Will Knol For Food: A Weird Blend of Wordpress, Blogger, Ask.com, Wikipedia and eBay July 25, 2008
Posted by Nalts in : Google , 17commentsThanks to MCase (loyal WillVideoforfood reader) for pointing out Knol. This is Google’s answer to Ask.com or Wikipedia, where you can write about a subject and share in advertising revenue if anybody cares to read it (and is so bored by it that they click the text ads and stop).
Here’s my knol biography, and I’ve placed a few articles and my eBook inside. I’m not asking you to go rate them 5 stars, but I would like you to remember that Nalts introduced Knol to you (2 years from now, when the term “knolling” is as pervasive as “googling”).
A Knol (see site) is an “authoritative article about a specific topic.” Anyone can write one like Wikipedia (although you can’t edit them). And readers will decide if it’s authoritative or hog wash (like how we score eBay sellers and buyers).
Knoling solves a need — we uninformed humans want vetted, credible content. Google helps us find it sometimes, but we still don’t have a scalable social network infrastructure for weeding out the accurate from the crap. And don’t talk to me about Squiddo, people. There are probably more people using Twitter right now, and the gap from early adopters to mainstream is wider than my ass has grown since I developed spondylolisthesis and a fractured sacrum… clearly caused by my day job (and not those pratfalls you make me do).
Of course there’s got to be a “what’s in it for me” for subject-matter experts to knowledge share- I wouldn’t have knoled my articles this morning just to be nice, or on the chance that these will get views more than my blog. I am chancing on some meager Google adsense revenue. Maybe it’s the next YouTube (which is non trivial) and maybe it’s the next Amazon affiliate program (which is non profitable for me anyway).
Now here’s the million dollar question. Will it Knol get us indexed better on Google? TechCrunch called this out back in December, and this move put Google further into the content business (which is like being the broker and seller in one). What cracks me up about this TechCrunch article is that it doesn’t point out a similar situation. It’s, um, called YouTube?
Knol It All (www.knolitall.com) is already squatted. Puns are the second-lowest form of humor (after sarcasm), though.
Spaghetti Live-Action Video (Food, Toys, Objects) July 24, 2008
Posted by Nalts in : Online Video , 14commentsIf someone ever asks you to define creativity, just play this video and save yourself a lot of words. It’s called Spaghetti Western by PEZ.
Coolest Interview JibJab Creators Have Ever Done July 24, 2008
Posted by Nalts in : Online Video , 11comments
“People like to look at themselves,” JibJab co-creator Gregg Spiridellis told fans last night to explain the appeal of JibJab Sendables — one of just a few cash-makers for the company that spawned several of the most viral video animations ever. Gregg and his brother Evan said it the live show with fans was the “coolest interview” they’ve done (see 10-minute clip below).
Alan Lastufka, know on YouTube as fallofautumndistro, invited the NJ natives to interact with JibJab Junkies via live video on Blog.tv. (a website helping some YouTube Cewebrities connect with fans and earn some additional cash through ads).
The Spiridellis brothers talked from the heart — not the marketing script – and dropped words like “nipple” and “banana hammock” as if we’re with them in their Freshman dorm. If you’ve ever marvelled at the JibJab cartoon musical satires, then you may find this unscripted format intriguing. The fourth wall is gone, and the brothers relax with the lack of lights, big cameras and nervous action from journalists, producers and production assistants.
On a continuum between meeting someone live and watching them on a late-night TV interview, the Blog.tv experience was an experience far closer to the former. The duo took random questions in a relaxed, bemused style unlike an edited TV package or even live television. We watch the awkward pauses between their sound bites, how they transition between each other, and the way they handle quirky questions with improvisational wit.
There’s a moment where they chuckle about their paultry earnings, and we get a peak into a playtful motive of their collaborations. And the event punctuates with them walking off camera and out the room, but not before inviting their “marketing guy” to speak to the audience (he doesn’t, but in fairness he does look like he’s younger than my Charlie).
