'A silly glimpse...' wins $200 on Viewbug.com
Saturday, January 19, 2008
Either someone over at Viewbug just 'gets' my humor or the competition is still just warming up. Whatever the reason I'm happy to accept my $200.00 win in Viewbug's Humor Challenge this week.
My video, A silly glimpse into TET's personality, came out tops over 30 other video submissions. Not bad for a crazy bit of improvisation that just entered my head one morning and evolved into a bit of a stand up comedy routine (and I don't even consider myself to be a comedian).
This is my second substantial win on Viewbug. Previously my video, Blank Canvas IV - Art Critic, won a $30.00 weekly prize.
Thanks Viewbug. If I could find a setting to stop your embeded video players from auto playing I would've used your player instead of Revver's above. Otherwise, readers of this blog and video creators/photographers/musicians especially should check Viewbug out. It's proven very financially rewarding for me thus far.
Quite possibly the funniest gym/workout video I've seen in a long time, work it out baby is a video by YouTuber, gradualreport, who makes some very sharp and witty comedy videos.
If you've ever been to a gym or got into the whole physical fitness thing, even for a day, you'll get a laugh out of this video. It's a little bit on the 'adult humor' side but nothing that you wouldn't consider 'childishly funny' by the end. I hope you find it 'laugh out loud' funny like I did.
OurStage.com - Helium for Music and Video.
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Although I haven't written for Helium.com in a while I've always been impressed by the way written articles are judged by other writers in a system that it hard to 'game' and seems reasonably fair. Generally the best articles are the ones rich in information and have good writing structure as opposed to ones that are viewed most often.
I've long thought that Helium's judging system and business model would be great for online video and I'm sure I even suggested that to the site's creators at some point in the past. Whilst I obviously have no idea if my suggestion planted a seed I'm pleased to find out that Helium have launched a sister site, OurStage.com, targeted squarely at original music and online video creators.
Finally there is a place where online video creators like me can post videos and have them judged by other original video creators with the chance of earning monthly cash prizes as well as some pretty nice non cash prizes too.
The only disappointment is that, unlike Helium, videos don't earn any advertising revenue based on views. Not that this is a great loss but over time a good collection of articles on Helium can be a nice little passive income earner.
That aside I plan to give OurStage.com a go with some of my more creative videos. I've seen some of the previous winners and I reckon I have a good shot at the monthly US$5000 prize.
TET's Comedy Art Video a Winner!
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Blank Canvas IV - Art Critic Video by TET
The above video is my first and only post on the Video, Photo and Music site, View Bug. Given that I only signed up to the site just over a week ago it's very nice to have been selected by View bug's staff as a weekly winner and a recipient of a US$30.00 cash prize. Instantly this video has just become my highest earning video - earning more than my entire collection across nine sites collectively (there's money in online video... apparently?). Screen shot of my win featured on View Bugs home page posted below (click to see larger version).
The video its self pokes more of my humor at the wonderful world of 'conceptual minimalism' - a phrase that I've coined for art that only barely skims the surface of creative potential. It's also a dig at art critics who elevate this work from obscurity, where it should remain.
Whilst I'd like to believe I was selected over thousands of entries, in some pretty stiff competition, going by the views most people seem to get on View Bug, I'd say it's early days for this competition. However a thirty dollar weekly prize is nothing to be sneezed at, especially in the world of online video where many of us are competing for pennies from advertising dollars.
If you're an online video creator, photographer or maker of original music I'd highly recommend you sign up and participate in View Bug before the big names of You Tube, Revver or Metacafe discover it.
At least we can be thankful that the winning video is selected by the sites staff and not by the number of views or viewer ratings. Once a big name discovers the site you won't have to compete with an established audience.
The World Wide Pluto Conspiracy.
Tuesday, October 09, 2007
Popular YouTuber Nalts recently posted this video rant about the planet pluto being downgraded to 'dwarf' planet status. Nalts video opposes the announcement on August 24th, 2006, by the The International Astronomical Union (IAU), that Pluto would no longer retain full planetary status due its size being considerably smaller than other 'planet like' objects found in the same region of space.
