Michael Tresca is a game designer, author, communicator and artist. He had been a professional freelance writer in the gaming field before he discovered Examiner.com. He was drawn by the freedom the site offered so that he could define his own column. That’s when he became a role-playing game Examiner. But defining the column was rooted in the much larger story of defining the Internet and the World Wide Web. His master’s thesis, The Impact of Anonymity on Disinhibitive Behavior Through Computer-Mandated Communication, was published in 1998. By analyzing posts from a law enforcement news group, it revealed the dark side of human interactions via computers.
But in a fictional context, Tresca prefers other worlds. He is the original creator of Welstar, one of the six worlds in RetroMUD, a free online roleplaying game, and the setting for his fiction writing. He’s been an administrator for RetroMUD for more than a decade. His articles and reviews have appeared in numerous game publications. He later took on another title as the Sci-Fi Movie Examiner and became a Top 1,000 reviewer on Amazon.com. How does he do it all?
“I write in bursts. I write when I have time and then parcel out the info over the course of a month. I type nearly 100 words per minute, although I’ve slowed down a bit,” he said. “I also have a TiVo with a very large hard drive. That helps when you’re a movie reviewer.”
Tresca frequently attends gaming conventions and has received press credentials through Examiner.com. To build his audience, he also uses social media and is now thinking in terms of overall branding.
“I had an epiphany recently. Facebook is the new Internet. I’ve saturated the majority of the role-playing game communities but my sci-fi column was struggling. After considering the major topics I write about (horror, sci-fi, and gaming) I put together a brand representing all three. Then I polled the RetroMUD players. The vote was unanimous and the DREADSPACE_ fan page was born.”
About a third of the money he makes from Examiner.com is plowed back into advertising to grow Dreadspace’s audience. “So far it’s been very successful in driving traffic. And of course the more traffic Facebook sends to my columns, the better my columns perform, the more money I make, and the more I can reinvest in advertising,” Tresca said.
Despite all the change the Internet has brought and the new worlds Tresca and his fans are creating, certain things hold true. “With the advent of a new global economy, mastery of English is a means of distinguishing oneself. Your job cannot be easily outsourced,” Tresca said. “Every aspiring writer should have a public forum for their writing. Don’t limit yourself to one style. Write a horror novel, write poetry, write a movie script, write a play. Write often and write well.”
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