The World According To Rich

The Vlogger Interviews: Teen Entrepreneur Andrew Brackin

2012-01-22T17:11:00.000-08:00

In a few months, seventeen year-old Andrew Brackin will graduate from high school. The London, UK resident will have time to pursue the things he loves - and dive full-time into his ambition to be a web entrepreneur. He's been a part-time entrepreneur for most of his teen years, and has several web-based projects already behind him.

His own journey began when he was just 13, and began vlogging on YouTube - building an audience and making friends across the UK and around the world - and introducing him to the world of entrepreneurship. He could be called, I suppose, a child of social media, with a network and a sensibility that almost certainly will set his generation apart from those before.

Though he's already achieved modest success, he has no illusions about where's he's at - and where he needs to go, "I don't think I'm anywhere near "there" yet - I feel I'm at step one of many, many steps."

One of earliest projects, tunevibez.com [no longer in operation], evolved out of day-long experiment in music streaming, and evolved into a year long experiment. After finding that licensing mainstream artists would be too expensive and complicated, he personally contacted hundreds of independent artists and record labels to secure their permission - and created a 24/7 operation that involved more than a dozen DJ's - all friends he'd made through YouTube and other social media (with BillTVMacon providing an automated voice for the station when DJ's weren't available. Though Tunevibez never made money, "it was great fun," and expanded his community of friends and followers.

Today, he's the co-founder of getdealy.com, a Groupon-like site aimed at a tech-minded audience. It has eighty thousand members worldwide so far, offering discounts on specialized products like font packs, ftp software, and productivity software. It's continued to help raise Andrew's profile, generating media interviews - and even a brief mention in the Wall Street Journal's "Marketwatch" column.

As Andrew moves on, he's already giving back to other young entrepreneurs. He's careful to say he doesn't offer advice - but the benefit of his experience. He encourages other like-minded teens to "break every rule...failure is good. I've failed many times."

He also offers a perspective to other teens that might leave some of his older counterparts scratching their heads. It makes perfect sense, in this author's opinion, if you take into account a teen just beginning to comprehend the possibilities ahead.

"Lots of people talk about business plans, and I just feel like, you know, if you have one set vision, when you write a business plan right at the start of your company, and that's the time when you're company's going to change the most...because you do all this early learning about the market, just naturally, reading about other companies, or contacting your first partners, or customers, you'll learn really big lessons which will change your company and essentially, if you have a business plan, it's very hard to do that, your mind is set.

"So basically, don't be worried, don't be afraid to make mistakes, and if you work on something long enough and hard enough, and listen to the people around you, you will be able to succeed. "

This year, upon graduation from high school, Andrew's ready to take his ambitions to the next level. He intends to come to Silicon Valley and work on an as-yet-undisclosed new project. "I'd like to do something really disruptive," he says. He hopes, of course, to eventually pursue start-up and/or venture capital funding, following the path of so many tech entrepreneurs before him.

After chatting with Andrew, however, I can't help but anticipate how his powerfully connected generation might impact the established tech world, as the Gates and Jobs generation shook up the tech world in the 70's.

More on Andrew Brackin: http://zerply.com/andrew

The Vlogger Interviews: Noah [Knowahsark]

2012-01-07T19:48:00.000-08:00

If you really want to understand the massive impact that online video is only beginning to bring to the media industry, it's important to go right to the prime audience - the teens that are not only consuming online entertainment, but creating it as well.

18 year-old Noah is a freshman in college. He's both an enthusiastic member of the vlogging audience, and an occasional vlogger himself (he's Knowahsark on YouTube). In many ways he's typical of the more media savvy of his generation. Like many of his friends, he's found YouTube content more attractive than typical television fare. He's also a new perspective that's likely keeping traditional media executives awake at night.

"I definitely think YouTube videos / online media is more appealing," he says, "and that might have to do with growing up with the internet, around the internet. I mean I've been online, on MySpace and Zynga, those sort of things since 5th grade. And so I think that might play a part, but I think just seeing what other people can create without...big television networks and crews and that sort of thing - people can create their own content, which I find just as, if not more entertaining than what's on TV. For instance, like, I've been watching the VlogBrothers for years now (which sounds really weird to say). I just find it so much more engaging and interactive and you feel more a part of it, I guess."

While traditional media outlets (and individuals) continue to experiment with web-series and bonus content, true connectivity - the kind that Noah's generation demands - remains the domain of his peers. Trying to fit old media programming into a new media package is proving impractical. Though he hasn't yet met any of his vlogging friends "in real life," he connects on a regular basis with friends worldwide using social media tools - Twitter, Facebook and Skype. It's not possible - or practical - to connect with mainstream media creators, nor easy to interact, "You know, it's not like you can leave comments right there on your favorite TV show you're watching. At least it's not as easy. I suppose you could write letters," he jokes.

He first became aware of vlogging during "Vlog Every Day April" (VEDA), a yearly tradition of sorts in which vloggers attempt to vlog throughout the month as a effort to help popularize their work. Noah discovered Neriman, one of YouTube's top vloggers, during the campaign, and through him discovered the vlogging community.

"It kind of amazed me that there was such an extensive community behind all this. Prior to that, I'd only watching Smosh, by friends showing me a video, or Daxflame."

Seeing the fun that the vloggers seemed to be having - and their social interaction, Noah began vlogging.

Perhaps one of the trickiest challenges for professional media creators in attempting to create online content is to comprehend the nature of online content. The reality will continue to both intrigue and frustrate many of my colleagues. Noah explains, "The vlogs that I'm attracted to are the ones that feel more home-grown. The ones where it's just another person with a camera there just talking to you. I've actually been kind of turned off lately by some of the larger scale channels, where it's feeling too much of a production."