You can read about the announcement in this article from Science Daily which includes an illustration of other objects, amongst them a larger object called 'Xena', that some astronomers were hoping would achieve 'planet' status.
The Nalts video jogged my memory of an article that I wrote way back in 1996 that positioned my beliefs on the question of alien life forms and whether they do or don't exist. What is remarkable about the article is that it puts forward the idea that the planet Pluto may not actually exist. Here is an extract:
Just because you haven’t seen a UFO or an Alien life form doesn’t mean they don’t exist. Most people have never seen the planet Pluto either yet we accept that it exists because we’ve all seen pictures and enough independent astronomers have actually seen it through a telescope to confirm that for us. If that was all the evidence we need then UFOs and Aliens would be fact. We’ve all seen pictures of them and there are enough independent witnesses to confirm their existence for us.
In both cases how do you know that what your looking at is truth. Just because an astronomer focuses your telescope for you doesn’t automatically mean that you’re looking at Pluto. Yes - welcome to the world wide Pluto conspiracy.
Possibility and the need for an open mind is vitally important to reaching your own conclusions on what is truth. One day in the distant future one of your ancestors could be standing on Pluto thinking “Yes, at last I have concrete proof that Pluto exists.”
Then one of my ancestors walks over and says “Pluto? no mate you ever heard of the World wide Pluto conspiracy that was uncovered in the early part of the 21st century?”
- TET, 26 August 1996.
Did I know something back in 1996 - almost exactly ten years before Pluto was down graded in August 2006? Technically, while the big rock in space called 'Pluto' does exist, it no longer exists as a planet. According to the IAU it should never have been classified as a planet in the first place based on the size of other objects found recently with more modern telescopes.
Is this just the tip of the ice berg in the World Wide Pluto Conspiracy? Is Xena working to replace Pluto as the furthest planet from our sun? Could Mercury be under threat in its newly acquired status as the smallest planet in our system? Who are these people at the IAU and why do they get to decide if Pluto can be a planet or not?
You've gotta love a good conspiracy theory no matter how spaced out!
Footnote: The above article isn't intended to be a serious contribution to the discussion. If you would like to know more about the IAU's discussions about defining just what constitutes a 'planet' then a good place to start is this article on their web site.
If you're a YouTube artist and you have a web cam then I strongly encourage you to get involved in Daligoddess2006's, The Traveling Painting Project. It doesn't matter what your skill level is so long as you're over 18 years of age and don't mind spending a little bit of money on postage of a smallish canvas.
Considering how popular online video is, getting involved in projects such as this can have a bonus side effect of bringing more profile to your own art. The bigger the project gets the more people will be intrigued to find out more about the artists that have left their mark.
So, the traveling painting project is just what it says. A single canvas traveling from artist to artist, with each artist adding something to the painting before passing it along. Watch the video above for more information and visit the Ning network web site set up by YouTube artist Sherri Westfall.
The series is similar in format to Donald Trump's series, The Apprentice. A group of moderately successful internet marketers compete through various individual and team challenges for the chance of winning a $25,000 dollar cash prize and the opportunity to be Joel's next Joint Venture partner (presumably a millionaire opportunity). Each episode the losing team ends up in the judgment room where one or more contestants is eliminated.
At the time of writing only episodes one through four were online so this is all that I've seen. In any case this post isn't so much a review of the show as an observation of Joel Comm and his marketing approach - as you'll soon read.
Joel runs a highly informative Youtube channel, which is what prompted me to watch his show. There is no doubt from Joel's videos that he clearly knows his stuff and provides no nonsense, down to earth advice for anyone looking to earn a decent income online.
That said, The Next Internet Millionaire is rather a lot like The Apprentice in that, as far as useful information goes, it offers sound bites of valuable ideas but never really explores them deeper. In fact, the useful part of the show, where a guest speaker explains the key theme for the team challenge seems little more than an opportunity for one of Joel's marketing mates to pitch their key marketing idea. However the viewer (i.e. us) is not party to the details of that message.
This is fairly understandable (I assume these experts usually charge for their knowledge and time) but it does reduce the shows usefulness to that of a game show and a platform for Joel and his mates to make their sales pitch. Kind of goes a little against the 'Content is king' message that Joel himself promotes.
