Scale and Reach

She's popular, cute and she's singing a pop hit but she has no scale or long term reach.

Unless you have an online video series that is so niche specific that you will capture all the search inquiries for a certain keyword or you are able to bring in over 25,000 unique visitors per day you are going to have trouble monetizing through ad networks because you don't have scale or reach.

Can you get scale and reach? It depends.

A couple of years ago MySpace didn't have any video. MySpace members were using YouTube and Revver to post videos on their MySpace page. Now, MySpace videos like the little girl singing Hey Jude are starting to top the charts.

MySpace blocked the ad serving Revver videos and launched their own MySpace Video Player and they have scale and reach.

What are you doing to get scale and reach?

Who's Buying Online Video?

Even though consumers are watching online videos in record numbers online viewers are not yet buying the viral videos they love to watch. In order to sell online videos you have to have a buyer. A buyer who's looking to buy what you are selling at the right time and the right price.

Now this may all seem like common sense stuff but for the sake of conversation I'm going to blog about it anyway.

Video viewers are use to getting Internet videos for free so unless you are selling emotionally engaging videos consumers can't get anywhere else or you are selling videos in a format they want and can't get, consumers have no reason to buy your videos. But as we all know consumers will put up with advertising in order to watch those viral morsels.

So who is actually buying?

Michael Eisner's company Vuguru is buying, right? Well from what I can tell Vuguru isn't really buying, it's co-producing and selling. So is Brett Weinstein's 60 Frames Sony's Crackle and Disney's Stage 9.

These companies are financing the production of online videos created by independent producers and then pre-selling advertising against those online videos and super distributing them across the Internet with the ads baked in or just showing them on their own portals.

Now there are sites like Break.com who are paying for video. Break.com's site says, "For your first original video on the homepage, you will make $400 if you let Break have it exclusively. If you don't want to do that, or can't for any reason, no problem! Break will pay you $200 anyway as a reward for your first original making the homepage."

They go on to say, "$200 is very competitive for a first video. Except for an extremely small group of users on other sites, there is no higher paying structure online. Break has been, and continues to be, the easiest place to make money online." They also have higher paying amounts for your second and third videos.

Metacafe still features their Producer's Rewards Program on the bottom right hand side of their front page and their top earner Kipkay has earned $103,988 but they recently changed their policy and some producers are a little upset.

Revver shares a 50/50 on ad revenue but the payments have been a little irregular.

Blip.TV has a revshare program and is working hard to make sure run of network inventory doesn't go unsold.

YouTube's partnership program pays but according to Paidcontent.org's David Kaplin YouTube is not giving out the details.

Sites like Vuze.com allow you to "Monetize Your Content the Way You Want" and I expect to see more of these types of sites popping up soon.

So who is buying Online Video?

I don't think anyone is really buying online video and if you have some online video to sell I don't think you should sell it. I think you should sell ads against your online video and license it to people who will license it to someone else or sell ads against it and to do that you need to study that dirty word, "SALES."

If you don't want to do it yourself, use one of the above sites.

What do you think?

Will Grand Theft Auto IV be the Biggest Entertainment Opening Ever?

Yahoo Games asks the question: Will Grand Theift Auto IV be the biggest video game ever?

We'll soon know.

"According to industry insiders, Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto IV is poised to make Microsoft's Halo 3 look like a small-time crook when it hits stores on April 29th. Analysts expect the free-roaming crime drama to generate over $400 million in its opening week alone."

Marketing with Outtakes - Cameron Diaz and Aston Kutcher Drunk

This is supposed to be an "outtake" from the movie What Happens in Vegas, which comes out next weekend is climbing the online video charts today.

It looks as if the footage is "leaked" or "stolen" by leaving timecodes windows on the footage but it seems to me that there has been some editing done and sound FX added to the footage.

My guess is that the movie studio marketing team has tried to make it appear this way in order to have the video go viral.

It will be interesting to see how well this clip does as getting people's butts into the theater seats.

About the movie:

Two strangers (Cameron Diaz and Aston Kutcher) awaken together to discover they've gotten married following a night of debauchery in Sin City, and one of them has won a huge jackpot after playing the other's quarter. The newlyweds devise ever-escalating schemes to undermine each other and get their hands on the money -- only to find themselves falling in love amid the mutual backstabbing.

