Community Signal Guest Information
Thank you for your interest in being a guest on Community Signal and for taking the time to read this. It’s a little long, but it’s worth it!
Why the Questionnaire?
If you were sent this form, I probably already have an idea as to what we can discuss on the show. With that mind, this form serves two goals:
- It allows me to gather key information about you that we’ll use to promote the show, if we have one.
- Perhaps we can unearth some additional topics that I wouldn’t have thought of, but would be great for the show.
As a starting point when I am developing a show, I try to find things that the potential guest is thinking about, that maybe they aren’t talking about. I can read your LinkedIn and personal channels (and I do), but I often find that the most interesting things aren’t there. I like to get in your head a little bit.
I want to learn about how the challenges you are seeing in your work and the things you are thinking about right now, that might apply to community professionals. I want to pull from your experience to discuss interesting work you have done, find particular areas of concern you have, and identify topics within the community profession where you are uniquely suited to offer thoughtful commentary.
The strength of our program depends on the candidness and depth of our guests. This is a show for experienced pros. It’s not a puff piece, it’s not a profile, it’s not a marketing show. We talk about real things. If you do share anything in this questionnaire, please be specific. This is the place to tell me the more and to fill in context. Give me the good stuff!
The reason this is important is because this is a show targeted at experienced community, moderation, trust, and safety practitioners. Many of our listeners have been doing this for 10+ years. I’m not going to ask questions like, “how do you build community?” or “how do you measure the value of community?” We’re past that. Instead, it’s a conversation between us, where we talk about specific topics, based upon the unique, interesting experiences that you have had and challenges that you have encountered.
Please Remember
Community Signal is a fiercely independent program. As an example, our sponsors have no idea what is coming next! We don’t allow them to know. We serve our audience first. It’s important that you know:
- Whatever you enter into this questionnaire could be shared on the show. Please do not put any conditions on the information.
- Guests do not have control over what makes the show.
- I will not run show topics by you before hand or submit a list for anyone’s approval.
This may sound scary, but it’s not meant to be. Please share what you feel comfortable sharing. If there is something that is personally-sensitive, feel free to flag it for me.
About the Program
Community Signal is a community-focused show. There are plenty of social media and marketing podcasts out there. That’s not what this is. We try to maintain a strict community line, and so what we discuss in our conversation will satisfy that goal.
The show is hosted by me, Patrick O’Keefe. The show will be pre-recorded and edited by my producer, Karn Broad. If we have a show, we’ll block out an hour to record, and a finished show is usually between 30 and 40 minutes.
Audio ads may be read by me live during our session or inserted into the show later. If, during our conversation, I refer to “Karn,” that means I am making a note for my producer. Feel free to say hi to Karn!
If we do schedule a time, please find a quiet spot to record. Ideally, you will have a wired internet connection, instead of Wi-Fi. While we can use video to see each other, only audio will be recorded. You should wear headphones/earbuds and use the best mic you can. Karn will make us both sound as great as possible.
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask me.