Since discovering Joel his advice has played a big part in recent changes I've made to this site - which appear to be showing some early, positive results. Naturally I signed up to his mailing list. Unfortunately that has soured the relationship some what.
Whilst Joel knows his stuff and no doubt can run rings around me with his marketing abilities he does come from a really old school of internet marketing. The school of personal selling emails and web site landing pages explaining why you should sign up for whatever Joel's latest offer is. I hate that kind of marketing.
Daily emails, addressing me by name, with a sales message and perhaps a free offer thrown in, directing me to a bloated single page web site that scrolls forever with reason after reason explaining why this offer is so good. It's soooo... web 1.0.
I can't stand those landing pages. If I do take the time to look further I usually scroll straight to the bottom just to find out how much accepting the offer is going to cost. Nearly every time, if I could afford the offer I wouldn't need it.
Joel is proof that this technique works and can earn you a lot of money but I didn't sign up for a sales pitch I signed up for content. Even in the course of writing this article, exploring Joel's blog lead me to various landing pages with a sales pitch.
I really don't want a business in a box, web site templates or yet another report on how buying this latest product can increase my earnings. All I want is help and advice on how I can make what I do earn me an income that will pay my bills with a bit left over for savings.
I have all the skills already. What I need is help in finding out how all the pieces fit together. Joel says to make money from a web site you need to do something that you're passionate about. That's what I've done. Why then does he keep pushing all these other products at me?
Just give me some useful advice that directly relates to running an artist web site.
If you live in Australia you probably caught this video on Channel Nine's 'i-caught' show which premiered here tonight. It's an American show (or at least the host is American) and 'Battle at Kruger' was the very first video they showed.
As far as wildlife videos go this is the most amazing thing I've ever seen. This has got everything, water buffalo, lions and a crocodile all battling it out over a baby buffalo that could well be both the luckiest and unluckiest offspring on the planet.
The lesson here is that even the kings (or in this case queens) of the jungle shouldn't get between a mother water buffalo and its baby.
Beauty Fades. Dumb is Forever.
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
The title of this post is a classic Judge Judy quote which, is really only half true. Dumb doesn't have to be forever. All over YouTube a debate is raging about Miss South Carolina's incoherent answer to a question at this years Miss Teen USA pageant. She was asked to give her opinion on why it is that recent polls show that one fifth of Americans can't find the USA on a map?
She started out by saying that many US Americans (as opposed to non US Americans?) don't have maps... and it all went down hill from there with a monologue that, at best, could be described as words that might have been a useful answer if they were arranged into their proper order. Watch the video below for the full story and Miss South Carolina's attempt to redeem herself two days later on the Today Show.
Now, I can accept that she was probably very nervous and we've all been in a situation where we can hear ourselves talking but have no idea if we're still making sense. Her answer on the Today Show is certainly an improvement and may well have got her first place instead of third runner up (what did fourth and fifth place getters say to be beaten by her answer?).
Perhaps I should stop rambling like Miss South Carolina and get to my point. What this represents is a poster child for better education of young people. It's all very well to think looks will get you a long way but looks and brains will get you even further. In today's society people seem genuinely surprised when good looking people have brains too. Something that should be a given not a surprise.
Many young people seem to think that school is a waste of time because they are almost forced to learn about things that don't interest them. These young people have missed the point of school.
School is not just about learning stuff. It is also about learning how to learn. Learning how to teach yourself stuff that you have little to no interest in whatsoever. In life you will need to teach yourself all manner of things that you have no interest in but are necessary to live in todays society.
Nobody likes reading contracts (well most people don't anyway) yet in life you'll need to read and understand all manner of contracts. Tax laws and Tax Returns - mind numbingly boring but you'll need to know. Employer/Employee agreements... Superannuation, life insurance the list goes on. Are you smart enough to teach yourself these things or will you forever be looking for someone to explain it to you... like you were a four year old?
Looks maybe valued highly in the modern world but education is still much more valuable. For every good looking, brainless celebrity out there, there is a very smart agent earning a killing off their clients stupidity.
