Olly Buckle

Most of the people who come on the forum want to be read, even if it seems as though they only came for the argument sometimes. The stated aim of the forum is to give us the means to improve our writing. At times this clashes with the desire to gain readership, threads get bumped, signatures cause offence etc.
The aim of this thread is to explore other ways that one can get noticed.

I have established a website where I display some work, on the home page I provide a link to this site, a lot of the people reading things here are guests you may notice.
I have got fabric pens from Early Learning (UK kid's shop) and made myself T-Shirts that read things like "Musicians get lyrical at ollybuckle.com" on the front and "See more of Olly Buckle at writingforums.com" on the back.
I noticed that I was buying five for a quid cheap lighters very regularly, they disappear like biros. I bought a large sheet of little sticky labels and started labeling them before they were "lost". Then I started borrowing other people's and giving them back labeled. Don't do this to Duponts.
I go to poetry readings and wear my T-Shirts and "lose" my pens and lighters.

What do you do? Or what can you think of doing as ways of advertising ourselves and our forum.

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The Backward OX

Hahaha. I’m supposed to be working – I’ve got a job stacking deck chairs, per favor, or something like that – I’ll need to check the precise job description – and here I am instead devoting time to this. If the boss finds out – and he’s a mean bastard - he’ll probably belt me over the head with a folded bus ticket. . .(thinks) aha! I know! If I go very light-footed perhaps he won’t even notice me.

So, where were we? Promoting writingforums.com. I’ve thought about this too. It’s not easy. Half the people I know believe that you catch nasty diseases from forums and so refuse to join, the other half are mostly fuckwits and god knows there’s enough of that type here already. I may need to expand my social network.

To this end I may just be on to something, and WF may benefit. I’ve become involved - together with an inactive member of WF who lives in a remote part of the world - in the collection of books and toys for under-privileged kids in that remote place. I had the bright idea to add to our own pile of such items by canvassing the district with flyers, and it wouldn’t take much effort on my part to arouse respondees’ curiosity about how I became involved in the first place. One thing could lead to another and . . . . .

One problem is that many here at WF will say “Yeah, something needs to be done, provided always someone else does it.” Most people are lazy sods.

One idea I’ve canvassed here previously is to solicit the return of inactive members. Of course the gainsayers howled me down, saying they’d come back of their own accord if that’s what they wanted. At the time I couldn’t be bothered arguing but that idea is completely erroneous.

People can be sold on doing something they originally thought they didn’t want to do. I earned my living once doing exactly this and know what I’m talking about. (also works when you want sex, and the other party thinks they don’t)

Jen aka Ms Vodka canvasses inactive members at Literary Mary, and there’s no reason in the wide world why the people who run this show couldn’t do exactly the same thing. Correction, yes, there may be a reason. Jen is keen to make Literary Mary a success, her opposite numbers here may not care one way or the other.

And yet it is the very best way of all. Countless thousands, already members, all they need is to get fired up. The spam that could be sent out should include some sort of come-on, like how the site has been improved . . .ok, good point, why not improve it? Why is it such a shambles?

Perhaps you could take all this up in the appropriate quarter.

Another idea is simply to put info on other sites. If you can’t post a link, just tell the folks about writers’ forums generally and suggest they do their own searching. I tested this (suggestion of searching) numerous times, and WF always comes up as the first hit. One of the types of sites where propaganda can be dropped is the penpal or epal sites. They have thousands of members. And if you’re cunning you do a renewal every seven days so your notice stays near the top.

As for poetry readings, you can have that all on your own. Probably ok for bulimia sufferers too, as a way to vomit all their binge-eating food up again.

Hey, what’s this about lighters? You smoke? And you’re skint? I had some sympathy for you earlier, but not if you’re a smoker.

Cheers.




"Shit! He's found me. Ok, ok, Boss, I'm coming . . . . . . ."(scuttles off, ashamedly)

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How Beautiful it is to Do Nothing, and then Rest Afterwards . . . . . Spanish proverb

The Backward OX

Another thought, by way of an unashamed bump to keep this where it belongs, in the forefront of everyone's thinking:

Part of keeping people active in a forum, in my opinion, is keeping them involved with what they post. Too many posters scribble something then rush off, never to be seen again (at least as far as that particular thread is concerned).

Elsewhere I’ve commented on subscribing to threads, however, as a direct result of the recent upheavals here at writingforums.com, I visited two other sites, and found they do things differently. On both writingdiscussions.com and writingforums.org, subscription is automatic rather than a conscious act on the part of the member as it is here.

