New Media versus Old Media

I know which side I'm on. Sure, Old Media still has its place, somewhere. But so much media today is throw-away. When shelf-lives are barely longer than the time it takes to put in on the shelf and take it off again there's little point in committing hours to perfecting production values.

Sure, someone out there wants to make art and good on them. I like art - but I also like communication. Often timeliness is next to godliness when it comes to getting something out there.

And so I present two videos to illustrate my point. Neither is art. Both quick, throw-away bits of new media. The first shows the New Media/Old media argument being played out in my living room.




The second is a clip of my brother's reaction to the last minute of extra-time during last weekend's Carling Cup Final between Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea. It gained thousands of views mainly, I believe, because it was online within an hour of the final whistle. OK, so that and some careful titling and tagging!

I have not lost Hope!

It seems ridiculous that it is that 'spare' day that only occurs every four years and it is the first time I post here in 2008. I have been too slack and, yes, I am repentant!

There are several reasons for my return to typing - not least the growing success of my brother in this arena. There's nothing like a bit of sibling rivalry to encourage overdue action.

But last weekend I allowed him to share the platform with me as I delivered a session on Online Video to the assembled camera crews for the Hope News training organised by Vivid Broadcast. It was a laugh - or at least we had a laugh. However it was the realisation that what to us was elementary was online video revelation to our audience. At least that's what people were telling us. So it seems my work here is far from done.

I've never wanted to be just another voice shouting off the same song-sheet as a dozen other bloggers I shall once again turn my attentions to expounding 'The Gutenberg Effect'. And I guess as I'm away on Monday, speaking on New Media at CGI's Leadership Institute now is as good as a time as any to pick up this blog again. Ironically, people stopping good projects they've started is a pet hate of mine. See I told you I was repentant!

Conspicuous Charitable Giving

On a day when BlogCatalog sent me an email asking me to Unite and YouTube was full of Nerdfighters and their Power Project for Awesome, I made a video questioning our seeming need to get recognition for our charitable deeds.

Jesus said this: When you give to someone in need, don’t do as the hypocrites do—blowing trumpets in the synagogues and streets to call attention to their acts of charity! I tell you the truth, they have received all the reward they will ever get. But when you give to someone in need, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. Give your gifts in private, and your Father, who sees everything, will reward you. (Matthew 6:2-4)

I'd rather have God's reward for any good I do than a short-lived stint as acharity celebrity!

Bubbles or froth?

An interesting post from Inside Online Video drew my attention to one of YouTube's lastest tinkerings. They've been playing with a few things over the last couple of days. I don't like the new 'my account' page. It adds another click to finding your video comments. As this is something I do regularly I'm already noticing just how much a simple navigation change can annoy me!

But this post is about the bubbles! Yes, YouTube have launched some strange - read gimmicky - navigation that's supposed to make finding linked videos easier. I messaged Peri Urban about this. I liked his thoughts on it, so here they are.




Peri also has a music channel on YouTube and a blog.

Push-me-Pull-you

I read all the Doctor Dolittle books as a child; I watched none of the Eddie Murphy movies as an adult! I can't tell you if it appeared in the films, but the books had a great animal called a Pushmepullyou. If I remeber right it was like an antelope with a head at both ends.

Today I was caught in a discussion about the comparitive merits of post physical mailings to a supporter base or using digital distribution. Someone commented that the problem with the digital domain is people have to come and get it - actually navigate over to your website. What about RSS? Obviously, this arguement is flawed, but perhaps only in regard to early adopters.

But then I'm not so sure.

I like design and I loved gettig things that can gather dust on my bookshelf. I can glance over my shoulder and see a postcard from Wembley Stadium, that ping-pong paddle from Mini, the Manhatten Portage label from my bag: the list goes on. However, unless you break into my house you'll never see these things. Digital advertising doesn't disappear once it's be posted though a cyber letter-box. It still exists for more to find and theres a good chance that some who received it will remix it and serve it up to a fresh audience.

Pushing or pulling,it is, of course, the quality of the content that matters most.

Nalts gives us stupid video moments

This from Nalts. It's WillVideoforFood.com’s Top 10 Stupidest Moments of Online Video in 2007. Nalts is currently one of my favourite all-rounders on YouTube: comedy, community and the occasional serious video. He's better than Renetto because he posts more frequently; he is, perhaps, slightly more sane!

So why post his list?

My question is how do you score? How many of these 10 come as news to you, how many did you watch unfold. 10/10 would possibly make you a viral video genius - like Nalts himself!

I make a less-than-impressive 7/10.

1. Chris Crocker becomes a viral sensation after this weeping video defending Britney Spears.

2. YouAre.tv gives up, and embarrasses itself while trying to hype its own auction (with a paltry 2,000 visitors per day) on eBay.

3. Sneeeer: Techcrunch publishes “The Secret Strategies Behind Many Viral Videos,” which leads to a dramatic backlash among online-video enthusiasts, bloggers and the video community.

4. Oprah makes her debut on YouTube by taking over the homepage with online-video clichés (dog on skateboard, cats doing tricks), then creating a YouTube channel that looks more like a network PR site.

5. JewTube launches in the summer, and Google later challenges the name (based on copyright infringement of YouTube). Lesson: Niche sites are smart. But build your own brand.

6. The Daily Reel dies after morphing from “Entertainment Weekly for online video” to a video podcast series to a video-hosting site to a video-enthusiast community site to a site thats’ now frozen in time like some parts of New Orleans years after Katrina.

7. ZeFrank killed his popular online-video show in March, just as his fame was developing.

8. The New York Times calls YouTube “celebrities” hot property.

9. Experts project that television advertising budgets will pour online.

10.Viacom demands YouTube remove all of its content and tries to build an “old media consortium” to compete with YouTube (Viacom, News Corp and NBC ).


And what about Renetto? Well, today he posted this video about the YouTube Partner Program - in a bra!

Be a partner...oh, sorry wrong country!

Big news and bad news.

YouTube announces they are "expanding the YouTube Partner Program."

Great, I've generated over a million video views in just over a year. Oh, but there's a snag.

Only "anyone living in the United States or Canada can apply to become a partner at www.youtube.com/partners."

Wouldn't you know it. Penalised for being English!

While they add an aside "(We're looking forward to rolling out the program to additional international markets soon.) " this definately falls into the 'vague news' catagory for readers this side of the pond.

But, just to prove I'm not bitter - and for the benifit of my American readers - here's their video announcement.



(Nice to see a bit of vintage Esther in there, but pity about the typography!)

So let's see what happens from here.

Will this tranish the prestige of the existing partners, diluting what little quality is left in the most viewed lists - or is it the start of a user-generated renaissance?