Viral Video, Spectacle and Story in an Elevator

Here's a short viral video story of a man trapped in an Elevator.

What emotions do you experience when you watch this video?

Get Geico to Sponsor Your Commercial

Could you imagine if you could get a big company like Geico to sponsor a segment on a popular sports show that features a commercial for your product and then it went viral on the Internet?

You have to love the Nike magic.

Watch Kobe Bryant and Kenny Smith jump over some cars on TNN EJ's Neat-0 Stat of the Night.

What Would You Say To CEOs?

Kent Nichols of Ask A Ninja twittered, "I need your input" and posted a link to a new blog entry where he asks for help as to what he should say about small media to a bunch of CEO's at an upcoming conference.

Here's my comment to his post:

I think I would find a correlation between small media and the word processor or some other tool of democratization and show how CEOs have benefited from previous revolutions and project how they might be able to benefit from this one.

Last night I had drinks with a music producer who has produced over 150 albums for many artists that you have heard of and he was telling me about the music industry when he started producing back in the 1960's at the age of 16. The stories he told about that time made me think of our online video community now and about the time of Ernest Hemingway's A Movable Feast in the 1920's.

The revolutions of the 20's and 60's changed the way people used their artistic voice to write books and write music that had passion and that passion changed those market places to the benefit of corporations.

Once corporations got involved and tried to replicate the passion of the artists with the skill of trained craftsmen the "soul" of the artist's message was lost and the mediums took dives.

As online video creators we now have the opportunity to spill our passion to a global audience with no one standing in our way and it's all thanks to the tools that corporations and individuals have created to use on this thing we call the Internet.

You can ignore it. You can pretend that it is just a fad but as I sit on the couch of my living room and pound out these words using technologies that CEO's approved and sent to market I know that my words will reach 100's of people maybe 1000's and my words will effect people in a way that will bring about change. Maybe these words will inspire some new online video that will lead to something new, something exciting, something passionate and something meaningful...and I'm not talking about a new episode of French Maid TV. I'm talking about something artistic and truly meaningful.

As an artist I've been sitting on my hands waiting, waiting for all the tools to be in place to be able to create and make a living off my art. For me French Maid TV has just been a test in spectacle but now I feel we are at the point that we can tell stories online and monetize them.

I think the new stories that we produce will lead us to new formats and new creative ways of telling stories that use technologies like Twitter, IM, SMS and Video Chat to entertain in ways not possible on traditional TV or DVD.

We are now entering a new age of emotionally engaging interactive entertainment and the CEO's will have much from which to benefit.

Flash vs QuickTime is it Like Obama vs Clinton?

Well it looks like Flash has won the video player wars when it comes to site embeded streaming video but QuickTime is still king when it come to downloadable video to play on an iPod, iPhone or iPod Touch.

Now when it comes to placing ads (pre-roll, mid-roll, post-roll) in and around video I've found that Ad-Networks are shying away from QuickTime and downloadable media because it's hard to tell in real time if someone has watched an ad in a downloaded video.

iTunes, iPods, iPod Touches and iPhones don't play Flash because Apple has made them that way but they do support video podcasting where many of us online video producers get our views. On the other hand advertisers, media buyers and ad agencies like Flash because they can see real time stats.

When will we be able to sort this out?

When will we have our National Convention and decide on our video player candidate?

How will BARACKY: THE MOVIE end?

Size Matters: Ad Buyers Need to Buy Big

Susan Bratton Co-founder of Personal Life Media hits one out of the park with her DishyMix interview with Doug Weaver of Upstream Group about what is needed in the world of digital ad sales.

"Ad networks are changing the playing field. Media exchanges are shaking up the market. Sales revenue is down - a big surprise to publishers who have enjoyed steady growth since 2001.

Hear Doug’s recommendations for how you need to align your team today. Find out what kind of selling organization is required now to succeed in the long term - it may be very different from how you are staffing today."

Whether you are a media buyer or a media publisher (online video producer), if you are going to be involved with the buying or selling of ads you need to listen to this podcast.

When Should You Enter a Contest?

Every time I open an email, visit a website, go to a party or read a Tweet from Twitter I find out about a new contest. The 48 Hour Film Project, Mahalo Idol, Filmaka and a bunch of others.

For some reason contests seem to rub me the wrong way. Sure they are a great way for great talent to get noticed and in the old days that was oh so true. You needed to enter Star Search or American Idol to get a mass audience but now the times have changed.

