Developing a Buzz

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Contents

Networking, Press, and Reviews

  • DT-320-1
  • Spring 2006
  • T/TH 1 - 3:45 DMS2
  • Faculty: Jon Phillips
  • TA: Rebecca Whipple
    • Office Hours: Before Class, e-mail me to schedule, rswhipple@gmail.com

Goal

The goal of this horse is to help students develop a project, get more connected - socially and technologically - and promote a project successfully - developing a buzz, getting press and reviews.

Summary

Specifically, this course is to help students develop a project, get more connected - socially and technologically - and promote a project successfully - developing a buzz, getting press and reviews. Through the study of development, networking and publicity there will be an on-line (Internet-based/virtual) and an off-line (physical) emphasis threaded throughout the semester. The study of development will begin the course with a discussion of a student's selected project's goals, how to achieve them (development model, fund raising and grant writing), and planning a road map. The participants will then be taught how to set up a web domain (example:www.YOURPROJECTNAME.org), and then put up a basic web site, e-mail accounts, mailing list, blog, and a Wiki.

Afterwards, strategies for networking will be studied. The goal is to grow one's network on-line by developing an audience and/or community, and then supplement this with real-world relationships between people, affiliations to groups, and connecting one's resource with resources needed by others and vice-versa.

Publicity will then be studied in order to know how to communicate through different communication media to the developed networks. This will be done with writing press releases, notifying communities (blogs, news sites, prweb.com, etc), developing strong branding (graphics, audio, video), and placing this branding appropriately to achieve a project's goals (advertisement, tv ads, newspaper, free zine, etc). Also important will be studying public speaking, organizing events (parties, openings, and/or conferences) and how to do effective project releases.

In one semester participants will develop or use a current project for exploration of the concepts in this course. Students will be expected to use in-class discussions and selected readings to achieve self-assigned goals related to their project and the course material.

Take this course if you: A.) Want to make a real project. B.) Want to get press and reviews. C.) Are sick of creating vaporware (projects that never happen or are too grand to be realized). D.) Want to learn practical skills that will help you be on the cutting edge in on-line and off-line worlds. E.) Want to learn how to get multiple people helping you with your work.

Objectives

General

  • Focus around individual as artwork
  • slicker class
  • professional
  • incremental updates rather monolithic releases


1st Half of Semester: Personal Development

  • General
    • Set goals and accomplish them
    • Increase quality and quantity of presentation of self
    • Develop repository for your work
    • Improve personal branding
    • Stronger social network
    • Improved social skills
  • Tangibles
    • Bio
    • Website
    • Resume
    • CV
    • Press Kit (business cards / design)
    • Mailing List (online + offline)
    • Blog/Journal
    • Presentation/public speaking (slides)

2nd Half of Semester: Project Development

  • General
    • Set goals and accomplish them
    • Better developed projects
    • Better presentation of those projects individually and collectively
    • Better organizational and time-management skills
    • Improved placement of project in proper contexts
    • Upgraded writings skills
  • Tangibles
    • Press Release
    • Timeline/Roadmap
    • Community
    • Fundraiding/Grant Writing
    • Writing about your project
    • Reviews of your project
    • Set up an Event
    • Participate in Event

Keywords

development, networking, publicity, community, building, buzz, fundraising, promotion, press releases, sfai, rejon, benflowz, art institute, art, student, software, new media, infrastructure

Syllabus

Policies

Attendance

  • Please arrive on time. Repeated tardiness will effect your grade!
  • Only 2 unexcused absenses and afterwards grade drops full letter grade!
  • 2 unexcused absenses in a row and you will be asked to drop the class
  • e-mail me (and your TA) if you cannot make it in ADVANCE
    • You are responsible to bring in work the following class!

Readings

  • I will make all available for free on this wiki as link or PDF.
    • NOTE: check out critical-art.net online book projects

Grading

  • Assignments (~30%)
    • You either get the 10 points or not for the per-class assignments. If you don't do the assignment for the week, then you lose the 10 points.
    • You are graded on
      • 4 or more hours outside of class spent per week on this course
      • I'm generally not into practice! Do REAL work!
      • Final Project (work on throughout the quarter)
  • Participation (~20%)
    • Show up! Talk to each other! Talk about work!
  • 2 Submissions to festival or 2 professional performances/shows
    • invite everyone!
  • Projects (~50%)
    • Projects are worth 80 points each. They are the bulk of your grade. They are due on the day of the project, and I'm being firm with the deadline for these. If you cannot meet the deadline, please make arrangements with me outside of class.
  • Late Assignments + Projects
    • If you have notified us that you cannot make class and have a valid excuse, then you should bring the work to the next class. Really, do everything you can not to miss project due dates and presentations. However, the same applies in all fairness.

