Unequal societies….
July 29, 2009
On his radio show Thom Hartman explores why the quality of life in America is not as great as other societies and he derives the reason to be inequality…
Landcapes Then and Now…
July 29, 2009
Landscapes have always defined my imagination. I remember being a very little boy and going out to my relatives place in Breezy Point which is near the Rockaways in New York. We would have epic games of hide and go seek and go swimming for hours. It was a kids paradise. Barbecues, soda and the Jackson Five blasting on AM radio…
It was the same in the woods behind our house. We would play these tremendous games of flashlight tag in the summers that seemed to last forever…
So these pictures of these landscapes here in the now…they are in the present with its own new memories to be created…
Shemeka Copeland…
July 23, 2009
I used to see her father back in the day at Clark University. He would play at the campus pub. The shows he put on were so amazing…In this video talks about her Dad and how she got into the business…she also has some poignant things to say about the present and the troubles the country is going through at the moment…I sit here looking at the summer passing so quickly by here in the moment…
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Maria Andros on Social Media…
July 23, 2009
This interview with Maria Andros provides a solid introduction to the basics of social media marketing…Although she doesn’t delve deeply into the subject she provides a decent overview of social media sites like youtube, twitter and facebook. She giver some fine tips on how to produce your videos so as to gain followers and basic tips on search engine optimization like the importance of the title, tags, description and the use of long tail keywords. I would not recommend this interview if you are already proficient in this field but if you are beginner it will give you a good start..
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Digital Activism…
July 22, 2009
Activism today isn’t limited to picket lines and marches on the Mall — people have taken their movements to the web, and YouTube has become an important platform for exposure. Every day, people use YouTube to fight for causes, whether they’re hunger-striking celebrities like Mia Farrow, or 9-year-olds trying to save the neighborhood kickball lot from destruction. On Citizentube, our YouTube blog that chronicles the way people use video to change the world, we’ve seen digital activists use YouTube in three basic ways: to shine a light on issues that need more exposure, to drive action around causes they care about, and to create connections between people and organizations that share their desire to make a difference.
Some of the most compelling videos we see are those that spotlight important issues that aren’t being covered in the mainstream media. Witness, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to document human rights abuses around the world through video, offers an excellent example — this video from their YouTube channel chronicles the clashes between the Burmese military and rural ethnic minorities. Invisiblepeople.tv, a relative newcomer to YouTube, is taking a similar approach by tackling a more domestic issue: homelessness. This summer, the group is traveling across America to document the real, unedited stories of people living on the streets, in tent communes and in cars — and posting all of the footage to their YouTube channel. And of course we’ve seen protesters in Iran, China and elsewhere use YouTube to amplify their causes far beyond national borders.
Other individuals and nonprofits are using YouTube as a direct advocacy tool, experimenting with ways to drive action from their videos to a particular cause. And we’re building new products to make it even easier for them to do this effectively. For example, in March, we launched a tool called “Call to Action,” which allows nonprofit organizations to drive traffic from an in-video overlay to an off-site page where they can collect donations, signatures or email addresses. Shortly after launch, to commemorate World Water Day, we featured a video from charity:water on the YouTube homepage that used a call-to-action overlay to encourage YouTube users to donate money to build wells and provide clean, safe drinking water for those who don’t have it. Through YouTube, charity:water was able to raise over $10,000 in one day — enough to build two brand-new wells in the Central African Republic and give over 150 people clean drinking water for 20 years.
Yet some of the most innovative uses of YouTube for digital activism are those that leverage the communities that exist on YouTube around particular causes. YouTube is inherently a social experience and many of our users are hungry to partner and collaborate with others who share their passions. Last December, popular YouTube users the Vlogbrothers launched the “Project for Awesome,” a campaign which asked fellow budding change-makers to make videos about their favorite charities. Over 1,200 people joined the effort to promote their cause of choice. And just a few weeks ago, in partnership with President Obama’s launch of serve.gov, we created “Video Volunteers”, a new platform on YouTube which connects nonprofits that lack video resources with proven video-makers who want to use their skills to do good. There are already hundreds of posts from nonprofits seeking help on the Video Volunteers YouTube channel, so if you’re interested in creating a video for an organization, head over to the channel now and find a cause you care about.
Activism is constantly evolving on YouTube, so we’ll keep posting fresh accounts of how citizens and nonprofits are changing the world, one video at a time, on Citizentube.
Local Advertisers
July 20, 2009
Report: 74% of Facebook Ad Revenues Comes from Local Advertisers
July 20th, 2009
neon-open-signWith Facebook planning to do over $500 million in total revenues this year, one advertising research firm says the bulk of the company’s advertising revenues are coming from local advertisers.
Borrell Associates says that of the $310 million it estimates in total advertising revenue for Facebook in 2009, nearly $230 million of that, or 74%, will come from local businesses targeting Facebook users based on their location. By comparison, Borrell estimates that only 27% of MySpace’s 2009 revenues will come from from local advertisers ($133 million out of total ad revenues of $502 million).
We spoke with Kip Cassino, Borrell’s VP of Research, this morning, and he said the firm reached these numbers by comparing known ad spending numbers by businesses it tracks, and comparing them to published estimated values for Facebook ad revenue.
Overall, Borrell estimates 20% of all social network ad spend will be local this year. That would mean Facebook is winning the local advertising battle amongst US social networks by a long shot. No other social network the company makes estimates for comes in about 15% of total ad revenues coming from local.
If true, that would obviously be a great sign for Facebook Ads. If Facebook can prove to local advertisers that it can generate leads (and demand) efficiently at the local level, it should continue to grow its share of the $150 billion local advertising market in the US as more advertisers come on board and compare Facebook to their existing local marketing channels.
Gulf Stream on Videopoem
July 19, 2009
Videopoem was down in Florida taping races at the Gulf Stream Racetrack…
Greg Sanders from robert dene on Vimeo.
Greg Sanders on Videopoem
July 19, 2009
New York City short story writer reading from his published “Motel Girl.”
Greg Sanders from robert dene on Vimeo.
Sonic Youth on Videopoem…
July 19, 2009
I was able to capture amazing footage of Sonic Youth up at the United in Washington Heights…
Videopoem Sonic Youth Live from robert dene on Vimeo.
WBAI News Editor Don Debar on Videopoem…
July 19, 2009
WBAI News Editor Don Debar comes on Videopoem to discuss the Bernard White situation.
Videopoem Don Debar in Support of Bernard White from robert dene on Vimeo.
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