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The Practical vs. Idealistic Scenarios for the Near-Term Future of Online Video

2011-01-14T10:37:17Z

Episodic Appeal – patterns of serialised stories

2011-01-09T21:00:46Z

We are surrounded by episodic stories. On TV and online, in newspapers and magazines, even Hollywood feature film franchise sequels are effectively episodes of a macro story. The art of the serialised story told in parts is one that has a long history and deep penetration in our culture. The current golden age of episodic broadcast TV we appear to be in is matched by the wave of quality online TV and original web-series that operate to huge potential audiences in an on-demand narrowcast manner. And, just as Charles Dickens understood the power of the serialised story to engage a long-form narrative in literature, so to are we in a period of popular engagement in high quality screen-based episodic forms.

But Why do ‘episodic’? Why break a story into parts and instalments? Is it just because the story is long and no one will watch an 12hour movie (though the increasingly common practice of TV binge-drinking that shows like The Wire seem to induce might argue the counter.)

Is there something else to episodic serialised stories? Is there something about episodic narratives that makes them more attractive? Is there some essential quality that makes the staccato rhythm, breaks, recurrences and patterns of watching embedded in Episodic stories more compelling?

Dickens understood, and deftly exploited, the crucial Returnable Element of serialised stories; the embedding in a long story the element that brings the reader back over and over. The Returnable Element may vary enormously between different stories but without it episodic narratives die.

To address the powerful attraction to episodic screen stories we need recognise and articulate both the returnable element and the episodic pattern structure that enables and empowers the returnable element.

In observing episodic structures and articulating them in a functional way, I have identified 4 fundamental patterns. These patterns don’t just apply to ‘TV’ as we traditionally know it. but may be seen as 4 patterns with applicability across episodic storytelling irrespective on the medium of delivery. The guiding principle of these specified patterns is Closure; when, how often and in what rhythm narrative closure is offered to the viewer between the two defined time paradigms – the Episode and the Series.

This pattern is the simplest structure whereby each episode operates as a self-contained story arch. Whilst characters and settings may be continuous, each episode resolves its discreet story over the course of a singular episode. Whilst there may be consistent thematic elements there is little or nothing in the way of macro narrative over the season. Shows such as Law and Order exemplify this episodic pattern where by the procedural solving of a criminal case is unique and self-contained to discreet episodes and there is virtually nothing by way of macro-narrative or a series story-arc. Episodic documentary series may often use this pattern where by individual eps are self contained relating to each other thematically and conceptually but not narratively. A prime example may be seen in the exceptional doco series 7 Wonders of the Industrial World. Here each episode tells a singular story with no narrative continuum to episodes preceding or following. What connects the episodes together as a series is a consistent theme and idea but not an over-arching plot or progression..

At the opposite end of the spectrum to the Self Contained pattern is the Serial. This episodic structure denies closure at the level of individual episodes and focuses on a single ongoing narrative arch that spans a season. The Serial pattern can be deceptive in the kinds of narrative complexity it supports. At one end, soap opera like Neighbours is firmly within this pattern where each episode spills into the next with no discreet closure at the end of episodes. However much more narratively sophisticated dramas such as Deadwood also fit within and exploit the Serial pattern. Deadwood doesn’t seek closure within discreet episodes, rather (much like soap opera) Deadwood story-lines are ongoing and spill one into the next. The closure of some story-lines and the instigation of others can and does happen at any given point in any episode. The murder of Wild Bill and the recovery of Swerengen from kidney stones as examples both offer closure on defined story-lines but these arcs are not directly connected to an episodic pattern’ rather are part of a macro-series arch that operates in an ongoing serial fashion.

If the Serial and the Self-Contained represent polar extents of the episodic continuum, then the Micro-Macro occupies a missile space that exploits the tenets of both. The Micro-Macro structure – which is widely common in television drama – sees the parallel execution of self-contained stories within a single episode (where closure is delivered at episode end) in combination with a series-long story arch that is given closure over the course of. Season. Each episode therefore devotes itself to contributing incrementally to the larger narrative whilst delivering a self-contained story in parallel. Many police-procedurals function on this level where a case is solved each episode but the broader lives of the characters, or an over-arching macro-plot is persistent. The superb Australian drama East West 101 works exactly to this model where by the first season series arch sees Detective Malick pursue the case of his fathers attacker outside (and in breach of) his role as a detective solving individual crimes in each episode.

