This is my livelihood

I come from a tradition where creating video requires expertise.  The web has changed that, both for traditional media and emerging, evolving media.  Now that we’re all brands and we are all the media, McLuhan’s “the medium is the message” rings true more than ever before.

In simpler times, when web video pioneers like Casey McKinnon, Zadi Diaz, Steve Garfield, Amanda Congdon, Justin Kownacki and Jay Dedman were trailblazing an upstart path to this new brand of storytelling.  Few knew just how disruptive these simple, honest, first person stories would be to the worlds of media and technology.  Years later we see an explosive growth in web video.  But as more an more videos are created for the web, how do you – as a media maker or a brand – make your video stand out.. in a good way?  There is enough crappy video out there already.  Before adding to the noise, take some time to learn how to do it right.  This blog post does NOT attempt to do that.  I can’t encapsulate everything that I’ve come to imprint on my brain as instinct into a single post.  I will provide some perspective,  some resources, and some examples of good and bad web video.

The State of Web Video Today

Recently released comScore data shows the continued growth in the  consumption of online videos.

..nearly 173 million U.S. Internet users watched online video during the month. U.S. Internet users watched 32.4 billion videos in January.. -comScore

The proliferation of inexpensive production tools, simple to use, free distribution platforms combined with Cisco’s recent announcement of their new routing system all point to  continued rise in web video.

Cisco’s CEO John Chambers said the CRS-3 Carrier Routing System is aimed at the huge growth in video on the Internet, a trend that has also caused slowdowns. – from a report by Kara Swisher, All Things Digital

Cisco, interestingly, is a company very big into videoblogging.

Good Video vs. Bad Video

Folks like Michael Rosenblum have long preached, much to the chagrin of the broadcast TV cameraman, that small high quality cameras and laptop based editing will usher in a new era of solo, video journalists.  The origin of this revolution is pre-web, but but smaller tools like the Flip camera and platforms like YouTube, have mainstreamed video as a communication tool.  And as much as it imperils my career, I have to admit there is some quality, engaging video work being done out there.  Still, some will embark on a video marketing or other storytelling project with no experience, or at best a “bootcamp” under their belts, and the results will be disastrous.

Quality – let’s talk about quality for a bit.  To me, quality, especially when using smaller, simpler tools, comes from the authenticity of the message.  Take a look at this very compelling video by Chris Brogan.  Chris walks us out of his building very early in the morning, clearly exhausted, talking about what it takes to be an “Overnight Success” (New York Times best-selling author and #1 on the AdAge Power150 blogs).  I know those early hours and short turnarounds so this video resonated with me.  Plus I just loved the cinematic quality of the long tracking shot.

To Chris, video is about making a personal connection.

But it really opened up a feeling that I’ve yet to tap since, which is that very personal interaction between lens and you.  I use video to make a personal connection so that people see me in 3 dimensions and not just read my blog. – Chris Brogan

Now take a look at this video produced by TurnHere for custom printing house Hello Lucky.  This video has a much higher level of production value or “polish” than Chris’ video, but still maintains authenticity as a fine example of marketing cum storytelling.

Tools

Both of these cameras are valid storytelling tools

I’m not going to get into makes and models, or some technical discussion about the merits of the Flip over the Kodak Zi8.  Anyone who truly understands the medium can tell compelling stories regardless of the tools used.  See that little Canon Powershot camera I’m holding in the picture?  Well it shoots video as well as stills.  I used it to shoot this video of A Day in the Life of the White House Press Corps.

Next Steps

Before you decide to embark on any kind of video project, ask yourself the following.

• Can this information better be conveyed by text or audio?
• Is this simple enough to do myself or should I consult with a professional?
• Will the video I produce represent me or my brand well?
• Does my video need to be live or recorded?

Underestimating the complexity of video – whether it’s the nuance of the grammar of film, challenging lighting and audio issues, or the respect for your audience’s time and attention – is a sure way leave a very bad first impression.  Please don’t add to the din of crappy video out there.

Resources and Further Reading

an exhaustive online video resource for business

Friend and fellow media maker Steve Garfield has been called the first videoblogger.  Over the years he’s been at the forefront of web video,  advising companies and encouraging everyday folk to apply best practices as they create content for the web.  He has amassed is experience into a very exhaustive survey of online video strategies calledGet Seen: Online Video Secrets to Building Your Business (The New Rules of Social Media)
It’s well worth checking out if your serious about creating and distributing web video.

