I have been having the most fun lately. I found an incredible place where you can not only have fun and relieve some of the daily tension, but you CAN make money, even earn a living. The Weblo site is an online replica of the real world, and it is amazing.
Not only am I working on my new software stores, and giving out free software for joining my forum, among other things, but now I am giving away tons of freebies just for visiting my blog.
You will want to check back every week as I will be adding a brand new download for you to grab each week. Please leave comments or reviews on the products after you have used them. I would love to hear your thoughts.
I'm not sure I've ever heard a concept album like this before. Sixx: A.M. is a group founded by former Motley Crue bassist Nikki Sixx for the sole purpose of releasing this album as a soundtrack to the book, The Heroin Diaries, which is an autobiography by Sixx. It delves deep into his addiction, is incredibly blunt, often harsh at times, and is also absolutely brilliant.
This album was the collaborative effort of Nikki Sixx, vocalist James Michael, and guitarist DJ Ashba. Each song is a reference to a different chapter in the book, which is something I don't think has been done before. I might add that you do NOT have to buy the book to enjoy this album, but I'm sure it's a nice compliment.
The Heroin Diaries begins with X-Mas in Hell, a brutally honest and shocking diary entry spoken by Sixx himself as he is backed by soft acoustic guitars:
I didn't speak to a single person today. I thought, "Why should I ruin their f***ing Christmas?"
A rock rendition of Carol of the Bells accompanies the spoken words and somehow gives it an even more somber atmosphere. You can practically see Sixx's loneliness and desperation oozing from your headphones.
A soft piano opens Van Nuys where vocalist James Michael makes his first appearance. The lyrics here are so brutally honest that despite the fact that very few of the listeners have experienced anything even close to as awful as a heroin addiction, the listener can still somehow relate. The song keeps a simple rhythmic beat, but it is the chorus where a high pitched choir backs Michael joyously singing Everybody gets high / Everybody gets low where this song triumphs most.
Lead single Life is Beautiful is a masterpiece. It begins with some nifty acoustic guitar picking before a typical catchy guitar riff and it is the huge soaring chorus which will grab the listener's attention. Michael's wails in the chorus are almost reminiscent of Jared Leto from 30 Seconds to Mars.
While Pray for Me begins with a slight 80's sound, Michael shows he can be a true chameleon as the verses sound very similar to Mr. Brightside by The Killers. This song showcases many influences blending 80's and modern rock into something new altogether. This is a very moving song about Sixx rejecting the help of people who cared about him:
She wants to save me, but I'm barely alive. My soul is thirsty. I just wanna get high.
Tomorrow is probably the closest this album gets to modern rock cliche, with its soaring chorus and simplistic drum beat. I wouldn't be surprised if they released it as their second single however. The pain returns with Accidents Can Happen, which appears to be a comforting letter written to Sixx by a friend in a time of need. This song is beautiful, and when Michael gets a few seconds to himself, he really shines with an amazing falsetto. He does a great job of channeling the pain Sixx went through into each and every word he sings.
Intermission is another spoken word section, this time with a circus feel to it. It is almost entirely instrumental, there are bells, whistles, chimes and a kooky little guitar solo tossed in for added effect.
Dead Man's Ballet showcases Sixx's incredible songwriting ability. At first only backed by soft piano keys and Michael's soft crooning of Oh no / how could this happen to me?, it picks up considerably with some heavier electric and bass guitar strumming all while Michael never changes his tone and the chorus has a gospel choir feel to it.
Helicopter blades begin Heart Failure which starts with some more of Sixx's spoken lyrics before shifting styles into a bouncy/funky groove. The chorus shifts gears again with an almost power metal vibe as Michael screeches:
I'm face down on the tracks The train is coming fast And it's not derailing It's not the first time And this won't be the last That my heart is failing
This song mixes Michael's superb vocals excellently with Sixx's tortured diary excerpts. Sixx also provides some inspired gloomy bass to help this song along even more.
Quite possibly the least blunt of any song on the album, Girl with Golden Eyes, which is a metaphor for heroin, is a touching ballad about addiction. The line I wish I'd never kissed her / now I can't resist her is harrowing indeed. The backup vocals in the chorus give the song an even more desperate feel to it. That is not the end of the song however, at the 3/4 mark, Sixx chimes in with his best diary entry yet. It chronicles the first ten days after he quit heroin for good. Simply pasting the entry here would never do it justice. You need to hear it for yourself.
The styles switch again in Courtesy Call, where Michael's vocals sound like Myles Kennedy from Alter Bridge. The chorus catches the listener by surprise with its power after they'd nearly been lulled to sleep by the verses. Permission switches styles once again adding some country to the mix as Michael croons
All of my devils are free at last And all my secrets revealed Your permission is all I need to heal
This song has a much more upbeat feel to it, the back end of it you can literally feel Sixx's happiness with his new-found freedom from addiction. They toss in a gospel choir to back up the final chorus for good measure.
The final track Life After Death begins with a full minute instrumental. Sixx comes in with his concluding words from his diaries, you can actually feel the difference in his demeanor despite the fact that his tone never changes throughout the album. The guitar almost has a Tom Morello vibe to it and a childrens choir hops in to close this album as upbeat as possible.
I would first like to say this is not the type of album you put on shuffle, is can not be fully appreciated unless listened to in the order the band carefully placed each song. Sixx says it best in his concluding diary when he states, "But you know addicts, we think everything's about us, don't we?" I came in fully expecting a pity party which would have a rehash of recycled Motley Crue guitar licks and song stylings. I came away bedazzled, blown off my feet literally. This album is all over the place with so many different styles and moods, all tracing the life of a drug addict searching for salvation. Each style stands for some particular point in Nikki's life where he felt vulnerable and wanted to relay it to the listener, and nothing was ever the same.
This album is the product of a true artistic vision. Its open-wound honesty is the paintbrush and we are the mural. It is an experimental rock confessional unlike anything Nikki Sixx, or anyone else for that matter, has ever done before. I'm flabbergasted to say the least, and hopefully, my words here are enough for you to take this baby for a spin. A word of warning however, don't come in expecting a new rendition of Motley Crue, this is something completely different, and much, much more powerful. If you ever feel overwhelmed, this story of living on both ends of the spectrum might pick you right up off the ground.
Tracks in Order: (A+) = Excellent
1. X-Mas in Hell 2. Van Nuys 3. Life Is Beautiful (A+) 4. Pray for Me 5. Tomorrow 6. Accidents Can Happen (A+) 7. Intermission 8. Dead Man's Ballet 9. Heart Failure (A+) 10. Girl with Golden Eyes (A+) 11. Courtesy Call 12. Permission 13. Life After Death
I am placing a new ebook about How To Read Tabs here. The earlier version did not give you the download to PDF option, only to print, so I have added a downloadable vertion here.
