Guns N' Roses Presence On Social Networking Sites

[Brodie]

As a Guns N' Roses fan: I am terribly offended that the band's official Twitter feed is being used by management for personal reasons.

I find this use of band property to be highly frivolous and unprofessional.

For example, a recent enlightening Twitter exchange:

---

My fan-dom aside, as someone who works regularly in the Marketing and Advertising field: I see it as a HUGE lost opportunity.

Now don't get me wrong, I think that it's great that Fernando and his friends can stay in touch and exchange cute messages back and forth and post pictures of what they're eating, but creative professionals such as myself have a greater vision.

The live-tweeting has been a good start but you're "tweeting to the converted". While you're allowing them a way to relive a concert, you aren't doing much to advertise or generate revenue.

As such, I've thought of several uses for the Guns N' Roses Twitter and Facebook accounts while I sip my morning coffee. If you have any additional ideas, feel free to suggest them!

---

Possible Uses For Social Networking

1. Market Research For The Next Album

The "Chinese Democracy" album was a "really interesting noise" and contained a mix of various styles and genres.

Although I think if management took to the streets, so to speak, they could gain greater insight on what fans enjoyed and what they didn't like.

Did fans prefer the dance/electronic/industrial styles more or the classic, conservative sound? Did they prefer more 'simple' songs like "Sorry" and "This I Love" or more produced bombastic tracks like "Chinese Democracy" and "Shackler's Revenge"?

Gathering all of this important information could help the band select songs for future albums and ensure that is both a creative and commercial success.

2. Communicate With The Fans Regarding Future Plans

Communicating directly via Twitter and Facebook will help fans stay informed rather than hunting around for interviews done with 3rd party sites. It will also prevent misinformation and hearsay from spreading.

If DJ is making an appearance on That Metal Show or at a UFC event, then the band could make fans aware of it.

If the band is going to be featured in Such N' Such Magazine, the fans could be made aware of it so they could buy it!

Keeping fans in the loop gives them a reason to check back regularly and that includes buying what you're selling be that music, video content, merchandise, or scented candles.

3. Market Research For Merchandise

Important questions could be asked such as:

- What features would you like to see on GunsNRoses.com?

- Do you think it's bullshit you can't view pictures on GunsNRoses.com without being a Nightrain member?

- Would you buy multiple copies of current or future albums if various retailers had different bonus content?

- Where do you get most of your Guns N' Roses news?

- Who is your favorite member of Guns N' Roses?

- Do you prefer DVD, Bluray, or Digital Content?

- How often do you browse the web?

- Do you spend more of your time on a computer or on your phone?

- Where do you hear about (new) music?

- How much would you pay for a "deluxe" edition of an album?

- Do you like skulls and blood on all of your t-shirts?

4. Leveraging Past and Present Content

Bands like The Rolling Stones do a fabulous job of keeping fans informed but they also do a great job of keeping the band relevant by posting interviews with band members in various media appearances, posting links to HD versions of songs and music videos, and much more.

We all know that Guns N' Roses has completed a music video to the song "Better". Why not post it on the band's Facebook page for fans to share across the internet? It would be a great way to promote the band and the current tour. Robin may be gone but he's still in our hearts and the music is what is really important.

Additionally - every show is filmed, why not release a song or two from live performances from 2002, 2006-2007, and 2011-2012?

Leveraging this content on sites like YouTube helps the band stay relevant and deters illicit activity such as bootlegging and illegal downloading.

---

Conclusion:

In short, all of these suggestions serve two functions. First and foremost it keeps the band and management actively engaged with the fans and their wants, needs, and desires. This creates a loyal fanbase where one feels as if their voice is heard and respected.

Secondly, this provides the business entity "Guns N' Roses" with valuable, tangible, statistically-driven information about their brand and helps them to make wise, effective, and financially fruitful business decisions in the future.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

-b

[Young_Gun]

Hit the nail on the head... I have nothing to add.

Love the signature pic too.

