Friday 20 November 2009

The Three Faces of You, Online - HOW TO MAKE A HIT INTERNET SHOW #6

Still trying to reconcile what I do online with the different things I do in work.

And I don't think I am alone in this.

(Alone as you can be with 3 personae).

There's the public you.
The corporate site.
The online CV.
The good photo, the good 'sell'.
This is you if you were PR'd by the Soviet news agency TASS in the good old days. Bold images, positive messages.
The best foot forward, but the dullest stream.

There's the friendly you.
Stuff that's only relevant to mates you know, or material you'd want to share with "those who've been there" with you.

Then there's the controversial you.
The dislikes, the tensions, the struggles.
The stuff that's REALLY interesting.
The stuff that really makes you an individual,
but which you're not sure should be for broadcast.

Hugh MacLeod Hugh McCloud Hugh McLeodFelicia DayStephen Fry


Those who've really been successful online have managed to find a line between all three. Or, even, managed to avoid falling into any one of these three.
All of their work is directed into one 'place' on the web, and has a sense of honesty which does not work against them.
Hats off to them, it's a real achievement.


So here's a question,
- can you, or should you, combine all three faces in your online work?

Will 'Online Celebrity' from now on reward those brave enough to present all three faces in their electronic footprint?


I'm wrestling with this because I'm thinking that properly rounded online characters benefit from a combination of the three in what's presented of them to the audience.

Whether it's Bree's youtube posts in lonelygirl15, KateModern's bebo profiles, or Hardy Bucks tweets.
All this material helps the character become more three dimensional.
And the 'voyeurism' is what brings us back for more.


It's more work to upload this extra material, but it's the kind of development work you do as a writer anyway - might mean it doesn't go to waste, and even helps the audience to directly challenge the character when a web show is 'live'...


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