Google’s got video, Yahoo’s got video, eBay users are starting to use video – and now Amazon is entering the game.
They signed humorist Bill Maher to host a soon-to-be launched Internet TV program called "Amazon Fishbowl."
The launch date is still several weeks away, but you can take a sneak peak here:
Let me know what you think…
As I write this, a new company called YouTube is downloading 35 MILLION videos per day.
Sequoia Capital, which just advanced them another $8 million, is calling them "the forefront of a cultural shift in digital media entertainment."
It all sounds very impressive, but where’s the beef?
Hollywood fought electronics manufacturers first over the VCR and then over the burnable DVD.
When it comes to the Internet, it looks like they’re finally getting smart…
First: Thank you to everyone who contributed a comment so far. Much appreciated.
A quick recap:
Our challenge…
To use the Internet to get a small portion of the mass of video testimonials we’ve collected over the years out of our warehouse and into a form that:
1. Demonstrates the volume of testimonials we have and
2. Does it in such a way that it’s easy for visitors to find their way around
If you didn’t see our first attempt, you may want to skip to the next article and look at Version 1.0 and then come back before you see Version 2.0. (See "What Do You Think?")
The biggest problem wih Version 1.0: Overload.
We succeeded in making the point that we have a lot of video testimonials from our clients, but we missed the boat on making the site easy to navigate, in particular, making it easy for the visitor to find videos relevant to him or her.
The puzzle was how to fix the problem without spending an arm and a leg and burning weeks of time.
How would you have "fixed" Version 1.0 and done it fast and cheap?
Take a look at how we did it…
Version 2.0: http://www.AskaGrad.com
Let me know what you.
Thanks.
P.S. The speed with which we were able to make the changes was thanks to a proprietary Internet video display system we created. Details to be released at System 2006.
Hi guys and gals,
Brad Fallon showed us all what’s possible with Internet video for product demonstrations, but what about companies that sell intangibles.
In my case, I sell advice and training (with a dash of insight) in the form of seminars and home study programs. How do you demonstrate the value of education with video?
One answer, I think, is customer testimonials. My challenge is how to convey the total mass of testimonials I have without showing hours of video.
Here’s my first experiment in this area. Please take a look and then post what you think. (Don’t worry about hurting my feelings. I’m looking for ways to improve, not for a pat on the back.)
How can we make it better? Is there a better way to attack the problem?
Thanks.
Thanks to Joe Chapuis for making this project happen.
In 1994, when I lived in San Francisco, I published a little
eight-page newspaper called the Internet Gazette.
My friend Jim Warren, founder of the Computer Faire,
the original consumer PC show, gave me the idea
and it worked like crazy for my then-fledgling Internet
consulting business.
I had two stories on the front page of the first issue…
I got this from J.D. Lasica’s book "Darknet", which I strongly recommend you get and read.
One of the most interesting characters Lasica found in the course of researching the new Internet video world is a guy who goes by the name of "Raven."
Raven has his own 24/7 TV channel. It’s called Daytona Beach Live.
Total cash outlay: Studio (zero, it’s in his home), $200 for a Sony Handcam, a few second hand computers and $17.95 a month hosting bill. Right now, it’s a labor of love and Raven pays the rent with a day job, but it’s a demonstration of what’s possible for people with passion.
The site itself is a bit rough and it streams in Real Video only. You can probably see many ways to improve on what he’s doing – but the key thing is…he’s doing it.
A useful resource on his site:
Click on the "Internet TV Portals" link on his site for pointers to two sites that have assembled an extensive collection of links to other Internet television channels:
I’ve got to thank Amazon for recommending this one to me…
I’m only about a third of the way through and I’ve already gotten ten times my money’s worth.
What does selling soap have to do with being an entrepreneur?
After all, companies like Procter & Gamble and Unilever are so huge and command such massive advertising resources that they’re playing a completely different game, right?
Maybe not…
