My Company Is Creating Its IP.

Okay. Your company is creating its IP.

By this time, if you have not selected “My Team / Boss,” I am concluding that you are in the company, but not in the direct creation of the particular IP your company is creating.

Either you are working on a different IP within company, or you are in admin or leadership positions, etc.

If you want to help your company create its IP, then it is on you to figure out who you want to give your thoughts to.

It is usually futile to hand your thoughts to the junior artist on the team, as they may cry and say, “but no one ever listens to me,” and you will feel bad for even asking.

To save the situation, try asking, “Who’s your boss? I’ll give my ideas to him.”

Sometimes, though, even the manager you write or speak to may have no answers for you. “Sorry. I have no control over that. Uh, you could try the director’s assistant or you could try Department B.”

Sometimes it is better to launch your thoughts towards the creative art director than it is to Department B, as Department B may tell you, “We only answer to the Director!”

Don’t be afraid of bothering the Director’s Assistant either, because why are they there? To assist! You are in good hands there.

Please write professionally at all times, because you never know if the Director is going to take your email to Department B and then ask of Junior Artist’s opinion, see? And then the manager you first spoke to will get another earful of the same content that came from you.

You always want to make sure that your ideas are taken into consideration seriously and thoughtfully, and being professional is the best way to do it.

If you have, right now, like 200 other coworkers who believe the same thing as you, please sign all of your names on the email, even if it looks ridiculous. You can number down and you can put one person’s name per number, because any Director likes to know that, “200 employees of our company want this change. Me too. Make that 202 with me and my assistant! I’m lobbying for this change myself.”

Always work together, never alone. Please make sure you catch all of the people who agree with you, and don’t leave anyone out, because the last thing you want is your teammate from 2 rooms over saying, “Hey, you forgot about me? How could you forget?!”

If you want, you can suggest a feedback box, just make sure that people don’t become mean and nasty if it’s anonymous. Always attach a name. First name at least, preferably first and last names. We don’t want in-house bullies, so let’s not give anyone a chance to be mean to anyone else.

If an entire department has a concern, please raise the concern as an entire department. Managers? Say, “My entire department here at Department C really feels nervous about X. Please do something to address this. Thank you!”

An IP takes an entire community to create, and in the case of your company, your community is your company. Please listen to all voices and all concerns and suggestions, because it will make your IP strongest when you are one united front.

My Community Is Creating Its IP.

Okay. Your community is creating its IP.

If you do not have a real Lead, and you just have moderators or a community volunteer, then know that you are abiding by your community’s rules.

Every community is different, and creating an IP together like a communal IP may be something that has not appeared in many places.

There are online communities that encourage and foster group creations and IPs, so see if you can see how others do it.

If you don’t really like what you see, then you can adjust accordingly.

The biggest thing I can think of in terms of what to watch out for, would be a changing vision.

Say you come up with a vision for your IP. It is Day 1.

It holds up great until you get to Year 2, and by then, your moderators have changed, or your volunteers have moved, etc. And you have decided to take the community in a different direction, and some faithful members are now coming to you and saying, “Hey, this isn’t what we said we would do, according to our Vision.”

It is on you to either tell them, “Hey, help me write a new vision – the first one isn’t true to what we need now.” They may balk. They may argue or step away. But not everyone does that, and they may be very honored at the fact that you want to include them in the changing of the vision.

You’ll be surprised at how supportive they will be of you and the change, and they’ll be the first to tell other unhappy members, “Look. I know. It’s not the same. But it’s true that we need to include our newest wave of members who feel really left out and isolated from our community. We’re working on the best change for all of us.”

A community is not necessarily a company, and even if you come from a well-known and well-honored company, it is important to not put all the pressure on that person to pull everything together. In a community, everyone helps, even the kids. Even the teens. Even the newest members.

If you feel like all of the pressure and expectation is falling on you for being a founding member of your community to the hottest talent that just walked in the door, just know that you can ask for help and say, “You know what? If we can’t get 2 more people on this coding team, then we are just gonna have to push back our expected date of production.”

If it falls on your shoulders alone, you are not a community. You are a single person in one. Be sure to tell your community, “You’re also in charge! Help me out!”