Donations still needed for THIS Back in Time Live

Chris Abbott · Post by **Chris Abbott** » 14/09/2004 - 13:49

> it needs some serious PR somehow.

PR dies at source, when some idiot sub-editor decides it isn't interesting enough to tell their readers about. Tens of thousands of gaming journalists, for instance, knew about this. The most that happened was that they made fun of it on Gamezville for being a Spectrum revival.

And the C64 population is so widespread that there's no common thread between them. It's therefore almost impossible to reach without blanket coverage, which is either too expensive or unavailable.

Ironically it's one of the great myths that PR companies put out that PR is the answer to everything. It isn't even close. If it was, every product would succeed!

The future of BIT Live, should there be one, has to be in getting the scene itself to provide the mechanism for it to happen, and organically grow the audience through the one thing that is most effective of all; word of mouth, and peer pressure.

Chris

Chris Abbott · Post by **Chris Abbott** » 14/09/2004 - 14:04

Kind of makes me uncomfortable washing all this linen in public... I've spent all these years trying to project a trustworthy professional image too... well, kind of... I feel quite exposed. And not in that way...

Chris

SIR'86 · Post by **SIR'86** » 14/09/2004 - 14:29

Chris Abbott wrote:<<<

There's a hole of about Ã‚Â£4000.00. Still hoping the DVD will make some of that back, but the cashflow problem is pressing. I've got a VAT period coming up, royalties to pay, incoming bills and a business credit card bill, and I've got less than Ã‚Â£1000 left. Scared does not begin to cover it. I even had to write a credit card cheque to pay the PA. How pathetic is that?

The irony is that Ã‚Â£4000 isn't that large a sum compared to the many hundreds of thousands of pounds (even millions) of public money that gets wasted on 'arts' every year. It's also not a lot of money for many companies, especially in terms of commercial sponsorship. But for an individual with a family to support it's an enormous sum.

Maybe you should go for a National Lottery grant. You'd have to claim that the C64 sceners are a disadvantaged oppressed minority though, which probably sums us all up anyway

Hacky · Post by **Hacky** » 14/09/2004 - 14:44

Chris Abbott wrote:Kind of makes me uncomfortable washing all this linen in public...

re that and all your other stuff before it...

I feel for you I really do, but these questions are a necessary factor/process in collectively figuring out how to make BIT Live, well, live. And we have to pick your brains on all the various aspects as you've been the one doing it, you know what's what, and you bare the scares of knowledge here. I'm thankful for your openness here, I know it ain't easy, as when push comes to shove we all know you shouldn't be doing this anyway, if it costs you and your family money, but then again if that logic was applied I'll bet not a single BIT Live would have ever happened. It takes martyrs to move mountains, and you are a living example of one my friend.

Gonna reply to the rest in the other thread, as it's more in topic there.

Hacky · Post by **Hacky** » 14/09/2004 - 14:46

SIR'86 wrote:The irony is that Ã‚Â£4000 isn't that large a sum compared to....

So true. It's painful isn't it.

Matrix · Post by **Matrix** » 14/09/2004 - 19:15

This reminds me so much of the story of the church, the one filled with rich men... they put like Ã‚Â£100 into the collection tray at a church, each man had Ã‚Â£200 on him ... but the old poor woman at the back had just 10p to her name, she put the entire amount in the collection tray .... the men laughed at her, but she gave more in that 10p, than all the men gave collectively, because it was everything she had in the world.

Of course its a story of morals, you can draw comparrison to this community if you see fit. I can certainly draw one. Not that Chris is an old woman, but he's certainly given everything he possibly could to us; and i think that takes a lot of guts and a shedload of determination to succeed.

Screw Tulip ..... backstabbing bastards, who needs em anyway.... great machine, failed company just scraping by next to giants of the industry.

Hacky · Post by **Hacky** » 14/09/2004 - 19:20

well said

Milan Kleibl · Post by **Milan Kleibl** » 15/09/2004 - 7:43

Hi, when i walk on London, anywhere I see posters witk"Vietcong" game (as I remember Illusion Softworks who produce Vietcong was build by Petr Vochozka (before ago known in Czech republic as old software pirate) Irony of fate?

Chris Abbott · Post by **Chris Abbott** » 15/09/2004 - 9:04

> Not that Chris is an old woman,
I think there's people would disagree with ya there

Cheetor · Post by **Cheetor** » 15/09/2004 - 9:52

Chris,

If it helps I'm giving my C64 trading a push at the moment (got a lot of stock I'm trying to clear) and I'll donate 50% of the proceeds to the BIT Live fund (need to use the rest to get this damn PC).

If anyone's interested, the list is at http://simonplumbe.co.uk/retro.htm

Sorry I couldn't be there - I'm still gutted over it dude.

Simon

Sorry, forgot the stock URL! Doh!

Chris Abbott · Post by **Chris Abbott** » 15/09/2004 - 9:53

Aw, thanks, Mr PR Person, with the press releasing and the Transformers and the Hoi Hey that hurts Glaven

Chris

Cheetor · Post by **Cheetor** » 15/09/2004 - 9:57

I'll be ordering some CDs at the end of the month as well as soon as I get paid. I should be filling in all the gaps in the collection, getting another BIT 3 t-shirt and anything else missing from the collection.

There isn't a chance of ordering an Emily Booth from the site as well is there?!

Chris Abbott · Post by **Chris Abbott** » 16/09/2004 - 11:53

You know, I'm beginning to feel like Jimmy Stewart in "It's a Wonderful Life". You guys are amazing

Chris

Matrix · Post by **Matrix** » 16/09/2004 - 12:01

What ya saying, next BITLive will be in Bedford Falls

Chris Abbott · Post by **Chris Abbott** » 16/09/2004 - 14:23

Yeah, Bradford Falls, just off the A232. Oh, hang on, that's Croydon

Chris

Donations still needed for THIS Back in Time Live

where to get money?