[HisRoyalSweetness]

it's a shame that they don't include directions for how to manage a band on the laundry detergent box. they make it so hard for housekeepers to manage bands.

[Guest Gunns]

Edited May 25, 2012 by Gunns

[Guest Gunns]

Keep it up live free, you'll get to design their website next time

[Young_Gun]

we get it. you want to work for GNR. not gonna happen. move on with your life.

Or you could contribute to the actual discussion?

[HisRoyalSweetness]

we get it. you want to work for GNR. not gonna happen. move on with your life.

we get it. you want to steal gnr's music and email and release them for your own personal gain. it already happened. move on with your life.

[Young_Gun]

Keep it up live free, you'll get to design their website next time

Doesn't mean he post doesn't have some merit...

[77Jesters]

it's a shame that they don't include directions for how to manage a band on the laundry detergent box. they make it so hard for housekeepers to manage bands.

Well put! It would have to help, and OP, well said, couldn't argue with that if I wanted to. And to Gunns, why the fuck not, it's a serious comment, unlike the crap you often comment on, if that's all you've got to say, keep your mouth shut...

[Young_Gun]

i care about the music and musical performances of guns n' roses. not what some bitter hoarder thinks of their twitter strategy.

But you obviously do care about their twitter strategy to some extent, otherwise you would not be posting in this thread. Come on man, you used to post good, insightful things, now it's just pro-Axl 150%. What happened man?

[GET OFF AXLS BACK]

we get it. you want to work for GNR. not gonna happen. move on with your life.

we get it. you want to steal gnr's music and email and release them for your own personal gain. it already happened. move on with your life.

I don't care who you are, that's funny

[wasted]

2,3,4 seem fair enough.

1 not sure if I want to influence what they do. or I do but I don't want to know about it. I still want to hold on to the idea that they are way better than us.

[Freddie Mercury's Ghost]

we get it. you want to work for GNR. not gonna happen. move on with your life.

we get it. you want to steal gnr's music and email and release them for your own personal gain. it already happened. move on with your life.

Holy shit

lol

[gunsguy]

For info about what Guns are doing you need to think the complete opposite of what they SHOULD do

The band has never had proper staff dealing with these kinda things, for more info look at the fanclub thing.

[Brodie]

The band has never had proper staff dealing with these kinda things, for more info look at the fanclub thing.

Change is good!

See: Darwin. It's not about survival of the fittest, it's the will to adapt that determines if you survive - GNR's music is certainly the best around.

They should have everything else "the best" to support that music!

1 not sure if I want to influence what they do. or I do but I don't want to know about it. I still want to hold on to the idea that they are way better than us.

I'm not saying it should dictate Axl/the band's vision and creativity, I'm saying given the breadth of songs they have nearing completion/completed, it'd help provide insight on what ones to choose.

Also songs have been recorded in different styles throughout the years, they could go with a certain style over another, if deemed preferable.

Regardless, the information can be consulted or ignored as it's seen fit, but they would still have said information.

[HisRoyalSweetness]

i care about the music and musical performances of guns n' roses. not what some bitter hoarder thinks of their twitter strategy.

But you obviously do care about their twitter strategy to some extent, otherwise you would not be posting in this thread. Come on man, you used to post good, insightful things, now it's just pro-Axl 150%. What happened man?

it's part of a trolling game he's playing, making it seem like he's a fan so he can provide cover for his well-documented criminal endeavors. i don't want him to succeed in using this place as a tool to commit more crimes against gnr. i wouldn't want to give gnr a reason to shut this place down. especially now we can discuss things here again.

so everyone shine a light on this guy. don't let him post without calling him out on this. in this respect, old fans and new fans alike can agree and unite. i may not have been a fan of that one particular album, but i don't think the new band deserves to have their creative work or private emails stolen or ransomed. and more critically, i don't want this place to take any of the blame, warranted or not, when msl commits more crimes in our name.

[Naupis]

You make the mistake of thinking they want this band run like a professional, well oiled machine that cares about maximizing the value of the brand and everything that entails.

