Tag Archives: design

Online Video

New Artistic Community: The 5-Dollar Store of Fiverr

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It used to be when I needed a graphic, song, voiceover, technology help… I’d have to beg and borrow. It was a lot of work, and often made me feel guilty (even though viewers have been awesome about creating assets for me).

Now I’ve discovered Fiverr. which is almost a black market of talented artists, designers, technologists, writers and those with even more interesting skills.

I’m not sure they’re unemployed, and maybe for most this is a hobby that makes money.

Already I’ve commissioned a new banner for the blog (see bottom of post), a goofy Odd Holidays jingle for videos I’m doing about odd holidays, a cartoonization of one of my photos, and a motion-text intro for The Unlicensed Therapist (a new web series I’m doing). I’m even getting a logo for that show… three of them precisely. Are the voicovers pro? Not necessarily, but certainly worth more than $5. Heck I even paid $5 for stress removal, but haven’t found out what’s coming yet.

For $5. Amazing, huh? I almost wish they had a slightly higher price point to attract even more talent and enhance scope of assignments. You can have photos of finger puppets holding your logo, or have your brand eaten by a pet. It’s a load of fun, and a brilliant way to help video creators get decent work for very little investment (which is important given the uncertainty that a web series will “take off”).

Here’s a teaser of “Your Unlicensed Therapist,” but this one is a bit flat. The others will be more edgy, and I’m now recruiting local YouTubers to be in an episode.

One of the three masthead/banners I got for $5 from Fiverr
Online Video

iJustine Gets Philanthropic and Fluid

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Click to access Facebook page of contest

iJustine, the YouTube star and graphic designer, is holding a contest to benefit Charity:Water. Check out the 2011 version of a press release (here), by MASScanvas — a new type of online graphic design contest. “Creating synergy among celebrities, designers and charities, MASScanvas aims to inspire a community of creativity and philanthropy – Design with a Purpose.”

We like that. Because purposeless design is so 2010.

Here’s her announcement video, and then check out the “Why Water” video by CharityWater.org… it’s very powerful. Plus I friggin’ love the tagline: “Just $20 can give one person access to clean water.” It’s such a small and specific “ask.”

The contest is only through May 21, so enter if you’re graphically inclined. And tell her Nalts sent you. Yeah the one who urged her to dive into YouTube in 2008. Yeah I’m gonna keep reminding us of that. Oh and check out iJustine shouting out the Honeybadger don’t give a sh@t, and see a bunny making a bed.

Online Video, Video Advertising, YouTube

YouTube Launches Pay-Per-View Ads

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Advertisers on YouTube now have an option where they only pay when a viewer engages with the pre-roll ad. It’s a bold way to get digital marketers to move confidently into the medium since, like Google Paid Search, it’s more accountable. Here’s the YouTube blog post about this new format called “True View.”

Nalts the creator: Don't skip it please. Nalts the viewer: Yey I can skip it. Nalts the advertiser: sweet I only have to pay if they DON'T skip!?

Since most content is too short for the new option (similar to Hulu’s format, viewers get to pick a long preroll or several short ad interruptions), the more interesting of these two new offerings is the “instream” 5 & 15/30 format. You watch 5 seconds, and then you decide if you’ll continue watching the rest of the ad (15/30 seconds). That means creators/publishers will make no revenue on those who abandon. But the format will no doubt demand a higher premium (per click) for those who choose to engage.

This also means advertisers should do a better job of giving the consumer a REASON to continue. The first 5 seconds should certainly mention the brand (free exposure like the “reminder” effect of unclicked paid-search ads). But most advertisers who want deeper engagement or direct response will want to use those first 5 seconds to PITCH THE AD.

For instance, “find out why this kitten is crying” would compel me to finish the ad. Or “be one of the first to own what’s in this box” is a nice teaser. Eventually when the format is less novel, the “calls to continue” will need to be better.

So, yeah... if you choose to continue to watch the advertisement on NALTS videos, on your death bed you will receive total consciousness. So you have that going for you.