The key advantage of this model is that it is able to deliver consistent weekly closure and resolution whilst still maintaining a more sophisticated macro-level un-resolved driver to act as a returnable element.

Acting with a higher degree of flexibility and sophistication is a pattern we might call Tiered. With three levels of narrative pattern this structure seeks to leverage both creative and practical solutions to episodic story-telling.

In a Tiered structure we see, in addition to self-contained episodic arcs and macro-level, series-long arcs, a third form of multi-episode arcs. These ‘to be continued’ segments, than span and join several episodes together, provide periods of a serial experience within an otherwise self-contained structure.

Battlestar Galactica stands as a very prominent example of the style. Each season as a clear set of macro-level series story-lines that are contributed to incrementally. In tandem are self-contained story-lines that offer closure at an episode by episode level. Operating amidst this are clusters of multi-episode arcs that deliver a third form of closure to a story-line played out over several episodes grouped together.

The common manner for this kind of delivery is to place these multi-episode arcs at the top and tail of a series. The season kicks off with a cluster of episodes with cliff-hanger continuations; it then moves into self-contained stories through the mid-season and then builds to a final multi-episode finale. The objective of such an approach to Tiered episodic patterns can serve a decidedly practical purpose tied to broadcast distribution. The use of a blend of stand-alone and multi-episode arcs is an attempt to please both dedicated viewers (who commit to the whole season) and casual ones (who may drop in and out of series, watching occasional episodes.

What is interesting in this context is the changing nature of broadcast distribution for long-form drama. Time-shifting, on-demand, download and the persistent presence of the dvd box-set for (what has traditionally been called TV) means that the traditional mode of watching weekly to a set schedule is quickly losings its relevance (if indeed it hasn’t lost it already). There is a perception that the role of the old ‘weekly scheduled broadcast’ has shifted in recent years to one where it serves as sampler and promotion for the sale of the series in a different medium than the prime advertising sales point.

In this light it is interesting to consider how this shift in viewing habits may effect episodic structures. The Tiered structure in particular was driven by a distinct mode of broadcast distribution and consumption; a mode very much decline. With that mode evaporating does there remain narrative reasons and engagement benefits to be exploited by using a Tiered mode?

It is Important to recognise that these structures are not rules or formulas but rather observed patterns to prompt writers to think about the two most important elements of episodic stories – Closure and the Returnable Element. It is these two that make episodic stories distinct and point us toward that appeal that Dickens and Victorian novelists understood so well. If you can develop your project with clarity in regard to how and when closure is offered and identify what it is that will keep viewers returning, then you’ll be in a more empowered position to devise and exploit an episodic pattern and structure that supports and elevates the experience.

How to Find Part Time and Intern Help and Gigs

2011-01-11T13:00:00Z

How to Find Part Time and Intern Help and Gigs

This content from: Duct Tape Marketing

Marketing podcast with Cari Sommer (Click to play or right click and “Save As” to download – Subscribe now via iTunes or subscribe via other RSS device (Google Listen)

Image TheNickster via Flickr

The trend towards virtual work and virtual workers has grown so large that a robust industry has developed around the location and placement of part-time, project oriented workers. Small business can and does benefit from the fact that organizations, such as Elance and Odesk or crowd sourced services such as crowdSPRING and 99Designs, can help them get some of what they need from every corner of the globe at very affordable prices.

Urban Interns, founded in 2009 by New Yorker Cari Sommer and Lauren Porat, has created a marketplace focused on connecting companies with talented candidates looking for internships, part-time jobs, freelance work and contract positions. The company was started in New York City to with a focus on interns and has grown to serve virtual and on site needs across the country.

Urban Interns co-founder Cari Sommer is my guest for this week’s episode of the Duct Tape Marketing Podcast and is clear to point out that Urban Interns is not a placement agency and differs from Elance or Craigslist markets in the way that it is organized specifically around helping companies find workers looking to fill available work capacity either virtually or on site.

