Ignoring my own plan

I came at this whole project with the intent of doing things in stages, with x amount of reviews set as a bench mark before moving forward. Yet, I think I have ignored every intention to date.

First, I wanted to write a review for each genre, all on my own, before making the site live and before taking on other reviewers. That didn't happen. I ended up making the site live so when I presented it class it was the real deal. Though, mat the time it was mostly a mock of a site, or a wire model of one, it was live.

I wanted ten reviews posted before launching a Facebook page. I had seven.

I wanted two reviews in each genre before looking into affiliate programs. I think I posted my first advertisement banner two reviews ago. Now granted, that is only one banner, but I will still come up short in the next few weeks as I look into adding a banner to each page for iPage and also other programs.

I wanted to wait to have solid following before I started rocking the boat and complicating reviews. You know, as soon as they start feeling complacent with the same old format throw in some more in depth reviews of things that have crossed more then two media plains. Like, a book that is also a movie, another movie, and a video game.

The thing is, I am way too excited about everything this could be and just don't want to wait. Though I know I should really work on gaining content and establishing the site, my mind is already trying to figure out what to do next, how to get more people involved. So, here are some things I'm looking to get done in this next month (gotta get it all sorted out before school starts.)

Commenting: I haven't had the time to sit down and figure out how to do it on the site directly. Honestly, I never might. This may be something I eventually pay a professional for. However, at the tail end of each article is a link directly to where I share the article on Twenty Four Pages Per Second's Facebook page. It is something somewhere. I just hope the threads start on the page and continue there.

Blog: Heidi B. asked if the reviewers could start writing blog posts, to help with having content more regularly then once ever two months. I, personally, think this is a fabulous idea. How we will manage to execute it, is something that needs to be hammered out, but it;s a safe bet that readers will be getting to know more then just me in the future.

Pictures: If you follow us on Facebook, you'll notice a few pics that reflect reviews to come. I really am hoping that there will be more of this to come. However, it seems we really only have one Photoshop Jedi, and between his reviews for Twenty Four Pages Per Second, his own web site, making College students smarter, and entertaining his girlfriend (that's me) he's a busy man. So I can't predict how often we'll get his photoplasties, maybe the rest of us will have to brave the internet and Gimp. Also, in the near future, I hope to prominently have displayed the heads of all the reviewers on their personal bio walls, and yes, I did mean for that to come out that way.

Affiliates: Once this next bunch of reviews are published, I'm going to go head on with the affiliate program idea. What this means, is that each page will have just a bit more than words and the current five colors. Along with banners for iPage, readers will find ads for books, movies, Kindle, and probably Netflix. With these ads will also be disclosure statements, informing readers that we don't  get paid to advertise, nor do we get paid to write opinions about the products we advertise, but we do get paid every time a reader clicks on an add and then makes a purchase. The reader gets the product they want and we get a small part of what they spent. Commerce. A beautiful thing.

Less Reviews More Frequently: Though this next deadline is going to be exempt, Heidi also mentioned staggering the release of the reviews. This is definitely a possibility. With five reviewers on board and two months between each deadline, it is highly feasible to have enough content to release a review every week or so. Maybe stagger it with a blog post. As much as I like putting it all out there at once, I can try my hand at patience. 

Themes: Okay team, I know I haven't officially run this by you, and hadn't planned to until after Deadline #2, but, sticking to the current Deadline schedule we will have Deadlines that fall in October, December and April. Meaning Halloween, Christmas and April Fools (yes, I know there are other months and holidays but I don't care about them like I do these). I don't necessarily want a Horror-athon for October, but I'd love to see stories that include Halloween, or things we like to dress up as for Halloween. I'd like winter or holiday  stories for December, and some smart-ass shenanigans for April Fools. Jonathan B. threw out the idea of taking a really bad movie that wasn't based on a book, and coming up with a "review" like it was. This would encourage us all to flex those creative muscles.

Harry Potter Gang Bang: This is the working title, okay, it isn't the working title at all actually, but Jonathan thinks it is funny. Anyways. I mentioned earlier how I didn't want to muddy up the basic format of the reviews. Well, this wont do that, Jonathan intends to do that for The Thing for Deadine #3. Instead, it would take the same format and apply it to the same book and movie combo as many times as we have reviewers. We all seem to have an attachment with H. Potter, and who could blame us, and it doesn't seem right to only have one person review it, or to have a person only review one of the books. My suggestion is that we all do it. At the same time. I book every six months. The first review to come out in February. But, that's just an idea.