Writers' Residencies

[CoachSlumber]

I finally found my dream gig when I got paid to write about Pullman Rail Adventures.

 

[train rider]

Hope when comping a writer that Amtrak doesn't used that filled roomette to raise the bucket on the paying passengers that reserve later.

 

[tim49424]

Really, if you think about it, this is a win-win situation for Amtrak and the passengers involved. The passenger gets to ride for "free" while writing about what he/she loves. Amtrak gets free advertising of the best kind as in essence this becomes an Amtrak passenger's testimonial, which is far far better than any commercial, billboard, newspaper ad, etc.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

Budgets are under attack, prices are going up, services levels are coming down, and in the middle of all this some surprisingly indifferent writers are waxing poetic about the opportunity to get a free ride on taxpayer dollars.

 

[tonys96]

Budgets are under attack, prices are going up, services levels are coming down, and in the middle of all this some surprisingly indifferent writers are waxing poetic about the opportunity to get a free ride on taxpayer dollars.

I wonder how much this costs. Maybe not doing this would save some routes/jobs.

 

[CoachSlumber]

Budgets are under attack, prices are going up, services levels are coming down, and in the middle of all this some surprisingly indifferent writers are waxing poetic about the opportunity to get a free ride on taxpayer dollars.

I wonder how much this costs. Maybe not doing this would save some routes/jobs.

The whole thing probably costs less than the ads Amtrak puts on the hockey boards in NY, Philly, and DC. It is a trivial expense.

 

[Ryan]

So is the expense of putting flowers on the table in the dining car, but it seems We Can't Have Nice Things Anymore.

 

[SarahZ]

I'm going to withhold judgment until I know how many residencies they plan to "give away". For all we know, it's one every three months. A lot of people are channeling Chicken Little, simply due to lack of detail. I've been monitoring Twitter, and it's still in, "Thanks for submitting your interest. We'll release details soon!" mode.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

I'm going to withhold judgment until I know how many residencies they plan to "give away". For all we know, it's one every three months. A lot of people are channeling Chicken Little, simply due to lack of detail. I've been monitoring Twitter, and it's still in, "Thanks for submitting your interest. We'll release details soon!" mode.

Nobody is saying the world (or Amtrak) is coming to an end due to this program. A few folks are simply pointing out the questionable ethics of blithely accepting a tax funded sleeper compartment in an era of worsening austerity for everyone else. Granted it's not your fault Amtrak is under attack and having to defend every little expenditure, but that is the reality of the situation nonetheless. Is the terrible timing of this project completely lost on you?

 

[SarahZ]

I'm going to withhold judgment until I know how many residencies they plan to "give away". For all we know, it's one every three months. A lot of people are channeling Chicken Little, simply due to lack of detail. I've been monitoring Twitter, and it's still in, "Thanks for submitting your interest. We'll release details soon!" mode.

Nobody is saying the world (or Amtrak) is coming to an end due to this program. A few folks are simply pointing out the questionable ethics of blithely accepting a tax funded sleeper compartment in an era of worsening austerity for everyone else. Granted it's not your fault Amtrak is under attack and having to defend every little expenditure, but that is the reality of the situation nonetheless. Is the terrible timing of this project completely lost on you?

No, it is not, and that's why I said I'm withholding judgment until I have more details about the residency program. I have not taken any "sides" because, as I said, I don't know how often they're planning to offer these residencies and what kind of restrictions they may put on the program. I created the thread because 1) it's news involving Amtrak and 2) we have several writers on this website.

By "Chicken Little", I was referring to the Facebook membership that seems to freak out over every single thing Amtrak does without looking into specifics or doing any research. For example, any time Amtrak posts a photo of anything, such a trees along the EB, you have 75% of commenters saying, "Oh, what pretty scenery! I love the EB!" and 25% posting, "WHY DOESN'T AMTRAK HAVE WIFI YET? WHY ARE YOU POSTING TREES WHEN YOU SHOULD BE ADDRESSING WIFI. I DEMAND WIFI. STOP DISTRACTING US WITH TREES."

It's... aggravating.

 

[Allypet]

I can't wait to read all about the lovely flowers on the tables, the wine and cheese platters, the fine china the meals are served on, and the auto-train sleeper lounge car... Oh wait, my bad they don't exist anymore. So, what will they write about?!