The Internet is one big contest.

When you enter an online contest you are creating content for someone else that is making money (or trying to make money) by selling sponsorships and advertising off your creativity. Maybe you might win some prize money. Maybe you might win a development deal. Maybe you might get a hosting job. Sure it might get you noticed and get you more publicity than you could get on your own but my little voice keeps telling me that you don't really need to enter someone else's contest. That is unless you are missing something.

When should you enter a contest?

7 Reasons to Enter an Online Contest

1. You don't have a digital video camera or access to a video camera

2. You don't have Final Cut Pro, iMovie, Vegas or access to any free online video editing software

3. You don't know how to register with online video hosting sites/directories and online super-distribution services or have someone who can help you

4. You don't know how to upload video to the Internet or don't know anyone who can help you upload video to the Internet

5. You don't know how to blog or make comments on other people's blogs

6. You don't know how to sign up for ad networks and affiliate marketing programs

7. You've secretly always wanted to win a Spring Break Wet T-Shirt Contest

Right now it's pretty hard to make a living off online video alone but if you look around a little there are people who have been using the Internet to make a living and they have been doing it for awhile.

Maybe I'm wrong but I really think that the time, money and effort you spend on creating something for someone else's contest could be used to launch an online business for yourself.

Here are a few examples:

Joe Cartoon

HomeStar Runner

Happy Tree Friends


All that said, I really would like to see Sarah Atwood win Mahalo Idol.

MySpace, Is It Your Space?

When I see videos from MySpace, like the one above, climbing the charts in popularity I think, "I should post some videos on MySpace." Then I think about the MySpace login and the look of the MySpace page and the look of so many MySpace pages and I talk MySelf out of it.

I know a lot of people have MySpace accounts. I know a lot of people use MySpace. I only know a handful of 25 - 30 year old actresses who use MySpace on a regular basis. All the cool video kids and even the not so cool business folks I know spend their time sending messages from Twitter, Pownce and of course Facebook and even Linkedin. Hey, it could be because I just don't pay attention to my MySpace account because I don't find the interface inviting but I still wonder... Do any of you, use MySpace on a regular basis?

I'm a "Wiinner!"

CC) Brian Solis, www.briansolis.com, bub.blicio.us. Feel free to use this picture. Please credit as shown.

I've spent the last few weeks at trade shows, events and cocktail parties hanging out with lots of winners and I even managed to become a "Wiinner" myself.

At Double Click's Ad-Tech Party in San Francisco I spent a little time with two internet winners Pete Cashmore CEO of Mashable and Richard Jalichandra CEO of Technorati. Both guys are really nice guys no matter what Valley Wag says. ;)

I also attended two Revision 3 Parties. One that was co-sponsored by the Association for Downloadable Media and hosted at Kiptronic's fabulous rooftop. Another Rev 3 party with at Jillian's with Digg's Kevin Rose, Rev 3's Jim Louderback and Ask a Ninja's Kent Nichols.

Revision 3 also threw a FANTASTIC closing Key Note session at Ad-Tech with Kevin, Kent, The Ninja, Jeff Macpherson AKA Dr. Tiki from Tikibar TV and Gary Vaynerchuk of Wine Library TV. They were all very funny on the panel and the guys (Martin and Gator) from Internet Superstar produced an awesome live show that should be posted online next week. (Please post a link in the comments if you find one.)

I also took a cab ride from hell with Dr. Tiki and one mean ass cab driver to Forbidden Island in Alameda for a Dr. Tiki fan meetup. Where Scott Beale from Laughing Squid.took some photos of the coolest Tiki Bar in San Francisco (Alameda)

G-Tech's Party in Las Vegas at the "Heff" Suite at the Palms and hung out with Red Camera's "Leader of the Rebelion" and winner Ted Schilowitz got pushed in the pool by some of his co-rebels. Mark Pederson of New York's Off Hollywood Pictures and I took Ted back to his hotel still in his robe after the party.


Ted Schilowitz and Mark Pederson CC Photo By Tim Street
(This photo is licensed under a Creative Commons license. If you use this photo within the terms of the license or make special arrangements to use the photo, please list the photo credit as "Tim Street" and link the credit to 1timstreet.com. )

And when I went to listen to the biggest winner of them all, Survivor Producer Mark Burnett, speak at a NXTComm / iHollywood Forum event I became a "Wiinner" myself when I won a Wii. It was waiting for me when I got home today so I'm going to hook it up and see how much fun it is. The NXTcomm guys are also seeing if they have a spot for me to speak at the NXTcomm Show.

