Content Strategy for the Masses

Lorne Michaels has decided to give Jimmy Fallon’s debut as the new Late Night talk show a testing ground – online.  Even though he won’t debut on the traditional media until Fall ’09, he’ll start his web debut in the coming months.

It’s a clever way to kick some tires before committing to a traditional TV format. Michaels told the New York Times this web-exclusivity will allow Fallon to experiment more with content. Hopefully this means the online version will actually take advantage of the internet medium and engage its viewers rather than provide passive entertainment. 

One format that should draw inspiration is the now defunct The Show with Ze Frank. Frank started the online video program as a one year experiment from March ’06 to March ’07 and I have yet to see anything like it since. Subscribers (named sportracers) dedicated themselves to help make this show even better than Ze Frank could have imagined. They directed a lot of the show content and were challenged to do things such as make the ugliest MySpace page (easy!) and create an Earth sandwich. Frank also created a social app for those fans who needed solace after The Show ended with TheOrg, which also only lasted one year.

Of course, I’d be OK with a Fallon-led passive experience if it were 5 to 10 minutes of the Barry Gibb Talk Show.

Joss Whedon, that fella behind those Buffy shows everyone told me to watch 10 years ago, has done something quite amazing. He financed and created an online musical, Dr. Horrible’s Sing Along Blog, with a distribution model that perfectly illustrates the new medium.

This is a 42-minute musical separated into 3 episodes. The first episode was released on July 15, the second on July 17 (that’s today!) and the last on the 19th. Watch these episodes for free until July 20. If you miss ‘em or want to see it again, head over to iTunes to buy the set. Believe me. There are enough fans of Whedon’s work to ensure these will be purchased.

Case in point: The first episode, available for $1.99 on iTunes when a viewer can still watch it for free on the Dr. Horrible site, was the #1 downloaded video on iTunes on July 15. 

Why does this matter? Whedon, a well sought-after TV creator chose to do the whole thing on his own dime, therefore directing the distribution model of his series. He’s giving it away for free right now, but people are still wiling to pay for it. Why? Content. Early consumers review for free and then reward his efforts buy purchasing the product. Consumers that come later in the game will do so based on the hype created by this distribution model. “People still bought it after getting it for free? I gotta see this.”

Well, that’s one theory.

It will be interesting to see how long this video remains number one on iTunes.

Returning back to more traditional co-pro models in a non-traditional medium, I’ll see what people are saying about Google AdSense’s deal with Family Guy creator Seth McFarlane for his web based series Cavalcade in my next post.

I have a messed up gmail account name because I didn’t get my own name in time. Some other Lianne is walking around with my gmail account! I’m sure to those with very common names this is a familiar refrain. Whether your last name is Smith or Roengfieogne (I totally just made that one up), it might be time to claim your identification online.

Why is this important? Everything is a brand now, and whether you’re applying for a new job or just talking to a prospective client, they’re likely looking up your name online to get some additional information. Also, owning your name online ensures you’re in charge of your brand. And take it from me: It’s annoying to explain why your username isn’t your name.

But where do you start? First, I have started to sign up for most new social media applications while they’re in their beta (early) stage to ensure no one else gets it as their user name… in case the application takes off. I also signed up for the two new Yahoo mail accounts, even though I’m happy with my ill monikered gmail account.

Keep it consistent. If you have one email address with a period between your first and last name, keep up that format for the other things you sign up with. I went with my first and last name as all one word.

Getting a URL in your name might not be a bad idea either, but keep in mind you’ll need to use a reputable company to buy the domain. Some clever person has already bought every single last name there is, so if Mr. Roengfieogne decides Roengfieogne.com is the way to go, he might be out of luck –  unless he wants to barter a deal on the domain name from its current owner.

While I don’t know of a company yet that will automatically enroll your name, or brand, into every new online application that pops up, there are companies that try to make this task a little easier. ClaimID lets you track where your identity is online. Within this site, they’ve created a guide to track yourself, which is pretty cool.

I went to NYC for 5 days – I just got back using Porter Airlines (managing to land at 12:30 and be home by 1:00) and I’ve returned to over 1000 newsfeed items. Over a thousand!

RSS feeds are a fantastic way to organize the way you read a website. Why is this important? The stuff you read in a blog and on a news site is conveniently categorized for easy reading. Just spend 15 minutes a week to go through your subscriptions. Basically, it’s a pared down version of the things you only want to read, while handily avoiding messy website layouts with birds sitting on branches at the top of the page (hey!) or other things that distract you from the content.

I use Google Reader, which is handy if you have a gmail account, but there are countless other services to help make your life easier. I prefer Google if only because my homepage opens up to the iGoogle, which shows my new emails, new feeds to read, the weather, and other bits of information I want immediately. 

It is something you have to maintain, but there’s this handy “Mark all as Read” button if you just can’t be bothered to go through the posts. 

If you’re interested in trying out the RSS experience, subscribe to mine! If you’re using Google Reader, just enter www.foryourreadingpleasure.com and subscribe. The service will also send you suggestions to other sites you might be interested to follow. Alternatively, just hit the RSS icon in the address bar. 

Have an interesting feed I should know about? Send it my way!

At the end of each week, I’ll show you some fun links that illustrate creativity on the web

Want to search for something in Google but you’re tired of using the English language? Man, I hear ya! Then why not try your Google search in the language of the Muppets’ Swedish Chef. Bork bork bork!

Don’t care for the Swedish Chef? There’s also Elmer Fudd if you’re feewing wucky.

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If you want to write music but don’t know how, you can now sing into a microphone and My Song will create accompanying chords to make a song. I like the cheesy video that explains how to make it work for you.