Leo Burnett Opens Office in Second Life

Not to be out done, Leo Burnett opens an office in Second Life. It seems as though they are trying to take it a step farther.

From Brand Republic:

"Leo Burnett and Arc Worldwide are launching a creative department in the virtual world Second Life.

Called Leo Ideas Hub, the department will bring together more than 1,600 creatives from the global network.

Devised by Leo Burnett London, the project will be a centre where creatives can interact with colleagues from around the world working on briefs, sharing ideas and showcasing their work.

However, the Ideas Hub could expand to offer commercial opportunities. The hub will be open to all players, including those from the client world.

Jim Thornton, the executive creative director at Burnett, said: "The major benefit to us is that it brings together a global creative community in a way that we can't do in the real world. We can flex the muscle and potential of what is a massive creative community.

"The hub is then free to grow and develop into whatever. I don't know what it's going to become. We will judge commercial opportunities on their merit when they appear."

Adage:

"Chief Creative Officer Mark Tutssel said the shop's presence within the virtual world would break down geographical barriers to collaboration between his network's 2,400 creatives. "I don't want brands shackled by geography," Mr. Tutssel said. "It lets all of our creatives live in the same place."

Burnett bought 16 virtual acres, which are currently inhabited by little other than a tree growing the agency's signature apples and a coming-soon sign. Terms of the deal weren't disclosed, but the Second Life website lists 16-acre "islands" for $1,250, plus a monthly "maintenance fee" of $195."

Dragon's Den, Gold Rush! and ItsYourShow

What do the Dragon's Den, Gold Rush! and ItsYourShowTV.com have incommon? They are all trying to capitalize on user generated content - check. They all have a "cutting edge" delivery scheme - check. They are all giving away money - bingo.

Sure Gold Rush hails from Survivor, which has a million dollar cash prize, so you can see that one easily.

Dragons Den is a little more involved - complete with its own Viral Video ( al la Agency's Subway pitch but much, much more effective.)

From the site:

"Welcome to the Dragons' Den where entrepreneurs pitch the Dragons (five Canadian business moguls) for investment. Watch as they try to convince the Dragons to part with their cash or simply fall apart and crash."

Too small of a target audiance, too esoteric?

No worries about that with NBC's ItsYourShow.com.

From the site:

We're here to help push the viral video world to the next level. You guys are great at creating and have inspired us to step up our game�(sic - all) What if we throw down challenges and give out cash for inspiration? What if we give you guys music, video clips, sound effects and theme songs? Well we�re doing it! We know you like to mix it up so we're giving out some ingredients. Now we�re gonna sit back and watch the madness.

Challenges: Make ALL the material you supply (music too) original. We cannot run stuff on our site or NBC that isn't yours or from our toolkits. As the site progresses there will be more and more to use. Also, make sure all the people in the videos have given their permission. You can't chase down some random person, film them and then send it to us. They have to be down with it. We know it�s harsh but this is the big time!

Hunt around: You don't have to make a video... you can just critique. Hate something? Love a video? Whatever, this is your site and we ARE listening. Rules stay the same but the site can always change. After all this is YOUR SHOW."

They should pay readers $1,000 for suffering through that copy.

In-Stat: User Generated Content Growing Rapidly

Stating the obvious with some metrics and a bad chart.

LinuxElectronics:

"By 2010, the volume of downloads/views on these sites will surpass 65 billion, and revenues tied to UGC video are expected to exceed $850 million by 2010, the high-tech market research firm says. Revenues are those directly linked to videos in the form of banner/skyscrapers, embedded video, Google Adsense, and/or branded pages/channels.

“Democratization of media affords users the opportunity to express their opinions, rate content, and vote for their favorite videos,” says Michael Inouye, In-Stat analyst. “In addition, what may currently seem like ‘the Wild West’ is actually an industry that has started to see idiosyncratic ‘judiciary bodies’ and ‘rules of law’ imposed by each player within this market.”

Recent research by In-Stat found the following:

• The size of downloads/views are estimated to eclipse 1.1 exabytes of data by 2010, with uploads growing to more than 9.1 petabytes.
• 23% of the dozens of UCG sites studied currently support mobile access, with others making announcements for this support in the near future.
• YouTube holds the highest market share for video, but MySpace has the most visitors."

danah "the wise" boyd on social networks

Facebooks opens up, danah says:

"I do not believe that social network sites are able to sustain lots of conflicting social contexts. Or, rather, i don't believe that they can continue as a hang-out space. I know that Facebook will continue to grow but i believe that the core value of it will be lost for the sake of growth.

MySpace is already struggling to cope with what happens when teens and parents/authorities are in the same place. At least most professors have had the curtesy to keep distance.

Unfortunately, this opening will not simply allow college students without .edus and high schools students to join. It will also open the doors for every adult who is obsessed with youth - parents, authorities, pedophiles, commercial enterprises...

Le sigh."

Demand Media Raises $100m

That's quite a bit of money. What do they do?

Demand Media:

"We believe that this is the right time to build a different type of new media company," explains Richard Rosenblatt, Demand's chairman and CEO. "The additional capital will allow us to rapidly seize on unique market opportunities in a truly innovative way."

The Demand Media^TM proprietary media platform powers the company's highly-trafficked domains and unique content verticals. The Company leverages cutting edge, user-driven publishing, community and monetization tools in its quest to define the next generation of new media companies."

Leveraging cutting edge, user drive publiching to define the next generation of media companies! That sounds expensive!

"Demand Media's executive team has a vision for the future of new media and a proven track record for delivering on its vision," said Robin Murray, 3i partner. "We are excited to partner with such a dynamic organization that has taken the unique approach of combining domain services, brand-able domains and niche content web sites to form a new media company."

"As traditional media companies are trying to grasp the power of online communities and user-generated content, we see an opportunity for Demand Media to redefine this space," said Fred Harman, managing partner, Oak Investment Partners. "As a Demand Media partner since its inception, we believe this company has what it takes to make the most of the current market environment and we are looking forward to its continued success."

Still not sure... well they aquired Hillclimb Media.

Press Release:

"Demand Media, the next-generation web media company, today announced the acquisition of privately-held Hillclimb Media, which hosts sector-leading sites in travel, sports, and the outdoors, including Trails.com and GolfLink.com. Today's announcement is the latest in a series of online media and technology acquisitions announced by Demand Media as it continues to expand its new media platform. Demand Media's platform supports over 8 million domains and a growing staple of niche content Web sites, including eHow.com."

Ok, buying sites, right...

Press release:

"The newest web media company, Demand Media, Inc., announced from this year's Traffic Domain Conference & Expo its formation by purchasing eNom, eHow and a portfolio of highly trafficked domain names.

"This is a new formula, combining components of the domain industry to form a very compelling platform for the next generation of media companies," explained Rosenblatt. "Direct navigation traffic, combined with specific proprietary content and innovative marketing, will unlock an entirely new realm of Internet media. We look forward to working closely with the domain industry, as we build Demand Media into a global media enterprise."

