Amazing Moments 6 – Croc attack

I still owe you something…this Amazing Moment in the Serengeti. I will not say too much, just watch:

Professional nature filmmakers spent hours and hours, often waiting in difficult circumstances, just to get that one shot. It took me only 5 minutes (and lots of luck). With that in the back of your mind, take a look at the video below…(if you haven’t seen it yet).

It’s no surprise that this video has been viewed 34,690,615 times (and counting). It’s spectacular, authentic and an unbelievable story with a happy ending. On top of that, it’s one of the most viewed videos on YouTube and winner of the YouTube Eyewitness Video Award. It even has it’s own website: www.battleatkruger.com And it’s made by an amateur.

David Budzinski, a supply manager from Chevron in Houston, made the film during his first visit to Africa in September 2004. Just a tourist on safari in the Kruger National Park. They encountered a group of lions sunbathing close to a watering hole when a herd of buffalo’s passed by. The tour guide suggested to observe the group for some time. After an hour the spectacular scene took place. It was breathtaking. “At the moment the crocodile and the lions were fighting for the poor calve, I wanted to turn off the camera”, Budzinski said in an interview. “I didn’t want a bloody mess.” Luckily he didn’t and a feel-good story was born. Someone suggested to Budzinski that he sould try to sell the video, which he did. He contacted several stations like National Geographic and Animal Planet but everywhere he received the same reply: “We don’t accept footage from amateurs”

Until the video took off on YouTube. Millions of people watched it and shared it with friends and family. After more than 30 million views National Geographic contacted Budzinski in order to purchase the television rights of the video (price unknown). On top of that, National Geographic sent David Budzinski back to South Africa to make a documentary on the video: Caught on Safari, the Battle at Kruger, which National Geographic recently broadcasted. And with that Budzinski set another record: the first hour-long documentary that was inspired by a YouTube videoclip.

Poor professional sods, still lying there, waiting in the mud or in the burning desert, surrounded by flies and other annoying flying and crawling creatures, persistent and motivated by just that one comforting guarantee…”they will not accept any footage from amateurs…”

Apple TV Take 2: Finally we’re getting somewhere

Yesterday I was finally able to update my Apple TV to version 2. It took a while, it booted up about 24 times during the upgrade process, but eventually I got there.After the amazing cool intro (new one) the splash screen popped up. It was completely different, and of course I started exploring immediately.I read that the iTunes Store could be accessed directly from the Apple TV. This is not only true for music, but also for podcasts. And now it’s getting interesting…When you navigate to the podcast directory on the splash screen you can choose between:

• Favorites
• Top Podcasts
• Genres
• Providers
• Search
• My Podcasts

I checked the Top Podcasts and there you are presented with a screen with the ..eeehhh… top podcasts. I selected MacBreak video, where I found out that they have a whole series on MacWorld. Select one, choose Play and off you go…It’s funny. I mean, nothing new here except that I can now see these episodes on my big LCD. And then it hit me. This will be the future of television. I was looking to high quality content, made by people without intervention of any producing company, broadcaster, expensive frequencies, etcetera.This is what New Media is all about.  It’s starting…Check out the guided tour here. And don’t forget to go to Apple’s website to see some cool way of presenting a new product.

To blog or not to blog…

First song ever about blogging is published on YouTube. And I kinda like it…

Maurits Fondse (NL) wrote it. Let’s wait and see how fast this song will spread around the globe. Counter is on 664…

Less is more: the concept of Zen presentation

As New Media evangelists we frequently attend congresses and meetings and at some we are privileged to give a presentation. When attending these meetings I am not only interested in the content of the presentations, but certainly also on how the presentations are given. And, what a great examples you encounter how not to present. And the slides they make! Don McMillan has a good way of saying it:

Scary isn’t it? I mean, not that it is funny, that even depends on your personal taste. No, the scary thing is that it is so true. I’ve seen it happen over and over again!

So what to do about it? When I started presenting, I stumbled in the same pitfall. Because there is so much you want to share. And before you know it you become a slave of your own slides. So here are some valuable tips on how to present and how to design your slides.

OK, your slides are done, and are now more a lead for your story rather then leading your story. But how to tell the story? Cause, that is really the true art. And before becoming an artist you need inspiration.

Then I met Steve Jobs (well, not in the flesh that is) and I was amazed by his way of presenting. And by his slide management. Truly Zen. Keep it simple, keep it natural, keep it clear.

Wanna know what I mean?