Noah mentions top vlogger Charlie McDonnell, Charlieissocoollike on YouTube - as an example of someone who's doing it right.

"I would say he's probably the best of example of someone who has gotten to the high pedestal he's on in terms of YouTube, but still managed to make his videos feel like they are just a kid at home talking to his computer, even though he does so much more than that now."

Noah's perspecitve, I believe, is further proof that online video isn't simply an extension of what already exists - it's a whole different animal.

The Uncanny Valley of "TinTin"

2012-01-04T22:32:00.000-08:00

My latest 5-minute audio podcast - exploring the strange uneasiness I felt while watching "The Adventures of TinTin" The "Uncanny Valley" of "TinTin" (mp3)

Echoes of Hollywood History: Visiting My Dad's Old Office

2012-01-03T21:56:00.000-08:00

A five minute Audio Podcast contemplating a recent visit to what was once my dad's office.

Echoes of Hollywood History: Visiting My Dad"s Old Office (mp3)

You can check out more of my podcasts at: http://audioboo.fm/WorldAccordingtoRich

The Vlogger Interviews: Ali Jardine [RogueBlueJay]

2011-12-30T16:44:00.000-08:00

London-based RogueBlueJay - 20 year-old Ali Jardine - has been vlogging on YouTube since 2008. He's a passionate content creator whose experience creating online video and in the YouTube community has inspired him to take his craft to an entirely new level as he begins to study the craft of filmmaking.

In my last Vlogger Interview, I spoke with BillTVMacon, a broadcast veteran with decades of experience in radio and television. He began his own vlogging "career" at Ali's urging - and recommended that I take on RogueBlueJay for my next interview.

Through vlogging, Ali's learned not only the basics of filmmaking - but the art of visual storytelling. He's already beginning to develop a a vision as to the sort of films he'd like to make.

Ali's favorite film is Mean Creek, an intense 2004 Jacob Aaron Estes film about a bullied teen's brother luring the bully into the woods for vengeance. Ali works to achieve in his vlogging and filmmaking what he believes Mean Creek achieved - a sense of reality and emotional authenticity.

In many ways, Ali may represent an exciting (some of my colleagues in the traditional media industry might say subversive) new generation of filmmakers more attuned to creating for and responding to an audience than any that came before them. While most YouTubers won't become filmmakers - those like Ali who are passionate about their craft are going to bring with them not only a new approach to filmmaking, but a camaraderie forged in these early days of online video.

"I think that in that in the film industry, or whatever that happens to be in 10 or 20 years, doing YouTube will be almost a sort of almost secret handshake, far more important than film school, or anything like that," Ali speculates.

With affordable technology, he adds, the old adage that "writers write" can now also be applied to filmmaking - "filmmakers film."

"You don't need any sort of permission to make stuff these days - you just need a camera and a few friends."

Vlogger Interview: Bill Elder [BillTVMacon]

2011-12-18T08:53:00.000-08:00

Today's Vlogger Interview features Bill Elder, known on YouTube as BillTVMacon. He's based in Macon, Georgia, and has had a long career in broadcast radio - including thirty years as a DJ. That experience definitely shows. His vlog is funny, well edited, and responsive to his subscribers the vlogging community around the world. He has an amazing ability to create content that has an appeal across all age groups on YouTube. AND, if that isn't enough, he's a nice guy.

Though the Vlogger Interview is usually ten minutes long, I sometimes have great conversations that go on quite a bit longer. I'm considering an audio podcast that would, among other things, include in-depth interviews with a number of vloggers that's you've met here. What do you think?

The Vlogger Interviews: Curt Phillips [OhCurt]

2011-12-15T08:54:00.000-08:00

Today's Vlogger Interview features Curt Phillips - OhCurt on YouTube - he's a vlogger with a cinematic sense, and a vlogging veteran with over five years behind him. In this interview, learn how Curt actually began developing his vlogging style in the 1980's - and the single greatest reason he keeps it up to this day.

If you haven't seen it yet, here's the powerful video by young Jacob Mowry, to whom Curt refers to in this video. This video, though posted months ago, went viral just a couple of weeks ago. Here's Curt's own response.

Are We Expecting Too Much? Motion Capture and the “The Adventures of TinTin”

2011-12-12T21:53:00.000-08:00

I recently had the opportunity to see The Adventures ofTinTin, the Steven Spielberg 3D motion capture film based on Hergé’s iconic European comic books of the mid-20th Century (here's the main TinTin Site). The film is visually spectacular - a real showcase for state-of-art-graphics technology. Whereas Hugo combines live actors and CGI technology, TinTin is entirely a computer graphics creation.

Used Under Fair Use

Simply put, The Adventures of TinTin is the story of a boy/young man detective (his age is unspecified) and his trusty canine sidekick, Snowy on an international adventure in search of a lost pirate's treasure. It's a comic book come to life as never before - on sea, in the air - and on land - including some truly wild stunts that would have been almost unthinkable in a conventional film.

Working with Peter Jackson’s WETA Digital, which provided animation and special effects, Spielberg doesn't attempt to create photorealistic human actors. The motion picture version of the TinTin character is a representation of the comic book version (early in the film, a street artist creates a caricature of the reimagined TinTin that brings the two interpretations together). Like most cartoons, foreheads might be large, noses might be big - proportions aren't quite "right." This isn’t a cartoon, though. This occupies a special territory somewhere between real and imagined.

As I watched TinTin, I found myself wondering how much more of an experience this film would have been with live actors. Though the motion capture technology used here really allows for an effective "performance," I felt a curious emotional detachment from the characters and experiences on screen.