Um...yeah. All of the sites look like they could have been built with Ning. What kind of burning questions is ehow, that cutting edge, user-driven publishing, community and monetization site, answering today?

How to kiss on a date: "Tips & Warnings - Keep the kissing simple for now. Use a soft touch that will calm your date, especially if this kiss is the first one."

Good job guys - clearly a ton of room for shareholder value to increase.

Buzzlogic Raises $1.5m

Looks like its AlarmClock day today.

Buzzlogic "raised $1.5 million in seed financing from investors including Ackerley Partners and angel Ron Conway. Scott Briggs, former president of Ziff Davis, and CEO Rob Crumpler were also investors."

Buzzlogic press release:

“Social media may soon rival mainstream media in impact, yet there’s been no meaningful way to understand or untangle it,” said Rob Crumpler, BuzzLogic CEO. “Influence is the most meaningful way to understand social media. Through the lens of influence, social media is transformed from chaotic tangle to manageable channel.”

BuzzLogic calculates and surfaces the influencers who are shaping and driving specific conversations in social media with algorithms that analyze relationships, such as who connects to whom, about what is happening and who is listening. Marketing and communications practitioners can use these insights to understand influence and who wields it, to manage their brands, reputations, products and customer relationships.

“Identifying and focusing on influencers is a basic tenet of marketing,” said Chris Shipley, executive producer of DEMO. “It’s a logical next step to apply this idea to social media. With its approach to identifying the bloggers who are shaping and driving conversations in social media, BuzzLogic has the potential to lead a new category of marketing tools and best practices."

Podshow Raises Another Round

Via PaidContent, Podshow has raised another round.

From the post:

"Adam Curry and Ron Bloom’s PodShow has raised a big round for what is essentially is still an unproven company by any stretch of imagination: it has received $15 million in its second round of funding. This follows up on an $8.85 million first round last summer, from Kleiner Perkins, Sequoia Capital, Ram Shiram and Jerry Newman. All four are back this time around, but an undisclosed lead came aboard at a major pre-money valuation step-up, reports PEWnews."

I see Ron has been making up laws again:

Fart’s Law: The possibility that any new innovation will succeed increases exponentially over the number of old farts who refuse to endorse it.
- Ron Bloom

5/50 Prediction - Within 5 years over 50% of all media consumed will be created by other consumers.
- Ron Bloom

comScore Online Video Numbers

From comScore:

"More than 106.5 million people, or about 3 out of every 5 U.S. Internet users, streamed or downloaded video during the month of July. In total, nearly 7.2 billion videos were streamed or downloaded by U.S. Internet users for an average of 67 streams per streamer, which means the typical video streamer viewed an average of more than two streams per day.

“The surge in Web video content enables advertisers to expand beyond banners and reach online audiences using sight, sound and motion,” said Erin Hunter, executive vice president of comScore’s Media and Entertainment Group. “Fundamental to the effectiveness of online video as an advertising medium is an accurate measurement of streaming video – and comScore is delighted to be the first company to provide that capability to the marketplace.”

The typical U.S. streamer on MySpace initiated an average of 39 streams during the course of the month, or slightly more than one per day. Yahoo! Sites ranked second in total streams initiated by U.S. users with 812 million, followed by YouTube with 649 million."

Youtube's Magic Number

1 million.

Adage:

"YouTube's 'magic number'
For a traditional ad campaign, generating millions of dollars in retail sales of the product is the No. 1 goal. For a viral campaign, 1 million YouTube views is the "magic number," said Paul Kemp-Robertson, editorial director at Contagious. Smirnoff's "Tea Partay" spot, for example, garnered 1.3 million YouTube views in its first two months. The clip was a dead-on spoof of hip-hop videos, featuring an all-rapping, sweater-and-polo-clad cast of Martha's Vineyard WASPs."

BBH in Second Life

Let the onslaught begin. I can hear the rush of "me toos" dialing RRR and ESC.

3pointD:

"Advertising agency BBH (aka Bartle Bogle Hegarty) — whose client roster includes companies like Levis, Vodafone, Johnny Walker, and Sony Ericsson, among others — is setting up shop in the virtual world of Second Life, according to a press release from the company. The agency is being brought in by virtual-world services company Rivers Run Red, who will also have a hand in developing virtual offerings for the company’s client base, it seems.

According to the press release, “The BBH office will be a functioning office, with client meetings and new business presentations. Departments have planned activities across the building. The agency will be holding seminars with speakers from the agency. More broadly, BBH will be hosting forums with Second Lifers to discuss challenges and involve these digital advocates in new business problems. Avatars of BBH’s receptionists will be manning the front desk.”

Going Mainstream: Youtube and Myspace

After a sleepy summer of big time experiments it looks like this Fall will be the time when all of the R&D goes mainstream.

Mashable:

"In what’s becoming a familiar story, YouTube favorites Joe Bereta and Luke Barats (aka BaratsAndBereta) have signed a comedy deal with NBC. The six-figure contract will enable the pair to develop low-cost sitcoms and sketches.

But as we saw with the lonelygirl15 phenomenon, TV contracts aren’t the only way to monetize popular clips - shows can go it alone by joining revenue sharing sites like Revver (Metacafe is also working on a rev share scheme). And if YouTube were to offer a similar system of ad revenue sharing, there’d be even less motivation for the talent to sign contracts with TV companies."

MultiChannel News:

"The program, Project MyWorld, features three young women from Los Angeles traveling the world to meet friends they’ve met on social-networking Web site MySpace (www.myspace.com).

“We are investing in original programming as a point of differentiation to attract and retain customers,” DirecTV executive vice president of entertainment Eric Shanks said Friday.

DirecTV is developing additional original programming for its channel 101 -- the same channel that will carry Project MyWorld and that currently runs weekly music program CD USA.

He added that the three stars of the show -- Shaina Fewell, Renee Intlekofer and Taryn Southern -- developed the concept and pitched it to DirecTV themselves.

DirecTV has already shot 10 episodes of Project MyWorld. The company -- which has already reserved rights to slap the Project MyWorld brand on everything from lunchboxes to CD covers -- may pick it up for additional seasons if it generates buzz, he added."

CNET in Second Life

Another big company moves into Second Life. This one was produced by Millionsofus.

3pointD:

"Located on the sim belonging to virtual-world services company Millions of Us, which built out the site, there’s a nice building modeled loosely after CNet’s San Francisco offices, complete with an amphiteater where CNet reporters can do interviews, give talks and stream media. Terdiman himself will do a regular series of interviews in the space, and give talks about recent stories he’s written. The site marks the first of what should prove to be several entrants from among the tech media that are planning to enter SL on a long-term basis."


Eric Rice, Q&A between Millionsofus CEO Reuben Steiger and Daniel Terdiman of CNET:

"RS: It’s been our experience that all these projects start with an internal evangelist — perhaps you can tell folks what it was that you said that convinced your bosses?

