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Post by 💛Potatoes💛 on Dec 19, 2022 17:11:49 GMT 9
Hello my name is Big Potatoes and I hate paper
Okay so going into next year it seems city hall wants their only (and expensive) CIR to promote the city more via our seasonal magazine (before COVID it was published 4 times a year, since then and up to now it's been twice a year)
Thing is, for the amount of prep and WASTE that goes into mass producing this magazine, very few people seem to read it. And it's ended up late due partly to my own time management but mainly due to me not being given much guidance and being told to change stuff constantly at the 11th hour. I don't think anybody else has really thought about that though, they seem happy to keep paying the CIR so long as it seems like she's actually doing work (hard work, not necessarily efficient work or more effective promotion of the city). There's a lot more painful stuff that goes along with this magazine that I won't get into but I don't feel very motivated to continue it twice a year, let alone 4 times a year. It often clashes badly with 出前講座s and I genuinely think this city deserves better promotion. I believe social media is the way to do that but I'd need to discuss having a bit less red tape and maybe having them fix our 課's really good camera that has remained broken for a year despite my complaints
Aside from building my case as best I can with drafts and examples of say, SNS promotion I could do instead of a 4times yearly magazine, does anyone have any suggestions? I told my coworker how I felt and that I'd like to have a meeting about making changes to the magazine but I feel like my assigned promotional work needs a bit of an overhaul. I think the message will be passed on. But I guess the bigger question is should I:
A. Stop caring so much, do what they ask, make minimal effort with creative input (less stressful but much less personally fulfilling)
B. Really speak up about everything on my mind as politely as possible (risky, I don't want to seem self-righteous or condescending, it's their city after all, but I can work so much better and harder when I believe it'll pay off with more than just my wages)
C. Go for a really gradual approach? Maybe a twice yearly magaine with the other two seasons focusing on SNS? rip the non-SNS seasons tho
D. Give paper a chance hue
Edit: The magazine is available online as well as physically printed, but it has to be divided up into 3 PDFs because of our potato work computers and website not being able to handle an 8 page PDF apparently
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Post by Springjay on Dec 20, 2022 8:37:59 GMT 9
that's a tough one, I see how it would feel demotivating to pour so much effort into something that isn't really well read or known.
If you have other work you could be doing instead, I feel like you could argue for only doing it twice a year, but I wonder if it might look bad to just flat out refuse to do it at all...
If it's available online though, could you be using social media to spread awareness of the magazine (and maybe have less phyiscal copies printed?)
In my office, we make one of those as well, but it's every 2 months (and my coworker does it, not me). I like it because we post about events that just happened or are about to happen, and are also running a やさしい日本語 series where coworker pulls real life examples of fliers, notices, etc. and shows how you can rewrite it to be easier to understand for foreigners.
