Online Video Presentation WIFT

Election Fever Sites

From Cynthia Cynopsis -- very good overview of some great sites /g

The first web 2.0-powered election is upon us and it's worth a look back at some trends in the space. Politics was the leading category gainer in August according to comScore, responsible for 14 million+ uniques during the month - a third more traffic than in Aug. 2007. Politically-themed sites such as Huffingtonpost.com, realclearpolitics.com and politico.com exploded onto the scene, establishing themselves as important resources users and established media brands have come to rely on. Mostly terrific online efforts by CNN, MTV, YouTube and other outlets have increased awareness immensely and are expected to help drive the best voter turn-out we've seen since the 1960's. And, of course, the candidates themselves have relied on their perspective web sites to reach voters. If web traffic equates to votes then Obama would seem to be riding a wave. Unique visitors to BarackObama.com outpaced those to JohnMcCain.com nearly 2 to 1 in September, according to Nielsen Online. The unique audience at BarackObama.com went from 6.1 million in August to 7.9 million in September, almost double the 4.2 million visits to JohnMcCain.com. Finally some excellent resources have emerged to provide unbiased data to voters who still may not have made up their minds. Check out VoteSmart.com for a comprehensive database of information on candidates' voting records, issue positions and public statements. OpenSecrets.com is a good a place to, in the words of Lester in The Wire, to "follow the money."

New Joost Goes Live Today

After months of hard work the NEW JOOST is LIVE.

Below are some articles from this mornings press as well as some screen shots in the posts below:

http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/09/18/new-joost-launches-now-and-next-month-joost-will-be-100-flash/

http://newteevee.com/2008/09/18/no-download-required-joost-to-go-flash/#more-8702

http://www.mediaweek.com/mw/content_display/news/digital-downloads/broadband/e3i91c8d15e4e31620505f47dc542c2e908

Ping me with feedback or comments.

New Joost - New Dashboard

My favorite part is the Joost activity feed. It shows what everyone is doing on the platform. A great way to find new content and share with your friends.

New Joost Screen Shot

This is the new electronic program guide for the platform. Much easier to use and makes content discovery so much easier.

New Joost 'Friends' Screen Shot

It finally happened

I was searching for the hair salon I usually go to in Toronto. I can never remember the address of phone number so I Googled it -- wax hair salon, toronto -- nothing. Wax hair, toronto - nope. Thought I spelt it wrong so I tried Waxx hair, toronto -- zero. Then I remembered yellow.ca. I had tried it once before a while back and noticed that it had really quick search that was remarkably accurate. I could also call directly from my mobile. Typed in Wax. Bingo. Address and phone number. Google look out.

Does Online TV Have a Short Shelf Life?

From: NewTeeVee --- New research indicates that online videos get the majority of their views soon after they’re posted. Of 10,916 videos with at least 1,000 views after 90 days, half of those views happened over the first two weeks, according to a study by video analytics firm TubeMogul. Views peak on day three, with 11 percent of all views happening on that day, according to the study.


Full article

Where's the Audience Panel - Banff World TV Festival

One of the best sessions I was lucky enough to moderate with interesting statistics from both sides of the fence - TV and Online. Having a broadcaster, Anna, giving us the reality of the situation on the ground was very useful.

Links:

Barry's CRTC report
Slice.ca
HGTV.ca
English speaking stats and online users

The Biz (NEW!): Where's The Audience?

Tuesday June 10th
14:30 - 15:30

Session
Sir Edward Beatty

In Partnership with:
TELUS

New online series and the recent Writer's strike sent a lot of viewers to the web. How has this fragmentation of the audience affected TV viewership? What are the ramifications for TV producers and broadcasters?

Partner Introductions:
Michael Hennessy, Vice-President -- Wireless, Broadband & Content Policy - TELUS

Moderator
Gavin McGarry, Content Acquisition and Strategy - Joost

Panelist
Anna Gecan, Vice President of Content, HGTV - CanWest Broadcasting Inc.
Barry Kiefl, President - CMRI
Bryan Segal, Senior Director - Comscore Media Metrix

Pitching - Rita Carbon Flurey

Things you need to know:

No Baggage Line: if you don't have the experience someone is looking for consider it a benefit as you will have no preconceived notions. Rita uses this strategy regularly.

1) Pitching is telling a good story. Know your projects story.

2) Ask for advice on the project rather than sell the idea to them. It

3) Passion for the idea is almost as important as the story.

4) Research, research, research. Know who you are pitching too. There is no excuse not to know who you are pitching too.

5) If you are not experienced collaborate with veteran producer.

6) Don't get defensive if they don't like your idea. Listen to what the broadcaster is saying. They understood your pitch, use it to explore and heighten the idea.

7) Practice pitching to industry people or your Mom. Your Mom will always love you and your stupid ideas.

8) Have a goal for your meetings - I will get a second meeting, they will ask for a one sheet, etc.