B-roll.net – The Professional Camera Crews’ Forum (Check out the tips&tricks section)

Creative Cow – Support Community for Media Professionals

Video Branding Strategies

How to Make a Great Web Video

Important Note

The motivation for this entry here was a blog post by communications consultant Steve Lubetkin.  What set HIM off were some really poorly done videos from last years PRSA International Conference in San Diego.  The videos are gone now, but Steve describes the shortcomings very well in his post

Hope This Helps

I wanted to show some examples of how folks were doing web video right.  I think we all know that there is some really bad video out there.  What are your experiences with creating video for the web?  What makes a compelling video?  I allow links in my comments so feel free to show off your productions.

Bringing together the brightest minds of new television

I just booked my travel to the fall Video on the Net Confernence in Boston. I’m very excited because the spring conference in San Jose was a great opportunity for me to connect with key players in this emerging ecosystem. Once again, looks like the best and brightest will be attending this one too. For those of you who missed it, here’s a look a back at VON ’07, San Jose.

It was fun meeting my neighbors last night and explaining “I have a TV station in my pocket.” That got wonderful stares.
Robert Scoble – Twitter/@scobleizer

Meanwhile, CBS Interactive’s purchase of online show Wallstrip has validated internet video as a vital component of a web content business model. That deal has received a lot of attention, as more and more content creators look to ink agreements with big media companies. So it’s no surprise that once again, VON will be well attended by reps from companies like NBC Universal (my current employer), AOL, Washington Post Newsweek Interactive, Turner Broadcasting, Spark Capital, Akami.. and the list goes on. Video on the Net will be another huge opportunity for me, and for anyone in this space, to network with key industry leaders and get a better idea of what’s on the horizon.

“Digital” media initiatives vs. listening, conversation, and the social web

I often hear about this media comany’s “digital media initiative”, or that this person is in charge of “digital efforts”. If you’re just thinking digital, I think you’re missing the point. I recently attended a seminar at my alma mater American University entitled: PHOTOJOURNALISM: Surviving the Digital Challenge. Overall, there was great discussion, but I heard no mention of engaging audiences in conversation and using video as the starting point. Hosted by the White House News Photographer’s Association and AU’s School of Communication, it was a useful and informative discourse on the imperative for photojournalists to think of themselves more as content creators and less as media workers, and an examination of the internet as a key distribution channel.

Video journalism messiah and media raconteur Michael Rosenblum keynoted, and with no hyperbole, described shifts in media today as world-changing as Gutenburg’s printing press. He and I may not agree on everything, but on this, he’s dead right.

Michael Rosenblum “weighs” the merits of specializaton

While talented, smart media makers can hope to define themselves as bridge-builders between old and new media – integral to a media company charting a course into new territory – I’m personally not banking on it. I’m smack in the middle of this sea change in media, as the diminishing value proposition of a career as network news cameraman thrusts me into the empowering, enriching world of social media. While the “digital challenge” is an important discussion, nothing was really mentioned about video as conversation agent on the Social Web. The “social” part of this is often more of a challenge for traditional media companies. Social requires what VON organizer Chris Brogan deftly outlines as listening.

I think video can and should be an important part of a media company’s SOCIAL web efforts. That’s precisely why I’m attending Video on the Net, to build my personal brand, measure my media strategies with , connect with key industry leaders, and re-connect with the rock stars of internet video.

Speaking at the Direct Marketing Association of Washington’s “Era of Conversation” conferencePhoto by CC Chapman

Last Thursday, I had the unique pleasure of speaking before a group of marketing executives at the Direct Marketing Association of Washington’s confab in DC. I spoke to one of the many break-out sessions on “new media basics” – fitting for me as there there is SO much I’ve yet to absorb about the social web. In fact, I began by telling my breakout session: “I have no business speaking before a bunch of marketing executives, but..”

From that jumping off point, I discussed my nascent (only been blogging since March of this year), but reasonably engaging blogging efforts, and my use of Twitter as primary tools of social media. Essentially I riffed that if I can do it, you can do it, and basic tools are a good place to start, especially when shifting from less conversational communication. Fortunately for me, and for the rest of the attendees, there was an abundance of thought leadership on wide-ranging strategies for launching social media efforts. Overall I think it’s key to find the tools that are right for you or your organization.

