I would like to thank all of you who participated in my Google Plus Attitude and Usage Survey. I received 447 responses and I think the data provides a useful snapshot of user sentiment. Now, a lot has happened in the week since I posted the survey. The day I made they survey public was the same day of Google’s rollout of official business pages. Yesterday, they opened they opened their API to third party social media management systems.  Hopefully, these developments don’t make the results too stale.

Google Plus Attitude and Usage Survey Results

The survey was a short, simple, eight question form aimed at finding out who’s on there, what they feel about the service, whether business pages will enhance the experience, and whether they plan on using the platform more in the future.  Again, thank you to those who participated.  Here are the results:

There appears to be a wide range of sentiment, but overall, many seem ready to keep with their Google Plus efforts.  Ultimately this is less about social networking and more to do with strategy.  Google Plus add a layer of social measurement within their page rank ecosystem.  So if you’re an online publisher, it’s less about engagement and conversation and more about that little +1 button.  It really doesn’t matter what you think about Google Plus.  Businesses especially may have to embrace the platform if they hope to maintain page rank.  I’m starting to like it better already.  So what do you think of the survey results?  Are they what you expected?

Despite the tremendously enthusiastic, persistent support and promotion from high profile web marketing strategists, entrepreneurs and technology pundits, Google’s nascent social platform, Google Plus, appears to be sputtering.  That may change with the much anticipated official rollout of  Google + Pages for business.  It will be interesting to see if behaviors and attitudes toward Google Plus change with the introduction of businesses to the network.  If brands see value in being there, they will likely demand more from Google in terms of our data and in turn, Google will demand more from them in cash.

So far Google+ has focused on connecting people with other people. But we want to make sure you can build relationships with all the things you care about—from local businesses to global brands—so today we’re rolling out Google+ Pages worldwide.  - The Official Google Blog

Just this past weekend, web luminaries Guy Kawasaki and Chris Brogan made the case for Google + for Business before the online publishing faithful at the Blog World Expo in Los Angeles.

And while many adherents crow about more “meaningful and intelligent conversations” taking place there, the real reason Google Plus can’t be ignored can be found in this video of the Brogan/Kawasaki presentation. Google giveth and Google taketh away.

The search ranking is the reason I tell people to start using  Google Plus for business, because when you post to public, it shoots up very fast and gets indexed very fast in Google rankings. – Chris Brogan

Google has such advantages… I don’t see how they can’t be a success. – Guy Kawasaki

One has to wonder if the languid days of “meaningful conversations” will be well behind us when Google Plus is inundated with free e-book offers, webinar announcements, “10 reasons why…” – oh and a sure sign of the End Times for Google Plus – Purchase +1.

My Un-scientific Google Plus Usage Survey

Please humor me. Between the 44 thousand of you who “follow” me on Twitter, my 3 thousand plus Facebook connections, and the thousand or so of you who have circled me on Google Plus, I figured I could get a sense of the prevailing sentiment towards G+.  So I’ve put together some survey questions that I hope you’ll take the time to fill out. I’m not a professional pollster, but I hope the survey is structured in a way to produce some useful data. PLEASE pass this on if you think it is a useful survey.

While Google Plus appears to have plateaued, it would be unwise to dismiss the platform as another yet-to-be-shelved social effort by the internet behemoth. I have an account there and visit daily, posting nearly as often. Still, I have yet to find my groove Google Plus, which makes me skeptical of it’s long term success.  Because as any good blogger knows personal experience is a reliable bellwether for any web technology (/snark).

Facetious (mostly) confirmation bias aside, I am curious if there is anecdotal consensus about how people are using Google Plus and how they plan on integrating the less than mainstream network into current or future content strategy.  One thing we can be sure of is that Google has plans for how online publishers – individual to corporate – integrate Google Plus into their content strategy.  My aim here is to gather data on how YOU plan to, or are currently using Google Plus.  As always, please leave your thoughts in the comments.  What am I missing here? What would make the survey better? And PLEASE share this. Survey results will be released Wednesday October November 16th.

Please Take the Google Plus Survey:

Thank you for taking the time to finish the survey!  Feel free to +1 the post or share it in any way you see fit. For the record, I’m not dismissing Google Plus. I’m just not sure how I will embrace it – but I will – because I don’t think it’s going to be just another shelved Google project.

Related Reading
Google Plus for Business – Guy Kawasaki & Chris Brogan
Google+ is not a social network, but it’s not a graveyard, either

Paul Sherman of Potomac Tech Wire leads a conversation with Steve Case

Engaging, inspiring, and invigorating -  how I describe the Digital Media East  conference that I attended last week in the DC metro area.  Let’s face it, some of these confabs leave a little to be desired – shop worn topics, the usual suspects peddling the same presentations.

