Hmmmmmmmm, ya think?

Here is the link.

Mashable, Social Media is for Narcissiststs

Cheers,
Eban

Let’s shift for a second. Remember that band you were totally into before everyone and their cat got into them? Remember the TV show? The whatever?

It is the same thing. Only, this Twitter explosion, we asked for it.

We wanted to actually believe it mattered. We had the Pistachios and other nuts telling us just how powerful it was as a tool. Thing is, it really was all choir, as in preaching to, all along. (As more than a few people pointed out)

Now we have people lamenting the loss of cool. We have people decrying the loss of indie in the Twitterverse. Screw you winers.

Twitter was, before A&O, (Ashton and Oprah), just an exercise in quick, go nowhere, social media masturbation. It was a trivial stream and silly conversation for the chamber, the echo chamber, with an occasional cool story or news piece.

Now that it is finally open, and the people everyone wanted so badly to reach out and touch with their message have arrived, we get the whining.

Twitter before A&O=closed system where everyone was as important as their trumped up profile titles. Of course it seemed powerful, everyone was on the same masturbatory page.

Twitter after A&O=an actual system of new people to reach, but no one actually having a clue how as it does not really work. It is 140 characters at the speed of light. Even in our age of short attention spans, that ain’t much.

Enjoy Twitter for what it was. Enjoy Twitter for what it is now. But in the name of all that is good, stop freakin whining.

Cheers,

Eban

—————–

C.C. Chapman and Chris Brogan by C.C. Chapman

Chris Brogan is the only person that never, ever pisses me off. Yes, that is a bold statement. You can learn from that. Especially coming from a media producer that labeled himself the “New Media Cynic.” But, with that in mind, the statement is 100% true. I don’t always agree with him, but agreement has nothing to do with emotions. To me Chris is a 100% stand up guy. Let’s dig into the why.

1. Unlike others in the world of social, new, or whatever media, or even  just the echo chamber, he never puts out anything that does not add value to someone or some group.

2. If he does add something that adds less value than other things, such as Digg baiting posts, he often admits to it in the post.

3. He not only does not know it all, he let’s you know he does not know it all and asks for input to help him, and his readers, grow in knowledge.

4. He never puts anyone down, except in jest.

5. As with #4, if he has nothing good to say, he tends not to say anything, or at least changes the subject.

6. Even the more opinionated echo chamber types that do all of the above can’t bring themselves to drag Chris through  the muck.

7. He is not afraid to leave things open for others to finish. This is a tactic he uses often on his blog. Thus he can start a dialog on subject in which he may not be an expert, but still gets to the heart of the matter at hand. Chris’ comment sections are just as active, and often as enlightening, as his original blog posts.

8. Even though I don’t personally make contact with Chris but maybe once or twice a year, he always engages me when I do. He makes time for everyone. I have learned more from this side of Chris than any other. I also have changed the way I deal with others due to this.

9. He is humble enough to think this post probably should not have been written.

10. He is bold enough to promote his work tirelessly. Not in the “Look at me” fashion as many others do, but from that confident place of someone that knows he is adding quality. He never seems to overstep his boundaries.

11. Repeat, he never seems to overstep his boundaries.

12. Chris leaves things open for all to see. When he was questioned about his use of Creative Commons photos in a presentation, and how he made attribution, instead of backing away and letting the criticism go, he posted about  it and started a conversation.

13. Chris loves his family. I have never met him personally, but I know this just by his writings and the way he carries himself.

14. Chris values his friends. See above for how I know this.

15. Chris can tame Julien Smith, nuff said.

16. Everything else I have forgotten to write.

That list is not complete, not by any means. I felt I needed to write this as things sometimes get negative here in the New Media Cynic world. I don’t mean for things to get negative, I just feel the need to talk about the 800 pound gorilla in the room that nobody, save a small minority, wants to address.

Chris is not part of that which I am out to expose. He is the exception that proves the rule. He is not alone either. There is Julien Smith, Paisano, Christopher Penn, C.C. Chapman, and many others. Chris though, sticks out to me the most.

So there, I can be nice.

Cheers,
Eban

A person I know well recently asked me why he should keep producing his media when people seem to not want what he produces, but instead want the animal videos, people making fools of themselves, and teenagers lip synching to copyrighted music. In other words, Youtube content. I gave him a pep talk, but have thought about it in more detail since. Here is what I would say now.