For me, blogging is most rewarding when I leave my posts open-ended, and people WAY smarter than me complete my thoughts in the comments section.  Sure, you can be confrontational, and link-bait to generate traffic, but I like the notion of what Stephen Marino, of Ogilvy’s 360 Digital Influence practice calls “Return on Involvement”. The day was filled with terrific speakers, and I had the chance to meet some of the brightest minds in this space like keynote speaker Valeria Maltoni (she’s not yet convinced of Twitter so get over to her blog and give her a nudge!), and keynote speaker CC Chapman, who I’ve been eager to meet for some time. CC connected me with Geoff Livingston, another keynote at the conference who really did a great job of blogging the event with the help of Larissa Fair. Geoff pointed out, in support of Marino’s premise, that participation IS marketing.

In my presentation, I demonstrated how Twitter can be used and misused an engagement tool. At one point i called out to all of YOU on Twitter and asked if you’d say hello to the DMAW session. While waiting for some responses to generate, CC Chapman, in what can almost be described as a movie moment, stopped me and said almost chillingly: “Jim.. refresh the page”. You guys had come through!! Imagine if that hadn’t worked . There were no less than 80 immediate responses. (thank you!) I think that aptly demonstrated Twitter’s immediate, conversational, attention directing value. I also pointed out that Team Twitter had  helped shape my presentation in the comments on my blog. (again thank you!)

So despite this being my first ever presentation before a professional group, I think I was able to get people thinking about social media and what tools are right for them. Social media allows us to connect on a deep human level across social, cultural, and corporate barriers in a way we never could before. Conversations no longer happen from the top down. More importantly they are no longer controlled by corporations. Media that aren’t conversational or social are becoming less and less relevant. Funny that I felt like odd man out speaking at this event. At the end of the day I’m a network news cameraman, not a social media consultant. Ogilvy’s John Bell advises on his blog:

Spark ideas by mixing up odd-fellows and odd exepriences. Oh, and let go of the reins a bit.
John Bell

I think that’s fitting here. Social media enables the exchange of good ideas and allows the the best ones to take root and propagate, creating value, involvement, and engagement. So maybe that’s why I was invited. I want to thank Donna Tschiffely, Executive Director of DMAW, for bringing this all together. I hope i get a chance to do this again soon.

“It’s been a great year with Amanda — a great experiment for both of us. We thank her for her many contributions and know that she’s about to embark on new endeavors and expect there will be times in the future that we can again work together.”
ABCNews.com statement

I wonder if the news that Amanda Congdon and ABC have chosen to part ways isn’t emblematic of the diminished value of “celebrity” in media. Congdon, whose efforts with former Rocketboom partner Andrew Michael Baron pioneered the emergence of succesful new media brands, deftly positioned herself as a crossover talent after her split with the Rocketboom creator. Big media took notice and soon she was videoblogging for ABC News. While that relationship may have never been a perfect fit for either party, it was notable that big media had validated “new” media. I think part of the problem that big media still struggles with is that in many respects, they simply try to ape and replicate what is happening in emerging social media platforms. For instance, on a number of occasions, I’ve heard television colleagues talk of making things “look webby”

Talents aside, it’s not simply an Amanda Congdon or Joanne Colan that make Rocketboom cool, it’s the fact that the entire experience is built around participation and involvement. They are simply the facitlitator or custodians of community. Their “celebrity” is merely a net effect of the interactivity of the show. I don’t know whether ABC may have failed to take this fully into account, or simply wasn’t able to replicate that participation, but it appears the end result was an experience that wasn’t entirely what fans had hoped.

Katie Couric in Iraq

Celebrity’s fickle nature isn’t limited to the new media crossover talent. Just look at Katie Couric’s less than stellar transition to CBS News. I was recently with her in Iraq as she was reporting from the region. Despite her notoriety, and the timeliness of the reporting, the CBS Evening News tied for its lowest ratings (5.5 million viewers) since she took the helm. Now, CBS has given all kinds of explanations for the shows lackluster performance since she took the job, but in my mind they made a bet on her celebrity and it simply isn’t panning out.

