July 18, 2007 12 Comments

Platform Platform Platform

Dave from Porter and Greg C and Lauren Write a book or a movie, and you have fans. Build a platform around it and you have people taking ownership. Why did so many people go see the Transformers movie? Because people of my generation all had the toys and played with them until their legs broke off from one too many accidental mis-transformations (you did it, too- don’t lie). Same with Star Wars. My brother had like 7 Luke Skywalkers because my dog used to bite their heads off.

It’s no longer good enough to just write a book, produce a podcast, make a show, entertain or educate. You have to build the platform to go around it. By platform, I mean “way for others to participate” and “more than just the book/product/thingy.” I mean something people can take hold of and DO.

Know who’s making a cool effort at this right now? Eric Rice with his Saijo City project. It’s a cyberpunk-like story/no-world!/no-video environment (all!) that will skip across several platforms and media before it’s done doing what it does. And he lets you participate. Hell, I’ve already contributed via his Infocalypse social network, adding corporations and small potential subplots to the proposed story.

If you’re a band, release the album *and* the Pro Tools files. If you’re a writer, build ways for people to be their own characters in your world, or build legal policy into your publishing rights to permit fan fiction, remixes, mashups – whatever.

Want to blow your mind? Read about how Barbie might have the biggest virtual world. Crazy, right? No way. Barbie is out there taking over. She has a platform.

What are YOU doing, and does it lend itself to participation? If answer=no, rethink.

Thoughts?

Related posts:

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  • http://www.ldpodcast.com Whitney

    Hey CB- the Barbie link is dead.
    I go back to what Douglas Adams said in his radio 4 programs on the Hitchhiker’s guide to the Future: It’s all about interactivity.
    We are social creatures and we are dying to interact with the people that create things that excite us. There are authors I’d love to talk to, but many sit behind the wall created by their publishers, preventing any conversation.
    But then, there’s blogs. I was never so thrilled as the day when I wrote about Sarah Susanka’s “Not So Big Life” book on my blog, and the next comment was from her. We emailed back and forth, and I realized that we all have a voice. We are all responsible for knowing what is said about us, and to make an effort to interact and reach out. To form communities without feeling hampered by having to ask permission first.
    It’s all about the community and interactivity.

  • http://www.ldpodcast.com Whitney

    Hey CB- the Barbie link is dead.
    I go back to what Douglas Adams said in his radio 4 programs on the Hitchhiker’s guide to the Future: It’s all about interactivity.
    We are social creatures and we are dying to interact with the people that create things that excite us. There are authors I’d love to talk to, but many sit behind the wall created by their publishers, preventing any conversation.
    But then, there’s blogs. I was never so thrilled as the day when I wrote about Sarah Susanka’s “Not So Big Life” book on my blog, and the next comment was from her. We emailed back and forth, and I realized that we all have a voice. We are all responsible for knowing what is said about us, and to make an effort to interact and reach out. To form communities without feeling hampered by having to ask permission first.
    It’s all about the community and interactivity.

  • http://www.ldpodcast.com Whitney

    Hey CB- the Barbie link is dead.
    I go back to what Douglas Adams said in his radio 4 programs on the Hitchhiker’s guide to the Future: It’s all about interactivity.
    We are social creatures and we are dying to interact with the people that create things that excite us. There are authors I’d love to talk to, but many sit behind the wall created by their publishers, preventing any conversation.
    But then, there’s blogs. I was never so thrilled as the day when I wrote about Sarah Susanka’s “Not So Big Life” book on my blog, and the next comment was from her. We emailed back and forth, and I realized that we all have a voice. We are all responsible for knowing what is said about us, and to make an effort to interact and reach out. To form communities without feeling hampered by having to ask permission first.
    It’s all about the community and interactivity.

  • http://www.mikeypod.com MikeyPod

    I am so happy I discovered you and your blog. Ideas like these cross my mind and then are quickly shot down by my often nay-saying mind. You inspire me to move forward in spite of my self doubt.

    thanks!

  • http://www.mikeypod.com MikeyPod

    I am so happy I discovered you and your blog. Ideas like these cross my mind and then are quickly shot down by my often nay-saying mind. You inspire me to move forward in spite of my self doubt.

    thanks!

  • http://www.mikeypod.com MikeyPod

    I am so happy I discovered you and your blog. Ideas like these cross my mind and then are quickly shot down by my often nay-saying mind. You inspire me to move forward in spite of my self doubt.

    thanks!

  • Andy

    I broke my neighbor’s Optimus Prime when I was a kid.

  • Andy

    I broke my neighbor’s Optimus Prime when I was a kid.

  • Andy

    I broke my neighbor’s Optimus Prime when I was a kid.

  • http://ericrice.com Eric Rice

    Well thanks for the props, you helped get me off my lazy butt and write up the most coherent overview to date of Saijo City:

    http://www.ericrice.com/blog/2007/07/19/complicated-simplicity-the-saijo-city-project/

  • http://ericrice.com Eric Rice

    Well thanks for the props, you helped get me off my lazy butt and write up the most coherent overview to date of Saijo City:

    http://www.ericrice.com/blog/2007/07/19/complicated-simplicity-the-saijo-city-project/

  • http://ericrice.com Eric Rice

    Well thanks for the props, you helped get me off my lazy butt and write up the most coherent overview to date of Saijo City:

    http://www.ericrice.com/blog/2007/07/19/complicated-simplicity-the-saijo-city-project/