 

[SarahZ]

I can't wait to read all about the lovely flowers on the tables, the wine and cheese platters, the fine china the meals are served on, and the auto-train sleeper lounge car... Oh wait, my bad they don't exist anymore. So, what will they write about?!

Yes, because that's all there is to train travel. :huh: Believe it or not, I've enjoyed traveling on the SWC without any of those things (other than the flowers). It is possible to still have a good trip, and there is still plenty to write about:

- The delicious food and the ability to substitute and/or find items to fit most diets

- The gorgeous scenery

- Meeting other passengers in the lounge car

- The friendly staff

- How nice it is to have a bed and shower

- The romantic/antiquated/historic feeling of traveling by train

- How relaxing it is to not have to drive or go through security at an airport

- How much fun they had

- How much fun their kids had

- What it feels like to travel through towns in the middle of the night

- How wonderful it is to be able to bring two suitcases and a bunch of "essentials" like laptop bags and purses without having them counted

- Being able to bring alcohol on board if traveling in a sleeper

- Meeting other passengers in Coach

- Free water/juice/coffee/ice in the sleepers and free water in Coach

- Socializing and enjoying the local scenery/temperature/air at "fresh air" stops

- Learning about train travel from crew and/or passengers

- The various kinds of equipment used and the benefits to each type

- Etc.

 

[tonys96]

To add to Sarah's list:

-Meeting and, usually, conversing with new folks at meals

-Meeting other folks in sleepers.

-Making new friends before the train departs.

-Seeing small (and large) town America and it's Holiday decorations during Christmas Season.

-Mt. Shasta in the morning.

-Travelling along the Columbia River banks, and being able to enjoy it's majesty.

-The "rhythm of the rails"

(However, the newly departed "extras" will be missed by many)

 

[amtrakdude93]

Hi guys any info on the writers residencies? I've heard it's in it's beginning stages and I'm not sure if there is any more further info other than what's already online

 

[Allypet]

I have never ridden the SWC, I'm sure the scenery is breathtaking. One of my biggest complaints in my post would be the removal of one of the lounge cars on the auto train and then adding an extra 75 coach passengers. With that gone, and the added passengers, it would be almost impossible to meet anyone on the train as the lounge car would be packed all the time. It is now with 2 lounge cars.

I took the auto train 6 times last year and have a trip booked for July already. I travel with my grown children, and because I don't know if they are traveling with me when I book my bedroom we usually wind up in different cars. The lounge car to me is then vital in getting the family together for some together time, and I'm afraid I'm going to lose this, and just the ability to get up and walk around and being able to see the views out of the other side if the train.

Looks like Amtrak is heading towards commuter train setup. You'd get a seat and that's it, no walking around for you! I can see them like NJT, Your lucky if you find a working bathroom on New Jersey Transit, and forget about being on time. The big difference is the most Amtrak routes are much longer then the typical regional railroads, and they need a certain level of amenities.

I try not to be negative, but I think Amtrak is showing poor judgement in timing by releasing this writer free ride program, at the same time that are cutting services to paying customers.

 

[trainman74]

I've heard it's in it's beginning stages and I'm not sure if there is any more further info other than what's already online

That's still the case, as far as I know. They're being discussed in this thread.

 

[CoachSlumber]

I'm going to withhold judgment until I know how many residencies they plan to "give away". For all we know, it's one every three months. A lot of people are channeling Chicken Little, simply due to lack of detail. I've been monitoring Twitter, and it's still in, "Thanks for submitting your interest. We'll release details soon!" mode.

Nobody is saying the world (or Amtrak) is coming to an end due to this program. A few folks are simply pointing out the questionable ethics of blithely accepting a tax funded sleeper compartment in an era of worsening austerity for everyone else. Granted it's not your fault Amtrak is under attack and having to defend every little expenditure, but that is the reality of the situation nonetheless. Is the terrible timing of this project completely lost on you?

Marketing is an expense. If this generates more money than it costs, it is a wise expenditure.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

I'm going to withhold judgment until I know how many residencies they plan to "give away". For all we know, it's one every three months. A lot of people are channeling Chicken Little, simply due to lack of detail. I've been monitoring Twitter, and it's still in, "Thanks for submitting your interest. We'll release details soon!" mode.

