Hey guys, wanted to post this publicly because I think we can throw ideas around, not just between people on XDATV but with anyone interested. Basically, I want to share some of the things I've learned from youtube over the years about optimizing the impact of our videos. If we work together on this, everyone benefits.
I assume everyone wants to see their view count go up. We make videos for people to watch, and the view count says how many times they've been watched. So that's the goal, and these ideas are all about achieving that goal. For each idea, I'm putting what we'd do, and then explain why.
1. Post only on your designated day--or if you must, on a day when no one else is posting--so there is only one video posted per day.
Most of the views come from that Latest Video on XDATV box on the right hand column on the portal. At the very least this idea is a courtesy to one another because we aren't taking time on that prime real estate away from each other. Our videos shouldn't compete with our other videos. We're working as a whole, however disjointedly. I wouldn't post more than one video a day even on my own channel for the very same reason. Actually, that's not true... I have posted more than one video in a day on my youtube channel before, with the explicit intention of burying the first. Because that's what posting more than one video a day does.
Videos do not work like blogs. Especially not when the videos are time-sensitive, as many of our videos are. And looking on every other tech blog that also makes videos, you'll see they do this too. The reason the first video gets so few views is because even the most dedicated viewers tend to check Youtube only once per day. Also, the longer a video goes before the next is posted, the more views it gets. Something to keep in mind if you want to post more in a week than your timeslot allows.
2. Tell the viewers to subscribe to the youtube channel, or at least to check out more of our videos.
Currently, our videos are averaging more views than the xdadevelopers youtube channel has subscribers. While that's a good indication of future growth, it still means that more people are watching than are subscribed. Often, people just forget to do it. Given the linear growth in subscribers versus the radically varying video views, it means that we aren't building a steady viewer base, we're mostly getting one-time views in passing.
Now, I know we're here more or less to provide a service to the forum, and if that's all we want XDATV to be, then there's no reason to follow this idea. However, XDATV could be a great marketing tool for xda-developers, which would make the relationship between XDATV and the forum less parasitic and more symbiotic. Bad analogy, but I can't think of a better one right now. I can't think of any reason why we wouldn't want XDATV to bring people to the forum and likewise, instead of only the forum bringing people to XDATV. Our subscriber count means nothing on the forums, but on Youtube, subscribers mean baseline views. (And if videos are getting far fewer views than the channel has subscribers, something went very wrong. That's the case with my channel, went on too many hiatuses.) Building it needs to be a big focus.
3. Provide links, article titles, tags, and video titles with each video.
For the most part we all provide article titles and links, but the more, the better. Internet searches pick up on everything in the video description, so the more detailed it is, the more traffic your video will get. Tags and video titles are the same, but we don't do them. Tags provide keywords. You know this, I'm just reiterating. Imagine every reason you can that someone might need your video. Your tags should be all the words you think they would search to find your video.
Lastly, the video titles. When I find tech videos for other sites, if it's news they title it with one or two of the biggest headlines, put ambiguously. That way people searching for any related headlines will be more inclined to watch. Stuff like "NEW EVO 3D!!!!" or "Xperia Mini Revealed!" And so on. And trust me, people click it. If it's a tutorial, review, or even interview, the title tends to be what you can do with the info in the video. Chad sorta did that a bit ago, but it should be simpler. Something like, "Root Your Desire HD". Shawn, your interview with Mendozinas could have been titled "Make Your Own Themes on Android". The titles are relevant, but capitalize on what people can get out of it, rather than what it's about or, as we're titling them now, what it is. And then, providing these things for Svetius will make his job a whole lot easier.
I was pretty sure I had more, but I forgot for now. So go make words below this post, preferably in some coherent order and pertinence.
Sent from my GT-P1000 using XDA Premium App
Werd. Agreed. I don't give XDA as much love as I give the other two sites I work for. I might start soon.