Ours is only 4 pages total though, not a whopping 8 like yours
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Post by 💛Potatoes💛 on Dec 20, 2022 9:05:59 GMT 9
that's a tough one, I see how it would feel demotivating to pour so much effort into something that isn't really well read or known. If you have other work you could be doing instead, I feel like you could argue for only doing it twice a year, but I wonder if it might look bad to just flat out refuse to do it at all... If it's available online though, could you be using social media to spread awareness of the magazine (and maybe have less phyiscal copies printed?) In my office, we make one of those as well, but it's every 2 months (and my coworker does it, not me). I like it because we post about events that just happened or are about to happen, and are also running a やさしい日本語 series where coworker pulls real life examples of fliers, notices, etc. and shows how you can rewrite it to be easier to understand for foreigners. Ours is only 4 pages total though, not a whopping 8 like yours Yeah I probably shouldn't suggest stopping it completely. I wrote that option in a moment of despair hue It's 6 pages of content plus the front and back cover, so 8 in total but yeah I had a terrible time uploading the last issue on our website, not like it was a massive PDF. Still, I use our SNS pages to promote it, but at this stage promoting the autumn issue right around christmas is a bit of a joke. I could have been promoting autumn stuff the whole time on social media while it was still relevant I did suggest lessening the volume of content and having both languages printed on the same page (not a seperate printed translation summary on regular A4 paper shoved awkwardly inside the magazine  ) I think I'll ask if I can do the magazine twice a year, and do more SNS content for the other two seasons. Then we can compare which is more effective and go from there I guess? Idk That やさしい日本語 series sounds awesome!! There's already a section in my office (not my section somehow) that would oversee that kind of thing but I imagine that's super helpful |
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Post by spaceymagey on Dec 20, 2022 10:13:06 GMT 9
Hello my name is Big Potatoes and I hate paper Okay so going into next year it seems city hall wants their only (and expensive) CIR to promote the city more via our seasonal magazine (before COVID it was published 4 times a year, since then and up to now it's been twice a year) Thing is, for the amount of prep and WASTE that goes into mass producing this magazine, very few people seem to read it. And it's ended up late due partly to my own time management but mainly due to me not being given much guidance and being told to change stuff constantly at the 11th hour. I don't think anybody else has really thought about that though, they seem happy to keep paying the CIR so long as it seems like she's actually doing work (hard work, not necessarily efficient work or more effective promotion of the city). There's a lot more painful stuff that goes along with this magazine that I won't get into but I don't feel very motivated to continue it twice a year, let alone 4 times a year. It often clashes badly with 出前講座s and I genuinely think this city deserves better promotion. I believe social media is the way to do that but I'd need to discuss having a bit less red tape and maybe having them fix our 課's really good camera that has remained broken for a year despite my complaints Aside from building my case as best I can with drafts and examples of say, SNS promotion I could do instead of a 4times yearly magazine, does anyone have any suggestions? I told my coworker how I felt and that I'd like to have a meeting about making changes to the magazine but I feel like my assigned promotional work needs a bit of an overhaul. I think the message will be passed on. But I guess the bigger question is should I: A. Stop caring so much, do what they ask, make minimal effort with creative input (less stressful but much less personally fulfilling) B. Really speak up about everything on my mind as politely as possible (risky, I don't want to seem self-righteous or condescending, it's their city after all, but I can work so much better and harder when I believe it'll pay off with more than just my wages) C. Go for a really gradual approach? Maybe a twice yearly magaine with the other two seasons focusing on SNS? rip the non-SNS seasons tho D. Give paper a chance hue Edit: The magazine is available online as well as physically printed, but it has to be divided up into 3 PDFs because of our potato work computers and website not being able to handle an 8 page PDF apparently would collaboration with other jets in your area be possible? the Bear Origin yoka is a similar online only pdf magazine. the pa's recruit people to provide articles, pictures, and recruit an editor to design the pieces together. maybe if some other jets are willing to help assemble the magazine, that could be less work for you? divvy things up, per se. otherwise i'm leaning towards C, especially if you can slowly taper off the paper publication into only online/only SNS. plus, you could maybe press for a "not always 6 pages" angle, considering the recent publication schedule and how your page can't handle 8 pages all at once. unless they're really stubborn v.v; |
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Post by 💛Potatoes💛 on Dec 20, 2022 10:30:49 GMT 9