This was not one of those conferences. The Digital Media Conference is produced by Digital Media Wire, who run a number of smart events throughout the year, in addition to newsletters and media focused on the business of digital media.  If you’re interested in the future of media, I would urge you to attend one of their events.  My only complaint is that they packed so much valuable content into one day, that I was forced to choose between great sessions that took place at the same time.

Takeaways: Data Points to Strong Future for Digital Media

My personal takeaway from the Digital Media Conference is that the data, the investment, and the innovation in action-based advertising all point to opportunities for entrepreneurs to create new internet TV networks and for legacy media to engage new audiences in creative ways.  Here are the panels I was able to attend:

• Research Presentations: Top Digital Media Trends
• Keynote: Steve Case,  AOL, Revolution LLC, The Case Foundation, Startup America
• Investing in Digital Media: VCs Speak
• Cutting the Cord: Checking in on the Revolution
• Cross Platform Video Distribution
• Branded Entertainment

Notable Quotables from the Digital Media Conference

I managed to jot down some salient points from the various panels that resonated with me.  To find more conversation about the conference, you should check out the #DMCE hashtag on Twitter.

Steve Case Keynote

people will be watching more television through the internet

imbalance between where people spend their time and where advertisers spend their money

- Steve Case - Co-Founder, AOL Chairman, Revolution LLC Chairman, The Case Foundation Chairman, Startup America

Research/Data Panel

next iteration of TV advertising will be centered on reaching and engaging consumers via internet-enabled devices

Consumption trends among young consumers will drastically alter distribution and business models

- Heather Way, Research Analyst, Parks Associates

when we’re flooded with information, discovery becomes king

- Shawn DuBravac, Chief Economist & Director of Research, CEA

Venture Capital Panel

the environment has improved a lot so that means more money going into startups

– Thanasis Delistathis, New Atlantic Ventures

Subsctriptions are going to make a comeback as a business model

- Don Rainey – Grotech Ventures

Don’t try and be the ‘Facebook of X

- Tige Savage, Revolution, LLC

(Social Media) “one of the most overfunded areas of the internet

- Thanasis Delistathis, New Atlantic Ventures

Cross Platform Video Distribution

at the end of the day, you want to make it easy for the publishers to use the content

- Alvin Bowles CEO Grab Networks

everything about doing this for mobile has been very very hard

- Jon Brendsel VP Products, PBS on app development

(on ad revenue) it’s peanuts right now… the missing piece is just scale

Richard Bloom – SVP Biz Dev 5min Media/AOL video

Branded Entertainment

what we see coming… fully interactive experiences that do incorporate video… that actually allow for you to participate

- Jeff Gomez, CEO, Starlight Runner Entertainment

(on product placement) if the tone is correct an there is some smart thinking behind the brand then yes it is ok

- Jeff Gomez, CEO, Starlight Runner Entertainment

Paths to Success

Revision3 CEO Jim Louderback at the Digital Media Conference East

So what we see here are fragments of a robust, growing, and maturing ecosystem in the digital video space.  The actual conferences sessions filled in all of the blanks with quality panels guided by engaging moderators. While none of this is easy – this is a complex and evolving space – there are succes stories. I had the opportunity to meet Jim Louderback of Revision3 at the conference.  He is one of those success stories.

I caught up with him to ask him how his company has become successful in this emerging marketplace.

Q&A with Jim Louderback, CEO of Revision3
Q: One of the VC guys on an earlier panel said he’d never back an ad revenue based venture, yet at the same conference another Steve Case said there’s a disconnect between where ad $$ is being spent and where people are watching (digital). Are you optimistic about the future of ad supported internet TV? Why? Where do you see this stuff going?
A: Absolutely, ad support is a key component of media in general, and it is only going to increase. I’m optimistic about ad supported internet video because the viewing percentage compared to regular TV is so much higher than the revenue percentage – and it’s proven to be a better branding and action-based environment than both the internet and traditional TV
Q: Established, linear media are using social extensions of their brands to engage new audiences and create loyalty. Emerging, upstart internet TV plays have lived on the web and have built their brands there. How essential is social tv to both legacy and emerging media brands. How do you do it “right”? What is “social TV”?
A: All media is social, internet delivered media has the advantage of using the direct social tools already available to spur the kinds of social connections we already use to talk about traditional media. Doing it right means focusing on your audience, what they want, and listening to them, rather than shoving social down their throats.
Q: You travel about as much as I do, how important is it for you to attend conferences like Digital Media Conference in terms of building brand awareness about Revision3?
A: It’s very important to talk to people face to face and to listen to them talk about their ideas, visions and products. I get inspired by what others are doing, and it makes me envision things in ways that I couldn’t just sitting at home playing with Facebook and Twitter.
Q: What makes you guys so successful, what’s your secret sauce?
A: Lots of hard work, listening to the audience and not being afraid to make mistakes

So as I look back on the conference, the engaging panel discussions, and meeting great people like Jim Louderback, I’m energized about the future of digital media. What about you? Are you a digital media entrepreneur? Are you entrepre-curious? What is you’re path to becoming a micro media mogul?