Is such a comparison fair? After all, TinTin is clearly a comic book character. This is "The Adventures of TinTin," not the coming of age of TinTin. As an adventure, it's succeeds probably beyond any previous comic book adaption. Even in this success, though, there's a unsettling awareness that something's missing.

The advancing nature of the technology, in my opinion, is creating a subtle expectation of humanity. With the creation of characters like TinTin, with his full range of emotions and human-like movement, we're beginning to instinctually expect these creatures to be more human, with all of the imperfections and inconsistencies that entails. Though TinTin's performance is motion captured (from actor Jamie Bell), even the most sensitive motion capture can't recreate the distinctive human texture that makes a live performance wholly unique. As biological creatures, humans are never perfect. Even so-called “beautiful people” simply inhabit imperfections that happen to be considered attractive. Humans are not symetrical. We aren’t “believeable,” we’re simply the real thing. TinTin is engaging, but he can’t quite generate empathy, even in him most harrowing moments.

I highly recommend seeing both The Adventures of TinTin and Martin Scorcese’s Hugo back-to-back to gain a real perspectives on both the wonder and (current) limitations of CGI and motion capture technology. Both are cinematic masterpieces – and enjoy the most effective 3D yet. Compare the performance of Asa Butterfield as Hugo and the motion-capture interpretation of Jamie Bell's performance as TinTin.

Let me know what you think.

The Vlogger Interviews: Gabe Gerrard [TheresGabe]

2011-12-08T19:16:00.001-08:00

In this latest episode of The Vlogger Interviews, I speak via Skype with Gabe Gerrard of Salt Lake City, Utah. Gabe, along with his wife and son, create content across several channels, including TheresGabe . Gabe loves the camera, and even though he now works in an industry about as far from the entertainment world as you can get, you'll learn about his role in a certain classic kid's movie. Perhaps that was just his warm-up for his vlogging career....

Enjoy the Vlog!

The Vlogger Interviews: Margaret Fabrizio [ATree3]

2011-12-04T21:06:00.001-08:00

Here's a very special Vlogger Interview with Margaret Fabrizio, ATree3 on YouTube. Margaret is a livelong creative artist. As her website notes, she began her study of piano six weeks before her third birthday. She's been a pianist, harpsichordist - and for 25 years was on the faculty of Stanford University. She's a writer, visual artist, filmmaker - and an active and prolific Vlogger.

Margaret's creative and dynamic use of the vlogging canvas sets the bar high for all of us. In fact, she might very well represent the elusive soul of Vlogging...

Enjoy the interview!

Why I Think Vloggers Should See "Hugo"

2011-11-30T13:15:00.000-08:00

Martin Scorsese's new film, Hugo is a rare film that combines rich effects and an intimate story in an experience that is both emotional and visually stunning. It's also a tribute to the earliest days of motion pictures.

Based on Brian Selznick's New York Times best-seller, "The Invention of Hugo Cabret," Hugo is the adventure of a clever and resourceful boy living on his own in the hidden upper reaches of a magnificent Paris railway station nearly one hundred years ago. Left to maintain the fanciful clockworks in the station after his uncle disappears, Hugo embarks on a search to solve a mystery left by his father, and in the process also discovers an entirely new life.

An important aspect of the film is Hugo's connection to real-life filmmaking pioneer George Méliès, whose one minute film A Trip to the Moon, created in 1902, is considered cinema's first blockbuster. A former magician, he produced over five hundred films in his short career, and is considered the father of special effects: the first double exposure, the split screen, and the dissolve are just a few of his innovations. He was also the first to use storyboards in the preparation of his films. He was also a pioneer in meteoric rise and fall of a film career - he was bankrupt and largely forgotten by 1910. As in Hugo's fictional tale Melies was eventually rediscovered and enjoyed in his later years the adulation he deserved.

The boy Hugo is a fan of the movies, so we're treated to both original and recreated clips from many of Méliès films, and even meticulously recreated behind the scenes footage. We'll see some of the classic faces of early cinema, including Harold Lloyd (whose stunt hanging from a huge clock face is recreated as Hugo is suspended outside an impossibly tall clock tower).

Apart from such direct visual connections, Hugo itself is a tribute to the artistry of motion pictures. Presented in 3D, and featuring a seamless marriage of live action and digital imagery, we experience somewhat of the sense of wonder early moviegoers must have felt.

I tend to draw a direct parallel between early filmmakers like Méliès, who fearlessly produced hundreds of short films in a quest to develop their new craft, and serious online content creators, who are essentially doing the same thing in thousands of far flung locations. I don't believe many vloggers and webseries creators are aware of the history of early cinema, so I would hope that many see Scorsese's film, and draw the parallel themselves.

Méliès wasn't simply a entrepreneur out to make money - he loved exploring his craft and seeking out new ways of bringing the wonder of motion pictures to his audience.

That spirit of creativity and risk-taking eventually drove motion pictures to become a major force in creative expression; there are still lessons to be learned from the pioneers of early cinema.

The Vlogger Interviews: Matt Dean [HelloItsMasterHulk]

2011-11-28T19:37:00.001-08:00

This Vlogger Interview features 19 year-old Matt Dean of Essex, UK, whose channel, HelloItsMasterHulk has gone through a number of transformations since it began in 2009. One thing, however, has remained consistant - Matt considers himself a member of a very real community - and, I think, works to be a good citizen of that community. Amidst his comedy and commentary, he'll take the time to speak out on vlogging community issues that are important to him.

For those unfamiliar with the world of vlogging, this world still seems like a odd subculture consisting of hundreds of thousands of individuals talking into their cameras, alone in their rooms, separate and removed from human interaction. Matt's a good example of how many rank-and-file vloggers - in other words, the majority that aren't YouTube celebrities - are not simply content creators, but neighbors, too.

