechNews
LinkedIn - @ThinkTech-Hawaii

Please regularly review past Host Bulletins and other resources \- it leads to better shows.

Questions, contact hayley@thinktechhawaii.com.

Bulletin to ThinkTech Hosts - Week of February 19, 2023

Dear ThinkTech Hosts:

Host Bulletin, Week of February 19, 2023

Deadlines

Reminder: all graphics, permission forms, and show information (including your guests' info) should be submitted by 10:00 pm HST the night before your show at the latest. Last-minute submissions and guests are a problem because they create significant burdens for our staff. We and your guests really do need sufficient time to review what you are submitting and to prepare for your show.

Dates

Reminder: Don't identify the date during your show unless the date is essential to the content. Usually, you should make your shows dateless. For example, don’t say that it’s Valentine's Day when  you know the show will be played later. Don’t make references to the day of the week or the date of the month in your intros and closings.  Your show will be played the following day, and it will confuse viewers if you give them some other day.

Relevance

Please try to stay on your subject and on the takeaway message of your shows; that’s much better than wandering off from one free association to another.  Of course, you can and should drill down on details, examples, comparisons and anecdotes that come to mind; that enriches the conversation.  But viewers like it best if you generally stay in and around the topic and within sight of your chosen subject.

Introductions

Get to the heart of the matter as soon as possible. People will watch your show expecting the discussion to cover the subject in your title. They will lose interest quickly if you make them wait too long for that.  Don’t spend a lot of time introducing your guests; get to the crux of the discussion early in the show, and weave their bios into the conversation as you go. Don’t start out with a general question like “Tell us about yourself”. Try a more focused question like “How did you get into real estate development?”

Promotion Tip

Your views will depend in large part on how well you describe your show in your show information, especially in the keywords.  Put yourself in the shoes of the person who will be searching for your show on YouTube or thinktechhawaii.com, and take a moment to choose words and short phrases they are mostly likely to search for.  This is very important for initial and encore viewership.

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 January 22, 2023

Dear ThinkTech Hosts:

Host Bulletin, Week of January 22, 2023

Graphics

Permission forms are required when submitting graphics (except for listed exemptions), so be sure to return them to us NLT 10:00 pm HST on the night before your show. All graphics should follow our Graphics Guidelines, otherwise we may not be able to accept them for the show. For questions or help, contact hayley@thinktechhawaii.com.

Episode Titles

Episode titles are very important.  They draw viewers to watch your show, so you should make them short and catchy. Put yourself in the perspective of someone who wants to find your video. What words would they look for? Include key words and popular search terms in your titles. Here are some examples of episodes with over 1,000 views:

Is Coronavirus Just Another Hoax

Who is Shohei Otani

How to Beat Donald Trump

Android vs iOS Security

The Decline of Marriage in America

The Future of Wrestling

  

If you’d like feedback on the effectiveness of the wording in a particular title, just ask us.

Facial Expressions

It's important to look welcoming for your guests and viewers. A smile or relaxed look will make your guests feel more comfortable and your viewers more interested. Of course, serious topics warrant more serious expressions, but a constant hard look isn’t necessary.  Remember, you want everyone to have a good experience.

Promotion v. Prices

Though you’re welcome to promote an upcoming event, program or product on your show, and the place or website at which they can sign up for it, but please don’t  discuss the price on air.   We are not and don’t want to be a commercial enterprise. 

Promotion Tip

How about playing thinktechhawaii.com on a monitor or TV in your business or professional office?  It’s very watchable, as you know, and it’s easy to set it up to play.  In the case of a monitor, just connect the monitor to a computer with thinktechhawaii.com running on a browser.  In the case of a Smart TV, just select ThinkTechHawaii on the YouTube menu.  If you want help on either of these possibilities, just ask us.

Please regularly review past Host Bulletins and other resources - it leads to better shows.

Questions, contact hayley@thinktechhawaii.com.