The Spiridellis are now my second favorite brother duo. Above the Cohen brothers, but second, of course, to Nalts and his brother Chris [who I love even when I don't return his calls... and from whom I stole the college nickname "Nalts"].
Gregg and Evan’s live appearance makes it hard to hide the fact that they are far more interested in the fun and humor of their satire than in capitalizing on it. They seem to work like crazy and love it, and you may not watch another JibJab without thinking back to this fascinating peak at the Spiridellis. While there are moments that drag and a few gratuitous plugs for JibJab, we experience insights into the spirit lurking behind the whimsical JibJab moments.
Do I sound like a fan gone rabid? Yeah, I am.
cute kitten very is pleaseing to eye in video July 24, 2008
Posted by Nalts in : Online Video , 10commentswhy people can not understanding preferred language of comments? i am cute non english speaking kitten? speak to me as I speaking to you. why youtube commenters not understand and respect my language?
you watch my video and talk to me in comments. kindly send to your family for giving them warmth on there day.
ROI Better on UGC Than “Professional” Video? July 23, 2008
Posted by Nalts in : Online Video , 11commentsMy friend ran a digital media buying company and literally wrote a book on internet advertising. He told me three things I never forgot:
- The best color for a banner ad (from a direct response point of view) is “clear.” That is, whatever blends with the publisher site.
- It’s hard — if not impossible — to make money if you’re buying advertising to get traffic, and your revenue is purely based on advertising.
- Setting aside demos, banners perform better on weather and gaming sites than higher-end publishing sites (like the Wall Street Journal). This point perplexed me, but he explained his theory on this maybe counter intuitive discovery. The viewer is less engaged in the games and weather content, thus more likely to ditch it for a relevant online ad. It helped too, mind you, that the CPM for a weather.com is presumably much cheaper than a WSJ.com.
So as a marketer I’d say — assuming you could reasonably target your demographic — you’ll probably get a better return on UGC (user generated content, or amateur stuff) than professional content.
A Nalts video is less captivating than an SNL skit on Hulu (and admitting that fact came a little easier than I thought). In the next year, advertisers will feel temporarily safer with Hulu because it’s a network site (and God knows the ad networks and reps will be greasing the palms of buyers everywhere). Brainless ad buyers in NYC will clamour for inventory on the “safe” sites, and drive the CPM artificially high. Meanwhile, there will be a growing inventory of amateur content as YouTube rolls out its “partner program” wider than the paranoid advertising market can handle. So it will invariably drop or maintain.
A study (reported here by NewTeeVee) by The Diffusion Group shows a gap on CPM (cost per thousand views) already emerging:
- CPMs for professional long-form video are about $40 now and predicted to rise to $46 by 2013.
- CPMs for professional short-form video are roughly $30 now and expected to hit $34 by 2013.
- UGC vids currently get $15 CPMs and are seen rising a little, to $17, by 2013.
My short-term bet for advertisers? Buy ads against UGC content, but pick your channels carefully. Don’t buy Invideo ads on Nalts if you’re selling cosmetics, but if you’re Coke running a direct-response program via InVideo ads you’ll probably have better luck buying ads against YouTube amateur partners than Britney.tv (she’s actually entertaining to her audience). YouTube may content otherwise, because they have loads of inventory on professional players, and more at stake there.
For that matter, you’ll probably get a better awareness rating on amateur content because we’re less interesting than professionals. You may, however, get a higher attribute rating (as measured by something like Dynamic Logic) if you buy ads on killer content (like Universal) versus another Fred video. Hard to say there.
Note- I’m biased on this analysis for two reasons. First, I’m in the middle of business planning, and my right brain has been completely shut down as a result. I haven’t even watched a video in days. Second- as a YouTube partner, I have an interest in UGC CPMs (I get a piece of the advertising revenue).
Now the good news for creators and advertising. It’s not an “either or” proposition. The Diffusion Group estimates that $590 million video ad market today will be a $10 billion video ad market of the future. I’ll take a smaller piece of that growing pie.