The conversation around the content

While traditional media fights to hang on to linear audiences, they are also tasked with cultivating new viewers in an increasingly fragmented media space. These audiences, empowered with multiple screens and recommendations from their social graphs, look to news feeds in social networks as their new electronic program guide.

Meanwhile, nimble, niche content internet TV networks like Revision3 are building these experiences from the ground up – further testing established media.  Marketing and promotion of television poses more challenge than ever before. Yet at the same time, there are unique opportunities to truly engage audiences as people, not just ratings. Bus backs and billboards don’t build trust or program loyalty,  real human conversation does.

Today, I have the privilege of sitting on a panel at the 140 conference in New York that will explore how news organizations are engaging in conversations on the web to drive viewership. Social TV is complicated and has a lot of moving parts. For many, it is the new “TV Guide”.

Simpler Times

When I was growing up, my family would gather around a 19 inch black and white TV – the only one in the house – that sat perched on a rickety aluminum framed patio table.  We didn’t have a remote, so we would actually have to get up from our seat to “surf” the five VHF and handful of UHF channels that our rabbit ears were capable of picking up.

TV was a planned event. In terms of news, we were a NBC family. The recommendation engine that informed our viewing came by way of the TV guide that arrived with each Sunday newspaper. (remember them?) Gosh, it was simple back then.  Everyone gathered around their boxes and all of the available viewing choices fit into a thin weekly circular.  Lack of options made program loyalty a pretty simple proposition.

Social TV and the Transmedia Experience

Today, viewers not only have boundless choices of what to watch, but they are also unlimited in terms of how, when, where and on what devices the enjoy content. So from a viewer standpoint, the challenge is search and discovery of meaningful content on a variety of platforms. From a content creator perspective, the challenge is much more complex.

Facebook Becoming Key to Audience Loyalty and Development
Some pretty compelling statistics come in report from Inside Facebook citing data from Facebook’s Media Partnerships Director Justin Osofsky.

• around 1.65 billion “likes” of TV shows
• 275 million Facebook users have liked a TV show
• 17 of the top 100 most like pages on Facebook are TV shows

No longer is it a matter of simply coming up with formulaic show concept and promoting it across traditional channels.  Audiences expect a level of what the hipsters now call a “transmedia” experience.  Whether that conversation comes in the form of a Facebook friend “like” -ing a show, a Twitter conversation with actors in a drama or reporters from a newscast , or an expanded experience on the web  - there are a dizzying array of touchpoints where audiences can encounter content on their social entertainment operating systems.

Further Reading

Comcast Taps Facebook for Enhanced TV Experience

Good Social TV Roundup Curated by Mo Kromchal

Those who quietly go about the industry of consistently delivering value to customers and clients will win the day.  It’s simple, and it applies to all business.  And when that maxim is applied to social media consultants, so be it.  If they are achieving the aforementioned results, then they will rightly reap rewards.  Those with that moniker who deal in fraud and fabrication – whose only consistency is ”outkicking their coverage” – will lose business because, over time, their reputation will deteriorate.  That’s natural selection in the business world.

The fact that the charlatans are laid bare, shouldn’t affect the overall health of any subset of the communications industry, including social media.  If there is a demand, there will be those to meet it.  Some of them will provide professional advice that leads to measurable results, others will take clients’ money, move on, and sell their snake oil in the next town.  That’s the nature of a lot of business.   There will always be phonies happy to separate the gullible from their cash.  Caveat emptor.

To Build Yourself Up or Tear Others Down

It’s surprising to see that the shop worn theme of “social media guru” bashing is en vogue once again and that notable detractors have come out in vocal internet outcry.   Recently two web luminaries added their voices to the chorus in an offensive against the social media expert with bold, link-baity proclamations.

Gary Vaynerchuk and Peter Shankman, both of whom operate social media/customer service consultancies, made provocative statements about those who ply their trade – statements that produced predictably polarizing results. Many aligned themselves with the two – some perhpaps attempting to get out from underneath the umbrella of their criticism. Others took offense and pushed back against their pointed missives.

The Posts That Caused the Kerfuffle:
Gary Vaynerchuk: “99.5 Percent Of Social Media Experts Are Clowns”
I Will Never Hire a “Social Media Expert,” and Neither Should You (Peter Shankman)

I bumped into social media professional Jason Falls at IgniteDC and asked him what he thought of the very public critiques of the industry.

The people who care whether or not someone calls themselves an “expert” are only afraid one of them will steal clients from them. You know who doesn’t care about this topic? Businesses who hire consultants. They hire people who can help their business, not paranoid and defensive ego-mongers who think they’re playing thought leader by minimalizing someone they never heard of and know nothing about. – Jason Falls, Social Media Explorer

By Way of Explanation

Vaynerchuk and Shankman are both accomplihed, successful bloggers, authors, and businessmen so their messages carry a lot of weight.  Heavy hitters like these guys can take the heat and both of them stood by their words. In fact, Gary responded to a lot of people personally and clarified his remarks made on TechCrunch with his own video.

