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.

Micro Celebrity

Pop17, a daily exploration to track, analyze and understand the new cultural phenomenon of online micro-celebrity launched today. It includes some Internet fame survey results from interviews in NYC asking people if they have heard of Robert Scoble, Homestar Runner, LisaNova, Tila Tequila, Rihanna, Perez Hilton, Tay Zonday, Chris Crocker, Smosh and Lauren Caitlin Upton.

Micro Celebrity status is a pretty funny thing. I've received many free drinks and dinners just because I have a popular online video but that only goes so far. Last year at MacWorld I hung out with Rocketboom's Andrew Baron one night and we went party hoping getting into parties and party VIP rooms until we came upon a MacWorld party where we were not on the list and they had never heard of Rocketboom or French Maid TV. We asked if it was a MacWorld party and they said. "Yes." We asked what company was sponsoring the party and they explained that it was a party for the people who put the booths together for MacWorld - They were the convention people who produced the MacWorld EXPO. Andrew and I didn't get in to that party.

Two years ago I was walking the trade show floor at the New Media EXPO with Robert Scoble and everyone was saying hello to him "left and right" until we got to a very crowded Nokia booth where they were showing a new camera phone that recorded video. Now I had met the guy from Nokia (who was from Finland) before at a Podcast Academy but Robert had not. I could tell that Robert really wanted to get his hands on that new camera phone and he introduced himself to the guy saying, "Hi, I'm Robert Scoble." The guy from Nokia introduced himself saying, "Nice to meet you." Then the Nokia guy went on to chat with other people who want to see the camera phone. Robert introduced himself again and I chimed in and explained who Robert was but it was kind of like explaining a joke to someone from another country. The Nokia guy had no idea who Robert was but he did take Robert's card and I wouldn't be surprised if Robert did end up getting one of those phones for free.

Last year at NAB I was hanging out with my best friend Ted who runs a camera company that's pretty popular in the motion picture industry and we went bar hopping in Vegas and the drinks were free because the bar tenders knew who Ted was but eventually we came to a bar where they had no idea and the drinks were pretty expensive.

Ted and I have been at the same conferences at the same time many times and in the old days when no one knew us we would go to parties together and have a blast. Now neither one of us wants to leave our circles of friends and go to the other one's parties because no one will know us there. Ted and I talk about it and how it's fun being a big fish in a little pond and how we are both having the most fun professionally that we have ever had we just wonder if the day will come when we can enjoy our "Micro Celebrity" status at the same party at the same time together.