Your community manager is finally here (aka me)

Rudi

Not an AI, not a robot. I’m your new community manager for Nothing, and I’m pretty human. At least that’s what I like to think.

I’m super excited to have joined our community. I can’t wait to get to know all of you and share all of my ideas for this space. There’s so much to come!

Before I get into all that, I’d like to start with a chat. I’m inviting you to reach out here and tell me anything: what you’re up to, your hobbies, what you feel about Nothing so far. Whatever makes you tick, I want to know; the more info the merrier. This is so we can appreciate each other’s individuality and grow together.

I’m not your boss — I’m you, just on the inside of the brand. I’m merely here to amplify your voice at the heart of Nothing. To represent your interests and concerns, and to fight your corner if needs be.

I’d like to start by building the right place for all your technical suggestions so our Product Team can hear you properly. When needed, I’ll also be doing a little spring cleaning around the site to make it easier and quicker for you to find the information you need. And thinking about the future, I want to elevate the community beyond just an online environment. For all of that and much more, I need you, our supporters, to help us navigate through our first challenges and shape the community and Nothing as a whole.

Who’s in?

Cheetosdust

Rudi Hello Rudi and welcome to the Community.

First of all, my heartfelt congratulations on your new job, I am sure it is the beginning of a fruitful journey.

Hobbies can be the mundane elevated to something special. For me, that’s reading and listening to music. Discovering a good movie and a series that, seem created because everything else gave way to talent.

A personal hobby, then, can be what others perceive as mundane while we give it our undivided attention, discovering for the first time what the repetition made us love dearly. Or at least having that perception.

I see Nothing as a company spearheaded by someone who understands the power a Community can have. I feel Nothing as a company whose voice can be amplified by the forums and inevitably by Social Media.

Evaluating its efforts by my own interactions with the ear (1), both hardware and software are a ship moving forward. But not being an island, by what I’ve read, it seems that the same ship has an anchor in some cases. In a tightly-knit Community, one’s problem should be everyone’s problem.

And I truly believe that’s where a Community Manager comes into play. You eloquently described it already, but your message is that hope some of us were talking about before. You are perfectly centered to be both a magnifying glass and a megaphone.

Your plans, that glimpse showed in your message, sound exactly like that fruitful journey. Boots on the ground, restore the communication between company and Community, amplify it, be the bridge between those points, until you are the abolition of the distance altogether.

All this to wish you a lovely stay, to thank you for this first message, hoping that your determination grows hand in hand with this Community.

Rudi Not an AI, not a robot. I’m your new community manager for Nothing, and I’m pretty human. At least that’s what I like to think.

Hmmm, I don’t know. How good are you at solving Captchas? 😁

Rob

Rudi

Rudi!

A massive welcome to the Community and what a relief it is to hear that you’re an actual human! I hope you’re loving the new role and have enjoyed seeing how the Nothing Community has developed so far under its own steam.

I’m Rob, a UK-based Video Editor who mostly works on creating trailers for new TV shows. Outside of work, I’m a keen Photographer, tech-fanatic and I’m big on sustainability and renewable energy.

I feel like I’ve found a home here in the Nothing Community, a safe place to talk tech and get excited about a company I support. A highlight moment for me so far was when @HeroeSpiN live-streamed his ear (1) unboxing on Twitch! It felt like a real ‘community’ moment haha! I enjoy getting to know the people here a little better every day, and your mention of elevating our experience beyond the online environment is a really exciting prospect.

I can’t wait to see how, we together, can take our Community to the next level!

Let’s do this!

SteveW

Rudi

Welcome Rudi, glad to have you here and happy to read your introduction now to the community!

Rudi Not an AI, not a robot. I’m your new community manager for Nothing, and I’m pretty human.

First off, that sounds just like something a robot would say so I don’t buy it… Yet.

As for myself, I’m a university student in Canada with a passion for tech and innovation and learning about both of those things. Hobbies are a little bit of everything depending on how fixated I am on it at each waking moment: rock climbing, golfing, leatherworking, music, reading, and many more.

