Interesting story from APM’s Marketplace on how people are making serious money on YouTube.  Who knew “David after Dentist” was making six figures?

Interesting piece from NYT’s about the ads running in California…

“A new chapter of campaign attacks is unfolding in California this election season, in which highly sophisticated, fairly low-cost technology is being used to create nasty — and just plain weird — ads and videos that are intended to shock and draw large audiences on Internet sites like YouTube and Facebook.”

The image above is from an ad against former EBAY CEO Meg Whitman who is running for governor. That lil’ cartoon thing cost about $30,000 apparently. Honestly, that seems expensive for a viral ad campaign even if it is going on tv as well. Most “viral” videos cost $30,000 less than that.

Another ad mentioned in the piece is below.

Another laugh from our friends across the pond. This is a bit old but “spot on” as they say. Writer/host Charlie Booker satirizes the visual language of television reporting. Are these industry standards stale or just plain effective?

Comedian/writer Robert Popper made a prank phone call to a call-in show and spun a yarn about British PM Gordon Brown having a tantrum and throwing a tangerine. The “story” then spread like mold on strawberries. His account of events is funny and worth a read. There is just no excuse for this!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/comedy/2010/03/tangerinegate-by-robert-popper.shtml

Great Ideas… We all have them and it feels great to have a great idea. There is a momentary high that feels almost as good as having actually accomplished something. This is a dangerous feeling. I say this because having an idea is the easy part. Delivering on that idea is difficult.

Personally, I tend to wade in the realm of ideas a bit too much instead of trudging through action land. I know I am not the only one because there is an entire industry of self-help type books, CD’s and other merchandise that are all about productivity. I am usually pretty cynical about that kind of stuff, but have found a few things on the web that are interesting and that I’ve found helpful. So, if you’ve ever sat on a story idea too long before pitching it or had an idea for a video, website, blog post, or novel bouncing around your head for years, please continue…

First is a talk given by Merlin Mann, writer and creator of 43folders. His talk, entitled “Doing Creative Work,” is brought to you by the highly enjoyable Sound of Young America. He’s very funny and the whole podcast is worth hearing but the most important lesson I learned was this: For any project you are contemplating, chances are that you already know 90% of what you need to get started, so start.

The Sound of Young America

Next, a rather recent discovery for me is 99%. Their name comes from the Thomas Edison quote, “Genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration.” Apparently the website just relaunched but there seems to be a lot of useful stuff here. This talk by entrepreneur and writer Seth Godin from the site is a little scattered but has some gems. The basic idea is that we need to quiet the negative voices in our heads that sabotage our productivity, which he attributes to “the lizard brain.”

Finally, it’s time to laugh. If you’ve never heard the comedy of Katt Williams, I highly recommend you check it out. He is very funny and his routines cover many topics, but I have noticed the occasional life lessons he likes to dole out. One thing he introduced me to was the idea of hustlin’. The word has many connotations but in this case, it is about adopting a certain mental attitude and applying it to any project or job you might have. The following clip should make it clear. There is also a bit on his Pimp Chronicles Pt.1 dvd that covers the idea of pushin’ that I found inspiring, but alas I could not find a short clip.

Now that you’ve wasted all this time watching web videos, get to work on that great idea of yours!

I finally took a look at the YouTube Reporter’s Center, “a new resource to help you learn more about how to report the news.” The site features tutorials from giants in the field and is meant for aspiring citizen journalists. The videos range from interesting and informative to somewhat laughable.

I’ll let you decide which is which. Scott Simon of NPR had some very good writing tips. And I thought the Pulitzer Center had a nice video about thinking BIG with your ideas. Also, it’s always fun to see Bob Woodward tell an old war story. Right?

My own views on citizen journalism are mixed. Do we really want CNN to source Twitter for breaking news? I’m not so sure. I think there is a place for it, or there will eventually be a place for it, but either way it can’t hurt to get better information out there. No matter your level of experience, it is always a good idea to stay sharp on matters of ethics and fact-checking. On the other hand, I can’t help wonder if these big shots are giving a leg up to the ones who will put them out of business.