Speaking of speaking, if any of you that attended my session at NAB would like a copy of my slides you can find a copy of my "Lessons Learned" NAB presentation posted here.

From the Floor at Ad-Tech San Francisco

Today was a big day at Ad-Tech in San Francisco for Independent Content Creators!

The Association for Downloadable Media announced a new set of standards that are open for public comments. PLEASE GO LOOK AT THEM AND IF YOU DON'T LIKE THEM SAY SOMETHING. You have until May 16th, 2008 to speak up.

Why is this a big deal? Well if we are going to sell video ads to advertisers they are going to have to know what size to make their ads.

I was walking the trade show floor with Schlomo Robinowitz and he said it sounds really funny for a new organization to be setting standards. I told Schlomo that were just trying to establish what size the boxes are so that we can sell more boxes and so that the people making stuff to go in the boxes will know what size to make the stuff to put in the boxes.

Just like if you were buying a booth at a trade show the people selling the booths have standard 10x10 booths as well as other sizes so that exhibitors can make a booth once and ship it to different conventions around the world. Convention exhibitors don't want to make a new booth for every trade show just like advertisers don't want to make a different ad for every online video they advertise on.

Once adopted by the online video advertising industry these new standards will open up a conversation between independent content creators and advertisers. We will be able to speak the same language and learn what advertisers need from us and be able to tell them what we need as well.

Please visit the ADM's site and chime in on what you think about the new standards. They are pretty basic but seem like a great starting point.

As far as the rest of Ad-Tech goes there are several Video Advertising Networks but not as many as I thought would be here. All of them seem pretty good but there doesn't seem to be "the perfect solution" for me yet. If only I could pick and choose which features I wanted in my video advertising network and the ad server to go along with it. Oh, well maybe next year. It looks like I'll have to try out a few different things before I find what I'm looking for.

From the Floor at NAB

I've been hanging out at NAB this weekend and spending a lot of time with my buddy Ted from Red. We drove out to Vegas in his little hybrid and only spent $20 on gas. It was pretty funny considering what we would have paid had we drove an SUV out here from LA.

Ted really enjoys beating the system and it seems that the company he works for, Red Digital Cinema enjoys doing that as well.

Today Red announced a new camera that will shoot better than HD and film and the price point is $3000. This may not mean anything to you if you are doing an online show but if you plan on showing it on Apple TV or selling or licensing your show or footage to TV, DVD or other HD formats this little camera will be a big deal.

Here are the specs:

SPECIFICATIONS:
NEW 2/3" MYSTERIUM X SENSOR
1-120 FPS (180FPS BURST)
UP TO 100 MB/SEC REDCODE RAW AND RGB RECORDING TO DUAL COMPACT FLASH
4.8" LCD
8X T2.8 RED ZOOM LENS
FULL AUTO OR FULL MANUAL SHOOTING MODES
HDMI and HD-SDI
FIREWIRE 800 and USB2
STILL MODE
COMPATIBLE WITH MANY RED ONE ACCESSORIES
WI-FI CONTROL

Another thing that Red is known for is posting these little warning lables that I really respect.

"SPECIFICATIONS, DELIVERY DATES AND DESIGN ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE... COUNT ON IT."

It's always fun to see Red go through a NAB and see what a great job Red does of bringing their products to market.

This year Red's booth has two lines. One to get into the booth to see the cameras and one to get into a theater to see footage shot on the first 100 Red cameras in the first 100 days of the Red Camera's release. The entrance to see the Red camera footage even had a pre-show video of Red footage to watch while we were waiting.

Jim Jannard, the founder of Oakley is also the founder and mastermind behind the Red One camera and he was in the NAB Red theater introducing the Red footage before each screening. It's really interesting to see a man who is independently wealthy down in the trenches demonstrating his new products. Jim is truly passionate about what he manufactures and it shows in everything thing he does. ( The even had red ropes for the cue line) It's amazing to see how proud he and everyone associated with Red are.