For those who don’t know, subscription means: you post to a thread, someone else posts to the same thread, you get told about it (the someone else) by automatic email, and what’s even better, the post itself appears in the email. This can have the effect of keeping the first poster’s interest level higher than it might be without the memory tickler. If you reply to what I’m writing now, and say I’m talking through my arse, and I get an email telling me this, there’s a good chance I’ll jump back in to the thread to argue the toss.

Bottom line? More site activity.

Of course, if anyone wishes to unsubscribe, that's just a simple click.

It’s a simple matter for Admin to set up this automatic subscription thingy. Selorian did it for writingdiscussions, it can be done here.

Over to you, Olly. You have their ear. Get up them about it.



And let me get back to my work.

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How Beautiful it is to Do Nothing, and then Rest Afterwards . . . . . Spanish proverb

Baron

Of course this is something that OX would never dream of doing We know he can be guaranteed to make an appearance to stir the pot, four or five pages into a thread that he's started.

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Olly Buckle

Gave up the tobacco habit more than ten years ago but there are certain things always in my pocket, pencil, notebook, handkerchief (that dates me), wallet, keys and lighter.
Baron:- He does it skillfully though, leaves them room to get well entrenched in their arguments, or enough rope to hang themselves, then comes back.
I am not sure that more site activity is what I am looking for here Ox. What I am talking about is readers, regardless of whether they comment. I know the site is about improving our writing but getting good without getting read seems futile.
Here is another idea I haven't tried yet, print up some short stories, put them in folders and seek permission to deposit them in doctors and dentists waiting rooms, Golden Hour seems like a good candidate to start with.

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Never mind the avatar, see me on you tube.
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YouTube - Toothpaste

Find all threads started by Olly Buckle

The Backward OX

With respect, I thought you were talking about promoting WF. You know, all that stuff on T-shirts and what have you.

More members = more readers, imnsho.

(only wimmen are allowed to be inconsistent)

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How Beautiful it is to Do Nothing, and then Rest Afterwards . . . . . Spanish proverb

Mike C

Comic sans? No, Ox, NO!

Olly was talking bout self promotion rather than promoting this site (beyond "This is where you can find some of my stuff").

It's a discussion that frequently comes up amongst published, pro writers. Step one, of course, is get a website. And not a free one with all the banners and ads - if you value your work it's worth a few quid/bucks to make your work, rather than whoever's paying the hosting company, the focus. Of course then there's the issue of how you drive traffic there...

Other hand-outs the pros use are many and various, and all involve a little cost - but not necessarily a lot. Business cards - hunt around and you can get them free, or there are machines all over these days which will print 50 or 100 on demand for little cost. Buttons (badges in the UK) are quite popular. Book marks, flyers... basically anything you could use to promote a business, you can use to promote yourself. Pens with your name and website on - everyone uses pens.

Olly, I just had a thought. Lots of writers, especially when building traffic to their site in advance of a book launch use competitions. Why not launch a competition on your site. Top prize? A hand made, personalised, one-off Olly Buckle T-Shirt?

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Malone

This got a chuckle. I can picture you walking around with handwritten shirts.
The lighter thing is brilliant. Everyone picks those up or steals them or loses them. I stare at mine when I smoke.

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The Backward OX

Am I the only one around here capable of correctly interpreting the Queen's English?

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How Beautiful it is to Do Nothing, and then Rest Afterwards . . . . . Spanish proverb

The Backward OX

As far as I’m concerned you can all get stuffed.

I spend f*ckin’ ages drafting well-thought-out replies to a question about how to promote the forum (OP’s words not mine) only to be told I’m talking through my arse.

Why don’t you all go back to school and learn comprehension?

F*ck the lot of you!

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How Beautiful it is to Do Nothing, and then Rest Afterwards . . . . . Spanish proverb

Baron

Don't get your knickers in a twist, OX. I thought that your replies were good and Olly certainly didn't contradict you. Neither did Malone for that matter.

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The Backward OX

Ok, I've got no beef with Malone. But this:
Baron, if you can't see that, all I can say is that as all three of you are Poms, it has to be all that glorious sunshine for which your sceptred isle is famous that must be addling your brains.

The OP wanted suggestions about promoting the forum, I provided them, including one that could have been taken to Admin, and what f*cking happens? Nothing. So why shouldn't I be mad?

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Baron

No, Olly just said that he's not sure, he didn't put you down. I'm not sure that Olly's ever sure about anything so what's the problem?

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The Backward OX

Hahaha. At least you got a laugh out of me. 10/10

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How Beautiful it is to Do Nothing, and then Rest Afterwards . . . . . Spanish proverb

Mike C

At least the rest of us got to laugh at you.

Seriously, Ox, you get a little more pompous with every post. I should warn you, such self-importance is not endearing. Funny, in a buffoonish kind of way, but not endearing.

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