Drudge, Huffington square off
You already knew that the Drudge Report and the Huffington Post are not the most objective news sites around, but these two screen grabs taken a week before the election tell a story. First, Drudge, which doesn’t mention any Iraq stories… And the Huffington Post, which doesn’t mention the Kerry “botched joke” story…
Covering the elections online?
If you’re covering the midterm elections online and you have a creative idea to share for the rest of us, please leave it in comments below. Local TV stations, especially, have been ramping up their online coverage plans…
SMWest 2006: Giving users the tools to make great video
So here we are, creating our content, uploading it, and then… what? Will people continue to upload video for free? What about the video-challenged? Is this about teaching everyone to be a great editor, or is there a charm to unedited video? The Streaming Media West panel on generating video communities attacked many practical matters. Video production is still beyond the understanding of most people. Chris O’Brien, CEO of Motionbox (pictured, right, and far less serious than the picture indicates) says his target is the millions of content creators shooting video. Good audience. So how do you empower the audience to create, upload and distribute? Read the user-generated transcript, after the jump.
SMWest 2006: Is there money in broadband channels?
The Streaming Media West panel “The Rise of the Broadband Channels” would make an excellent name for a Terminator sequel. The question, of course, is whether broadband channels are poised to terminate the old video distribution and advertising models. On this panel, we get the opinions of folks from NBBC, Avenue A Razorfish and BET. Bottom line: nobody has figured out the bottom line. And everyone is still trying to figure out how to keep control. Jump on, for the transcript. (I should point out that these “transcripts” are a mashup of actual quotes and my summaries. I can only type so fast.)
Watch Streaming Media West live online
A quick shoutout to TV Worldwide, which is streaming the convention live. Check it out.
MSNBC partners with Hot Soup for political debate power
MSNBC keeps on rolling out the political features with the election fast approaching. The latest announcement is a partnership with HOTSOUP.com, an issues-based discussion site. HOTSOUP seems plenty excited – it’s trumpeting the announcement on its front page: “Your voice just got louder!” The political conversations are featured at HOTSOUP and on politics.msnbc.com. Full press release after the jump.
SMWest 2006: Is there money in podcasting?
It’s tough to be on a panel with Bob Scoble (pictured, right). I’m glad he’s not on mine. Scoble’s a legend. Still, the panelists on “The Business of Podcasting and Video Blogging†held their own as they talked about whether there is – gasp – money to be made from podcasting. The short answer? Not much, at least not right now. We need better metrics and more compatibility. But the panelists have some interesting visions of what ad models may lie ahead. Read on.
Conde Nast buys Reddit
Conde Nast, specifically Wired Digital, has purchased the social news site Reddit for an undisclosed amount. If you’re not familiar with Reddit, well, it’s very similar to Digg in which users vote stories up to the home page. Reddit’s four employees will move to Wired’s San Francisco offices, and Wired plans to leave it as [...]
SMWest 2006: It’s all about the platforms
Just out of a good discussion, nominally on “Convergent Roles for IPTV, Wireless & Set-Top Boxes in Delivering Consumer Entertainment.” Bottom line: the big challenge is getting the information across platforms, making it the last few feet to the TV when people want that, or getting content to mobile platforms. A little bit of resentment toward Apple too, with its dominance of the video downloading market and its DRM. The transcript, rushed though it is, after the jump…
The Google-YouTube theory
It’s a theory because it’s hearsay and speculation regarding the terms behind the big GooTube deal. But Mark Cuban, an outspoken critic of the deal, posted it on his blog. Very interesting reading, to say the least.
SMWest 2006: ‘The Next Wave for Online Video’
As I mentioned below, AOL’s VP for Video, Timothy Tuttle (pictured, right) stepped in with less than 24 hours notice when the scheduled keynoter became ill. You wouldn’t know he was a last-minute choice. His presentation was thoughtful and comprehensive, with a well-rounded vision of the future of online video. While I don’t agree with his conclusion that the direction is toward more corporate control, I respect his professional opinion. He does talk about directing people to AOL, but honestly his corporate shilling was at a minimum. I believe AOL Video should be helping to blow out video content everywhere, and Tuttle’s vision is more portal-centric. Having said that, his presentation was cohesive and had some solid facts about the state of the industry. Read my transcript, after the jump.
Calling an audible: a change in the SMWest keynote
This morning’s keynote speaker at Streaming Media West 2006 was supposed to be Vivian Schiller, Senior VP & General Manager, NYTimes.com. In case you’re wondering why I’m not blogging her speech, she is a late scratch. Ms. Schiller has the flu, and we wish her a speedy recovery. So conference organizer Dan Rayburn, ever the [...]
Dove spot on YouTube drives big-time traffic
A 75-second viral clip that Dove posted on YouTube has driven three times as much traffic to CampaignforRealBeauty.com than the company’s Super Bowl ad last year. Wow. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that the clip has been mentioned on a bunch of TV shows. It shows a woman getting transformed by make-up artists — in [...]
Disclosure Policy site: Best game since Mad Libs!
I don’t see why everyone is getting so worked up about DisclosurePolicy.org. I’ve been playing it all day, and it’s a ton of fun. Just like in Mad Libs, you fill in your own blanks and – whammo! – instant party game. I’d like to thank the makers of the site for this hot new game that’s sure to spread around like crazy. I know everyone thinks it’s serious, but come on – it’s way too crass and cynical. It also has some grammar issues which are pretty funny. Nobody would seriously think you can just check off a couple of buttons and get instant credibility, right? Anyway, after the jump is my own wacky disclosure. (Disclosures: I think a boilerplate disclosure policy is a useless, stupid and debasing idea. I have a financial stake in this matter: I’ve bet one beer that PayPerClick will collapse on itself. One really good beer.)
Comedy Central, YouTube in negotiations?
Reuters quotes a Viacom source confirming the company did ask YouTube to take down “some” clips as part of “ongoing negotiations on how the companies can work together.” So a negotiating ploy, perhaps? Many Comedy Central videos are still available after Friday’s purge. Meanwhile, a Colbert Report fan site writes: The glory days of YouTube [...]
Google Video now paying video producers
Months ago we gave high marks to Revver, one of the first video sites to share ad revenue with video producers. Now Google Video has joined its ranks with a revenue sharing program of its own. So is YouTube next? “Until the deal closes, we’re continuing to operate as two separate companies,” a Google representative [...]
SpotRunner lands $40 million in investment
The startup has received a $40 million round from CBS, Interpublic Group, Lachlan Murdoch and other heavy-hitting investors. SpotRunner identifies unsold inventory on cable and broadcast networks and puts the spots up for sale, especially to small businesses. Ads are surprisingly inexpensive, especially when they’re targeted to local communities. For example, a 30-second spot on [...]
MySpace to block copyrighted music uploads
Using content-identification technology licensed from Gracenote, MySpace says it will soon start deleting user accounts from people who repeatedly try to upload copyrighted music. Also, MySpace will soon begin selling downloads from nearly three million unsigned bands.