Enjoy the vlog!

The Vlogger Interviews: ErikTV365

2011-11-25T16:50:00.001-08:00

In the latest episode of The Vlogger Interviews, I spoke with Erik of ErikTV365, a family vlog based in Dallas, Texas. Erik's made the commitment that he's going to vlog every day for the rest of his life. In the world of YouTube, where gimmicks and imitation sometimes seem like the norm, Erik's channel is a little bit different: it has a purpose.

Erik's a survivor of testicular cancer. He decided to start vlogging during his chemotherapy, when he watched other YouTube family channels, and found that "it boosted my spirits - it help me to realize that there's more than just dwelling on something." He wants his children - and as time went on, his audience - to know that "no matter what obstacles are thrown at them in life, that they can always have a happy day." It's a philosophy he follows on his vlog - and in his life.

Watch the vlog is learn more about how this channel came about, and how Erik maintains his vlogging commitment every day of the year.

Your Vlogging Legacy

2011-11-23T21:27:00.000-08:00

One hundred and eight years ago, the first member of my grandmother's family came to America, thanks to the sponsorship of another family that preceded ours. Though they were always considered family to the generations that followed, the true nature of the association - how we were related - was lost in the past. Recent DNA testing finally proved that we were, indeed, cousins - a relationship that likely originated in 19th century Russia. We recently had a reunion with members of that family - individuals whom we'd never met, but whose families had a pivotal role in our own history.

The search to find that distant common ground - one of the key attractions to exploring one's genealogy - takes on new meaning in the age of online video.

When I started my "Vlogger Interview" project on YouTube, my intention was to seek out a better understanding of this powerful and rapidly changing means of expression. As I talk to more and more vloggers, I've realized that preserving our collective history is an important part of the process.

Vlogger Andy Gunton (Andymooseman on YouTube) has recorded over 700 vlogs over the past several years on a wide variety of topics ranging from history to politics to music. He made an important point in his vlogger interview that in creating those videos, he's also creating a legacy - a time capsule of sorts - of who he is, what he believes - essentially, a gift to his descendants.

We're recording and preserving our personal history as never before. As time moves on, and our era is consigned to the (digital) history books, future historians and genealogists will have direct access to, as Richard Reyonlds (BusterSenshi, another interview subject) puts it, the Zeitgeist of modern society. In an upcoming interview, ErikTV365 is driven to post a vlog every day of his life - sharing his family's daily adventures - and expressing an appreciation of his own life as a cancer survivor - preserving his family history, but also, his very nature. By simply pursing his hobbies and interests through his social media channels, teen vlogger Harrison Houde (xTurnipTimex - here's his interview) will one day be able to recall aspects of his own coming of age more directly than any previous generation.

Traces of family members from generations past won't disappear as thoughts, ideas, friendships, conflicts and opinions will preserve part of their essence. We'll have the opportunity (or curse?) to learn more about ourselves from our ancestors - or even our younger selves.

What will your distant descendants perceive of you from your social media - your Facebook posts, your tweets, your vlogs, your photos - and your YouTube videos - and of the media you post publicly on a regular basis?

Is it you?

Steve Jobs Wasn't Cuddly. Neither Are You.

2011-11-20T09:20:00.001-08:00

"Steve Jobs," the new biography of the tech icon by author Walter Issacson, is a fascinating story of one of the most successful innovators of recent times. Issacson succeeds not only because his subject is complicated and contradictory, wildly successful though deeply troubled, but because, really, Steve Jobs' character is accessible.

It's worth recalling that Jobs only hit his true stride in this century. Though Apple began in 1970's, it could have died the death of other early computer companies - and it almost did. It's status today as one of the most successful American businesses of all time is directly related to the lessons that Jobs learned throughout his career, which included a forced exile from his beloved company for eleven years, during which he created another computer company (NeXT) and became the patron saint of another iconic brand (Pixar).

Jobs was famously volatile, but loyal (when he wanted to be). He developed an intuition for product design and development which led his company to create the technology that has transformed our times, yet his single-minded focus - his obsessive personality - may have prevented him from seeking medical help at a time when it might have saved his life.

The biography is effective precisely because Issacson doesn't lift Jobs onto a pedestel. He was an imperfect human being, like every other human being.. As time moves on, and his directly hand on Apple product fades into the past, his legacy may shift into one of a man who succeeded in spite of himself - and which is really the story of all of us.

The Vlogger Interviews: Harrison Houde [xTurnipTimex]

2011-11-18T18:50:00.001-08:00

Today's Vlogger Interview features Harrison Houde, a teen YouTuber from Vancouver, Canada. He's also a professional actor (he was in the first "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" film as Darren Walsh - the kid with the "Cheese Touch"). He's also a podcaster, a blogger, a young entrepreneur - and an entirely new kind of young filmmaker (and just about a universe away from my super-8 days!)

I chose Harrison as my first teen vlogger interview for several reasons. He's interested in learning and improving his creative process as an actor and vlogger - and shares his experiences and advice as an actor and vlogger with other young YouTubers.

He's also a hard worker. At the first VidCon, I doubt whether there were many attendees who didn't, at some point, see Harrison and his dad racing around the conference, as he made himself known to as many YouTubers as possible (and earning a few valuable shout-outs that helped build his channel).

Harrison, of course, has the extraordinary self-confidence that young actors need, but manages to balance ambition with a positive attitude. In short, I think he's a good citizen of the YouTube community.

After you've checked out the interview, check out Harrison's main YouTube channel at http://youtube.com/xturniptimex

[Interested in being interviewed? Know someone who you would like to recommend? Let me know!]