Presentation Zen on Jobs’ presentation style

“>Jobs’ presentation of the iPhone

One last tip. it’s worthwhile to follow the blog of presentation Zen. It’s inspiring for sure.

See

And did I improve? Yes I did, and although it takes a long time to become a Zen master, I will get there…

Dutch TV station does co-creation

The Dutch public TV station VPRO invites its audience to help them in their autumn ‘members-get-members’ campaign.

Anyone can send in a clip of 30 seconds in which you can explain what the VPRO means to you, ending with a slogan. An interesting approach. Not only is this very 2.0 but this also gives an insight in why people like the station. Which will be helpful in serving the audience as good as possible. The submitted clips can be viewed and scored on the site. The clips with the highest score will get a chance to win 30 seconds airtime (and eternal fame).

The VPRO always has had a specific position in Dutch TV world. A station for alternative pop-music, absurd humour, confronting documentaries, innovative programs for kids and as platform for multimedia experiments. Throughout the years, they have build up a relatively small, but very loyal audience. Interesting to see what that picture is today, with this co-creative campaign.

Clips can be uploaded and viewed from July 15 onwards. Click here for the site. However, there is one downside: it’s only in Dutch…

The future of Google

In an interesting article written by Gringely he questions the future of Google.

“Back in the 1990s Bill Gates said the company that would eventually beat Microsoft probably had yet to be founded, by which he meant that Microsoft was in such a strong position that only something truly disruptive would have a chance to unseat Redmond. Some people think the company Bill was describing back then might be Google. If Google, itself, is to be eventually beaten by some other company, does THAT company yet exist? I don’t think so. But unlike the scenario envisioned by Gates, I have a pretty good idea where we’ll find the founders of that Google-beating start-up. I think they are working right now at Google”, Gringely writes.

Basically it boils down to the fact that a) Google is stimulating employees to work 20% in company time to come up with new ideas, in combination with just b) plain business numbers, applicable in big corporations such as Google. After all, Google is ‘just’ a big company after all.

Let’s do the math:

Imagine those Google geniuses (which were in many cases entrepeneurs themselves as well, before being bought by Google) come up with 4,000 ideas in their 20% time. Assuming that only 1% of those ideas are truly great, great in a sense that you can easily build a business around it. Let’s also assume that there are another 360 ideas which are pretty good, good enough for VC’s and private investers. The rest of the 3,600 ideas are…eehh.. crap.

As said, Google is just another big company, and usually big companies have problems identifying the great ideas. Finding those 40 great ideas is an impossible job, even for Google. May be only 10 ideas are identified of which 5 are part of the ‘great’ ones, and 5 are crap and chosen because of business politics.

So, Google will continue with 10 ideas of which 5 will fail. What happens with those other 390 project of which 35 are absolutely amazing and 355 are pretty interesting?

They go down the drain.

Now, imagine you being a Google genius, working hard on your ideas. Chances are (99.75%) that your idea is not chosen. How would you feel? Wouldn’t you discuss it with your fellow rejected-Google-geniuses? Given the fact that you have time aplenty (in Google there is always food and drinks available for free for every employee within 100 feet, so that people are motivated to stay at work a looong time), you have sufficient opportunity to do so.

Google has an interesting financial schedule for people leaving the company, whereby the can trade their stock options. “With hundreds — and soon thousands — of Google employees vested and solvent, we’ll shortly see a dribble, then a river, then a flood of former Google employees with time, money, and experience, and some of them will have the drive to realize the dreams of those thousands of ideas that were rejected by their former company.”

Cringely ends: “Of course good ideas alone are not enough. There are always plenty of good ideas. The real money is in taking existing ideas and twisting the idea just far enough to make it work in a fantastic new way. Think Google vs. AltaVista; Apple vs. all previously existing laptops and mp3 players; YouTube vs. all previously existing video sites, etc. In addition to ideas, you need creativity, resources, connections, and luck — none of which appear to be in short supply among Google worker bees.”

Read the entire interesting article here.

The Webby Awards 2007

On May 1st the Webby Awards were announced. The Webby Awards is the leading international award honoring excellence on the Internet.

The Webbys are presented by The International Academy of Digital Arts and Science, a 550-member body of leading web experts, business figures, luminaries, visionaries and creative celebrities.