I think we’re entering an era where celebrity in media is of far less value then the quality and authenticity of content. There is unlimited choice in how we get news, information and entertainment. We seek content that speaks to us, engages us, and gives us avenues for interactivity and participation. We want to speak with, not simply listen to the messenger. There are so many avenues now for robust discourse, that one-way media is simply having a hard time getting through. As I always say, none of this is zero sum, but certainly the shifts are pretty obvious. There is tremendous opportunity for established media to learn from emerging media and vice versa.

There are some examples of these disparate forms of media drawing on best practices learned from one another. Big media companies are are empowering their workers with new storytelling tools. My current employer, NBC News, has embraced blogs and video blogging and is making plans to do more. Just this past week they featured the enterprising work of my friend and colleague Amna Nawaz. Amna produced this web-only video about the under-reported story of land mine victims in Columbia.

Young victims of landmines
MSNBC.COM has such a thirst for original, unique first-person content that they encourage everyone to produce original video and blogs, not just re-purposed broadcast stories for the web. I’ve even gotten in on the act.

Just as old media are taking cues from new, emerging media are drawing from the experince of their corporate counterparts. Take the webisode drama “35″. “35″ is a dramatic web video series that is shot with three cameras and switched and fed live via Ustream to the web. To me the strength of this project is that it combines the ubiquity ot the internet with the spontaneity and unpredictability of live TV. “35″ was recently featured in a Wall Street Journal article, so once again we see mainstream media taking notice of creative, upstart, emerging media. “35″ runs from September 19th through the 30th, live at 9PM EDT. The show has a post show chat where fans talk with producers.

Who knows where all of this is going, but from my vantage point this is at once daunting as it is exhilarating. But for someone who makes a living in media, it’s vital to keep on top of trend. Seeing what resonates with audiences, what do they ignore, what engages them -these will be the measures of success in this dizzyingly changing media landscape. This seems clear though, treat your community, your audience as a valuable partner in your media and youll likely have a winner. Celebrity in and of itself is of limited value.

Veil of Secrecy

I was editing a video in my home office when the call came in. The caller ID showed the number for the NBC News desk..that’s never good on a day off. On the other end was my deputy bureau chief. In cryptic, enigmatic language, she was telling me that me our departure schedule for the President’s trip to Australia had changed. What she never actually said, but i heard loud and clear, was that the President of the United States was going to Iraq.

And so an otherwise languid day off before an overseas trip, quickly became an urgent day of preparation. On this trip, I was assigned as soundman to veteran NBC News cameraman Rodney Batten. With us were NBC White House correspondent John Yang and Senior White House producer Antoine Sanfuentes, plus uplink engineers from our New York technical operations department. We actually loaded a satellite transmission pack on Air Force One, which we believe is unprecedented.

Jim Long and Rodney Batten

Because of operational security, none but the “travel pool” are given even limited details of the trip. As far as the news desk at NBC knew, Air Force One was departing on Monday. So as the NBC pool team was about to enter the base under a cloak of secrecy Sunday, an assignment editor dutifully called us with our Monday “in-time”. As some of my readers know, I’ve had a close call in Iraq, so I’m never too jazzed about going over there. But if there were ever the safest time and place in Iraq, this was it. Still I was glad to be getting it out of the way at the beginning of the trip.

We met on Andrews Air Force base at an unusual location, where a security detail confiscated all of our cameras, phones, and computers. All of us were then taken to a special hangar on base that houses the two 747′s primarily designated Air Force One. Seeing those two birds looming above, facing nose-to-nose, as we drove into the hangar was an inspiring sight. Once all the travel pool press had boarded we were sealed in our cabin. We were told to keep the windows shut on the plane and to remain in the press cabin. The president was secreted out of the White House in what we later learned was a small, two car motorcade package.

Wheels Up to Iraq

After an hour or so of sitting in the hangar, we could feel that we were being towed. And at 20:05 we were wheels up for Iraq. Press secretary Dana Perino came to the back of the plane to “gaggle” about the details of our trip. That’s when the destination was confirmed: Al Asad airbase in Anbar province. Reporters pressed her on whether Bush was actually on the plane or not. Turns out he was, as was Secretary of State Rice.