The Blogger Interviews: Steve Miller [QiRanger]

2011-11-08T18:29:00.000-08:00

I think you'll enjoy this week's Vlogger Interview, featuring Steve Miller, known on YouTube as QiRanger.

Steve has a voice that comes out loud and clear not just through his YouTube channel, but across his social media landscape: his blog, his podcast - even his Tweets. He's not trying to sell anything, or build celebrity. He's sharing an adventure. As an American teaching English in South Korea, he takes viewers on a voyage through a country it's history, and it's culture.

"Predominantly I focus on travel, not only here in Korea, but also around the world. Most of my content is related to traveling abroad outside the United States, and in addition to that, I work here in Korea as an English intructor, so I do have some content related to life in Korea and live as an English instructor here in Korea, but I also write about cultural issues, historical issues, I have a podcast, and I just try to share a wealth of information that I think people would find interesting who have not been to Asia and specifically to Korea."

Steve is more proof that the best content is created through passion. Subscribers, and a YouTube partnership are only part of the equation. The quality and consistency of his content caught the attention of the South Korean government.

"I have an incredible amount of fun - it's something I enjoy doing. It is a job. I do get money from being a YouTube partner, but I also write articles for the Korean government to help them with their tourism. I also appear once or twice a month on a local English-language radio station here to talk about travel as well. So, there is certainly a business side to it, but for me, it's about fun."

Social media creators are like conductors, I think, leading an orchestra made up of a universe of social media platforms. If they can reach the sometimes elusive goal of creating content across that platforms that work together - than they can, in effect, create beautiful social media music. Defining just what that is might be is wildly different from person to person, I think Steve's approach is a good example of how to do it right - and, as the saying goes - do what you love, and the rest will follow.

Where's the Vision? First Impressions of Blogworld

2011-11-05T20:39:00.000-07:00

This week, I visited BlogWorld & New Media Expo 2011 at the Los Angeles Convention Center, which was promoted as "The first and only industry-wide conference, tradeshow & media event for all new media." It was jam-packed with seminars, a busy exhibition hall, numerous networking opportunities, book signings, parties and plenty of one-on-one time with noted bloggers from around the world. In the one day I spent there, I gained a great deal of perspective and information - but I was with one nagging question: Where's the vision?

Blogworld is, first and foremost, about the business of blogging (and, despite the title, only touching a bit on new media). Like many trade shows, It's an expensive proposition - full price for the entire convention could set you back nearly thirteen hundred dollars (hence my one-day visit). For professionals in any field, there's a true value in attending events like these, and improving both your knowledge and legitimacy in your chosen profession. In the blogging world, however, I soon felt the pricing might be a bit steep for the blogging world at large.

The highlight of the day was Shani Higgin's presentation of Technorati's State of the Blogosphere report - a thorough, though sobering - in-depth look at the world of blogging. You can find it on Technorati's website. For me the most important message was that blogging just isn't a lucrative profession - at least directly. Even among those who described themselves as professional full-time bloggers, only 37% report that they derive their primary income from blogging (in other words, blogging only supplements their income).

A good portion of the exhibition floor at Blogworld was dedicated to firms that paired bloggers with advertisers, matched bloggers with commercial firms to provide writing services on their own blogs or on company sites, or provided analyzation tools to allow bloggers to better understand and serve their readers. There were also plenty of books (and book signings) on how to increase readership and/or make money with one's blog.

After Technorati's report, however, which I felt showed blogging as a stagnant industry, I couldn't escape the nagging feeling that there was too much emphasis on the industry as it is, and too little on transforming and bringing it to a wider audience.

I'm certainly not an expert on the blogging world, and this was my first blogging-centric conference, but it seems to me that there should be be more emphasis on growing the universe of readers and/or viewers - and making it possible for more bloggers to benefit and - yes - make a living in this field, if that's what they choose to do.

I look forward to your thoughts.

The Vlogger Interviews: Peter Ilagan [JourneysOfLifeVlogs]

2011-11-03T20:45:00.000-07:00

This episode of my webseries, "TheVlogger Interviews" features Peter Illagan, known on YouTube at JourneysOfLifeVlogs.

Just who are Vloggers, anyway? Yes, the obvious answer is that they're "video bloggers," but that's too simple an answer, I think. They're not filmmakers, as we've come to understand the craft (and anyway, that's a dated term). YouTubers are often called "content creators," but that's a term that seems awfully bland for what the site has come to represent.

Peter Ilagan, of the YouTube channel, Journeysoflifevlogs, has found expression for himself as an artist in a several different forms - as a sketch artist, as a painter - and as a writer. In fact, he began his YouTube experience after publishing his book of short stories, Journeys of Life. He saw social media at first as a way to promote his book, but rapidly discovered that he liked creating videos and posting them online.

"I've come to realize that I like the aspect of making videos for YouTube social media because it gives me a chance to be more creative, obviously, and just express my thoughts in a way I never could have imagined. I mean, I'm a little more funny in the videos that I expected to be I guess, and I just like the fact that I can put it together in like a two or three minute video and just put it out there for people to see and just really enjoy and hopefully entertain them."

Some might call that a thirst for immediate gratification, but if you're an artist - you know that there's huge satisfaction in knowing that you're actually reaching and touching your audience. I asked Peter if he's a writer who vlogs, or a vlogger who writes. His answer, I think, sums up the multi-dimesional canvas that, thanks to technology, is at our fingertips - and makes defining social media-centered artists so hard to define.

"I don't look at myself as a writer who vlogs, or a vlogger who writes. I look at myself more as a vlogger who creates, using whatever means I feel is the best way to express my creativity."

Take a look at Peter's interview here or on my YouTube channel, and then check out Peter's main channel.

