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[PR] New blog review of 'The Material Metaphor' key set.

Posted: 10 Apr 2015, 21:29
by PMKFTW
More thoughts from RoastedPotatoes on the conceptual design that is 'The Material Metaphor' currently offered on the Pimp My Keyboard site.

http://roastpotatoes.github.io/2015/04/ ... -metaphor/

Posted: 10 Apr 2015, 22:08
by webwit
This is just plain spam. You don't want to do that, buddy. Does SP know that the agency they hired is resorting to spam? Maybe we should file some complaints. That can't be good for your business and reputation. Go target something else for your fake blog spam.

Posted: 10 Apr 2015, 22:27
by Ascaii
webwit wrote: This is just plain spam. You don't want to do that, buddy. Does SP know that the agency they hired is resorting to spam? Maybe we should file some complaints. That can't be good for your business and reputation. Go target something else for your fake blog spam.
Yup, even geekhack doesnt like it, lol

https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=70840.0

Posted: 10 Apr 2015, 22:40
by LLRnR
Hey, why get mad? Spam Marketing could be beneficial, provided:

a) Deskthority has a "Marketing" subforum,
b) Companies wanting to market their mechanical keyboard-related products register a "marketing" account instead of a regular user one,
c) "Marketing" users can only post in the "Marketing" subforum,
d) "Marketing" accounts are not free.

This way everybody profits :mrgreen:

Edit: Oh, and regular users should have an option to completely ignore posts in any subforum of their choice. :P

Edit #2: Or, as scottc suggests, only club members would be able to do that. :twisted:

Posted: 10 Apr 2015, 22:43
by scottc
Then club members can flick a switch and never see any marketing posts in the forum spy? :evilgeek:

Posted: 10 Apr 2015, 22:44
by LLRnR
scottc wrote: Then club members can flick a switch and never see any marketing posts in the forum spy? :evilgeek:
Yeah, yeah, of course! :twisted: I edited my post.

Posted: 10 Apr 2015, 22:50
by Stabilized
LLRnR wrote: Hey, why get mad? Spam Marketing could be beneficial, provided:

a) Deskthority has a "Marketing" subforum,
b) Companies wanting to market their mechanical keyboard-related products register a "marketing" account instead of a regular user one,
c) "Marketing" users can only post in the "Marketing" subforum,
d) "Marketing" accounts are not free.
Isn't that essentially what happens on Geekhack with the Vendor subforums? Actually I am not sure if they pay for that, I think they just give extra time in order to help customers/potential customers in the community?

Anyway, good idea, that would go down well in this kind of case :)

Posted: 10 Apr 2015, 22:53
by LLRnR
Stabilized wrote: Isn't that essentially what happens on Geekhack with the Vendor subforums? Actually I am not sure if they pay for that, I think they just give extra time in order to help customers/potential customers in the community?
I am not sure. I tried very hard to follow what goes on on GeekHack, but I just don't understand that place. Too many signatures, dead links and missing photos for my taste...

Posted: 10 Apr 2015, 22:56
by Stabilized
LLRnR wrote: I am not sure. I tried very hard to follow what goes on on GeekHack, but I just don't understand that place. Too many signatures, dead links and missing photos for my taste...
Urgh the dead links drive me mad! I seem to google something then coming across a thread on Geekhack pointing to a whole slew of missing resources / dead links, really frustrating.

Posted: 10 Apr 2015, 23:23
by webwit
All he has to do is post this sale on the vendor subforum, and done. He's just thickheaded if he continues with his transparent gaming after his previous topics. Poor SP, they think they are hiring experts, they get junior here.

Posted: 11 Apr 2015, 00:22
by 7bit
When the Demongolator wakes up, he must move this thread to News&Reviews.

Maybe I should contact SP and tell them that they should follow one of the key UNIX philosophies:
"Do one thing and do it well!"*
:roll:

--------------------------------
*) Key caps production!

Posted: 11 Apr 2015, 02:45
by Supergeek
Wow, that's really poorly written. They need an actual writer who speaks English natively to do their blog entries instead of some low bidder.

Posted: 11 Apr 2015, 08:00
by Halvar
Well done PMK. Now it will be impossible to write anything positive about a PMK set on a blog in the future without making everyone think that you got bribed with free key caps.

(Disclaimer: No, I'm not RoastedPotatoes)

Posted: 11 Apr 2015, 08:04
by Muirium
Oooh, free keycaps! And so much quicker than the Round 5 we already paid so much money for, literally years ago. Schweet.