Azrienoch, the podcast should also pick up the viewing count and any description added to the files, so such information is always good, particularly links.
I just hope that we can get the update process sorted out so you guys can do your encoding and then update the podcast without any effort on your part. I'm not sure what we need to do to submit the podcast to iTunes etc, but I am reluctant to do so until the podcast is updated promptly (I guess I could open it up for other users to upload the videos instead, but that creates other issues).
At the moment, there will be a two week gap in updates as I won't be able to do it until the end of the month.
There are still some adjustments I want to make to it (icon, description etc), so if you guys want anything altered or changed then let me know. Most parts are adjustable (I've noticed that meltwater is in the copywrite bit - it only showed up on my GoogleReader, I'll remove it when I can - it is because I'm using my FeedBurner version of the youTube feed to get around my access issues...which I setup a while back).
If we want to move it to a common account or something then it will have no effect on the podcast link itself (as you just update feedburner account). Also we can set-up a common feedburner account too if you guys want to view the stats.
As of Today, the stats are: 896 views of 34 items
If only youtube would re-enable the rss feeds directly and then the podcast would also count on the viewing count too. I can also add a podcast item about subscribing to the channel too, but not everyone wants to use data-plans to access content on the go.
A better line of communication with the news team and owners/maintainers of the site wouldn't hurt, either. At the present time it's like a 5 story office building, and the door is locked to each floor, so you have to call and request it to be opened over intercom.
Today's stats are: 1,446 views of 34 items
Shame as it is just starting to grow, it won't be updated for a while.
meltwater said:
Today's stats are: 1,446 views of 34 items
Shame as it is just starting to grow, it won't be updated for a while.
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No worries, man. We're in this for the long haul.
azrienoch said:
No worries, man. We're in this for the long haul.
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Shall look forward to the new videos when I return! Cheers.
Great tips, Jeff.
Related
Hi,
I am Wen. Alot of you know me for either working on XDA's front page or WMPoweruser.
Well I am looking for someone that would be willing to work for one of my sites.
The site is new, and I just made it last night after being bored.
The site is a general phone site, so can talk about any phone news, which means your job is really easy.
All you do is:
Find 10 interesting news anywhere in the web about phones( I like smartphones more than dumb phones, but either works)
Write about it.. with good English and grammar.
Post it or schedule it to post the next day 1 hour apart.
This job isn't hard, and you will get paid for it. And if your good enough, you will either get a raise or I will find a bigger higher paying site for you, but only if you work hard.
What are the benefits of being an editor. Well you get to review phones(right now, I have the Palm Pre, Pixi, Motorola Droid, Devour and more. all to review). you get free things(right now I have the Jabra Stone, and Jabra Halo).
You can have all that if you work hard enough, and this job doesnt require much.
My pay can be discussed if you PM me.
BTW you might want to know that site you will write for:
MobileBlab
Its only 24 Hours old
A couple qualifying questions...is this US-based equipment? How do you anticipate to have the editor experience the technology first hand so they can write about it. I'm sure that you don't want someone to write about things second-hand. I mention this because you cannot steal photos and stories from others without subscribing to their site or network.
you read sites and write news... i dont need a reviewer just yet. and yes usa
Which is the same thing, you should not be stealing stories from other sites or write about news second hand. You've got to be able to put up stories that don't exist elsewhere, especially in the digital world today. What you need is underground sources that can feed information to your "editors" to put out stories. The only way to take second-hand information, from stories that already exist on the web, and use them to your advantage is to aim your site at a specific section of the market. Even then, you need permission to run the story and pictures.
A perfect example is Tmonews.com. They take stories and just publish the ones that are relevant to T-Mobile users. A generic phone site won't catch on.
I DO, however, have an idea that will catch on because I'm not seeing it elsewhere right now and it would be the perfect time to market the site. PM me if what I say makes sense and you're interested.