Both of these guys are proponents of social media as a means to deliver genuine customer service. I’ve written here about the disconnect between social media and customer service.  Ultimately, corporate leaders have to decide whether they want to create business cultures that are moral, ethical, customer-centric, and human.  Social media can help them achieve those ends, but only if that is the path they choose to take.

I don’t take a side in what I consider to be a faux controversy, and to steal from Shankman’s post, “neither should you”. So whether you took umbrage with the critiques or cheered them on, I say the best path to success IS to work hard, be excellent, kick ass and let THAT be your differentiator. And if all else fails, you can hire this guy.

Further Reading
I’d hire a social media expert, and maybe you should, too – Shel Holtz
There Are No Experts, Only More Experiences – Geoff Livingston
Never Plan on Hiring a Social Media Expert? Good Luck With That – Esteban Contreras

GigaOM web show "Cord Cutters"

Mark your calendars!  On Tuesday, April 26th, the world will celebrate Cord Cutters Day.  It is neither a national, nor Hallmark holiday, rather a manufactured “meetup” ginned up by the folks at GigaOM to raise awareness about  “cord cutting”.  It’s the gaining trend of folks giving up pay TV, for content they stream from the web, on broadband connected TV’s and set top boxes.

Now when I say the world will celebrate, I mean there are just over a dozen meetups scattered across the US, and one in South America.  At last check, the one in DC has three attendees.  Cord Cutters Day is likely in some part to promote their eponymous web-series.

Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not anti cord-cutting.  I have Boxee installed on a Mac Mini that was, until recently, connected to the big TV.  I’ve got a blu-ray with Pandora, Blockbuster and YouTube installed.  I’m excited by the promise of new networks and innovative content arising from the opportunity and potential of IPTV. But in addition to my blazing fast broadband, I also have an abundant digital TV package.  I enjoy that flexibility of what and how I able to watch.

And that, friends and readers, is the world we live in today.  People will seek out hacks to get the information and content they desire – when, and on what device they want it delivered.  What will be interesting to see is whether the cord cutting “movement” will prompt a shift in how services are bundled and where networks choose to distribute content.

What media moguls fear: 2011 could become the year when increasing numbers of people watch Web TV content from sources including Netflix, iTunes, YouTube, Amazon, Vudu, Hulu Plus and Crackle — and trim or even cancel their monthly subscriptions for cable, satellite or phone company TV service.

from: Web and other options are shaking up how we watch TV by David Lieberman, USA Today

Who They Are and What They Watch?

I set out to find out the answer to these questions – on Twitter and Facebook of course.  I asked:

so apparently, the 26th is #CordCuttersDay. show of hands – who out there has cut the cord from pay TV and now solely web TV?

Turns out, quite a few people I know.  Here’s some of the responses:

Cut the cord March 2009. Hulu and online sites with on-demand content is enough for the wife and I. Since we still have Verizon FiOS I can watch ESPN3 for free. Good enough, just miss cable news stations.

-Ching-Yao Yu via Facebook

Actually, I don’t miss much. I get a little envious when friends talk about a new show, but I know that if it’s really good, I’m going to see it online soon enough

-Melissa Pierce via Facebook

we’ve been talking about it for a while. i’m concerned about Internet providers instituting tiered access though. we’ll be paying out the nose to have enough bandwidth to watch Netflix, so not sure what the benefit will be in the future. i’m watching this one evolve.

- Jen Roy Goode via Facebook

There are quite a few more responses in my Twitter favorites, echoing similar sentiments.

Where Is The Market?

For any of this cord cutting to work on a viable scale, all parties in the marketplace must be able to derive value.  Connected TV and set-top-box manufuacturers will have to move enough units to make it worthwhile for them.  Premium content providers will need to ink favorable licensing deals to make an IPTV offering worth their while.  Advertisers will have to be able to reach enough viewers to support the kind of cost-intensive programming that tends to reach a lot of viewers.  In order for the big infrastructure players to begin to un-bundle their phone-tv-internet offerings and create a la carte TV selection,  they will likely meter their bandwidth.

Finally, viewers will have to easily be able to access quality programming. Right now, those criteria just aren’t there.  Most people wouldn’t be satisfied with a diet solely of the independent TV shows available on the web.  While there is a great deal of phenomenal, economically viable, and successful independent content on the web, the viewership isn’t there to support other pieces of the puzzle.

Eric Schumacher-Rasmussen – Editor of StreamingMedia.com and OnlineVideo.net – summed it up, responding to me on Twitter.

Take a look at their An Experiment In Cord Cutting video.  It does provide some interesting insights.