No matter how old you are you should never stop learning. Beauty may fade but dumb doesn't have to be forever.
The Dr. Art Show features TET.
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Sometimes you just have to be careful what video channels you comment on otherwise you could end up being featured in the videos. That's what happened with me after I commented on Dr Art's Channel.
I was kind of hoping he'd do more hard hitting critique rather than this some what PC review but still, it's nice to be featured.
I wish I could articulate all the thoughts that have been running through my head.
I made the mistake of asking for constructive feedback on one of my videos and got well meaning comments like:
"You need to talk a bit quicker"
"You need to smile a bit more"
"You need to be more expressive"
"Maybe you shouldn't talk, let the art take centre stage"
"Maybe you should talk more like you were just talking to a friend"
I've taken this feedback on board and have been trying to change to be more like whatever it is that people feel I need to be more like. Maybe I should just hire an actor to be me since perhaps the real thing isn't up to scratch? Someone who knows how to talk expressively, well paced and can throw in the occasional smile.
Much of the time, it seems to me, that the majority miss the point of online video and why it isn't and never should be mistaken for television. Television is polished and filled with people who train to be the best at what they do.
Online video, whilst accessible to professionals, is the medium of people just being themselves. Presenting whatever it is that they want to express because they want to share something of themselves with others.
I've become discouraged of late because, try as I might, I can't talk a bit quicker, I'm not usually very expressive and I don't smile a heck of a lot. What you see on camera is exactly how I am when I talk to a friend. I'm not trying to be a television presenter. This is me. This is who I am.
The point of my videos is to let you get to know me, the face behind the art. I don't want the art to take centre stage because the art doesn't tell you anything about me as a person. The art only lets you make assumptions about who I might be not who I actually am.
Trying to change myself for my videos has made the process of making them less and less fun. To the point where I often don't record anything because I just can't be bothered with take after take of trying not to stumble on lines that are supposed to be spontaneous. It's a frustrating process where just saying "Hi, I'm The Extraordinary Tourist" becomes a chore because I continuously stumble the very next line trying to talk quicker and more fluently.
If I do let myself talk naturally I then have to spend hours editing out all the pauses whilst I stop to gather my next thought. Even though I talk to the camera the same as I would talk to a friend it's not quite the same. The camera doesn't speak back. You can't think about what you're going to say next whilst the camera speaks. Pauses become much more noticeable. I don't have to edit the pauses out but it emphasizes the slow pace that I naturally speak at.
I'm sure that, after reading this far, you may be thinking I should just be myself. The problem with that is, being myself just doesn't seem to be good enough.
Whilst the article will only remain on the home page for a day, you have to remember that this is a site with millions of visitors and every click on my article is worth money. Home Page featured is the pinnacle of Helium writing on a par with being accepted by a partnered print publisher or being the winner of one of Helium's regular contests.
I've had the song 'Where is my Mind?' by the Pixies running around my head for days now. Considering the title of my last post, No body move, I've dropped my brain!, my sense of humor is such that I can't help but title this post as I have. Well? ...laugh.
So maybe it's not that funny but the question is still relevant. Yesterday I thought I might begin work on another video. Perhaps the long awaited Episode 4 in my ebay series. I'd primed myself earlier in the day. Previewing all three episodes so I could reconnect with the content and build upon it in the new video.
I had some ideas but when I got out into my studio, with everything set up, I just wasn't into it. My head had nothing. Despite the usefulness of the series to other people (based on the feedback I've received) filming another one just wasn't something my head wanted to do.
Sitting blankly in front of a camera is time consuming in the worst sense. It achieves nothing. Perhaps if I scripted something? No idea what, since my head had nothing. Needless to say I gave up on filming anything at all.
With your feet in the air and your head on the ground Try this trick and spin it, yeah Your head will collapse But there's nothing in it And you'll ask yourself
Animator vs. Animation by Alan Becker.
Saturday, July 07, 2007
This animation was brought to the attention of Wasted Spacers (a forum I participate in) and I couldn't let it go by without sharing it with my readers.
Alan Becker has created a very humorous and very slick piece of animation with this battle between a stick man and his creator. Enjoy (click below to view the animation).
