Calling All Cameras, Vloggers, Bloggers and Podcasters for Help With Hurricane Gustav

Video Blogger, blogger, npr social media guy; man about town Andy Carvin has set up a NING site where you can get involved to help and volunteer online to help with Gustav relief.

It's a great way that you can volunteer to use your social media skills to get information out to people in need.

Sign up and volunteer now at: http://gustav08.ning.com/

Be sure to let your friends returning from Vacation / Burning Man know about the effort.

Is Today a Banner Day for You?

I'm testing out my ad server on French Maid TV and on other people's sites. If you are an independent content producer and you have some 300x250, 728x90 or 468x60 banners for your show that you think would fit well on French Maid TV.com to drive traffic to your site send them to me and I'll see if I can work them into rotation on the ad server.

If you would like to use my ad server to control banner ads on your independent online video website let me know and I'll see what I can do to help you get it installed on your site so that you can serve ads without having to redesign your show's website every time you want to change a banner.

Also, Would you be interested in posting some French Maid TV banners on your site? If so, I have some special code to give you.

Sorry no spammers. I'm looking to help other online video content creators here.

Mefeedia Finds 5 Million Unique Visitors and Internet Videos

While hanging out at NewTeeVee's Pier Screening in Hollywood I happened to whip out my pocket FLIP digital video camera and ask Mefeedia's Frank Sinton a few questions about what's happening at the video search and discovery site and what Mefeedia means to video content producers.

NewTeeVee Is Building Community Online and in the Real World

Last night online video blog NewTeeVee had a real world meet up in Hollywood as part of their NewTeeVee Pier Screenings series.

Some of online videos biggest celebrities were there including Kent Nichols from Ask A Ninja, Hayden Black from Good Night Burbank / Abigail's Teen Diary doogtoons' Doug Bressler and Casey McKinnon and Rudy Jahcha from Galacticast. Also present were new media agents from UTA and ICM as well as Judges: Lydia Antonini from Warner Bros.,Allen DeBevoise of Machinima.com and Aaron Simpson of Cold Hard Flash,

Execs like Angel Gyetvan from UStream and others from College Humor and CBS Interactive were also there.

I had a great time and got a few moments to chat with Liz Gannes about what NewTeeVee is, what they are doing and what they mean to independent content creators.

How Can Actors Help Themselves With Online Video?

Actors are very creative people. They see things they want to do and roles they want to play every day. Unfortunately actors depend on other people to cast them in roles that they can play...well not any more.

Sandeep Parikh is an actor, writer, director and creator of his own show for Comedy Central's Atom Films Legend Of Neil. You may recognized Sandeep from his role of Zaboo in Felicia Day's The Guild.

I recently had lunch with Sandeep and had a chance to chat with him about what he's doing online.

Are you an actor who has created your own online video series?

Seeing Past the French Maids

I started French Maid TV as a vehicle to create new integrated advertising models for online video distribution where products and services appealing to young men would be explained by hot sexy women dressed as French Maids. It continues to be a working business model but I'm tired of being a one trick pony. I'm tired of people not being able to see past the French Maids. I'm tired of being the "French Maid Guy."

Sure it's fun. It's the most fun I've ever had in my professional life although I do miss having a Gold Football parking pass to Disney World sometimes.

It took about a month to get listed on the iTunes store, 3 days later French Maid TV was the number one podcast on the iTunes store but it still took a little while to get a sponsor.

The first sponsor French Maid TV had was Barter Bee with the episode How To Barter Online. that has had over 5 million views. Next Podtrac brought French Maid TV Go Daddy that episode has had over 2 million views and that led to an episode for iLike.com with over 3 million views. Then a Tubes episode with over 5 million views and now mdialog.

Sponsors are by far the most profitable way to make money in online video right now but they take a long time to build relationships with and finding sponsors that are comfortable with French Maids is even tougher. Many times I have sponsors who really like French Maid TV and the reach of French Maid TV but they don't feel comfortable putting their brand next to French Maids. I think this attitude will change if there is a change in the White House but I'm not hedging my bets on that.

The latest episode of French Maid TV that was posted on YouTube about 2 weeks ago has had over 400,000 views on YouTube and over 90,000 views on the sponsors site mdialog.com . I'm not sure how many of those views have come from the mdialog iPhone video application but I do know my sponsor is very happy with the results so far and is also happy with the amount of new users French Maid TV is bringing to the mdialog site.