DT: yeah, good point
DT: I think it was kind of just making the point that the SL community is big and growing and made up of early adopters and real influencers
DT: and that we had a chance to be one of the very first mainstream publications to open a space here

DT: I told them my vision was to have regular events in which News.com reporters and CNET.com reviewers could come and give talks about stories we were working on or products they were reviewing
DT: and do interviews with cultural leaders
DT: and, honestly, they went for it pretty quick"

Revision3: A New Kind of Studio

From Information Week:

Revision3, the new Internet video network backed by the founders of Digg.com, isn't really aiming to "kill your television." That phrase, used in the site's publicity material, is just a figure of speech, Jay Adelson explains.

"This is the first media company, the first Internet TV network that actually produces its own content and distributes it itself," Adelson says.

Revision3 is betting that it can produce popular video content on a shoestring while still being well-paid by sponsors. "A very good television show has a million dollar budget for an episode," Adelson says. "Our budgets are certainly less than $50,000 and can be as low as $500. The podcasting generation, what it did was it created distribution and editing technologies, where the costs are just significantly less than traditional media."

The irony here is that Revision3 isn't so much killing your television as exhuming your grandparent's old RCA from the landfill to salvage the mid-twentieth century advertising model. "Our revenue is based entirely on product placement," says Adelson, explaining that its videos will have sponsors the way that TV shows did during the early years of television."

Interview:



Wall Street Journal Interview (can't link directly to it, doh! Scroll down five)

Second Life Fasion

Second life: all about the bling.

WSJ:

"Many virtual items are bought and sold in Second Life, but clothing has emerged as one of the hottest categories. Real clothing makers, including American Apparel Inc. and Adidas, sell items in Second Life that mimic apparel they sell in the real world. Thus, players can dress their avatars in some of the same clothes they wear themselves.

Selling virtual clothes to real people for their avatars can even be lucrative: In August, the 20 best-selling Second Life fashion designers generated a combined $140,466 in sales, Linden says.

Editors of the online fashion magazines say the growing number of clothing lines can be overwhelming, and designers don't always take kindly to rejection. "I definitely don't put everything up that I get because it's just not up to the quality I want to present," says Nick Springer, a 36-year-old graphic designer from Crosswicks, N.J., who founded the Second Man, a menswear blog that recently merged with Second Style. "It's the same as any fashion magazine. Vogue isn't going to show stuff from Wal-Mart." He and some other critics have also adopted their own ethics code. They have begun noting, for example, if a designer is on their "friends list" and if they received any freebies.

The scene -- drama and all -- keeps Janine Hawkins engaged in fashion in a way that wouldn't be possible for her offline. "It's totally different to pay $15 to keep up with the fashions in Second Life than" the $1,500 that would be necessary in real life, she says. Her avatar, Iris Ophelia, originally paid for outfits by dancing at Second Life bars. "Every time I had enough money, I'd run there and buy everything I could," she says."

A Fool's Advise for Loneygirl15

The fall out continues for Loneygirl15, Youtube and the "new form" of entertainment.

From the Fool:

"This newfound freedom for the creators comes at a time when the Warholian window of opportunity is starting to close -- unless they can smash a permanent hole in the pane by flexing their creative abilities.

It isn't as hard as you think, really. Here's a potential three-step plan to keep the brand going.

• Unless the producers already have plans for delicious plot twists with a satisfying -- or at least unforgettable -- resolution at the end, let the audience take over. Institute polling features and let viewers dictate the direction to take the story at key forks in the storytelling road.

• Indie music has been a major feature of the Lonelygirl15 series, so rally the citizenry by having artists submit music and take the track-selection process public. There may or may not be a DVD product out of Lonelygirl15, but there can definitely be room for a CD soundtrack.

• Embrace the wide range of expectations. Some folks want to see the love story blossom. Some want to see a darker bent emerge. Others want to see the unauthorized Cassie Is Watching scavenger hunt for clues evolve into more interactive sleuthing. You can do it all, as long as you are able to spin off the fringe elements while making sure the edgy detours still intersect with the main story down the line.

It's not too late for YouTube or Lonelygirl15, but both companies have the same problem: protecting their turf in a landscape that is perpetually changing."

Big Media, "We've got a strategy" Roudnup

Lot's of big media companies talking about the next-gen strategy.

Viacom: (Media Daily)

"Ironically, in the acquisition area, he ( Viacom's new head, Philippe Dauman) said he is not anticipating any deals as large as News Corp.'s $580 million MySpace purchase. Instead, he aims to do deals for under $100 million. The goal is to find the next MySpace or YouTube before the price tag balloons. "We need to create a process to identify these opportunities early," he said.

While acquisitions that complement existing online operations are critical, Dauman said the company has untapped organic growth. "We can encourage more innovation internally."

Disney: (Yahoo News)

"Clearly customers are saying to us they want content in multiple ways," Robert Iger said.

Iger said Disney will concentrate more on offering content on its own Web sites rather than selling TV shows and films on every emerging platform.

He said Disney feels confident it will have no trouble finding distribution for its content and that it is focusing on building Web sites such as Disney.com, which will relaunch next year, into "the networks of the future in our company."

CW: (LA Times)

"But in the coming months, the CW must do something trickier than strut down a runway in 4-inch stilettos: It must make money.

That mandate was set this year by CBS Chief Executive Leslie Moonves. It's a feat that the network's two predecessors — the defunct WB and UPN — were never able to consistently achieve.

Another challenge for the CW is to develop a niche for a generation weaned on unscripted shows and the Internet. Even more than the big broadcast networks, advertisers said, the CW must be nimble to embrace changes in consumers' tastes.

Taking a page out of MySpace's playbook, the CW has created its own networking hangout on its website called "CW lounge." Viewers can chat about their favorite show and submit their own videos. Dawn Ostroff, the former head of UPN who is the CW's entertainment president, said some would be selected for use as on-air promotional spots.

"You can't force a social network," said Laura Caraccioli-Davis of ad buyer Starcom USA. "That just happens. It's hard to say whether they will be successful. In some ways, it seems like they built the network for today, but I wonder whether it's the right model for tomorrow."

Ostroff doesn't share those doubts. "We're developing a lot of things in a traditional way and a nontraditional way," she said. "The Internet presents challenges, but people like stories. And there is nothing like television that can give that to them."

Time Warner: (Adage)

"Though he didn't suggest anything like Mr. Icahn's break-it-up plan was actually under consideration, Mr. Jeff Bewkes said nothing was a sacred cow. "It is constantly looked at. What should we not have? Or what should we get?"

All that aside, Mr. Bewkes said executives were preparing for gains at movie studio Warner Brothers in 2007 -- especially with a new installment of the Harry Potter franchise -- and he expects to see AOL complete a transformation into a "Web 2.0 company" next year too."

Jeff Pulver on Reel Pop

Jeff Pulver stops in for a chat with Reel Pop.

