Pranking the GarbageMan June 30, 2006
Posted by Nalts in : Online Video, Viral Video, popular videos , 2commentsYou’ve seen the videos with someone hiding in a garbage can and trying to scare the piss out of a garbage man. Here’s my attempt. The ending hurts.
Provoking Comcast June 30, 2006
Posted by Nalts in : AOL, Killer Video, Online Video, Viral Video, popular videos , 2commentsWell after the Comcast Sleeping video and the AOL cancellation video, I thought I’d give this a go. I needed to cancel Comcast anyway… so I tried to see if I could provoke this rep. No such luck, but I had fun anyway.
I find it very interesting that Comcast (and probably other companies with call centers) are making representatives aware of the latest online videos. As you’ll see in this 2-minute piece, this guy knew about both of the videos I mention above.
Creating the Perfect Online Video Site (Frankenstein Style) June 30, 2006
Posted by Nalts in : Future of Online Video, Online Video, Revver, Video Advertising, Video Business, Video Sites, Web 2.0, YouTube , 2commentsI’m planning on doing a thorough review of the major online video sites, but here’s my first attempt at creating the perfect online video site:
- It would have the traffic and community of YouTube.
- It would have Revver’s advertising-sharing model
- It would have Metacafe’s ability to sift the best content
- It would have that cute little logo from EyeSpot
- It would have amazing indexed search that I haven’t found anywhere
Google Video- More Viral Popularity Than I Thought June 30, 2006
Posted by Nalts in : Online Video, Viral Video, google video , 3commentsUp until recently I didn’t think my videos on Google Video were getting many views. Then I discovered you can enter your account and see total views. I’ve got more than 250,000 views on my videos. Here are a few.
I ‘d recommend submitting your work to Google even if you put it elsewhere… seems that although traffic to Google Video is lower than YouTube, my content is getting more than twice the visibility.
Big Media’s Brave New World June 30, 2006
Posted by Nalts in : Online Video, Video Advertising, Video Business, Video Sites , 1 comment so farThis from a Forbes article titled “Big Media’s Brave New World“:
Andy Moss, senior director of technical policy for Microsoft’s entertainment and devices, said that one day the term might actually refer to things that users have actually made themselves. Online social-networking sites, coupled with falling prices for sophisticated video cameras and editing equipment, mean that even amateurs will be able to produce polished product that will eventually draw sponsorship dollars. Moss said fundamental changes in this arena will be led by today’s teens and 20-somethings.
“We’ve grown up on PCs,’’ he said. “They’re growing up with interconnected communities and producing their own quality content, and it’s just going to be a whole other shift.’’
But trying to integrate commercial messages into user-generated content must be done with care, or else advertisers risk triggering a consumer backlash on par with negative reactions to cold-calling, junk mail and spam, warned John Montgomery, chief executive of MindShare Interaction, a New York advertising and consulting firm.
“We just can’t afford to do it again, because this time the consumers are really in control,’’ Montgomery said. “And they’ll simply shut us out. It doesn’t just mean they’ll shut out bad advertising. They’ll shut out content together with the advertising.’’
Find Me a Viral Video Creator With More than 500 Gems June 29, 2006
Posted by Nalts in : Online Video , 6commentsThis guy’s got 500 videos online at Revver (a record), and you’ll either love each one or be terrified. Check out James Jarvis’ blog and his videos (posted as MarquisDeJolie). When I first found my videos next to his, I had a couple nightmares that he was going to experiments with my kids. Then I found out he’s a harmless poetic guy trying to make a decent living in Texas. He’s been homeless, and now lives in the basement of his sister’s home… using every penny he can make off of Revver and his blog to fund his Cable bill and a few smokes to make his teeth hurt. Now I want to invite him to my “if you could have a dinner party with any 10 people” event. Gene Hackman and Chevy Chase are invited too. And the Coen Brothers.
This is one of my favorites below. James if you visit, please give us the URL for the one where you catch people fishing in your backyard which is not your backyard.
Moe’s Burrito Video Contest June 29, 2006
Posted by Nalts in : Online Video , add a comment
Vitrue and Moe’s are creating an online community that enables Moe’s consumers to create, produce and upload their own video ads. In the submitted advertisements, consumers will be asked to showcase how they are doing their part to put a Moe’s burrito in the hand of every woman, child and man across the nation. Submitted ads will be voted on by the Moe’s and Sharkle.com communities along with panel of Moe’s representatives. The grand prize winner for best overall submission will win Moe’s Burritos for Life* and secondary winners will be eligible for various prizes including free Moe’s burritos for a year.
What I suggest is someone making a video of how much space a lifetime of burritos would take up. Yum.
Here’s the site (although it hasn’t launched yet). Thanks to James Jarvis for spotting this one.
You Love WVFF. You Love WVFF Not. June 29, 2006
Posted by Nalts in : Online Video , add a commentThe fickle readers of WillVideoForFood… Back on the rise since a 6/23 plummet but nowhere near the unexplained 6/1 spike.
Each bar represents 1 billion readers, by the way.
First Interesting Article on Online Video (in a While) June 29, 2006
Posted by Nalts in : Making Videos, Online Video, Revver, Video Advertising, Video Business, Viral Video, Web 2.0, YouTube, popular videos , 1 comment so farI’m getting so tired of the hype articles, or the latest story about an instant viral video classic. Finally, here’s an interesting piece.
Source: The Ultimate Middle East Business Resource. Go figure.
On YouTube:
“But this bandwidth is expensive. It’s estimated that bandwidth costs YouTube US$1 million per month. But the investment - YouTube has raised US$11 million in venture capital - is money more than well-spent. YouTube estimates that it could already earn US$10 million a month by putting ads at the start of every video. So far, it hasn’t, because it doesn’t want to alienate viewers. Instead it’s looking for new and creative ways to get advertisers on board.?
On Advertising:
“For advertisers, the beauty of video sharing sites is being able to target highly niche audiences. All videos are tagged with different keywords, from the general “music” “sport” “comedy” to specifics such as “Britney” “golf” “kittens”. Nearly a third of YouTube’s visitors are aged 18-24, a key youth market that is getting harder for marketers to reach.”
Three Lessons:
- There’s a lot to learn from YouTube. The first lesson is that internet users are desperate for compelling, quirky and entertaining multimedia content. And they are happy to get it in small bites. They may not want to pay for it, but they’ll probably put up with a short TVC or banner ad for the privilege of watching.
- The second is universality. Anyone, anywhere, on any system - even mobile devices -
download, you don’t need a particular browser or the latest version of Windows. This is going to be a harsh lesson for video sites that try to force users to specific (usually Windows-only) formats. Accessibility is the only way. - The third - as NBC has learnt (WVFF editor’s note- poor writer CLEARLY can’t spell), but the RIAA still shuts its eyes to - is not to fear and resist the New Media Revolution, but to embrace it. The internet is here to stay and here to grow. It’s impossible to try and control the machinations of millions of hungry bright minds. If people want to see a video, they’ll find a way to rip it, copy it, encode it. Forget proprietary formats, forget copyright protection - the hackers and crackers will always be ten steps ahead.
Teddy Bear Thumb Drive June 29, 2006
Posted by Nalts in : Online Video , add a comment
This has no video angle, but it’s going around the blogs. Cute or freaky? The teddy bear thumb drive. Here’s the source- it’s homemade so don’t try to buy it (yet).