How to Buy a Digital Video Camera January 27, 2007
Posted by Nalts in : Videocameras , 12commentsA lot of people ask me — especially lately — what type of videocamera I use. It’s a Panasonic PV-GS120, and there’s a photo of it on this blog’s masthead. I like it a lot, but it’s obviously time for an upgrade.
This post won’t give you advice on cameras, but I describe my typical process for purchasing any high-consideration electronic device. Maybe it will help you. If you’re serious about commercializing your work, go with a prosumer HDTV. Otherwise almost any decent digital camera will produce a picture far better than you’ll ever see through online compression.
- I do ask around a lot. But don’t ask people who make good videos, ask people that are really anal-retentive about what they buy.
- I visit pcmag.com, zdnet.com and consumerreports.org (the latter is fee-based and often lags). These sites starts help me identify top models or brands. Naturally the model numbers rarely synch up but it’s a good start. When I bought my digital-still camera (Rebel XR), I was seeing it as a top camera on all of these sites.
- Now I’ve identified a few brands and model numbers that look good. So I bounce between sites to confirm it. I used to use epinions, but now I check to see if the Amazon ratings are good.
- If I’m stuck between several brands, I default to the long-winded digital video camera experts. There are people that write novels on these things, and they’re usually one of the top listings if you search “my model review -buy” on Google.
- Finally, I do shop around on the froogles, but often decide to get it at Best Buy or Circuit City. By now, I can’t wait any longer and I want to confirm the feel of it. I don’t mind paying a 5% premium to not have to wait for it and know I can run it to the store.
Note- this is if you’re going for a consumer camera or simple prosumer. If you’re going HDTV or $1000 plus prosumer (Cannon, Sony, Panasonic), then you want to try some trade magazines and BHP Photo.
Benefit of User-Testing Viral Videos January 26, 2007
Posted by Nalts in : Blogs on Video, Killer Video, Making Videos, Online Video, Video, Viral Video, popular videos, viral videologist , 5comments
I hope this video demonstrates the power of user-testing viral videos to ensure they’re funny before launch. It’s the difference between being a viral-video creator and a viral videologist.
Our method was simple. The moderator had individual subjects review the videos, and we observe their responses behind a two-way glass. Laughter was recorded, and viewers were asked to rate each video according to key comedic criteria. Each viewer was screened according to a) frequency of online-video viewing, b) sense of humor, and c) ability to fake laugh.
Of course things went a little sour at the end. But this is fairly typical for one of our sessions. There’s always a “hater,” and you have to know how to deal with these people.
George Lucas in Love January 26, 2007
Posted by Nalts in : Online Video , 3commentsThis has been around for a while, but I just saw it for the first time. Ever wonder how George Lucas was inspired to write Star Wars?
Embarassing Myself at the Mall January 26, 2007
Posted by Nalts in : Killer Video, Making Videos, Online Video, Viral Video, YouTube, popular videos , 12comments
I pride myself on my modesty. That’s why I don’t mind telling you that my “Mall Pranks” is the #4 top rated comedy video of the day on YouTube (based on individual rankings). In this little video shot last night at the mall, I embarass myself by pretending to have really personal calls while talking really loud. As people pass.
This puppy wasn’t planned. I was just bored while my wife shopped.
P.S. This just in. Here’s the #6 video (YouTube is HighSchool). And #10 video (Drink Windex).
If you get three videos in the top 10 in one day… do you get paid extra by YouTube?
Viral Videologist January 23, 2007
Posted by Nalts in : Online Video, Video Advertising, Video Business, Viral Video, YouTube, viral videologist , 43comments
Are those two beautiful words. Just soak in them. Viral Videologist.
Bruce Haring of DIY Convention asked if I’d speak about YouTube success stories on Sunday, February 11 at the Egyptian Theater in Hollywood. Mark your calendars, folks. Free beer with admission.
Anyway it turns out I was scheduled to be presenting 6 miles from there that same morning (for my day job). So it was easy to say yes.
I checked the DIY site to confirm timing and logistics, and I see they’ve got me listed as Kevin Nalty, Viral Videologist.
Call me VV from now on. It’s better than Viral Video Genius. And, yes, I already parked the domain.
Video on the Net Conference: March in San Jose January 23, 2007
Posted by Nalts in : Blogs on Video, Future of Online Video, Online Video, Video Business , 5comments
The Video on the Net conference is taking place March 19-22 in San Jose, California. Decent group of presenters. Looks like fun. Who wants to blog live from the event? Here’s the schedule. I’m including it because it has speakers names with hyperlinks to them.
Reader convenience or SEO manipulation? You decide.
| 8:00am 5:00pm |
Registration Continental Breakfast 8:00 - 9:00 |
| 9:00am 4:45pm |
Telephony’s IPTV Workshop: Redefining Video |
| 9:00am 4:30pm |
The New Video Summit |
| 7:45am 5:00pm |
Registration Continental Breakfast 7:45 - 8:45 |
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| 8:45am 9:15am |
Industry Perspective • Jeff Pulver, Founder and Chairman, pulvermedia |
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| 9:15am 9:45am |
Industry Perspective • Vinod Khosla, Khosla Ventures |
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| 9:45am 10:15am |
Industry Perspective • Niklas Zennstrom, Founder & CEO, Skype |
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| 10:15am 11:00am |
Morning Break | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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A Marketer’s Worst Viral-Video Nightmare. Poor Dove. January 23, 2007
Posted by Nalts in : Online Video, Video, Video Advertising, advertising , 9comments
Let’s say you’re the interactive marketer for Dove. You finally sold your management on the concept of inviting people to make ads for a contest viral video! They said they were afraid of what people may enter. But you said, “don’t worry… if it’s not appropriate we won’t feature it.”