For many small companies, the idea of hiring a full time employee, particularly that first one, can be a daunting task. The use of an intern or part-time employee can allow a business to build a position and grow into a full time employee. (Or choose to remain using all part-time.)

One of the most important actions you can take before hiring or engaging anyone supplying service to your firm is to understand what you need and what you want the result of work to be. If you can document the processes you would like them to complete routinely, even better.

For the long term growth of your business, consider asking your part-time help to document and help you build your processes rather than simply completing assigned tasks. This way you can begin to build an operation manual for future use and start to see how to more effectively build for the future.

Here’s how Urban Interns works:

For employers

Register as employer (get 1 listing and 30 days access for $49.95)
Create a company profile and post your listing
Search the Urban Interns database

As with any marketplace the better your company profile and the more detailed and specific your job request the more likely it is you will attract more qualified candidates.

You can get the Urban Interns Guide to Hiring when you sign up for their newsletter.

Thinking of Blogging? Freewriting Makes it Easy

2010-06-29T10:53:00Z

Have you ever heard music so amazing your brain, um, stops thinking?

I have.

Just listen to Neil Peart’s drumming.

Canadian rockers Rush have counted on Neil’s drumming to be their musical backbone for almost 40 years.

But there’s one thing most people don’t’ know about Neil

Neil prepares for every concert by practicing his chops for 30 minutes.
Every. Single. Concert.

His practice routine isn’t legendary but his shows in front of 30,000 fans are.

I know. You’re not Neil Peart and you’re not performing for 30,000 fans.

You just want to get on with your blogging.

But, hey, this practicing thing Neil does can apply to “soon-to-be-bloggers,” too.

Did you know you can “warm up” your blogging skills by practicing first?
How do you practice writing for your blog?

You practice writing for your blog by freewriting.

What do you mean, “freewriting?”
Freewriting is “thinking onto paper.” That’s what writer and positioning strategist, Mark Levy says. Mark should know. He wrote a book on the power of freewriting.

Think of freewriting as “free form” writing.

If you think you can’t write something on the more formal side of things, just start free forming it.

Write whatever comes to mind. You don’t need a goal or a reason to write. Just write whatever you’re thinking. Cool, huh?

So why is freewriting helpful for bloggers-to-be?
Blogging involves lots of writing. Freewriting boosts your confidence in your writing skills. Saying you will start blogging is a mighty goal. Heck, you’ll get that blog registered in five minutes, and then what? Stare at a blank screen? Yup. It happens. A lot.

How do you beat staring at your new shiny blog all day long?
Chunk down the blogging process.

Chunk down the blogging process. There’s no reason to go all-out at once. Warm yourself up to the new art of blogging through the old art of freewriting. This way, you won’t “freeze” when your blog goes live.

What prevents most people from starting to blog?
Often, it’s the fear of writing.

Sure, some folks fear the “technology factor.” But not having the confidence to write is an even bigger fear. Freewriting “warms up” your writing because the trick in freewriting is to write quickly!

How quickly should you write?
Mark Levy has a great way to think about this.

If you normally write at 5 mph, freewrite at 6 mph.

You want to write fast enough so you don’t think about editing your words. Perfection ain’t what you’re after. What you’re after is boosting your writing confidence.

OK. Let’s get this show on the road
To get started freewriting, all you need is some paper and a pen. A computer is fine, if you prefer it to paper. If you have a timer, you’ll find that helpful as well.

Set the timer for 10 minutes.

Hit “start” and begin writing. Don’t worry about that inner voice you hear that says “this is stupid,” “what should I say next?” and all that jazz.

The object is to blitz through those objections
And get into the habit of writing. If you enjoy the practice, you can extend the time to 15 or 20 minutes.

Besides boosting your writing confidence levels, you’ll reap the added benefit of generating ideas for your blog. Heh.

You might say this whole freewriting thing is for the birds
“Hey, who cares about freewriting? I just want to get my blog cookin’.”

Many bloggers create a blog then quit. Quitting frequently happens from a lack of confidence and a lack of ideas. Freewriting addresses both of these concerns.