An animator faces his own animation in deadly combat. The battlefield? The Flash interface itself.
A stick figure is created by an animator with the intent to torture. The stick figure drawn by the animator will be using everything he can find - the brush tool, the eraser tool - to get back at his tormentor. It's resourcefulness versus power. Who will win? You can find out yourself.
-- This took three long months.. i think it's worth it.
Remember the Dire Straits song, "Money for Nothing"? It started with the phrase "I want my MTV" referring to (depending on where you live in the world), the TV show "MTV" or the TV channel of the same name. MTV stood for 'Music Television'. These days it's not Music Television but Music Players (or MP3 players) that people want. Hence the title of this article "I want my MP3".
One wonders if you have to explain a pop culture reference is it then really a part of popular culture? A rhetorical question... let's get on with this article.
I finally have my very own MP3 player (see the picture right). At last I can join the 21st century where people wander the streets encased in their own extensive music play-lists. Listening to entire libraries of MP3 songs completely oblivious to their surroundings and any real need to interact with other people.
My player's even cooler because it can play videos too. Sure they're the size of a postage stamp (I'm not joking the screen is the size of a postage stamp) but still surprisingly watchable. An audio and visual distraction. An almost complete escape from the real world. I am a 21st century digital boy!
I've been wanting a video MP3 player for quite some time. Not really to play music on though (thus rendering the title of this article even more inappropriate). I wanted certain features. The ability to play video and the ability to record sound, particularly my voice.
The video feature is easy to explain. I want to optimize my YouTube videos for portable device viewing i.e. small screens. Having a really tiny screen to design for presents another challenge and another level to creating videos.
The voice record function I wanted so I could record ideas and other notes to myself any time I want. Especially when I'm out and don't want to carry a pen and notepad. How modern am I?
I haven't really got into using my new MP3 player yet. Presently it only has a couple of test voice recordings and one test video loaded onto it. However like anything new it always takes a while to make it an integral part of your life.
I really like this new addition to my life. I can see why people do want their MP3s.
Copyright Laws - Time to Evolve!
Sunday, April 29, 2007
There is a real need for copyright laws to evolve and move with the times. At the very least there needs to be a new kind of licensing arrangement that encourages free use of copyrighted material but still taps into a share of revenue earnings should such free use begin to generate a substantial level of income.
The obvious case in point is the user generated content medium, online viral video. Many backyard video creators could have far greater earning potential with access to their favorite artist's latest music tracks.
Imagine being able to create your own music video clip for your favorite artist's latest single. For arguments sake, say you produce a clip that is better than the artist's original video clip. It goes 'viral' when you post it on a video site that pays, such as Revver or Metacafe. In the space of a day it's had 50,000 views with no sign of slowing down.
Suddenly you've earned a great deal of money by combining your talent with your favorite artist's music. It's at this point your work comes to the attention of the artist and, quite rightly, they want their share of the profits.
In today's market the artist usually demands you remove the clip from the internet and may even sue you for breach of copyright plus a slice of whatever income you've made but what if there was another option?
What if there was a licensing arrangement where you could use any kind of copyrighted material free of charge but make an agreement to pay the creator a negotiated royalty from any income generated over a specified amount (so as not waste everyone's time on trying to distribute minuscule amounts). How much more could everyone earn (and save in court fees) with this type of licensing? How much wider audience could a professional artist reach by allowing this kind of creative freedom with their work?
Admittedly it would be very hard to keep track of when content begins to earn substantial amounts of money but the sites that pay for user generated content must keep some kind of record of who has earned what in order to pay their creators. Logically it should be these sites that act as a go between and assist with artists being paid a royalty for the use of their music on user generated content.
For example, the video sharing site, YouTube, currently has a policy of not removing copyrighted content until the owner of that material makes a complaint and demands it be removed. What if a similar policy was adopted where by the owner of the copyright could claim their right to a percentage of the earnings?
It's all a bit messy I know but then the present copyright laws are messy too. However these laws need to evolve. It is currently impossible to keep track of how copyrighted material is used. It would be impossible to ensure that everyone who used copyrighted material signed a licensing agreement prior. There needs to be a middle ground.