The State of Online Video

It's been a busy day working on my presentation and getting ready for the NAB Podcasting Summit in Las Vegas this weekend but I did manage to catch the above video on Best of YouTube and it some how got me thinking about the state of online video.

What are your feelings about the state of online video?

Do you think we are actually building a train that is going to take us somewhere? Have the tracks been laid down? Are tickets being sold? Are we all just being crammed into a box by the authorities?

Do the authorities really know what they are doing?

Are Independents going to be able to make a business out of online video?

What do you think?

Oprah is the Number One Podcaster! and 3 STEPS TO CREATING INDEPENDENT BRANDS

Now I haven't seen Oprah Winfrey at any Podcamps, Barcamps, Podcast Academies or even at the Podcast Brother's New Media Expo (where I'm speaking) but for the past few weeks she has held the number one podcasting spot on the iTunes Store's Today's Top Podcasts list. So that makes Oprah the number one podcaster.

This tells me a few things:

1. Oprah has a huge brand. (duh)
2. Women are listening to podcasts
3. It's going to get even harder for Independents
4. Oprah doesn't need to go to any events

Now it's not all gloom and doom, there is hope for all of us Independent Content Producers or as the online advertising networks like to call us, "Online Video Publishers."

Yesterday in an interview with Pop17, Blip.TV CEO Mike Hudack used an analogy of CBS and Gulliver. He said something to the effect that CBS was like Gulliver and that all of us little content producers were like the little people from Gulliver's Travels. As small independent content publishers we could never compete with a CSI but together we just might pull down a giant by eating away at their viewers. (On another note, I just got off the phone with Mike and he and his team are working on some really cool advertising stuff on Blip.TV more about that later.)

The other night I was at an event sponsored by NXTCOMM SHOW and iHollywood Forum
where Mark Burnett of CBS's Survivor was speaking about the future of Television. Now Mark Burnett knows a few things about building brands. Besides "Survivor" he's done "The Apprentice", "Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?", "The Contender", "On the Lot", "Rock Star: INXS" and a few others. Mark echoed what Mike was saying and took it a little further.

Mark said, "the advertising dollars are still there - they haven't gone away - they are just being spread around more." He went on to talk about how three years ago he got a call from NBC chief Jeff Zuckerberg who was personally letting him know that one of his shows was only pulling a "7." Mark said he got in trouble for pulling a low rating 3 years ago and now he says, "What show gets a 7?" Most shows are getting 4s or 5s." His point being that everything is now competing for viewers' time.

(By the way Mark Burnett told me that his favorite online shows are at Liquid Generation.)

I think the real key to getting your brand out there is to make sure that you have these three things.

3 STEPS TO CREATING INDEPENDENT BRANDS

1. An Unusual Name for your show that peeks curiosity and makes viewers want to investigate.

2. Great Key Art - Have a logo that is emotionally engaging.

3. Deliver on the promise of your Name and Logo


If Tikibar TV was called "How to Make Drinks with Jeff" I don't think it would have the same traction it has (Although if anyone could make a hit out of that title it would be Tikibar TV's own Dr.Tiki, Jeff Macpherson.) and if Ask A Ninja didn't have a "real Ninja" in it people would be pretty disappointed.

My point is that you can still get noticed if you have something special and great key art. But beyond that you are going to have to learn a few more tricks.

TRICKS TO LAUNCHING YOUR ONLINE BRAND

1. Create Marketing Tools - Make Online Trailers that explain what your product is to Industry People and to Consumers.

2. Make Friends in the Industry - Go to events, hang out, buy drinks and make friends and make more friends.

2. Sell to the Industry - Follow up with your new friends and see what you can do to make them money and what they can do to make you money and show your Industry friends the Industry marketing materials you have made and the consumer marketing materials you have made. Also let them know where you are going to post those marketing materials.

3. Sell to consumers - Post the marketing materials everywhere that makes sense and don't SPAM people.

Oprah may be the number one podcaster today but as I write this post French Maid TV is moving up the chart and we are currently number 23.

Be sure and add French Maid TV to your iTunes today if you would like to see an Independent Content Publisher dethrown Oprah.

What Content Producers Want to Know About the Adobe Media Player

So Adobe came out with the Adobe Media Player and Adobe TV. The desktop player looks like a really cool Flash version of iTunes with very little content in place right now but you can see the potential with this player to reach the PC crowd.