People have well-formed expectations about how a TV should work, and the devices didn’t seem to confirm well to these mental models. Surfing TV channels is seamless; “tasting” unfamiliar on-demand shows includes picking them from different menu categories and waiting for them to buffer first (and often paying for them up-front). This latency is tolerated in exchange for high-consideration longer-form content but it becomes too much of a friction when all one wants is the “in-n-out” material.

- results from Hill Holliday cable cutting experiment

So while I certainly understand why people are looking into cord cutting,  I think there some people on the cutting side of the debate would like to frame this as a false choice, raising their pitchforks and torches against the infrastructure that brings the internet to their homes. Lord knows, I look at my TV/phone/internet bill each month and wonder how much overtime it will take for me to pay it.

But I consider myself to be in the middle ground here.  I like the flexibility of apps, the promise of new, niche market video content but I also like crystal clear HD network television shows on my 42″ Samsung.  Perhaps these two driving forces will push us toward consumer centric offerings.  Until then, my cord remains uncut.

What about you?  Are you a cord-cutter?  What led you to that choice.  What type of programming are you watching on the web?  What do you miss that isn’t available over the web?  Please take time to leave your voice below.

The Remnants of South by Southwest 2011

Fresh off a trip with the Secretary of Defense, with stops in Afghanistan, Germany, Belgium and Bahrain,  I had just arrived home early on the morning of March 13th, in time to do some laundry, nap for about an hour, then make my flight to Austin.  While disappointed that I had not been able to attend the first half of SXSW, I had high hopes for the remaining days of the now hugely popular conference.

This was my second tour of South by Southwest Interactive and what I have come to see is a conference whose popularity -the official tally from conference organizers puts event attendance at nearly 20,000 – has engulfed some of its usefulness and value.  If you go as an individual, you really have to be strategic with your time there to make it worthwhile, by my estimation.

It’s important here to note here this is “by my estimation”.  Your results may have been vastly different than mine.  Perhaps if I hadn’t parachuted in mid-conference coming off a grueling overseas work trip, or if I had avoided the lure of the social gatherings and gone head down into some serious panel attendance, my takeaways would’ve been different.  Still, I think to derive value from panels and keynotes you really should fan out in teams and arrive very early.  Much of the panel content is duplicative and some panels simply aren’t that good.  But there were some quality panels and keynotes, and Patrick Ruffini of Engage communications has outlined four of his favorites here.

Face to Face – It’s the People That Make the Conference

power to the people

The real, measurable value of these conferences is spending time meeting people face to face.  Frankly, you could do that without buying a pass to the conference.

While some of the parties and lounges require a badge, you can meet people and do business simply by roaming the lobby of the Hilton or Driskill, or on the main floor of the convention hall.  You can always catch the keynotes later.

With all of this ambient intimacy allowing us to keep tabs one one another – defying time and space – it’s no substitute for a handshake or a hug.  I had the opportunity to reconnect with people I hadn’t seen in years.  These meetings produced measurable value professionally, in terms of projects/plans I have in the pipeline, and at a personal level it was lovely to spend time with the folks who mean a lot to me. This is what made the trip worth it for me.

I want to especially thank ardent globetrotters Melissa and A.J. Leon along with Justin Levy, Lisa Horner and the rest of the Citrix Online folks for making me feel welcome in Austin.  I also want to send a HUGE shout out to NBC News Director of Social Media, Ryan Osborn.  Ryan and I attended social events and sessions together and it was great to mindshare with a very smart member of team NBC.

There were alot of wonderful, memorable moments for me this year.  I’ve collected some of them on my Flickr page.

No Breakout Platforms This Year

This was no coming out party for any shiny new technology like there has been for services like Twitter and Foursquare in years past.  Venerable Silicon Valley blogger Louis Gray proclaimed Hashable and Foursquare “winners” of this years confab, but other than that, there weren’t any real standouts. Like the title of this post implies, all of these platforms are evolving, and more emphasis is being placed on how people are using these tools – sometimes with wrenching geopolitical implications.  If nothing else, this demonstrates the maturity of mobile, social and location based technologies.  These thoughts are echoed in a post by IBM’s Todd Watson, also a SXSW attendee this year.

For so much of the past 10-15 years, we’ve been so enamored with the technology itself. But more recently, we’ve begun to take much more notice of what the technology can do to empower humanity and human relationships, in often profound and game-changing ways: the Green revolution in Iran, the Haiti earthquake, the Chilean mine, the recent quake/tsunami in Japan… – Todd Watson, IBM

Watson adds that all of this technology is forcing organizational change upon institutions.  Unable to keep up with the “speed of the network” governments, businesses and other command and control institutions are increasingly being outpaced by networked individuals.  This is an compelling trend that bears watching.  I’m interested in reading As One by Mehrdad Baghai and James Quigley.  In it, the authors outline many different types of organizational structures that work toward successful, unified goals.  Not the stuff of SXSW party buses, but it looks like a worthwhile read.