Consumers are demanding the use of copyrighted material for their own creations. The owners of that material should be compensated if their work assists in generating substantial revenue.
User generated content is the future and it's here now. Copyright laws and professional creators need to embrace amateur creativity whilst still protecting income streams for all content creators whether they be amateur or professional.
What happened to the Video Art?
Thursday, April 26, 2007
When you visit an exhibition touted as 'the only one of its kind' one expects the main attraction to make an appearance. Unfortunately this wasn't the case when I visited an exhibition by Arts North, based in the City of Playford, Adelaide, South Australia.
I read about this exhibition in two different local newspapers. Both articles talked up the exhibition, particularly the centre piece, a collection of short films created by children as well as 'video art'.
Quotes from one article implied a significantly more substantial display. For example Arts North President, Marissa Dunn, said of the exhibition, "I'm very happy, especially with showing the diversity of the artwork that comes from our society." Further to that the article goes on to say "a wide cross-section of people have been involved in the exhibition - children as young as five up to 85 year olds have all shared their creativity."
Not with standing that no actual figures, in terms of the number of artists exhibiting, were mentioned I was disappointed to find that the display filled only one wall and a small glass cabinet at the venue. All up I'd estimate twenty five to thirty artworks (not much more than can be seen in the photo displayed with this post). To make matters worse, many of the catalog numbers had either fallen off or been removed. There was no way of matching the artists to some of the works (save for trying to match signatures to names).
The biggest disappointment was the Video Art and Children's Short films. The screen (which can be seen in the photo) was still in place but there was no sign of a projector. Only the recess where it once stood, along with an empty power board gave clues as to its expected location. No explanation was given as to why it wasn't present nor who to ask to discover its where abouts. Given that I was specifically visiting this exhibition for the video component, its complete absence reflected badly on my enjoyment and appreciation of the art that remained.
One could perhaps surmise the exhibition was in the process of being taken down? The newspaper articles I read said the display would be on until the end of April. Though, it only being the 26th of April, the 'end of April' was still a few days away.
I tried my best to appreciate the art that remained but, to be honest, the majority of artworks reflected your typical cross section of local community art. Nothing you can't see in any 'art society' exhibition anywhere in Australia. That's not to say there weren't one or two stand outs but overall, not nearly as inspiring as it might have been with the video component operational.
Overall a disappointing experience that would make me think twice about viewing an Arts North exhibition in the future.
The 2007 Gawler Horse Festival.
Monday, April 16, 2007
The Gawler Horse Festival is a Biennial Event held in Gawler, South Australia, over four days in April. This year it was April 12-15, 2007. I attended the event on the Saturday where I spent some time taking photos and video of the Show Jumping Finals.
The image above is probably one of the best I took on the day that featured, what I feel, is a really dramatic sky. The clouds kept the day cool and, whilst it looked like it might rain, it didn't. You can buy the above image as a print from Red Bubble.
The whole event over four days features many different horse related competitions and demonstrations with riders from around the world including; Show jumping, Natural Horsemanship, Carriage Driving, Show horses, Australian Stock Horses, Mini horse and ponies, Vaulting and more. Below I've posted some video I took of the last few runs of the SA Senior State Show Jumping Championship.
I apologize in advance for not knowing who the riders are. If you happen to know feel free to add a comment below. I wasn't really there for the events other than it was a great opportunity to photograph horses in action. However the video gives you some idea of what it was like from a spectators point of view (minus sound, which my little digicam doesn't record - hence the song to keep your ears amused).
The final day is Gawler Cup Day, where punters can place a bet on the races. If you're into horse racing then this day is worth attending (especially if you can score an invite into the sponsors marquee - as I did the first year the event was run).
As you can probably tell, I'm not really a big horse fan but, with Gawler becoming something of the horse capital of Australia with this event, it's almost expected that you'll go along for at least one day. If you are a horse fan mark this on your calendar of events in two years time!
Found this story on Usertainment Watch, Justin TV is a new web site featuring a guy with a camera strapped to his head, filming 24/7. You can view the live feed on Justin's home page.
