Good Content vs. Sensationalism
04.10.09
Thoughtful Thursday
Today’s post is going to be a little bit different. One of my reader’s sent me an email and with her permission, I’m reposting it here. For a basic overview, Heather Mohr from www.i-hate-cooking-recipes.com is bewildered at the world’s apparent obsession with “less than quality” videos and the “happen-stance” stars. What is the professional to do?
Here are her thoughts…
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Hi Deidre,
First of all, I wanted to let you know that I am a voracious skimmer of your blog posts and newsletter. [Ahhh, thanks!]
I am not sure if this in any way overlaps into your world, but I wanted to throw something out at you.
This is a frustration that those of us trying to get visibility in the virtual world with great content and value. Our frustration? We can’t help but scratch our heads about videos like this…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bfq32ojLCM
[Hey, it's me, Deidre. I didn't insert this video into my site nor place an actual link, because, well, frankly, I don't want it on my page. If you truly want to view this atrocity, then by all means, copy and paste the link into your browser.]
This guy, Fred has nothing but insulting comments about his series of videos. You’re probably wondering how I know about this person’s videos. Honestly, the only reason I know about him is that somebody commented on our site: “How does Fred have so many views for his videos (hundreds of thousands) when good content like this gets a few measly thousand?”
Yeah – I’ve got the same question. Fred has horrible viewer feedback and yet, he has a million subscribers.
Some thoughts to ponder (or may be worth exploring in a blog post):
- Is it simply the William Hung Syndrome? (The guy from American Idol who was SO horrible he made a best-selling CD that sold just because he was bad.)
- Or is there cheating of some sort? One of my users sent me a link to: www.thetubeviews.net – To me this is a cheating site because it artificially produces views, ratings, comments etc. as opposed to growing an actual viewership organically. I’m not interested in these services, but I have to wonder if that’s what others are doing…
- Did Fred get picked up by mainstream media which sent him viral – which is an interesting concept to address in itself – does social media really NEED the boost of traditional media or can it be that effective, on that large a scale, on its own? (i.e. Gary Vaynerchuk’s popularity on TV shows)
I look forward to your thoughts,
Heather Mohr
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Great thoughts! I have a few comments on the subject and would love to open it up for other readers to give their thoughts.
Offering Value:
First, I believe the greatest frustration occurs when we’re truly passionate about what it is that we offer and strive on a daily basis to ensure that what we contribute is valuable to our audience, prospects and clients.
Second, I don’t believe that Fred is going to make any money outside of advertising dollars and will have this video montage attached to his face for the rest of his life. I don’t think that you’re primarily after advertising dollars (though I could be wrong) and instead are looking to find people that value your output.
Third, many of the comments on Fred’s videos are not what I would call “complimentary”. I read/watch your vlog and have always been impressed by the quality, value and quite frankly, the entertainment value of what you offer in your videos. Personally, I believe your videos lend to increasing your credibility.
Here’s one of the videos from Heather’s sites:
Love that video!!!
An Aside:
There is always an audience for sensationalism – think Jerry Springer. Sensationalism draws a crowd quickly, but is often pushed aside when something more sensational comes along (Jerry’s show is in danger is if we begin torturing people on TV…though some reality shows are coming close). Sensational sells, but is this the audience you want?
I believe that what you want is loyal fans that value what you offer and want to tell other people. Typically, this type of fan will be selective in who they tell because they want to bring the right people into the “tribe”. It takes longer, but in the end, the true professionals with patience and persistence will win. So will their fans.
Hope that helps!
Please let Heather and I know your thoughts on the topic in the comment section below:
Thanks!
Deidre Hughey
Like this Thoughtful Thursday? Here’s more…
Moving in New Directions
Why Are You Trying to Get Followers on Twitter?
Crossing a Line in Social Media
Slow and steady wins the race. It’s of no comfort when you are exhausting your running shoes, but while you tread on, those ‘competitors’ (used loosely) will constantly be dodging rocks, cars, squirrels, and anything else flung at them by someone trying to be the next big thing. Part of the challenge is understanding that you might only be building one fan at a time versus their 1,000, but your 1 is sticking around, their 1,000 is constantly looking for something better to continue to satiate them.
That said, people have always been drawn to car wrecks. Always will. When Springer, as you mentioned, came into the talk show circle, everyone else followed his lead, trying to keep up, trying to get the market share he had. All Jerry did was start a race to the bottom. No one but Oprah survived (and look at her now).