“Made for TV Drama” to Feature NewTeeVee Pier Screening’s Judges July 22, 2008
Posted by Nalts in : Blogs on Video , 17commentsThe first NewTeeVee Pier Screening of 2008 is themed “pilots,” (as in pilot episodes of web series not airplane fliers, dumb ass).
Judges include Martin Sargent (Internet Superstar), George Strombolis (YouTube) and Marie Drennan (San Franscisco State University).
Who will play the roles of each judge on the made for TV drama based loosely on the screening competition? Here are our votes.
- Jodie Foster as Marie Drennan
- Ryan Howard (The Office temp) as George Strombolos
- Eric Estrada as Martin Sargent
Horror Hitch Hiker Prank July 19, 2008
Posted by Nalts in : Online Video , 23commentsI’m reminded again by this video’s early rankings that people like the “candid camera” prank content. And 14-year-old’s sell on YouTube.
Thanks to Spencer (Farting in Public) for being the gracious victim of a prank that involves me picking up a complete stranger in a convenience store. That stranger, of course, was played by EdBassmaster from YouTube (see his reel to appreciate his dark character diversity). I couldn’t stop laughing, but I figured if I Spencer believed I was scared, he’d expect me to drop him off. So I decided I’d play the oblivious video guy who has no sense of danger. It was a theatrical stretch for me, naturally.
Sometimes it’s the easy videos that pop, and the hard ones that die. In this case, the video got lots of honors (click “more,” below for list). And it took hours to conceive and plan, as well as hours to edit (really difficult to yank some fantastic moments between Ed and Spencer, but had to keep it as short as possible).
I give you: The Horror Hitchhiker Prank…
Verizon Wireless Botches “Candid” Viral Video Attempt July 19, 2008
Posted by Nalts in : Online Video, Video Advertising, Viral Video , 14comments
Time to test out your “is it real or fake” instincts. Watch this video where a random Verizon caller is surprised when that Verizon Wireless “Can You Hear Me Now” guy shows up with an army of Verizon people personifying the Verizon network.
Is it truly candid, or is our “victim” an actor?
- Shaky camera
- Genuine surprise and laughter from victim
- Natural crowd reactions
Mercy, this looks like an amateur prank. This guy’s been punked by a big corporation with the world’s worst logo. Yey.
- So, um, how’d they get a lavaliere microphone on the victim?
- Isn’t Verizon lucky that one of the first things out of the victim’s mouth is, “it’s the network”? Yeah- That’s probably what I’d say to a friend, if a bunch of people in construction hats started following me. “It’s the network,” I’d say. I’d probably then work up a gag about reduced call drops and virtual tributaries that allow for ad/drop multiplexing of subrate traffic.
Lesson learned? This would have been a clever bit, but don’t dupe the viewer. Either the joke’s on the victim (the call recipient) or the joke’s on the bystanders (which would have been funny on its own). But this one makes me feel like the joke’s on me.
People are often trying to encourage me to mock a “candid” video, and even if you have a great actor like this guy (who laughs convincingly, which is extremely hard)… you can’t get away with the crunch because the crunch always gives you away.
Verizon Wireless Surprises Customer - Watch more free videos
Short Visit to West Coast Online-Video Junkee with “LA Blue Balls” July 18, 2008
Posted by Nalts in : Online Video , 17commentsYeah I went to LA for one day, and it was the biggest tease of my online-video life! I have LA blueballs.
The near climax was getting to meet Punchy from WaverlyFilms, Captain from ClipCritics and my favorite YouTube weblebrities… but not having enough time to play! There was a spontaneous dinner on Wednesday night, and before I had the chance to spill a second beer, Chuck Potter (who is making a film about YouTube) was kind enough to whisk me to LAX to catch the red eye back to PA.
I’ve got to get back to LA soon, and inject myself into all of my favorite webshows as a lowlife extra - I had a near miss with TomBoys and Freddy Nager, with whom I’ve been dying to collaborate. And I didn’t even get to see Mickipedia Micki or my Revver peeps.