Bulletin to ThinkTech Hosts - Week of November 27, 2022

Dear ThinkTech Hosts:

Host Bulletin, Week of November 27, 2022

Fund Drive

November 29 is Giving Tuesday, and it's a great opportunity to inspire generosity. We are in the final weeks of our Fall Fund Drive, and everyone's donations on this special day are more important than ever. If you haven't already, please donate through the button below, or send a check to ThinkTech Hawaii, 1164 Bishop Street, Suite 603, Honolulu, Hawaii 96813. We appreciate your help and support.

  DONATE  

Equipment

There's still time to upgrade your equipment! Cyber Monday is tomorrow, and there are many great deals. Our staff has given more recommendations for equipment on sale:

• Camera https://amzn.to/3J8BerZ
• Small Light https://amzn.to/3vWYJ3h
• Green screen https://amzn.to/3Vf9at1
• Green screen fabric https://amzn.to/3ODb2Js
• Green screen backdrop https://amzn.to/3VpuH1y

Episode Titles

A good episode title can greatly affect your views. Use words that are expressive, to the point, concise, and most of all, catchy and memorable. Include popular searchable words relating to your topic. Avoid long phrases and proofread, and then proofread again. Here are some examples from recent shows with over 1,000 views:

Is Coronavirus Just Another Hoax
Who is Shohei Otani
Military Accountability: You're Fired
The World is Plugging into Hydrogen
Why Ukraine Matters Taiwan Talks Today

Fidgeting

Please avoid fidgeting or touching your face or hair while you're onscreen during a show. It can be distracting and hard to watch. Also, look at yourself. The engineer's Zoom window shows you what's being recorded. If your face is not there, it means you’re offscreen.

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.

Questions, contact hayley@thinktechhawaii.com.

Bulletin to ThinkTech Hosts - Week of November 13, 2022

Dear ThinkTech Hosts:

Host Bulletin, Week of November 13, 2022

Distinguished Guest Election/Survey

Voting is open! 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 Cyber Bunny, nominated by host Wendy Loh of "Taking Your Health Back". We also appreciate your response to our Current Events Survey. Voting closes Thursday, November 17, and we'll announce the results in our email advisories on the 20th.

Last-minute Guests

Reminder: we cannot accept any last-minute guests to your shows. They create problems for our staff. Your full list of guests and their information should be on your Show Information Form by the 10:00 pm HST deadline. This ensures that our staff and your guests have enough time to prepare for the episode.

Zoom Chat

Keep your Zoom chat box open 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 during the show or a break.

Zoom Backgrounds

Blurred backgrounds create a special depth-of-field effect, and they help viewers focus on you instead of what's in the room around you. Please use the blur function in Zoom. If you have a green screen, you can use one of the blurred backgrounds we have prepared (see https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/12f2IAFFdYX-lS7JMoq5RIaaa5ZnMHg80?usp=share_link). You can also send us a picture of a background you like and we can blur it for you.

Promotion Tip

Have you shared the link to your last show? You can text and email the YouTube and Vimeo links to your network - family, friends, coworkers, colleagues, and anyone else who would be interested. Feel free to use our template for sharing show links: https://thinktechhosts.blogspot.com/p/email-template-for-sharing-links.html

Please regularly review past Host Bulletins and other resources - it leads to better shows.

Questions, contact hayley@thinktechhawaii.com. 

Bulletin to ThinkTech Hosts - Week of August 28, 2022

Dear ThinkTech Hosts:

Host Bulletin, Week of August 28, 2022

Film Screening

You're invited! Please join us for a special live screening of our documentary "Scaling Up: Hawaii's Food Future" on September 8 at 6:30 pm. The screening will be followed by a discussion with the filmmaker, local farmers, and agriculture advocates. Register for free at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/399769008867. Click here to view our flyer.

Accessibility

We upload the audio of your episodes as podcasts (without the video) to Spotify and Apple Podcasts, so please keep that in mind when you do your shows, like by reading and describing the websites and graphics you refer to so that listeners will know what you’re talking about even when only audio is playing.