How To Read Tabs & Play Your Favourite Songs Tablature is a way of indicating the positioning of notes and fingering on the guitar fret board. If you can read tabs, you will be able to play any of your favorites songs. Aside from traditional music theory, tabs are among the easiest methods to playing your favorite songs... quickly! Basic Tab Lines There are 6 tab lines representing 6 strings on the guitar. (The 1st string is the thinnest, and the 6th string is the thickest). E----------------------------B----------------------------G----------------------------D----------------------------A----------------------------E----------------------------• • String String String String String String 1 Thinnest 2 3 4 5 6 Thickest The string at the top is the thickest - 6th string The string at the bottom is the thinnest - 1st string (as shown in diagram below) Number is placed with examples When a number is placed on one of the lines, it indicates the fret location of note. Example 1: E----------------------------- String 1 B------4---------------------- String 2 G----------------------------D----------------------------A----------------------------E----------------------------- String String String String 3 4 5 6 (This means to play the 4th Fret on the 2nd string) Example 2: E----------------------------B----------------------------G----------------------------D----------------------------A------0---------------------E----------------------------(This indicates an open 5th string) String String String String String String 1 2 3 4 5 6 Example 3: E----------------------------B-----------6----------------G-------5--------------------D----------------0-----------A----------------------------E----------------------------This indicates: 5th Fret, 3rd string, then 6th Fret, 2nd string, then an open 4th string. String String String String String String 1 2 3 4 5 6 Example 4: E---1------------------------B-----------8----------------G-------7--------------------D---------------2------------A----------------------------E------------------------12--This indicates: 1st Fret, 1st string then 7th Fret, 3rd string, then 8th Fret, 2nd string, then 2nd Fret, 4th string, then 12th Fret, 6th string. String String String String String String 1 2 3 4 5 6 Tab Symbols There are tab symbols that you need to know before you want to learn a song in tab format. They are: h - hammer on p - pull off b - bend string up r - release bend / - slide up \ - slide down v - vibrato (sometimes written as ~) t - right hand tap x - play 'note' with heavy damping When you see all numbers in a line one after another E---3------------------------B---3------------------------G---4------------------------D---5------------------------A---5------------------------E---3------------------------String String String String String String 1 2 3 4 5 6 ...it means you play the entire chord using all fingers. When you see tabs that have "h" E--------------------------------String B--------------------------------String G--------------------------------String D--------------------------------String A---------7h9-----------10h12----String E---0--0----------0--0-----------String 1 2 3 4 5 6 ....it means to do a "Hammer On" from the 7th fret to the 9th fret and again for the 10th fret to the 12th fret. When you see other tabs that have "pO" E--------------------------------String B--------------------------------String G--------------------------------String D--------------------------------String A---------9pO7-----------12pO10--String E---0--0----------0--0-----------String 1 2 3 4 5 6 ....it means to do a "Pull Off" from the 9th fret to the 7th fret and again for the 12th fret to the 10th fret. When you see other tabs that have "b" E--------------------------------String B--------------------------------String G--------------------------------String D--------------------------------String A---------7b9-----------10b12----String E--------------------------------String 1 2 3 4 5 6 ...it means strike the string 5 on the 7th fret, then bend the note up so that it sounds the same as the note played on the 9th fret. ADDITIONAL TIP Tabs are mainly a few lines with numbers on them. Once you know the basic positioning of where your fingers go, you are able to get a good feel for the song. Tabs are an easy way to read music and play a particular song. Proper music notation is more detailed and requires more study into it, however if all you want to do is play your favorite song, tabs are just as easy in the end. GLOSSARY h Hammer On is produced by hitting a note first, before sliding your finger to another fret while the string is still ringing out. p Pull off is the same as a hammer on - but instead of placing our fingers onto the string, we are TAKING OUR FINGERS OFF the string, after striking it. b Bends are relatively easy to perform. Bends are shown in many different symbols. The b and ^ are common symbols used for bends. The ( ) usually contain a number in between and tell the player to bend to that note. Notes without ( ) usually have the note to be bent to next to the original note. A bend is carried out by bending the string up on the guitar to produce a sound similar to that of the fret noted on the tab. r A release is done by picking the note in its bent position, but letting go of the string so that it can return to its normal pitch. / or \ The symbol \ signifies a slide down the neck, while / signifies a slide up the neck. The notes are picked in the order in which they appear from left to right. v or ~ If you continue to hold the fret down after the slide, or even after picking any random note, it will cause the note to ring. This effect is called vibrato which is fluctuating the pitch of a note. t Tapping is where you tap the string repeatedly. x Gently rest a finger of your left hand over the indicated string or strings, and then strum. This will produce a dull, almost scratchy sound. How To Hold Chords A, B & C There are 7 main chords you must learn in order to play the guitar. They are A, B, C, D, E, F & G. Today we'll just cover A, B and C. Later on we'll cover D, E F & G. Let's represent each finger with a number. So in the following diagrams of chords, place each number on the appropriate strings as shown below. Once you place your fingers in the spots as shown, brush down on the strings near the sound hole or the body. Can you hear every string? Are they ringing clearly or are they are muffled mess? If it sounds jumbled, adjust your fingers so they press down correctly. Side Note: The "o" represented in the diagram means that the string is to be played OPEN. Whereas the "x" means not to play the string at all. I.e. mute it, or try not to strike it when you are strumming the chord. CHORD A MAJOR left handed players right handed players CHORD B MAJOR left handed players right handed players CHORD C MAJOR left handed players right handed players How To Hold Chords D, E, F & G Continuing on from the previous lesson, today we'll cover the final chords of D, E F & G. As usual, let's represent each finger with a number. So in the following diagrams of chords, place each number on the appropriate strings as shown below. Once you place your fingers in the spots as shown, brush down on the strings near the sound hole or the body. Can you hear every string? Are they ringing clearly or are they are muffled mess? If it sounds jumbled, adjust your fingers so they press down correctly. Side Note: The "o" represented in the diagram means that the string is to be played OPEN. Whereas the "x" means not to play the string at all. I.e. mute it, or try not to strike it when you are strumming the chord. CHORD D MAJOR left handed players right handed players CHORD E MAJOR left handed players right handed players CHORD F MAJOR left handed players right handed players CHORD G MAJOR left handed players right handed players What Is A Note? This lesson will cover some basic music theory. Before we begin to dig into the heart of music theory and reading music, it is essential for us to first understand where all of these "notes" come from and how they are represented. This will be the foundation for more complicated lessons to follow. What is a Note? A note is simply a way of representing a musical sound. Symbols are used to represent these notes which tells us the duration (length) that the given note is held for and when placed on a staff, it will tell us the pitch of that sound. Pitch is a way of describing how high or how low something sounds. A great example of this is a high pitched scream a horror movie. It hurts our ears because it sounds extremely high. An example of a low pitch would be a truck rumbling along on your street. Notes can be compared to the road signs you see when driving along in your community. They tell you what to do, or in this case play, and they will give you directions. Notes have various shapes and stems coming from them but generally look like little round/oval dots. How is a note named? Notes are named after the first seven letters of the alphabet and are as follows: A-B-C-D-E-F-G ..After the G, you will start again at A. The cycle will then begin to repeat itself from the beginning: A - B - C - D - E - F - G - A - B - C - D - E - F - G - A... .. You may be wondering why we have two notes that are named A. The reason that they are both named A is that they sound alike, even though they are higher and lower than one another. All of these notes have different pitches, meaning that some sound higher, while others sound lower. This is the glue that makes music work. What Is A Staff & What Is Its Use? Here's a quick lesson on Music Theory. It is important to know because when you start getting into sheet music, writing your own music or simply learning a popular song by book - having a thorough understanding makes it a whole lot easier! For now, let's cover some basics... What Is A Staff? A staff is not unlike a bulletin board in a police station that tells the officers who the criminals are. It holds all of the critical information that is needed for you to play music on your instrument. Consider it the notepad of the music world where all of our ideas are written down. Literally everything you need to do to play music will involve using the staff in some form. The staff (also known as stave) consists of five lines and four spaces. In its simplest form, it looks like the following: The staff also has a few more key features that stand out. First off, you will observe a number of lines running vertically through the staff throughout a piece of music. They can be viewed as the walls that separate the music into smaller chunks. These "Walls" are called bar lines. Bar lines help us keep our rhythm and make the music easier to read and understand. The space between two bar lines is called a measure. When the music ends, it will tell you by showing a thick double bar line. If there is a thin double bar line, it simply marks the end of a section, so you continue to play. Here is an image that illustrates the different parts of the staff: What Is A Clef? Instruments are amazing tools to play notes with, but rarely will any be able to play all of the notes that exists on the staff. The exception is the piano, which has the largest range. The biggest problem is that some notes are simply to low in pitch to fit on the staff! The lower the note, the lower it sits when placed on the staff. The opposite happens for higher pitched notes and they move higher up on the staff. With all of these notes available to us, we have a problem... we run out of space. Clefs were formed to separate music into the low notes and the high notes. These two clefs are called treble clef and bass clef. Treble clef, also known as G clef, caters to the higher pitched instruments. Electric and acoustic players always play in treble clef because it fits in all of their notes. Bass clef, also known as F clef, is used for all of the really low notes. Bass guitarists play with this clef. The piano uses both treble clef and bass clef so it can play its full range of notes. This is the exception because instruments pick one clef based on how low or high the notes sound. There are other clefs used in music but they don't apply to us Interested In Music Theory? Learn more about music theory at a brand new Guitar Theory site over at www.GuitarTheory.com.au where the lessons in this PDF are courtesy of. You'll go behind the scenes and find out what makes up music and the theory behind it all, including • • • • • • • • Sharps Flats Dynamics Rests Beats Tempo's Modes Transposition ... and a whole lot more. Also, don’t forget to visit our websites for lots of resources and info: MusicRVA.com MusicRVA Blog MusicRVA Forum MusicRVA Writers Blog Sojournstar Music Blog Get Awesome MRVA "SUPPORT LOCAL MUSIC" Merchandise here!
We all know YouTube is a fabulous way to get noticed, whether you are a band, actor, or simply an attention hog LOL. Here is a little ebook written to help you get You Tube traffic, even if you have no talent.
