In my previous blog post, I discussed some of my epiphanies while conducting an autoethnography into the sim racing media niche, epiphanies being described as “remembered moments perceived to have significantly impacted the trajectory of a person’s life” (Ellis et al. 2010) and in the case of my DA, these epiphanies have shaped the way I have and will conduct it.
Framing my Persona
A persona is “what people say and think about you. It encapsulates your talents as well as who you are, and it’s how you can differentiate yourself from others.” (Botticello, 2021) and developing a persona that suits not only your personality but the content that you publish needs to be excruciatingly manufactured to ensure that you present yourself in the best possible manner not only for your audience members but also individuals looking to network and in some cases, future employers as “70% of employers use social media to screen candidates during the hiring process”. (Castrillon, 2019)
I have focused my DA, on the sim racing media niche, which will allow me to build not only my persona within this niche but will also provide me with the ability to provide evidence that I am “engaged in the industry” while being able to “showcase my talents to potential employers”. (Doyle, 2020)
Statistical Analysis of Collaborations
Creative collaborations between creators is an effective way to produce content, at a more impressive speed while meeting a larger pool of viewership’s shared between multiple content creators as they all bring in “fresh eyes, unique life experiences, and their own ideas” (Santora, 2021) to the project. Veloce Esports’ has seen success through collaboration content so building upon the methods used by them will be important for improving my DA.
In niche communities, “Smaller YouTube channels can band together to become stronger than the sums of their parts.” (Grin, 2021), which is important as it allows for the participants within the collaboration to “play to their creative strengths, rather than fitting them into one type of content.” (Ruis, 2014) There are some downsides of collaborations, as time zones can cause delays, too differing of an audience can hurt the overall reaction of the content and its feedback. So finding the correct person to collaborate with is extremely important to be able to reap the benefits!
Sociology of Communities
My last epiphany discussed was that of the rise of communities accompanying content creators, and its application to the sim racing media niche. When a content creator establishes a hub for its fans like a subreddit or Discord it allows for not only a connection between the fan and the creator but “Fans can bond with one another, which ultimately solidifies their bond with the influencer as the creator of that community.” (Lorenz, 2019)
“People are craving community now more than ever” (Karpis, 2019) and communities can form around pretty much anything like TV shows, sports, and in the case of the sim racing niche, personalities, and organisations. Through these dedicated communities you are able to establish brand loyalty as users become invested with not only the creator but also the other users that share the community space.
Applying analysis conclusions to my DA, and Persona
Reference list
Ellis, C, Adams, T and Bochner, A (2010) Autoethnography: An Overview [online] https://www.qualitative-research.net/index.php/fqs/article/view/1589 [Accessed 12/10/2021]
Botticello, C (2021) The Ultimate Guide to Creating a Personal Brand in 2021 [online] https://medium.com/digital-marketing-lab/the-ultimate-guide-to-creating-a-personal-brand-in-2021-dfee8fb0666a [Accessed 12/10/2021]
Castrillon, C (2019) Why Personal Branding Is More Important Than Ever [online] https://www.forbes.com/sites/carolinecastrillon/2019/02/12/why-personal-branding-is-more-important-than-ever/?sh=577f1ddc2408 [Accessed 12/10/2021]
Doyle, A (2020) How to Create a Professional Brand [online] https://www.thebalancecareers.com/how-to-create-a-professional-brand-2059761 [Accessed 12/10/2021]
Santora, J (2021) An In-Depth Guide to Successful Content Collaboration [online] https://influencermarketinghub.com/content-collaboration/ [Accessed 11/10/2021]
Grin.com (2021) what is a YouTube Collab [online] https://grow.grin.co/youtube-collab/ [Accessed 11/10/2021]
Rius, A (2014) Collaborative Content Creation [online] https://www.relevance.com/collaborative-content-creation/ [Accessed 11/10/2021]
Karpis, P (2018) Why Building Community Is Critical To Your Brand’s Success [online] https://www.forbes.com/sites/paulinaguditch/2018/11/29/why-building-community-is-critical-to-your-brands-success/?sh=1c380be73458 [Accessed 11/10/2021]
Lorenz, T (2019) How an App for Gamers Went Mainstream [online] https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2019/03/how-discord-went-mainstream-influencers/584671/ [Accessed 11/10/2021]
Jacob Suter 