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Could it Hurt The Daily Show and Colbert Report’s Fan-Base Further Down the Road?

Viacom announced yesterday that it will pull The Daily Show and The Colbert Report from the most popular online video site, Hulu. Although Jon Stewart and Steven Colbert top Hulu’s charts, Viacom said the shows are not meeting their monetary expectations. It’s a risky move that could help Viacom in programming negotiations or it could eliminate the user discovery phase for the next generation of viewers. If, however, The Daily Show and Colbert Report have built a sizable fan base, they will not need the user discovery phase… at least for now.

Viacom’s decision might demonstrate the communications giant’s inability to see the big picture. Although Hulu might fall short of Viacom’s revenue expectations (in addition to being a market competitor), it is the first in a set of dominoes that make-up The Daily Show and Colbert Report’s fan-base. Hulu is the starting point in two distinct fan-building stages: 1) experimental / discovery (Hulu, Facebook) and 2) true fan (DailyShow.com, Tumblr). By eliminating the first step in the fan-building process, Viacom could compromised the future growth of its hardcore fan-base.

To gain initial acceptance, a brand must first seek recognition. Hulu and Facebook are incredible platforms to promote your brand to a broad audience; to cast a wide net — trolling for passer-bys. Hulu is a promotional platform that captures nearly 25 million monthly unique users (quite a large net). Features on Hulu’s homepage can build awareness and capture “experimental” users in search for something entertaining to watch.

If users enjoy episodes and clips on Hulu, the next stage is to activate the audience. This is your inner, core audience of passionate viewers. They moved beyond the passer-by phase and are in a search to get the ultimate fan fix. They visit The DailyShow.com or check out The Office’s official site to buy fan merchandise (think the Dwight bobble-head), play games, watch online-only webisodes and special content only available at The Office or the Daily Show’s official website.

Viacom’s decision to eliminate the experimental / discovery phase of the fan-building process could effect its future hardcore base. As The Daily Show and Colbert Report already have a sizable following, removing the programming from Hulu might not have immediate negative implications…

To read more about Viacom and the Daily Show, go to Sparxoo, a digital marketing, branding and business development blog.

Sparxoo is a business blog that inspires breakthrough by tomorrow’s leaders. We are a strategy consulting firm with a pulse on marketing, branding, and development.
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Kids spend hours every day on sites like Facebook, MySpace and other social networking outlets. Chatroulette online chat is just the latest in a series of social networking interfaces competing for their time and attention.  If you’ve read the news lately you know that Chatroulette might have been started with innocent intentions, and indeed can be a harmless diversion for the normal user. The problem is that many Chatroulette users are anything but normal.

Because of the random nature of a Chatroulette online session, the user has no control over what image they will see with the first or any subsequent click of the mouse. The only thing they can control is how fast they leave.  But for a young child looking at this site, it is already too late by the time they get there. 

You’ve probably reached this article looking up information on Chatroulette because you’ve heard something from a friend or on the news about this new craze.  If you’ve looked at any of the links you found you probably know that a great many of the video chat encounters on Chatroulette are extremely inappropriate for the young adolescent.

This is only one of many issues that face parents as they talk about the myriad of issues that face the average young teen or pre-teen.  You have probably heard the usual recommendations, but they are worth repeating. 

If your child has their own computer, put it in a location that allows you to see what they are doing. 
Never set up a computer in their bedroom where they can surf unsupervised. 
Talk to your kids about the importance of not giving any personal information of any kind to anyone they do not know online. 
Explain that they should assume that things are not always what they seem. 

These conversations are as important as the conversations you have about drugs, alcohol and sexual behavior.

See my website at http://chatrouletteonline.com for more advice.
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Not long ago internet videos were all for entertainment and information.  Well that changed drastically in the last few years once people found out that you could generate targeged web traffic with free websites like youtube.  Videos are becoming more and more powerful as marketing tools now that Google ownes youtube and really favors organic user content.

For most people new to using videos as a form of internet marketing getting the right people in front of their offer is a tall task. There are, however, a few simple tricks you can use to take your video from the depths of the search rankings all the way to the top creating free long term traffic you can soak up until the end of time.

#1 – Your Title Matters – There are 2 things you need to include in your title to ensure you get a maximum number of views for your marketing videos.  First make sure you include the key word in the title.  This may seem pretty obvious, but it’s amazing how many people make the mistake of not including their key word in the title.  Second make it attention grabbing …something like “The Dirt on (xyz)”, or “xyz Warning – I lost my money!”  Titles like this arouse curiosity.  People love to get an inside scoop, or hear something that may save themselves some money.  There’s a reason the tabloid magazines are so popular.  People can’t get enough dirt on celebrities, politicians or anyone else in the public eye.  They also love the idea of getting the “dirt” on whatever they are searching for on the internet.