I am not quite sure what your saying because all the sites do that.. its not called stealing unless you dont link back to them.... Engadget is the biggest example alot of their news are from other sites.. so they just link to them and use the news.
So... ya.
But I will PM you to see what you have to say
rorytmeadows said:
Which is the same thing, you should not be stealing stories from other sites or write about news second hand. You've got to be able to put up stories that don't exist elsewhere, especially in the digital world today. What you need is underground sources that can feed information to your "editors" to put out stories. The only way to take second-hand information, from stories that already exist on the web, and use them to your advantage is to aim your site at a specific section of the market. Even then, you need permission to run the story and pictures.
A perfect example is Tmonews.com. They take stories and just publish the ones that are relevant to T-Mobile users. A generic phone site won't catch on.
I DO, however, have an idea that will catch on because I'm not seeing it elsewhere right now and it would be the perfect time to market the site. PM me if what I say makes sense and you're interested.
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I'm not a news follower but rather a tweaker/tester kind of guy. I share my discoveries with the rest of the world with nice tutorials.
If you need someone to write easy-to-follow guides or to review phones (I tried every platform but WebOS and Nokia's), then I'm your man. You can see samples of what I write on my blog (blog.nicolasbouliane.com).
UPDATE: By the way, you won't get many visitors with copypasta since most people refer to a single site for these news (generally Gizmodo) and won't like reading the same stuff a day later on another blog. A simple description with a referal (à-la Lifehacker) will do the job for anything that's not original content. You should instead try getting visits from Googlers looking for a specific topic.
I would be very interested in this type of position. Where would I need to submit a sample of my work? FYI, hiring a woman with tech knowledge is very chic these days
So you girls really do exist!
Really, a female.. great ill PM you... now I need One more.. and If I get more than 1, I have more than 1 sites... I have http://theandroidfeed.com and http://mobileosnews.com
count me in I'm pretty there when it comes to phone news
what do I have to do generally
I still think you should be more specific in your market.
Answer this question: Why should I go to mobileblab over engadget, mobilecrunch, techcrunch, cnet, wmexperts, or coolsmartphone?
rorytmeadows said:
I still think you should be more specific in your market.
Answer this question: Why should I go to mobileblab over engadget, mobilecrunch, techcrunch, cnet, wmexperts, or coolsmartphone?
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well engadget, cnet, == iphone bias and I know when I read a phone review site I get tired of those biases personally
taking a look at mobileblab I think it has potential but that's just my opinion of course...gotta start somewhere
rorytmeadows said:
I still think you should be more specific in your market.
Answer this question: Why should I go to mobileblab over engadget, mobilecrunch, techcrunch, cnet, wmexperts, or coolsmartphone?
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Very true, but that was the same question that was answered when Engadget and Mobilecrunch linked stories to my other site....
Engadget doesnt post as much news as my other site does.. and ya, thats why I have a regular reader base, because the readers know this.
domineus said:
well engadget, cnet, == iphone bias
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I hate Apple and I've never seen that bias before.
Cnet, just watch their comperison videos.. Iphone never losses.. but not much Engadget.. but Gizmodo does.
Attention Mods/XDA staff. We have permission from svetius to post this here. I wasn't sure about doing this either, so I made sure to ask first. We will not directly link to our site so that we do not leech traffic from XDA. We aren't trying to compete with XDA either. We are looking for interns/unpaid staff interested in tech and mobile news, so the job board doesn't fit us.
Alright guys, here's the deal. I'm looking for video/podcast personalities for a website I'm involved in. The site is Install or Not dot com. I'm not linking to it directly so we don't get in trouble with XDA by leeching their traffic.
If you are interested in becoming a personality and can commit to several hours a week in recording audio and/or video, please post a reply here, and we'll talk about it.
There are three unpaid positions available at the moment. We're looking for video personalities, podcast personalities, and media editors. Requirements for the positions are listed below. You may be able to do more than one thing if you want to and are good enough.