Posted: 11 Apr 2015, 09:36
by Muirium
kbdfr wrote:Thanks, folks, for already roasting him :lol:

If I were to hire someone to write marketing texts,
I would expect them to fully use the infinite, wonderful resources of language.
Instead our wannabe texter just buzzes around:
[…] it translates quite well to a physical keyboard […]
[…] The translation of material design to this set is done very well. […]
[…] This translates very well to keyboards as it […]
[…] This translates well to this keyset as it […]
PMKFTW, next time you spam DT, I will file a complaint with SP
not just for spamming, but also explicitly for miserable texting.
Perhaps SP's notoriously nonexistent quality control applies to marketing as well as caps.

Posted: 15 Apr 2015, 19:27
by PMKFTW
1) Yes, this is a legitimate blog post from an actual blogger and community member with no previous connection to PMK or SP.
2) The blogger wanted more content for his blog, so it was an opportunity for both parties to accomplish a goal.
3) I believe the blogger is from Germany, so the fact that he wrote the post in English is awesome since it's likely his second language.
4) Wouldn't it be more productive to suggest how we can improve our marketing to the community? Yes, we represent an agency who's goal is help PMK with the community outreach for their group buys. Does anyone have any suggestions on how we can do that more effectively without it coming across as "spam"?

Posted: 15 Apr 2015, 19:39
by Nuum
PMKFTW wrote: [...]
4) Wouldn't it be more productive to suggest how we can improve our marketing to the community? Yes, we represent an agency who's goal is help PMK with the community outreach for their group buys. Does anyone have any suggestions on how we can do that more effectively without it coming across as "spam"?
That's your job to find out, not ours. I will not tell you how to do marketing for PMK, I'm not getting paid for that, it's the other way round: You want us to buy from PMK. Maybe you should get involved in the community first to get a feel for it instead of just bluntly posting advertising?

BTW, does SP/PMK know how these posts of you come across to us? Is that the way they want it?

Posted: 15 Apr 2015, 20:26
by PMKFTW
Nuum wrote:
PMKFTW wrote: [...]
4) Wouldn't it be more productive to suggest how we can improve our marketing to the community? Yes, we represent an agency who's goal is help PMK with the community outreach for their group buys. Does anyone have any suggestions on how we can do that more effectively without it coming across as "spam"?
That's your job to find out, not ours. I will not tell you how to do marketing for PMK, I'm not getting paid for that, it's the other way round: You want us to buy from PMK. Maybe you should get involved in the community first to get a feel for it instead of just bluntly posting advertising?

BTW, does SP/PMK know how these posts of you come across to us? Is that the way they want it?
You answered my question - thank you. Personally, I've been trying to get a feel for the community for a few weeks now. It's been quite the process learning about all the different aspects of the mechanical keyboard community. Profiles, red vs. green vs. blue vs. clear, Topre vs. Cherry MX vs. butterfly, Ripster, r/MK, Model M, HHKB, Ergodox, Cheetos, backwards spacebars, bro caps, etc... Please understand that I've been trying to learn as much about the culture in a very short amount of time. For example, I've learned the term "group buy", when used by a company like PMK, can be perceived as inaccurate by some community members. I've also learned that traditional marketing methods are not always received well by the community.

I'm learning as I go here, fellas.

So with that, I hope you understand that, ultimately, we're trying to create a feedback loop that we can share with PMK to help improve communication and understanding about customer needs. The goal is to create products and an atmosphere that PMK's customers are happy with. That's why I asked what we can do to improve our marketing.

By the way. I get it. I don't like spam either. That's why I'm asking these questions, to get clarification and try to build a relationship with you guys.

Which leads me to another question. Did I post this blog review in the wrong section? If so, where should I have posted it?

Thanks for the tip - I'll get more involved with the community before bluntly posting any more advertising.

Posted: 15 Apr 2015, 20:37
by Muirium
This is indeed getting old, FTW. Try posting your articles here instead of just links to drive traffic.

Posted: 15 Apr 2015, 23:42
by RoastPotatoes
I have to apologise that I did not disclose this as a promotion. This was inexcusable and I have amended that. Sorry everybody.

Posted: 16 Apr 2015, 00:54
by webwit
If PMKFTW wants to play in a way we like it, it's very easy, and done before on this forum. And outside this forum, such as pioneered by Edward Bernay, who got women smoking among other merits, and Nike, which gave stuff away to trendsetters.

Just start a giveaway or contest at this very forum, for deskthority members. You might even get a banner on the front page. Then promote the giveaway on deskthority anywhere you like, such as on your beloved Face Book or reddit.

Hey, did you know the first ever Signature Plastics group buy in the west was by Sixty, deskthority co-founder? He was curious about custom keycaps shown on Korean forums and asked them where they got those. That's where the whole mass keycap market started. Consider that, research Bernay and Nike. Give us the goodies. It's easy. Unless your goodies suck. We're small but we're trendsetters. Be quick before reddit will start fawning over IBM Model F keyboards, to leave your petty Cherry keycaps behind.