The Promise of Web Video at SXSW

I live, eat and breathe video.  I’m invigorated by the fact that production, distribution and monetization of video is now within the reach of anyone.  A scant few years ago this was the sole realm of broadcast and cable giants. But as with many institutions, the internet has leveled the playing field.  I see great opportunity here and am fascinated by the idea of launching a internet TV network.  In one of the more energizing conversations I attended at SXSW, IAC chairman Barry Diller described how this internet “miracle” is disrupting broadcast and cable TV dominance.

“Here you have this classic thing… You have a group of people, they’re on the train tracks. The train is five miles away. It used to be 10 miles away. In a year or two it’s going to be a mile away, and they’ll still have their hands out.” – Barry Diller, SXSW 2011

He appeared to be quite bullish on the future of internet television and believes it will be ubiquitous within three years.  More on his talk here.

Quietly, web video companies are doing something very de classe in the tech world.  Many of them are making money instead of just taking money.  Call me old fashioned, but I like that. In back-to-back “lightning round” sessions, companies like Howcast and Revision3 touted video ad CPM’s of $9, $15 and even $35.  More impressive is the potential for growth in online video.  Revision3 Chief Revenue Officer Brad Murphy shared these encouraging projections: (source: eMarketer)

• 2011 – 68% of US internet users will be watching online video at least once a month
• 2015 – 76% will be watching online video regularly
• 2010 – Marketers spent $1.5 billion in online video (up 48% from 2009)
• 2014 – Expected to grow to $5.7 billion

I sense great opportunity here and was inspired by these sessions.  One big disappointment for me this year was that I didn’t get a chance to meet Revision3 CEO Jim Louderback.  It’s impossible at something this big to see everyone you would like to, so hopefully our paths will cross soon.

Will You Go Next Year?

It’s funny, looking back on my “speed of the network” post from 2008, I have to laugh.  Once again, here I was heading to Austin on the heels of an overseas trip that required the use of body armor.  My day job puts a lot of demands on my personal life, and this makes getting to SXSW challenging.  That holds true for many of us, so we hope for a return on our investment of time, energy and money.  There have been grumblings about the quality of the event itself lately.  In a piece for the Statesman.com, technology writer Omar L. Gallaga proposes Five ways to fix SXSW Interactive. (strange title because he has enumerated ten suggestions)

I would’ve posted this recap sooner, but as soon as I got back from Austin, it was off to South America covering the President’s visit. So in the leadup to the upcoming SXSW, I want to spend more time planning on how best to spend my time there.  I think I’ll go back next year.  I’ve got a line on a condo just two blocks away, so at least that part is taken care of.  I’d say this SXSW was worth the trip, but as I noted to someone, I didn’t “love” it, I “liked it a lot”.  So what are your thoughts?  Did you go this year?  How was your experience? Would you go again?  Did you find it worthwhile? Leave comments below!

Pilgrimage to Geek Spring Break

SXSW Still Life by Becky McCray

As social media, web strategy, and tech company luminaries prepare to descend upon Austin, TX for the annual geekapalooza that is South by Southwest Interactive, it’s after some deliberation that I’ve decided to join the pilgrimage. The “why” of going isn’t some existential, intellectual – is SXSW dead – struggle for me.  Rather, it’s a practical one.  It costs a lot of money, plus time away from family and work – so pragmatically, there has to be definable value for me to go. Nonetheless, I do feel a primal, instinctive tug inside to make this migration along with the rest of the techno-herd.

My inaugural attendance was in ’08, and it was a fascinating, non-stop, overwhelming attention fest. I recall just getting settled into one event only to by tugged to the next by a group of friends. It was an exhilarating, if not exhausting – all consuming dynamic. I expect this year to be no different, magnified by the success and growth of the event itself – growth and success that are beginning to put stressors on the value of SXSW. Could SXSW ultimately collapse under the weight of its own success? Some notable detractors are suggesting it could.

The selection approach for the talks is all about popularity, and there is no obvious thematic control, and no MC, so the sessions are very uneven. Some can be great, but the majority are a rewarming of shopworn topics. The most popular talks are too crowded to admit all those that want in, so you’re lucky if you get into one in five of those.

- Stowe Boyd

Still, while I understand those criticisms, my thirst for personal and professional growth compels me to go. My means and time to attend events like this throughout the year are pretty limited and I admit a bit of envy toward folks I know who seem to be serial conference attendees. I don’t get paid to attend or speak at conferences and it’s not part of my job to be at these things. But I hunger for challenge, knowledge and the “contagion of optimism” that come from surrounding yourself with smart, driven people. I think many of these group events can expose us to new ideas and technologies, make us smarter, and invigorate our inner entrepreneurs.

Why Go to SXSW?

The crystalizing, defining moment of that experience for me is still very fresh in my mind. It’s SXSW ’08.  I’m in a minivan with the social media folks of Dell, along with Shel Israel, on our way to Salt Lick as we drive past Jeff Jarvis on our way out of town. Here were the Davids and Goliaths of “Dell Hell” and it’s fruit – this nascent, un-corraled social CRM. It was a little surreal at the time, but it kind of put a fine point on what was – and still is – happening to how institutions and us regular folk talk with one another.

