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.

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 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.