Deliverables

Email us sooner rather than later if you're having trouble with deliverables such as show information, graphics, and permission forms. They are all due 10 pm HST the night before your show. If you submit them after that time, we may not be able to produce your show or use your graphics. The links to our Show Information Form and Graphics Guidelines (which includes the permission form) are always the same, so we recommend bookmarking them and submitting as soon as you can, even before the deadline.

Our Mission

ThinkTech’s mission is to raise public awareness through civic engagement. We value all of our citizen journalist hosts, and we greatly appreciate when you engage and educate your viewership by posing compelling questions, addressing difficult topics, and evoking unique perspectives on local, national and global issues and events. Our hosts are the heart of our content.  Let’s make every day, every show, better.

Promotion Tip

Now that we're using the LTP (Live to Playlist) system, you’ll have more time to promote your episode before it airs the next day. For example, you can take a clip from the links we send you the night before and share it as a preview for the upcoming show. You can also share those links as a private screening for your family, friends and associates before the episode premieres the next day on thinktechhawaii.com.

Please make sure to review these Host Bulletins and other resources - it leads to better shows.

Questions, contact hayley@thinktechhawaii.com.

Bulletin to ThinkTech Hosts - Week of August 21, 2022

Dear ThinkTech Hosts:

Host Bulletin, Week of August 21, 2022

Dates

Don't state the date during the show unless the content is date-sensitive. We want to avoid fixing a date on episodes so they remain timeless. Avoid stating the weekday during your intros and outros too, since your shows are aired the following day and it may confuse viewers when we play them again as encores.

Takeaway

Use the Takeaway in your Show Information Form to express the message viewers should remember from your episode. We'll display it on our stream before your episode airs, so please summarize it in 1-2 sentences. See the example below.

Keep The Spirits Up

If you're covering a gloomy or distressing topic, make sure to offer advice and resources such as links to educational material, helplines, and supportive organizations. Please add such resources in the Website to Display field on your Show Information Form. It's important to end the episode on a high note so viewers are gratified and interested in watching your next show.

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.

Promotion Tip

Have you tried using QR codes to promote your show? You can use them in emails, flyers, business cards, etc. for quick and easy access to your shows. (For example, see the QR code for Community Matters below.) You can generate them for free at https://qr-code-generator.com.

Questions, please contact hayley@thinktechhawaii.com.

Bulletin to ThinkTech Hosts - Week of August 7, 2022

Dear ThinkTech Hosts:
Host Bulletin, Week of August 7, 2022

Distinguished Guest Election/Survey

Only a couple spots left! Click here to nominate a guest from one of your July shows to be a Distinguished Guest! Only the first ten nominations will make the ballot. Nominations close today, August 7 and voting will begin on August 10. The results of the election will be posted in our email advisory on August 20. The winning candidate will be profiled in a short video for our livestreams and social media. Last month's winner, Khendum Gyabak, was nominated by host Chang Wang of "A Nation of Immigrants.”

Episode Titles

Episode titles should be more specific than a series title; your episode titles should convey the precise topic of the episode (show content can be broader than the title). Including a "news hook" (something connecting the topic or guests to something in the news) should encourage viewers to watch your show. Questions, contact Jay at jay@fidell.com.

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 90 seconds.

Lighting

Make sure your camera is at eye level and that your light source is in front of you. Avoid lighting from behind you or directly above you - that will cast dark shadows on your face.

Promotion Tip

Engage with your fellow hosts! Watch, like, share, and comment on their videos and social media posts. If you enjoyed a particular episode, share the link with your network through social media, email, and/or text messages. If you have suggestions on how they can improve their shows, please let them (or shows@thinktechhawaii.com) know!

Questions, please contact hayley@thinktechhawaii.com.