Since then, web communication technology has become increasingly fast and mobile, and has transformed power structures around the world. Turn on the news if you’re not exactly sure what I’m talking about. The people who developed these technologies will be remembered and written about the same way history pays tribute to people like David Sarnoff, Guglielmo Marconi, Alexander Graham Bell, and Philo T. Farnsworth.

These modern-day communications pioneers will be walking the streets of Austin in a couple of weeks, along with the financial and promotional infrastructure that supports them. That’s where I want to be, that’s who I want to meet, that’s what I want to be a part of. The contact high alone will be worth the time, energy and money to get there. As Jeff Jarvis once said of attending South by Southwest Interactive, one goes there to “touch the zeitgeist”. (provided there are no municipal laws against such touching)

Relationships

C.C., me and Rocky - photo by Adele McAlear

Along the way, I’ve come to know some of the finest rogues, ne’r-do-wells, and upstarts to grace these here interwebs. The list is too long and you know who you are. I love you all and can’t wait to see you in Austin! Like me, you’ve been pushing rocks up mountains, whether at your work, or just shouting from the mountain top – trying to bring the horses of old thinking to the water of new media. You have taught me much and have always inspired me.

Connecting with friends old and new is the priceless part of SXSW. In fact, it’s really the best.  We all “see” each other every day on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and blogs – but connecting in person and sharing real face to face conversation is energizing and joyous.  Getting past this screen is important.  I was reminded of this by refreshingly forthright PR/Commuications pro Jeremy Pepper.  In response to my Facebook query  “What is your main conference focus this year?”, his response:

there’s supposed to be this new thing about talking to people IN REAL LIFE to create real relationships. I think it’s vaporware, though. we get so caught up in tech, that we forget the realworld relationships that are made in public.

Jeremy Pepper – via Facebook

Making the Most of SXSW

another fine SXSW ’08 photo by Becky McCray
While I don’t have a specific, strategic plan of who to meet, and where to be during my four days there, I did outline some broad reasons of why I’m determined to be there this year.

• to meet people who have pioneered entirely new ways of creating and sharing information
• to be challenged by people smarter than me and to be exposed to new ideas and new ways of seeing things
• to be part of something bigger than me
• to be with the objects in motion, not the objects at rest

I’ll be relying on the serendipity of the experience to guide me to these goals.  In fact, in many respects, SXSW is very much like your Twitter stream.  It moves by very quickly and you have to pay attention, and have your wits about you to find those interstitial moments that are pure gold.

As a practical matter, conference goers should have a good logistics/survival plan in place.  I found this great one via the serendipity of Twitter, courtesy of Dave Delaney.

Special Thanks

I want to send big shout outs to the folks at Chinwag, Airbnb and Zipcar.  Fran at Chinwag helped me score a discounted interactive pass.  Airbnb is a phenomenal site for finding short term housing rentals all over the world.  Their system is built on reputation and trust, and their payment system helps ensure that everybody in the process wins.  They helped me find a great place to stay when all of the hotels were booked solid.  Finally Zipcar has been tremendously helpful in getting my account set up.

Chris Brogan Mobile

I’ve got my Zipcard and was able (surprisingly at this late stage) to book a cool little car named “Brogan” Apparently Zipcar names their cars. Who knew?  I told my friend Chris Brogan, it was my homage to his SXSW spirit.  Finally, a HUGE shout out to WordPress core developer Andrew Nacin, who upgraded my server to php5 last night so, I could run a SWEET install of WordPress 3.1, and get this post out.

That’s my plan for SXSW ’11. What do you hope to achieve there? Who would you most like to meet? Are you a session or hallway person? Just there to party?? (not that there’s anything wrong with that) Bankrolling the trip yourself or on the company dime? Will this be your last SXSW? Do I need to buy ironic hipster clothes for this conference? These are all things I want to know! Please leave comments below.

So does your video content suck? And if it does, what are some simple things you can do to make it better?  Yeah, it’s a pretty harsh title, but it was inspired by  Jonathan Morrow’s post over at Copyblogger entitled 20 Warning Signs That Your Content Sucks.  In it he talks about how blogs have matured into very polished, structured content.

Not too long ago, most people used their blog as a sort of online journal, where people took a few minutes every day to write down their thoughts. But blogs have evolved beyond that. Now they’re more like online magazines, with highly polished content. If your posts look more like “Dear Diary” than a magazine you would see at the newsstand, you’ve probably got a problem.

- Jonathan Morrow, Copyblogger

Now it’s time for video to catch up.  At the end of this post there will be an opportunity for you to sigh up to receive an an invitation to an upcoming training webinar.   This webinar will be tailored for communicators who need to learn the strengths of simple, small format video tools – and more importantly, how to avoid the pitfalls of over-reaching.

