Pondering "virtual get togethers" - have we got something wrong?

tyrantlizardrex · Apr 21, 2020

Hey folks,

Over the last 4 week's Mat and I have hosted 4 Time 4A Pint virtual get-togethers over Zoom.

We're having a lot of fun putting them on, and it seems folks listening live have a lot to say/stay from beginning to end... so I assume are enjoying themselves too... unless there's a whole Howard Stern thing going on and you're listening because you hate me. 😁

However - looking at the view numbers for the recordings, there doesn't seem to be huge appetite to watch/hear the conversation at a later date.

It feels like we've had some really interesting conversations, great guests, and cool watches - but being involved, it's hard to be objective.

So I've been pondering... and got to thinking there might be a few reasons that people don't watch the recordings:

1 - People have no idea what these things are, and would rather stick to Instagram and forums.

2 - People know what these things are, but don't know that there is a recording.

3 - People know there is a recording, but are just plain exhausted and watching an hour of nerds talking watches is too much to cope with right now.

4 - The perception is that "you had to be there" and a recording won't be fun.

5 - I'm totally off the mark, and there's some other reason that people wouldn't want to watch folks like Roger Smith talk about watches...

Would love to hear people's thoughts/ideas.

We're putting these things on because I got an inbox full of people asking for an "online get-together'... and now we've done what we were asked for... well... the numbers don't really seem to stack up.

Curious to learn what, if anything we're doing wrong/missing.

Dan S · Apr 21, 2020

You're so needy. Ok, I'll go watch the video right now. 😉

NikoMartinez_SYD · Apr 21, 2020

I think there needs to be preset discussion topics or a purpose for the zoom, maybe an agenda so people know what will happen in the session - i find lots of people join virtual GTG's and leave very quickly as they find it boring, not relevant or not to their tastes. Another idea would be approaching it from an educational angle and explaining the history of a movement or model... or individuals sharing stories on their pieces.

tyrantlizardrex · Apr 21, 2020

Dan S
You're so needy. Ok, I'll go watch the video right now. 😉

Ha! 😁

There are four to choose from - and we've got panels lined up for the next three weeks.

As I say, we're having fun, but it is quite a lot of effort to make these things happen.

So I'm curious as to whether we should be doing something to make them more appealing, or whether the audience for a virtual get-together, and particularly the recording, is naturally quite small.

Throwing out some caveats - I'm not going to be buying more tech, or using (even more) expensive platforms.

I am not Hodinkee, I have no wish to become Hodinkee, and I do not have Hodinkee's budget. 👍

tyrantlizardrex · Apr 21, 2020

NikoMartinez_SYD
I think there needs to be preset discussion topics or a purpose for the zoom, maybe an agenda so people know what will happen in the session - i find lots of people join virtual GTG's and leave very quickly as they find it boring, not relevant or not to their tastes. Another idea would be approaching it from an educational angle and explaining the history of a movement or model... or individuals sharing stories on their pieces.

Hey @NikoMartinez_SYD,

These are pitched as a live panel discussion between the two hosts (Mat and me), and our two guests - who are announced on the invite before folks register.

You have to register to get in, so people know who will be talking. 😀

Each of the four of us "bring a watch" and get to talk about it, and answer questions/have a discussion with the panel.

We're able to have up to 95 "guests" who aren't on video/audio, but can ask question through a Q&A function and live chat.

So we're hitting a mix of collector nerdery, history, story telling, technology, and good old fashioned get-together pub chat... just from a distance. 😀

NikoMartinez_SYD · Apr 21, 2020

tyrantlizardrex
Hey @NikoMartinez_SYD,

These are pitched as a live panel discussion between the two hosts (Mat and me), and our two guests - who are announced on the invite before folks register.

You have to register to get in, so people know who will be talking. 😀

Each of the four of us "bring a watch" and get to talk about it, and answer questions/have a discussion with the panel.

We're able to have up to 95 "guests" who aren't on video/audio, but can ask question through a Q&A function and live chat.

So we're hitting a mix of collector nerdery, history, story telling, technology, and good old fashioned get-together pub chat... just from a distance. 😀

Nice sounds good to me !

sxl2004 · Apr 21, 2020

I haven’t listened so none of the comments apply to you Chris.
Every blog and website is upping their social media out put. There is a lot of meaning fee content, call it social noise. At the same time because we are caged in with our families and kids we have less time than before. No more commute to listen to podcasts etc. I just don’t have the time to listen to all the podcasts I used to listen to before COVID.
So it takes something very special to get ones attention nowadays and theme announcements might get people’s attention if they are interested.

Good luck!!!

tyrantlizardrex · Apr 21, 2020

sxl2004
I haven’t listened so none of the comments apply to you Chris.
Every blog and website is upping their social media out put. There is a lot of meaning fee content, call it social noise. At the same time because we are caged in with our families and kids we have less time than before. No more commute to listen to podcasts etc. I just don’t have the time to listen to all the podcasts I used to listen to before COVID.
So it takes something very special to get ones attention nowadays and theme announcements might get people’s attention if they are interested.

Good luck!!!

I’ve been having similar thoughts to be honest.

We fill up quite quickly for the live event - it’s the recordings that don’t do so well, and they have all the information in about what we covered.