From the post:

"So at VON you said the next Rupert Murdoch wouldn't be a Rupert Murdoch at all.

I have a theory which comes down to digital popcorn. Who gets to sell the popcorn, who makes money on the concessions? The person who figures out how to interconnect the community and the advertisers, to create commerce, gets to be in a very interesting spot.

Then you can have things like multiple ads per ad slot, and those ads will speak to different parts of the audience, all based on matching the demographics of the people watching. It's that opportunity. You don't need to be News Corp. to figure that out."

Product Placement

Another shoes drops - USA Today points out the growing interest in product placement.

From the article:

"Now the floodgates are open, as advertisers see the benefits and programmers look to reaffirm the value of TV exposure as advance ad sales decline. But networks say they're being cautious about stuffing too many products throughout prime time.

Marketers spent $941 million on TV product placements last year, up 70% from 2004, and $350 million of that total was devoted to sitcoms and dramas, says PQ Media, a Connecticut research firm.

"This is all still in its infancy," says ABC senior vice president Dan Longest. "We're seeing a ravenous appetite to explore this new territory. (But) it's not just about putting a brand in a program; there has to be meaningful relevance."

Adds Home Depot marketing chief Roger Adams, who expects the retailer's integration deals to grow 20% this year: "We want something that fits the fabric of the show. If it looks like a sponsorship salute, if it's just blatant commercialism, then we'd rather just buy a commercial."

Generally, "it's easier to integrate products in unscripted shows," says Warner Bros. executive vice president Craig Hunegs. "There are more opportunities to fit in, and you can put more products in the show without it feeling jarring to the viewer. I think that's why (integration) first emerged there."

Mark Burnett's Gold Rush!

Interesting article on Mark Burnett, the guy that started the reality TV craze. He has a new show called Gold Rush! The author draws out implications on the changing landscape of Television.

From the article:

"The producer’s company and AOL are airing a real-life treasure hunt for the Web. Gold Rush! features “everyday people” rather than celebrities. Clues will be placed throughout the AOL network, including on sites like MapQuest, Moviefone, and AIM.com.

Bringing reality TV to the Web, Burnett notes, was inspired by the passion TV fans display on online bulletin boards. He predicts the Internet is about to become the next broadcast network, and, as more people watch content online, prime time will be all-the-time.

“If you think about the amount of people that are online all day, it’s staggering,” Burnett says. “It’s an audience that’s already hooked in.”

Already, video blogs and new “shows” like those being produced by AOL are attempting to create programming that takes advantage of the Internet as a medium, rather than using the Web as a mere distribution channel to push traditional TV shows.

“Storytelling will always be the most important aspect of a show,” Burnett reminds us. “It doesn’t matter if it’s online, if viewers are offering input or if it’s bringing together different online properties. It will be the same online as it is around the campfire: if you can’t tell a good story, nobody will listen.”

ClickZ:

"AOL and Mark Burnett have agreed to feature CBS programming, along with ads from shared sponsors, in the fabric of the Gold Rush online game. The companies described a scenario in which game players view CBS TV shows, and the accompanying advertising, searching for "clues" that will help them move forward in the game.

CBS won't alter the content of programming to facilitate game play, but will instead give the producers advance looks at shows so that they can incorporate existing elements. CBS may also provide celebrities or show-related content to enhance the online game experience.

"This will be timed for CBS fall line-up," said Ruth Sarfaty, an AOL spokesperson. "Shows that CBS wants to highlight will be promoted as part of the game." Gold Rush is set to debut in September. "

Business 2.0:

"Each week, aspiring contestants will be forced to seek out and assemble a dozen clues pointing to a cache's hiding place. The first three to correctly guess its location will be whisked away to compete against each other for $100,000; a dozen winners will then reconvene at the end for a shot at another million.

That's the key question, of course: Can Burnett's digital wizardry stimulate a critical mass of interest (and pageviews) on AOL's "Gold Rush" site? Will the show, in other words, become a genuine viral phenomenon, or will the online audience see it as tainted by its corporate association?

Burnett concedes that it will take time to educate the mainstream audience, but "Gold Rush" is also serving as an educational experience for Burnett as well. His production company has already announced its next online venture: creating tie-in games for the forthcoming DreamWorks Animation movie "Flushed Away." And next time, he won't have the benefit of cash prizes."

A Look at Convergence

Steve Safran of Lost Remote looks at convergence in the media world and breaks down the impact on industry verticals.

From the post:

"Cable and ISPs - Your two primary businesses, delivery and packaging, are now seriously threatened.

Television Networks - You have a tremendous number of problems now. You want to put your shows on the web, but the affiliates that make you possible are pissed. Even revenue sharing models are unlikely to help the locals.

Cable News Channels - You’re positioned well, and you’re starting to catch on. You recognize the value of producing original content, and you’re putting more and more video online.

Studios - You’re screwed. My God you’re screwed. And it’s not even because your stuff’s that bad (which most of it is). You’re screwed because you keep fighting technology.

Record Labels - Circling the drain and good riddance, too. You have a few years left, so enjoy the ride. But you’re terminal.

Newspapers - You have a shot here, an outside shot, but it’s a shot. You have the most information of any source. More than local TV. Your only impediment to taking a commanding lead is your own intransigence.

Local Radio Stations - Your savior is also not streaming your radio station online. Forget it

Local TV Stations - You have the best opportunity of the whole bunch, you just don’t know it yet."

The New Lonelygirl15

The new Lonelygirl15 site is up, "A Tribute to Lonelygirl15."

TechWeb:

"The inventors -- Greg Goodfried, 27; Miles Beckett, 28; and Mesh Flinders, 26 -- plan to take the video-saga experiment in social networking much further by using technology to build a Web-site community around the show.

But while technology appears to inspire the trio's creativity, some technology insiders believe the sociological aspects have proved more powerful because through social network sites, technology enables people to peer into the life of others.

"People have a voyeuristic interest in seeing what other people are doing, saying or thinking online," said eMarketer senior analyst Debra Williamson. "It's a big part of why YouTube has exploded in popularity in recent months. Lonelygirl15 seemed authentic and real, and people were drawn to that."

Blogger Anthony Citrano, co-founder of the PopTech conference, said the Lonelygirl15 phenomena wouldn't have been possible five years ago. "Today, millions of people have access to broadband technology, whereas that wasn't the case five years ago, but we're naturally curious creatures," he said."

Current.tv and Yahoo: Four Channels

Current.tv and Yahoo partner to provide four channels of video content.

SFGate:

"The new partnership promises to be a huge boon for Current TV, which while carried in 30 million homes, is frequently locked in the premium-tier world of some digital cable systems -- a land that might be too pricey for its demographic. With Yahoo's home page attracting 100 million sets of eyeballs a month, Current CEO Joel Hyatt said Tuesday that "our expectation is that this will be an enormous extension of our reach."