White House spokesperson Dana Perino briefing press on AF-1

After a twelve hour flight, Air Force One gently touched down at the Al Asad air base in the Anbar province of Iraq. Mr. Bush stepped off the plane to begin a day full of meetings, some for cameras, others not. The President met with troops, his cabinet, local tribal leaders, and Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki (I errantly refer to him as “President” in the video.) It was was a seemingly endless day of photo-ops, motorcade movements, and absolutely no time to spare.

Air Force One on the Flight Line at Al Asad

Katie Couric of CBS News

In a brief break in the action during closed meetings we were escorted to a “hold” where we bumped into Secretary Gates’ traveling press pool and former NBC colleague Katie Couric. It was a nice little reunion and she introduced us to her new boss, CBS evening news executive producer Rick Kaplan. Kaplan was acting as her second camera crew shooting with a small DV camera. The day was capped with a series of one on one interviews with the President and TV networks. We were then rushed to the motorcade, then out to the plane to begin our journey to Australia.

The entire time I was there, I was desperate to get some dispatches from Iraq out on Twitter. Newsweek photographer Khue Bui kindly offered up his powerbook so i get some tweets out. It was great to get such kind thoughts and well-wishes from the Twitter community. I’m still going through replies, but it buoyed my spirits to see that folks wanted to make sure I was safe. That really meant a lot to me. Like I’ve said before, no matter where I am in the world, I’m never traveling alone.

POST TRIP HAZE

that’s me on the left getting a shot of Secretary boarding her plane in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

Days after I’ve unpacked my luggage, off-loaded the gear, and generally adjusted to this time zone, I still find myself in a bit of a post Mid-East trip haze. Just a week ago, I embarked on a trip with Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice to the Middle East. I was the US TV pool camera for the journey that included stops in Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Israel, and the Palestinian Territories.

Not only are the trips physically grueling, but they pack so many stops in so few days that the entire experience is a blur. There are always memorable moments though. After a refuel stop in Shannon, Ireland we arrived in Sharm El Sheikh where Rice met with Gulf state leaders and Egyptian President Hosni Mubuarak. It was that meeting with Mubarak that cemented my street credz as a “seasoned” photojournalist.

Egyptian photo ops are by far, the most insane crushes of humanity i’ve ever encountered. Think Who concert. It’s amazing that no camera crews aren’t trampled to death entering these meetings for 30 seconds of shooting. In the first photo op, I held my own, but a bunch of Egyptian press elbowed and squeezed past me. No problem.. so those are the ground rules eh??

Gates, Rice, Mubarak in Sharm El Sheikh

On the Mubarak photo-op, I decided that I would be the first camera in the room, and I enforced that decision in vigorous fashion, shall we say. We all got stuck in the doorway, but finally with a strong final push I broke through and got in. Well, seems as though the Egyptian press were not at all pleased with my determination and cried foul to our Embassy representative. Oh Mary please! Look… if you’re going to dish it out you’d BEST be able to take it! The don’t fly me all around the world NOT to get the picture.

“When the Egyptians complain about you.. it means you were doing your job.”
- Israeli cameraman

Later at stops in both Israel and the Palestinian Territories, my counterparts in camera there confirmed that the Egyptian photographers were, bar none, the most ruthless. An Israeli cameraman remarked that that when the Egyptian crews complain about you: “It means you were doing your job!” As i did an end run around the same camerman, to get into a photo op later, he jokingly remarked: “no wonder the Egyptians complained about you! How did you get in front of me!?”

What can I say… it’s a gift.

Here’s the TV Pool team. Front row, L-R: me, CBS correspondent Kimberly Dozier, Back row, L-R: NBC soundman Johnnie Roth, NBC State Department producer Libby Leist

This picture was taken as we motorcaded to the airport in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. We’re reminded of the instability of the region at every stop along the trip. Each motorcade vehicle, including this one we’re seen riding in here, is heavily armored top to bottom. So much so that the strain on the engines caused by the weight is evident. Having had a very close call myself in Baghdad a few years ago, the potential for danger is always in the back of my mind. Bulletproof glass, armor plate, and automatic weapons sitting on the floorboards are just reminders of the risk.