As for my interactions so far with Nothing - I initially was introduced to the idea of the brand pretty early in it’s conception when I came along a tweet from Casey Neistat (who I’ve been following for years) talking about an interesting and at the time still very cryptic new tech brand called “Nothing”. My interest was piqued and from there I did what I could to be involved. That includes attempting to invest - unsuccessfully once I found it was unavailable in Canada, and also happily being chosen as a part of this community!

I am very glad to hear your sentiment toward the community and that you don’t see yourself as “our boss”, but instead share the same passion as all of us who frequent these chats have. I think it’s fantastic you will value the community’s technical suggestions as I believe there’s a unique and valuable perspective to be tapped into. I have no doubt you’ll look out for what’s best and act as a strong binding agent between the community and the company.

[deleted] Count me in. 🤓

Me too.

Kastello

Rudi

Hey Rudi an welcome! I hope you will enjoy your new job! A Community Manager is always the most important role for communications between “user” and the Staff behind a brand.

I’m super sure we can now build all together a healthy community around nothing and I’m looking forward where this way leads to 😃

For myself, I’m working in the IT Area and I’m so far super interested in every new tech out there and I’m always keen to test them! 😁

And I’m also a big gamer which consumes the most of my free time 😅

arpan2308

Rudi

Welcome Rudi 😀 …we minions were eagerly searching for our master 😁

You are a bit late, but i can assure you that you have missed Nothing 😛

All the best for your new journey.

Rudi

🤣

Hey guys,

Your replies genuinely filled me up with laughter and excitement!
Yes, I’m chuffed. Working for Nothing (they pay me, don’t worry) is as exciting as the brand portrays itself to the world. It can only be that way as we’re aiming to achieve big things.

@Cheetosdust
I’ve seen your post about music streaming and I share very similar thoughts. I love music too and that was one of the things that attracted me to Nothing via the so loved ear (1)'s. I can see us spending a lot of time talking about it! (I honestly can’t wait)

@[deleted]
It seems that you’ve all taken good care of these lands! So much passion, interest and constructive criticism. I’ve been reading it all, bit by bit, and I’m impressed. Seeing so much commitment from users like you are the breath of fresh air for me. I also agree with your orchestra analogy. That’s the reason why I want us all to be close and bounce ideas off each other.
This community is definitely our place.

@Rob
Ahh! Amazing! Is there anything you’ve worked on that I can see online? Love photography too (who doesn’t)
I’ve got an EV and I cycle to work, so I confess I’m a bit of green fanatic as well.
Yes, I’d like us to meet in real life at the right time, so that we can have more of these community moments as you mentioned. And I’m working on creating a space where we can have regular calls as well. You won’t get enough of me, I assure you.

@SteveW
I guarantee you I’m a person. One of the nice ones too, when I’m on a full charge. BEEP BEEP 😁
I’m here for you and I also hope we can have some fun along the way. You know, with the occasional serious stuff we can all be part of 😉

@Kastello
I’m super grateful of my responsibilities, so I hope we can smash it, really.
I used to be a gamer myself, but then I had children 😅 so now I’ve got to work on a better version of myself, with better time management in my personal life, so that I can enjoy a few minutes of my console every now and then 👀

@arpan2308
I’m starting to think myself as Gru thanks to your comment. Yeah, that will work, I can be a hit and miss sometimes as well 😆

Thank you all for your warm welcome - I’m so humbled by it - and if there’s anything I could ask for at this moment is just a tiny bit of patience. I’m familiarising myself with the platform and the features, so that we can all make the most out it. Nevertheless, keep mentioning my name and if you have any questions, please shout. I’m all (robot) ears.

Cheetosdust

Rudi I’ve seen your post about music streaming and I share very similar thoughts. I love music too and that was one of the things that attracted me to Nothing via the so loved ear (1)'s. I can see us spending a lot of time talking about it! (I honestly can’t wait)

Without going full Oliver Sacks on this reply, hehe, music is something that was always there for me. From the Nirvana of my teenage years to the Tool of my life, it always fascinated me the artistic side, but also the emotional muscle music can have.

