The Social Media Producer

The Social Media Producer – Derived from the Pool UGC project “Stage Fight”
Jonathon Hutchinson
hutchinson.jonathon@abc.net.au

Who am I?
A graduate from the Applied Communication Media Strand RMIT (2008)
I began studying Television (2nd year)
Returned to Radio production (3rd year)
This led to an interest in web based production
This also sparked an inclination to do honors (2009)

What I’m Currently Doing
Working at the ABC in Pool as a Community Manager/Social Media Producer
Coincides with my PhD research of “What is the Community Manager?”
This addresses the overarching question of “How does the ABC incorporate UGC into their practices?”

Community Based Arts
“usually a response to a collectively significant issue or circumstance. It is a collaboration between an an artist or an ensemble (group of artists) and a ‘community’ constituted by virtue of a shared primary identity based on place, ethnicity, class, race, sexual preference, profession, circumstances, or political orientation.” Jan Cohen Cruz: 2006

The Stage Fight Project
Background:
It was an investigation into UGC practices at Pool:
“As the Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s Radio National pursues its online, networked media presence, it is entering into the same media landscape shared by participatory cultures, changing the relationship between the audience or users and the broadcaster. As there is little work done in this area, the ABC appears to be unsure of how to engage with their users, posing a problem with the formula of production. By designing, producing, and managing a participatory culture project within the Pool Community, I am developing a framework that explores the relationship of the social media producer with the role of the national broadcaster within niche media groups with a view to producing user generated content. This will provide a case study on how the ABC can interact with its audience and users.”

I was interested in exploring the moment before a performer takes the stage, or the stage fright
What emotions they go through
What preparations they do
How does the performer fight this fright?

The Process (Pre-Production):
I had some idea, but it was really vague to begin with
Initially it was a generic Call Out
I interviewed other Social Media Producers
One common response – “Listen to you crowd”

I poked around Pool for some inspiration
Developed 10 pitch ideas, all with a musical undertow
Did some little ‘r’ research
This was the most important part of the process
Emails, forums, other communities/organisations, social networks

There were huge benefits from contacting people about the project
Hype
Information, 2 way street
Most Importantly, ‘they’ decided on my project
Here was a major shift in my approach

(Production)
Group Creation
Forum Creation
Writing the Pitch
Creating the Hype
Finding my own community

Provide some seeding content
Encourage my community
Comments were priceless
Weekly updates through emails
Keep stimulating the project through twists and turns, or plot developments
I looked for new audiences to bring in
I also looked for further applications of the production

(Post-Production)
Combining of the mediums
I Employed an actress
Relating the work back to the original brief
Kept feeding the remixed, or co-created works, back into the group
Multiple formats for multiple purposes

The Stage Fight Project - Learnings
Self Actualization
“I” am the expert on everything surrounding me
If I am treated as a media “professional”, I am more inclined to participate
Through the power of my story, I am able to participate in a cultural representation/conversation

“Emu Dance Class” - GB

Forums are your friend
Rely on your ‘friends’ for initial content
Personal contact is best
Continual contact keeps momentum
It is a lot of work
Incorporate any form of User Led Innovation
Keep a low level of entry

Things That Went Wrong
My radio pitch fell over
I went seriously off timeline and had to pull it back into shape
I didn’t estimate how much work was involved with groups and directing a motley crew
I didn’t allow enough time for design – project and not only the pretties

Why do we need a Social Media Producer?
“We think of the facilitators as social issue-focused artists/activists creating work to help agitate and advocate for change in policy” Joe Lambert: 2009

Why do we need a Social Media Producer?
The middle person
Has an idea of the bigger picture
Needs to be a personable person
Drinks from the same cup as the Community Manager
Must be up to date on all things tech, social, communication
Helps if they have a proven track record

The Tension Between Professional and Consumer
Essential to the Social Media Producer role
The SMP becomes the curator of these ‘prosumer’ works
The gatekeeper still exists within the broadcast industry
I see this role merging into a facilitator of the professional vs. consumer conversation

My Personal Perspective
Ever prosperous position
There is a need for someone that speaks the language in a media organisation
It allows me to incorporate my personal artistic practice
It was exciting to not be in control
Crowdsourcing is the future of communication
Media meritocracy is now!!
Co-creation opens avenues that aren’t possible with traditional forms of media
It is a field that I never thought I would be working in

Further Reading
Cohen-Cruz, Jan, 2006 Local Acts: Community-Based Performance in the United States. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press
Lambert, Joe, 2009 Where it all Started: The Centre for Digital Storytelling in California, Story Circle ed. John Hartley, Kelly McWilliam, Blackwell Publishing, Sussex
Bacon, J 2009, The Art of Community, O'Reilly Media, Sebastopol.
Dijck, Jv 2009, 'Users Like You? Theorizing agency in user-generated content', Media, Culture & Society, vol. 31, no. 1, pp. 41-58.
Lovink, G & Scholz, T 2007, The Art of Free Cooperation, Autonomedia, New York.
Axel Bruns and M. Bahnisch (2009). Social Media: Tools for User-Generated Content. Social Drivers behind Growing Consumer Participation in User-Led Content Generation. Brisbane, Smart Services CRC.
BBC (2009). "Have Your Say." Retrieved 27th Augst 2009, 2009, from http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/talking_point/default.stm.
Leadbeater, C. (2008). We-Think: Mass Innovation, Not Mass Production. London, Profile.
Lessig, L. (2004). Free Culture. New York, The Penguin Press.
Terry Flew, Stuart Cunningham, et al. (2008). Social Innovation, User Generated Content and the Future of the ABC and SBS as Public Service Media. C. Department of Broadband, and the Digital Economy. Brisbane: 26.

Links
The Project:
http://www.pool.org.au/group/stage_fight
The Remix:
http://www.pool.org.au/video/jonathon_hutchinson/stage_fight_the_remix
The Exegesis:
http://jonathonhutchinson.posterous.com/the-final-study
Image: “Gaze” by Stack : http://www.pool.org.au/image/stack/gaze

Contact
Email: hutchinson.jonathon@abc.net.au
Twitter: @dhutchman

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The Social Media Producer

by Jonathon Hutchinson on Feb 28, 2010

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The Social Media Producer — Webinar Transcript