Blogging is a snap with freewriting
Freewriting is a lost technique that soon-to-be bloggers can recover to increase their writing confidence. Freewriting is:
- Free
- Fast
- Intuitive
- Private
- Confidence building
- A great way to build up a reservoir of ideas for future blog articles

Go ahead and pretend you’re a rock star. Just remember to practice before you hit the stage.

For more tips on freewriting, check out my Mark Levy interview on solving problems with freewriting.

"Original Web series are finding a niche at night… At Blip.tv, which distributes tens of..."

2010-06-09T15:03:00Z

“Original Web series are finding a niche at night… At Blip.tv, which distributes tens of thousands of independent online video shows, peak viewing time has moved from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. a year ago to 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. across U.S. time zones.”

- Web Series Tap Into Prime Time - WSJ.com
We believe this is important. Viewership of Web shows distributed by blip.tv peaks during prime time. Not only that, but we’re about to hit a magical number: one hundred million video views per month. We should hit that milestone this month, in June.

These two statistics, together, are meaningful. People are watching blip.tv shows in prime time and blip.tv shows are garnering 10% of the audience of network television shows from ABC, NBC and FOX combined (Hulu does about 950 million video views per month). Now think about the amount of money that has been poured into Hulu and the content on Hulu. Individual episodes cost millions of dollars to produce. Hulu itself has raised one hundred million dollars. The total production cost of all of the content on Hulu is probably in the hundreds of billions of dollars.

And yet blip shows… shows with budgets of a couple hundred dollars per episode… shows produced by striving artists and entrepeneurs for fanatical audiences… are capturing share during prime time. The content on blip.tv probably costs one tenth of one percent of the content on Hulu. But it’s now garnering 10% of the audience — and during prime time. Something important is happening here.

And before you say that we can never get the next Lost this way, two things: 1) it’s unlikely there will ever be another lost, on network television or not because it’s simply too expensive, and 2) the virtuous cycle is our friend. Good content leads to audience leads to ad dollars which lead to better and more expensive content. We’re bootstrapping ourselves into a new television industry.

Avoid the Many Versions of the Matrix

2010-06-10T08:30:09Z

In the movie, The Matrix, Neo (played by sad Keanu Reeves) finds out that he’s living in this fake world that’s nothing more than a program designed to keep humans entertained while big systems suck their life force out like batteries (okay, when I type it all out, it’s a dopey movie, but stay with me here). Neo gets freed by these people who then train him how to go back into the program and fight the bad guys. The basic premise: nothing is as it seems: look for the pattern outside of the perception to see the “real” reality.

One way to interpret the movie is that we’re supposed to realize that there are lots of games out there, and many of them are designed to deceive you, to keep you feeling as if you’re running the show when you’re not.

Thinking that way, is it any wonder that in the US more people voted for American Idol than in the US presidential elections ( one source). It’s a trap. Why vote on politics, which we feel we can’t influence, when we can vote on singers, which we feel we can? See? The Matrix.

Job security= being employed by a stable company. Matrix or no?

C’mon.

After we watch movies, we tend to get a Matrix effect. We watch someone doing all kinds of action on the screen, and we feel all pumped up, forgetting that we were sitting still eating popcorn and drinking fishbowls of Coke. We feel like we’re more fit, more accomplished, but that’s just the movie leaving an impression.

I watch people get all bent out of shape on the net every day. They change their Twitter avatars in protest against BP, as if this will have any kind of effect. I listened to two people complain that I found the layoffs of 33% of Linden Labs to be “neat,” because my @broganmedia account says “found this neat” as a standard phrase before every story I share. I see people get mad at various things in Facebook all the time.

I see marketers come up with reason after reason to do things the way they’ve always been done, even when that way fails faster and worse each day (for most things).

How many versions of the Matrix are you stuck in? How many am I? Do you at least look for them?

There’s what we think is real; there’s what we observe as real: and then there’s what we can change. Avoid the many versions of the Matrix. Look for it everywhere. Make your own game.