And then this video ends up on YouTube. Ouch. Warning: obscenity and contagious melody. Courtesy of GraniteBaySoftware’s blog.
What do you do? You laugh, and then realize your career at Dove is over.
What makes this such a cringer is that it’s not your typical “this product sucks” spoof commercial. It actually appears to be trying to promote Dove, and then just gets more and more outrageous… until the culmination “you asked for it” line.
And it’s like a car accident. You don’t want to look but you must.
What Does YouTube’s Ad Team Mean to Google Ad Reps and Digital Agencies? January 23, 2007
Posted by Nalts in : Online Video, Video Advertising, Video Business, advertising , 14comments
The Wall Street Journal’s Emily Steel wrote a piece last week about YouTube’s efforts to commercialize itself. Steel titled it “walking the tight rope.” The article includes a Q&A with Suzie Reider, YouTube’s first chief marketing officer. Reider is rapidly expanding her advertising sales and marketing teams, as evidenced by YouTube’s own “we’re hiring” ads on its site. Here’s the article, but since it’s subscription only I’ve excerpted a small piece (click “more” below).
Now some thoughts about the commercialization, and what it means to media reprensatives, advertisers, and agencies. There’s another tightrope YouTube will have to walk besides the marketing vs. community one.
- Here’s a little-known secret about YouTube. The hardcore visitors don’t live on the homepage. And a very, very small percentage of users view the new “participatory video ad” that is featured in the homepage’s top right corner. In fact, as of this writing there is no ad today.
- This means advertisers need to get more creative about how they approach YouTube, and think about that channel quite differently then they approach display advertising or search-engine marketing. To be seen by the bulk of viewers you have to embed yourself into the hundreds of little pockets that exist.
- Here’s where it gets interesting. What’s the role of the YouTube advertising team versus the agencies? In the perfect world, it’s a partnership. But that takes time to sort out. And some of the legacy advertising deals have been managed primarily between the interactive brand manager and YouTube (without an agency running point).
- By example, Google has begun to figure this out by walking that fine line between direct selling (to marketing teams) and agency selling.
In fact they have different advertising representatives calling on each. REVISION 1/25: Google does NOT have different teams selling into direct marketers and agencies- it’s the same team. They do have agency team, but it’s not focused on selling, but rather on overall relationships. - Google’s advertising strength is, in my opinion, primarily attributed to it hiring really good account people and focusing them on verticals. When I deal with Google I know they’ll know the nuances of my category and that’s not true for many media properties (as such I relegate those to the agencies).
- YouTube is clear that its ad representatives will fly solo without the Googlers. Since Google’s advertising team already has embedded relationships, will those account executives be compensated for pointing their clients (who primarily buy paid search) to YouTube’s offerings? They’re already expanding their sales offering to include video, remember. Google has pre/post rolls (but of course that’s a different beast).
- With some exceptions, I wouldn’t count on a traditional agency (with our without a digital divisoin) to figure out YouTube unless they’d done some work to prove they understand it. So the YouTube ad team will play an important role to ensure that the users and the advertisers are satisfied. Not an easy balance, and we’ll see some grand success and failures in the next months.
- Behind the scenes, there will be some interesting turf wars between YouTube’s advertising team, Google’s advertising team, and the media-buying agencies. None will want to take a back seat, and all will want to run alpha.
- Marketers will decide who they want to deal with primarily based on a) relationship, b) which one understands their brand and c) who can relate YouTube’s offering accordingly. And whoever’s coolest.
As a seasoned interactive-agency salesguy told me once: “People buy from people cooler than them.”
The User-Generated Fad is Over January 23, 2007
Posted by Nalts in : Future of Online Video, Online Video , 9commentsOkay, I’m being deliberately melodramatic in the headline, but it got your attention didn’t it? Here’s the latest news on mainstream celebrities charging into online video. While this will never stop user-generated content and amateur video creators, it will definitely steal a piece of the viewing pie. On the upside, it will also help mainstream online-video viewing. You can rest assured that with Eisner involved this isn’t a Go.com (irony intentional).
USWeekly is starting a celebrity channel on Veoh, according to MediaPost(who I have been citing way too often). Now Veoh is a minnow next to the whale called YouTube. But this could help propel them to shark status. And I’m not sure of this but I think sharks can eat whales.
… Usmagazine.com and its companion Veoh channel would feature professionally produced video and other content geared to its core audience of women in their 20s and 30s. That includes video of celebrity Q & A sessions at Us, backstage footage of celebrity photo shoots and Us critics discussing hot new movies or TV shows.
With their new venture, Us Weeklyand Veoh are taking on a slew of celebrity-oriented competitors online including TMZ.com, Gawker and PerezHilton as well as viral video heavyweight YouTube. Veoh has attempted to differentiate itself from bigger video rivals by allowing users to upload videos of any length and create their own virtual channels.
Celebrity and hyper produced content can, of course, co-exist with user-generated stuff. But the next LonelyGirl-HappySlip-Renetto-ZeFrank-Rockeboom thing will have a lot harder time finding fame when Paris Hilton is vlogging.
P.S. My wife gets US Weekly and I steal it for her when I poop. That’s more than you needed to know, isn’t it?
Messing With My Sister January 23, 2007
Posted by Nalts in : Online Video , 4comments
I give you: Marquisdejolie’s “Messing With My Sister.”
He describes his factual account of convincing his sister that she’s losing her sight.
For more of Marquisdejolie’s insanely funny work, visit and subscribe to his YouTube channel.