I cannot wait for it either, I am always down to talk about music, remembering the discoveries of yesteryear while adding new artists to this collective playlist.

Rudi Thank you all for your warm welcome - I’m so humbled by it - and if there’s anything I could ask for at this moment is just a tiny bit of patience. I’m familiarising myself with the platform and the features, so that we can all make the most out it. Nevertheless, keep mentioning my name and if you have any questions, please shout. I’m all (robot) ears.

Not having patience can lead to rushed things and rushed things can lead to even less patience. Personally, it’s not about the time it takes, but the result that will emerge after that period of time is behind us.

And so far, you are making the most out of it. Having patience is the least we can do.

Surya_8055 The introduction part was quite enthusiastic. I like the way NOTHING hires it’s employees and also the community members like @Cheetosdust @Dominic @SteveW @Bits. They are very active and they bring the conversations interactive.

Many thanks, we are all bringing something to these forums as we are all here for the same: to write and to read, to share, to connect fostering the purest sense of a Community. The sentiment is reciprocal.

Rob

Rudi Ahh! Amazing! Is there anything you’ve worked on that I can see online? Love photography too (who doesn’t)

Yeah sure! I’ve not uploaded any of my recent work, but here’s one I made for The History Channel last year -that’ll hopefully give you an idea of the sort of thing I do 😄 And it’s true, everyone loves photography - I shoot weddings as a side-hustle fairly regularly - it helps fuel my unhealthy addiction with buying new gear and lenses 😆.

Rudi I’ve got an EV and I cycle to work, so I confess I’m a bit of green fanatic as well.

Ah, that’s great - I’ve got a lot of respect for people who’ve made the switch to an EV already - What do you drive if you don’t mind me asking? I’ve been eyeing up those Super73 electric bikes for a while now, they look like an illegal amount of fun! 😏

Rudi Yes, I’d like us to meet in real life at the right time, so that we can have more of these community moments as you mentioned. And I’m working on creating a space where we can have regular calls as well

That’s all sounding great! After all, there’s only so much you can learn about people through typed words on a screen. Are you based in the London office or elsewhere?

Surya_8055

@Rudi

Hello Rudi. A very warm welcome to NOTHING.

The introduction part was quite enthusiastic. I like the way NOTHING hires it’s employees and also the community members like @Cheetosdust @Dominic @SteveW @[deleted]. They are very active and they bring the conversations interactive.

I am pretty sure that you will give us the complete support which we are waiting for a lifetime 😜. The company mentioned that it would become an consumer based company, which is pretty good. I hope from now on we can get responses from you, so that we can share our views and all the other concerns regarding the products, shipments, general tech talks and other stuff.

Yes we would like to shape the community and Nothing as a whole. We are always in it and always will be.

I’m in ✌️.

Rudi

Great to hear that, Surya_8055

Thank you for welcoming me on board. Get your questions and other doubts fired up, I’ll be fetching the answers for you and learning with them as well 👍️

Rudi

@Cheetosdust

What can I say? It’s like hitting the ground running with you… I’m blessed. Yes, let’s focus on the results 💪
Little update, I’ve been talking to our web developer for the community to start introducing some extensions (I’ll discuss this at length in the ‘https://nothing.community/d/129-past-and-present-of-the-forums-what-about-the-future/9’ topic). I’m thinking from User Bio to Search, Best Answer, Statistics, to Moderator Notes and so on…

@Rob

Wow, epic video 🔥
The Super73s are totally insane. I’m always looking at e-bikes too but I also like to ride my single-speed around here in London (yes, based in the London office). It’s just better for fitness.
I have a traditional Nissan Leaf, boring yet effective. You know, something to contrast my exciting Batman lifestyle 😆

Cheetosdust

Rudi What can I say? It’s like hitting the ground running with you… I’m blessed. Yes, let’s focus on the results 💪
Little update, I’ve been talking to our web developer for the community to start introducing some extensions (I’ll discuss this at length in the ‘https://nothing.community/d/129-past-and-present-of-the-forums-what-about-the-future/9’ topic). I’m thinking from User Bio to Search, Best Answer, Statistics, to Moderator Notes and so on…

I feel it’s about the perception and the realization of a Community in its timeline. It’s easy to look at full-fledged message boards and forget they all started with their own skeleton before developing fiber and muscle.