Kevin Nalts is one of YouTubeʹs least talented ʺweblebrities,ʺ with some 20 million views of his more than 550 online videos. He is one of the most‐subscribed comedians on YouTube, and his videos routinely rank in the top ʺhighest ratedʺ and ʺmost discussedʺ lists. You need only watch several of his videos to know these rankings are not due to his video‐making abilities alone. Here, the career marketer reveals some ʺinsider secretsʺ to developing a following on YouTube (and other online‐video sites), and getting your videos widely viewed globally. The techniques he shares do not include ʺtricksʺ that ultimately undermine a video, but proven strategies that are often not intuitive. To subscribe to Naltsʹ videos, please click here. To subscribe to his blog, WillVideoForFood, click here. Version 1.3. January 2008. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution‐No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License by Kevin Nalts, WillVideoForFood, LLC. You may distribute or post as you wish, but please credit http://www.willvideoforfood.com or repurpose it for financial gain. Nalts is not affiliated with YouTube or Google, and may have to change the title of this book if YouTube objects. But, candidly, the title ʺHow to Be Popular in Online Videoʺ just didnʹt sound as interesting. Kevin Nalts (WillVideoForFood, LLC), January 2008. Page 1 About This Book After languishing in online video for nine months, Kevin Nalts was advised by doctors that his viral‐video career would be dead within weeks. But he persevered, and now reveals some easy‐to‐apply techniques that can help you become popular on YouTube. In 30 fun‐filled pages – packed with real experience, examples and video links – the video creator and marketer shares proven methods to develop a global audience via YouTube. The techniques are built on experience, and will help you avoid some of the many pitfalls, and help keep you from violating ʺunwritten rulesʺ of the YouTube community. They also will save you from wasting time with ineffective approaches. The book offers basic – but sometimes counterintuitive – advice on how to become a more welcome participant of YouTube, build friends, develop a loyal following, promote yourself (or other causes), and have a blast along the way. Should You Read This Book? If youʹre asking yourself the following questions, this book may be for you: • How do I gain YouTube popularity without cheating or appearing desperate? What works and what might create a backlash? • What can I do to get my videos more views without spending an inordinate amount of time promoting them to people? • How can I help make my videos ʺviralʺ (get them passed along)? • How can I use my YouTube fame to promote myself, friends, advertising sponsors or worthy causes? Kevin Nalts (WillVideoForFood, LLC), January 2008. Page 2 Testimonials ʺI canʹt believe youʹre putting testimonials in a book youʹre giving out for free. Isnʹt that a little weird.ʺ – Jo Nalts (aka WifeofNalts) “Promoting a product or service or even yourself on YouTube is utterly different than the message‐driven advertising‐centric approach to marketing. With tons of example videos, ‘Nalts’ shows everything you need to know about creating YouTube videos. His insider tips on etiquette and smart promotional ideas are worth thousands of dollars. This compelling guide has taught me a great deal. Now you can learn how to have fun with this terrific media and promote your ideas too.” – David Meerman Scott, bestselling author of The New Rules of Marketing and PR “Online video is one crowded space right now and if all you do is upload your video and hope for the best, don’t have high expectations. You have to be an active participant. Kevinʹs book on the subject is an eBook, so youʹll have to print it out yourself (preferably not on good paper).” – Paul Kontonis, For Your Imagination ʺI read Kevinʹs eBook after I had already become popular and after reading it, I am still popular. Thanks Kevin!ʺ – Michael Buckley, What The Buck Show ʺHis book summarizes two years of useless knowledge. It wasnʹt really as strong as my Viral Video Fever DVDs, but it certainly was a value for its price.ʺ –‐ Charles Trippy, YouTube Heartthrob and Producer of Viral Video Fever Kevin Nalts (WillVideoForFood, LLC), January 2008. Page 3 Table of Contents I. Foreword ....................................................................................................................... 5 II. Do You Really Want to Be a YouTube Star?....................................................... 10 III. Understanding The Core of YouTube................................................................ 12 IV. How To Make Videos That Donʹt Suck ............................................................. 14 V. Tips for Getting Your Videos Seen ...................................................................... 19 VI. Avoid These Tricks ................................................................................................ 25 VII. YouTube and Profit .............................................................................................. 29 VIII. Big Finish .............................................................................................................. 31 IX. Additional Resources............................................................................................. 32 Kevin Nalts (WillVideoForFood, LLC), January 2008. Page 4 I. Foreword Thank You I appreciate the time you are taking to read this book and I hope you find it helpful and inspiring. Keep an eye out for my soon‐to‐be published book, The Prophet of Online Video (download a free 2‐page synopsis here). Unlike the eBook youʹre reading, ʺThe Prophet of Online Videoʺ will be geared toward marketers and agencies interested in capitalizing on the convergence of online video and advertising. And itʹs going to be wicked expensive. Moo haaa haaa. I am so grateful to the people that view my videos and participate on my blog (WillVideoForFood). These are the people who have paved the way, making a reality of a long and precious dream. These are also the people who have given me the popularity I have today. Thank you all! Of course, there also happens to be a slight faction of people that despises me, they label me a ʺsellout,ʺ one who feeds and promotes the commercialization of the You Tube Community. This eBook will probably piss them off. So much so, that in a small part, writing this and making it available to the public for free is more worthwhile than any profit I could potentially realize. I want to give my wife, Jo (aka WifeofNalts) a special thanks for her continued support; her patience is more than tremendous! More than anyone, she knows just how time‐consuming online video is and has been. She continues to tolerate my neglect of basic tasks around the house, not to mention sleep. I’m a very fortunate man. I also want to thank my children, Kate, Patrick, Grant and Kevin Nalts (WillVideoForFood, LLC), January 2008. Page 5 Charlie. My fathering is not nearly as flawless as it appears on video, and they are patient and keep me from taking it all too seriously. I would also like to thank Jan Ischinger and Tom (formerly known as ʺTrippleHelixʺ on YouTube) for helping me launch the WillVideoForFood Forum along with so many of my other ʺpeeps.ʺ There are more who have been there through thick and thin, diligently supporting me over these past two years. When I was initially passed over for a YouTubeʹs revenue sharing program, I created a video called NAPPY which was met with such a supportive voice from the community and remains listed as one of YouTubeʹs ʺmost responded toʺ videos of all time. When I have grown frustrated with YouTube, the community welcomed me back. And I am constantly tickled by the creative variations of ʺ___ofNaltsʺ that people have created as YouTube user names. I wish I could list all of them by name. You have watched my videos, provided me with positive and constructive feedback, collaborated, participated in my blog, and told your friends about my crazy antics. Youʹve even driven to my house to take me out for pizza and beer when I was ready to throw in the towel. A great thanks to you all! Iʹd also like to thank a few people for their help with this book. Itʹs a free book, so I clearly will share all proceeds with the following people. • Thanks to David Meerman Scott, who encouraged me to publish this book for free (I canʹt remember his rationale but it was really compelling), and for reviewing a draft. David is an accomplished author and online‐video expert, and has tolerated an endless barrage of questions from me (whose Kevin Nalts (WillVideoForFood, LLC), January 2008. Page 6 closest venture to print publishing was a weekly newspaper that went bankrupt just six months after I started working there). • Jan Ischinger has not only helped with this book, but is the driving force behind the WillVideoforFood Forum. She also sends notes like this: ʺTake care of your health. Viral Video Making can be dangerous… The stress is exhilarating, but it is also debilitating. Melt downs really, really happen, almost over night.ʺ And sheʹs right. • Paul Kontonis of For Your Imagination not only broadened my knowledge of online‐video promotion beyond YouTube, but reviewed a draft and taught me the difference between the word ʺMikeʺ and ʺmic.ʺ • Ben Relles of Barely Political provided some important tips he learned while promoting one of YouTubeʹs most popular videos of 2007. Until I met him recently I didnʹt know there was another MBA who moonlighted in online video. • There a few others that invested time proofing my earlier drafts, and oddly wouldnʹt take me up my offer for credit (like the nice mysterious lady behind The Cult of Nalts, who saved me from quite a few grammatical errors). The Apologies My ʺsorryʺ section is as important as my ʺthanks.