Studioworkers

Firstly I would like to welcome everyone to Studioworkers! If you have any problems using this site then please feel free to contact me at any time using the Support Page. I will try to answer any questions that people have whilst ironing out a few bugs in the system.

This post will be the first of a set of blogs outlining the key points to Studioworkers, and will hopefully provide a bit more information on what users can do with the system. Alongside this article you should find attached a video tutorial which I suggest watching for clarity.

So why do we need groups?

If you’ve been on Facebook, you’ll be no stranger to Groups. With Studioworkers, a group can be set up by anyone who is a member of the site, and based on anything industry related. Each group can optionally have a forum attached, or simply have posts made by users. When you create a group, you automatically become the group admin. You can also designate multiple admins. In turn group admins can control all posts made to the group – so if someone gets out of hand the admin can kick them out. Here are some everyday examples where you might find groups useful:

1. The Expert & Academia

Imagine you’re an engineering or production guru, and you wish to share tips and tricks with other individuals. There’s nothing to stop you from creating your own group with the forum enabled so you can start topics that interest other people. Say, for example, Bob Katz wanted to post up written material for others… he could create a group called “Bob Katz Masterclass”. At which point other members of the site can simply search his name in the groups section and join his group. This way the system becomes very much like Twitter with followers, only it’s much more community orientated where people can share thoughts and ideas. Want to control who joins the group? No problem, just set the group as hidden or invite only and invite or approve those you wish to join in.

2. The Equipment Junkie

For example you may have a Pro Tools HD3 rig, but need some support and information on the system. If you just want to know more about Pro Tools, then you can head over to the groups area, search for it, and join in. If you need more specific help on Pro Tools (system crash with a particular plugin) then you can go to the forums area and type in the search box. You will then be presented with forum topics related to that specific issue and their respective group. You can join in the conversation, or browse the groups forum for answers.

Finally, you may own a piece of studio equipment which you just want to talk about from a passionate “hey I love this gear!” level. There’s nothing to stop you creating groups for it. Other individuals who like the equipment can join in to the group and share their love and praise! In my case I’ve set up groups for vintage keyboards, as I’m very much in to analogue synthesis, so individuals who like, say, the “ARP 2600″ can join it and start chatting.

3. The Inventor & Press

So, you have a musical product that you want to promo for press or friends only. Simply set up a group for that product and flag it as hidden. You can then send out invitations to your friends on the system and keep them updated on its progress. If you’re happy enough for this to go public then all you need to do is set it to a “public group” and watch as individuals join to find out more. The site offers automated live streaming, so as soon as it becomes public visitors will be able to get an overview of updates through the activities page. Posts made to groups can have links to media, or other websites.

4. The Networker & Individual

The music industry is all about networking. Without the ability to share with others there is no possibility to show businesses, labels, publishers and studios what you can do, or what you are capable of. As with most social sites, Studioworkers has a profile area for individuals to write more information on themselves. The system automatically tags company names and job roles, so if for example I worked at Sony, users could find me by typing “Sony” within the members area search box – The system will search for all members working at Sony. In future updates I hope to include media rich content for profiles so users can post up images, galleries, or videos for projects they’re working on.

That about wraps it up for today! The video accompanying this blog will give you a brief overview of the system, and will outline how users can create their first group. This should give you enough leverage to start creating your own content and share your passion for the music industry!

Note: Video will be up in the next few hours.