Television Does YouTube: Tavis Smiley Edition

Recently, I noted on Twitter that Tavis Smiley’s YouTube videos didn’t quite “crack the code” when it came to producing effective (read: engaging) social media.

I’ve noticed that, next to corporate lawyers and sleepy government agencies, television shows have the hardest time adapting to social media. I’m not sure why, but I have some ideas.

1. It worked on television, it’ll look great on YouTube! Effects and snazzy promos are nice, but they don’t look so hot on my crowded computer screen. With multiple windows open, an online video takes up less than a quarter of my screen’s real estate. (And for goodness sake, don’t use YouTube for TV commercials!)

2. Television personalities, like Oprah, behave on YouTube like they do on television. Scripted, polished, full makeup, etc. But social media is the great equalizer, and this medium is at its most effective in accidental, unscripted moments, like this simple Katie Couric clip.

3. Television is both push and pull. Online video is all pull. Every second has to offer the viewer value. YouTube videos produced by television shows often lack value. When you’re talking about celebrity video blogging, as is the case with Tavis Smiley, the primary value will be getting to know that person better. Tavis strives to do this by answering viewer questions, but the format triggers TV-like responses. See for yourself:

Folks at PBS might want to try filming Smiley in unscripted, impromptu situations. Like when he’s discussing that day’s show with his staff. Or talking to a guest backstage. My theory is that television personalities are hard-wired to act a certain way in front of a camera, and unfortunately, that persona does not translate well online. It’s great to see Tavis Smiley, the television personality, on YouTube. But I’d rather see Tavis Smiley, the man, on YouTube.

Case Study: Building an Online Brand, GameJew-style

Defining success is important, but it shouldn’t always be about high traffic, viral growth, and mainstream pick-up. The case study below reveals how building a small, but passionate, online community of supporters can have a far greater impact than going for instant mass appeal.

Jonathan Mann is the GameJew. (Watch the first episode of GameJew, released May 2006.) In the past two years, Mann has built an online community around two of his greatest loves–music and gaming.

How did he do it? Well, as far as I can tell, there are two key reasons:

1. Working really, really hard, producing lots of original songwriting, videos.

2. Being 100% authentic. (There is only one GameJew. Think about that.)

I contacted Mann to learn about his stats, and how he measures success. He writes:

My community is pretty tiny, in all honesty. I had about 400 or so subscribers at GameJew, and so far about 65 have signed up to the more “web 2.0-y” mannmade.tv ..

But down at the far reaches of Chris Anderson’s long tail is the fanbase. The early adopters. The core supporters. Folks who should be considered social media GOLD. Mann continues:

…what’s interesting for me is that despite not really having the numberss (most of my videos do well under 5,000 views! that sucks!), it would seem that the “right” people have been watching my stuff.

In fact, Mann’s audience landed him some amazing new opportunities. Two examples:

• A GameJew fan named Robert, arranged for Jonathan to participate in an artist residency in his hometown of Vienna (“The Vienna trip happened because a guy, Robert, who’s now a friend, became a huge fan and basically hooked me up with this artist residency.”)
• The folks at 1up.com hired Jonathan to produce singing video game reviews, after becoming big fans of Jonathan’s homebrewed video series.

What’s the future for GameJew?

My plan as of now is to get an online store up and running, where I can sell my music, then try to leverage some of the progress and connections I’ve made through gamejew into 1. more paying gigs and 2. something involving my non-video game music. Beyond that, it’s hard to say.

I’ve written here before about brand evangelism, about how we build a community of passionate supporters online. Businesses and organizations should looks to artists like GameJew for inspiration.

Judging by the comment threads on his videos (”You are amazing!”), I’m pretty sure Jonathan will find success.

You can find Jonathan at MannMade.tv, GameJew.com, and www.jonathanmann.tumblr.com

Axioms for (Online) Organizers

Received a handy little book of Axioms for Organizers, by Fred Ross Sr. Great source of inspiration when you’re faced with drafting yet another mass email, or attempting to set up a Facebook group or ignite a Flickr photo petition.

Online organizing is derived from grassroots organizing, and they share many of the same tenets. A few of my favorites below.

1. An organizer is a leader who does not lead but gets behind the people and pushes.

2. Don’t waste time fighting the competition: use that time to fight the issues and win and that will take care of the competition.

3. 90 percent of organizing is follow-up.

4. A good organizer must be able to charge an issue with a supreme sense of urgency.

5. How can you move others unless you are moved yourself?

6. The organizer tries to turn each person she meets into a temporary organizer.

7. When you are tempted to make a statement, ask a question.

8. Reminding is the essence of organizing.

9. When you find “live wires” put them to work immediately. Find something they can do–any little thing–get them started and ready to do more, or you’ll lose them for the cause.