Photo credit diametrik

10 Free Guerrilla Tactics To Promote Your Website

2010-05-19T16:11:48Z

It never ceases to amaze me: that more people do not avail themselves of the following:

Submit to Google local, and Yahoo and MSN local business centers: it is still free, and it is still the most underutilized, free advertising out there: if you are too lazy go to UBL.org and pay $30
Post partial posts on other blogs and groups – so simple: you write a great post like this one, post partial posts all over other blogs, Yahoo groups, Linked-in groups etc….
Start and manage a group that is on-topic – I do ot know why more people don’t go to the trouble: but they don’t: for instance my group I founded at Active Rain: http://activerain.com/groups/WEB20 – it has 810 subscribers and growing and only 415 posts, I would put to you that it is what I delete, that makes it successful, and not what I add, but it is still an available targeted marketplace for me.
Participate on other blogs and in other groups – you do not need to start a group to access it’s members, just join one. I have found groups at linked-in and yahoo groups with 3-4000 ready prospects for me that read everything posted – heck I can join any group on meetup.com and have access to all the group members immediately by email. From local politics to singles and all points between, there are groups that target your market.
Join the local chamber of commerce, go to all the events – the oldest, and still most underutilized business resources: the local chambers of commerce and local visitors advocacy groups – every city and state and even some counties have government backed groups and agency designed to create jobs, promote touristy, and otherwise benefit your local economy. By getting involved you get exposed to the members, and potential members.
Warm calls – anyone who hangs out a card or brochure or group profile anywhere is fair game: I call them warm calls because they are advertising their business and must answer the phone: if you are looking at their yellow page ad or PPC ad or any type of advertisement the person paying or arranging for that advertising wants to know how and why you came to see the add: “warm”.
Follow up – nothing new, here, but just as underdone as the others: WAKE UP! THE HOTTEST PROSPECT YOU HAVE IS THE GUY WHO YOU HAVE ALREADY TALKED TO – FOLLOW HIM OR HER FOREVER UNTIL THEY BUY, DIE, OR ASK YOU TO STOP! If you do not mail-merge your prospects, clients, and contacts you are missing 50% of the business you could be doing.
Write about yourself – I cannot tell you how many times I have heard of someone being very perturbed at the constant self-promotion of a competitor – well, if you cannot beat them…join in: write about yourself! Well placed articles properly formatted can completely control what happens when someone ‘Googles’ your proper name or company name – control your online reputation
Solicit reviews and ratings – from yelp.com to digg.com and all points between, this new world of user-generated, user filtered content is not going away, and it will become even more widespread – YOUR ENEMIES WILL ALWAYS FIND A WAY TO SLANDER YOU, BY ALL MEANS INVITE YOUR FRIENDS TO DO THE OPPOSITE! – You can write your own reviews on Yelp.com, for instance..
Invest your time rather than your money – expensive advertising can work, but, if you supplement that which you must pay for with that that is free, you will leverage your reach – start a personal blog and make yourself famous one post at a time!

I make my entire living online: I work from home, work in cyberspace, and my company is low overhead giving us a competitive edge. I am sharing the wealth here, please, join me, and join in!

Adapting a Web Series for TV

2010-05-25T00:56:52Z

I had the pleasure of attending the L.A. Comedy Shorts Film Festival last April. Their programming was a grab bag of high quality entertainment created by upcoming filmmakers, as well as some established industry vets. One highlight was the panel But I’m a CeWEBRITY: knowledgeable producers who specialize in turning successful web content into TV shows shared their insight. Before this event I thought webisodes were only pet projects or an extension of a larger story-not a TV show incubator. Below is an interview I did with panelist Tina Santomauro, Manager of Development/Executive Producer of Atom TV (Comedy Central) and The Atom Show (MTV2) for Atom.com.

What does your average day of work consist of?

For the most part, taking pitches, reading scripts, and strategic planning of the Atom TV show. Researching what videos are doing great online. Also, dealing with clearance paperwork and delivery of masters.

Since there are less barriers of entry for filmmakers getting their work seen, will talent trump film connections?

Absolutely. Especially when it comes to uploads. A part of Atom.com is dedicated to our user “tournament” where users can upload videos to win spots on television and cash prizes. And in the past, there have been comedy groups that uploaded to us we hadn’t heard of before, and then saw their work on there and wound up creating original deals with them.