I know French Maid TV is a very fun and effective way for brands that appeal to young males to get their message out and to drive a targeted audience to take action. What I don't know is how to get invited to the Maxim Magazine's or Spike TV's advertisers appreciation party where I can work the room and find more sponsor's for French Maid TV. I'm sure I'll figure that out soon (let me know if you know of any brands that would be interested in French Maid TV) but in the meantime I'm planning on leveraging relationships that I have discovered through French Maid TV and launching some new projects that will be a little more friendly to sponsors and that don't have French Maids in them.

Don't worry, I'm not ditching the French Maids, in fact I was casting yesterday for a new French Maid TV DVD that I'm working on, "French Maid TV's Official Guide To Lingerie Vol 1." I hope to have it ready for the holidays and to promote it I'm creating a French Maid TV stage show that I hope to get on Late Nite TV during November Sweeps to promote the release of the DVD.

As for the new non French Maid projects, I'm talking with other content producers about how we can work together on co-productions and I'm looking for distribution partnerships that will play a key role in launching my new shows. I'm also talking with sponsors ahead of time about sponsoring my new shows before they launch because I think I have enough of a proven track record of getting views that I don't need to throw away views to get a sponsor.

In the past, I've created upfront presentations for TV pilots that were never shot and watched new TV networks take those trailers to advertisers and get upfront ad sales money for shows that didn't yet exist. If TV advertisers can see past a trailer for a show that hasn't been created yet then I'm sure I can find new sponsors who can see past the French Maids and sponsor my new shows before they launch.

One of the pioneers of video web casting, Leo Laporte, with the help of Podtrac has sold out his advertising inventory in advance and I think this is going to be a trend.

At the New Media Expo Leo also had some very nice things to say about me when I came on his show. Leo is a visionary and it makes be feel good to know that he sees beyond the French Maids.

If you can see past the French Maids and are interested in sponsoring a new show or are interested in partnering on a project or even doing a link exchange please contact me and let me know. Short to the point emails are best.

What is TubeFilter?

What is TubeFilter and why should you care?

Is Seth MacFarlane’s Cavalcade of Cartoon Comedy Too Big For TV?

NewTeeVee reports today that Seth MacFarlane’s advertorial series, Cavalcade of Cartoon Comedy, is gearing up for its launch on Sept. 10.

I'm wondering if we are going to see Google Gadget Ads in play on the launch of this project?

Imagine if Google creates a Co-branded Burger King / MacFarlane Gadget that get's placed on every comedy and animation site with a 300 x 250 Google Display Banner. The video would be hosted at YouTube the Google Gadget Ad would be on every relevant site and the video views will be through the roof.

If they do it and do it successfully this could be a new way of launching shows. No longer will you need to have millions of video views to start all you will need is a sponsor on board who can pay for the placement and you can launch a new show that will get millions of views and if it's good an instant audience of loyal fans who are ready to interact. Did I say interact? Oops we haven't gotten that far into the evil plan of Internet shows yet. Please disregard that last remark and just think about how great it was to take radio shows and put them on TV.

Why Won't Daryl Hannah Go Inside the DNC?

Daryl Hannah is in Denver inside the big tent but she won't go inside a building named after a softdrink.

The Huffington Post is using Kyte to bring you live coverage from the nose bleed seats.

What Can You Do If You Get Too Many Emails?

If you have become so popular that you can't answer all your emails. You might want to make a video that will explain how people can really get a hold of you if they really need to.

I sent Gary Vaynerchuk from Wine Library TV an email asking him if he knew of a Vineyard that was progressive enough and wealthy enough to sponsor a French Maid TV episode or two about wine and I got an email reply with a link to the above video.

Will Making MashUps Ever Make You Money?

Mashups are fun and there are a lot of views that you can get by creating a great mashup but can you ever make money from creating a a viral video mashup?

I think you can make money from mashups on a couple different levels.

First, let's say that you create a viral video mashup that gets over 1 million views on YouTube. You won't get any money from Google for it but if the people watching your video can easily contact you, they might hire you to create something emotionally engaging for them.

Second, if you can build a following or fan base of subscribers on YouTube and create a brand around your content you can monetize that through merchandise. You're not going to be able to sell SpongeBob SquarePants Tshirts that say, "Leave Brittany Alone!" on them but you might be able to create a "MashUp Marv" brand that people will know you for and they will want to buy your products.

Third, if you have a big enough fan base you might be able to negotiate rights or through "parody" be able to create a compilation DVD or digital download. Be sure and check with a New Media Attorney like Colette Vogele before you do something like that.