Nobody is saying the world (or Amtrak) is coming to an end due to this program. A few folks are simply pointing out the questionable ethics of blithely accepting a tax funded sleeper compartment in an era of worsening austerity for everyone else. Granted it's not your fault Amtrak is under attack and having to defend every little expenditure, but that is the reality of the situation nonetheless. Is the terrible timing of this project completely lost on you?

Marketing is an expense. If this generates more money than it costs, it is a wise expenditure.

How would you go about determining the ROI for something like this?

 

[jerichowhiskey]

Now, perhaps the most important point: The residency was free. According to Gross, all Amtrak asked was that she send out a few tweets while she was traveling, and do an interview for the company's blog at the end of her trip.

Sounds like it will depend on how far reaching the writers will be on Twitter. More tweets talking about Amtrak and in a positive fashion is likely what they are looking for.

 

[CHamilton]

#AmtrakLIVE Courts Social Media Insiders With a Trip to SXSW

Amtrak has been getting a lot of attention on social media lately. Since the recent writers’ residency program, interest has been high for Amtrak. The company has been on the social media bandwagon for some time now, but with the recent awareness boost, it’s doubling down on its efforts to reach out to consumers. So #AmtrakLIVE is going to SXSW....

Amtrak’s Facebook page has been liked over 377,000 times, and its presence on Instagram inspires a lot of hashtags. According to a blog post from July 2013, the #Amtrak hashtag receives over 1,000 photos a week. The company has certainly seen the benefits that social media brings, and with the writers’ residency program, they could generate more buzz than ever.

To wit, Amtrak is sending a train from L.A. to Austin, Texas, just in time for SXSW, loaded with 30 entrepreneurs and digital thought leaders. While in the specially-reserved observation car, users will tweet using the #AmtrakLIVE tag to keep the Twitterverse updated during the 33-hour trip.

“AmtrakLIVE will have amazing scenery, engaging collaboration and the opportunity to explore and be inspired — it’s all part of the Amtrak long-distance experience,” said Julia Quinn, Amtrak’s director of social media in a statement [PDF]. Social media users are happy to broadcast that they’re on a train, and social media personalities are interested in free rides in exchange for publicity.

 

[haolerider]

I'm going to withhold judgment until I know how many residencies they plan to "give away". For all we know, it's one every three months. A lot of people are channeling Chicken Little, simply due to lack of detail. I've been monitoring Twitter, and it's still in, "Thanks for submitting your interest. We'll release details soon!" mode.

Nobody is saying the world (or Amtrak) is coming to an end due to this program. A few folks are simply pointing out the questionable ethics of blithely accepting a tax funded sleeper compartment in an era of worsening austerity for everyone else. Granted it's not your fault Amtrak is under attack and having to defend every little expenditure, but that is the reality of the situation nonetheless. Is the terrible timing of this project completely lost on you?

Marketing is an expense. If this generates more money than it costs, it is a wise expenditure.

How would you go about determining the ROI for something like this?

In the marketing and advertising world there is a generally accepted formula that calculates the number of exposures a program receives and equates those exposures to the cost of advertising that would result in the same number of exposures. If social media and a residency program has little cost and has high exposure, your ROI would be high, if however the cost in lost revenue is high, this may be a sticking point for this program; however I am sure Amtrak will not be pushing paying customers out of their seats or rooms for the program. Low season and low ridership on particular trains will probably be the norm, but in my opinion, this is a good program and will bring exposure to a demographic that Amtrak has not captured in the past.

 

[SarahZ]

Here we go:

http://blog.amtrak.com/2014/03/amtrak-residency-for-writers/

Today we are happy to announce that #AmtrakResidency will allow for up to 24 writers to take long-distance trains to work on their projects.

It's limited to 24 slots, so get your application in!

 

[Cma]

Good luck, SarahZ!

 

[Bob Dylan]

Here we go:

http://blog.amtrak.com/2014/03/amtrak-residency-for-writers/

Today we are happy to announce that #AmtrakResidency will allow for up to 24 writers to take long-distance trains to work on their projects.

It's limited to 24 slots, so get your application in!

Ditto! Best of Luck Sarah!

 

[Henry Kisor]

As a professional writer, I have to agree with the following:

http://dduane.tumblr.com/post/79161065289/the-amtrak-residency-why-i-think-this-is-a-terrible

It seems to me that corporate lawyers, not marketing people, were responsible for the travesty.