Hello my name is Big Potatoes and I hate paper Okay so going into next year it seems city hall wants their only (and expensive) CIR to promote the city more via our seasonal magazine (before COVID it was published 4 times a year, since then and up to now it's been twice a year) Thing is, for the amount of prep and WASTE that goes into mass producing this magazine, very few people seem to read it. And it's ended up late due partly to my own time management but mainly due to me not being given much guidance and being told to change stuff constantly at the 11th hour. I don't think anybody else has really thought about that though, they seem happy to keep paying the CIR so long as it seems like she's actually doing work (hard work, not necessarily efficient work or more effective promotion of the city). There's a lot more painful stuff that goes along with this magazine that I won't get into but I don't feel very motivated to continue it twice a year, let alone 4 times a year. It often clashes badly with 出前講座s and I genuinely think this city deserves better promotion. I believe social media is the way to do that but I'd need to discuss having a bit less red tape and maybe having them fix our 課's really good camera that has remained broken for a year despite my complaints Aside from building my case as best I can with drafts and examples of say, SNS promotion I could do instead of a 4times yearly magazine, does anyone have any suggestions? I told my coworker how I felt and that I'd like to have a meeting about making changes to the magazine but I feel like my assigned promotional work needs a bit of an overhaul. I think the message will be passed on. But I guess the bigger question is should I: A. Stop caring so much, do what they ask, make minimal effort with creative input (less stressful but much less personally fulfilling) B. Really speak up about everything on my mind as politely as possible (risky, I don't want to seem self-righteous or condescending, it's their city after all, but I can work so much better and harder when I believe it'll pay off with more than just my wages) C. Go for a really gradual approach? Maybe a twice yearly magaine with the other two seasons focusing on SNS? rip the non-SNS seasons tho D. Give paper a chance hue Edit: The magazine is available online as well as physically printed, but it has to be divided up into 3 PDFs because of our potato work computers and website not being able to handle an 8 page PDF apparently would collaboration with other jets in your area be possible? the Bear Origin yoka is a similar online only pdf magazine. the pa's recruit people to provide articles, pictures, and recruit an editor to design the pieces together. maybe if some other jets are willing to help assemble the magazine, that could be less work for you? divvy things up, per se. otherwise i'm leaning towards C, especially if you can slowly taper off the paper publication into only online/only SNS. plus, you could maybe press for a " not always 6 pages" angle, considering the recent publication schedule and how your page can't handle 8 pages all at once. unless they're really stubborn v.v; I love that idea!! There's one particular ALT who takes amazing photos with his insane smartphone camera. Assuming I'll be publishing at least two magazines next year I might ask for some photos and give him credit (and some beers hue) if he and the joushis agree I'm leaning towards C now and yes, I hinted towards 6 pages being a lot but I'm going to be more blunt when if I get to have that meeting |
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Post by usamaru on Dec 20, 2022 11:36:31 GMT 9
💛Potatoes💛 i personally think paper still has many merits that SNS doesn't so it's not a complete waste ^^;; however i agree that you should largely change the way the magazine is done so that it's fulfilling for you and an effective promotion piece. there were already some great points brought up on how you can do that! you didn't specifically mention who the target of the magazine is, but you could try negotiate to change it and therefore the direction of what content goes in the magazine. i remember getting the tourism magazine featuring the yamanashi cirs in a kairan one year and it really hooked me into visiting that prefecture one day! it's a beautifully done magazine though with a proper budget though (oh how i wish i had that too). so who knows how far paper may go! btw i did some googling and i think i found you and said newsletter and had a look heh i hope you don't mind
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Post by 💛Potatoes💛 on Dec 20, 2022 11:47:33 GMT 9