In reading other people's postings I didn't find out what I really wanted to know about the Adobe Media Player so I had to go do some digging (I went to the Adobe Site). Here's what I found out from the Adobe Site:

Adobe® Media Player software gives you new ways to distribute, protect, and monetize your media assets. And with a compelling user experience and a subscription-based model, it can attract and retain more engaged and valuable audiences — all while leveraging your own infrastructure.

Attract, engage, and retain audiences
Deliver compelling experiences at up to HD resolutions via streaming, download, and protected download of individual files. Adobe Media Player leverages Adobe Flash® technology to maintain content integrity, so audiences experience your creations as you intended. RSS subscription-based delivery can help you reach and sustain audience interest. Streaming and new downloadable delivery lets users watch content online and offline.

Drive revenue.
Adobe Media Player allows users to download video content with persistent, contextual advertising that can be kept current long after the file has been downloaded. Other capabilities include content branding, ad insertion, and ad caching, which enable content providers to capture new revenue sources using existing media assets.

Control your content
Maintain control of your content to develop next-generation online business models. Whether limiting access to a webcast or enabling on-demand viewing of an advertising-supported experience online or offline, control who has access to your content when, where, and why.



So it looks like they are connecting Advertisers and Content producers

You can check out the current Participating Networks here.

The Adobe site also has a pitch for Advertisers who want to use it:

Advertising partners

Adobe® Media Player software takes Internet advertising to the next level by allowing you to capitalize on contextual ad placement. You'll have higher recall and take rates, and the compelling user experience will attract and retain more engaged and valuable audiences — all while leveraging your existing tools, partners, and technology.

KEY FEATURES

Capture revenue with flexible advertising models
Adobe Media Player allows users to download Adobe Flash® videos with persistent advertising content that can be refreshed and updated. New capabilities include content branding, ad insertion, and ad caching, which enable you to capture revenue from new sources using existing and new media assets.

Customize branding
Promote your clients' brands by including logo banners at the top of a show listing or as watermarks behind the listing and viewing area. Create brand assets and deploy them in standard formats to help ensure users have a complete branded experience.

Track and measure to maximize results
Gather anonymous usage data using cookies to understand download and viewing patterns, whether users are online or offline.

Leverage full-range creative service teams
Develop a customized, compelling, nonintrusive ad campaign leveraging the latest in-stream and interactive technologies developed on the Flash media platform.

Select from a range of cost-effective services
Choose the appropriate services offered by partners to meet various customer needs and budgets.

Leverage robust measurement tools
Leverage tools from our partners to achieve accurate and timely feedback on your campaign. Ad campaigns are more effective when a team is available to promote maximum results based on your success criteria.

Here are the Advertising Partners:



If you are interested in becoming an Adobe Media Player Content Partner you can submit a form to have Adobe contact you. If you are a developer you might want to check out Adobe AIR.

I see Goodnight Burbank is part of the program. I'll see if I can get Hayden to fill us in a little.

Twiiterer Sends News of Potential Bomb Threat on US AIR

So here we go with the "NEWS" thing on Twitter Again.

Online Video Entrepreneur Tony Katz of AWELI has been using his Twitter account to update us (the people following him on Twitter) on a potential bomb threat on a US AIR flight.

He started with "Police officers on plane...USAIR flight 66....reasons unknown...3 officers..."

His next "Tweet" was "Man removed.......dark hair....dark skin......attendant says he said something to her....what is unknown....."

Then, "The words racial profiling were uttered from attendant......not sure context yet......when man was escorted from plane, there was applau ... "

3 Minutes later. "Ok...full story...elec items to be turned off...drak hair guy did not do it...man next to him asked him to turn off elec item...."

2 Minutes Later, "..Dark hair man said that man next to him was racial profiling....then claimed detonator in pocket.......attendant then told pilot...the ..."

Then, "Hooray for USAIR!!!!! Taking things seriously and to the passengers for paying attention....never happier than now that I fly this airl ... .."

"Dark haired man told an attendant he had a detonator in his pocket....man. People interviewed......at least 4 officer on board....."

"He is off plane....his cabin belongings off plane...not sure about actual luggage.....everyone on plane is being so cool....."

And 16 Minutes ago, "And I think its all done.......door closing....see you in Vegas first......"

Pretty soon when CNN reports about this kind of stuff we are going to be getting most of the news that we really care about, the news about the people we care about from Twitter.