You see this romper room type of stuff with GNR because the housekeeper and her kids are managing the band. That should just about tell you how much Axl cares about how professional he thinks the GNR outfit really is.

[Young_Gun]

But you obviously do care about their twitter strategy to some extent, otherwise you would not be posting in this thread. Come on man, you used to post good, insightful things, now it's just pro-Axl 150%. What happened man?

When I saw that Brodie was the author, I knew exactly what the thread would consist of, so I clicked the thread to offer my 2 cents on his latest attempt to get a job with GNR.

I still post plenty of insightful things.

What happened? The hall of fame. It resulted in a huge wave of negative bullshit from bitter ex-fans with no regard for the truth. Any honest or insightful response would end up being pro-Axl because he's being criticized for things that are completely ridiculous.

I can understand that but it seems that you hold back or refuse to acknowledge anything negative about Axl or the band. This was not the case before. I'm not saying you should be like BBA or anything, but you seem alot more one-sided nowadays even when taking the anti-Axl patrol around here into perspective.

[dalsh327]

As a Guns N' Roses fan: I am terribly offended that the band's official Twitter feed is being used by management for personal reasons.

I find this use of band property to be highly frivolous and unprofessional.

For example, a recent enlightening Twitter exchange:

---

My fan-dom aside, as someone who works regularly in the Marketing and Advertising field: I see it as a HUGE lost opportunity.

Now don't get me wrong, I think that it's great that Fernando and his friends can stay in touch and exchange cute messages back and forth and post pictures of what they're eating, but creative professionals such as myself have a greater vision.

The live-tweeting has been a good start but you're "tweeting to the converted". While you're allowing them a way to relive a concert, you aren't doing much to advertise or generate revenue.

As such, I've thought of several uses for the Guns N' Roses Twitter and Facebook accounts while I sip my morning coffee. If you have any additional ideas, feel free to suggest them!

---

Possible Uses For Social Networking

1. Market Research For The Next Album

The "Chinese Democracy" album was a "really interesting noise" and contained a mix of various styles and genres.

Although I think if management took to the streets, so to speak, they could gain greater insight on what fans enjoyed and what they didn't like.

Did fans prefer the dance/electronic/industrial styles more or the classic, conservative sound? Did they prefer more 'simple' songs like "Sorry" and "This I Love" or more produced bombastic tracks like "Chinese Democracy" and "Shackler's Revenge"?

Gathering all of this important information could help the band select songs for future albums and ensure that is both a creative and commercial success.

2. Communicate With The Fans Regarding Future Plans

Communicating directly via Twitter and Facebook will help fans stay informed rather than hunting around for interviews done with 3rd party sites. It will also prevent misinformation and hearsay from spreading.

If DJ is making an appearance on That Metal Show or at a UFC event, then the band could make fans aware of it.

If the band is going to be featured in Such N' Such Magazine, the fans could be made aware of it so they could buy it!

Keeping fans in the loop gives them a reason to check back regularly and that includes buying what you're selling be that music, video content, merchandise, or scented candles.

3. Market Research For Merchandise

Important questions could be asked such as:

- What features would you like to see on GunsNRoses.com?

- Do you think it's bullshit you can't view pictures on GunsNRoses.com without being a Nightrain member?

- Would you buy multiple copies of current or future albums if various retailers had different bonus content?

- Where do you get most of your Guns N' Roses news?

- Who is your favorite member of Guns N' Roses?

- Do you prefer DVD, Bluray, or Digital Content?

- How often do you browse the web?

- Do you spend more of your time on a computer or on your phone?

- Where do you hear about (new) music?

- How much would you pay for a "deluxe" edition of an album?

- Do you like skulls and blood on all of your t-shirts?

4. Leveraging Past and Present Content

Bands like The Rolling Stones do a fabulous job of keeping fans informed but they also do a great job of keeping the band relevant by posting interviews with band members in various media appearances, posting links to HD versions of songs and music videos, and much more.