And if you really want the full "Journeys of Life" experience, here's a secret: make sure you follow him on Twitter - he's got a wickedly dry sense of humor. And I don't use the word "wickedly" too often...

Siri and Milo, Sitting in a Tree

2011-11-02T12:52:00.000-07:00

Ever since Siri, the voice recognition/voice synthesis AI device on the iPhone 4s came out, I've been thinking about Milo.

Here's Apple's own demo of Siri - word is that it lives up to expectations.

Milo [see my most recent post, here], you may recall, was a game concept that Peter Molyneux and Lionhead Studios introduced for the Xbox 360's Kinect project. It would have allowed the user to interact with the main character in the game, and so impact his actions as the plot unfolded. The demo seemed extraordinary - but unfortunately, the gamed seemed so much vaporware.

But, what a concept!

Siri, which so far is only available on the new iPhone, is a voice recognition and response system that gain knowledge and sophistication now only from the user - but the entire universe of users. It has, so far, proven to correctly respond to voice inquiries and respond in a natural nearly-human cadence.

When the Milo project was revealed, just two years ago, it's capabilities as described were similar in concept - and would have created a spectacular flagship game for Xbox Kinect add-on, which aims to allow gaming to interact more naturally with the user - through body movement and, it was said, voice synthesis.

It never happened.

Details of the game concept for Milo were sketchy. It involved an English boy transplanted with him parents to America, where, it seems, he has trouble fitting in. He also has a faithful dog, Kate, that accompanies him on the (dark?) adventures.

Poor Milo was derided, of course. The fact that the main character was a little boy led to endless insinuations by doubtful gamers that he would be a plaything for all sorts of bizarre individuals.

Now that Siri has proved the concept, imagine if that little boy was Damien Thorn, the little boy from "The Omen," or Freddy Krueger from the "Nightmare on Elm Street" movies - or the terrifying Hannibal Lector from "Silence of the Lambs." What if you were to interact directly with these characters as you worked your way through the game. Such interaction, I think, could bring a new level of terror separate and apart from any motion picture or gaming experience. Interacting with Hannibal Lector is one thing - talking directly to him as Jodie Foster's character is another.

With the sophistication and crowd-developed knowledge base of Siri, it's now conceivable to create fully immersive virtual reality environments. What just recently was pure science fiction is clearly within reach. "Virtual Reality," in fact, has been stuck in a sort of stasis for a while as interactive technology has caught up public expectations.

I used to darken the lights with a friend's son and play the early computer game, "Alone in the Dark," which involved wondering through a vast mansion and avoiding all sorts of perils. It was frightening - but imagine actually responding to that ghostly voice, or having to verbally answer a question correctly at the peril of "death."

Imagine being in the middle of a zombie apocalypse - or a civil war battlefield - or immersing yourself with the fictional culture of the alien world of Avatar. Even better - imagine meeting and interacting directly with your favorite hero (we'll leave the ethical challenges of re-creating and interpreting a historical person or event for another discussion).

It's astounding that Microsoft and Lionhead killed the Milo project, particularly when critical pieces of the necessary tech are now real and tangible.

I haven't yet seen any indication that the tech behind "Siri" is being developed for game systems - but Apple being what it is, one wonders if there's a visionary somewhere within the company working to redefine gaming as we know it. They've done it with so much other tech, so who knows...

The Vlogger Interviews: Will Massenburg [CreativeSoulTV]

2011-10-28T20:23:00.000-07:00

Viginia-based Will Massenburg, known on YouTube as CreativeSoulTV is today's Vlogger Interview - my blog and webseries looking at the world of vlogging, from the vloggers themselves.

Will Massenburg is, indeed, a creative soul. His Twitter account describes him as "Director/Cartoonist/Geek/Flawed Genius/Blogger/Tech Enthusiast/Apple Fan/Video Maker/Podcaster/Movie Lover." By day, he's a professional graphic artist - by his own description, he's naturally quiet and reserved. It's almost like Clark Kent and Superman - Superman being his YouTube personality. Superman was on full display during my recent Vlogger Interview, as Will greeted me in a full Halloween disguise.

On his YouTube channel, Will is UNreserved, outward, funny, irreverent - and sometimes downright wacky - he's clearly having a great time.

"Vlogging waas something that I got into that sort of opened me up, and exposed me to the world, I guess - and here I am!"

Will's background as a graphic artist really shines in even his simplest "walking vlogs," shot using a serious of gadgets and contraptions that allow him to suspend his camera beyond arm's length in front of him, shooting back to give the viewer perspective that includes a wide vista of the scene behind him, and making each video a visual - as well as informational - experience.

"When I first started YouTube, I didn't understand the whole vlogging thing. I thought it was kind of crazy. You're exposing yourself, you're talking about your life. Some of them can be boring, some exciting, comical. But the more I got into it, the more I understood the whole concept of vlogging... I started understanding the little communities inside YouTube by just watching a lot of videos. I started commenting on videos, rating them, subscribing to people, and that's how I started building my own little community, or fitting into a community.

Will doesn't tell many people that he's on YouTube. The idea of vlogging is still alien to most outside the online community. They think "it's just this crazy site, where you see these crazy videos and things like that. I get the question, "Why are you on YouTube? What are you doing on YouTube? Why are you videotaping yourself, why are you talking to a camera?"

Part of Will's motivation is in the technology. He loves the editing, music - the overall process of putting a video together. He also appreciates the personal challenge, "The more and more I do it, the comfortable I feel in front of people. I'm basically shy, and vlogging kind of brings me out and makes me more of a social butterfly. I know it's kind of hard to believe, I guy who's wearing a silly hat, saying crazy things, but - nobody's watching right now. If I was in front of a crowd of people, I would probably just freeze up."