10. The way to break monotony is with motion and emotion.

11. The initial convert often determines the character of the organization.

I especially like that last one. What do you early converts look like? What inspires them? Therein lies the heart and soul of what you’re trying to build online.

SXSWi notes: Dooce and Mighty Girl

On Sunday at SXSWi, I dropped in on Heather Armstrong  (aka Dooce) and Maggie Mason (Mighty Girl) presenting their 12-step guide to  content boundaries. Some folks have already blogged about this here, and here.

I arrived to the panel late, but a few points stuck out.

• Create a style guide for tones. Are you light-hearted, serious, alarmist, wonky, or funny? With social media, you can be all these things! But consistency is important. Spend some time sketching out a style guide for tones. Is your Flickr account playful or whimsical? Your website, authoritative? Your blog, snarky or investigative?
• Publish for the readers you want, not the ones you have. For nonprofits, try profiling your ultimate activist or supporter. What are their interests? What excites them? How can you attract their attention in this increasingly crowded playing field? Sometimes, these questions are best answered by looking around at your staff. How did they get involved in your organization, and what excites them about their work?
• Follow the Fun. You have to do what you’re excited and passionate about. Lack of authenticity is the kiss of death in social media. Blog posts that are written with that spark–the animation of an author’s own curiousity–will always outperform posts written on a deadline. You simply can’t fake passion.

Notes from “Top 10 Worst Social Media Ad Campaigns”

This was an enjoyable, voting-enabled panel that featured some of the panelists’ picks for worst ad campaigns on the web. Listen to a complete podcast of the session here. A few of my favorites below:

Molson’s poorly-conceived Facebook contest (slide pictured here) teaches us the following: If you have bad marketing to start with, it’ll be even worse on social media.

Carlton Beer’s “Big Ad” goes viral on YouTube, but no one remembers the brand’s name. Lesson: Integrate your product/cause with social media content. Don’t hide your brand!

HP’s campaign paying consumers to promote their digital cameras, creating what Jarvis called “human splogs.” Lesson: You can’t buy brand evangelism. Instead, you should take that money and invest it in better products/content. Check out the results of this kind of marketing in the YouTube below.

The now defunct, “All I want for Christmas is a PSP” a fake blog by a marketer posing as a consumer, backfired when bloggers swarmed the site and posted hundreds of negative comments. One comment summed it up nicely, “Good job turning consumers off your product.” Lesson: DON’T LIE

A member of the audience asked about the difference between secrecy and lying. Panelists suggested that campaigns with a built-in disclosure plan can succeed in social media. Afterall, sometimes the fiction is fun. There’s a difference between teasing and lying. There’s also a difference between lying and a punchline.

The panel closed the session by noting three basic trends in social media advertising:
1) Not surprisingly, advertisers are acting like asses;
2) Advertisers are trying to fake-out audience by posing as consumers, fans, etc;
3) Trying to corrupt us, taking authentic voice we have online and trying to buy it (Jarvis: “I think pay-per-post is EVIL.”)

Other blog posts on the panel:

• BFG Communications Blog
• The Social Media Marketing Blog
• Ian Schafer

Nonprofit Translation of “Knowing Your Audience”

Finally getting around to converting some of these Google Doc notes into a coherent blog post. First up, “Knowing Your Audience,” a Saturday morning panel of six guys from the online music and film sharing biz, including Seesmic’s Loic Le Meur.

To me, there’s not much difference between selling your own music and convincing folks to contribute to your cause. It’s about engaging supporters and building a fan base (aka, community). Below are some rough, but slightly edited, highlights:

There is layer of people who are as passionate about playing the music you love as you are about your music. (Nonprofit translation: There is a layer of people who are as passionate about supporting your cause as you are about your work/mission/organization.)

People not only want to hear music and see the art, they want to know the artist. They want to talk to them. Deepak Chopra sold 14 million copies of his book. He doesn’t need to talk to his fans but he does it because it makes a difference and reaches new people. It’s not about technology, it’s about people connecting. (Nonprofit translation: People not only want to contribute to your cause, they want to know the people behind the cause. That includes people who benefit from this work, as well as the staff/members who execute)

The idea behind cultivating “true fans” is that people need to feel like they’re not just a transaction for the moment, but that they’re really part of your family. (No translation needed. ‘Nuff said.)

How important are new, innovative marketing tools for pushing out content? McGlamery: Technology needs to make artist-to-fan interactions more natural. (Nonprofit translation: Your websites and social media properties need to facilitate natural collaboration and interactions between you and supporters)

Moral of the story: Gather your core fanbase, plan for day in court, pay attention to outcome and respond accordingly.

Also, check out Long Station’s notes from this same panel.