ReelPopBlog:

"On a day that saw their stock plummet after a slow down in advertising revenue, Yahoo announced a partnership with Current TV and the launch of four new broadband television channels, each of which will have professional and user-generated content:

• Yahoo Current Buzz -- Madeleine Smith, co-creator of the Daily Show, is working on this one. More details at SFGate.com.
• Yahoo Current Action -- sports programming
• Yahoo Current Driver -- auto stuff
• Yahoo Current Traveler -- for walkabouts"

Boingboing:

"BB: Why is Current TV partnering with Yahoo for this?

Al Gore: Current has pioneered the use of viewer-created programming, and Yahoo has incredible resources with regard to networks, distribution, and community. It just made sense to join forces. The new project will take advantage of Yahoo's worldwide distribution capability on video delivery."

TechCrunch:

"With the popularity of YouTube and the launch of similar video services from every other company, this is a good effort from Yahoo! to raise the quality of video posts and perhaps appeal to a broader audience. Yahoo! video is actually a good service, the videos are of good quality and there is a lot of solid functionality. Yahoo! now has some good video content to give it’s service a bit of a nudge, but this is a highly competitive space so expect more professional video content from everybody over the coming few months."

LostRemote:

"So why did Yahoo partner up with Current as opposed to all those other user-video sites out there? “Current focuses on original content that isn’t just ripped from other sites,” said Yahoo’s vice president of social media Jason Zajac."

PaidContent:

"This is Yahoo’s umpteenth foray into online video, none of which have been wildly successful. But this seems among the biggest it has done till now…this is the first such branded advertising channel for Yahoo, and others will probably come down the line, Zajac mentioned."

Business Week:

"Hyatt and Zajac won't talk numbers, and it's not likely Gore & Co. are making money. But these are early times. Hyatt says more announcements are coming, including one from more traditional outlets, like satellite or cable operators interested in putting some user-generated content on the tube. Certainly, revolutions have started with less firepower than one-third of a country's TV sets and a hot new deal with a major Internet player. Now, if only Al Gore TV could scare up some excitement. "

Jessica Rose's (Lonelygirl15) CBS Interview

This is funny. Its hard to be old in the time of the Internets.

What I have learned: The Movie

Esquire Magazine is hip. They get this whole internet video thing. That's why they did a project with the guy who made MySpace: The Movie.

What could go wrong?

Well, I guess first off you could force hide the controls on the quicktime video player.


Then you decide that site traffic is critical so you host the video yourself, with the help of Akamai.

Be sure and feature it on your front page! Get into the whole user generated content craze by asking readers "what have you learned!?!?"

So, you end up with people trying to watch a short video that keeps stopping. I tried for about 20min to get the video up with no luck. Game over, try again next time.

Esquire should have listened to Mark Cuban: "Hey, why pay for bandwidth for a video if you dont have to ? A blog, a myspace page, an email, any website. Just throw in some html in Youtube.com foots the bill for bandwidth. Sure you are limited by size of file, but so what. Just chop it up into parts 1 through N. Its fast, easy and free."

TV News in a Postmodern World Part LXI

Terry Heaton has another great article up about the "perfect storm" facing local broadcasters (and all other established media companies.) Go read the whole thing.

Terry:

"The challenge, of course, is to maintain share in the old world while building share in the disruption, but that is very hard to do, especially in a world where control is shifted to consumers. But to resist or, worse yet, to try and bring new media concepts into the old media model (which is what NBC is actually doing) guarantees pixel-only status in the perfect storm."

MTV's Virtual Worlds

So MTV is building virtual worlds now. I guess Virtual Laguna Beach is based on There's technology but in somekind of private grid. I also guess that the other two offerings will be like that - not sure why you would build walled girds like that but, anyway here are some quotes.

NYT:

“You can not only watch TV, but now you can actually live it,” Van Toffler, the president of the MTV Networks Music, Film and Logo Group, said in an interview.

One of the appeals of virtual worlds for MTV is the possibility that advertising can spill over into the real one. Visitors might buy a digital outfit for parties using currency they earned watching an infomercial or checking out a new product for an MTV advertiser. Then, they might decide that they would like to buy the same outfit for their offline selves, and, with a few clicks of the mouse and some real dollars, have one shipped to their home. In trial form, Virtual Laguna Beach has advertising relationships with brands including Cingular, Pepsi-Cola, Secret and another Viacom company, Paramount.

To design Virtual Laguna Beach and the other forthcoming 3-D online communities, MTV enlisted Makena Technologies, the creator of There.com. Henry Jenkins, a professor at MIT and the author of “Convergence Culture,” said such virtual communities were a natural next step for mainstream media companies seeking to deepen their connections to fans.

“It’s just layer upon layer of reality and fiction,” Mr. Jenkins said."

PaidContent:

"MTV will introduce Virtual Laguna Beach, an online avatar/role-playing service in which fans of the program can immerse themselves in virtual versions of the show’s familiar seaside hangouts.
This is the first effort. Two other virtual worlds are planned: VMTV is a music destination where visitors can club-hop among hip neighborhoods, buy music, watch videos, sing karaoke or even start their own bands. The third virtual destination, LogoWorld, an offshoot of Logo, the gay and lesbian cable channel, will be designed entirely by its participants.

The only thing: A startup Doppleganger has already launched something very similar to what VMTV sounds like….and has tie ups with AOL’s AIM and Interscope Records. And no mention of that in this NYT story."

3pointD:

"Could this be the beginning of the migration we’ve been pointing to here at 3pointD for some time? That is, the migration from flat online community spaces like MySpace and into their 3D counterparts like Second Life and There.com (which provided the underlying technology for VLB). We of course are betting it is, but it could also mark a shift in how such places get funded and built, from start-up companies that need to seek venture capital to stay afloat, to big media companies getting into the space. The 3pointD age is upon us."

Teen Cell Phone Survey - Ouch

A recent survey by Let's Talk should be very disturbing to all of the CTIA attendees.

From Textually:

"The aggregate responses for teens in terms of their most important cell phone feature:

• Texting -- 49%
• Camera -- 25%
• Games -- 12%
• Music player -- 5%
• IM -- 5%
• E-mail -- 2%
• Video -- 2%"

Fred Wilson: Post-Roll May be Better

Fred posted a theory on Youtube using pre-roll ads to monitize its site. That drew a ton of feedback. Now Fred is back and thinks that maybe post-rolls are the answer.

From the post:

"Here are my big takeaways from all that feedback:

1. Many people think that sticking a pre-roll ad in front of web video will severely reduce their popularity. I agree but it also depends on the content. It could work for SNL clips, it probably won’t work for kids falling off skateboards.
2. Many people think a $15cpm will never happen for web video on a service like YouTube. I think they are wrong and that it will happen.
3. Several people (including Umair, who I always pay attention to) think the whole purpose of a service like YouTube is to blur the lines between content and advertising. They should be one and the same. I totally agree with them.

