Everything is packaging
Without that, we wouldn't be enticed
If you thought only biscuits and soaps and other consumer products required packaging, think again.
Why do we have fancy graphics, expensive sets and flashing lights for all the shows on TV?
It's packaging.
That's what draws you in.
Do you remember how reputed news anchors looked across channels in the early days of the lock down?
Completely stressed out and without makeup to maintain the illusion.
Every celebrity realised how crucial make up and lighting is to project a carefully choreographed feature.
They looked like the rest of us. How humbling is that?
The masks don't help on-ground reporters either.
Not seeing lips move when people speak makes interest levels drop dramatically,
For a short while, they tried selfie-stick mounted mics to maintain social distancing. But the frames looked awful.
Flattering camera angles again are packaging.
And when you can't include two or more people into the same frame, it cuts intimacy and makes interactions artificial
Which they are.
So, reality shows, talk shows, music concerts and events need packaging. The backgrounds, the build up and the reveal are all the outer layers.
Except that it is experiences being packaged instead of products.
Without that, we wouldn't buy into them.
Tips to extend the life of your content on LinkedIn
The common wisdom is to stick to posts, avoid images and links and post frequently.
But you also have to understand how long the medium circulates your content through organic reach.
Is it days or weeks?
You have to watch how long you keep getting ‘Likes’ and comments. That’s a good indicator of how long it’s still showing up on other people’s feeds.
Another factor that helps - your comments on other people’s posts. That fuels interest in your profile.
Not just by saying 'Great' or 'Fab post' but taking the thoughts and ideas in the post and extending the author’s points.
It improves your own feed. And the algorithms serves up content it has been trained on . Gems written 3 weeks or a month ago will surface on your feed.
I frequently see complaints from people that their LInkedIn feed is below par, the algorithm doesn't work and they're seeing a lot of spam.
Modify behaviour and begin to 'like' the posts you genuinely learn from.
Like any other social network, LinkedIn uses that as the signal to serve up posts on your feed about subjects you want to engage with or know more about.
Random likes will lead to random news feeds. Mixed signals don't help
And algorithms don't know how to prioritise when you send out mixed signals.
So try this over the next few weeks. Keep liking the posts of people you want to hear more from. Comment with purpose. And watch your feed improve.
This time, Back to School is different
How did GoogleClassroom and GoogleMeet become the staple of family conversations in India?
'Smart' classrooms now look like a dumb idea.
They were expensive and teachers found it difficult to adapt.
The virus has reinvented education more in the last 2 months than the collective sales efforts of education companies for years.
So class codes and training sessions are flying back and forth on WhatsApp.
The smartphone has become a lifesaver. And another flash point of sibling rivalry.
If everyone has to be online, how many computers do you need at home? Can smartphone time be rationed? How do you juggle Time tables?
Teachers are trying the unfamiliar routine of going online to teach students who are small squares on tiny screens.
How do you ask questions? What does screen sharing mean? How do you mark attendance?
The WhatsApp message trails run longer than trekking routes.
No one's flaunting a new school bag. Or lunch boxes. Or being dropped at school and picked up in the evening.
No one is racing around the school grounds or playing pranks in class. There is no one is class.
No one's getting a new nickname. No one is making new friends. No one is experiencing heartbreak for the first time.
What's will change? And what won't?