SocialNext

Don't Underestimate NBC and News Corp.

After failing to reach deals with Google-owned YouTube, NBC and News Corp (along with Microsoft, AOL and Yahoo!) are building their own video sharing site.

Many people are writing this off as a bunch of slow old media companies lumbering onto the internet in an effort to take on the King of Online Video. Of course they’re right. BUT it would be presumptuous to count them out based on that alone. Google seems to be doing that already by referring to this initiative as “Clown Co.”.

That’s a mistake. There are two key things NBC/News’ site must do to make an impact on YouTube – have exclusive content and provide a simple, easy user experience that works properly.

It’s no easy task but if they can make a site that makes it easy to share, embed and stream content they could make a significant mark in the online video arena.

Is the Biggest Threat to MySpace Its Own Users?

MySpace is by far the #1 social networking site on the internet but no one stays on top forever *coughyahoocoughmsncoughfriendster*. So with that being said what is the biggest threat to MySpace?

Their users.

The biggest problem on MySpace is spam stemming from password phishing. It happens like this: Spammers trick users into logging into a fake MySpace login page giving them access to the user’s MySpace account. They then send spam comments, bulletins, even event invitations to that user’s friends. It clogs up everything with ridiculous junk such as “Size Matters! Click here!!!!11!11 (xy78217)” or “this ringtone site really works omg!!” etc..

Users aren’t going to say to themselves, “Boy if my friends weren’t so dumb there wouldn’t be this much spam on MySpace. We should take steps to educate ourselves on this growing problem.”

Yeah right. They’re more likely to say, “MySpace is full of spam! What happened? I’m not coming back here.”

MySpace is cracking down as much as they can with legal action but crafty spammers are working to stay one step ahead. MySpace would be wise to double their efforts. Their dominance may well depend on it.

Tila Tequila Single Flops

 

I wanted to follow up on MySpace celebrity Tila Tequila and her new single “I Love U”. As I predicted Tila's single failed, but her video was a huge success. This shows that she has tons of “empty friends” – people who have no vested interest in her work. I know that sounds harsh but I honestly was rooting for her.

That’s why I think friending on MySpace is a lot like search marketing – targeting people with common interests or by geo location will yield better results than serial adding. But it’s a tough balance to strike because the press doesn’t care about targeted motivated friend lists. They want to see numbers…big numbers. 

So which is better for you? Adding tons of people in the hopes of getting press which could lead to more friends and exposure or a smaller, motivated user base at will help spread your message?

Back from Ireland; Now with Flu

I can't seem to catch a break. While in Dublin, I caught the flu. So I'll be back to posting next week.

Off to Ireland

Sorry for the lack of posts this week. It was my birthday and I had trouble getting to the computer.

Also, I won't be posting next week as I'll be in Ireland. But don't drop my feed - I'll be back the week of the 19th.

See you then!

7 Ways to Challenge YouTube

Google-owned YouTube dominates the online video market. With YouTube now promising to pay content creators how can smaller video sites like Revver, Veoh, Metacafe and LiveVideo compete? Here are 7 ways smaller video sites can make inroads on YouTube.

1. Reach out to popular unsigned content creators and invite them to upload. Nothing new here. It's about acquiring great content. An unsigned group would be flattered to be noticed.

2. Now here's the key: Pay these creators to make their content exclusive to your site. The result here is two fold: you have has unique content users can't find anywhere else and the groups become evangelists for your service. Even if you couldn’t pay with video ads, you could create a payment structure based on views.

3. Offer a bulk upload tool: If the talent has a back catalog of videos uploading one by one takes forever.

4. Simplify the process for users to sign up and join the service so they can subscribe and leave comments.

5. Offer unique features YouTube lacks such as better tracking, allowing creators to pick the screen capture of their video and daily emails of views and comments on videos.

6. Feature the content creators: I’m not just talking about their videos but also customized homepages on the service, interviews and photos too.

7. Sign content deals with popular video and pop culture blogs such as VideoSift or Fark to feature your content. These sites drive a lot of traffic and can help boost adoption of your service.  

YouTube Creates Political Hub

Very cool! YouTube is creating an "informational hub" aimed at educating voters and giving the presidential candidates an opportunity to showcase their own videos.

I've been a big advocate of campaigns using viral video, particularly YouTube and it's young audience. I think it's great YouTube is giving these candidates a platform to educate voters.

**//UPDATE: I posted some ways for campaigns to take advantage of this over at Search Engine Journal. Click over and check it out.