I think the ending frame is the killer post-roll advertisement. I don’t think they should run a video post-roll, they should just monetize those links.

I think YouTube ought to take a page out of Google’s playbook (if they haven’t already) and make one of the links paid and one organic. I’d suggest the top link be organic and the bottom be paid.

This post, plus the YouTube’s potential revenue post, and the NBBC post sort of summarize my current thinking on web video. It’s a huge phenomenon already. And it’s only going to get bigger in the coming years. It will be monetized. And I think we are beginning to see the path for how this all plays out."

Loneygirl15: The Interview

Its on Yahoo news so not exactly breaking underground.

Yahoo:

"I'm trying to deal with it right now," she told The Associated Press in a phone interview Thursday. "I'm not used to this much attention. It's a little bit crazy for me."

"At the time I really didn't know what it was because there wasn't a lot of details on it," she said. "They just said it was an independent project."

"I was hesitant because it's something I've never really seen done before," she said. "I just finished film school and had been taught to be careful of all the scams in L.A. and all the scary people and don't trust people. I was a little nervous."

Rose said she had never checked out YouTube and never watched a video blog. She began looking at the site after she got the part and became more comfortable with the project.

"I figured, what did I have to lose?" she said"

Through the Looking Glass

What happens when the virtual world steps into RL?

3pointD:

"The excellently named Fabjectory is the latest service offering to produce a physical model of an object that exists only in the virtual world of Second Life. For $75 and up, you can get a 3D model of your avatar, complete with detailed color textures applied. The project comes from one Michael Buckbee (aka SL’s Hal9k Andalso), who also runs Second411, a third-party search site for Second Life.

Tao Takashi has a good roundup of the situation on his blog, and Amazon’s Jeff Barr has more."

Something to Steal

chartruese (BEAT) has a post titled "Something to Read," with a nice thought on something to steal.

From the post:

"Here’s an idea for you creative folks to steal. Put together an online serial but don’t just put it on YouTube. Tell the story on various social sites like Flickr, TagWorld, etc. Make me travel all over to get the whole thing. That would be fucking religion."

Google's Move to Local TV

Sounds like the Last Waltz.

LostRemote:

"Daniel Blackman, Strategic Partner Development Manager for Google, talked Google Video at BCFM. He dropped an interesting tidbit. Blackman said Google is looking at how it could help partner websites - say, local TV sites - power viewer video upload initiatives. The site could have an easy user-generated video upload tool, and Google would benefit from the indexing and search. It would make sense for Google, and would be an attractive proposition for locals."

TV Execs Talk Digital

The Hollywood Reporter has a long round table article with a number of big time TV executives.

PaidContent breaks it down:

"Gary Newman, co-president, 20th Century Fox TV, said digital enables studios, as well as networks, to have a direct relationship with audiences.

Angela Bromstad, president, NBC Universal TV, said eventually they will create original content for digital but for now it’s a great place for creators to experiment.

James Erlicht, Sony Pictures TV president, said it’s about marketing again, and that valuable 18-34 demographic. The midrange plan is to use digital to monetize existing assets and as an incubator for new talent and voices outside the Hollywood system.

BS Paramount Network TV president David Stapf said they have seen a lot of pitches for work on digital that aims to move to broadcast later, but the studio has yet to bite the bullet because it isn’t sure how to make it pay.

Touchstone TV’s Mark Pedowitz said ABC’s streaming experiment had found that 87 percent of viewers remembered ads in video streams."

CTIA: One Year Later

I went to the Fall CTIA last year. I was really excited about mobile and particularly direct to consumer content. I started this blog due in large part to that interest.

As you have seen, my focus has shifted. I am much more interested in video and immersive environments now. Why the change?

From MocoNews:

"The panel at CTIA at CTIA On & Off Deck, Virtuous Cycle or Zero Sum Game was marked by a severe and obvious lack of carrier participation.

“The carriers that we work with are all to aware of their gatekeeper position,” said Jud Bowman, CTO Motricity, adding that they take about 35% of mobile content revenue. “Paypal came into the market and wanted to offer cheaper transactions and one of the major carriers (that’s Cingular) promptly turned Paypal off, and went futher and said if you’re using credit cards we’re going to turn off your shortcode.” For this reason it’s a myth that off deck bypasses the carriers, because you still have to use their billing system.

John Puterbaugh, CEO Nellymoser, took that a bit further. “Not only are carriers clamping down on non-carrier included billing, the same is also true for rich media such as video, he said . It’s technically possible, but “as soon as it gets any critical scale it’s shut down, so you won’t find rich media content off the carrier deck.”

Moderator Linda Barrabee from the Yankee Group had some interesting stats to share:
The carrier share of online content purchases:
46% cingular
11% Spring
26% T-Mobile
17% Verizon"

Couple that with new definitions for "unlimited," and I think that mobile was gutted by the carriers - just like broadband.

For more great CTIA coverage check in at MocoNews.

Jessica Rose on Youtube

Lonelygirl15 ID'd

The New York Times has been all over this story. Here is the dirt.

NYT:

"The woman who plays Lonelygirl15 on the video-sharing site YouTube.com has been identified as Jessica Rose, a 20-ish resident of New Zealand and Los Angeles and a graduate of the New York Film Academy. And the whole project appears to be the early serialized version of what eventually will become a movie.

The masterminds of the Lonelygirl15 videos are Ramesh Flinders, a screenwriter and filmmaker from Marin County, Calif., and Miles Beckett, a doctor turned filmmaker. The high quality of the videos caused many users to suspect a script and production crew, but Bree’s bedroom scenes were shot in Mr. Flinders’s home, in his actual bedroom, typically using nothing more than a Logitech QuickCam, a Web camera that retails for about $150.

Mr. Flinders and Mr. Beckett obscured their location by sending e-mail messages as Bree from various Internet computer addresses, including the address of Creative Artists Agency, the Beverly Hills talent agency where the team is now represented."

NBBC: Makes Terry Scream

NBC launched a "Youtube" killer that's really not cause its a B2B play, but here are some details.

From the NBBC site:

"Service and flexibility are the key drivers of our business model.

• nbbc is non-consumer facing.

We are a b2b service that only adds to -- never competes with -- your existing business strategy.

• nbbc adapts to the size of your business.

There are no minimum or maximum levels of participation; use the marketplace as much or as little as you'd like.

• nbbc is effortless.

We offer an end-to-end digital video solution that makes it easy to upload video and manage content dynamically.

• nbbc gives you complete control.

Our content management system gives you total control over who can and can't have your content on an asset-by-asset basis.

• nbbc lets you decide how you'd like to earn.

Choose a revenue share model to create revenue, risk-free and effortlessly, by taking advantage of our experienced, expert advertising sales team that generates billions in revenue. Or, choose a fee model that allows you to do the selling yourself. Either way, you're creating new streams of revenue while also getting your content to new audiences.

• nbbc pays to you promote your business.