Will summed up his love for vlogging in a simple, but universal expression:

"I feel like a kid in a candy store."

The Vlogger Interviews: Ken Goldstein [Kenrg]

2011-10-25T19:02:00.000-07:00

"The Vlogger Interviews" is an ongoing series of vlogs and blogs exploring the definition of vlogging – from the vlogger's perspective, If you like this interview, I would appreciate your subscription to http://youtube.com/worldaccordingtorich on YouTube.

2006 is only five years ago, but in the world of YouTube, it's practically an eternity.

"It was a magical era," says Ken Goldstein, known as KENRG on YouTube and across the social media landscape - he's one of YouTube's early vloggers. He was already a long-time blogger when he first came across the site - in fact, he was looking for video footage to supplement a blog post, and then discovered that YouTube offered the video equivelent of what he was already doing. He discovered Renetto, one of YouTube's earliest "stars," a spritied, outspoken raconteur, among other things, "and I thought, well, if he can do this, just sitting in front of a camera and talking to a camera and sharing it, I can certainly give that a try."

The idea of a social network was still new, then. MySpace was primarily for kids, Facebook was in it's earliest stages, and Twitter didn't even exist. In you wanted to interact socially online, YouTube was the best place to be.

"I think one of the most brilliant things that YouTube did in the early days that helped the community and the art of vlogging...was the video response...not just that you could comment, but I could comment on your comment." Through their videos, directly attached as comments to another's vlogger's video, a video conversation followed, "That's really where it stated, and that's the magic of where it started in 2006, when there was a limited universe of us vlogging back and forth with each other."

With file uploads limited to 100 megabytes, YouTuber's had few other options, "You had to be short, do high quality stuff that was very short, or you could talk forever, but make your file so small that it was grainy, but it didn't matter. It didn't matter."

Ken isn't by any means dismissive of the dramatic changes over the years on YouTube - he remains a regular user and viewer - he was one of the first members of the partnership program. The social media universe has changed, however. "Now, even if I load something to YouTube, half my audience is watching it on Facebook, and leaving their comments there. A lot of people are watching on a mobile device, and can't leave a comment at all. We're not watching on the same page, in the same manner, and that's also kind of broken up the conversation."

With higher quality video, longer post limits, and the partnership program, the YouTube universe expanded, changed and evolved. Some people are here in search of celebrity, others to make money - but many are here for community. The small world that YouTube once was may no longer exist, but in it's place are countless "neighborhoods," of friends and co-creators forming bonds as strong as Ken's friends when the site was young.

To this day, Ken remains in close contact with the friends he made in the early days of YouTube (such as AndyMooseman, a previous interview). Some haven't created on YouTube in years, and some create on other sites. In 2010, Ken, Andy and their YouTube vlogging buddies met in Los Angeles for a week-long road trip up the California coast - not to create a vlogs (thought they did) - but to celebrate their friendship.

The Vlogger Interviews: Josh Rimer [JoshRimer]

2011-10-22T15:55:00.000-07:00

In my latest "Vlogger Interview," I had the opportunity to chat with Vancouver, Canada-based Josh Rimer. Josh is both a successful YouTuber (4.4 million views; 9120 subscribers), and, as of earlier this year, a YouTube Marketer.

Huh, what's that? If you've never heard of the term "YouTube Marketer," that's probably because the concept really didn't exist until just recently. As YouTube becomes more and more popular - and vloggers and other YouTubers being to see what they're doing as potentially a profession, knowing how to actually bring those videos out to an audience has become something of an art.

Josh's YouTube story began, like many others, as a hobby - and a way to gain some exposure as an actor. He had a small video production company that produced wedding and corporate videos.

"I'd make a nice little corporate video for someone and they'd put it up on their YouTube channel and get a dozen views on it and so they'd start to say, you know, I want to get views like you're getting on YouTube. " They began to ask him just how he did it. After all, in the age of social media - why produce an expensive corporate video and not take advantage of every tool available to bring people to your product?

"I'm still sort of surprised how slow some people and businesses are to catch on to what's happening on YouTube." It's the second biggest search engine - yet many still ask, "Isn't that just for cute kittens and laughing babies?"

If you've spent any time around social media, you're likely aware of a preponderance of social media "experts" and "consultants" that promise pie-in-the-sky results. I'm happy to report that Josh doesn't seem to be of the "get-rich-quick" variety. He's simply taking the basics of what he's learned and helping others achieve their goals through his knowledge of the mechanics of getting a YouTube video seen - and, as always, the value and quality of the content itself. (I think there's an unrealized value in the sheer volume of experience that YouTube's early adaptors have to offer).

"A lot of people get on there and just expect that they're going to have a huge audience.," he says, "and a lot of people don't realize there's a lot of time involved in making your videos." Putting time into producing a quality video, though, isn't the whole story.

"The work really begins after you put up the video. You have to do a lot to promote the video and find the proper keywords and all that kind of stuff because if you just make the video and put it up and walk away, you're probably not going to get a lot of views. Creating and succeeding on YouTube, he says, in a time-consuming task before, during and after producing the actual video.

His clients might be businesses, actors, or people in the entertainment industry who want to get more exposure on YouTube, "Sometimes they already have their videos going up, but they just want me to go up and optimize them to find better keywords and change the meta data and that sort of thing, or add annotations, and they just don't know the ins and outs of YouTube."

If you've spent any time around social media, you're likely aware of a preponderance of social media "experts" and "consultants" that promise pie-in-the-sky results. I have to admit a bit of suspicion. Josh, I'm happy to report, doesn't seem to be of that "get-rich-quick" variety. He's selling - and sharing his experience. Check out his free e-book on his website.

