ALL YOUR VIDEOS ARE BELONG TO US. That was the message today when YouTube went down today. See this blog for more. Perplexing. It's a real story- see CNet.
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Secret Recipe for Viral Video Popularity
A recent article about YouTube reveals that 50,000 videos are uploaded a day, and 50 million are viewed. This ratio has changed, no doubt, over time. But that basically means the average views per video should be around 1000. Most videos, however, never surpass 10-100 views. Others get more than 10 million.
So what’s the secret recipe to getting a viral video?
- Start with 1 pound of good video content- ideally short and minimally packaged.
- Stir some initial enthusiasm that yields to high views and votes. Here’s where self promotion and luck can enhance the meal.
- Bake and hope that a few Bloggers point to your video. For example, in my first YouTube success, Googlehead went from 5,000 views last night to 8,000 this morning- I have MicroPersuasion to thank for much of that.
- Remove from oven and let cool. Hope that someone at YouTube decides to feature it.
- Serve warm. Once a video is popular it hits “tipping point.” People want to watch popular videos, so it becomes a self fulfilling prophecy.
Again- if the system works right, the best videos are the most popular. In my opinion, that isn’t necessarily happening yet. I’ve seen some great stuff burried with no views and some videos on the “most popular” that have me as puzzled as when mullets were popular.
YouTube Video Amateur Becomes Millionaire
Another mock headline, but here's the poop. The most popular video of all time is the very clever "The Evolution of Dance." It's approaching 19 million views. If YouTube shared a nickle of ad revenue (which is fair and conservative given that an advertiser would may many times more than that to serve an ad with that video), then Judson Laipply would be a millionare.
Meanwhile, on a totally self-promotional front, the Googlhead video I posted Tuesday has been my first YouTube success. The surprising thing isn't the views, however. It's that I've only had two comments and they're both positive. I'm bracing myself for the hate mail that usually haunts my YouTube posts!
Five on Fridays (Floyd Hayes)
Floyd is back with another Five on Fridays, which is a very low budget piece that reviews interesting pieces of new media and advertising. Although I can't say he doesn't creep me out just a little, he finds extremely engaging photos and stories, and delivers it with an English sense of humor right from NYC.
Get Paid to Watch Videos
The online video era has entered into its second of what I'd suggest will be three phases:
Phase 1: People are thrilled to watch videos online easily and for free. YouTube owns this, and this is the prevailing model. Viral video makers are currently motivated by fame not money. But as I mentioned in a previous post, they're leaving money on the table.
Phase 2: Good content owners want to be compensated for their work– or at least share in the ad revenue. Several start-ups have entered here, and Revver has my favorite offering here. Other companies (like LiveDigital) use "points" that will eventually equate to something for people that are active on their site (mostly because they posted content that gets views, comments or ratings).
Phase 3: People get paid to watch videos. Sounds weird, doesn't it? But I see two potential models emerging. Free videos with very polite, concise ads (15 seconds every third video seems right). Alternatively, what if a site gave its viewer something for sitting through more ads? Call it "pay for eyeballs." Maybe it's not money but "points or credits" worth something. Have you noticed how most online video sites track how many videos you've viewed? That number equates to revenue for a site that sells ad space by view, click or time.
As proof that I'm not "off my rockers" for phase 3, let's look at this recent story about Virgin Mobile exchanging free talk time for participation in advertising or surveys. Terrific idea- we can be bought. Times are a changin' for interuption advertising as we move into online videos and videos on demand. Contextual ads are the first step- don't waste your money trying to sell me a car because I'm not on the market. But send me an ad for a new technology toy <$100 and I'll consider that a gift. But the New World of Advertising will likely require intermediaries to share advertising income with the target. In my day job I buy online ads, and I know I'd be willing to pay a premium to interact with people in my target audience.
Save this post. Maybe I'll be embarassed about it in 12 months. Or maybe I'll look like a friggin' futurist.
Artie Lange on Jimmy Kimmel
Here's a YouTube clip from the recent appearance of Artie Lange on Jimmy Kimmel live. Since I don't TiVo Kimmel, it's nice to find some clips like this. If you're shy on time, let it stream completely and rush to the clip from his new movie, Beer League. Three guys in a diner and the two fat ones berate the third for ordering a healthy breakfast. "That's the gayest order I've ever heard," he says. "If you put a construction hat on that order it could join the Village People."
It's kinda long, so wait for a good conference call to listen to it. I just finished it and I don't think anyone noticed I wasn't paying attention. Oh- check to make sure mute is on first.
What Does YouTube and 27 Have in Common?
Steve Chen, co-founder of YouTube, is 27. Chad Hurley, the other co-founder who worked with Chen at Paypal, now employ 27 people.
Think about that. Twenty seven people running the most popular site for online videos-one that streams 50 million videos a day to the 12.5 million visitors they get a month. For another of the me-too articles written about this overnight success, see this piece by SiliconValley.com. Or click the photo to read the CNN story.
Maybe we'll keep the 27 theme going when one of the networks purchase the site for 27 million? No- I think it's going for more than that.
How to Tell if You’re a “GoogleHead”
There are many ways you're healthcare professional can determine if you are a GoogleHead. But one way for sure. If you're willing to spend your Memorial Day afternoon printing Google Head t-shirts and asking your family and cousins to do the cheesiest stuff possible for a GoogleHead video. Thanks to Laurie Berkner for the song and inspiration. You can buy GoogleHead at LaurieBerkner.com or TwoTomatoes.com.
Google Head Video: Warning- you'll either love it or hate it.
3 iFilm Amateur Video Contests
When you submit to iFilm, there are three contests running now. One for the technically deficient, one for wannabee comedians, and a third for snowboarding cool cats.
Each week, EMTs (Emergency Makeover Technicians) adopt the case of a tragic sufferer of Old School-itis, diagnose his or her specific condition and then administer the prescribed techie know-how and geeky wisdom. And, as these washed-up's get Hooked Up, you too will learn to make your wired life buzz wirelessly to life.
Are you funny? Now is your chance to prove it with Comedy Central’s Test Pilots! Submit a one-to-five-minute video to comedycentral.com, and you could win a development deal for your show to air on Comedy Central's MotherLoad. Live action, animation, sketch or hidden camera — any format is acceptable. The only prerequisite… it shouldn't suck! Test Pilots will accept submissions from May 22 through August 24, 2006. Starting July 28, watch and vote for your favorite video only on comedycentral.com!
Gillette Fusion- A Day in the Life Snowboard Video Contest:
Despite its name, the contest is for footage of more than snowboards. "We want to see your life off the slopes – crazy road trips, pranks, nightlight, or just tell us about your crazy lifestyle. You get the idea, now get in front of the camera! Judging will be based on originality, creativity, and most importantly FILM VIEWS. That means the sooner you get your video uploaded, the better chance of winning. Our judges will determine the top videos to be featured on IFILM's Adrenaline and User Video channels.
Enter & win, folks.
Getting Rich on Revver
When I first got obsessed with posting videos on Revver (one of the only models that pays amateurs some of the ad revenue) I realized I started to sound like a cheesy infomercial telling people about it. That's what spawned this spoof of myself. Ironically, the name I used (David Scheyd) was a classmate of mine in highschool. One of his college roomates saw it, and asked if it was the same guy. Once we established that both of our David's had the nickname ShitHead, it was clear. Small world the Internet.