ʺ Invariably, when you make yourself this accessible online you end up entertaining many, but also offending a few. I take this to heart when it comes to ignoring a fair chunk of my e‐mail and You Tube messages. Honestly, itʹs really hard to be diligent about this sort of communication while keeping a full‐time job and caring for a family of six. I Kevin Nalts (WillVideoForFood, LLC), January 2008. Page 7 really do try, but canʹt find the hours it takes to read and reply to all the messages I receive. I often think this may be interpreted as arrogance by people who donʹt know what itʹs like to get hundreds of e‐mails and messages every day. As a result, Iʹve become fairly haphazard about my personal communication. Rather than sort and prioritize, I’ve found that I impulsively check messages when Iʹm in a more social mood and ignore everything when my plate is full with pressing matters at work and home. If you feel like Iʹm ʺblowing you off,ʺ I hope you will understand my circumstances and please, I beg you not to take it personally. Welcome, And the Brass Tactics! I hope you realize that the title of this book was meant as self‐deprecating humor and not a warranty. When making videos for online entertainment you have to have some talent. Contrary to conventional wisdom, however, talent is not the only ingredient for success. Admittedly, there are people far more talented than I on YouTube who deserve my incredible audience. The stumbling block often is that they do not know how to attract an audience and are relegated to endless obscurity, lost in a sea of garbage. Unfortunately, when this happens these talented people start to think that maybe they aren’t so talented. They begin to lose interest when all they really needed were a few basic marketing tools. Here is an important take‐away (you might want to highlight this point). YouTube fame (f) is a function of your talent (t) multiplied by your marketing (m). f = t times m. Kevin Nalts (WillVideoForFood, LLC), January 2008. Page 8 If youʹre “9 out of 10 “in talent and this book takes you to a “5 out of 10” in marketing yourself, then youʹve achieved a healthy 45, congratulations! However, if youʹre lacking in talent (say a 2 out of 10) then this book may not help. Sorry. I will touch briefly on how to make your videos not suck, but let me say this, I’ve seen some really, really talentless people on You Tube. I shudder to think that one of them is turning to this book for salvation. Not to be Simon Cowles or the like, but if your friends and family find your videos lame you may want to think about taking up pottery or basket weaving. Still reading? Great! If you take nothing else with you from this book, please remember this: The act of ʺuploadingʺ is only one tiny step on your Great You Tube Adventure, and if you stop there, youʹre not going to get very far. Glossary of Terms Iʹm going to be using some terms in this book that are worth defining. • Collab Videos: Making a collaboration video with someone else on YouTube. This is an important way to introduce yourself to the YouTube community. Itʹs time consuming but fun. Pipistrello taught me this. • Subscribers: You know how your magazines magically show up in your mailbox? Hard core YouTubers wake up each day and check their ʺsubscriptions.ʺ If theyʹve subscribed to you, theyʹll know each time you post a new videos. You want quality not just quantity of subscribers because theyʹre the ones who will rate your videos. If they like what they see, your video will get ʺhonoredʺ and appear on some of the ʺmost viewedʺ or ʺmost discussedʺ lists, which brings you a secondary audience. Kevin Nalts (WillVideoForFood, LLC), January 2008. Page 9 • Honors: These are a temporary status a video garners if itʹs the most viewed, most discussed or highest rated within a certain time period. A video receiving these honors will, temporarily, be placed on lists and be more likely to surface on a YouTube search. • Partner: YouTube shares advertising revenue with ʺpartners.ʺ To learn more, see YouTubeʹs partner page. If youʹre thinking youʹre going to retire on YouTube partner income youʹre in for a shock. But itʹs still nice to receive income based on the advertising that appears around your videos. II. Do You Really Want to Be a YouTube Star? Letʹs evaluate YouTube ʺfameʺ for a moment, and make sure you really want what youʹre apparently after. I find most people in pursuit of YouTube ʺweblebrityʺ status are looking for one of four things: 1) Theyʹre a performer looking for a stage. 2) Theyʹre looking to sell a product or service. 3) Theyʹre trying to fill a self‐esteem void with positive feedback, ratings and views (therapy is cheaper in the long run). 4) Theyʹre hoping to connect with similar people and share experiences. Iʹm going to start by tempering your desire. You see, if you enter YouTube with desperation for fame, people are going to find you really annoying. Youʹll give off a scent like those people selling Amway at neighborhood picnics. You might even annoy people more than I do. YouTube popularity is not all itʹs cracked up to be. Youʹll find yourself spending inordinate amounts of time on YouTube, youʹll lose a great deal of your privacy, Kevin Nalts (WillVideoForFood, LLC), January 2008. Page 10 and youʹll get insulted in ways youʹve never imagined (someone once commented on a video that he wants to defecate in my mouth). Each day youʹll feel guilty because youʹre ignoring someoneʹs cry for help ‐‐ watch my video, mention my sick friend, be in my ʺcollaborationʺ video, tell me what you think of my sonʹs video. Sometimes e‐mail will feel like a portal to hell – with desperate and thirsty souls screaming for just a drop of water. In some ways YouTube fame brings all of the negative side of real stardom without the money and perks. Youʹll almost certainly become addicted, and sometimes will fail to differentiate – between your own view of yourself and the opinions of your viewers. The first time you get featured or have a video that goes viral will create a mad rush of adrenaline followed by a sugar crash. But, enough psychobabble. I just wanted to make sure you realize there are some downsides. Now letʹs explore the fun things youʹre going to experience if you have some talent and deploy the techniques youʹre going to learn here. There are some fantastic things about having an established audience for your videos. First, youʹll meet some terrific people. I started online video in December 2005 with naïve hopes of supplementing my income. I certainly wasnʹt in pursuit of meeting virtual friends. Iʹm busy enough with my day job and my family, and Iʹm proficient enough at neglecting my ʺfleshʺ (non‐virtual) friends – much less forgetting the birthdays of my virtual ones. But Iʹve met some really amazingly creative and interesting people on YouTube. Some are passing relationships where we e‐mail or mention each other in an occasional video. And others Iʹve met in person to shoot videos, grab a drink, or huddle together at various YouTube gatherings that make Star Trek conventions look cool. Kevin Nalts (WillVideoForFood, LLC), January 2008. Page 11 Iʹve been brought to tears by videos by my friends, and gained new perspectives from individuals – from all over the planet – with which Iʹd otherwise have no contact. And Iʹve laughed until I could barely breathe. Lately Iʹve leveraged my YouTube experiences to help marketers benefit from online video, and thatʹs been helpful in eliminating the mound of debt weʹve accumulated along the way. But most gratifying is the joy of interacting with other creators, and getting instant feedback whenever I experiment with a new approach. Where I used to burden dinner guests with my videos, I now can post a video, go upstairs and shower, and return to find hundreds of comments that tell me if the idea sank or sailed. III. Understanding The Core of YouTube Did you know YouTube is more than a search engine for videos? Itʹs actually a lively community, and until you understand and respect that community, youʹre not likely to be widely seen. Certainly, there are exceptions ‐‐ I call them ʺone hit wonders.ʺ Sometimes a video is so darned remarkable that it goes viral on its own merit. But please donʹt bet on that, because you have a greater chance of getting killed by a llama. Many of the most popular videos on YouTube never help the creator generate a regular following. If youʹre new to YouTube, you may want to imagine yourself walking into the high school cafeteria. Whatʹs your body language saying? • Sit with me because Iʹm afraid to sit alone. • I came to eat, so stay away or Iʹll eat you. • Hi. Iʹm a cheerleader. Want to sit with me and be popular? • Whereʹs the table for the people who hate everyone else here? Kevin Nalts (WillVideoForFood, LLC), January 2008. Page 12 Because YouTube is a visceral medium with two‐way interaction, you canʹt simply post your video and return a few days later to see if youʹre the next Numa Numa kid. People are going to talk back to you eventually. If you listen and respond, they might stick around and watch more. They may even tell their friends about you. But if youʹre posting to YouTube like youʹre sending out mass holiday letters, your community ʺreputationʺ will be poor. There is a core group of YouTubers that hang out on Stickam (a live video site) each night and interact with each other. You can learn a lot from this group, and theyʹll influence your YouTube reputation. If I had more time and didnʹt derive social anxiety from live video, Iʹd be on Stickam ʺhanging outʺ with these people regularly. As with any community, there are countless unwritten rules. To ʺfit inʺ youʹll have to watch a lot of videos and get a sense for these yourself. But Iʹll give you the quick guide. I outline some of these in a video called ʺYouTube Etiquette.ʺ Nobody wants to admit this, but thereʹs a subtle social ladder based on how many subscribers you have. Itʹs rather repulsive, and I try not to look at the numbers. I find that a creatorʹs ego can unjustly enlarge as their subscribers grow, and I often prefer to ʺhangʺ with the less popular, more interesting people. But this social ladder is important. For example, I get a lot of requests to collaborate with people that have no videos or subscribers, and it is a lot easier to ignore them than someone who has talent and a following. I know some famous YouTubers that simply wonʹt collaborate with someone who obviously doesnʹt watch their videos. If you try to do a ʺcollaborationʺ video with HappySlip before you know her – and have developed your own following – sheʹs likely to ignore you (she ignores me most of the time too, but thatʹs survival when youʹre blasted with 100 e‐mails a day). Kevin Nalts (WillVideoForFood, LLC), January 2008. Page 13 So initially interact with people who have as many subscribers as you, and find your own ʺpodʺ within YouTube. There are countless subcultures built around people and their friends, and this group stays with you like your freshman roommates (or the stink of garlic). Some YouTubers leverage their talent (in music or graphic design) to create custom material that popular YouTubers can use. This makes us far more interested in helping these creators find their way to the top. IV. How To Make Videos That Donʹt Suck This chapter sounds arrogant, and itʹs somewhat hypocritical. Because I make so many videos, many of them suck. If anyone should have the ʺmagic recipeʺ for a decent online video, it should be me. But Iʹm still learning each day, and thatʹs part of what makes it so fun to create videos. People often ask me why I donʹt focus on creating fewer quality videos instead of posting routinely. There are two reasons for that. First, if I stop creating for more than a few days, I generally donʹt feel like posting anymore. Second, I have no Earthly idea which of my video ideas will resonate and which will become popular. There are a lot of factors involved, so I play the odds with volume and frequency. That said, there are a number of things Iʹd advise to help you make better videos. Technically, the barriers to entry are extremely low (access to the web, a computer, and an inexpensive camera). But here are some tips to making your videos interesting and more likely to be shared and, therefore, become ʺviral.