I believe Business Insider is right in predicting that Google will give advertisers “love” or charge them less if they’re getting a better pull-through on these ads… similar to how strong creative text ads on Google are rewarded with better positions. Jason Kinkaid raises a good point on TechCrunch:

…given how different this is from what most consumers are used to, it may be a bit too early to gauge how well these ads are actually working — users may be skeptical of hitting the skip button at all because they’ve never seen it before.

It should be obvious that this is an additive option not a replacement of your traditional 15-30 second preroll. If it was my choice, I’d move to it quickly a) to learn, and b) to see if there’s a better ROI on them, c) to take advantage of the novelty factor. Then again, I’m biased. I’m making money from these. So frankly, I hope you buy whatever’s most expensive. But I hope you also get an ROI on it.

book, Online Video

Yahoo Video Confusing I’m Volunteering $2500 of Free Consulting To Help

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The last time I checked, it was easier to find Yahoo Video by searching for it, rather than trusting the user-experience folks at Yahoo.com. But let’s give it a shot anyway. You start your Rubiks cube and we’ll see who gets there first.

  1. I’m at the Yahoo! Homepage. I see Movies/TV in the primary navigation. I’m running low on water.
  2. There’s another “video” above the search bar, which probably just refines search results to be video only. My bag of rice is beginning to deplete.
  3. Wait- just noticed tabs above the lead news story and one says video. Wonder what that might be. Oh that was a mistake. It’s all news, and pre-rolls before I see a clip ripped from ABC’s programming. They don’t dare confess the time, but I’m guessing 6 minutes. I’m surviving on red berries and roots.
  4. Confused, I try “My Yahoo.” Sadly, it has my movie theaters but most everything else is the same. Except for the Movies/TV is now just TV. That makes sense. I haven’t shaved and I’m beginning to get weak and delirious.
  5. Success! A Yahoo! search for “Yahoo Video” resulted in the top-secret video site as the first search listing. I’ll bet the video folks are high-fiving each other for that primo organic placement. Maybe they could talk Yahoo into, I dunno, a hyperlink? Maybe some contextual links to the dessert island site called Yahoo Video. Bookmark this folks in case Google Video overtakes it in the Yahoo keyword rankings. http://video.yahoo.com/

Now here’s the thing… the site is so simplified as to be confusing. I can’t quite “dig in” by niche categories or list top creators. I can’t see ratings because Yahoo people don’t rate or interact. Yahoo Video is far from the community and organic form of the industry’s leader. People don’t subscribe, or even visit related videos from a creator they like. So it’s nearly impossible to get views on Yahoo Video unless an editor likes  you enough to sort through your recent clips and give it a decent placement.

I’ll give Yahoo credit, and assume they want to be very selective about the videos appear (good for viewers and for advertisers). The result is quality control and ad-friendly videos (none of that rogue CGA stuff). But the site just doesn’t make me want to stick around like YouTube. In fact it’s pushing me off the Internet. I’m going to see if my DVR recorded The Office last week, and whether I’ve missed it.

Anyone else want me jumping on their video site and chronicalling my confusion as if I’m the User Experience Genius? It’s worth noting that the kind editors featured my pets in Halloween video giving it more than 600,000 views (very exciting). I love you editors. Just not your employers commitment to online video. And sadly those views don’t provide income or bring an audience closer to me: the adjacent videos had 36 and 69 views. And I’ve got just 31 fans (compare that to 63,000 on YouTube).

The market needs a better competitor to YouTube… it will spawn innovation, drag advertisers into the space, and benefit creators. And I’ve always thought Yahoo, as a media company more than a search player, would emerge with a better video play than Google.

Let’s step up the game, Yahoo Video! I volunteer one day of my consultative skills (normally $2500 in fees) if you let me brainstorm improvements with your talented user-experience folks, and some assurance that if we pitch something better you’ll seriously consider rolling it out. Of course free consulting is worth what you pay. Tee hee.

-Kevin