Office Hours

  • Before and after class. You should still alert me if you are coming on Monday because I might have another meeting.

Communication

Visiting Artists and Field Trips (in progress)

  • Anne Marino, Director of Development (Creative Commons)
  • Curator
  • Person in PR
  •  ? (Recommend someone) ?

Schedule

This schedule is tentative, but our general contract. Visiting artists and off-campus classes to be announced.

Week 1 - T 01-24, TH 01-26 - Introduction to Development, Networking, and Publicity

  • Tues
    • First Half - Syllabus + Introductions
      • ASSIGNMENT: Fill out your page! See Jon Phillips and copy as an example.
    • 10 minute break
    • Second Half - lecture
      • Go over assignments for next class
        • 5-10 minute presentations (quick)
        • Multiple Biographies
      • If extra time then mini-workshop on your bio
  • Thursday
    • Assignments
      • DUE: Bio (long 2-paragraph, 4 sentence, 2-sentence, 2-word)
        • Post to your wiki page
        • Print a copy and give to TA
      • DUE: Your personal wiki page questions answered and page updated.
        • Notice the Recent Changes link on the left hand navigation as everyone can see updates, etc.
      • DUE: 5 Minute Presentation about yourself and work (any medium)
        • Try to not update all at once, like right before class, as conflicts possibly might occur in saving.
    • Class
      • First Half
        • Presentations
      • 10 minute break
      • Second Half

Week 2 - T 01-31, TH 02-02 - Web Workshop (Basic)

Week 3 - T 02-07, TH 02-09 - Web Workshop (Advanced)

  • Thursday
    • Assignments
      • DUE: Revise your current version of your website with updated bio
      • DUE: website must be online on your personal or school account
        • Must include
        • your biographies
        • must validate as css 2 and xhtml 1.0
          • Make sure TA has the URL and that you entered on your wiki page.
    • Class

Week 4 - T 02-14, TH 02-16 - Resume and CV

  • Thursday
    • Assignments
      • DUE: rough draft of what you want your website to look like
        • Put URL on your website or hand in sketch of site
      • DUE: 1-page Resume
        • Put your resume online as PDF, DOC, and HTML
        • Print out your resume and give to TA
      • DUE: Full CV
        • Put your cv online as PDF, DOC, and HTML
        • Print out your cv and give to TA
    • Class
      • First Half - Discussion About CVs + Resumes + web hiccups
      • 10 minute break
      • Second Half - Web Clean-up Web Workshop (Clean-up)
    • Next Class
      • DUE: Full Press Kit
        • Should be on your site as PDF and/or HTML
        • Also, print out a physical copy and hand-in
        • REQUIREMENTS
          • Cover Letter
          • Business Card
          • Resume and/or CV
          • Representation of Work (photo, DVD, CD, etc)
          • Some optional component

Week 5 - T 02-21, TH 02-23 - Press Kit

  • Tuesday
    • Assignments
      • READ: wikipedia on press kits
      • DUE: Google search on "Press Kit"
      • DUE: List of your 10 goals posted onto your website (rank priority)
      • DUE: Photoshop or Illustrator Mockup (high-quality) of what you want your site to look like
      • DUE: Present your idea to everyone in the class along with what you currently have
    • Class
      • First Half
        • Explain concepts of Resume and CV and ask for revisions by THURSDAY along with WEB
        • Everyone presents their website mockups (light critique)
      • 10 minute break
      • Second Half - Press Kit
  • Thursday
    • Assignments
      • DUE: Revised CV + RESUME
        • On your website (doc, html, and pdf)
        • Print out hard copies and give to TA
      • DUE: 4 business card designs
      • DUE: Put online on your site as well as print out mockups for presentation in class
      • PRESENT: What are your ideas for full press kit? 5 minutes
    • Class
      • First Half - Informally discuss all business card designs
      • 10 minute break
      • Second Half - Press Kit Lecture

Week 6 - T 02-28, TH 03-02 - Customizing Your Site + Mailing Lists and Blogs

  • Tuesday
    • Assignments
      • DUE: Final business card design (ready to print)
      • DUE: Sketch of full press kit
    • Class

