Part of my studies include being able to work with students on their projects by providing feedback and being a sounding board for them to bounce ideas off. Here’s my comments on some of the projects my peers have been working on and I have been following this semester.
Frank and the Moriboys.
Frank’s Digital Artefact has been the internet presence of his hip-hop clothing brand and it’s iteration: Moriboys. This has included his Facebook, Instagram, Spotify playlist, TikTok, and Twitter. I really encourage you to read his BETA and see his journey for yourself.
I really have enjoyed following Frank’s progress since the beginning of this semester. I am not in Frank’s target audience. I have never been in the hip-hop realm and have found his project quite fresh to me because of that. Particularly, I found that I really like the aesthetic that Frank has built with his Instagram and Spotify in particular.
My favourite thing about his BETA though was his realistic review of his progress and outcome for input. In his blog, Frank shows screenshots for his progress and admits honestly that he “underestimated the amount of BTS work that goes into starting up an independent clothing brand“. Building a brand is incredibly difficult, especially over multiple platforms. I have tried myself in the past and gave up because of the immense task it becomes. This realistic view of his wins and setbacks was honest and the right way to look at a project still in these early stages.
I also really appreciated how Frank took my advice from my last review in how he writes and curates his Blog. Focusing less on jargon and keywords from our degree and more on the expression of his goals and progress. This made the BETA easier to read and follow.
Frank’s project itself is as he says “a little over confident“. The main thing he is lacking is more consistent and regular content. His post’s on all platforms are slow with weeks in-between. With the post’s this semester he has been irregular; having weeks where he posts lots, and others with no activity at all.
I have noticed, the content he does receive an average amount of engagement for a user account. Of this, he has done an excellent job of reengaging with his audience with follow backs and replying to comments. Moriboys Music is also a great example of listening to his audience and iteration to suit.
Feedback loops are ever present, even in apparent absence. Approximately 20% of his instagram followers, 5% of his facebook audience, and 13% of his Twitter audience are engaging directly with his activity. Frank saw an early success with instagram posts that contained direct info about this merch, as well as artists local artists he aims to support. This shows an iteration moment where he has continued to prioritise this type of content in response to his feedback. His website is also a point of iteration as he works to update it ready for his November release.
The only suggestion I can give Frank is to keep pushing his presence. Lots of little things make a huge difference. Especially when noticing the improvements they make and iterating too increase them. Creating more content around local artists appears to be his current strength and I would recommend exploring this path further.
Overall, Frank’s project is a slow boulder at the top of a hill. The boulder has started moving, but hasn’t picked up speed. With more pushing directly into his spaces, Moriboys has a lot of potential energy ready to release.
Julia and The Tin Knees
Julia’s Digital Artefact has been the continuation of the internet presence for The Tin Knees and its moderation and curation. This has included their Facebook and Instagram accounts. I really encourage you to read her BETA and see how she has carefully iterated over the past few months.
I’ve really enjoyed following Julia and The Tin Knees progress this semester. Especially her discussion and contributions in our class seminars. Her insights have been helpful not only for the class, but as shown in her BETA post, for her in a practical sense also.
My favourite thing about her BETA was her clear focus on iterating from feedback. This is the core of our projects and the main tools we are learning to use as media professionals. Julia makes it exceptionally clear that she has heard feedback from her audience and peers and has iterated accordingly.
I particularly appreciate how Julia responded to my feedback in one of my previous comments and blog posts. Accepting not only mine, but two other peers comments with humility and dignity. Julia used these as her springboard this semester to tech her audience with “quality over quantity“.
One interesting point in particular was her decision to lesson posts rather than increase them. Her decision, formed from the feedback of peers and prediction of her audiences response, contributed to growth for the page. I was surprised by this, however with her very careful plan, The Tin Knees should have a lot of content for weeks to come.
My suggestion for Julia would be to reintegrate the use of The Tin Knees Facebook page as a platform. To keep this simple (as she has declared this as a goal of hers) I would recommend simply linking accounts so that anything posted on Instagram gets added to Facebook also. I found this particular tip helpful in some of my previous projects as it allows for double the exposure without doubling my work, keeping it Fast, Inexpensive, Simple, and Tiny.
Overall Julia and The Tin Knees are a wacky and interesting band with a unique aesthetic. Julia has worked hard to reflect their personalities and aesthetics into their digital presence. Her open-mindedness has allowed for great iteration and adaption. The only way now is forward.
Great work Frank and Julia! I’ve enjoyed watching your progress and adaptations with this project over the past few months. Check out their different projects and support them in their digital spaces.
Boswell's Brain 