What are the benefits/challenges of pitching and adapting a web series for TV?

The challenge is creating more depth within the plot and each character personality. Web video is fast paced, quick to the punch. When adapting it for TV, you need to build on that structure and deepen all aspects of it.

Among your content, which videos represent your taste in comedy?

There is a bunch, but 2 notable pieces for me are:

One off: http://www.atom.com/funny_videos/milk_men_trailer/

Web series: mlarky.atom.com

5 Questions That Will Change How You View Your Business

2010-05-24T12:25:34Z

5 Questions That Will Change How You View Your Business

This content from: Duct Tape Marketing

As we go through the days, weeks and months running a business it’s pretty easy to lose sight of the underlying reasons that make owning a business such a fulfilling experience.

Between the phone ringing, the network going down, and the shipment arriving late there’s the tiniest gap that we must stay connected to in order to build a business that serves our lives while providing a place for customers and staff to experience something remarkable.

I find that the following questions help me reconnect with that gap when it gets a little hard to see, feel, and hear.

1) Why are we doing this?

I wrote about doing work that serves a higher purpose last week and I think this is the question that helps stay connected to the greater reason for doing what you do. This can have a very practical branding application as well because if your business is driven by something very authentic – the manifestation of that can produce some very real branding elements. A business driven to serve, rather than simply sell a service, can wrap many messages and flourishes in that reason to serve.

2) What are we here to give?

I think this is the greatest question anyone who sells a product, service or idea can adopt. By placing your point of view on giving rather than getting, you will be more prepared to produce value for the customer and spot opportunities to produce innovations that could allow you to create even greater value. This ability to adapt to create value is one of the greatest natural advantages small businesses possess.

3) What do we want people to experience?

The rush to social media is really about the evolving trend towards greater customer engagement. Prospects and customers are growing to expect much more in terms of engagement. Organizations that spend as much time on creating a better, more engaging, customer experience as they do on generating new leads will soon find that all of their best leads are coming from existing customers. The key is to look at every aspect of your business from the eyes of a customer and intentionally design the exact experience, perception, or brand you plan for them to encounter.

4) What are we supposed to learn from this?

This one comes courtesy of the parent in me. When we meet challenges, some might call them failures, in business it’s quite natural for some to get caught up in what went wrong. The much more positive approach is to look at every turn in the road as a lesson. If you can start to wonder what you are to learn or determine how to make meaning from set backs you can drop the stress over things going bad and you just might get a glimpse of what you were really put here to do.

5) Who could do this better?

This last question always vexes me. I think I do a lot of things well. In fact, one the greatest skills and consequently weaknesses of many small business owners is the ability to adapt, figure things out on their own, and charge ahead. While we have many skills and talents there are usually only a handful of those skills and talents that can be leveraged to move the organization ahead and produce the greatest profit.

When you come to understand the work you should be focused on and start looking for partners, employees and collaborators who can do the other important, but not in your zone, work your business will change dramatically. Once again, from a practical standpoint you can often buy services far greater than you can actually do them half-baked yourself.

What questions drive you deeper into understanding how to build your business?

Image credit: wadem

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VFA Media and Design

2010-04-13T19:27:12Z

My Vision (guesses) for the Future

2010-04-06T08:18:46Z

These predictions are based on my experience at SXSW:

1.The film and music industry will create casual games for Facebook. It will be an effective way to organize fan communities, sell them digital goods, merchandise, tickets to new media events, and introduce them to similar films and music they might like.

2.Apple, Amazon, and Netflix will compete against each other as film buyers to have exclusive rights to hot titles at the Sundance Film Festival.

3.Tastemakers who curate music and film content will actually get paid for their service.

4.Film studios will do more to reach out to Silicon Valley and fund/acquire their own web startups.

5.More entertainment created specifically for the web will be optioned to become TV shows or films.

6.Most film schools will teach 3D film production.

7.With a growing audience excited to watch everything in 3D, including ads, more TV shows are going be produced.

8.Major corporations will create platforms that support entertainment and finance the creation of content. They can own their TV network online versus paying for ads to place on another network.