💛Potatoes💛 i personally think paper still has many merits that SNS doesn't so it's not a complete waste ^^;; however i agree that you should largely change the way the magazine is done so that it's fulfilling for you and an effective promotion piece. there were already some great points brought up on how you can do that! you didn't specifically mention who the target of the magazine is, but you could try negotiate to change it and therefore the direction of what content goes in the magazine. i remember getting the tourism magazine featuring the yamanashi cirs in a kairan one year and it really hooked me into visiting that prefecture one day! it's a beautifully done magazine though with a proper budget though (oh how i wish i had that too). so who knows how far paper may go! btw i did some googling and i think i found you and said newsletter and had a look heh i hope you don't mind LMAO yeah there's a monthly newsletter and a 'seasonal' magazine. Physical copies of both seem to go to waste but at least the newletter can be uploaded easily so my main issue is with the magazine. Thank you for restoring some of my faith in paper though! I'm gonna need that faith for the rest of my time at city hall Yeah it's a long story but the person who was supposed to give me guidance with all of this when I started got whisked away for covid related work and then got transferred about a week after they came back. So I don't even know who the target audience is or what the magazine is supposed to be, my new coworker has given me some pointers, but I want more clarification at a meeting. I doubt anybody thinks about it as hard as I do tbh but I need proactivity on both my end and the joushi end if I'm gonna continue this Ohh lemme check out that beautifully done magazine now one sec |
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Post by 💛Potatoes💛 on Dec 20, 2022 11:48:41 GMT 9
💛Potatoes💛 i personally think paper still has many merits that SNS doesn't so it's not a complete waste ^^;; however i agree that you should largely change the way the magazine is done so that it's fulfilling for you and an effective promotion piece. there were already some great points brought up on how you can do that! you didn't specifically mention who the target of the magazine is, but you could try negotiate to change it and therefore the direction of what content goes in the magazine. i remember getting the tourism magazine featuring the yamanashi cirs in a kairan one year and it really hooked me into visiting that prefecture one day! it's a beautifully done magazine though with a proper budget though (oh how i wish i had that too). so who knows how far paper may go! btw i did some googling and i think i found you and said newsletter and had a look heh i hope you don't mind LMAO yeah there's a monthly newsletter and a 'seasonal' magazine. Physical copies of both seem to go to waste but at least the newletter can be uploaded easily so my main issue is with the magazine. Thank you for restoring some of my faith in paper though! I'm gonna need that faith for the rest of my time at city hall Yeah it's a long story but the person who was supposed to give me guidance with all of this when I started got whisked away for covid related work and then got transferred about a week after they came back. So I don't even know who the target audience is or what the magazine is supposed to be, my new coworker has given me some pointers, but I want more clarification at a meeting. I doubt anybody thinks about it as hard as I do tbh but I need proactivity on both my end and the joushi end if I'm gonna continue this Ohh lemme check out that beautifully done magazine now one sec THISSSSS is what I wanna do aahhhhhh (but shorter obvs) thank you for sharing <3 |
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Post by usamaru on Dec 20, 2022 12:57:39 GMT 9
💛Potatoes💛 i personally think paper still has many merits that SNS doesn't so it's not a complete waste ^^;; however i agree that you should largely change the way the magazine is done so that it's fulfilling for you and an effective promotion piece. there were already some great points brought up on how you can do that! you didn't specifically mention who the target of the magazine is, but you could try negotiate to change it and therefore the direction of what content goes in the magazine. i remember getting the tourism magazine featuring the yamanashi cirs in a kairan one year and it really hooked me into visiting that prefecture one day! it's a beautifully done magazine though with a proper budget though (oh how i wish i had that too). so who knows how far paper may go! btw i did some googling and i think i found you and said newsletter and had a look heh i hope you don't mind LMAO yeah there's a monthly newsletter and a 'seasonal' magazine. Physical copies of both seem to go to waste but at least the newletter can be uploaded easily so my main issue is with the magazine. Thank you for restoring some of my faith in paper though! I'm gonna need that faith for the rest of my time at city hall Yeah it's a long story but the person who was supposed to give me guidance with all of this when I started got whisked away for covid related work and then got transferred about a week after they came back. So I don't even know who the target audience is or what the magazine is supposed to be, my new coworker has given me some pointers, but I want more clarification at a meeting. I doubt anybody thinks about it as hard as I do tbh but I need proactivity on both my end and the joushi end if I'm gonna continue this Ohh lemme check out that beautifully done magazine now one sec i do something similar to your monthly newsletter and yeah that could easily be reduced to just online if there's not a huge readership. that sucks to hear about the coworker who was supposed to teach you about the magazine :c but in that case, maybe this is your chance to determine the target audience to your preference at that meeting! i'm glad the yamanashi magazine helped! i would've loved to do something like that if i could so i hope you can do it on my behalf too ^^ |
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