ʺ Kevin Nalts (WillVideoForFood, LLC), January 2008. Page 14 A. Stick To Your Brand I know that my videos would be more popular if I made them more edgy and sexy. But itʹs not consistent with my style, and so I forgo that upside. Itʹs not sustainable to create content that doesnʹt reflect your personality, and it will confuse your audience. Find a unique style and stay with it. That doesnʹt mean you shouldnʹt experiment. Some of the best YouTube creators have a very specific and ʺownableʺ style: What The Buck does daily celebrity gossip. Smosh does sketch comedy. HappySlip does clever comedies about her family, and expresses her musical talent. These creators arenʹt just talented, they know their audience and consistently provide for them. Some, of course, participate more extensively with the YouTube community, and others have their eyes toward larger media opportunities. To see other popular YouTubers, visit the ʺmost subscribed of all timeʺ YouTube section and get a feel for whatʹs popular. Just resist the temptation to imitate these styles too closely. Find your own niche. I tend to prefer variety in my videos – from simple vlogs (talking to the camera) and real family moments to sketch comedy and ʺcandid cameraʺ style videos. Iʹve even done suspense/thriller style, but usually with a comedic element. When ʺFarting in Publicʺ was featured, I picked up thousands of new subscribers, and some of those people stuck around, while others left disappointed that all of my videos werenʹt in the same candid style. B. Short, Fast and Big Finish There are no hard rules of online video, but popular videos tend to be short, fast‐ paced and offer a ʺbig finish.ʺ People generally want two or three minutes, and Kevin Nalts (WillVideoForFood, LLC), January 2008. Page 15 90 seconds is maybe ideal. That said, the historically most popular video ever on YouTube, (Evolution of Dance) is six minutes long. It takes me much longer to edit a video into 30‐90 seconds, but itʹs almost always better that way. When youʹre editing, you sometimes canʹt resist keeping some of your favorite moments. But when I return to the video weeks later, I become infuriated by my undisciplined editing. Trust me, the viewers will never miss the gag that took a video from 3 to 5 minutes, and youʹll find your views are inversely related to the length of your video. If you must tell the story in more than 3‐5 minutes, consider breaking it into a 3‐part series. I sometimes forget about the power of the ʺbig finish,ʺ but itʹs the magical moment. Certainly itʹs as important as captivating them in the first 20 seconds. If people lose interest, they wonʹt forward the video on. However, if thereʹs a great ending weʹll forgive some of the dips in the middle. Weʹll also rate it higher and share it with others. Surprise us at the end, or at least return to a previous gag so the story doesnʹt taper away. Google Butt Crack is an example. I try to close my videos with my URL, then return to one final gag. Thereʹs nothing I enjoy more about video production than finalizing the editing, and adding music. It also helps to have someone watch your video with you, and note when they look bored. Iʹve chopped my videos down by watching my wifeʹs blank stare when I make her watch them. Youʹll get a quick sense of what you can lose. Sometimes the best part of the video is what you decide to leave out. C. Topicality Drives Views Topical celebrity humor brought Michael Buckley, host of ʺWhat the Buck Showʺ from obscurity to top YouTuber status within months. Comedian Mark Day is Kevin Nalts (WillVideoForFood, LLC), January 2008. Page 16 one of a few comedians who have translated their timely wit into videos people watch. And Ben Relles, founder of Barely Political, discovered the magical mix of timely political content, attractive women, and music videos (Ben reminded me recently that many of the top videos are musicals). He produced ʺObama Girl,ʺ one of the most popular videos of 2007. He also parodied an SNL short (ʺDick in a Boxʺ) with ʺBox in a Box,ʺ which has been viewed more than 5 million times. Typically a major news event will spawn countless parodies, and timing is everything. Chris Crockerʹs ʺLeave Britney Aloneʺ was well timed, and spawned a barrage of parodies. Good luck finding that video without its URL. D. Respect Basic Production Guidelines Want to know a secret? Many top creators have lousy equipment. For instance, this GooTube Conspiracy trailer was shot on a low‐end camera using a very antiquated computer processor. A mediocre video can become much more appealing if the creator worries less about fancy equipment, and puts time into the lighting, camera shots, editing and sound. Many people gravitate to online video because theyʹre tired of overproduced television and film. So youʹre allowed to have a wobbly camera and some rough editing. But there are some basic tips, and countless websites, that can help you improve your production (see ʺLose 10 Pounds in 20 Minutesʺ). • Light your subject softly with lights on two sides (not ceiling lights that produce a shadow). Natural light (overcast) produces the best quality. • When possible, use an external microphone and avoid public places with ambient sound or horrible acoustics. Most YouTube creators use the mic on the camera, which is usually poor. And thereʹs nothing that screams ʺamateurʺ louder than the echo of an empty room. Kevin Nalts (WillVideoForFood, LLC), January 2008. Page 17 • Edit tight so most shots last fewer than five seconds. The best movies have rapid‐fire editing, and short‐form entertainment needs it too. E. Package Your Video Your video is more than just the video. Your thumbnail, description, title and even keyword tags are part of the package. If these elements arenʹt consistent with your video idea, it wonʹt have the same impact. Some creators work hard for a powerful ʺthumbnail,ʺ which is the image that represents the video. YouTube initially draws this image from the exact center frame of the video (so a 2:00 minute video will use the image thatʹs at exactly 1:00). Brotherhood2.0 has a nice tool for calculating this image, and the other two possible thumbnails based on the duration of the video. Ideally your center frame is strong because changing to one of the other two is brutally slow and unpredictable. If you use a still image, youʹll want to have some movement (a pan) because a static image may be interpreted as manipulation. This picture is vital, and I spend time in editing to ensure that itʹs a representative image. Some YouTubers have been penalized by using a photo of an attractive woman in this thumbnail, which certainly works in the short term. But many of the curiosity clicks will result in frustrated viewers that were expecting something else, and give you a false sense of the videoʹs popularity. Titles play another significant role in the decision of a subscriber to watch your video. For example, the video I posted recently features Spencer, the boy from my most popular video (ʺFarting in Publicʺ) beating up his friends with a 4‐foot inflatable ball. The title, ʺSpencer Has Big Balls,ʺ should rouse some curiosity. Kevin Nalts (WillVideoForFood, LLC), January 2008. Page 18 V. Tips for Getting Your Videos Seen If youʹre a scanner, here comes the important part. I like lists because they simplify things, and lead to action. So let me jump right into some of the techniques that have helped me on YouTube. Iʹd also encourage you to watch a few of my videos and read blog posts Iʹve done on this subject: • YouTube Etiquette: This is meant to be humorous, but it has some serious tips about posting, watching, interacting, collaborating, and meeting other YouTubers. • How to Promote Your Video: This is playfully titled ʺHow to Cheat on YouTube,ʺ but it has some decent basic tips like engaging titles, attractive thumbnails, compelling content, short videos and a ʺbig finish.ʺ More importantly, it touches on the subject of quality not just quantity of subscribers. I speak about frequency of posting; my unofficial tagline is ʺNalts posts a video every time you poop.ʺ I also warn about the ineffectiveness of some techniques, like tag whoring and desperate ʺwatch meʺ requests. It outlines the power of making collaboration videos or those that invite responses, such as contests. • How to Promote Your YouTube Videos (this is one of many WillVideoForFood blog posts that provides some additional specifics on promoting your videos). A. Collaborate With Other YouTubers Thereʹs probably nothing you can do on YouTube that has more impact than collaborating. I spent nine months uploading my videos, only to find 20‐50 Kevin Nalts (WillVideoForFood, LLC), January 2008. Page 19 people had viewed each. Quite by accident, I began interacting with people and collaborating with other YouTube creators. That is when things began to change. Collaborations are a fun experience, and also introduce you to the audience of the person with whom you collaborate. For example, when popular YouTuber, Renetto, shaved my head, I got some exposure to his rabid fans. When I stalked HappySlipʹs NYC apartment, she was kind enough to post my video on her blog, and suddenly some of her subscribers subscribed to me. If you collaborate with someone whose content is similar to yours, the audience is more likely to subscribe and, more importantly, keep watching your videos. I just launched a new online‐video show, titled ʺBubblegum Tree Show,ʺ to feature 50 of the most interesting online‐video creators in 2008. People enjoy seeing their online‐video ʺweblebritiesʺ out of context, and this show will be fun to produce, but also a nice way to meet creators and find new audiences. B. Pursue Quality Subscribers (Not Quantity) This time last year I had about 200 hundred people subscribed to my videos and now I have more than 25,000. Of course many of these people subscribed and donʹt check their subscriber page, or perhaps lost interest in YouTube. But among these subscribers are people who share my sense of humor. Only a small portion of people who frequent YouTube actually subscribe to videos and check them routinely. This core audience is vital, however, because they are the ones that will watch your videos, give you feedback, and rate you favorably. Iʹm able to post a video, and have it appear in YouTubeʹs ʺmost highly rated videos of the dayʺ because I have a group of subscribers that generally like my stuff (donʹt ask why). Then, when other YouTube ʺbrowsersʺ search for the highest rated videos of the day, theyʹre finding my videos – thanks to my subscribers. Kevin Nalts (WillVideoForFood, LLC), January 2008. Page 20 There are a few of us whose videos frequently make the ʺmost watchedʺ and ʺmost discussedʺ pages, and many of us arenʹt very talented. But our subscribers like us, and that propels us to ʺhonors,ʺ which give us access to a secondary audience. My videos almost always get ʺhonorsʺ because I have a quality base of subscribers. But if I suddenly inherited all of the subscribers of Smosh (which features young sketch comedians), Iʹd probably get destroyed. Some of them would like me, but many of them would not be amused by an old, balding guy who drinks out of a coffee mug bearing his YouTube name. So itʹs quality, not just quantity, you want. C. Be Patient Creators who posted on YouTube early on (in 2005) have a powerful advantage over the rest of us. Their early arrival helped them develop a regular fan base when the pickings were slim. Renetto and MrSafety are good examples. Theyʹre almost as talentless as me (I say in jest), but they have established an audience that really enjoys their content. Itʹs very hard for a newcomer to rank initially. Please remember itʹs a marathon