Feature: 'Online PR: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly'

In today's exclusive Gamasutra feature, Duane Brown looks at the art of online public relations for games, pointing out the value of "compelling content" in promoting titles - from blogs, through podcasts to social network connectivity, with best examples cited. In this excerpt, Brown comments on the benefits of using a blog to help get the word out about a new video game product, as well as to let the online audience get a closer look at the game before it is made available: “A blog for your video game is a great way to communicate with your audience. You can use the blog to give your audience an insider’s look at the process of making a video game. The blog could be written by the game’s producer, game designer or by a lead from each of the game’s departments. As long as the people are writing from the heart and being truthful, your fans should find the content interesting. You can also use the blog to show off exclusive content and announce in-person appearances, as well as allow your audience to see pictures and video from events you’ve attended that they might not have been able to. Try and answer all the comments left on your blog as it shows you are paying attention and value their feedback. Also, linking to articles that appear about your game is important as not everyone has the time to visit all the video game sites out there today. There are no rules saying how frequently you have to update your blog. However, you should try and keep a somewhat regular schedule, even if it’s just a post a week. If anyone in your PR or marketing department is doing the writing, then that should be said in some sort of disclaimer. This keeps everyone honest and will foster a better relationship with your audience. Silicon Knights, David Jaffe and Digital Extremes are using blogs as a way of connecting with their community.” You can now read the complete feature, with more examples from Brown on how to use online tools to help promote video game projects, as well as illustrations of some pitfalls to avoid (no registration required, please feel free to link to this column from external websites).