Bulletin to ThinkTech Hosts - Week of July 24, 2022

Dear ThinkTech Hosts:

Host Bulletin, Week of July 24, 2022

Live to Playlist

Thanks for making our transition to the Live to Playlist system a big success! With this system, we will improve production values and provide more punctual starting times. And now it's easier to see yourself on the air - just watch your episode when it premieres the next day. This will help you review and improve your style. Note also that with LTP you should avoid referencing the day or date during your show, because the episode is aired the following day.

Contact Info

If you want viewers to be able to contact you after a show, we can display your email address and/or phone number on screen. This could be helpful since we no longer accept questions on air. Just add the contact info in the Website to Display field on our Show Information Form.

News Hook

After a brief introduction of the subject and guests in the show, you should ask your first question. This question should include a "news hook," that is, a reference connecting the scope or guests to something in the news. You only have a few seconds to grab the viewer's attention, so get to it right away. Also, make sure to include the subject of your show in your episode title, and include words that viewers are likely to search for. An episode about the Ukraine invasion should have "Ukraine" in the title. To stimulate out-of-the-box discussions, ask thought-provoking, hard-hitting questions. For example, "why would X union want to endorse you," is more interesting than "did X union endorse you." Ask yourself, if you are only asking soft-ball questions, are you actually "raising public awareness"?

Promotion Tip

Remind your guests that they can help promote the shows you do with them. Ask them to share the links we send them after the show, using their email, text messages and social media. The best result is when you promote them, and they promote you.

Questions, please contact hayley@thinktechhawaii.com.

Bulletin to ThinkTech Hosts - Week of July 10, 2022

Dear ThinkTech Hosts:

Host Bulletin, Week of July 10, 2022

Distinguished Guest Election/Survey

Voting is open! Thanks to everyone who made nominations. Click here to cast your ballot for our ThinkTech Distinguished Guest. Vote only once, but feel free to share the link. Our Distinguished Guest for last month was Colin Moore who appeared on "Talk Story with John Waihe'e", hosted by John Waihe'e. We also appreciate your response to our Current Events Survey. Voting closes on July 17 and we will announce the results in our email advisories on July 20.

Show Information

Make sure to 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, so it's a real hassle to correct spelling and other errors from your show information.

Introducing Your Guest

Try to keep guest introductions to 1-2 sentences each. A long, detailed introduction is always boring and loses viewers. Tell your viewers who you are, connect your episode to your series, and then briefly introduce your guests and get to the point asap with your first question. See our script suggestions at https://thinktechhawaii.com/hosts-guests-2/script-suggestions/. Then, as the show unfolds, weave the guest's background into the conversation.

Eye Contact

Look directly at the camera throughout the show. Avoid looking down, off to the side or at another person offscreen. If you have notes, put them in a word-processing document or notepad window on your screen as near as possible to the camera so you can maintain continuing eye contact with the audience.

Promotion Tip

Try hard to connect your episode to current events and popular subjects that people are following. For example, ThinkTech Host Dan "Fig" Leaf connected a recent show to the new Top Gun: Maverick movie, and got 1,700 views within the first three days.

Special

We are developing a new Live to Playlist broadcasting system. Stand by for a special bulletin on it later this week.

Questions, please contact hayley@thinktechhawaii.com.

Bulletin to ThinkTech Hosts - Week of July 3, 2022

Dear ThinkTech Hosts:

Host Bulletin, Week of July 3, 2022

Distinguished Guest Nominations 

Click here to nominate one of your guests from one of your June shows to be a Distinguished Guest! Only the first 10 nominations will make the ballot. Nominations close next Thursday, July 7 and voting will begin on July 10. The results of the election will be posted in our email advisories on July 20. The winning candidate for Distinguished Guest will be profiled in a short video for our livestreams and social media. Last month's winner was Colin Moore, nominated by host John Waihe'e of "Talk Story with John Waihe'e".

Independence Day

Reminder: Independence Day, or Fourth of July, is tomorrow and itʻs a building holiday, so there will be no live shows. The next building holiday is Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 5, 2022. See the broadcast schedule at https://thinktechhosts.blogspot.com/p/faq.html.