Fourth, if you have built a big enough following you can use that audience to launch original content that you do own.

Fifth, if you already have products or services to sell you might be able to create a parody mashup that will get views and get your brands name out there. SNL makes fun of big names why can't you?

Are there any other ways that you can think of making money with mashups?

What Do New Digital Studios Like 60 Frames Mean For You?

The Internet has brought us global video distribution and with that new digital studios like 60 Frames are popping up all over the place but what do they mean for Indie producers like you?

I had a chance last week to chat with Dave Koga from 60 Frames and get the scoop on what this UTA / Spot Runner backed digital studio is up to.

A New Media Movable Feast Welcomes Galacticast

American author Ernest Hemingway wrote about his years in Paris as part of the American expatriate circle of writers in the 1920s painting a picture of a struggling young writer in hi book, A Movable Feast.

Currently there is a group of online content producers here in the "ohs" of this century living a very similar yet digital lifestyle in Los Angeles and all around the world.

We have a "local" community across the Internet but come together in person every once in awhile as we did this week to welcome Casey McKinnon and Rudy Jahchan of Galacticast to the LA Area.

ZadiDiaz, Steve Woolf and Sarah Atwood of Epic FU fame rounded up the troupes to enjoy a little Rock Band Karaoke at Sardo's in Burbank.

Felicia Day of Dr. Horrible's Sing Along Blog and The Guild, Kent Nichols of Ask A Ninja, Doug Bresler of Doogtoons, Hayden Black of Goodnight Burbank and Abigails Teen Diaries,Lara Doucette of Tiki Bar TV, Annie Tsai Ricky Rey, Lan Bui, Vu Bui, Bonnie Pierzina of Noodle Scar, Daniel McVicar and a couple other folks including my agent from UTA all made it out.

We are living in a very special time. I wish the energy and fun of this moment in my life could last forever.

Why Should Video Producers Care About the Podcast Brothers?

I had a chance to chat with The Podcast Brothers, Tim and Emile Bourquin, who host a weekly show on the business side of audio and video new media and produce the New Media Expo in Las Vegas (which was a great show) and they had some interesting things to tell me about online content creation and their show.

Why should you care about the Podcast Brothers?

Watch the video and find out.

What Does Zune Have to Offer Indie Content Producers?

At the New Media Expo in Las Vegas I had a chance to interview Zune's Rob Greenlee. Even if you don't have a Zune you might think about checking out the Zune Marketplace.

iJustine Explains How To Use the Nokia N95 Video Phone

Nokia sent me a Nokia N95 to try out for a few weeks and it arrived just as I was heading out the door for Las Vegas and the New Media Expo.

I happened to run into iJustine on the floor of NME and she gave me a demo of her N95.

Steve Garfield Makes a Book for His Mom

How To: Make a Blog Book with Blurb

Steve Garfield made a hardcover book of his mother's blog, 'My Mom's Blog' using Blurb.com. The book came out great and his mom loved it.

He had two problems. The first is that you can't do a global search and replace on the text from within the Blurb booksmart software. The second problem is that once you edit your book with the blurb booksmart software, you can't save it as a clean PDF without the blurb branding.

Two books seen in the video:

The New Rules of Marketing and PR by David Meerman Scott.

Be the Media compiled by David Mathison.

Are You Ready To Pimp Your Widget?

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

Building an Audience-Thrilling Videoblog

There are few people in Social Media who know how to connect with their audience the way Robert Scoble does. If you are interested in building a following of loyal fans DON'T MISS ROBERT SCOBLE in Vegas at The New Media Expo . Online video content creators please join us in Las Vegas August 14-16, 2008.

Building an Audience-Thrilling Videoblog
Track 4: Audio and Video Creation: "How To" Techniques for Making Compelling Content
Instructor: Robert Scoble of FastCompanyTV
Description: You have a camcorder, or, maybe even a cell phone with a video camera. You post your videos up online and perhaps even participate in "life streaming" and video communities like Ustream, Seesmic, or Justin.tv. But you don't have as many viewers as geek star Chris Pirillo and you're wondering how to take your videoblogging/life streaming up a notch. This session is for you! Robert will cover writing a better blog, why photography is important, working various communities to get exposure and promotion and how to get noticed by doing all of this well. This is an opportunity to learn how to build a videoblog that will get noticed in an ever-crowded field and have fun creating it.

Vegas Baby!

I'm heading to The New Media Expo in Las Vegas tomorrow. I'll be carpooling from Los Angeles in a borrowed Honda Hybrid Insight so I figure it will cost me about $10 - $15 to get to Vegas.