Your examples sound like that muscle. They all transpire usefulness during everyday life. The Best Answer can be an added motivator to the knowledgeable members of the forums. The Statistics will give us a better idea of the evolution (and if you make them personal, they can be used to guide fun threads as a barometer).

About the Moderator Notes, it’s about communication. I believe the tools are crucial for the decision-making process, for it to be easily and swiftly deployed. The platform should always make the navigation and the moderation easier.

Hand in hand with these new features, personally, it’s all about the content. To me, a Community thrives when there’s a constant reason to stay, to engage, to interact. It’s about the personality of one meeting the fascinating content of many.

Keep up the good and auspicious work. 😀

Rob

Rudi

Rudi I’m thinking from User Bio to Search, Best Answer, Statistics, to Moderator Notes and so on…

This all sounds great! Features that assist those who are new to the Community and Nothing products will be extremely helpful.

I’m particularly excited to hear what you have in mind RE: Statistics!

Cheetosdust To me, a Community thrives when there’s a constant reason to stay, to engage, to interact. It’s about the personality of one meeting the fascinating content of many.

I’m totally in agreement with you there - a thriving community should result in a constant stream of content and opportunities for its users to engage. In the build-up to the ear (1) launch, there was a palpable atmosphere here in the forums with a constant stream of predictions, leaks, and commentary on the tease-tastic marketing. The real challenge, I think, is in sustaining interest from users/followers between product cycles.

Rob

Rudi (yes, based in the London office)

(eagerly awaiting an office tour and BTS photos) 😆

Cheetosdust

Rob I’m totally in agreement with you there - a thriving community should result in a constant stream of content and opportunities for its users to engage. In the build-up to the ear (1) launch, there was a palpable atmosphere here in the forums with a constant stream of predictions, leaks, and commentary on the tease-tastic marketing. The real challenge, I think, is in sustaining interest from users/followers between product cycles.

Indeed, I remember how buzzing the forums were at the time, dissecting all the clues even before the case was revealed. Some genuine great times that foreshadowed this present we are living.

It’s true what you wrote about the sustainability between launches. I am sure that whenever Nothing is getting ready to launch a new product, the excitement will be even greater, because we know each other better and because the forums will probably have more members.

I always saw the launches as celebrations. The way the forums arrive there will depend on how the brand instigates creativity, interaction and engagement. The presence of Staff Members helps, but it’s mainly about said content.

When a brand starts to motivate their core members, then it is them who motivate their peers. It’ll be easier and easier as the product line-up gets wider, but before that tipping point, it’s about stretching the lifespan of each launch while infusing it all with this omnipresent sense of coziness.

Rudi It’s just piles of boxes at the moment Rob 😅

How tempted are you to build a fort?

Even better, make it a kingdom so you can use this pun:

“I’ll be doing Nothing until kingdom come”. 😆

Rudi

It’s just piles of boxes at the moment Rob 😅

But I’ll get a snapshot of it once we’re settled. No transparency though, apart from the windows.

Rob

Rudi

Haha, humble beginnings! I hope you’re documenting it all!

Dominic

Greetings and welcome @Rudi! 🎉

Congratulations for your title at Nothing! I can assure you that in our eyes you are like a messiah - We’ve been waiting for a community manager for who-knows-how-long, and well, here we have you now, a synthetic humanoid made out of metal and transparent plastic. Or maybe you are a lizard. Are you friends with Mark Zuckerberg? Same species huh? 🦎

Anyways, I think you’ve made a great choice when applying to work with the Nothing Community. The guys (and ladies for that matter) are super nice around here, I can’t stress it enough. There is no place like this on the internet, period. Everyone is talkative with superb writing skills in conjunction with original thoughts and ideas, besides being helpful, kind and accepting - they won’t be harsh to you no matter your opinion, so you can freely express anything that you have on your mind. It’s like a huge family, I love it.

