Of things I have learned from The Cab PH

I've been set up for a challenge by Lara to blog about the things I've learned from running a street team and this is my best shot at it.

One, I have learned to communicate with people and be more outgoing whether online or in real life, with fans or with people who work in the industry. I'm usually not one to start conversations but since I've started helping with the street team, I've become comfortable with talking to people I haven't met before. Of course it's a little awkward at first and I don't think it will never not be but it helps to be open and sociable. It's so much easier done when behind a computer screen but the internet has it's way of distorting messages so I've soon learned to filter my thoughts and talk smart (See: think more than twice before clicking that button). Put yourself out there! Let people know that they can talk to you anytime they want and when they finally do, start up a conversation. This is the part where we ignore our parents' "don't talk to strangers" warnings. Most often than not, you'll make friends and not meet creepy old people.

Organization is another thing I've learned. I'm OC to begin with but there is nothing like the OCD Lara and I have when we have meetings and I figured that that's okay. It's so much easier when you take the extra time to organize things rather than take a shortcut and have a hard time when you finally need to do/find stuff. Being organized also helps with planning because PLANNING IS KEY. I cannot stress how much planning is important. Lay down your goals first and then plan from there. Don't be afraid to go into detail, too. Write about how you want to do something or your ideas on how something should look like. The more detailed it is, the better and trust me on that. Don't rush things and take shortcuts because it doesn't help. Sure it takes up less time but you're more prone to make mistakes or miss out on things when you do.

We have this motto we say a lot and it's quality > quantity. It's simple - running a street team is not about how many activities or missions you do and have. It's about making whatever little event you do count. Make sure you've thought it through a number of times and that everyone will enjoy and benefit from it. It's also not about having a huge number of people behind the street team for support, it's about the relationship you have with these fans and making sure they know how much their support means to you and to the band.

If there are there are two major things I've learned while working with the street team it's the following two.

Know your demographic aka creep. You have to keep up with what's hot! It helps that you know what people are talking about in general. It helps you start conversations and build friendships. Knowing what bands are coming to play at your city is a great help too because then you'll be able to meet with fellow fans at their show. I firmly believe that our creeping has helped The Cab Philippines a lot - mostly by retweeting fans and making noise about the band which eventually catches people's attention.

Last but definitely not the least, the most important of all things I have learned is that you have to be committed. You have to give your 200% into the street team or go home. You can't lead a street team  if you feel half-hearted about it because it will show. You will need to be ready to sacrifice a lot of time to make things happen because unlike popular belief, running a street team is not all play - it takes A LOT of work. We say it isn't supposed to feel like work because we're doing this out of love and belief in the music we stand for but there are times that it will feel like a burden and you will have to remind yourself why you're doing it. Excuses and slackers are not acceptable here, too. Harsh, yes but I only speak the truth. Your efforts will go to waste if you slack off that you can trust me on.

I would love to say that I've learned to be creative because of The Cab PH but I don't think I'll have proof to back that up so nope, I'm not going to say it. If you do want to start/run a street team though, you will need lots of creativity to keep things fresh and come up with new ways to keep people interested. Lara has enough creativity for the both of us so don't worry about it. Hahaha.

I hope I have been informative enough to help those who are interested (if there are any) to know these stuff about "street teaming." I'm really not the best person to ask as I am only a fan myself and to be honest with you all, most of the time I/we don't know what we're doing with the street team either! But if there are other things you would like to know more of, I will be glad and will try my hardest to share with you my experiences!

:)