I'll be speaking on Thursday about using online video to market products:

Market Your Products and Services Using Online Video and the Secrets of
Cable Television
Track 5: New Media Strategies
Instructor: Tim Street of French Maid TV
Room: N245
Description: Americans viewed nearly 9.5 billion online videos in November 2007 and large and small advertisers are clamoring to get into the online video space. Everyone has laughed at their share of Cats Swinging on Ceiling Fan videos but who wants to advertise their product next to one? Using successful methods from cable television advertising, you'll learn how to create branded entertainment of your own that connects with viewers - use existing online videos to extend your reach. Find out how you can identify and connect with online videos and video podcasts that have built-in audiences and are safe for your brands or how you can be "edgy" by taking a risk. Know the difference between pre-rolls, post-rolls, mid-rolls, ad insertions and sponsorships. Understand how audiences are measured, where you can go to get third party statistics and what return you can expect on your investment. Walk away knowing where to spend your media budget.

If you are coming to Vegas and want to say hi feel free to email me 1timstreet at g mail dot com

Your Mobile Phone: The Ultimate Personal Media Creation Tool

The New Media Expo is the world's most popular convention for podcasters, bloggers and online content creators. If you are serious about online video it's an event that you shouldn't miss.

This is part of a blog series that highlights a session or event happening at New Media Expo - hopefully enticing you to come join us online video content creators in Las Vegas August 14-16, 2008.

There are few people that I know that are on the cutting edge of technology that still speak "English." Steve Garfield is one of those people and he's a really nice guy. Steve is one of the most respected people in the online video community and he has a lot of information to share.

DON'T MISS STEVE GARFIELD'S SESSION.

Your Mobile Phone: The Ultimate Personal Media Creation Tool
Track 5: New Media Strategies
Instructor: Steve Garfield of SteveGarfield.com
Description: You may think you need expensive HD video cameras and a Ph.D in video editing software to create interesting content. But no! Inexpensive video cameras available on many cell phones today can be used to tell stories without a lot of editing and without expensive lighting and time-intensive pre-planning. In this session, you'll learn how to convey your ideas and stories in a way that will capture the attention of the viewer and keep them coming back for more. Practical tips for mobile video blogging will be discussed so that you can start creating content the moment you step outside the workshop door. You'll also learn the best places to post your content, how to best present the video clips on your website or blog, and how to get attention for your media early-on.

The New Media Expo conference web site has outstanding resources including the Official New Media Expo podcast and various podcaster templates and documents, and links to all the speakers' blogs.

Oh, you might also want to Book your hotel now and get your free Expo Hall Pass before the price increase.

How I Converted a Hobby Podcast into a Profitable Media Property

The New Media Expo is the world's most popular convention for podcasters, bloggers and online content creators. If you are serious about online video it's an event that you shouldn't miss.

This is part of a blog series that highlights a session or event happening at New Media Expo - hopefully enticing you to come join us online video content creators in Las Vegas August 14-16, 2008.

Don McAllister is one of the smartest guys in online video. I first met Don when he created the first Media Kit for French Maid TV. He knows the tools and knows how to use them to make money. If you have information that you think you can sell online you should make a point of attending Don's session:

How I Converted a Hobby Podcast into a Profitable Media Property Track 3: The Business of New Media Instructor: Don McAllister of ScreenCastsOnline Description: In this session, Don McAllister of ScreenCastsOnline will share his experiences of turning a fledgling part time hobby podcast into a successful full time New Media property generating a six figure income. Don will detail his real life experiences with different monetization strategies and adopting multiple revenue streams, all of which have contributed to building his audience each and every month, and enabled extreme levels of customer satisfaction along with high customer retention rates. In addition, we'll look at the tools and systems required to both deliver premium content and manage a membership based New Media property. The session will also take a look at screencasting as a format and explain why it is such an effective training medium, as well as taking a look at some of the more technical aspects of screencasting. You'll learn how to create stunning HD screencasts and get some great encoding tips showing you to how to deliver HD video content cost effectively.

Oh, you might also want to Book your hotel now and get your free Expo Hall Pass before the price increase.

Are You a Sell Out?

Guest Columnist Daisy Whitney posted today on NewTeeVee that, "There is a sense among the web video cognoscenti that you’re a sell-out if you aspire to make the leap from the web to TV. It’s the same mentality that dictates it’s hipper to only follow indie music than to admit you might like a tune from — gasp — top 40 radio."