Hooray for USAIR!!!!! Taking things seriously and to the passengers for paying attention....never happier than now that I fly this airline!!!!!

Pop 17 Interviews Blip.tv CEO Mike Hudack

Pop17's Sarah Meyers posted that she, "walked a gasping one full block from our new office in Soho to blip.tv to interview Mike Hudack and check out his new office. While I was there, I got a chance to meet the blip team and see where they make the magic happen."

Check out the interview. I really like his analogy of CBS and Gulliver.

Mike is a pretty smart cookie.

Ad-Tech San Francisco is Next Week

Popular online show Internet Superstar will tape their next show as the closing keynote presentation. Attendees will hear from Internet stars Kevin Rose of Diggnation, Ask a Ninja's Kent Nichols, Jeff Macpherson of Tiki Bar TV, Gary Vaynerchuk of WineLibrary.tv and hosts Martin Sargent of Jay Speiden of Internet Superstar/Revision3, who will talk about what this new world of Web video programming looks like and explore how users can leverage these programs to deliver tremendous results. Opening keynotes on the first two days and the closing keynote are free with pre-registration for an expo hall pass at http://www.ad-tech.com/sf/adtech_san_francisco_register.aspx.

If you want a "DEEP" Discount on a Full Pass let me know.

If you are not sure why you should go to Ad-Tech ask yourself if you want to make money in online video advertising. If the answer is "yes", go to Ad-Tech.

3 Key Elements Successful Online Videos Should Have

Online videos should be different than TV. Internet videos should give viewers something they can't get from the Networks. Online videos should be like the MidWest Teen Sex Show.



The MidWest Teen Sex Show creates funny, educational and very entertaining online videos about sex, sex education and relationships. They should be commended on their video producing skills and this show should be winning awards.

Now on the other hand... they have some work to do to build a business out of this brand. I'll start with their Show Notes.

For the above video that is posted at Revver their description currently reads:

"I'm so over you... Hold me."

Hey, that's funny but not so good for letting your audience know what the episode is going to be about and it really sucks for search engine optimization (but they do have the self explanatory title: MTSS Episode #15 Break-Ups). On their website I didn't see any show notes.

I spoke with the show's creator and director Guy Clark on the phone yesterday and he told me that they are getting 150,000 views per month and growing but because of the show's subject matter they were having trouble getting advertisers and that even at Revver their tags were excluding them from ads running on their videos.

When I watched the video at Revver I did see ads running on the BREAK UP video so maybe that is fixed.

I took a look at the MidWest Sex Show's tags at Revver (advice alt boobs boy break breakups breasts dating education gay girls health high school hot lesbian midwest relationships sex sexuality show teen tips up porn video) and they look like they should drive some traffic if only they were on the MidWest Teen Sex Show website.

Now I'm not getting down on the MidWest Teen Sex Show. I think they are great. They have the 3 key elements of a successful online video series, they just need a little "fine tuning" to make their website and their videos a little more attractive to some alternative advertisers and alternative sponsors.

What are the 3 Key Elements a successful online video should have?

Here are 3 key elements an internet video series should have:

1. Move 2 or more emotions
(MWTSS is funny sexy awkward shocking disgusting and maybe a few more)

2. Be Irreverent (Break the rules)

3. Be Different from anything on TV (Don't Copy TV)

I have a conversation going with Guy he told me he is using Wizzard but hasn't really made any money yet. I hope our conversation continues and that I can be of assistance helping him make some money cause right now we all need to band together and build this new market place where the online video media buyers can find us and we can find sponsors who want to reach online video viewers.

Do you have any ideas on how the MidWest Teen Sex Show can get Sponsors and Advertisers?

Church of Oprah Exposed

This Viral Video is number one right now. When I started watching it I kept waiting for the punchline. It never came.

Here's the TEXT from the YouTube Posting

"Oprah's new online class covering Eckhart Tolle's A New Earth is exposed. They conducted the first mass trance. Over 2 Million participated in this new age class, a new book Don't Drink the Kool-Aid uncovers shocking truths that must be shared."

Exclusive! Leaked! How to make Viral Videos!

TechCrunch posted about Viral Video Gamer Dan Ackerman Greenberg again.

Once again I agree with a lot of what Dan has to say in his video but I think that it's hard to build a long term business on gaming the system.