Youtube has stacked the deck against quality web productions that are made by truly indie producers, get used to it and keep producing

Why make a statement like the one above? Because it is true. Youtube has set the bar of Internet entertainment and media content at the lowest level possible. Just look at what people view there and push to the top of the heap.

Yes, take a good look at what is at the top. The freaks, the oddities, and when it is not the freaks and oddities, then it is mainstream stuff snuck in, before it is pulled due to copyright issues. There is great stuff there, but it tends to get buried.

Some of the oddities and such are actually very interesting. The Weezer video for Pork and Beans showcases some of these interesting things you find on Youtube, and a couple of the absolute worst. Chris anyone? The Superman dance guys? Please.

Unfortunately, Youtube is where most people go when they think of user generated content. It is easy to use and has tons of things to watch. People in general do not like to search all over the net for their online media, they like “one stop shopping,” so to speak. Youtube capitalizes on this.

So what does this mean for producers of quality media? For one, it means get your stuff on Youtube. Like I said, there is great stuff on Youtube, even if it stays buried a bit too often. It also means getting on Viddler, Veoh, Blip, Vimeo, and all those other services out there, as well as offering your stuff from your own server and site  with a subscription feed.

“But,” you say, “I produce audio content, not video, what about me?”

Well, audio is it’s own beast, and if someone is looking for audio content, they are generally not looking on Youtube, so you have a bit of a break there. Also, people looking for audio are generally looking for the great stuff, as horrible audio is not entertaining, so they tend to search out the best.

So, as a producer of video content, look to those other video networks mentioned above. Networks such as Viddler, Veoh, Blip, Vimeo, even Utterli, and the many others that tend to reward and promote the higher quality content. It is true that these networks are smaller in viewer numbers, but quantity is not everything. The viewers on these networks seem to be more discriminating, and thus, are more likely to stick with a quality production, unlike the Youtube folks that are always looking for their next freak video fix.

Also, don’t forget about your own production website. This should be ground zero for all your promotions, so get it set up for the task. Get your content together and take promoting it serious. Make sure you have a good site design, have good SEO through unique written content as well as your media so you get Google’s attention, cross promote and get backlinks with other sites of like content and other media producers, and always offer up an easy to find RSS subscription option.

Getting your media noticed is a battle of sorts. It is a marathon, not a sprint, that is for sure. Build, Build, Build, and reap the longtime rewards.

Whatever you do, don’t stop producing. Those videos on Youtube that have no redeeming quality and took no talent to produce yet get seriously silly viewer Numbers may get you down from time to time during your building phase, but what you build will be hard to tear down, those Youtube videos are generally the truest definition of the “one hit wonder.”

So produce, promote, and be proud of what you create. Continue to grow and experiment. Increase your skills with every production and never stop being open to learning new things. You will win in the end. You may not be the “be all, end all,” or most popular producer ever, but people will not remember you for being a freak, a fool, or worse. They will remember the quality of your productions. That is a win!

Cheers,
Eban

Why? Why not. Even as I am a new media, or as I prefer, a web media producer, I have to admit that there is a great amount of bullshit in this online world, also known affectionately by some as the echo chamber. There are also several versions of the overused phrase, “Cult of Personality.”

I want to take the wind out of some of the crazier aspects of new media.

So, here I go, the New Media Cynic.

Do I expect anyone to agree with me? No.

Do I expect anyone to care what I have to say? No.

Will that stop me from saying it? No, actually, hell no!

Do I expect I have some kind of special right to start this series? Not special rights, we all have this right online. Get over it and speak your mind as well.

I am not the first to take on the dumb aspects of the social, new, web, or whatever, media. I will not be the last, or the best either. That would probably be Loren Feldman. I am just another voice, hopefully of reason, but at least of dissent.

There are just not enough dissenting voices out there. That is a shame as dissent is a good thing. I of course mean true dissent, which is often the engine that finds truth, not the kind of dissent we have become accustomed to of late. The kind of dissent which means if you disagree with me then you are oppressing me.

With that, feel free to argue with me in a show of dissent to my thoughts. I of course keep the right to totally disagree right back at you. All is fair.

One thing I will not tolerate, and by tolerate I mean that I reserve the right to totally make fun of you and call you out as an imbecile, is fanboy-ism. If I make a point, and that point is about someone prominent in the echo chamber, and you then start an argument on the basis that I have no right to talk about that person because of who he or she is, I will take you down. No shit!

Well, Let’s have some fun, eh?

Cheers,
Eban

Create content or create the platforms or get out of the way. The crock of “users” will soon end. those that really have nothing to add will be lost.

Deal with it.