Content creators shouldn't worry about TV or selling out. They should worry about what is best for the brand they are creating and what is going to give them the most happiness - unless of course they are happy being miserable - which some people are.

TV doesn't always mean your going to be rich. You could get a bad TV deal. (Ask A Ninja did. They backed out of a bad TV deal.) You could get a good TV deal. (Andy Samberg did.) You could get a TV deal and then watch your baby die in TV development. ( Did that happen to you Ze Frank?) But chances are very good that if you get a TV deal your show will be canceled. ( I think 60 minutes has not been cancelled yet but almost every other TV show has.)

Right now we have a window of opportunity here for content creators. I don't know how long it will be here or how much money you can make or how much happiness you can find but this is the first time in history that one person does have the opportunity to build a global one man brand. (or in Daisy's case a one woman brand.)

Are you a sell out? Does it really matter?

If you are lucky enough to be presented with a TV deal there are a few things you should consider: Is TV right for your brand? How long could it last? Are there other TV deals that would be better for your brand? Are other deals better to start with ? Is a book deal? How about live events? Do you have brand permission from your audience to do these things or something else?

And most importantly "How many licks does it take to get to the Tootsie Roll Center center of a Tootsie Pop?" I never made it without bitting. Does bitting make me a sell out?

Have You Voted For Next Year's SXSW Panels Yet?

Did you know it's time to start voting for next year's SXSW 09 panels?

Hugh Forrest and Kathryn Lasater have sent out the email that the 2009 SXSW Interactive Festival Panel Picker voting application has now launched.

This means that YOU now have the opportunity to help pick the Interactive panels that take place March 13-17, 2009 in Austin, TX .

REPEAT: The SXSW 09 Panels are up for voting on the Interactive SXSW Panel Picker.

You can use the search function to find a term or a presentor, or even to gauge the zeitgeist of this community. "Trends that we have noticed for 2009 include web apps, brands, lessons, news, things that are long, the popularity of the word "suck" and a lot more advanced-level proposals than last year."

Here are a few of my pics:

Advertising is Entertaining - Who's Selling Out?
Felicia Williams, YouTube
Description:
How are popular online video creators making advertising work without losing the authenticity and credibility that are their biggest assets? A panel with real experience tackling these issues will talk about things they’ve learned, successes and failures, and emerging best practices for making sponsorships entertaining without selling your soul


Video Content: Super Distribution or Super Disaster?
Daisy Whitney, TelevisionWeek
Description:
With hundreds of video-sharing sites, social networking and blogs, devising an effective video and social media strategy is daunting. Creators face a myriad of tough questions. Discover how your strategy impacts your revenue model. Take away a list of tools, trends, and tips to save time, money, and your sanity.

Online to Big Screen: Filmmakers Reflect
Kent Nichols, AskANinja.com
Description:
Hollywood is sending online video directors to the big leagues of feature films. Find out how these online pioneers made the leap, how the mediums differ, and how you can turn internet success into a dream come true.

Sex, Lies and Online Videos
Zadi Diaz, EPIC FU
Description:
As the online video world evolves, how do we properly evaluate what's been working and what hasn't? How do the old media mantras and models apply themselves to the new media world? Our experienced panel will bring together their combined knowledge and discuss what has worked for them and what hasn't. We dispel the myths about money and production, tell you what you should watch out for, reveal our new media experiences in the Hollywood world, and teach you what you need to be aware of as a producer in the digital age.

Anytime, Anywhere, Any Device: Navigating the Distribution Paradigm
Damon Berger, Revision3
Description:
How do you get online content in front of the biggest audience? What are the best distribution platforms to use? Online video sites want their content accessible – and on as many devices and networks as possible. Attend this session to learn the latest in navigating the new distribution paradigm.

Lessons Learned from Successful Online Video Producers
Tim Street, FrenchMaidTV
Description:
These popular video producers beat the odds and created profitable online videos. Learn the essential ingredients for success and how to avoid time-consuming and expensive pitfalls. Improve your chances for launching a successful online video or movie trailer by implementing the necessary elements and strategies.

Are there any panels on the panel picker list that you would like to see?

ACT NOW Time is running out!

Voting will close at 11:59 pm Central Standard Time on Friday, August 29. Panel organizers will be notified as to whether their idea was accepted (or not) beginning in mid-October.

Al Gore Joins the Lineup At Web 2 Summit

Well he did invent the Internet...

Are You Ready To License Your Content?

Are You Ready To License Your Content? from 1timstreet on Vimeo.