Imagine then, the courage of colleague, and traveling TV companion Kimberly Dozier. Dozier was gravely wounded and nearly killed in a car bomb attack last summer that took the lives of CBS cameraman Paul Douglas, soundman James Brolan, a US soldier, and an Iraqi interpreter. This was the first time I had met Kimberly, but I’d met Paul in Europe and had worked with him on Presidential trips a number of times, so the attack struck close to home for me. I was hesitant at first to ask her about her recovery and her recall of the incident, but toward the end of the trip I found that she was very open about it. Aside from being a lovely person, I truly admire her courage. She dropped off the trip in Ramallah to do some stories from the region. Frankly, if I had gone through what she had, I’d be enjoying my retirement. I hope to get to work with her again some day.

MAINTAINING VIDEO SILENCE

Click To Play

Let’s just say i was “discouraged” from doing a video blog of this trip, so I’m only able to give you a video appetizer here. Because of my video efforts on my trip around the world with Defense Secretary Gates, other networks complained that my video blog material should be distributed to the pool. NBC complied of course, but for the life of me, I can’t imagine that my mini DV footage will do anything other than sit on a shelf. It never occured to me that what amounted to an innocuous travelogue, would stir up controversy. On this Mid East trip, Rice was joined by Secretary Gates. The traveling Pentagon press confided to me that there are now new ground rules about blogging on the Secretary’s plane. Essentially there will be none of it. So for now, I’ll have to contain my video blogging to non-pool assignments.

boarding the Secretary of State’s plane

Today I embark on a decidedly old-media journey. I’m heading to the Middle East with the Secretary of State, that will include stops in Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Israel, and the West Bank. Once again NBC is VIP pool for this trip, which means we represent all of the US TV networks.

On this trip, I won’t be doing any video blogging. On the last trip, there was concern expressed by some of the other networks that my mini-DV footage wasn’t immediately distributed to the pool. NBC did distribute the video, and for the life of me, I cant’ imagine that my blog video will do anything other than sit in libraries unused. So for now, I’ll maintain video silence.

Besides I’ve brought work to do on the plane. It’s a long flight, and Chris Brogan reminds me that I’ve got plenty of work to do!

Sadly the NBC News family received horrifying news today. Friend, colleague, and former producer for Tom Brokaw and Brian Williams, Eric Wishnie, was killed in an accident in New York City early this morning. I’d worked with Eric on many occasions, always on extremely high pressure jobs involving anchors, Presidents, and other VIP’s. Despite the pressure cooker environment of these assignments, Eric was always extremely generous and thoughtful. I can tell you from years in the biz, at that level you don’t have to be kind. It’s just the few remaining PROS who are.

So that’s all from the flight line of Andrews AFB. The Secretary of State is on her way. Next stop, the Middle East.

Capricorn, Community, and Craft

Just before boarding a flight to the Craft Hobby Association show this past Friday, I gave one last check on Twitter. Twitter friend and resident astrologist @KrazyKritter had just posted Capricorn. Now look, I’m not normally superstitious, but the outlook for Capricorn resonated with me.

“Today is finally the right time to embrace a new idea and work on fleshing it out”horoscope for Capricorn, 7-20-07

I was energized by this message as i flew to Chicago to cover this huge crafting industry trade show for Crafty Nation our new media venture.

The show was a huge success for us, by way of coverage and for getting our brand out there. We met wonderful people working in this space who were very excited about what we are creating – folks like Margot Potter, Candie Cooper, Katie Hacker, Cari Clement, Debba Haupert, Nicole Mumma, and Amy Romano. Why build a social network and content channel for crafters? Well for one, it’s a natural for social networking. Crafters are passionate about what they do and love to share their ideas and their work with others. They truly are a community. Even at the CHA, which is a decidedly commerce driven event, the community was vibrant and energizing. Craft and Hobby is a 30 billion dollar industry and there are many brands out there looking to associate themselves with the online craft conversations.

promoting the Crafty Nation brand during an education session at CHA

Fleshing Out the Idea

Now it’s time to tackle the most important part of Friday’s horoscope: “work on fleshing it out”. This means listening to our “board of advisors”, the early adopters of CraftyNation’s social media platform. How do we build it and make it better? A drop dead simple, stare-you-in-the-face, idea about how to do that came from Margot Potter. She told me that crafters like to customize their profiles because they’re, well, creative. Thank you Margot!! @conniereece, @AnnOhio, @WickedStepmom, @Uavery, @brendajos, and many more “Twitter Knitters” have been tremendously helpful in pointing out usability issues. What we’ve done with our phase one beta launch is to take an idea that only a year ago was a discussion over coffee, between myself and business partner Toni Lyn, and turned it into a strong start for something that will only grow. As we build out Crafty Nation, it’s the feedback from our community that will drive the direction and growth of this space, so that we can help create real value. We want to give voice to the vibrant fabric of the craft community, and create a place where we’re merely custodians of something much larger than the site itself.