Posted: 16 Apr 2015, 01:47
by Muirium
The day IBM is "in", anywhere but here, will be sweet indeed. Can you imagine the kids getting hot over who has the best restored Model F? Brings a smile to my face!

Posted: 16 Apr 2015, 06:15
by Hak Foo
I think there's a fair recognition of "The Model M is a desirable keyboard", but that's about it. I recall a few "here's our ultimate USD9000 computer build" articles where they'd spec out an old 1391401 or a Unicomp as the keyboard of choice.

In order for it to be appealing to the gamer-crowd, you need a lot of superfluous crap. It doesn't light up, macro keys require controller reworks, etc.

I'm personally hoping for ALPS to be the next trend. While apparently a basic group-buy is being ordered with SP for caps, I think the fandom has pretty much treated Matias as their grand hope.

Posted: 16 Apr 2015, 09:19
by matt3o
the only thing I can add is that with a PMKFTW nick... the user is less than believable...

also SP know me well by now, if they want to promote on Deskthority I'd be happy to act as a mediator...

Posted: 16 Apr 2015, 09:40
by Muirium
Melissa, is that you?

Posted: 16 Apr 2015, 11:47
by kbdfr
PMKFTW wrote: […] a legitimate blog post from an actual blogger and community member with no previous connection to PMK or SP. […]
RoastPotatoes wrote: I have to apologise that I did not disclose this as a promotion. This was inexcusable and I have amended that. Sorry everybody.
as a new intro in his blog, RoastPotatoes wrote:PMK have asked me to create an overview of the set and this article was created for promotion. […] Please note that I have been offered the keyset if it were to tip in payment for this post.
I see quite a discrepancy between "no previous connection to PMK" and "PMK have asked me…" :evil:
PMKFTW wrote: […] I believe the blogger is from Germany, so the fact that he wrote the post in English is awesome since it's likely his second language.
His profile says UK. Of course, even then English may not be his first language. My comment to his blog post was indeed quite harsh and I had deleted it almost immediately, but the omnipresent Muirium had already quoted it :lol:


But what about you, PMKFTW?
Is English your first language?
PMKFTW wrote: […] we represent an agency who's goal is help PMK […]
Even if English is not even my second, but only my third language,
I do know the correct form is not "who's goal", but "whose goal".

My advice: just stop posting here.
You’re doing a miserable promotion job, and explaining and justifying and apologizing does not make it any better.

Posted: 16 Apr 2015, 20:01
by RoastPotatoes
kbdfr wrote:Thanks, folks, for already roasting him :lol:
I saw this coming.
kbdfr wrote: His profile says UK. Of course, even then English may not be his first language.
I am in fact from the UK. English is my first language, however I now wish it wasn't.

All I seem to be doing is fanning the flames. But what's done is done. :oops:

Posted: 16 Apr 2015, 20:41
by PMKFTW
kbdfr wrote:
PMKFTW wrote: […] a legitimate blog post from an actual blogger and community member with no previous connection to PMK or SP. […]
RoastPotatoes wrote: I have to apologise that I did not disclose this as a promotion. This was inexcusable and I have amended that. Sorry everybody.
as a new intro in his blog, RoastPotatoes wrote:PMK have asked me to create an overview of the set and this article was created for promotion. […] Please note that I have been offered the keyset if it were to tip in payment for this post.
I see quite a discrepancy between "no previous connection to PMK" and "PMK have asked me…" :evil:
PMKFTW wrote: […] I believe the blogger is from Germany, so the fact that he wrote the post in English is awesome since it's likely his second language.
His profile says UK. Of course, even then English may not be his first language. My comment to his blog post was indeed quite harsh and I had deleted it almost immediately, but the omnipresent Muirium had already quoted it :lol:


But what about you, PMKFTW?
Is English your first language?
PMKFTW wrote: […] we represent an agency who's goal is help PMK […]
Even if English is not even my second, but only my third language,
I do know the correct form is not "who's goal", but "whose goal".

My advice: just stop posting here.
You’re doing a miserable promotion job, and explaining and justifying and apologizing does not make it any better.
Thanks for the wonderful feedback! :P

Posted: 17 Apr 2015, 10:12
by kbdfr
RoastPotatoes wrote: […] All I seem to be doing is fanning the flames. […]
Not at all, this was the absolutely right way to deal with it:
RoastPotatoes wrote: I have to apologise that I did not disclose this as a promotion. This was inexcusable and I have amended that. Sorry everybody.

Posted: 13 May 2015, 21:09
by XMIT
If anyone else is still curious: I just checked and this never tipped. Ah well.

http://www.pimpmykeyboard.com/deals/the ... -metaphor/