SXSWi Smorgasbord

Tomorrow, I’m jetting off to Austin for my first-ever trip to SXSWi. I’ve been deliriously combing through the list of panels, scheduling and re-scheduling my weekend. Here are just a few of the panels I want to attend:

Worst Website Ever: So Crazy, It Just Might Work

Crowdsourcing for Creatives

Behind the Scenes at the Onion News Network

Social Marketing Strategies Metrics, Where Are They?

Social Network Coups: The Users are Revolting!

Online Advertising for Newbies

The Real Dragon: Understanding the Web and Digital Media in China

Social Strategies For Revolutionaries

Tools for Enchantment: 20 Ways to Woo Users

Blogs, Buzz, and Buddy Lists

Social Networking and Your Brand

True Stories from Social Media Sites

Core Conversation: Your Blog Is A Niche Community

Back Dorm Boys - Where Are They Now?

One afternoon in early 2005, two sculpture majors at the Guangzhou Arts Institute were goofing around in their dorm room, recording a short lip sync video to Backstreet Boys songs “As Long As You Love Me” and “I Want It That Way.” Huang Yi Xin and Wei Wei, now known as the “The Back Dorm Boys,” quickly became household names in China, and were among the world’s first viral video megastars–receiving millions of hits and international media attention. (One fun fact: Their lip syncing video on YouTube received nearly 5 times as many hits as the official Backstreet Boys version.)

Most of us know that part of the story. But did you know what happened next? I assumed that Wei Wei and Huang Yi Xin graduated and disappeared into China’s mammoth urban workforce. Instead, they leveraged their YouTube stardom to become multichannel Chinese pop stars. Motorola deals. A Sina.com blog. And a 5-year contract with a major Chinese talent agency, Taihe Rye. (More information on Wikipedia.)

Their story is worth remembering when nonprofits and businesses ponder the power of “going viral.” What’s interesting is that the Back Dorm Boys managed to provide greater exposure to Chinese pop songs than any major record label ever could–and without spending a dime. (Watch a few of their non-backstreet videos here, here and here.) I’m curious to see whether they can repeat that success with their own recording career.

So what if I click on your ad!?

Occasionally, I click on an website ad. It’s rare, but it happens.

Moments ago, I accidentally stumbled upon Excedrin.com — the customer-facing website for the popular over-the-counter painkiller (and one of my personal favorites, I might add). The site itself is grim. The “latest news” section was last updated in March of 2007, and the “NEW! Back and Body” center contains bland information ripped from the NIH site and other sources. The “Talk to Us” and “Contact Us” tabs on the top nav bar strangely link to the same page–and that page doesn’t even contain a web form or email address.

Why are you paying for online advertising, if you’re not going to invest in your website? Why would you want a potential customer to visit your crap site? Website ads are not television ads. They actually interact with your customers and ask them to do something (click, watch, etc).

I recently learned that this year’s theme of the iMediaConnection Brand Summit is “Turning Advertising Into Content.” (Thanks to Kevin Nalts for posting.)

Exactly. Say it with me, ye olde media marketers….let them have CONTENT!

No Such Thing As Social Networking Fatigue

For the past few weeks, I’ve been growing more and more nostalgic for the Myspace era (2005-early 2007). During that haloed time, friends and I would gladly spend 10+ hours each week on Myspace. Commenting. Embedding new YouTube videos. Researching (ahem, or stalking) potential love interests. I remember the feeling of waking up from a Myspace binge, unaware of the hours that had crept by while gleefully hopping from profile to profile.

For a huge swath of the population, Myspace is still the central hub of their social media activity. But for me and my immediate community of friends and colleagues, our Myspace days are behind us–whether we like it or not. We’ve all migrated to Facebook. We’ve dutifully joined our office networks and updated our statuses. I’ve even “friended” the president of my organization. But I sense something on the horizon. It’s the impending sense of social networking doom, and it’s called…

BOREDOM.

The latest numbers from comScore indicate that social networks are witnessing a dramatic downshift in user engagement. Some folks think the allure of the online network is wearing off. The novelty of having a profile and connecting with others online is so 2006. But the social networking slowdown can be attributed to an increasingly sophisticated user base and inadequate platforms.

The key to Myspace’s early success was the naivete of its users–none of us protected our profiles back then, making it possible to leap from page to page. Facebook’s tightened security addresses the Myspace problem of malicious content, but it also eliminates any spontaneity and the possibility of meeting new people. The result is boredom.

If folks are getting tired of social networks, it’s because they’re outgrowing what’s available.

I’ve had a lot of conversations in the past few weeks about the ROI for nonprofits using Facebook. Why hasn’t online organizing taken hold on Facebook? Why is the Causes application raising so little money? I suspect it’s all connected to the social network slowdown. More on this, later this week.