It's not entirely clear how web video - and in particular, vlogging - will evolve over the next few years - but both the financial success of some YouTubers, and the political powerhouse of social media in general have fired the public imagination about the personal potential of the YouTube world beyond existing as an extension of traditional television.

Josh, not surprisingly, believes that "being on YouTube is sort of ahead of the curve right now, so if you can get in it now, even though it's already a bit of a jungle, but get in it now, start building your audience now, once it does become more mainstream, you'll have a head start."

I'll switch things up a bit with Tuesday's interview, featuring KenRG - Ken Goldsein - who is part of YouTube's "class of 2006." He'll chat about early community on YouTube - and the sometimes overlooked fact that it's one of the original social networks.

The Vlogger Interviews: Richard Reynolds [BusterSenshi]

2011-10-16T18:02:00.000-07:00

In this forth installment of "The Vlogger Interviews," I spoke with Richard Reynolds, a Maine-based vlogger whose YouTube channel, BusterSenshi reflects, as he calls it, the "zeitgeist," or spirt of the time.

Though Reynold's videos provide information, they're not like broadcast news, "the trick behind web video is that it's got to be funny. If you're not funny, people are going to leave your video." Unlike watching news on television, "People don't say, oh the YouTube video is on, let's watch that." In a very short period of time, a YouTube video has to capture an audience.

Reynolds mentions several "tricks" he and other vloggers use to "catch" his audience, beginning with "I make sure that the first five seconds is something you're going to love." Other hints include make certain your video includes an embedded subscription button, and perhaps having a short opening intro clip.

For new vloggers, perhaps the most important "take-away" from this interview is Reynold's advice to seek out subscribers outside of YouTube.

"The easiest way to build subscribers on YouTube is to not do it on YouTube. You should actually be self-promoting yourself on other sites. You should always be on Twitter. You should always be on Facebook. You should be showing your video up every way you can. If you're at somewhere and you're just like, hey, I make YouTube videos, you've probably got a smart phone or a computer in front of you. Go ahead and show them your video. You'll be amazed at how many people like that. As soon as you've got that one friend who likes it, they're going to stop showing their stuff on their Facebook, their Twitter. "

Across media, it seems, personal word-of-mouth can still be a powerful tool. In the movie business, word-of-mouth created a unexpected "sleeper" hit - on YouTube, perhaps - a viral hit.

With all of the tricks and tools of the trade, however, Reynolds emphasized that the most important consideration of all in creating a successful YouTube channel is....

Good Content.

The Vlogger Interviews: Andy Gunton

2011-10-10T18:35:00.000-07:00

"The Vlogger Interviews" is a series of vlogs and blogs exploring the definition of vlogging – from the vlogger's perspective, If you like this interview, I would appreciate your subscription to http://youtube.com/worldaccordingtorich on YouTube. Contact me if you'd like to be considered for the next interview!

As AndyMooseman on YouTube, Hastings, U.K. resident Andy Gunton has been vlogging since 2006. He’s seen the online community grow from what was essentially a small village into online metropolis it is today. Though YouTube is only about six years old, Andy things of his own videos as “old-fashioned vlogs.”

“I tend to do unedited videos. Sometimes it’s a stream of consciousness thing. It’s usually based around some sort of topic…. things I see in the news, or whatever, just something that springs out of something that might have happened to you, that type of thing, maybe trying to get people to thing about things a little bit.”

In the past, he’s also done scenic or historical videos, taking his viewers on guided walks, or sharing a local occasional festival or event.

Though the public generally doesn’t perceive YouTube as a social network, Andy recalls that in 2006, it was just about the only game in town, “In that time, Facebook was in it’s infancy. There was no such thing as Twitter, so it was the one place where you could more or less meet up and speak to each other and see each other as well.”

Though Andy is today a YouTube partner, his original attraction to vlogging was simply that he liked to communicate, “I’m not looking at it as a career. It’s more just getting thoughts out there, things I have an opinion on, and some people do appreciate it, so what better thing is there than that, really?”

While the opportunity to make money has changed the way people do videos, Andy has no issue with those who pursue that avenue. “I have no problem whatsoever with anybody making money out of this – if anybody can make money out of them, fair play to them and best of luck to them, because it’s giving people like you and me or anybody out there the opportunity to maybe channel something that might not get shown otherwise and if you can make some money out of this, make a career out of it, best of luck to you.”

In fact, like so many others, has found a host of benefits to creating on YouTube that go beyond profit-sharing opportunities, “Once you get into this - and I had no experience in video making one I got into this as I expect the mass majority of people – you learn a lot, you learn about yourself, you learn a lot about public speaking, you learn how to edit videos, how to make videos generally and it makes you open up your mind a little bit. And obviously you’re being exposed to other people’s thoughts and opinions and its giving you ideas, and you’re bouncing off people.”

“I do a bit of radio, so it’s helped me with that. It’s given me other opportunities. I’m not the manager of a local rock band and one of the reasons I got asked to do that is because of my experience with social media, video and all the social technology that is around.”

This blogger met Andy at the very beginning of a 2010 road trip he took from Los Angeles to San Francisco with several of his vlogging friends – a journey which he describes as one of the best experiences of his life - a journey with good friends he wouldn’t have otherwise known if not for YouTube.

Finally, Andy believes his collection of vlogs has another, more personal value, “It’s a digital memory bank. I’ve got five years of videos to look back. I’ve changed in those five years, and that’s a legacy which is out there, like an old photo album, but a digital photo album, full of videos, and it’s there in the cloud, or YouTube or wherever you want it, for your kids to look at it for generations to come.”

[Click here to see Andy's 2008, video about the future of vlogging: "How Long Can This Last?"]