All positions must adhere to the following rules:
- You MUST be able to commit at least five hours per week to recording and researching the shows.
- Media editors may need to commit ten or so hours, depending on skill if they are doing shows as well. You need to be available during the week and on weekends.
- You must be able to work within the site guidelines that we set.
- You must be able to be fair and unbias in your discussions. I don't care if you hate Windows Phone, iOS, or Android. You have to be a fair reporter.
To apply for a spot, please prepare a sample of your ability for me to preview.
Podcast sample should feature you talking about two different articles of your choosing for a minimum of ten minutes. Podcasts are meant for spinning out the news and discussing it with others. Try to put your own spin on the news. Make it entertaining. It doesn't need to be funny, it just needs to hold my attention. Feel free to work on submissions as a team if you know other people who want to be involved.
Video samples should follow the same guidelines as the podcast. I'd prefer to see a ten minute video of you talking about a few articles or topics that interest you. Videos are more generally targeted than podcasts. Again, this needs to be interesting and entertaining. it does not need to be funny, it just needs to hold the viewer's attention. Videos are solo pieces.
Editors should either team up with others who are submitting clips, or make a work on their own from the podcast and video guidelines. If you have prior experience in editing, you may submit any prior work as well, so long as it is appropriate. (no porn )
FYI: The positions are unpaid internships.
Site guidelines are set by myself and the owner. They may change from time to time, but you will always know in advance. Generally, just use common sense. It's not MTV or Cinemax; it's a tech news blog.
We don't want excessive profanity in any media on the site. A few bad words throughout the media is fine, but nothing excessive, and nothing horrible. If you can't say it on cable TV, you can't say it on our site either.
Be open to new ideas and other operating systems or OEMs. I don't care how much iOS pisses you off, or how bad Samsung screwed you over on a phone. You will report on the news in a fair and balanced manner. This includes reporting on iOS, Apple, Motorola, RIM, webOS, Symbian, and anything else you can think of that might make you cringe. If you can't wrap your head around being fair to everyone, do not apply.
I too being involved in the site can say, this may look like not such an appealing postition for now, as it's unpaid - but we will surely value your contribution, which can in future but you on our regular team.
Some of the incentives of doing the job are:
Attend tech events
Gadgets to review
Meet big shots of the tech arena
Make a name and get fame for yourself
Adds value to your CV, which employer would not like a person who is popular on the internet ? This might become your full time job, who knows ?
A business card with a fancy position
An identity which can never be erased, yes that's the beauty of the internet - you might be gone and forgotten in the world, but on the internet your name and work will always stay !
And some other perks too, which I'd rather not mention on a public domain.
Besides, I would also like to tell you, you don't need to be a pro at anything to do this job, just be enthusiastic, dedicated and responsible - though you should know tech and shall be able to speak english !
Age, Nationality, Location, Occupation or Gener all of those do not matter as far as you can do the job !
So hit us up if you think you are in for it !
PS: If you think, audio or video is a bit too steep you can even write for us
Bump to the top.
Okay guys. I would like to participate in it. As you previously said that we can even write articles for you, I might be interested
Sent from my HTC Wildfire using xda premium
Back to the top.
If you guys know anyone who might be interested in doing this, please send them here as well.
Bump to the top, for the interested lot ! Send those PMs right away
Bumpity bump bump
boborone said:
Bumpity bump bump
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Interested, or just sending to the top?
We're looking for news writers as well.
cajunflavoredbob said:
Interested, or just sending to the top?
We're looking for news writers as well.
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Too ugly for on air but yes I am interested in a writer position. Unpaid is completely fine with me. Plus a bump for old xda'er buds.
Hi everybody. Me, my school, and a new start-up company called Froovie are working together to raise money. 60% will go to my school's digital media department, and 40% to the company. Also before I lose any ones interest all you have to do is watch a two minute video (or a couple of them) then vote on them, preferably mine. That's it. Heres the video I submitted: Mod edit: Link removed.