I know from my own experience that time/attention is hard to grab and hold at the moment... just keen to make sure we’re not missing something, or doing something dumb/off putting! ::facepalm1::

Thanks for sharing your thoughts - much appreciated! 👍

seekingseaquest · Apr 21, 2020

Hi Chris - I cant speak to why the recordings aren’t being watched since I’ve been watching live 👍

However, when it first started, I was a bit disappointed that it was a panel format rather than a more interactive GTG (i.e. a more traditional video chat). Now, I don’t know how to go about having an interactive GTG in a broad-scale way, but I personally would be very interested in that sort of event.

I could also just stop being lazy and message a few folks to jump on video every once in a while..

tyrantlizardrex · Apr 21, 2020

Hey @seekingseaquest!

It would be great if there was a way to do that, and it not to be total, unmitigated chaos... anything beyond about 8 people and it just falls apart!

100% encourage you to have video catchups with watch collectors you’d normally hang out with - I’m doing that plus a fair amount of WhatsApp and phone calls with the folks I’d normally see and it is helping with my sanity no end.

gatorcpa · Apr 21, 2020

seekingseaquest
Now, I don’t know how to go about having an interactive GTG in a broad-scale way, but I personally would be very interested in that sort of event.

I wholeheartedly agree. Our firm has had virtual Zoom lectures with as many as 75 people where you could at least see the other attendees (with their approval, of course). We also did an online party with 40 people and Zoom works well in both formats.

I watched one of the taped T4aP's last week. The subject wasn't anything in which I had a particular interest, so it just wasn't for me.
gatorcpa

Vitezi · Apr 21, 2020

Pre-Covid, I preferred the podcasts because I could l̶i̶s̶t̶e̶n̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶y̶o̶u̶ ̶p̶r̶a̶t̶t̶l̶e̶ ̶o̶n̶ ̶w̶h̶i̶l̶e̶ ̶d̶o̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶s̶o̶m̶e̶t̶h̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶e̶l̶s̶e̶ fit them into my schedule. 😀 But echoing the comments of @sxl2004, I have much less me-time these days 🙁

TimeODanaos · Apr 21, 2020

Chris, I've tuned in to a couple of your recordings, but not all of them - yet. I've enjoyed being a non-live consumer of T4aP on YouTube, because it offers something I couldn't get to in person, so please keep it up, and really, thanks. I wouldn't get too down about your early re-broadcast audience numbers, because that really is the way people consume all content these days. I mean, I still have three series of Parks and Rec to get through, eventually - doesn't mean I don't want to! 😁

Larry S · Apr 21, 2020

3 and 4

nzshadow · Apr 21, 2020

I didn't know. I recently switched my podcast app because my phone sucks. I now use Stitcher which you are not on (nor is Jack Slack but that's another story). I had no idea you were doing Zoom calls. I need to subscribe to a mailing list i guess.

I absolutely love your show. Can't wait to binge the zoom content. That said - i do prefer passive listening vs active watching, as i can pop the headphones on & multitask & view.

DaveK · Apr 21, 2020

tyrantlizardrex
...Curious to learn what, if anything we're doing wrong/missing.

I signed up, in time I think, but didn’t get my “ticket” or a reminder, but I did get the follow up msg, and I am just waiting for some time to watch it. It’s on me that I didn’t get it on my calendar of course. Fortunately, I am still working , so life is really really busy. I do love the idea of attending live, or watching the repeats. Thx for the work!!

Foo2rama · Apr 21, 2020

I didn’t know you where doing them, and I didn’t know I could watch them.

killer67 · Apr 21, 2020

DaveK
I signed up, in time I think, but didn’t get my “ticket” or a reminder, but I did get the follow up msg, and I am just waiting for some time to watch it. It’s on me that I didn’t get it on my calendar of course. Fortunately, I am still working , so life is really really busy. I do love the idea of attending live, or watching the repeats. Thx for the work!!

I never got the sign in link either

ConElPueblo · Apr 22, 2020

I'd go with option 4. I don't watch watch reviews etc. on YouTube either, the attraction for me is the "live" experience.

tyrantlizardrex · Apr 22, 2020

Thanks for the feedback and thoughts folks - super useful for more ponderings.

@killer67 @DaveK - super weird. Did you sign up to the mailing list, or go through the eventbrite booking?

@Foo2rama - Forum posts seem to disappear down the list of new posts quickly these days... unless they’re about Speedmasters! 😉

@nzshadow - should be on stitcher... let me investigate and see if that’s broken!

@gatorcpa - the challenge with more open sessions/meetings is the total lack of control not only over content, but of what happens on screen. In a business context (I use Zoom for work) people tend to be professional... I’ve been on some social Zooms that have not been so professional. The thought with the panel was to provide something between a GTG and a live podcast where you can interact.

Zoom rooms could be an interesting option, but given that each room adds an extra $50 a month to the $65 a month subscription I’m already paying for, that’s not realistically going to happen.

Pondering "virtual get togethers" - have we got something wrong?

tyrantlizardrex

Dan S

NikoMartinez_SYD

tyrantlizardrex

tyrantlizardrex

NikoMartinez_SYD

sxl2004

tyrantlizardrex

seekingseaquest

tyrantlizardrex

gatorcpa

Vitezi

TimeODanaos

Larry S

nzshadow

DaveK

Foo2rama

killer67

ConElPueblo

tyrantlizardrex

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