Week 7 - T 03-07, TH 03-09 - Mailing Lists and Blogs + Final Website

  • Tuesday
    • Assignments
      • READ: Articles from last class
      • READ: Social Software and Group Politics, by Clay Shirky (2003)
      • DUE: PRESS KITS!
      • DUE: 3 discussion questions printed out about the readings for class discussion
      • DUE: Register and fill in info for myspace.com, upcoming.org, prweb.com, and evite.com
      • DUE: List of 10 People who you are adding to your mailing list
        • Require: Name, relationship, address, email, phone
      • DUE: Investigate how to setup mailing lists through your website hosting service
    • Class
      • First Half - Present Press Kits + Discussion about Mailing Lists and Blogs
      • 10 minute break
      • Second Half - Anchor Tags + Mailing Lists + Work on Websites + Questions
  • Thursday
    • Assignments
      • PROJECT DUE: Final Website online
        • Need bio, resume, cv, projects, press kit, mailing list and basic news on your website
        • Details: Final Website
      • DUE: 15-20 minute Presentation of your website
    • Class
      • First Half - Presentations
      • 10 minute break
      • Second Half - Presentations
        • DUE NEXT CLASS AFTER SPRINGBREAK: 20 new contacts added to your mailing list + 10 business cards collected
        • DUE NEXT CLASS: One Goal for One Project (as a sentence)

Week 8 - T 03-14, TH 03-16 - SPRING BREAK (NO CLASS)

Week 9 - T 03-21 (TBD), TH 03-23 - Mailing Lists and Blogs + Project Presentations and Goals

  • Thursday
    • Assignments
      • NONE
    • Class
      • Road trip to Lisadent.com studios. She is going to talk about how to make things look good, how to get shows, etc.

Week 10 - T 03-28, TH 03-30 - Community Building

  • Tuesday
    • Assignments
    • Class
      • RAQs Collective Workshop
  • Thursday
    • Assignments
    • Class

Week 11 - T 04-04, TH 04-06 - Mailing Lists and Blogs + Roadmaps and Timelines

  • Tuesday
    • Assignments
      • DUE: Write one page and hand into TA about your project. You can simply just answer these questions in list format about the project you are doing for the rest of the semester:
        • 1. what other projects, websites, etc exist that are similar/related to your project
        • 2. title for project (1-2 words) (yet again, do a search on the web to see what else exists, conflicts, works with)...justify your name!
        • 3. What is the mission statement for your project? Be specific and look at similar wordings on inkscape.org and openclipart.org
        • 4. Please make sure you have signed-up for accounts here. Please put your account names on this one page document.
          • myspace
          • upcoming.org
          • tribe.net
          • flickr.com
          • youtube.com
          • prweb.com
    • Class

Week 12 - T 04-11, TH 04-13 - Fundraising, Grantwriting, and Participation

  • Tuesday
    • Assignments
      • DUE: Look through and find one grant/event you can submit to and complete using your project
        • look through nettime, blogs, and various portals on the web (also school grants)
    • Class
  • Thursday
    • Assignments
      • DUE: find grant/event submission and print out
      • DUE: "Final" Roadmap/Timeline
    • Class
      • First Half - Look at example grants, example fundraising, examples galore! + discuss roadmaps/timelines
      • 10 minute break
      • Second Half - Discussion about May 9th Event + Divide up tasks for the event, plus one contribution to event + any last minute help on grant/event (plus print them out)

Week 13 - T 04-18, TH 04-20 - Wiki and Chat + Press Releases

  • Tuesday
    • Assignments
      • DUE: Revise your roadmap/timeline
        • print out this and hand into TA
        • update on your website
    • Class
      • First Half - What are we doing for Mike's show + Update on you timeline and hand in + Wiki and Chat
      • 10 minute break
      • Second Half - Press Releases + assignment for next time to write up basic press release for your project announcing it
  • Thursday
    • Assignments
    • Class
      • First Half - Any problems with installing wiki? + Questions about Press Releases + Press Releases
      • 10 minute break
      • Second Half - Workshop + Go over next class and what is due

Week 14 - T 04-25, TH 04-27 - Revisiting Grantwriting + Writing and Reviews

  • Tuesday
    • Assignments
      • DUE: First version of your grant with pieces laid out
      • DUE: List of 10 places online/offline where you want to get your work reviewed
    • Class
  • Thursday
    • Assignments
      • DUE: Final event/grant submission due in class
        • print out confirmation email and give to TA
        • anyone who gets accepted prior to this semester ending receive +10 extra credit points
    • Class

Week 15 - T 05-02, TH 05-04 - Events and Presentations

  • Thursday
    • Assignments
      • DUE: Major update on your final project
      • DUE: 90% of your roadmap items complete
    • Class

Week 16 - T 05-09, TH 05-11 - Final Project Presentations + Development Overview

  • Thursday
    • NO CLASS - HAVE A GREAT BREAK

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