Bulletin to ThinkTech Hosts - Week of January 15, 2023

Dear ThinkTech Hosts:
Host Bulletin, Week of January 15, 2023

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 Lance Askildson, nominated by host Jay Fidell of "Global Connections". We also appreciate your response to our Current Events Survey. Voting closes Tuesday, January 17, and we'll announce the results in our email advisories on the 20th.

MLK Day, January 16

Martin Luther King Jr. Day, January 16, is not a building holiday, so we are still recording shows on Monday. See our list of observed holidays at https://thinktechhawaii.com/2022-holidays/ and https://thinktechhosts.blogspot.com/p/faq.html

Preparing Guests

Prepare your guests for the show by sending them the Appearance Guidelines and Graphics Guidelines as soon as you recruit them for your show. Last-minute back-and-forth emails from uninformed guests who have not looked at the guidelines is stressful for everyone.  Also, please make sure each guest has a decent camera, mic and light; note that we may have to cancel or reschedule the episode if their video or audio is not up to our production standards. Sending the guidelines before you complete your show information gives your guests  more time to get the things they need for the show and ask questions if necessary.

Disparagement

Avoid disparaging comments and invasions of privacy on your shows, and discourage your guests from doing so. Don't do name calling, and don’t make harmful statements about someone that you know or should know are false or exaggerated.  Stick to the facts.  If you are going to make an opinion, say that it’s your opinion. (Note that public figures, as opposed to the rest of us, have to show that you acted with malice and knew that your statements were false or that you spoke in willful or reckless disregard for the truth.). In event, err on the side of decency and caution.

Promotion Tip

Include popular but relevant search keywords in your show information. These draw viewers to your videos by increasing the chances that your video will show up when people search on Google or YouTube. For example, effective keywords for the episode "Covid is Surging in India" would be covid, India, pandemic, variant, mutation, masks, vaccines, surge.

Please regularly review past Host Bulletins and other resources at https://thinktechhosts.blogspot.com - it leads to better shows.

Questions, contact hayley@thinktechhawaii.com.

Bulletin to ThinkTech Hosts - Week of January 8, 2023

Dear ThinkTech Hosts:

Host Bulletin, Week of January 8, 2023

Welcome Back!

We hope the holiday break was really fulfilling and helped you relax, reflect, and plan for the new year. Now it's time to get back into our routine. If you have any questions about the date of your next episode, contact hayley@thinktechhawaii.com.

Updated Opening Suggestion

We've updated the script suggestions for openings to help with the transition to the new intro format. See below.

Welcome to [NAME OF SHOW] on ThinkTech Hawaii. I’m your host [NAME OF HOST]. Joining me today are our guests [NAMES AND AFFILIATIONS OF GUESTS]. Today, we’re going to talk about [BRIEF INTRODUCTORY REMARKS ON THE SUBJECT].

STINGER (short clip with music to get the viewers' attention for the show) 

Welcome to the show, [GUEST NAMES].

Audio Standards

Make sure you and your guests review our Appearance Guidelines before the date of the show. If your audio is below our production standards, we may cancel the episode. You can check your audio quality through the settings on Zoom. Better yet, you can test the video and audio of you and your guests by going on the free version of Zoom, recording a test show, and playing the recording back. See https://thinktechhosts.blogspot.com/search/label/Audio for more audio tips.

Ways to Brighten Your Face

You can use one of the attached images to make your monitor a ring light.  If you have a Mac, you can also download the iGlasses app, which is a great way to adjust, brighten and improve your video picture.  You can find it at https://www.ecamm.com/mac/iglasses/. Of course, you can also get a real ring light at Best Buy; prices are coming down all the time.

Promotion Tip

Encourage your friends, family and following to watch your episodes as they air! They can sign up for our ThinkTech Daily to see the broadcast schedule of your shows. The link to subscribe is https://madmimi.com/signups/ef99f3ec9ec247e28903ae6140371bd7/join

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 January 1, 2023

Dear ThinkTech Hosts:

Host Bulletin, Week of January 1, 2023

2023 Broadcast Schedule

Please see the following schedule for this year's holidays and winter break and note these dates on your calendar.

Regular schedule (open):

Monday, Jan. 16, 2023 - Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Monday, Feb. 20, 2023 - Presidents' Day

Monday, June 29, 2023 - Juneteenth

Monday, Oct. 9, 2023 - Columbus Day

Closed (building holiday):

Monday, May 29, 2023 - Memorial Day

Tuesday, July 4, 2023 - Independence Day

Monday, Sept. 4, 2023 - Labor Day

Thursday, Nov. 23, 2023 - Thanksgiving Day

Closed (ThinkTech winter break):

Monday, Dec. 18, 2023 - Monday, Jan. 1, 2024 (studio reopens on Jan. 2)

 

2022 Distinguished Guest

This month, we're organizing a very special Distinguished Guest election! All hosts are welcome to nominate any guest from any one of your 2022 shows to be selected as a Distinguished Guest! Click here to make your nomination. Nominations close on January 7 and voting will begin on the 10th. The election results will be posted in our email advisories on the 20th, and the winning candidate will be profiled in a short video for our livestreams and social media. See previous Distinguished Guest winners at https://thinktechhawaii.com/distinguished-guests/.

New Intro Format

To boost viewer retention, we're upgrading the format of episode intros to the following sequence:

1) The ThinkTech intro

2) Host(s) opening

3) Stinger (short clip with music to get the viewers' attention for the show)

4) Group shot of host(s) and guest(s)

The engineer will step you through it. This new format will grab viewers' attention and keep them hooked on your episode.

Review Your Shows

Now is a perfect opportunity to review your old episodes, reflect, and plan for growth in the new year. You can find the link to the YouTube playlist for your show in the link letters we've sent you or the Playlist section of our YouTube channel. Email hayley@thinktechhawaii.com if you have any trouble finding your playlist.

Promotion Tip

Engage with your viewers through the comment section! Responding to comments on your YouTube videos can reinforce your experience and integrity, develop a returning viewership, and increase the chances other people will see your video! Click here for advice on YouTube comments.

Please regularly review past Host Bulletins and other resources - it leads to better shows. This year we will, from time to time, be including our list of suggested host and guest camera, mic and lighting equipment.

Questions, contact hayley@thinktechhawaii.com.