If someone emailed you today and said, "We would like to license your content." are you ready?

"You bet your ass I am Tim"

Are you really? Do you have all your talent agreements together? Do you have all your music cue sheets done? Location and property releases? Do you have all the paperwork that proves you own your content?

Are you ready to track multiple licenses for your content on a global scale?

Michael Gorman from Image Span was speaking at Digital Hollywood Building Blocks in San Jose and had a moment to tell me about LicenseStream a new web service platform for content owners (enterprise or creators) that allows buyers and sellers an easy way to license and syndicate content safely.

The result? Dramatically lower costs, faster time-to-market for all types of digital media – images, audio, video and text – and no liability.

LicenseStream has a licensing and billing platform to manage your whole media transaction cycles of: rights, permissions, pricing assignment, license generation, commerce management, royalty and billing settlement for existing and newly-created media content.

"To license content previously required arduous, person-to-person negotiations that often took weeks and months. Content creators had to contend with non-standardized licensing statements, manage their own invoicing, billing and collections, forcing them to put as much effort into the business of licensing the content as they had put into creating it. Our solution leaves them much more time to create. In addition, we are opening an array of transaction markets that allow the unrestricted flow of digital content between them."

LicenseStream even has a tracking code associated with your content.

How Can You Organize Your Videos?

How Can You Organize Your Videos? from 1timstreet on Vimeo.



Say you have a Internet Webisode Series kind of thingy that you've posted on YouTube using a cool tool like TubeMogul. ( I ran into Brett Wilson today and he said the boys back at the shop read my blog so shout out to the TubeMogul guys!) Your Video is now everywhere and someone comes across episode 7 of one of your videos. How can they easily find the rest of your series in an orderly fashion?

Well, I ran into the guys at Unknown Vector at Digital Hollywood Building Blocks San Jose and they have a product called uvlayer. They told me that it will help people search and organize video content and share it with friends.

Two New Online Shows from Loud Pictures

Two new online shows from Loud Pictures (one today):

1. "88 Hits" - (based on Loud Pictures' past feature film "Hit" starring guys from Four Day Weekend) This comedy chronicles the up and down lives of the Pascadelli crime family as they try to survive during tough economic times. Show begins 09.09.08.




2. "DIY's Guys" - (this is a spin-off series from "88 Hits") The Pascadelli's are probably the most unorganized family in the organized crime word, but that didn't stop them from creating a Do-It-Yourself Home Improvement show. First episode is online today! New shows every Tuesday.

Check it out:
www.youtube.com/DIYsGuysTV


And also coming soon from Blake Calhoun "Pink" Season Two and the new series for TheWB.com "Exposed" (shooting in September).

McCain Has Picked his "Ruining" Mate

In this video John McCain announces his running mate. It's Britney and it's topping the charts today thanks to Barely Political and NextNewNetworks.

SONY PICTURES ACQUIRES EXCLUSIVE WORLDWIDE CROSS PLATFORM DISTRIBUTION RIGHTS TO ROCKETBOOM

Andrew Baron tells all about it in his blog.

Developing an Engaged Community (a.k.a. Don't Feed the Trolls)

The New Media Expo is the world's most popular convention for podcasters, bloggers and online content creators. If you are serious about online video it's an event that you shouldn't miss.

This is part of a weekly blog series that highlights a session or event happening at New Media Expo - hopefully enticing you to come join us online video content creators in Las Vegas August 14-16, 2008.

Veronica Belmont of Tekzilla and Tom Merritt of CNET know what they are doing when it comes to building an engaging community and if you want to let how to get yourself some engaged fans I suggest you get your ticket to the NME.

Developing an Engaged Community (a.k.a. Don't Feed the Trolls)
Track 2: Attracting and Growing Your Audience
Instructor: Veronica Belmont of Tekzilla and Tom Merritt of CNET
Description: You want an engaged community. You want your audience to interact with your show and help spread the word. Then you get flamed. Then your feedback is filled with trolls. What do you do? Veronica Belmont and Tom Merritt have dealt with the best and worst of the online community and share their experiences and specific tips and tricks for dealing with a passionate audience. They'll tell you how to reward the good convert the bad and avoid the purely evil. You'll come away from this workshop armed with knowledge on how to make your community a better place for you and your listeners to grow your show.

Oh, you might also want to Book your hotel now and get your free Expo Hall Pass before the price increase.

We Don't Need No Stinking Standards

Who does the ADM think they are coming out with standards?