not a race, so save energy and pace yourself. D. Interact The YouTube audience is watching less television and becoming enthralled with online video because itʹs mostly real and amateur. Weʹre all tired of scripted television, or worse yet, the faux reality television. We want to see real people who are accessible and authentic, and with whom we can connect. This means you should try to read and reply to as many comments on each video as possible, and not just your own. This is easy at first, but becomes overwhelming as time goes on. Still, my favorite part of YouTube is the discussion that takes place on Kevin Nalts (WillVideoForFood, LLC), January 2008. Page 21 the video within the first 24 hours. I almost never check comments from old videos, but I tend to jump online to my most recent video and read and reply to interesting comments. If you ever want to catch the attention of a YouTuber, try commenting on their most recent video. The more popular they are the less likely they read YouTube messages or e‐mail. E. Watch Other Peopleʹs Videos I read once that a new blogger spends time on his own blog. An old blogger spends time on other peopleʹs blogs. The same is true for online video, and yet Iʹm pretty bad at this. I tend to subscribe to anyone, and as a result my subscription page is bloated with garbage. So I donʹt visit it with great frequency, and sometimes miss that my favorite creators have posted a new video. Nevertheless, do as I say… not as I do. Watch videos. Loads of them. There are several reasons for this: • First, people like to see your name on the comment section of their video. It makes them feel appreciated, especially if you have a lot of subscribers and still take the time to watch their videos. • Watching videos gives you greater insight into what works and doesnʹt, and will keep you topical on YouTube trends. • Itʹs hard to connect with people if you donʹt watch their videos. And itʹs awfully embarrassing when you meet a prominent YouTuber and ask a question that reveals you havenʹt watched their videos. Take this from someone who knows. Iʹm almost afraid to talk to prominent YouTubers because Iʹll invariably ask a question that reveals I donʹt watch their videos. I can almost count down to when theyʹre going to say, ʺyou donʹt watch Kevin Nalts (WillVideoForFood, LLC), January 2008. Page 22 my videos, do you?ʺ I had one famous YouTuber get so annoyed he sat me down and showed me some of his videos. They get less angry when I tell them Iʹve watched them all but canʹt remember anything for more than 5 minutes. Then I call them MrSafety if theyʹre a guy, and Brookers if theyʹre a girl. That usually calms them down. I vowed to myself when I meet people I would never assume they have watched even one of my videos. Join me at the next YouTube gathering, and you could ask me if I have any children. I wouldnʹt hold it against you. F. Go Beyond YouTube Remember that YouTube is the most popular video site, but only one place where YouTube videos are seen. When you post your video you may want to market it on niche sites, blogs, and discussion groups. I tend to avoid this because itʹs time consuming and often a violation of the community around that particular topic. For instance, when I did a video about my obsession with NBCʹs ʺThe Office,ʺ I resisted the temptation to send the link to those blogging about the show. Unless you devote the time to personalizing your note (a sample format below) and familiarizing yourself with their blog, then youʹre probably going to look like a spammer. Hereʹs an example of an e‐mail Iʹm happy to get: Dear Kevin: Iʹve been reading WillVideoForFood.com for quite some time, and particularly enjoyed your recent post on (insert topic). I work for a company that does (insert company), and I would imagine this would be of some interest to your readers. Do you agree? Could I send you information for the possibility of being mentioned in a future post? Kevin Nalts (WillVideoForFood, LLC), January 2008. Page 23 Now contrast that with a random comment (including a link) on my blog from a promoter or public relations flack. Or worse, a form letter from a company thatʹs simply interested in pushing its message. These feel like junk mail – at best youʹll get some moderate uptake and at worst youʹll get smarmy comments from their readers. There are countless social media vehicles that can help you promote your videos (MySpace, Friendster, FaceBook, Digg, StumbleUpon). I find these overwhelming and not nearly as productive as my other techniques, but other YouTubers swear by the power of these. A helpful resource on this subject is CharlesTrippyʹs ʺViral Video Fever.ʺ Marketing your videos to blogs and social media sites has helped many popular creators. If youʹre making a video that spoofs Hillary Clinton, look no further than bloggers who have trashed her. Some chose to send their video URL anonymously, and others are forthright and personalize the message. G. Merge Public Relations and Social Media There are currently countless interactive agencies and public relations firms, but very few have merged these competencies to promote effectively via social media. This will be an evolving discipline, and a few companies are emerging with this valuable expertise. In the meanwhile, some of the most popular creators are partnering with public‐relations experts to promote their video content. One of my favorites is Paul Kontonis from For Your Imagination. Paulʹs online video network has a variety of shows, which helps him amortize the cost of promotion. Heʹs taught me about how to get seen beyond YouTube, and has a knack for getting his videos seen via blogs and other social media venues. Kevin Nalts (WillVideoForFood, LLC), January 2008. Page 24 VI. Avoid These Tricks There are ways to artificially drive the views and ratings of your videos, and ʺtricksʺ you can use to spam your videos to others. Ultimately these wonʹt help much because youʹll lose credibility and annoy people. Itʹs cheap, tacky and – at best ‐‐ may give you a short‐term boost, but itʹs just not worth the effort. Here are some other mistakes Iʹve seen people make as they try to popularize their videos. Save yourself some time and humiliation by avoiding these: A. Blatant Self Promotion I often get accused of blatant self promotion because YouTube began as a community site for open dialogue, and Iʹm a marketer. So I canʹt resist a logo, a token hat, and a Nalts logo mug that sneaks into frame with all the subtlety of a migraine. Perhaps subconsciously some of my self‐promotional behavior is driven by a desperate attempt to gain popularity to fortify my self worth. In fairness, a lot of what I do is meant as self‐deprecating humor. Itʹs also fun to annoy people. But self promotion can go terribly wrong. I wish I could show you some of the desperate e‐mails I get asking me to gratuitously mention someone else so they can get ʺfamous.ʺ I get many requests to be in collaboration videos when the creator has no audience of his own, or any idea of what they are trying to do ‐‐ other than to borrow some fame. Itʹs awkward and embarrassing. Most of the popular YouTubers are insecure people with no experience in fame, so many of Kevin Nalts (WillVideoForFood, LLC), January 2008. Page 25 us are inconsistent about what collaborations we join. Nonetheless, fame desperation is a general turnoff, and something to avoid at all costs. B. Spamming Unless thereʹs a reason to send someone a video, itʹs best to let them finds it on their own. For instance, I rarely send someone a link to my recent video unless theyʹre mentioned or in it. Itʹs good for the ego to watch a video in which you make a cameo or youʹre referenced. However, I stopped reading my YouTube mail because 90% of the messages were: • What type of equipment do you use? (Never mind that I explained that on my profile page). • Will you watch my video and tell me what you think? (No specific reason‐ just a desire to be seen by a popular stranger?). • You are so incredibly sexy (okay‐ thatʹs not one Iʹve received before, but I wanted to make sure youʹre still awake). There are other forms of spamming videos through social networks and ʺfriendsʺ lists, and candidly, I donʹt even understand most of these. LisaNova, one of the most popular YouTubers, faced severe backlash for spamming people with her videos (see example of parody). She made a public apology on the subject, as well as a parody that has more than 2 million views. The bottom line is that your videos should go viral based on the content and some promotion, but not through lazy and automated ways that will annoy people. Stay away from any promotional tool thatʹs done by a ʺbotʺ (automated tool). Kevin Nalts (WillVideoForFood, LLC), January 2008. Page 26 C. Keyword Bloating Many people have a naïve belief that if they bloat their ʺkeywordsʺ with terms like funny, humor, comedy and even other YouTuberʹs names, it will propel the video to the top of a related search. Indeed, this myth is not without some basis of truth. Keywords not only help people find the video, but they can propel it to the top of Google and ensure it appears beside related content on YouTube. When I was first featured on YouTube I noticed that people were posting their videos as replies, and mimicking my video keywords. This is misleading and annoying, and will eventually penalize a videoʹs performance. Remember‐ YouTube is now owned by the master of defying search engine manipulation. A better approach is to use relevant keywords in hopes that your video appears beside related videos. Itʹs not a bad idea to misspell either. For example, sellers of Heelys shoes are spending massive advertising budgets to have their sites appear on the common misspelling, ʺHealies.ʺ Meanwhile, my video (called ʺPoor Manʹs Healiesʺ) is one of the top results… because I canʹt spell. D. Abusing ʺVideo Responsesʺ YouTube allows you to reply to another video, and unfortunately this is a functionality thatʹs often abused. Many people tack their videos onto popular videos, knowing that bored people will click them out of curiosity. Some video creators police this by not allowing people to post replies without their approval (they do this by selecting a YouTube option that moderates videos instead of permitting them automatically). I donʹt have time to groom the video replies, so I sometimes let anything get posted. However I become very annoyed by people posting videos that have no relationship to mine, and will occasionally ʺblockʺ Kevin Nalts (WillVideoForFood, LLC), January 2008. Page 27 them, thus preventing them from interacting with me. On the other hand, a relevant video response that riffs off the original video in a fun or surprising way can win you lots of affection from the original creatorʹs subscription base. E. Ask Someone to Help Get You Featured YouTube editors have one of the most powerful jobs in modern media, and they can literally turn obscure talent into overnight fame by simply featuring a video. Naturally, when youʹve been around YouTube for a while, you occasionally interact with these editors. I rarely send them a video to feature. Donʹt ask someone to do this for you even if you know them fairly well. Selectively send someone a video link and let them to decide to forward it on their own. Iʹve been featured twice on YouTubeʹs homepage. Once a YouTube community manager (BigJoeSmith) brought me to the homepage with Viral Video Genius, but the video was only moderately well received. The second time was my ʺbreak outʺ video, and it was called ʺFarting in Public.