Bulletin to ThinkTech Hosts - Week of February 12, 2023

Dear ThinkTech Hosts:

Host Bulletin, Week of February 12, 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 Neal Barnard, nominated by host Grace Chen O'Neil of "Healthy Planet". We also appreciate your response to our Current Events Survey. Voting closes Friday, February 17, and we'll announce the results in our email advisories on the 20th.

Preparing Your Guests

When you recruit your guests for a show, take the time to talk with them to make sure they will be ready to do the show, i.e., that they have an appropriate computer, broadband, camera, mic and lighting, and a separate, quiet, and presentable indoor space.  If our engineers have to take a lot of time to coach an unprepared guest, delays are inevitable, and we may have to exclude that guest from the show. 

Opening Cue

To cue the engineer to cut to the stinger, say "We'll be back in a moment" at the end of your opening. It helps them know that your monologue is over. See our script suggestions for openings at https://thinktechhawaii.com/hosts-guests-2/script-suggestions/.

Live to Playlist

Reminder: with our LTP (Live to Playlist) system, your episodes become public on our platforms (including YouTube playlists) after they premiere on ThinkTech Hawaii. So, people can watch your show: (a) as a special screening before it premieres, by viewing the YouTube or Vimeo links we’ve sent you; 
(b) as it premieres on our stream (ThinkTechHawaii.com, YouTube, Vimeo);
(c) after it premieres, on any of our platforms.

Promotion Tip

Want help with episode topics and guests? Create a public email address for people to contact you, and put it in the "Website/Email to show" field on your Show Information Form. Let us know if you'd like to add your contact information or website to your bio on our Hosts page. We never share anyone's contact information unless you permit it.

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 5, 2023

Dear ThinkTech Hosts:

Host Bulletin, Week of February 5, 2023

Distinguished Guest Nominations Are Open

Click here to nominate a guest from one of your January shows to be selected a Distinguished Guest! Only the first 10 nominations will make the ballot. Nominations close on February 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 Neal Barnard, nominated by host Grace Chen O'Neil of "Healthy Planet".

New Advanced Search

Try our new search page! https://thinktechhawaii.com/videos/ It has enhanced power and speed, enabling you to find and view the many thousands of talk shows we've produced over the past ten years. Looking for past shows that may have covered your topic? Checking if your guest has been on previous shows before? Researching your own past shows? Now even easier to search!

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 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.)

Show Quality

Check to make sure that your guests are well-prepared before the date of the show. The engineer may stop and restart the show if anyone's audio or video is below standard. These disruptions impede other hosts and guests, because shows after you may be pushed to start and end late. If the quality of your show is really bad, the show may have to be rescheduled or canceled.

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.

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 29, 2023

Dear ThinkTech Hosts:

Host Bulletin, Week of January 29, 2023

Show Promos

To keep things fresh in the new year, we'll be recording new show promos starting this week. The engineer will guide you through the quick process. Make sure to introduce yourself, briefly describe your show, and state when and where people can watch it. The promo should be about 15-30 seconds long.

Graphics/No Screen Sharing

All graphics should follow our Graphics Guidelines, which includes submitting your graphics to shows@thinktechhawaii.com with a permission form by 10 pm HST the night before the show. We do not allow screen sharing because it reduces video quality and creates editing issues. Instead, you can record a video or screenshot(s) of your screen and submit that beforehand: https://www.pcmag.com/how-to/how-to-record-the-screen-on-your-windows-pc-or-mac

Recording Indoors

You and your guests should prepare quiet, indoor spaces to record the show. Outdoor spaces are noisy and unpredictable, and recording in a car is dangerous and way less than ideal. Ask others around you to keep quiet and/or close the door to your space, and set all devices to Do Not Disturb. If there is noise, you may need to move to a more isolated space. For more Appearance Guidelines: https://thinktechhawaii.com/remote-shows/

Introducing Your Guest

Try to keep guest introductions to 1-2 sentences. A long introduction is always boring, and loses viewers. Tell your viewers who you are, connect your episode to your series, then briefly introduce your guests. 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.

Promotion Tip

Before your next show, promote your upcoming guest and topic on your website and social media. After we record, you can take a clip from the video links we send you the night before and share it as a preview for the show. You can also share those links as a screening for your family, friends and associates before the episode premieres the next day on thinktechhawaii.com.

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

Questions, contact hayley@thinktechhawaii.com.