Niche Market Video Content Engaging Your Target Audience

Here’s a link to the programs we’ve created. We also did some quick turnaround daily dispatches from the conference. Video is a very big part of Crafty Nation. Our video content celebrates the creativity and spirit of crafters, and our hope is that it acts as a springboard for conversation and community on our site.

At a dinner on Monday night with Lee Aase and Dennis McDonald, that was supposed to include Jeremiah Owyang, we discussed social media, niche market content, and the evolution web video. Dennis and Lee both have tremendous insight into this space, and are lovely dinner companions. Great food and conversation. Jeremiah’s absence led us to wonder if he was in fact a real person, or just an avatar.

The real value proposition of social media is that it connects people on a deeply human level with hundreds, thousands, even millions of networked people across time and geography. Social networks, empowering core constituencies of passionate users around targeted, niche market content, are emerging as a powerful media marketforce.

As I googled around looking for evidence to support my belief, that vertical market social networks, that combine video content with social media, will be the drivers of future web growth, I once again went back to the well of Jeremia Owyang’s blog, WebStrategist. Web Strategist is a tremendously valuable repository of thought leadership on all things Web 2.0. Of particular interest to me has been Jeremiah’s posts on social networks. For anyone interested in dipping their toes in the water, he has a huge list of “white label” social networking solutions for you budding (like me) web entrepreneurs.

Earlier this year, August Capital’s David Hornik was featured on Web Strategist in Jennifer Jones’ audio podcast Marketing Voices. In it he
said a number of things that resonated with me.

This is the new television.

huge numbers of like minded people are getting together to engage in a conversation.

i think we’ll see increasingly specific social networks.

-David Hornik of August Capital

You’ll find the entire audio podcast at the end of this post.

He goes on to speak about how marketers need to associate their brand with
the meaningful conversations taking place on these social networks,
specifically vertically oriented networks. This brings me to two very
exiting developments in my transition from old media work horse, to new media
entrepreneur, that build on this rise in niche market content and social
networks.

Vertical Market Social Networks and Video, Telling Your
Community’s Story

I’m happy to announce that, last week, I joined the Board of Advisors for
BluChipz.com. I also came on as an investor in a now closed friends and
family round of funding. BluChipz CEO Craig Ridley is developing a social
network for athletes that gives voice to these young rising stars. Craig understands
that for a social network to be succesful, you have to give people the tools
to connect on a meaningful human level. Here’s Craig Ridley in his own
words.

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While I’ve demonstrated my confidence in Craig and his executive team with a significant financial investment, (suffice to say Craig HAD to buy lunch that day!) through my company Verge New Media, I’ve been investing time, money, energy, and all of my mental towards CraftyNation.com CraftyNation is a place where passionate, creative, crafty people can connect, share ideas, showcase their projects, and keep up on the world of craft. People who scrapbook, knit, bead, quilt, design and make beautiful things will be inspired and empowerd by each other AND by fun, converstaional, episodic video content. We’re designing CraftyNation so that the users are participants. We want members of CraftyNation community to have a stake in its development. We soft-launch a beta version this week just before our trip the the Craft Hobby Association show in Chicago this weekend!

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Video As the New “Lingua Franca” of Online Content, Finding the Best Video Storytellers

A niche market social network that i frequent is b-roll.net, which has recently updated, adding teriffic video sharing capability, with rating, embedding, and bookmarking features. B-roll.net is sort of a neighborhood bar for old news cameramen like me. These are the best of the best folks, so check them out. Folks on this site will generally have shoulder, back, and knee problems from carrying professional TV cameras around for years (18 for me).