We don't need standards for downloadable media. Right? We just need to make our content and post it. Right? Advertisers will just find us and they will have some ads that will just magically fit into our content seamlessly. Right? Cause we have great content that people love. Right? Advertisers already know how smart we are and how great our content is so we don't need any media kits either do we? Right?

Come on people we don't need to band together to adopt standards. Big advertising agencies and media buyers should just figure it out for us. They should make it as easy as they can for them to give us their money because we have millions of downloads and those advertising people with their viral video and stealth video campaigns should just make special advertisements for our webisodes because our online videos are so ground breaking, cutting edge and original that we can't deal with standards. Madison Avenue should be bending over backwards for the privilege of giving us $200 CPMs for our online videos cause TV is dead and old media sucks! RIGHT?

Sorry kids. The Television advertising industry doesn't work that way and the online video industry isn't going to work that way either.

Here's the latest standards for online video advertising and downloadable media from the ADM press release. Put your thinking caps on, figure out what works for you and start building out your online video adverting inventory.

We do need to adopt some stinking standards so that advertisers can make a few ads that go everywhere. Don't worry new standards will come along but we have to start somewhere.

And don't forget you can come to a meeting of the ADM August 14 at The New Media Expo 3-5pm (las vegas time exact place TBD). We are still really getting started so we can use your help.


HERE's the Press Release:


Ready, Set, Download: The Association for Downloadable Media Releases
Essential Industry Standards for Consumer Downloaded Content

Trusted Standards to Buy Advertising Across Myriad of Programming

Washington, DC - July 28, 2008 — The Association for Downloadable Media (ADM),
established to focus on best practices for monetizing consumer-downloaded content,
has announced the release of its first ad unit standards and audience measurement
guidelines for industry compliance. The Download Measurement Guidelines and
Advertising Unit Standards are available now at http://www.downloadablemedia.org.

The first of its kind, the ADM audience measurement guidelines reflect a defined
approach to assist advertisers and sponsors of audio and video podcasts, distributed
digital content including web and mobile downloads, with criteria to measure
listener/viewer numbers. The ad unit standards are the first in a series of formats
that content producers can offer to monetize their shows so that buyers can run the
same creative across many individual shows and various networks. Having ad standards
in downloadable media allows media campaigns to scale across hundreds of thousands
of offerings.

“In The Podcast Consumer Revealed 2008 study derived from the Arbitron/Edison
Media Research Internet and Multimedia study - podcast consumers are extremely
attractive advertising targets and the industry is seeing a significant surge in listeners
who knowingly select a program (rather than passively consuming whatever is
available via traditional media), downloading it and potentially moving it to a portable
device. This enhanced level of engagement with the programs and hosts of the shows
they select may translate to an increased credibility and level of trust for the show's
sponsors and advertisers.

The ratified guidelines have been accepted by the ADM Ad Council, a special fourteen-
member interactive advertising agency liaison group, which acts as a sounding board
for the ADM committees. The Ad Council group insures the ADM standards and
guidelines dovetail with prevailing digital advertising best practices.

The Advertising Unit Standards include three kinds of formats - Insertions, Content
Participation and Collateral. The units outlined in the document are the most common
set of existing formats in use today by sponsors and content producers. The ADM has
plans to innovate new formats in the future, but this initial version of the Standards
serves to organize the common set to make it most available to buyers industry wide.

INSERTIONS

Definition: A separate ad file that is attached, inserted, or edited into an audio or
video podcast.

Time: Up to :10, :15, 30 or :60 seconds
Location: Pre-roll; mid-roll; post-roll

CONTENT PARTICIPATION

Definition: When an advertiser's message is included as part of the audio or video
podcast content.

Examples:
1. Underwritten Sponsorship
2. Scripted Live Read
3. Talking Points
4. Host Endorsements
5. Product Placement / Product Discussion
6. Sponsored Interstitials
7. Special Episodes
8. Advertorials / Interviews
9. Infomercials

COLLATERALS

Definition: All the other real estate that a podcaster has that may be included as part
of an advertising or sponsorship package, or as separate items a lá carte.

Examples:
1. Show notes on podcast website
2. ID3 tags in podcast episode file
3. Album Art Cards
4. Link and banner in enhanced audio podcasts
5. Overlays, underlays in video podcasts
6. Web banners, buttons, text links, hyperlinks (using IAB standards)
7. Email sponsorships
8. Press Releases
9. Product sales (CDs, DVDs, merchandise)
10. Signage/Outdoor (for retail)
11. Brochures, flyers

Chair for the Advertising Standards Committee and National Podcasting System
founder and CEO Brian McMahon stated: “The ratified standards encapsulate a long
history of advertisement units that are applicable in the downloadable arena. This
provides publishers, advertisers and agencies with a solid footing and shared
vocabulary for value and monetization opportunity.”