Every piece of content you put into the marketplace can be tagged with a promotional message that always accompanies your video. When your content plays on publishers' sites, it generates revenue for you, and drives awareness and traffic back to your core business."

NBC press release:

"In an unprecedented move, NBC Universal and its broadcast affiliates will launch an independent business-to-business marketplace designed to aggregate, monetize and distribute both NBC Universal and third party video to tens of millions of unique users worldwide. Launched with the participation of over two-dozen media partners, the nbbc (National Broadband Company) connects content owners, website owners and advertisers to create a robust viewing experience across the web.

"nbbc is unparalleled in today's media marketplace in terms of scale, quality, revenue opportunity and ease of use," said Jay Ireland, President of the NBC Universal Television Stations. "This is a radical departure from the traditional media mindset, because it liberates content and takes it outside of the walled garden. Our goal is to make our content, and that of our partners, available to as many people as possible and offer that audience to our valued advertisers."

"Connecting our content with users wherever they are on the web and doing so in a way that is financially compelling is core to NBCU's digital strategy," said Beth Comstock, President, Digital Media and Market Development. "nbbc is an important step forward as it embraces audience behaviors on the internet and creates exciting opportunities for us to align with key partners."

MSNBC:

"Meanwhile, NBC sought to counter the threat from Google, Yahoo and other web portals in the emerging market for online video distribution. The TV network company launched a clearing house for digital video that will include its 230 local affiliates as well as more than two dozen partner sites.

"If we really want to compete with the big aggregators like Google and Yahoo, then you want your content out there on as many platforms as possible," said Randy Falco, president of the NBC Universal Television Group."

From PaidContent:

"NBBC, the broadband video marketplace JV between NBC Universal and its affiliates announced last April, opened for business today with NBCU content and more than two dozen content partners. Charter advertisers include Proctor & Gamble and JP Morgan Chase. (NBBC, which the company lowercases, stands for the National Broadband Company.)

It’s described as a “total solution for digital video syndication” and a way to connect content owners, site owners and advertisers. Content owners can earn syndication revenue and gain exposure. Site publishers can earn incremental ad revenue. Advertisers get a “premium” network."

Terry screams:

"This is smart in many ways. One, it gets the network into the aggregation business, which is the strength of 2.0 companies. It's simply more profitable to let other people provide the content. Two, it's built as B2B, avoiding the youTube competitive advantage. The site is a buffer between content creation and distribution, essentially an ad placement engine. Three, by adding a second "B" to its brand, the network is brilliantly extending the NBC brand without all of its baggage.

I will keep screaming this until broadcasters pay attention. Content aggregation at the local level is the way of escape for local media companies caught in the death spiral of the Media 2.0 disruption."

Marketing Outpaces Ad Spending

Quick blurb from MediaPost:

"A lot of the marketing services sectors in the new marketing area are really targeted toward the 18- to 34-year-old. That's where we see the growth in dollars really going forward," says Leo Kivijarv, vice president-research at PQ Media, which helped VSS compile the report. Kivijarv says the new "vehicles" include things like "guerilla marketing, word-of-mouth, experiential media, branded entertainment, product placemen and some of the smaller things like mobile marketing and webisodes."

Reach and Time 12- 24 year olds

This chart comes from a source I can't quite figure out but its pretty interesting anyway.

From FutureLab:

Second Life as a Research Platform

An article at Nature.com discusses the use of Second Life for research.

From the article:

"With thousands of people using Second Life at any one time, Nick Yee and colleagues at Stanford University realised it presented a chance to assess whether users interacted in similar ways to people in the real world.

After using a computer program to monitor the behaviour of over 1,600 avatars in one-on-one interactions, they conclude that the answer is 'yes'. Male avatars (whether created by a man or a woman) stood further apart than female avatars, for instance, and were more likely to avert their gaze.

"Social interactions in the online virtual environments such as Second Life are governed by the same social norms as social interactions in the physical world," Yee and colleagues conclude in a paper (PDF) in press at CyberPsychology and Behaviour.

The authors say this means that these online gaming environments are a goldmine of social data as well as a potential experimental research platform, which have "a far larger population and broader demographic than the typical undergraduate pool".

"Many researchers have already bought and set aside space in Second Life," says Dmitri Williams, a communications expert who studies social impact of computer games at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. "

SNL MySpace Seminar

I guess NBC is more comfortable with its skits being on YouTube. Check out a funny look at grown ups, perverts and MySpace.

YouTube:

TechCrunch: Top Social Networkers Get Paid

TechCrunch has a really good, long post about the recent activity in the social networking world.

From the post:

"Of all of these examples, the Lonelygirl15 controversy is probably the most timely and interesting, but I think all this sheds light on some of the recent Digg/Netscape debates. As my friend Alex Williams puts it, viral media sites are the new Star Search and recognition of top users, be it through financial compensation and/or status, could be a key driver in making these sites viable.

And conversely, commercial activity is possible in these communities but the format it can take is still up for debate: Paris Hilton no, Tea Partay yes, but for short campaigns and Lonelygirl15 maybe - I don’t think there’s consensus, or any indication that model could be reproduced well enough to be sustainable. As a proof of concept though, it was fascinating.

Advertising in these spaces well takes a whole lot of skill and we’ll see far more people fail than succeed, but occasional success could help build tolerance for the bulk of attempts instead of a wholesale rejection of commercial engagement with viral media communities. Companies are struggling to find people capable of pulling off advertising in social media spaces. Second Life is a whole other can of worms."

Making Movies is Hard

Hugh MaCleod finds out making movies is hard and points to a lession in extreme business modelling.

From GapingVoid:

"The one thing I have learned since watching this film project evolve from the very beginning is: Film making is REALLY hard. Seriously. Here are the hard bits:

1. Writing the script.
2. Raising the money.
3. Convincing the right actors to appear in the film.
4. Shooting the film.
5. Editing the film.
6. Finding distrubution.
7. Marketing the film i.e. convincing Middle America or whoever to part with their money,one movie ticket at a time, in sufficient numbers to see an eventual profit.
8. Probably the hardest part of all: Ensuring that none of the above goes over budget."

Forthcoming on Extreme Business Modelling: (Part #3)

"A few important aspects of extreme programming, eh, extreme business-modelling:

• Write a user story. Explore the value for the customer!
• [Extreme business-planning specific: Acid test your pricing and margins. If you could easily deliver at half the price of the competition, you may be good. If you're pretty sure you can deliver at 1/10th you'll have the leeway to play really loose :)]
• The customer (even the potential one) is always available. Involve the customer, use him, make him a part of the process.
• Pair programming and collective code ownership. Involve the customer again, let him have ownership to your product!
• Make frequent small releases. Test one thing at a time, don't get stuck with a half-baked and untested complete plan.
• Iterate and integrate often. Test and try, go back make better, test and try again, go back...
• Leave optimisation till last. When it gels, shape the last parts, refine when the basics are right!"

