communication | timotheories

Is There Any Way To Make It Play Itself? (Real Time Games update)

Posted on June 26, 2016 by Tim Kuefler

A few months back I wrote a niche post about an idea we have at timotheories.

I put it fairly directly at the time, and it still rings true, but I’ll expand on that idea today. The idea was one that might be obvious, but like many obvious ideas, it should be repeated. BECAUSE it’s important – Board games have been associated with children, fun, and idle time for a few decades, but the truth is that not only are they a lot of fun, they are now absolutely useful and necessary in our culture.

And they will continue to be a key feature of life as we become more reliant on digital tech to work, communicate, and conduct most affairs in our personal lives.

The reason for this need is that board games do something that is really is important for human beings, but which cannot be achieved via digital tech. Direct human contact.

See a little light bulb just went off, didn’t it?

But before we continue, we should clarify that much like realm of advertising, which is a component of marketing, and not a root word, board games are a facet of something larger and should be used in context. As dogs are to mammals, board games are a type of table top gaming.

Table top gaming can refer to games played with dice, cards, on a board, with tiles, timers, miniatures, wargames, and any other variation that would be done on a flat surface. Which is what separates them from live action role-playing games, video games or sports games. Which is why I would make the argument that playing sports or playing video games in the same room as your friends works decently well too. But video games aren’t made that way any more…

As for the politics surrounding chance for strategy in table top gaming, let’s not get into that today.

This is where Real Time Games came into the fold – Real Time Games, as I’ve mentioned before, is about people and sharing the joy of board games with them. My brother Ryan and I set up a weekly gaming group so that we could ensure that we spread the message, so-to-speak, about the hundreds of hobby games now available and which have slowly been cropping up since the turn of the century.

Nowadays, there are all kinds of hobby websites, YouTube channels, brick-and-mortar stores, and organizations that help promote this niche industry. But the proletariat are less versed in culture shift that needs to take place.

Yes, it’s happening, but ever-so-slowly, which is ironic given the motility we are supposed to have with the current technology at our fingertips.

And so we play different games every week, with the intent of sharing the social value of the games that we play. And my original plan was to develop a video series for Real Time Games wherein we discussed the value of said games via a standard table top review. But it occurred to me that that wasn’t a realistic use of Ryan’s time, and he wasn’t comfortable getting in front of the camera to declare expertise. So the idea sat, and ruminated for 6 months or so.

But now it looks like I have found a new partner in crime, and so Real Time Games evolves to become more timely delivering content to those who are using technology but looking for analog connection.

So please stay tuned as that idea unfolds. Because we’ll be discussing the latest and greatest at Edmonton’s new hot spot, The Gamer’s Lodge. I’m not going to reveal any more, since I’m out of theories for today, but stay tuned as I work with my new partner to set up this regular service and help flesh out our community.

Tim!

I #Love My #Dad (Father’s Day)

Posted on June 16, 2016 by Tim Kuefler

That’s right, we’re doing my first-ever reaction post to my own post. I’m sure it’s been done before, but this is exciting for me, because I get to refresh you memory about my Mother’s Day post, all while celebrating the fathers in our lives.

Even better for me, because Father’s Day is a very short 3 days away, so there is still time for you to reflect on this holiday before it happens, and hopefully do something meaningful for all the dads you know.

In anticipation of writing this post, I did basically nothing for research, and at first I thought maybe it was because I was tired from the work day, or maybe it was because my girlfriend is working out of town for the summer or maybe it’s because I was scared to write about Father’s Day because we don’t communicate with our dads very easily anymore.

I’m going to share a commercial with you dear readers. This time it won’t be a satire of Mother’s Day, because all of the comedy channels seem just as ill-prepared as I am for this holiday.

See, I promised something of a mirror post, and so far so good.

The ad we just watched explicitly pointed out how disconnected we are from our families, how little time we all appear to be spending on communication and teachable moments.

Dads have always been shown to be the solid figures in our lives, whether they are there for us or not, they are stoic in their presence and reliable. But this Gillette ad uses emotions to prove that all over the world children are leaning more and more on the internet for sage wisdom and less on one of their best real-world teachers, their dads.

I have a theory that the reason why the first few things that come up when you type “Father’s Day” into Google are gift ideas is that we don’t give our dads the real gifts that they would like communication and intimacy. When you go and ask your dad for advice, your giving him an opportunity to share knowledge with you and impart some of his own personality.

A poorly kept secret is that most everyone you and I know will admit that dads are hard to shop for, but while it’s true that many of them don’t want a gift, it’s because they would much rather have an experience with you.

Another reason why I personally think Father’s Day takes a backseat is because it was invented to complement Mother’s Day. And on top of that when Father’s Day initially took off, it only received attention through the promotion of it’s founder Sonora Smart Dodd. When she left to study at the Art Institute of Chicago in the 1920s, the holiday faded away.

When Dodd returned to her home town of Spoke in the 1930s, she began to promote the holiday again, this time focusing her efforts and raising awareness at a national level, so that it finally stuck in the United States.

