Chris Pirillo » geeks-pirillo-com

Are You a Geek, or are You a Ninja?

Chris Pirillo — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 08:17:08 +0000

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You’re either with us… or you’re one of them. For centuries, a silent war has been waged between two groups of people. Each group is very proud, very skilled, and very intelligent. This war has not been publicized in mainstream media. Not even the bloggers have talked about it. But this is something that means something to me, and should mean something to you. If you are a Geek, if you have Geeky things, or even if you just identify with the word Geek… this should be important to you.

I’m going to share with you a website that has been years in the making. I hope you’ll appreciate what we’ve done. Many people have died over the building of this website. As we were trying to get it completed, something would happen. Tonight, I’m taking a stand while I’m sitting down, because the other group started it. The Geeks are at war with the Ninjas. Are you a Ninja? Are we Ninja? Or are you Geek?!

I know you may think this doesn’t matter, and that it’s just another one of my silly games. No! We have a website, and a domain. That means we’re taking it seriously. Geek Vs Ninja asks one simple question. Which one are you? How do you register your vote? Simply join one website or the other. Right now, the Ninjas are kicking our proverbial asses. There are nearly 10,000 Ninjas, while there are currently less than 4000 Geeks.

Which one are you? If you are Geeky in any way, shape or form… you better make sure you join the site and help us to defeat the Ninjas, once and for all. You are going down, Ninjas.

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Are You a Geek, or are You a Ninja?

What Information Should You Put in a Social Profile?

Chris Pirillo — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 04:33:11 +0000

What Information Should You Put in a Social Profile?

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When you build a profile for yourself on a social networking site, do you put much thought into it? Do you take the time to really make it stand out, and reflect who you really are? You should, you know. Your profile on sites such as my new Geeks site can make or break you if you don’t follow tips like these.

Be YOU. Be honest, be descriptive, be straightforward, be humorous. The more someone looks at your profile and learns about who you are, the more likely they will be to stick around and follow you.
Watch what you say. Remember your PUGS. Watch your grammar, usage, and punctuation. Use your SHIFT key to capitalize the first word of every sentence (and proper nouns). Remember that the sentence usually ends with a period… or some type of punctuation.
Make it look like you. Customize your theme to your liking. Drag elements around, include an RSS feed, embed photos, videos, widgets, and so on. On Geeks, you can customize many things in your profile, such as the colors, what’s included, etc.
Do something different. Why would someone want to add you as a friend? What are you doing to evoke a response, other than asking for it directly? What’s going to make people want to connect with you?
Avatar. Your avatar must be family-friendly. The picture needs to be square, and 183×183 pixels works best. If your image is larger than that, the site will automatically resize it for you, and your avatar could end up looking bad.

People are saying that Geeks is like a cross between MySpace and Facebook. We’re geared towards Geeks, though! We’re trying to do something different, although it’s still a social networking type of site.

What kind of Geek are you? You do realize you don’t have to be a computer Geek in order to join us, right? If you are passionate about something, then you are a Geek. You can be a music Geek, a motorcycle Geek, or even a toothbrush Geek! Come check us out. I guarantee you’ll find something to grab your interest, and keep you coming back.

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What Information Should You Put in a Social Profile?

What’s the Best Way to Write a Forum or Blog Post?

Chris Pirillo — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 04:16:16 +0000

What’s the Best Way to Write a Forum or Blog Post?

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If you’re looking to write on Geeks or any other site, you need to make sure you create good content. There are many factors involved in this process. I’ve written out my top five points to keep in mind, to help you get started.

Lead with a strong headline. Sometimes it’s a leading question, sometimes it’s a statement that pulls people into reading what’s inside. Single words or simple phrases are to be avoided in a headline if at all possible.
Remember your PUGS. It’s short for: Punctuation, Usage, Grammar, Spelling. This isn’t a text message, and it isn’t a Twitter post.
Don’t just ask a simple question. If you want responses, spend a great degree of time crafting your position in the matter. If anything, this is why I always like to do “top 5 lists” – people love digesting well thought-out bullet points. If you’re covering a news story or product launch, what about some photos, videos, original text. Never copy someone else’s content – especially without permission. Quote your sources.
Use others If other community members have started threads that are active and/or relevant to what you’re going to write about, link to them! It’s cross-discovery, not a competition.
Own it. You can write about anything, just own what you say. Don’t treat opinions like facts, and vice versa. If something is a rumor, TREAT IT as a rumor.

Write about what you know, and what you’re passionate about. Your words equal your identity online. It’s imperative you take the time to know what you’re writing, and why. By writing well thought-out content, you will build a following. People with similar interests will gravitate to you, and want to know what you have to say.
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What’s the Best Way to Write a Forum or Blog Post?

Do You Need Community Group Leader Tips?

Chris Pirillo — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 03:56:47 +0000

Do You Need Community Group Leader Tips?

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After only a few days, we have well over 2,000 members on the new Geeks community site! We’re growing like crazy, and many excellent groups and discussions are popping up. There are, of course, the occasional group that we need to delete, or even duplicates to get rid of. What constitutes a good group, anyway? How can you successfully lead your own community group?

Search for a group keyword before you start your own. Otherwise, you’re splitting the community instead of uniting it. If you’ve already started a group, this is very counter-productive.
Create a group if you believe a group is worth creating. Otherwise, you’re wasting space and time with the effort (and wonder why nobody wants to join or participate).
Fill that group with useful content. Dedicate time out of your day to post news links, start discussions, embed videos, audio, widgets, and photos related to the group’s shared interest.
Turn on the RSS Reader Include an RSS feed to automatically populate the Group with relevant content. If you don’t know what an RSS feed is, you’re not a geek.
Use a Web site relevant to the Group. Don’t use your personal website, just to try and drive traffic to yourself. Only use your own site if it’s full of content that is regularly update, all of which is directly related to your group.
Spamming the link to it is a bad idea. Let it grow organically. Find friends outside the Geeks network to join, and you’re likely to see membership flourish. Think about all the other communities and groups on the Web that you’re involved in – tell them about it there. This is your chance to lead a Group related to your passion – that’s what makes you a geek!
Please add me as an Admin for your group. Right now, the system won’t do it automatically. This way, I can make adjustments without having to ask you first. It’s a current shortcoming to the platform we’re using for Geeks today.
My suggestion is to turn off the ability for members to send messages to the entire group. Spamming is going to dissuade people from coming back, not encourage them.
If you’re an administrator for a group, use spell check and your shift key when appropriate. Nothing turns me off more than poor grammar, usage, punctuation, etc. I will not join a group that’s lead by someone who does not have command of his or her native language.
Keep it civil, especially as a Group administrator. It’s your responsibility to maintain balance and decorum. If you can’t handle this responsibility, DON’T CREATE A GROUP.

If your Group does not have any new content within a day of inception, it’s getting deleted – no questions asked. If your Group does not sustain at least a few new pieces of content every week, it’s on probation. It is YOUR responsibility as Group owner / administrator to keep it going – not necessarily the members of that Group. They joined because they’re interested, but you have to step up to the plate and serve them as much as you expect them to serve the group.

Geeks is shaping up to be an amazing community, full of some awesome people. If you’re already a member, have fun! If you’re not… what the heck are you waiting for? You’re missing out!

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Do You Need Community Group Leader Tips?