9.Film studios will hire community managers and some will volunteer to manage fan communities for a movie even after a flick has left theaters.

IndieGoGo adds Analytics to Every Project - Start Tracking Your Success!

2010-03-18T23:38:41Z

Want to know how many project views your twitter campaign drove? Or how many referrals your friend's Facebook post brought? Or the contributions that resulted from a blog write-up? Here's your data!

Now You Can Track Your Fundraising Success...

Views: total number of visits to your page
Funders: number of contributors
Funds contributions: money raised
Referrals: number of visits that result from someone sharing your project using widgets, twitter, google buzz, facebook and emails (from the SHARE WITH FRIENDS section)
Favorites: number of IndieGoGo members who have added your project to their Favorites
Requests to visit: number of times someone has requested your project come to their town

...And See Who is Driving Traffic & Dollars to Your Project

See which fans, influencers and organizations have promoted your project...
...and how many referrals and dollars have resulted from their promotion
Use this data to track an affiliate campaign too

The Pinocchio Paradox

2010-04-03T00:32:50Z

Anyone care to weigh in on this heady matter?

via – TwistedSifter

a special message from Confucius

2010-04-06T17:47:00Z

INTERN was going to post something in response to this New York Times article about the growth of unpaid (and sometimes illegal) internships during the recession, but this morning INTERN's forward-happy dad passed along the following, which *obviously* trumps illegal internships in terms of importance:

Confucius say, "If you are in a book store and cannot find The book for which you search, you are obviously in the...

INTERN often gets the impression she is in the Wong Fook Hing bookstore.

IndieGoGo Acquires Distribber: Expanding tool suite - from funding to distribution

2010-03-15T12:13:13Z

Hey GoGoers,

We have an exciting announcement for you today. We acquired Distribber - a super innovative distribution company that gets your completed works onto the various digital distribution channels of the world. Now IndieGoGo offers you a full suite of DIWO (Do-It-With-Others) tools - from fundraising to distribution.

What does this mean for you? More ways to monetize your work and engage your fans! With Distribber, now you can start selling your completed works on iTunes, Netflix and Amazon and:

keep all your rights
get 100% of your revenues
submit once for multiple stores
withdraw your earnings on demand
track sales across stores

Check out our press release below and Distribber here. Start selling your work now!

IndieGoGo Acquires Distribber

Linchpin by Seth Godin – Video Book Review

2010-02-17T18:30:34Z

Are you indispensible? That’s what Seth Godin asks in Linchpin, his new book about the future of work, the break with our industrial past, and what we need to do, individually, to measure up. It’s a Seth Godin book, so of course it delivers. It’s much more meaty than Tribes and more actionable than Meatball Sundae, and every bit as eye opening as his other books.

Here’s a quick video:

Direct link to the video

How To Pitch an Idea (on IndieGoGo) - Scott Berkun knows what he's talking about.

2010-01-07T01:29:14Z

Hi Folks,

I recently tweeted about public speaker Scott Berkun and his piece on How to pitch an idea. The twittersphere response was suprisingly positive. So I wanted to make sure all our IndieGoGo projects didn't miss out!

Whether your project is a film, book, music, piece of art, venture, community effort, technology product, invention or political campaign, all projects are ideas.

And the difference between interesting ideas and good ideas is THE PITCH.

Successful projects on IndieGoGo tend to go the extra mile to pitch their project, not just show it. By now you probably know how important a pitch clip is. So I recommend you take a few minutes to read what Berkun has to say and amp up your pitch page on IndieGoGo. Make sure your IndieGoGo project screams GREAT IDEA, not just interesting one.

* * * * * * * *

How to pitch an idea

By Scott Berkun

Coming up with good ideas is hard enough, but convincing others to do something with them is even harder. In many fields the task of bringing an idea to someone with the power to do something with it is called a pitch: software feature ideas, implementation strategies, movie screenplays, organizational changes, and business plans, are all pitched from one person to another. And although the fields or industries may differ, the basic skill of pitching ideas is largely the same. This essay provides a primer on idea pitches, and although most of my experience is in the tech-sector, I pitch to you that the advice here will be relevant to pitching business plans, yourself (e.g. job interviews), screenplays, or anything else.