Here are the specifics to it:
The company:
Froovie is a new startup company that is focused on fundraiser for digital media classes, but can be used for other fundraisers also. It is currently in closed beta, and my school is using it and helping them fix the bugs because the founder knows our principal (private school). Basically you have people compete in a contest for a prize set by the school. Each contestant whether a group or individual will create a 2 minute video under the rules set by the school. They will then be able to share the video (as I am now) for people to vote. Each vote does cost $1, but you dont need unhealthy candy, or some product youll never use and can support a good cause. Each vote will then be split 60/40 profit between the nonprofit organiztion/school, and Froovie. Then whoever has the most votes gets whatever prize the organization the is using their services promised beforehand.
Why my school could use the money:
We are using the money to upgrade our media hardware and software. We have on Mac pro (I believe 2007) that works decent and only a few software generation behind, and then we have 8 10 year old Imacs where the best one is a dual core 1GHZ processor, 1GB of RAM, and 80 GB hard drive. We also have a go pro we just got, and a good sony camera. Obviously we cant do any video editing, and barely any photo editing on those computers. We are trying to upgrade the Mac Pro, and buy two new iMac 2012s (high end 21" version), and get adobe premiere pro on all of them, and use our own personal cameras. We currently do most of our editing on our home computers using about three different programs in our spare time, which is not that productive. Half the class has recently got premiere pro at home, or had it for the transition. We will use this hardware and software to put stuff in our newspaper, gazette, and yearbook for photography. Also for video we have a homeroom show we put out as often as we can about the latest stuff going around school, some comedy, and tips for the years, which is enjoyed by students and staff alike. We also do the videos for the jog a thon fundraiser which supports ALL school clubs, and several sports. We also make the videos for the homecoming and prom court, for rallies, and want to work on a promo video for the school. We also switched from loudspeaker announcements to daily video announcements on the school website. In the past we have also raised money for the school and got some of the seniors part time jobs by making commercials for local companies and such because we become proficient with our equipment.
what it does by voting for me:
It gives me, and the actors in my video the importunity to win a small scholarship if we win, and looks good on college applications (with a 98% college rate within a year after graduation we can create more stuff that colleges like). It will also allow us to make more videos and enter more contest when outside the class. Also as part of the prize I will be able to get these $70 dual turntables ive been wanting to get for djing as a summer job (I know several local big djs), and could possibly make free DJ mixes for anyone who votes and helps me get my career in media production and entertainment off the ground with the final pieces of hardware I need in class, and out of class.
How it benefits you:
besides helping out a good cause that helps us keep our class, provide people with better college transcripts,and possibly get a job in the future, you get to help a tech start-up get off the ground, and if we win get a free DJ mix! Some of us might even make some of your favorite youtube videos in the near future, and maybe be part of making your favorite big movie! You also get to make several dozen people's lives happier by watching a quick video and donating $1, or more (you choose how much, forgot to say that).
Other stuff that benefits us:
Others ways to help us even if you cant spend and extra $1 (which everyone has, even for someone you don't know who is a struggling student) is by reviewing our videos here and telling us what you think and how we can get better. We only had about two weeks to make these videos and edit them, and half of them are our first time editing! We have all filmed things, controlled lighting, and acted. But we have never had all of us edit or direct something by ourselves and either tell our friends what to do, or have other people in our class act for us. Another thing you can do is tell is if you find any bugs in the system, since I have direct contact with the founder, and some of their representatives. You can also tell us what new features the company can add to their site since we are basically an outside consultant!
Also if there is anything confusing, or anything I can make easier to understand please tell me. Also, if you don't want to vote for any of our videos, please tell us so we can make everything we do better as much as we can.
TL;DR..
Self promotion, advertising, etc etc etc are not allowed....
It may be fir good cause, But its not allowed in xda AFAIK..