I did have a chance to appear in an episode of “The Retarded Policeman.” You’ve never been on a cooler shoot in your life. Ponce (Josh Perry) was so kind and gentle, and far from the insulting character he plays.
I can’t remember if he’s really got Down’s and he’s faking as a cop, or if it’s the other way around. But either way, I’ve gone from fan to superfan. His brother (who appears in episode one) directs him with precision and tough love that only a big brother can provide. In a future episode, The Retarded Policeman insults me, kisses me and then slaps me. The Nalts is, of course, shocked and trying to explain that I’m a weblebrity who wasn’t drunk driving but “vlogging while driving.” I don’t want to give away anymore of Greg Benson’s hysterical script, but I hope he will indulge me on this sneak preview from the script.
“Oh, I recognize you. You’re the cup of shit from two girls and a cup.”
Comedic gold. Benson (MediocreFilms) is one of the best producers/directors I’ve seen in action, and that’s his voice (straight and falsetto) in TRP’s opening song. The MediocreFilms model is brilliant. It’s bursting with simplicity and humor, and production costs are minimized (they used a foam white board to bounce light on this shoot).
I had never seen Greg’s “Gorgeous Tiny Chicken Machine Show” until last night, and I’m hooked. Last night I watched the entire series with my 4-year-old Charlie, who was quick to say “that was a short one” or “we already watched that one.” The perverted humor is subtle enough that a child can watch it without too much brain damage. Whether he’s 4 or 40. See Ron Jeremy’s appearance in this episode, or check out this hysterical one that’s a personal favorite.
Have you ever seen anything that’s as funny as that cutaway of the Unicorn Cow’s sad face when he donates his spleen to make Steak Tartar? Honestly, have you? And have you ever seen Internet-video acting as good as the chef’s (who is that guy, Greg, and when can I appear in costume on the show!?)
This stuff is so good it makes me want to stop making videos and start watching them more.
Understanding “Fred,” the Squeaky-Voice YouTube Star July 18, 2008
Posted by Nalts in : YouTube , 35comments
For weeks I’ve been perplexed by Fred, a squeaky-voice YouTube character played by Lucas Cruikshank (Fred’s real name). He caught my attention when I found him appearing in advertisements on my own videos. Lucas lives with 6 siblings in Nebraska, and has emerged as one of the fastest-growing YouTube personalities.
I couldn’t understand the Fred phenomenon and the best explanation anyone could provide (and I asked several of the most popular Tubers for their best theory) was that it’s what the key younger demographic wants. But that’s not an explanation, is it?
Alas I found this analysis by the Sydney Morning Herald, and it all makes perfect sense:
While many boys emerging from their tween years drift into the monosyllabic age of deep introspection and rebellion, the videos made by this teenager from Nebraska reflect a garrulous sense of childish fun.
So now I think I get Fred’s appeal. His manic moves and piercing voice may annoy me, but I understand why people are compelled to watch. The fast-paced and childish bits maybe allow people to forgive their own lack of maturity.
Anyway, I woke up this morning feeling compelled to impersonate Fred’s father. Of course, Fred’s father is in jail so maybe I’m his Uncle (which is ridiculous, but believable by many YouTubers that still think Dylan is my son). Anyway- would welcome ideas on where to go with it, as I’ve only watched a few of Fred’s videos. And if you’re a Fred fan, I could use any script tips that would ensure I dovetail off Fred’s plotline well enough.
What I’m thinking. Got ideas?
- Fred’s Uncle explains why dad’s in jail. Maybe blames Fred.
- The Uncle is squeaky voice too, but maybe it’s creepier. So I talk slow and deliberate before speeding up the voice.
- There’s humor, but almost a playful sadness or dysfunction that’s revealed about Fred’s family- so we understand his behavior even more.
And I haven’t forgotten about the spoof of the paper car. 
Thanks for your ideas on that!