Example of Video That Sucks

Rather than pick on someone, I decided to produce a video that demonstrates a multitude of sins.  The web is rife with these errors of omission and commission.   In the comments below, point out what you thought was wrong with the video.  There are plenty of examples of otherwise smart brands deploying videos that are this crap-tastic.  That’s too bad, because with a little guidance most folks can create videos that people will enjoy.

Quick Tips on Making Better Video

• audio – use external mics – if I have to strain to hear you, you’ve lost me
• framing – I don’t want to look up your nose – watch your headroom
• lighting – windows are light sources not backgrounds (unless you have HMI’s)
• writing – write how you speak not how you type.
• post production – add branding graphics and remove extraneous material
• get it right – do-overs are ok

As individuals, organizations and brands employ content marketing to position themselves, raise awareness, and tell their story, video is increasingly becoming a vital link in the communication chain. If you’re using video to promote your brand, you really need to take a critical look at your content.  It’s time to up your game.

There’s a need out there to better educate communicators who are adding video to their content marketing tool kit.   Many have been to conferences and seminars where social media gurus have preached the “ease” of video – and worse, that you should just start throwing up videos on your site.   Just because small HD  cameras are inexpensive, that doesn’t mean your video content should make your brand look cheap.

If learning how to get the best possible results out of your video content with the least amount of resources, consider signing up for the webinar announcement.  Or if you have some video production tips, or experiences you’ve had – good or bad – tell us your story in the comments below!

Is there any money in web video?  That question has been forefront on my mind of late.  I think the short answer is: some people are.  We’ve all heard the stories of people like Michael Buckley making a living from YouTube.  But let’s face it, Mr. Buckley’s YouTube success story is the exception, not the rule. Plus he’s an acquired taste.  As I played the video while writing this, my wife said: “make it stop or I’m going to come over there and smash your computer.”

Frankly, I’m more interested in people and companies who have created sustainable business models in this ecosystem – networks with a portfolio of successful web shows.  As two leaders in the world of web video startups celebrate notable milestones – Next New Networks, its one billionth video view and Revision3, its 5 year anniversary – the economic infrastructure of web TV seems to be maturing.

Can I Really Make Money Doing This?

In terms of how one makes money from web TV, the simplest answer is advertising/sponsorship. Regardless of what people say about “dialogue with community”, “marketing is a conversation”, “unmarketing” and other web 2.0 platitudes – the money transaction in video is audience for dollars. Trouble is, on the web, those dollars just aren’t adding up.  In this interview with Paid Content’s David Kaplan, Next New Networks CEO Lance Podell bemoans the disparate valuation of web vs. TV video viewing audiences.

We’re constantly being asked to educate and consult advertisers. And we’re more than happy to do it. Ultimately, advertisers have to put their money where their mouth is. The only way they’re going to find out what really works is to start trying new things. While we have brave advertisers, who have come back time and again—Warner Bros., Samsung, Frito Lay, Unilever—but we haven’t seen the number of advertisers that is commensurate with the pace of the viewers we are attracting.

- Lance Podell, CEO Next New Networks via PaidContent

That said, I think the key is to balance targeted, niche content (you’re not going to win on the commodities of generalized content) with a desirable level scale, demonstrating those key elements to potential customers (advertisers), and creating a price point that sustains your efforts and satisfies your customers.

In my mind, you need to create a sustainable competitive advantage in order to be successful.  TV is tricky in that regard.  There are always new shows nipping at your heels and audience taste is mercurial.  But part of being competitive in media is anticipating those challenges and creating new offerings.  While big media relies on celebrity, the web often derives value from social currency or trust.  Many successful web shows are hosted by trusted sources in their topic or niche.  A few years ago it would’ve been simple enough to just start creating video awesomeness and aggregate a sustainable audience.  Now there are just too many players.  So, if you’re thinking of creating web video for profit,  I would say to you:

• refine, with laser focus, what your show would be and who you would want to reach
• define how it is differentiated from competitors
• look where advertisers are spending now and create an offering that appeals to them (baby boomers?)
• do market research
• create a concept statement about your show and shop it around to potential customers
• from positive feedback, I’d write a business plan and take a hard look at costs/revenue projections

Thinking it Through

It is a complex ecosystem with a lot of moving parts – giving the prospective media entrepreneur a lot to think about.  But such is the life of a micro-media-mogul.  As you think about your show idea,  you’ll need to really define why people need to watch your show.  You’ll also need to consider the expectation for higher production value in web TV.  Many people are watching video “over the top”,  via devices connected to big screen TV’s.  It takes a few more steps to “tune in” to a web video show.  How are you making it worth the extra effort?  Why do people need to come back to your show?

These are just some thoughts that I’ve been kicking around.  Do you have a web show idea?  Are you thinking of launching one?  Have you thought it through?  What have I missed here?