Dan may be getting work from people who pay him to create viral videos but is he getting any residuals for those videos? Does he own the content? Can he license it somewhere else?

I would also love to know if any of his videos got Rick Rolled on April 1.

Dan?

Robert Scoble Hates DirecTV

Popular Video Blogger Robert Scoble Twittered tonight "since Comcast is listening now. Can you bring HD into Half Moon Bay? Zip code 94019. I hate DirectTV"

Will this influencer shift others away from DirecTV?

Will he get HD from Comcast?

Do you think Robert Scoble has that much power?

Does Twitter make that kind of interaction with a cable company possible?

Let me know if you hear the Comcast trucks roll into Half Moon Bay.

Actor Charlton Heston Dies on Twitter

Behold the mighty hand of Twitter.

I first learned of Charlton Heston's death when popular blogger Micki Krimmal or as she is known on Twitter, Mickipedia twittered, "And so begins the deluge of charlton Heston quotes..."

That was also when I realized that I now get a lot of my news in 150 characters or less.

There is a small group of us Online Video creators, podcasters and bloggers that use Twitter to comment on our lives, stay connected and tip each other off at conventions as to what sponsor has the best party or just has free food and drinks. But now, now Twitter has become a new news source.

Twitter user Jim Long or as he's know on Twitter, newmediajim works for NBC News and when he is heading to an assignment he will tap out a tweet and let his followers know what news event he's heading to. Many times if I'm checking his feed I will know about a Washington DC news event before CNN posts it.

Twitter takes thing to a whole knew level and I don't think we have even begun to understand how this little online application that interfaces with both our phones and computers is going to change the world.

Twitter has already changed live events. Who knows, maybe we will soon be able to part the Red Sea with Twitter.

Using TV Promo Techniques to Build Your Audience

I've spent many years producing TV Promos for television shows and working on TV Commercials and there is a big difference between what works on TV and what works on the Internet.

TV commercials do not play so well on the Internet unless those TV commercials move emotions. Watch the above BBC TV Promo and you will understand what I'm talking about.

In this video Film maker and writer Terry Jones discovers a colony of penguins, which are unlike any other penguins in the world.

If you would like to see how this video was created visit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lzhDsojoqk8

For the record this looks like it's another one of those April 1 Viral Videos that got sidelined due to Rick Rolling.

Ask Old White Men Questions About Thier Meds

If I told you there was a new Internet show where viewers could ask questions about the medications and sexual activities of sixty year old white men would you be interested?

What if I told you it was a YouTube Show called Living Legends and the old men were named Mick and Keith?

Moblogic is Doing it Right

Moblogic is run by the people who started the popular online series WallStrip and then sold it to CBS for 4 MillionUS Dollars.

Thanks to a Blip.TV Pro account their HUGE FLASH player looks great and really creates a nice environment for them to run a "conversation about the news that affects you and a reality check on mainstream media." The have a branded Twitter page, a Facebook fan page and they have big name advertisers running pre-roll post-roll on their sites videos and video podcast as well as banner ads on their website.

Monday through Friday host Lindsay Campbell explores issues across the country and it looks like she is having a fun time doing it.

Now if we can just get Howard Lindzon and his team to make their Moblogic marketing plan a little more environmentally friendly. ;)

I'm F-ing Obama - Hillary Clinton feat. Sarah Silverman

I found this one on NewTeeVee. Wow. What a MashUP. Hillary Clinton presents her take on Sarah Silverman's "I'm F-ing Matt Damon".

And to think this could have been one of the April Fools' Videos that didn't get any play yesterday because of Rick Rolling.

The Lone Filmmaker

He's armed with 10,000 pounds and he's going to make a film all by himself and his girlfriend is going to shoot behind the scenes for The Lone Filmmaker Vlog.

That's right from acting to best-boy, he's making a feature film and this is the first time you will be able to witness the struggles and set backs, highs and lows of one man fighting to make a full-length movie entirely on his own!

"I am a filmmaker and so this is my passion, but this project will require me to leave home and venture out into the wilderness. My girlfriend has agreed to film the whole process My girlfriend is NOT helping me make the film by filming me. She is filming the video blogs - if she was, then I wouldn't be making a feature film entirely on my own. :-)"

Tiki Bar TV's Lala Showers

Footage from the photoshoot will never let you down.

Maybe this is the end of "Rick Rollining"