zonic94:

Aaron Webber claimed in an interview recently that the reason why memes are posted so much on the Sonic social media is because “they haven’t had any game announcements to make”.

I don’t buy that explanation at all (did you know Mario and Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games for 3DS was released almost two months ago? Interesting how Sega’s website and the Sonic Twitter made no mention of it being out at all…).

And I fail to see how memes and self-deprecating humor should be the primary source of content posted when there’s no game-related news. Especially during a critical time when more and more fans are already losing faith in how seriously Sega takes its flagship series.

So as a sort of follow-up to a post I made a couple of days ago, I decided to share with you eight things I believe Aaron and the rest of the community team could and should be posting on the Sonic social media besides memes and self-deprecating humor. Both as a way of broadening the social media’s appeal and spreading more positivity for the series as a whole.

Here goes:

1. Fan-created content - Fan art, remixes, mods etc, basically a much more varied return of the Fan Fridays posts the social media used to do. I feel it would demonstrate a much-needed sense of appreciation for the fans and their passion for the series.

2. Game anniversary celebrations - Commemorate the anniversaries of individual games and reach out to fans asking them to share their memories of said games (this was also something the social media used to do before memes became the top priority).

3. Unreleased concept art - If Sonic Team allows you access to their archives, share interesting pieces of concept art that showcases the creativity and craft that goes into designing the world of Sonic.

4. Annual contests -  Sega used to do this a lot with Steam codes for games and rare merchandise being offered as prizes. I’d love to see that sort of thing return with Sonic-related prizes.

5. High-quality video/print uploads - Search the archives of Sega for old trailers, TV spots and other rare promotional material for Sonic games that would be historically interesting for fans and are presented in much higher quality than the uploads they usually find on YouTube and various fansites.

6. Fan polls - As a way of both engaging with fans and surveying what they love, ask poll questions every now and then that could help contribute to the development of future Sonic games (much like the favourite level poll did for Generations a few years back).

7. Sonic trivia - Self-explanatory really. Provide fans with interesting pieces of trivia that are either not widely-known or have never been shared publicly before.

8. Inspiring/motivational quotes - The Sonic franchise, especially prior to 2010, has many memorable lines of dialogue that are both inspirational and evocative of the series’ spirit as a whole. If you want to spread some positivity in the fanbase, I can’t think of anything better than posting lines such as “Nothing starts until you take action. If you have time to worry, then run!” or “We gotta live life to the fullest in the time we have!”

So there you have it.

If you have any ideas of your own, feel free to share them and I hope at least a few of you like the suggestions I’ve posted here!