Kevin Johnson started the site as a place to share his personal stories from his overseas news assignments. Dissatisfied with one way communication, Johnson quickly realized the value of creating a place where TV news photogs can share ideas, often in a “vigorous” fashion. Here you’ll find the likes of “Lenslinger” Stewart Pittman, and video journalist proponent, and consultant, Michael Rosenblum. And, of course you’ll find me! If video is part of your web venture, b-roll.net is where you’ll find the best storytellers in the world.

So if social networks are in fact, the “new television”, what will the new channels be? And who is out there building them?

video blogging tools of the trade

So is this your idea of fun? Are you a political junkie? Are you good at multi-tasking? Do you work well with liltte or no sleep? If the answer to ALL of these questions is “yes”, I suggest you look into a once-in-a-lifetime (or once every four years at least) journalism opportunity.

NBC News, along with partner The National Journal, recently announced plans to embed video journalists in the campaigns of Presidential candidates. NBC News chief Steve Capus describes the benefits of this intimate access.

There is nothing like being there, up close and personal, when it comes to covering a presidential election, and this allows us to be there in a very big way. Our team of reporters on the road with the candidates will be in a unique position to report all aspects of this dynamic story for every single one of our platforms

- Steve Capus, President, NBC News

Candidates for these coveted positions should expect to sleep very little, work very hard, and keep up with a very demanding production schedule in terms of posting video, audio, photographs and text. Additionally these embeds will be expected to be the editorial eyes and ears of NBC News, providing extensive and accurate coverage of the campaign and the candidates. Make no mistake… this is VERY difficult work. I know, becuause i recently provided this type of coverage for the NBC Nightly News blog as we circumnavigated the globe covering the Secretary of Defense. It is grueling, punishing work, and I know from experience that Presidential campaigns are particularly draining.

Having said that, there is a unique opportunity for some great online storytelling here. While some have suggested that I have the specific qualifications to take on such an assignment, I suspect that they’re not as interested in someone who gets overtime for this job. If they’re smart, they will look at forward-thinking photographers not just, eager poli-sci majors who can find the on off switch on a DV camera. Technology is only as good as the artisans and storytellers it empowers.

Interestingly NBC News and the National Journal are entering a field already already alive with online journalists, bloggers, and vloggers, either positioned to give them a run for their money or, if nothing else, provide useful technical and editorial perspective.

When I first heard of these openings, I first thought of friend and colleague Amani Channel, not because I think he could do the job, but because he IS doing the job. Check him out!

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Former ABC producer and Atlanta blogger Grayson Daughters has been covering Georgia politics on her blog, bringing her delightfully unique personality and rapier sharp wit to her video blogging efforts.

A-list blogger Jeff Jarvis of Buzzmachine is, is building a small political media empire, launching his Prezvid site having seen the revolutionary implications of a “YouTube” campgaign.

Video blogging pioneer Steve Garfield has been pushing the envelope of empowering video technology for years. Most recently, he’s been using bleeding edge live video tools to broadcast live video from his Nokia N95 from far-flung reaches of the globe using platforms such as Ustream, Kyte, Operator11, BlogTV, and Comvu. Hmmm, the press bus will never be the same again. I don’t have details of what technology NBC is empowering these emeds with, but I’m sure he’d be more than happy to share his vast knowledge.

Ultimately the technology is just a tool. It’s the stories, and the people who tell them that make the difference. What these video journalists will offer is access.

Having this team of reporters on the trail with the candidates and their top staff day in and day out will provide our audience of political junkies with the inside stories and interesting tidbits that they otherwise would not get.

- John Fox Sullivan, Publisher and Chief Executive, National Journal Group

It’s important to note that these embedded video journalists will be just part of a much larger effort by NBC News to cover this wide open Presidential race. Ultimately, the news is covered by people not technology. It’s the people of NBC News that are the formidibale force that Polticial Director Chuck Todd brings to bear on NBC’s coverage.

The sheer volume for one thing… The fact that we’ll [be] so transparent about what we’re reporting… Both in print and thru video is something that will be unprecedented for a major news organization. It is revolutionary as far as a network is concerned.

- Chuck Todd, NBC News Political Director

Part of me thinks i should still apply for the job, just for grins, then watch them laugh as I slide my salary requirements across the table. What do you think? Should I apply?

Hey if you know any good candidtates or you think you’re one yourself, leave a link in the comments section!