Justin says that he came up with the idea because he thought it would be interesting showing people what it's like to be... well... Justin. Watch as Justin sets up his technology company to make streaming live video to the web easy. Riveting stuff. To spice things up Justin site does say that he'll be wearing his camera even on dates. I'm sure that's going to enhance his relationships.
This idea is really nothing new and the reality is that, unless you're participating in extreme sports 24/7 or perhaps working on an adult film set, most people's lives aren't that interesting on a minute by minute basis.
This really is just an extension of the TV Show 'Big Brother' taken into a real life environment. If you've ever watched the live streaming version of that show then you'll know that, even in a controlled setting, where drama is some what manufactured, life can still get pretty boring from a viewers perspective.
There's a reason people edit their video on sites like YouTube - to cut out the boring stuff. People don't want to sit through every pause, every 'um' and every 'I really have nothing to say'.
Justin's concept is a nice idea in theory but it really doesn't take live streaming of someone's life to the next level. It's not 'The Trueman Show' yet.
Where to make money with Video.
Friday, April 13, 2007
Thanks to Nalts from Will Video For Food for the heads up on an article, Online Video: Show Us the Money, by Light Reading giving a comprehensive overview of which video sharing sites pay and how much you could earn. They even give you some revenue comparisons between the different sites.
There are five reports linked to their article that should be of interest to anyone wishing to earn money from short format videos including:
January 2007. (Who's the biggest so far this year).
The Cheat Sheet. (A regularly updated look at the video sharing market - worth bookmarking!).
It's worth noticing that despite all the revenue sharing, YouTube is still king. I'm hoping that when YouTube announces its revenue sharing model later this year, it will be something revolutionary. Even though I'm supporting Revver at the moment, YouTube's video streams so much better than any other site.
Forgotten by my Phone Company.
Thursday, April 12, 2007
I'm sure it's not often that phone companies get complaints from customers for not trying to sell them new products and phone service plans but this is one of those rare, missed opportunities.
I have a mobile phone that is almost three years old. I'm not going to tell you the brand but it comes from a time when phones were transitioning into the age of third generation networks, colour screens and built in cameras. You know, all the cool features that makes you wonder where the 'call somebody on the phone' feature is. My phone has none of that.
My mobile phone has the old liquid crystal display. It's most advanced features are picture messaging and playing the inbuilt games. It wouldn't know what to do with a polyphonic ring tone.
Back to the point of this article. Three years ago the contract on my previous mobile phone expired. Just prior to that my mobile phone company was on the phone offering me the latest upgrade on a slightly cheaper, two year plan. The new phone would be completely free if I signed up for the plan. Great, cheaper phone bill, new handset, wonderful!
Two years later my contract runs out. I'm expecting to get the call.
"Hi, we'd like to offer you the latest, wizz bang mobile phone with all the multimedia features you need for zero dollars if you sign on to our two year plan that will be a whole dollar cheaper per month than your existing contract!"
Wonderful! Finally I get a phone that can record video with sound, take photos, connect to the internet, watch live TV and more, all whilst still being able to make and receive phone calls. The call never came.
My plan ran out and simply rolled over. I'm still paying a service fee and call costs but I'm no longer paying off the handset. I shouldn't complain too much as this literally cut my monthly bill in half at a time that I really needed money but still.
Being the video producer/creator that I am, having a mobile phone with the ability to record video would be a fantastic opportunity for creative film making.
You might ask why don't I just go out and buy such a phone. It's the principle. I know my own phone company has plans where you can get the latest phone for nothing as part of a plan.
Eventually I'll probably call them and see what they offer. However it makes me wonder. Did I not make enough calls? Why didn't they offer to upgrade my phone? I've been a loyal customer for four years at least. Doesn't that count?
Feels like I've been forgotten by my phone company.
I am South Australian Artist, 'TET' or 'The Extraordinary Tourist'. Read about things that interest me, particularly art, social commentary, humour and life observations. Please feel free to leave a comment by clicking the 'Comments' link at the bottom of each entry.
I'm a creative person trying to make a living selling my art online. Visit my shop to find out if owning a print of my art is right for you. Watch for my ebay auctions of original artworks too!
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