ʺ There are three critical things to remember about the homepage feature: 1. Donʹt bank on it. Your odds are very low, and if you consistently produce appealing content it may happen without you trying. 2. The homepage of any site attracts ʺhaters,ʺ so youʹll be lambasted with negative comments if you land on the homepage. Newly featured creators are usually shocked by this, but itʹs sadly inevitable. 3. Not every video featured results in people subscribing to that creator. Many viewers will visit the profile page of the featured creator, but then decide thereʹs not enough there to subscribe. Look at the profile page of popular creators and imitate some of the things they do. Kevin Nalts (WillVideoForFood, LLC), January 2008. Page 28 VII. YouTube and Profit As I mentioned, I am working on a book devoted specifically to the topic of marketing via video and monetizing creation, and itʹs tentatively titled The Prophet of Online Video (download a free 2‐page synopsis of the book here). Itʹs worth noting that my blog, WillVideoForFood, is designed for creators, marketers and agencies. Hereʹs a recent article I wrote for Advertising Age (a leading trade publication for marketers and agencies). Since itʹs archived now on the site, you can see the full article here: ʺTen Things a Marketer Should Know About Online Video.ʺ Coincidentally, my Advertising Age article ran days after a controversial TechCrunch article that revealed ʺsecretʺ strategies behind clandestine marketing approaches. ʺI have run clandestine marketing campaigns meant to ensure that promotional videos become truly viral,ʺ said TechCrunch contributor Dan Ackerman Greenberg. We were characterized by one blogger as Glenda the Good Witch and The Wicked Witch of the West. I was flattered in a way, but would secretly prefer an army of flying monkeys to a white dress and a bubble. Again, I started in online video with the hope of entertaining people and supplementing my income, and initially I made a few thousand dollars through sites (like Revver and Metacafe, which share advertising revenue). I found this to be very slow and conservative money. YouTube offers a Partners Program, and unfortunately Iʹm not allowed to disclose my earnings… but rest assured I wonʹt soon be retiring to live on advertising revenue generated by my videos. If making money is your goal, there are far, far more productive uses of your time. Kevin Nalts (WillVideoForFood, LLC), January 2008. Page 29 For example, find a topic you like that has a high Google cost‐per‐click (litigation, mortgage, diet, digital cameras), and start a blog about, then sprinkle Google Adsense ads all about. But donʹt post videos expecting quick money. If I divided the revenue Iʹve made from online video by the time Iʹve invested, my payback would be less than minimum wage. As marketers plunge deeper into online video, itʹs possible that advertising premiums (which are shared with some creators) will become significant. In the meantime, Iʹve found custom sponsored videos to be far more profitable for myself and my sponsors. Iʹm careful not to make these over promotional, and I turn down more clients than I accept. But itʹs fun to make a video for a large brand, and help them engage with the online community with far more relevance than an online advertisement. I especially like being able to merge my day job (marketing) with my night job (online video), and I currently make between $3,000 and $10,000 for these. Before you get too excited, recognize that my marketing experience and fixed audience is part of what I offer, and the going rate for a simple sponsored video appears to be around $2,000. If you have a day job and keep your costs down, this is possible. But a small production house will charge more, and Iʹve seen agencies charge hundreds of thousands of dollars for a few ʺviralʺ videos that are generally over produced and under promoted. If you are seeking YouTube popularity to market yourself or your own products, Iʹd recommend putting that goal aside until you develop a following. The community will welcome you more if they donʹt see you as a walking advertisement. There are subtle ways to profit from your talents without looking like a commercial whore (thatʹs my job, okay?), whether youʹre a musician, painter or voice‐over professional. For instance, Iʹve done several collaborations Kevin Nalts (WillVideoForFood, LLC), January 2008. Page 30 with Brett Slater (slatersgarage.com), and he uses his increasing online popularity to promote his services – without appearing overly self promoting. Another good example is Vals Art Diary, where you can watch the artist paint each week and bid on her art via a silent auction. If youʹre an artist, you might find someone you like on YouTube and offer them a free song, logo, painting, etc. Theyʹll typically mention you in a video, and that can help you expand your audience. VIII. Big Finish If you began this book to propel yourself to fame, I hope youʹve realized that there are effective strategies and some hidden pitfalls. More importantly, I hope you realize that there is tremendous gratification that comes along the way. I hope youʹll focus on the fun journey and not just on the destination of fame. Youʹll be criticized like never before, but youʹll also get wonderful feedback and meet fantastic people. And occasionally you find out youʹve made someone elseʹs life better, or at least a bit more interesting. There are other important video sites, but Iʹve focused mostly on YouTube because itʹs the ʺlow hanging fruit,ʺ and currently where the vast majority of videos are seen. If you can crack the YouTube code, you can always explore other sites. The audiences among these various online‐video sites overlap less than youʹd think. I use TubeMogul to upload my videos to a dozen sites, but few get anywhere near the views I get on YouTube. Kevin Nalts (WillVideoForFood, LLC), January 2008. Page 31 Iʹd really appreciate your feedback about this book, as youʹre reading a first draft. Did it meet your expectations? Were you hoping for the magic bullet and feel let down? Let me know. Please send me an e‐mail at kevinnalts@gmail.com with the subject heading ʺBook Feedbackʺ so I can revise this. Thanks for reading, and as the public relations folks at YouTube say, ʺKeep Tubing.ʺ IX. Additional Resources • Inside Online Video by Mike Abundo: Often the first to report on new trends and site features. • • • OnlineVideoWatch (a great source). ReelPop by Steve Bryant, a columnist and editor living in New York, NY. Cinematech by Scott Kirsner, who wrote “The Future of Online Video.” CinemaTech focuses on how new technologies are changing cinema. • • • • Usertainment Blog, written by a veteran technology‐business journalist. NewTeeVee‐ an ʺEntertainment Tonightʺ of online video. The Daily Reel has had good coverage on the space (not lately). Fred Graver Blog, written by the guy that once helped ABC/Disney to explore “Telefusion.” • • • Mashable, a site for social networking news. Web Video Doctor, for tips and tricks to help make better web videos. ViralBlog, collaborative team of bloggers haunt the globe for great virals. Kevin Nalts (WillVideoForFood, LLC), January 2008. Page 32 • • • System Video Blog by Ken McCarthy StreamingMedia Blog is a bit “techie” for me, but has some nice info. Xlntads is a website that connects marketers, advertisers and amateurs, and has a nice relatively new blog written by Mark Schoneveld. • • • • • • • • • • • • • WebVideoZone is a terrific resource (includes “members onlyʺ content). Less of a blog, but this “Online Video Industry Index” has a nice links. NewsVideographer for journalists looking to leverage online video. ReelSEO‐ how to optimize your videos for SEO. Gadget News: Lots of topics, including online video. Ronamok, by Ron the New Media Evangelist Hot Air, by a new media conservative named Michelle Malkin. Web Video Report: The bizzzness of online video Politics YouTube In Review: I contribute occasionally to this one. MathewWingram: The intersection between web and media. PandemicLabs: Viral video and social media. Camcorder Info: More than you’d expect from a camcorder site. Viral Video Wannabe: FallofAutumnDistro is one of YouTube’s more clever self marketers, and also helped me clean this book up. • • Web Jungle: Advertising, digital marketing & web culture. Viral Video Fever: The Charles Trippy DVD collection that will give you a comprehensive video tutorial of this space (and Iʹm in it, okay?) Kevin Nalts (WillVideoForFood, LLC), January 2008. Page 33 My Shameless Plugs • • • • • WillVideoForFood.com: My blog. Go RSS it immediately. Nalts on YouTube: My videos. Go subscribe. KevinNalts.com: My lame attempt at a personal site. Hire Nalts: Information about my services for brands. The BubbleGum Tree Show: A new channel featuring viral video weblebrities. Only 10 subscribers as of this writing. Thanks to Gage for the design, Sean for the theme song, and Trevor for the animation! • Contact me: kevinnalts@gmail.com (but Iʹm not great at checking it so please be persistent). How could I not end with the cool logo that Gage (cosmic‐flight) made me! Kevin Nalts (WillVideoForFood, LLC), January 2008. Page 34
How Musicians and Record Companies are Cheated on the Web ---------It sounds like a great deal - most websites promise you: 50% of the income from the sale of your downloads a level playing field against the big stars (oops - they say "against the products of the big (bad) record companies") that you will be heard by record companies and/or big audiences worldwide Well, it sounds very good - actually it sounds so good that it most probably is not true. In reality this "win-win" business model is nothing new at all. It has been practiced by radio stations all over the world for most of the last century. Some radio broadcasters like WDR (a huge German radio broadcaster) or Jazz FM (a London-based smooth-jazz station) are almost exactly like this - they have their own record store/mail-order operations selling some albums of the music they play. In their case though, the record companies (or in the case of jazz FM, sometimes musicians selling directly to the radio station) usually get about 70% of the final sales price to the consumer and therefore a higher percentage. Actually, this is not the full story of the problem. These Internet music sites are really basically the same as radio stations, except that they are usually more convenient to the audience and give them even less of a reason to buy albums. The reality of the income structure of internet music sites is that they make between 80% and 90% of their income from advertising and hardly any money from sales of downloads. If you don#t believe this, have a look at some of the sites and check out the quarterly earning reports of mp3.com, which can be found among other places at the SEC website ( www.sec.gov). Of this income, the musicians get nothing. This is in contrast with radio, where they at least get something from advertising income, since