CTIA: Josh Weinrobe, TBS

MocoNews talks with John Weinrobe before CTIA.

From the post:

"I had a pre-CTIA chat with Josh Weinrobe, business development manager at Turner Broadcasting Systems (A Time Warner company) about the broadcasters move into mobile. Well, mobile is part of the overall push into new media. “Mobile is now part of our competitive space,” said Josh. “It’s much more strategically important than two years ago.”

For Turner the important thing is that the content matches the brand. “We are packaging our content in such a way that it supports the brand…Everything we do has to be true to the brand in a very detailed way.” For this reason Turner keeps the production of simple content such as ringtones and wallpapers in-house, so they can control everything and protect the brand.

Turner Broadcasting is one of those companies that thinks the mobile market will take off in the next few years. “We’re in the market today for more experimental reasons, but in the next year it will be for strategic reasons,” said Josh, adding that he thinks mobile games will be “huge” in a year."

Xeni Interviews ForBiddeN

Xeni and danah boyd went to ForBiddeN's big party. Xeni gets an interview.

From the post:

"BB: Some have said that the internet -- and, specifically MySpace -- provided you with a new kind of independence and self-determination that models don't enjoy through more conventional routes to fame. Would you agree?

ForBiddeN: Well myspace definately empowers and enables people in expressing themselves, showing their personality, and greatly helps facillitates independance. Its a new fresh way of doing things, a great way to build up a fan base and following, a great place to network, meet photographers and business contacts. Just as bands have been able to build loyal followings and get record deals, you are seeing models land pictorals in Playboy and lad magazines as I have experienced. Myspace certainly has been a blessing for me and many other aspiring models and starlettes!"

ForBiddeN's Coming Out Party

Another great opportunity to post a hot picture - ForBiddeN's big party. Also - dana boyd is making the rounds!

Via Wired:

"HOLLYWOOD, California -- Inside Club Privilege, Christine "ForBiddeN" Dolce -- the "Queen of MySpace" -- is celebrating her imminent nude debut in Playboy, and everything looks and sounds a lot like her MySpace page.

And that's where the similarities between MySpace and this Hollywood club end. Online, self-styled narcissists practically beg you to take their picture. Here, the successful ones hire beefy bodyguards to keep snappers away.

Also present at ForBiddeN's party is Danah Boyd, a fellow at USC Annenberg Center who studies online social networking. She believes many will try to duplicate ForBiddeN's internet fairytale path to mainstream celebrity, but few will achieve the same success.

"Technology makes you feel like you can get closer to fame, but for most on MySpace, the results of that may be disappointing," she says. "Look at all the people and businesses commenting on her MySpace profile. What's the advantage of doing that? Are they trying to get her attention, or the attention of all the thousands of people paying attention to her? And why are all these people here tonight? To mingle with ForBiddeN, or be discovered as she was?"

The Problem with Monitizing New Media

chartreuse (BETA) weighs in on the idea of putting pre-roll ads in youtube...and the bigger problem with monitizing new media.

From the post:

"Part of the problem with the way many smart people are thinking is that it’s old.

They are trying to scale things like advertising the same way they always have.

The problem is that advertising is way behind the evolutionary curve.

Listen carefully.

I have said before, and will say it again. The problem with monetizing Web 2.0 enterprises is not a business model problem.

It’s a lack of forward thinking advertising agencies and advertisers.

They think the only way to get attention is to slap ads on stuff."

Trendspotting: Minipreneurs

Another good article from Trendspoting.

Consider this:

"Today's aspiring and established MINIPRENEURS truly have a highly-developed network of intermediaries, tools, resources, and processes at their disposal. It's an ecosystem on a much more elaborate scale than anyone foresaw even five years ago when entrepreneurialism was all the rage during the .com boom. MINIPRENEURS have access, for peanuts, if not for free, to:

• Hardware, software, ICT and skills
• Design, production and manufacturing
• Monetizing existing assets
• Marketplaces
• Advertising
• Travel
• Talent, finance, payment, logistics "

Loneygirl15: Brought to You by the CAA

The news is out that Lonelygirl15 was a project from within the walls of the CAA.(1) I think its pretty clear that the experimentation phase of the new art form is almost over.

From the forum post:

"Thank you so much for enjoying our show so far. We are amazed by the overwhelmingly positive response to our videos; it has exceeded our wildest expectations. With your help we believe we are witnessing the birth of a new art form. Our intention from the outset has been to tell a story-- A story that could only be told using the medium of video blogs and the distribution power of the internet. A story that is interactive and constantly evolving with the audience.

To enhance the community experience of Lonelygirl15, which you have already helped to create, we are in the process of building a website centered around video and interactivity. This website will allow everyone to enjoy the full potential of this new medium. Unfortunately, we aren't programmers. We are filmmakers. We are working furiously to complete the website, and hope to have it up and running shortly. "

LA Times:

"No one has publicly come forward to lay claim to her work, but she is starting to look as connected in Hollywood as any starlet. Three lonelygirl15-obsessed amateur Web sleuths set up a sting using tracking software that appears to show that e-mails sent from a lonelygirl15 account came from inside the offices of the Beverly Hills-based talent agency Creative Artists Agency.

Since June, the videos have regularly made it to the top of YouTube's daily "Most Viewed" list, averaging about 200,000 views each, with several topping 600,000 — viewership many cable TV executives would kill for."

dana boyd:

"I like the idea that it is an art form but i also think it's part of what Henry Jenkins calls Convergence Culture. Regardless, it's super cool that people are using new media to create narratives. They are telling their story, truth or fiction. Of course, this makes many people very uncomfortable. They want blogs and YouTube and MySpace to be Real with a capital R.

In many ways, i have to admit that i'm sad that the truth is out. I was really enjoying the suspicion. Far more than any episode of Lost or reality TV show. I was enjoying not knowing who was behind it and spending hours speculating and trying to find hints. I was enjoying watching a community of people talk endlessly about what they thought might be going on. Sure, the videos were quite endearing (although the ending of Poor Pluto disturbed the hell out of me) but do i just want to watch the videos by themselves? I'm not sure. I think i liked them for the mystery.

Regardless, i absolutely love the way people are using all of these new social technologies to create cultural experiments. To me, this signifies the importance of social media."

Llya Vedrashko: Advertising in Computer Games

Still catching up from the long weekend. Llya posted his masters thesis. I have not read it yet but plan to soon.

From the Thesis: (PDF)

Abstract

"This paper suggests advertisers should experiment with in-game advertising to gain skills that could become vital in the near future. It complies, arranges and analyzes the existing body of academic and industry knowledge on advertising and product placement in computer game environements. The medium's characteristics are compared to other channels' in terms of their attractiveness to marketers, and the business environment is analyzed to offer recommendations on the relative advantages of in-game advertising. The paper also contains a brief historical review of in-game advertising, and descriptions of currently availible and emerging advertising formats."

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Vedrashko, Advertising, Computer Games