Awards were announced in almost 70 categories. Check out the following as they caught my attention: IKEA Dream Kitchen (category ‘best navigation/structure’), Mediastorm (‘magazine’), with special emphasis to the animation ‘Low Morale: Creep’, the Dutch website ‘I spy with my little eye’ (‘charitable organisations nonprofit’), MGM Grand Hotel & Casino (‘Corporate Communications’), NPR Podcasts (‘Podcasts’) and, maybe the biggest Webby of 2007, the stunning beautiful site of graphic designer Jonathan Yuen (‘best use of animation or motion graphics’, ‘personal website’ and ‘best visual design – aesthetic’).

For sure food for lots of inspiration.

De week volgens Reuters

Voor het afsluiten van de week nog even snel op een rijtje welk gerelateerd nieuws Reuters deze week voor ons in de wereld heeft gebracht.

In 2008 kiezen de Russen een nieuwe president. Uiteraard zal ook in dit land de hele mikmak aan media ingezet worden om kiezers te winnen. Nieuw deze keer is dat Dmitry Medvedev, de First Deputy Prime Minister die zich ook kandidaat heeft gesteld, het web gaat inzetten voor z’n boodschap te verkondigen. Volgende maand zal hij een webconferentie houden, een privilege die eigenlijk alleen voor de president is weggelegd.

En hoewel de Russen experimenteren met webcasting gaat Amerika YouTube gebruiken om hun kandidaten te prijzen. Ze hebben zelfs al een eigen kanaal op dit nieuwe medium gekregen. Het gaat dus best wel goed met YouTube. Ze sloten deze week ook nog een deal met de BBC, die showtrailers en andere content gaat aanbieden.

Het moest maar eens afgelopen zijn met de hegemonie van MySpace en FaceBook, moet Marc Andreessen (mede-oprichter Netscape) gedacht hebben. Hij lanceerde deze week een nieuwe service, Ning, genaamd die gebruikers de mogelijkheid geven zelf sociale websites op te zetten. “Andere sociale netwerken vragen je lid te worden van hun wereld. Wij geven mensen de mogelijkheid die wereld zelf te maken”, aldus Gina Bianchini, CEO Ning.

Dat mensen gek zijn op dieren dat wisten we al, maar de Hollanders zijn soms helemaal van de zotte. De site www.dier-en-mens.nl is een ontmoetingsplaats voor dierenliefhebbers. Of je nu een iemand zoekt die ook stapelgek op vogelspinnen is of een leuke dame die kanariepietjes kweekt.
Goed nieuws voor de vrijgezelle mannelijke lezers; er blijken meer vrouwen dan mannen op de site geabonneerd te zijn. Dus snel kopen dat kanariepietje (spin is af te raden) en aanmelden…

In de tussentijd geeft de RIAA (de BUMA/STEMRA van de USA) niet op. Na oude vrouwtjes en minderjarigen te hebben aangeklaagd voor het illegaal downloaden gaan ze nu massaal de studenten aanvallen. Goed nieuws: als de studenten stoppen met downloaden hoeven ze niet voor te komen. Gelukkig… dat zal helpen.

Kijk, een beetje downloaden kan geen kwaad, in ieder geval niet voor je gezondheid. Gaming daarentegen kan uiteraard levensgevaarlijk zijn. Zeker als je 7 dagen non-stop achter de computer zit en ook nog eens 150 kg weegt. De combinatie is een 26 jarige Chinees teveel geworden. Hij overleed aan een overdosis Call of Duty.

Partnership DigiRedo en Insights International

Insights International, een trainingsinstituut gespecialiseerd in project- en programmamanagement, heeft als eerste in Nederland DigiRedo’s OSCAR concept in hun portfolio opgenomen. OSCAR wordt door Insights ingezet als een digitale creatieve uitdaging voor de moderne projectmanager.De bedoeling van OSCAR is om de deelnemers op creatieve wijze de complexe aspecten van projectmanagement te laten ervaren. Het project bestaat uit het maken van een televisie commercial in een tijdsbestek van één dag. Daarnaast maakt men kennis met digital storytelling en leert men werken met digitale media, niet geheel onbelangrijk tegenwoordig…Al met al een prachtige combinatie van Learn Play Create.Uiteraard zijn wij, als jonge, creatieve ondernemers erg blij met dit partnership…

SubWay viral video

Je bent een Communication Agency en je wordt gebeld door SubWay (je weet wel, die van die broodjes). Of je een nieuwe campagne voor ze wil maken. Wel een beetje creatief aub. Dus daar sta je, als gerespecteerd communicatieburo. Nieuwe media inschakelen dan maar?