radio stations have to pay between 2.5 and 6% of their advertising or mandatory (state radio) income for the use of music in most countries. The 50% of download income would be acceptable if a website does not sell advertising at all - or if it also pays a decent share of the advertising income (lets say about 30% to 90%) to all the musicians according to the percentage of their pageviews of the overall sites pageviews. Level playing field - ridiculous, since being somewhere even on a heavily trafficked website is about the same as sitting on a busy street corner and waiting until someone asks you to play a song. The real strengths of large record companies and big stars is partially quality, partially very good and often expensive marketing. The websites do not advertise for you - if anything, they advertise themselves, which they sometimes do with some illegal schemes, as mp3.com and Napster have shown recently. So what they really bring for a musician is that he does not have to have CDs manufactured. For this (and the very cheap webspace .. since you can usually get a free homepage almost everywhere) they charge 50% of the income from CD sales, should any occur. If you look at it from this side, it is an exorbitant amount of money to charge for saving a musician the trouble and about US-$ 1.500,- to have about 1.000 CDs manufactured (which he can sell at concerts - if he is able to perform live.) If you think record companies will check a musician out because he/she is on mp3.com or another such site - forget about it. Most record company people that I know would never go to such a site after their first visit, since there are usually thousands of tracks that just sound like bad copies of already successful bands. To find something like this, you do not have to go to a website - you go out to a hotel lobby , hotel bar or a neighborhood club to hear this. The normal audiences act very similar - the main search terms on the web are combinations of the words mp3, free and the name of a famous musician - no one just looks for mp3s by any musician. http://www.musicrva.com
Internet Radio Stations ---------First, our computers took over our fingers with a plethora of chat options to entertain us. Now, with the availability of MP3's, the internet is becoming our source for music as well. That means internet radio stations are taking over and unsigned/independent artists must not ignore this important vehicle. It used to be you made a demo and while A&R reps at major record companies were your main focus, you still needed to submit your demo to radio stations across the country to request airplay. While this is still a vital part of your demo submission package, there is now an added dimension. You MUST get your songs in MP3 format and get your music heard on the internet where you can reach the largest audience of all. Your website (and you should have one!) is vital but there are other outlets that can help as well. Internet radio stations are becoming a bigger chunk of the MP3 pie, in addition to sites like MP3.com and amp.com who chart independent music on the internet. More and more radio stations are launching on the internet to keep up with the competition. The best part about it is you can submit your music to most stations from the comfort of your own home and save a lot of money on postage! If you're not familiar with internet radio, it's simply websites that stream audio over the Internet. If you would like a more in-depth definition, here is a great site that explains every detail and lists several stations: About.com. Over 20% of internet users listen to internet radio stations every week and websites are a lot better at tracking audience numbers than the regular radio ratings tracking system, Arbitron. Arbitron also does webcast measuring, publishing the first ever Webcast ratings last December, but only a small fraction of webcasters are included. Arbitron measures total listeners and the time spent tuning specific channels, but internet radio websites have the added "visual" medium, making it possible to poll listeners as to their age, sex, household income, etc. Gathering this very specific information can be exactly what you need. Imagine an 80's cover band that's been trying to appeal to 30-somethings discovering that the majority of their listeners are people who aren't even old enough to remember the 80's, it could change their entire focus and marketing strategy. The largest internet radio networks are the Magnitude Network, RealBroadcast Network, Audioscape, and BroadcastAmerica.com. All four ranked in the top 25% for total listeners. OnRadio and NetRadio are their way up, as are thousands of others, check out MIT's list, they link to over 9,000 stations: http://wmbr.mit.edu/stations/list.html or http://www.internetradiolist.com/. Even search engines are getting into the game, Lycos.com and Yahoo.com both have radio networks. You'll also find a lot of "Radio Free" networks like RadioFreeOntario and RadioFreeRadio.com. According to Arbitron, the top ranked internet radio station is Virgin Radio (International) which drew 173,200 listeners in January, that's more than most major metropolitan on-air stations. KPLA scored the top spot for the average time spent tuning at 6 hours, 30 minutes. Web-only stations are reporting as many as 500,000 unique listeners per month. The submission policies for internet radio stations differ. Many are sticking to the old book, accepting CD submissions and press kits via snail mail while others are working completely online. For online submissions, you need to put your songs in MP3 format and attach them to e-mail. Gary Hustwit's book, Getting Radio Airplay is terrific for information about contacting on-air stations and I'm willing to bet it will soon be updated to included internet radio stations as well. Gary outlines every detail from the initial letter to the follow-up phone calls. A radio package is going to be very similar to your regular submission package that you would send to record companies or magazines. If you missed Shock Value's take on record company submissions, check it out: Submitting to Record Companies. If you're not familiar with radio lingo, check out Shock Value's radio lingo dictionary following this article. Your package should include: a cover letter, CD, bio, and bounce back card or in the case of online submissions, a cover e-mail, MP3's, a bio and an e-mail link back to you. The first step is the cover letter. Introduce yourself, tell the music director what song you would like aired, and make sure you mention the genre of music that best describes you, a lot of internet radio stations have different programs with different genres of music, i.e.: pop, rock, alternative, ska, metal, CHR, adult contemporary, etc. You may want to elaborate on why you fit in with that station's format/program, but keep it short. Your cover letter should always be personalized, do not put "MD" or "Music Director". Go to the website and get a name. Whether you send a full length CD or a library of MP3's, make sure your cover letter states the ONE song you'd like added to the play list. Your letter should be short and to the point: 'Dear Mr. So-and-so...My name is...I'd like my song, "Good Song" to be added to the playlist at radiostation.com...My style will add a lot of flair to your pop music format.' Be formal and polite. Your bio, which is also called a one-sheet, should also be short and to the point no matter how long you've been in the business. Here is a sample first paragraph: When she sings one of her trademark adult contemporary ballads, her voice is described as "angelic," but CHRISTYANNA has her feet planted firmly on the ground. "Voice lessons can teach almost anyone how to sing the teacher's way, but you have to feel the lyrics and the music in your heart to have a style all your own," she smiles. This fiery red head captivates listeners with her powerful delivery of heartfelt lyrics. She is right at home on stage, and makes the audience feel like welcome guests. In addition, you would add relevant experience and press clippings. If you include press clippings, perhaps a stunning review in Shock Value Music Webzine, don't include the entire article, take snippets and make them part of your bio. Do not send pages and pages of press. Remember, your bio is a brag sheet, not a book. Put the clippings together in a paragraph and make sure you mention the name of the publication. Be sure to include a picture that is incorporated on the page, do not paperclip a picture to your bio. Include a conclusion paragraph here is an example: CHRISTY pours her heart into her music, and her soul into her performance. Her voice is an explosion of power, harmony, and passion. Her phenomenal voice will dazzle you, her electric personality will floor you. Her name is memorable, her voice is unforgettable. This wraps things up in a nice tidy package and leaves the Music Director with a final thought on just how fabulous you are. Bounce back cards, or return e-mail links will save you money on long distance calls. A bounce back card is just a postcard addressed to you. On the back, you'll want to have yes or no questions, or statements with a blank space for a check mark like these: _____ Yes, I am adding your song to our playlist. _____ Yes, I like the CD. _____ Yes, I'd like to hear more in the future. In the case of a return e-mail link, you will have an e-mail link to you with an automatic subject input that says the same thing as a bounce back card would. To include an automatic subject, your html code in the e-mail would look like this: Yes, We're adding your song! (To steal that code, just copy that text and replace the e-mail address with your own.) You could also set up a webpage as part of your website that is a bounce back card. If you get back a link or card that says the station will be "adding" your song, you'll want to give it a little time, then call or e-mail and see what kind of "rotation" your song is getting. Heavy is the best rotation, light is the least amount of airplay. As always, be kind and courteous, these are not people you can afford to tick off. An enemy in this business will always come back to haunt you. If you don't hear back from them, contact them periodically but be sure not to cross the line between persistent and annoying The only noteworthy problem I am aware of is the lack of coverage of internet radio stations from the three big performing rights organizations, SESAC, ASCAP and BMI. I wouldn't expect residuals from internet radio airplay just yet, but that won't be a problem for long, all three are working on it and as quickly as internet radio is catching on, it won't be long before their coverage of on-air and internet radio are equal. Please contact the performing rights organization that you are registered with and ask them what they are doing to track internet radio airplay. Compared to over-the-air radio stations, internet radio still needs some work but it remains yet another medium for exposing your music. To find internet radio stations, check out these sites: ---------InternetRadio MIT List About.com Realguide TalkRadio.net Lycos.com GrooveRadio.com NetRadio.com GlobalMedia.com Real.com FamilyInternet AltaVista.com LimitedQuantities BroadcastAmerica