Before I get into all that, I’d like to start with a chat.

Let me introduce myself. My name is Dominic (suprising, right?) and I am into anything, literally anything regarding tech. Most of my hobbies are also in connection with technology, I love to tinker with computers, smartphones and any electronic device, both hardware and software.

I like martial arts too. Karate and stuff. Great for working out!

What am I up to currently? Well recently, I decided to try to improve my online privacy and limiting the data I share with tech giants like Facebook or Google. I completely switched over to DuckDuckGo for example. It is quite tiring, time consuming and less convenient to protect your privacy, but I think in today’s day and age where companies sell and trade with your data, it is important to at least limit what you give out and to who.

The reason why I got interested in Nothing in the first place is that I saw such a huge potential in it that I wanted to be the part of it. Due to my young age I’ve never seen a small tech company rise up to become a giant, but I hope that I will soon witness such development with Nothing. I feel like you guys could become the next Apple or Google in the future: doing things differently of course, but having the same kind of influence and size of user base. And I simply wanted to be a part of that, so that I could tell my grandchildren the story of how all of this started, how I got into the Community among the firsts and how we supported - the at the time small - Nothing.

And you know, the overall attitude and approach of the company is also special. As many have mentioned before me, Nothing really puts an emphasis on its user base and community, which is a huge plus. That way, even though we are not personally affiliated with the company, the connection between it and the costumer is rather personal and unique. Marketing is also one of its kind, and ear (1) is fantastic. So yeah, I really dig Nothing.

I’m not your boss — I’m you, just on the inside of the brand. I’m merely here to amplify your voice at the heart of Nothing. To represent your interests and concerns, and to fight your corner if needs be.

That’s very kind of you, thank you. Other managers of other communities have a tendency to think that they’re above everyone else, but it’s much appreciated that you are acting as one of us while being a bridge connecting the Nothing team with the Community.

Funfact: your name Rudi is a national store-bought dessert/snack found in Hungary where I live. Its full name is “Túrórudi”, which means “Curd-rod”. Its quite self-explanatory: a rod of curd/quark/cottage cheese (there is no real translation as far as I’m concerned) is coated with chocolate. Actually it quite delicious, better than it sounds for sure. And then you have different flavours like peach jelly, peanut butter and such. It is so weird for us that other countries don’t have it. Anyways, the more you know… 😉

So yeah, happy to see you, hopefully you will enjoy the Community as much as we do! 😁

Rob

Dominic

I did actually laugh out loud at “Curd-rod” 😆😂 Also, @Dominic, where ya been?! We’ve missed you!

Rudi

Dominic

I’ll take curd-rod as a compliment if the treat is a sweet one 😆

I’m actually not a fan of reptiles - I think it’s a phobia 😱

I love tech and martial arts too. My dad is a black belt in Karate and I’ve done Tae Kwon Do for 7 years when I was a kid. My eldest daughter has recently graded, getting her orange white-stripe belt a couple of weeks ago, and she’s only 7. I’m so proud 🧑‍🎓

I’m a big fan of privacy as well, so I use Brave - have you heard of it? A really fast browser too. I recommend.

I also share the feeling of a small company becoming a giant, and for the same reason, I want to be part of it. Having fun with all of you here is actually an amazing bonus 💪

Dominic

Rob

Ahww that’s sweet. 🥺 Well, life happened: university has started on the first of September, so I had to deal with that in the last couple of weeks. I always thought “yea, today is the day when I will catch up with what happened in the Community”, but I never really got around it, until yesterday. I missed quite a few things, but I am back now, eager to talk and discuss with you guys again! 😉

Now tell me about yourself, how are things at your end? I hope everything is fine!