Because there are two ways a content creator can get access to audience data, the
ADM now recognizes two types of effective measurement techniques, Native Server
Measurement or Third Party Measurement. Both are approved by the ADM in providing
accurate data when complying with the standards parameters:

Native Server Measurement (NSM)
The Native Server is the actual end point where the media is hosted. Native
Server Measurement refers to the log files derived from the Native Server. It
may include the amount of data that was transferred in each log entry, and
therefore may provide information to derive more than simple download
statistics.

Third Party Measurement (TPM)
A Third Party server is the intermediary between the Native Server and another
Third Party Server. Third Party Measurement refers to the files measuring the
initial download requests as received by a third party server to be delivered to
the requester. Because the Third Party server is a constant, it may uniformly
measure download statistics across multiple hosting services.

Download Measurement Committee head, Angelo Mandato, CIO of Raw Voice, Inc.
added: “The ADM has worked closely with the very organizations that will embrace
these measurements ensuring they can be easily applied and replicated across the
industry by any creator or aggregator of downloadable media. It is our goal to be the
cornerstone of measurement practices and the just released standards represent only
the beginning of the available opportunity for both the buyer and seller.”

The Association for Downloadable Media is committed to advancing its charter:
creating a landscape favorable to the commercialization of portable media. The ADM’s
focus includes revenue generation from advertising and sponsorships of audio and
video podcasts, (aka vidcasts, or vlogs), and other digital content distributed via RSS,
ATOM, peer-to-peer, mobile devices, downloads from Web sites and other platforms to
come.

About the ADM
The Association for Downloadable Media is focused on providing standards for
advertising and audience measurement for episodic and downloadable media. The
organization’s constituents include individual podcasters, media companies,
publishers, syndication companies and distributors offering downloadable media,
advertising agencies, marketers, technology suppliers, hardware and software
manufacturers of portable media products and services, market research firms and
audience and advertising effectiveness measurement companies. Through our
volunteer membership, we provide leadership in and organization of advertising and
audience measurement standards, research, education and advocacy to all those
involved in portable media (Podcasts/ATOM/RSS media enclosures) across the
Internet, iPods, MP3 players, mobile devices, P2P and other upcoming platforms.
###

How Many Video Views In One Week Would You Like?

How many views in one week would make you happy? 100k? 500k? 1 Million?

Looks like The Dark Knight- Joker Interrogation Scene Spoof is getting close to a million views. I'm surprised it hasn't done more yet as Raul from Monkey and Apple is the #73 - Most Viewed (This Month) - Directors

When Should You Take a Deal?

When Should You Take a Deal? from 1timstreet on Vimeo.

She's been on TV's Buffy The Vampire Slayer and Monk and also writes, producers and stars in her own online video series The Guild but Felicia Day recently told me at NATPE's LATV Fest that she's not just going to take the money for her online video series. Right now Felicia's going the Independent route getting donations, winning awards, and selling DVD's. She's also looking for "smart money" to help her grow the number of webisodes she has and more importantly grow her brand.

I think we are going to see more smart actresses like Felicia Day realize the power of the Internet in creating their own careers and launching their own brands.

Look out, Q4 and 09 are going to be fun times.

Who In Onlinve Video Has a Bigger Name Than Joss Whedon?

Ah, just some guy named Steven King

When Can You Have Big Fantastic Ideas and Go After Them?

When Can You Have Big Fantastic Ideas and Go After Them? from 1timstreet on Vimeo.

I had the chance to wrangle the Team Big Fantastic (Chris Hampel,Douglas Cheney,Chris McCaleb and Ryan Wise) in front of my Flip Digital Video Camera at the LATV Fest and here is what they had to tell me about what they are doing in Online video and what you as a new online video producer should do.

NBC Today Show Serving the Viral Videos

CNBC's BIG IDEA host Donny Deutsch and NBC Today Show Co-Host Meredith Vieira do a little segment about the morals of viral video advertising.

Meredith Vieira seems so nice and naive about the topic. I guess it's her job to play it that way for all the grandmothers who watch the Today Show. On the other hand, media Jedi master / advertising rock star Donny Deutsch seems way over this topic. It's like it's just old news to him.

It sure would be fun to Have Donny Deutsch at The New Media Expo.