Guests

We will no longer be accepting any last-minute guests to your shows. Your full list of guests and their information should be on your Show Information Form by the 10 pm HST deadline. This ensures that our staff and your guests have enough time to prepare for the episode.

Questions

Starting this week, we're taking a break from requesting live questions from viewers during shows. We’ve removed requests from our show information form, website, email advisories and other platforms. We'll continue to send you any questions that come in, but you can answer them directly, rather than on the air. We were hoping that viewers would participate in active engagement in shows but it has not been the case. Thanks to those hosts who have contributed questions when asked.

Promotion Tip

Before your next show, promote your upcoming guest and topic on your website(s) and social media. After your show, share the link and tag ThinkTech so we can share your posts. We are on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Help us build a community that will engage with your content by sharing our posts as well.

Questions, please contact hayley@thinktechhawaii.com.

Bulletin to ThinkTech Hosts - Week of June 26, 2022

Dear ThinkTech Hosts:

Host Bulletin, Week of June 26, 2022

Webinar This Week

"Who’s Running for Lieutenant Governor? Evaluating the Major Candidates” will take place this Friday, July 1 at 10-11:30 am HST. Join us to watch their live discussion and pose questions. Please register at https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_9yhQ6bqMQl6FUXoZpjtnLA and share the link with your networks. Panelist Bios: http://bit.ly/LG2022-Bios

Closing

Make sure to give a clean and concise closing. When you're ready to end the show, (1) thank your guests for joining you and thank your viewers for watching, and (2) briefly wrap up the episode and promote the next one if you can, and (3) say a crisp final goodbye (simply, “goodbye” or “aloha”). The engineer will be listening for this goodbye word and will immediately end the show, and this will give your show a clean ending.

Guest Affiliations

When completing your show information forms, please identify your guest’s specific affiliation (e.g. "environmental lawyer with XYZ"). If your guest prefers to appear unaffiliated, then write a generic affiliation such as “civil rights advocate” or “local farmer” or “handwriting expert".

Props / Objects

If you'd like to show an object during your episode, please take a picture of it beforehand and send it to us pursuant to thinktechhawaii.com/graphics-guidelines. Showing the object itself during the live episode is NOT recommended. This can cause visual artifacts. Photos of the object will look much better on the screen.

Promotion Tip

Engage with other users to increase your visibility on social media. You can like others' posts, share them, leave comments, and reply to any comments you receive. This creates friends and relationships with potential guests and viewers. This kind of engagement is much more effective to promote your show and ThinkTech.

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.

Bulletin to ThinkTech Hosts - Week of March 20, 2022

Dear ThinkTech Hosts:

Host Bulletin, Week of March 20, 2022

Burning Global Issues

Join us for a timely ThinkTech Hawaii webinar on Friday, April 1. "Burning Global Issues" will examine a burning issue for each continent, how that issue relates to prospects for functional democracy, and what we can learn from them. Please spread the word and register at https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_xCe8s-6yQA2ntWMmixKGqQ.

Flyer: https://bit.ly/BGI-2022-Flyer

Press Release: https://thinktechhawaii.com/press-release/

Acronyms

When you use acronyms in your shows, such as HPU for Hawaii Pacific University or COLA for Cost-of-Living Adjustment, take a moment to define and explain them to your viewers, or ask your guests to do that.  This helps viewers in Hawaii and elsewhere understand what you’re talking about.

Dates

Don't state the date during the show unless the content is date-sensitive. We want to avoid fixing a date on episodes so they remain timeless and don't appear outdated when we play them as encores.

Eye Contact

Look directly at the camera throughout the show. Please avoid looking at another screen, down, or off to the side. If you have notes, put them in a word-process window on your screen as near as possible to the camera so that you can maintain your eye contact with the audience.

Promotion Tip

If you use social media, post your shows, links or promotional graphics or comments regularly to increase visibility and build a relationship with your audience. Consistently offering new posts shows viewers that they should follow you to stay updated with your new content.

Questions, please contact hayley@thinktechhawaii.com.