We all know that Guns N' Roses has completed a music video to the song "Better". Why not post it on the band's Facebook page for fans to share across the internet? It would be a great way to promote the band and the current tour. Robin may be gone but he's still in our hearts and the music is what is really important.

Additionally - every show is filmed, why not release a song or two from live performances from 2002, 2006-2007, and 2011-2012?

Leveraging this content on sites like YouTube helps the band stay relevant and deters illicit activity such as bootlegging and illegal downloading.

---

Conclusion:

In short, all of these suggestions serve two functions. First and foremost it keeps the band and management actively engaged with the fans and their wants, needs, and desires. This creates a loyal fanbase where one feels as if their voice is heard and respected.

Secondly, this provides the business entity "Guns N' Roses" with valuable, tangible, statistically-driven information about their brand and helps them to make wise, effective, and financially fruitful business decisions in the future.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

-b

Or just contact them:

https://www.facebook.com/groundctrl

[GivenToFly]

I dont follow the twitter feed because I dont use twitter, but I get the facebook updates on my wall and i gotta say: whoever writes the facebook updates is a complete and utter tool. I have Kelly Bundy type former high school friends who post less annoying shit on facebook.

[dalsh327]

But you obviously do care about their twitter strategy to some extent, otherwise you would not be posting in this thread. Come on man, you used to post good, insightful things, now it's just pro-Axl 150%. What happened man?

When I saw that Brodie was the author, I knew exactly what the thread would consist of, so I clicked the thread to offer my 2 cents on his latest attempt to get a job with GNR.

I still post plenty of insightful things.

What happened? The hall of fame. It resulted in a huge wave of negative bullshit from bitter ex-fans with no regard for the truth. Any honest or insightful response would end up being pro-Axl because he's being criticized for things that are completely ridiculous.

I don't know if it was overwhelmingly negative. It seemed more divided.

[Bruno P.]

if you guys only knew how many times brodie had begged GNR for a job. it's fucking pathetic. just because they won't let him be the webmaster, he has to make all these bullshit threads? grow up and get a life man.

Are you serious? So he is bashing GnR like this because he really wanted to work for GnR?

Anyway he has some valid points, especially the bootleg thing. I will never know why GnR are like that but these live streams are a very good start. Now if they only could play DIFFERENT SONGS on these streams... Otherwise when they play CD songs that arent played often people will still buy bootlegs.

[November_rain]

i care about the music and musical performances of guns n' roses. not what some bitter hoarder thinks of their twitter strategy.

But you obviously do care about their twitter strategy to some extent, otherwise you would not be posting in this thread. Come on man, you used to post good, insightful things, now it's just pro-Axl 150%. What happened man?

it's part of a trolling game he's playing, making it seem like he's a fan so he can provide cover for his well-documented criminal endeavors. i don't want him to succeed in using this place as a tool to commit more crimes against gnr. i wouldn't want to give gnr a reason to shut this place down. especially now we can discuss things here again.

so everyone shine a light on this guy. don't let him post without calling him out on this. in this respect, old fans and new fans alike can agree and unite. i may not have been a fan of that one particular album, but i don't think the new band deserves to have their creative work or private emails stolen or ransomed. and more critically, i don't want this place to take any of the blame, warranted or not, when msl commits more crimes in our name.

And don´t forget he is an expert in twisting and turning people against each other in order to get what he wants. Some of us remember...

[Guest Gunns]

if you guys only knew how many times brodie had begged GNR for a job. it's fucking pathetic. just because they won't let him be the webmaster, he has to make all these bullshit threads? grow up and get a life man.

THIS,

Brodie may of made some god points, yes. However he's making them from an over critical position, during the Axl chats, where live free/Brodie was a mod, he kept offering his web design services to Axl as well as criticizing every little thing about GnRs online presence, all stemmed from the fact he got shot down, he's been butt hurt ever since, hell he recently bitches about the tour book cover cause it had too much black in the border , fuckin

[Brodie]

Anyone who isn't trolling or talking out of their ass have any thoughts or comments?