The nature of ideas

Ideas demand change. By definition, the application of an idea means that something different will take place in the universe. Even if your idea is undeniably and wonderfully brilliant, it will force someone, somewhere to change how they do something. And since many people do not like change, and fear change, the qualities of your idea that you find so appealing may be precisely what make your idea so difficult for people to accept. Some individuals fear change so much that they structure their lives around avoiding it. (Know anyone exhibiting the curious behavior of being obviously miserable in their job, their city, their relationship, but still refusing to make changes?). So when your great idea comes into contact with a person who does not want change, you and your idea are at a disadvantage. Before you can begin the pitch, you have to make sure you’re talking to someone that’s interested in change, or has a clear need that your idea can satisfy.

See the entire article here on Scott Berkun's site. He walks through the 8 Steps on How To Pitch.

Believe Me: A Free Business Storytelling Book for Innovators

2009-12-23T00:52:00Z

Extraordinary Business Storyteller Michael Margolis has had his new storytelling book out for just a short while now. It's called, "Believe Me: Why Your Vision, Brand, and Leadership Need a Bigger Story."

In the holiday spirit, Michael is now releasing the book to everyone as a free digital unabridged download version.

I bought my copy the day it came out on Amazon.com but, hey, you can now get your copy for free. And yes, it's a fabulous book and I highly recommend it. Check out the book's awesome reviews on Amazon.com for yourself.

Heck- what are you waiting for? Go grab your free digital download from the book's website, "Believe Me The Book."

PS. If you're going to tweet this, mention @getstoried or hashtag #bigstory.

Netflix Pushing ‘Watch Instantly’ As It Eyes Streaming Future Over DVD-By-Mail Present

2009-12-20T18:32:55Z

Further evidence, is further evidence was needed, that physical media is on its way out to be replaced by digital media. Netflix in particular is undoubtedly eyeing a streaming future, pushing its ‘Watch Instantly’ library onto users more vehemently.

Physical to Digital

The move from physical media to digital is happening rather slowly. In fact, it could be classed as a lurch currently. However, there will come a point when it speeds up and becomes all-consuming, with more companies jumping on the bandwagon rather than risk being left behind.

Netflix looks like being one of the early movers. Built on the basis of delivering DVDs-by-mail, streaming now looks like being the main focus of its attentions in years to come.

Netflix ‘Watch Instantly’

Netflix introduced its ‘Watch Instantly’ feature a few years ago. It gives subscribers instant access to a wealth of movies and TV shows, all available to stream via the Internet.

It started as a computer-only affair, but Netflix has spent the last year or so getting the Watch Instantly feature added to a range of other devices. These include the Roku box, the Xbox 360 and PS3, and even Internet-enabled Blu-ray players and televisions.

‘Watch Instantly’ Future

At the beginning of this year, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings stated that the company is likely to offer a streaming-only subscription plan in the future. And in October, it was intimated that there could be an international roll-out of ‘Watch Instantly’ offered along those lines.

Now, Netflix has changed the order of tabs on its Web site to make ‘Watch Instantly’ the first option and the most prominent, with ‘Browse DVDs’ being bumped.

Although only a small change, it has huge implications as it makes Netflix’s position clear – that it wants to encourage more of its subscribers to stream rather than rent DVDs.

And it’s no wonder, as while its mail-order business costs the company $600-$700 million annually, ‘Watch Instantly’ only costs about a nickel per movie. Which is quite a margin.

Conclusions

I don’t think Netflix is suddenly going to abandon its current business model, but it is slowly evolving it so that streaming is a bigger part of the overall strategy. How long until streaming-only subscriptions are offered? I’d certainly be interested.

[Via NewTeeVee]

Audience is King - IndieGoGo Digital Hollywood Workshop Posted

2009-11-04T07:00:48Z

On October 21, IndieGoGo presented a workshop on film funding and audience-building at Digital Hollywood. I've included the Audience is King presentation below. Take a look and let us know if you any questions.
Audience is King_IndieGoGo Workshop_Digital Hollywood_Oct 2009