Because we never gave fathers a holiday that was uniquely theirs we assumed that they would figure out how the want to celebrate it. The problem with this logic is that both mothers and fathers are wired to give more than receive after they have children, assuming they are healthy. If we want to celebrate our fathers properly we might need to turn inward and focus on them as individuals, rather than as symbols.

But that’s just a theory.

What do you think? Have I finally gone over the edge? Leave some comments below! Share! Subscribe! Otherwise, I’m out of theories for the week, I think I’ll take a break and wind down for my own fathers Father’s Day celebrations.

Tim!

One Hit Wonder (Communication Is Key)

Posted on May 18, 2016 by Tim Kuefler

Communication is a pain in the butt. Well, that’s what I used to think a long time ago. Being an artist, I was set up to be a recluse, because artists were outcasts. And it was a loneliness I chose.

That was what I told myself anyway.

When you are in your teenage years, and even early 20s, it can be incredibly convenient to look at the world in black and white. If you don’t fit in, it’s because you shouldn’t, so rebel, rebel, rebel. Hell it’s a rebel yell.

You know, I know adults who still do this. Walk around with a very limited view of things and an expectation that you either accept the “truth” they are hawking or they judge you and separate themselves from you. It’s a result of seeing the world the way you want to, and not the way it actually is.

I’m going to share a nugget with you, all you cute and wonderful and dear readers of mine. The truth is that nobody cares what you do with yourself and your time. People aren’t trying to get in your way, they are doing what they can to live their life (exist), escape their life (survive), or fulfill their life (thrive). I like to call it the EST models of life.

You want to thrive, trust me.

This is why it’s so incredibly important to follow the basic principles of communication. Anyone can do it. That’s right, we are reviewing another one of the key 10 skills to invest in. Artists can learn these skills, and everyone really should.

Communication is key.

Let’s recap. In a time when texting, email, and social media are the new favourites, try to use the phone more often. It saves on countless back and forth. And speaking of back and forth, be concise in your emails. Respond to calls and emails as quickly as you can, and when you can’t do that, set up a regular time to respond to your contacts.

But we’ll go over this in more detail because I have at least 200 words left to write. Ever heard of the 7 C’s of Communication? No, well it’s a fantastic way to keep your communication on point.

Clear – it’s important to define you purpose for communication, and keep the number of ideas to a minimum. For example, one idea per sentence. In a three line email, that’s a maximum of 3 ideas, capiche?
Concise – Get rid of all the filler words in your life. And don’t repeat yourself. Ever.
Concrete – You have to explain why people should care, that means using some MF emotion, passion, and keeping focused.
Correct – Oh this one’s a lot of fun. Make sure that you keep your communication error-free. And don’t use big words to make a statement. You can use relevant words, but don’t swim in pomposity.
Coherent – Remember when we were talking about clarity in point no. 1? Well you need to keep all the points in a communication relevant, otherwise people get overwhelmed. One topic per meeting, phone call or email.
Complete – Your message needs a call to action (when required) and details to keep the audience informed.
Courteous – Be friendly in your communication. Tell the truth and be open-minded. The book How To Win Friends and Influence People comes to mind.

And there you have it, I’ve just given communication to an artist who needs it. No greater gift for you fine folks on a wisdom Wednesday. That’s all she wrote though folks. I’m out of theories for the moment. I’ll see you tomorrow with something rather timely.

Tim!

Theories Unfurled (timotheories May 2016)

Posted on May 5, 2016 by Tim Kuefler

Hey there, dear readers! Can you feel it?

It’s the first Thursday of the month and that means it’s time for me to share with you this month’s schedule… Duh duh duh. It’s gonna be awesome though, so don’t hit backspace just yet or swipe left if you’re a millennial. The new schedule will ease all concerns.

*Disclaimer* As always, every week I purchase an album and movie one week ahead of the actual review release and while I have the best intentions, I don’t always get what I want… so if you follow me on instagram (@timotheories) you can actually see what’s coming.

In other words, I live in Canada, which is not as free and as brave as the US – please don’t be disappointed if the music and movie reviews change, because they’ll still be good ones. I promise.

Alright?

Great! Let’s get this show on the road! Here are the May entries you can expect to see on timotheories; I’ve even included the week of May 1-7 for easy recall later on –

Stimulating Sundays – (05/01) Importance of marketing, (05/08) your identity, (05/15) Cross Talk Ep.5, (05/29) David Wiens interview
Melodic Mondays – (05/02) Leon Bridges, (05/09) Plants and Animals, (05/16) LUH, (05/23) Mark Pritchard, (05/30) TBA
Theatrical Tuesdays – (05/03) Wolfcop, (05/10) Joy, (05/17) Deadpool, (05/24) The Witch, (05/31) Zoolander 2
Wisdom Wednesdays – (05/04) Quotes, (05/11) Ernest Hemingway, (05/18) communication is key, (05/25) evaluate life
Timely Thursday – (05/05) May 2016 preview, (05/12) Mother’s Day, (05/19) The Reading List, (05/26) flea markets

The year of all killer, no filler continues friends! As always we have an excellent lineup of reviews on film and music (if you’re a musician or filmmaker, drop me a line for your own review opportunity). We have an excellent Cross Talk lineup on the 15th, which coincidentally is my pick and close to my heart, so stay tuned for a case of David VS Goliath.