Please read the rules first...
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★Nothing is True.. Everything is Permitted©★
Have you seen a Muffin..?
We're not here to make money from, sorry, so no.
Thread closed.
Please delete this.
<Mod Edit>
Thread closed
Maybe you can paste one video that you think is your best work, after that we can tell you what are you doing wrong, if you do something wrong.
blastoise91 said:
Maybe you can paste one video that you think is your best work, after that we can tell you what are you doing wrong, if you do something wrong.
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It's really hard to tell what is my best video when I made it. I guess I could go off of what the video is with the most views.. that'd be fnaf 1 videos. I recorded them when 90% of the people didn't have the game, not even Markiplier had it. :good:
You should do it for enjoyment, not for likes and subs. Most people that view Youtube on any regular type of basis detest "attention whores". I'm not saying you are one, but they may think you are if that's all you're interested in. And yes, I'm specifically talking about gamers here so it's your intended demographic. Also, if you're not doing it for the likes and subs then it will be more natural and you'll get more out of it. There are many gaming channels with hundreds of thousands of subscribers, but they only get a few thousand views a week. Don't read too much into it.
I've currently got 37 subscribers, and I could probably tell you how I met 90% of them as I know them personally. It's much more fun that way
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaik9pmEdhPZd4OliviAQkA/videos
I do the same thing but its for my own enjoyment not for others but check it out if you want.
The Batman one is my most recent.
No idea how many likes, and i have one sub but its someone who say my vid I posted on a forum, didn't get him from youtube.
A member in a forum more seems to be representing his knowledge and skills on a particular field more than his personal side. And it seems to be the other way with social media.
Both have UPs and Downs, forums greate for learning things, While social media seems better to hang around with close people and kill some time with memes.
So what do you most prefer?
Forums. I have never and will never use social media. You've already explained why much better than i could. :good:
Dirk said:
Forums. I have never and will never use social media. You've already explained why much better than i could. :good:
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+1
Balish said:
It's an interesting question, thanks for it. I prefer reading articles or research papers to forums and social media . To be honest, I think that all the information that is posts on social media is unproved and sometimes it can bring more harm than benefits.
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Well, the harm is most often happens when someone doesn't understand the context. As you said if someone knows that social media is a fast but not a reliable source, potentially it may bring more benefits than harm. Though the point is still true, the majority of people are prone to be misled, from something we saw on social media, and it's also true that anyone can be subjected to the misbelief from the repetitive exposure to something.
And as with social media campaigns are really cheap and has incredible targeting options it is really really easy to force some junk on people.
greysolive said:
forums in the past, now I prefer social media. Times change
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surprisingly, it seems to be the other way around for me. I'm not a someone grown with forums and then the big news of those social media comes, Actually, It's like 7 years, I'm having proper internet access and I used to be with social media a lot in those early days a lot.
But when it comes to learning and discussing things about something I do, only forums could to that. Though there are niche-specific communities in social media such as Facebook groups, they most often completely pure garbage with thousands of people trying to spam each other.
I do not like social media. I maintain a Facebook account so that friends and family who live far away have an easy way to get in touch, but that's it. These days I go around lamenting the shift from the "forum era" to the "social media era" of the internet to anyone who will listen.
Forums are great places for in-depth discussion and repositories of information. Social media is good for... advertising. Creating a social media account is basically opting-in to being told what you should think, feel, say, do, purchase, etc. - allllllll day long.
"Old fashioned" forums are nice and linear, text-based, etc.
The format of social media is too dang "shifty" for my liking. Formats and designs and layouts constantly changing, and it's all images and video clips and memes - seems to cater to and ENCOURAGE very short attention-spans. Conversation "threads" are nested and "ranked" in weird ways, often with the BEST and most informative contributions ending up hidden/not displayed because some stupid one-liner got a bunch of LOLz and nobody could be bothered to read the thoughtful replies ("tl;dr").