#2 – Piggyback on Popular Videos – Do a quick search on youtube and see what comes up for your key words.  See what key words those videos are marketing for and use them too.  This might not get you on the first page of searches, but it will get you close to the top in the related videos section.  This is HUGE because people will rarely view just one on youtube.  They regularly click 3 or more in the related section to see what other people are saying about their particular search term…when they do, you will be there to provide a different take on the subject.  For more tips and detailed instructions on how to make your videos perform better, read below:

Bring in 10-15 FREE leads EVERY DAY Go to: www.ProMarketingTraining.com and fill out the form to claim your free 7 day training course.
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Youtube and other video sites have made it possible for the “little guy” to compete with just about anyone provided your video MAKES people take action.  After all, what’s the point of video marketing if people simply watch your video and don’t do anything about it afterwards?

After you’ve decided what the subject of your video is going to be, make sure you record a video with good content – ACTION ENDUCING CONTENT!  Since we’re using the video marketing as a tool we need to ensure that it is something that will entice people to take a given action like visiting your website, or purchasing your product.  The best way to encourage people to take an action is simply by TELLING THEM TO DO IT!  People like being told what to do and it is surprising how well most will follow instructions.  For evidence of this, just look at all the infomercials on TV.  Every one ends by telling you to CALL NOW, or ORDER TODAY.

There’s a reason infomercials are always on TV and always will be.  THEY WORK.  So let’s take a cue from infomercials and be very specific about what you want people to do.  Don’t beat around the bush.  If you want the result of your video marketing to be people going to your website, make sure you tell them exactly that: “go to www.(yourwebsite).com, or get your free trial at www.(yourwebsite).com”…whatever you wan the result to be.  Just make sure you are very specific in your instructions.  If you aren’t specific enough, people won’t follow your instructions.  Think about how many people had trouble following multiple instructions in school.  Odds are those same people can’t follow numerous instructions today, so dumb it down as much as you can.

Make sure you focus on 1 action only.  I can’t emphasize the importance of this.  People like being told what to do, but when you give them too many instructions at once, the odds of them doing any one of them decrease drastically.  So make sure you only tell them to visit a website or send you an email, not both to keep your video marketing as effective as possible.

For some good examples on ways to entice action watch a number of videos on network marketing.  Some of the best video marketing on youtube is in this category.  Once you’ve decided on what action you want people to take, give them the instruction in 2 ways.  Tell them to do it, and also put it in text either in the beginning or the end of your video.  Some people respond better to audio instructions and others respond better to written instructions.  By doing it both ways, you give yourself a better chance that viewers will do what you want them to.

Implementing this 1 simple strategy WILL increase lead flow, sales, or subscribers making your videos as effective as they can be! Follow the instructions below to for more ways to make better videos that create results.

Bring in 10-15 FREE leads EVERY DAY Go to: www.ProMarketingTraining.com and fill out the form to claim your free 7 day training course.
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The fascination with the seemingly shallow practice of chatting online with strangers on a strictly random basis is just another way to keep us sitting in front of our computers.  Regardless, chatroulette online seems to be the latest craze affecting the young and old alike. Online chat is not real life and it provides an escape for those who really need to engage in the real world.  Just like the online chat of old, Chatroulette seems to draw the lonely and the curious to its site to connect with strangers on a superficial basis.  For the meek, it is one way to practice your interpersonal communication skills in an environment that is anonymous.  Rejection is simply a click of the mouse and doesn’t leave one as emotionally scarred as in real-life situations. 

Chatroulette online, however, also provides another potentially easy vehicle for predators to connect with vulnerable young people seeking acceptance from “interested” people in online chat rooms.  The webcam provides an instant connection and the savvy predator will know exactly how to reel the young person into a “relationship” that will go beyond the Chatroulette online site.  So parents, beware;  this “random” selection has the danger of a predator convincing your child to move on to a more private online chat site to continue a relationship that could prove to be dangerous, if not deadly.

Will Chatroulette withstand the test of time?  The answer is “probably.  The curious will flock to this site as it gets more and more publicity.  Sites such as Chatroulette may also attract the social rejects who struggle with building relationships.  Is there a benefit for social rejects to connect with other social rejects?  Maybe.  Is there a danger?  Absolutely.

See my website at http://chatrouletteonline.com
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