Okay, I know I’ve gotten into the habit of giving you a teaser of the Cross Talk episode, but I’ll do you one better and go into some more detail. This month Chris and I are going to be talking about under-appreciated films. The ones you love but can’t understand why they aren’t more popular… And we open up about our favourites too.

You won’t want to miss it.

Now let’s talk turkey about the May timotheories interview. So you know how I’ve been slowly improving on my videography skills, much like a ninja of motion? This is thanks, in large part, to the instruction of various creative types in my community who have given me advice on occasion. Well, I’ve decided to interview a friend of mine who is a photographer and a sculptor of light. He’s got an interesting back story too, but you’ll have to watch on the 29th to get the full picture. Might’ve been a bad pun there.

And now we’ve covered it all, my friends. Or have we?

As you know, we’ve been playing with the idea of introducing a tabletop gaming series on timotheories for a few months now, and this month might actually see the realization of that idea. But with a different name. And did I mention I’m opening up the lines for international creative types to take Q&As with me? May could have some of those interviews in store. If you think you’ve got the stuff to duel with keyboards, please send me a note.

And those are all of the theories I can come up with for now friends.

Please leave some comments, to let us know what you want to see in coming months and subscribe to the blog too!

Tim!

This Click-bait Will Change Your Blog For The Better (Buzzfeed)

Posted on April 20, 2016 by Tim Kuefler

Click-bait. We all hate it, and we hate it because of what it makes us feel inside. We click that link hoping that the headline will deliver on what it says or that picture will open up a gallery of wonders. But it never does… It just fulfills instant gratification, without any kind of growth. In case you have absolutely no idea what I am referring to dear readers, I’ve set up some examples, which will follow below.

He thought he was safe. What happened next changed his world.

Number 9 is the most shocking one!

Marketing companies hate her.

What they learned was terrifying.

We already knew it, but she perfected the delivery.

This idea will make you a better reader.

Click-bait is without a doubt, the perfect example of a pejorative word. With sneering and everything.

We’ve all been there, surfing the internet from the safety of our homes while rocking our PJs with a litre of red wine, while scrolling through our preferred media of consumption (insert Facebook, Reddit, Twitter, Google Reader or YouTube for starters) when we see it. A headline that just screams INSTANT GRATIFICATION. All you problems solved in one click. Knowledge, sex, fun, tears, power, miracles, etc.

But fuck that.

Click-bait doesn’t really solve any problems. In fact, it’s been designed by marketers to help generate revenue; quality and accuracy be damned. The goal is close the sale and get your curiosity past the point of intrigue but not sated enough that you can ignore the headline. And so you click. Because the thumbnail picture is conjuring feelings or the headline has a supposed spoiler in it. As I already mentioned, go anywhere on the internet and you are sure to find examples of click-bait in use.

It’s what made the website BuzzFeed so popular in the first place way back in 2006. It was originally founded as a hub for viral content, and it did a good job of bringing in users so that they would see content on its way up the social ladder, at the peak of its popularity, or content that was now overexposed and burning out fast.

With this traction the company was able to grow over the past decade and slowly become a source for internet media of all kinds, with a focus on digital media and tech. They’ve made great efforts to curate old content, deleting over four thousand articles at one point as they changed the face of their brand.

Now a website that once used click-bait of every kind to draw in traffic, instead produces their own daily content which consists of both articles and video, and has a staff of reporters, artists, and part-time contributors. Did I mention they also let their community contribute to the conversation?

Which means that they are more interested in traditional methods of publication now that they have traffic and want to have a good reputation too. Though they still click-bait. Man oh man do they still click-bait.

So why did you decide to write about Buzzfeed then timotheories?

Because I have this theory.

How convenient for me. And for you! You see dear readers, I think that click-bait is our generations version of hot topic marketing. It’s not that much of a stretch when you think about it, but have you thought about it?

That’s the real question.

You see, over the past couple of centuries in the western world, marketing as evolved just as much. We’ve gone from eras of trade, to production, to sales, to having marketing departments, to having marketing companies, to “relationship” marketing, and now we are in the middle of social/mobile marketing. This article goes into detail on it, but for our purposes I’ve included a handy little chart that D. Steven White put together.

As you can see, none of those marketing previous forms have died by any means, however, as they lost focus and became normative behaviours, creativity moved in new directions (as it always does) and communication had to go right along with it. Is click-bait the end-all-be-all answer in an era of social/mobile marketing? God no. But it is something to consider in the scheme of things, and it does have value.

So your task as an art maker, art shaker, and art breaker is to figure out all of the tools available, become an expert at marketing and move forward. But that’s something we can go into more detail on in a future post.

But what do you think? Am I missing notches on the marketing tool belt? Is click-bait not worth the time it took me to craft this sentence? Please leave some comments, subscribe to the blog, and share with your friends (artists, art enthusiasts, and humans apply)… I’m out of theories for today friends, I’ll catch you tomorrow with something timely.

Tim!