We are blown away with the response to the recent post "What Videos Should We Make?" Not just the quantity (over 50 comments and lots of email), but the quality. It's exciting to see suggestions that have opened up new ideas and ones that fit with a couple of the themes that have been top-of-mind.
As I've told Sachi recently, it feels a little like we're at the edge of a pool, preparing to jump in. We're confident that we're on the right track, but the content of our future videos will diverge from the social media focus that people have come to expect from Common Craft. That's why your suggestions have been so encouraging - they help us see that there is a need for the kinds of "back to basics" videos we'd like to make.
At the end of the day, change is not only good, but necessary and the shock of a cold pool quickly becomes refreshing. I think we'll dive-in head first.
Our big transition is almost complete and we need your help. The new Store is up, we're finishing up the last custom projects and now is the time to plan what videos we'll offer in the Store over the next year. We have lots of ideas, but we really want to know what you think.
We want to make videos that:
Help professionals and educators increase awareness and create change at work
Have a positive impact on the Web
A good example of this is our video "Wikis in Plain English", which is part of our our Social Media series. We've heard from schools, corporate training programs, individual professionals and bloggers that this video has helped them influence others. Ultimately, our goal is to make videos that have similar appeal.
Like our current videos in the Store, our future videos will be offered with these license types:
Individual (personal professional use)
Site (organizational use)
Free (non-commercial, online use)
So, what video subjects or themes would have a positive influence in your company or school?
Another way to think about it... "My company or school would be better-off if people had a quick and easy way to learn about ______."
I'm not sure how this happened, but there is an error in the original version of the "Electing a US President" video. The original version says that there are 3 congressional districts in Kansas. As we discovered today, via a nice email from Gerry Deman of Kansas, there are actually 4 districts.
Here's what we're doing about it:
We have created a new, corrected version of the video. It's embedded below and we have replaced the video on the original blog entry (and embed code) with this new version. We've also replaced the downloadable versions in the Store and other places where it is shared.
Unfortunately, this means that two versions will exist on YouTube, because it's impossible to replace a video. By deleting the original version, we break the connections to the You Tube players on blogs that embedded it. If you embedded the original version, please do replace the video with this new version.
It's a good thing that folks like you keep us in check so we can limit the potential confusion. We'll count better next time, I promise.
This evening we've taken the wraps off the new CommonCraft.com and we'd love your feedback and help.
The biggest change is the new and improved video Store, which is fashioned after the shopping experience on sites like NetFlix. As I've said before, we see the Store as the centerpiece of our future business and we're so excited to have a foundation on which we can build.
To go with the new Store, we've made a video (below) that explains the way our video licensing works. "Common Craft Licensing in Plain English" also appears on the Store's front page.
Share this video using this code:
You'll also see that the site has a similar but improved interface.
We'd love your help!
With Reporting Problems...
As you know, we don't have "testers" or "QA professionals." If you see anything unexpected or erroneous, please do report it. You can leave a comment here or contact us. With Building Awareness...
We've heard positive feedback from Store customers and we're very confident in our product, but awareness remains as our biggest challenge. People know the videos, but few understand that we offer them for licensed use in the workplace.
This is where you can help. We would be forever indebted if you could help us spread the word. The next time you talk to someone who says "I need an easy way to teach people at my company about social media", you might mention our Store. Of course, blog posts and tweets help too. :)
Ultimately, our potential rides on the Store's success. As it succeeds, we can devote more and more of our time to creating a growing library videos that are useful for non-commercial purposes on the Web and licensed use in the workplace.
Dear SSPR, You have been sending me emails for months now, apparently from someone named Sarah who always has a "Story Idea:" for me. Since then I have asked three times (including a voicemail) to be removed from your distribution list. What happened today? I received another email from Sarah about another awesome "STORY IDEA".
I've given up trying to stop your emails. You obviously don't care about my requests, or care that you're proving to me and a lot of others that you accomplish the opposite effect of PR - you demean your clients in front of the very people you're trying to reach. I would never write a story after receiving a pitch from you.
I know that stories from bloggers mean a lot to your clients. Do they know your tactics? Do they know that you don't respect requests from the very people you are asking to write stories? Do they know people like me consider you spammers?
I think the PR industry has a place in the online world and there are hordes of smart people in PR who have found the right ways to work with bloggers. I just received a pitch today from someone who had read this site and personalized their message. I respect them for taking the time.
You, SSPR, have a very long way to go. Like any relationship, your efforts must be built on honesty and respect. It has to be built on personal connections. Every time you send an unwanted email and ignore removal requests, you are insulting me, yourselves and PR industry as a whole. It's called spam and no one wants more of it.
I suppose I should be thankful in some ways, you've suceeded in giving me a "STORY IDEA", though I doubt it's what you wanted.
PS - I see you've made it onto the PR Spammers wiki. Congrats on that.
Updated:
Just after posting this entry, I was contacted by Belinda Banks, Executive Vice President at SSPR, who was apologetic and said that change is happening in the company. From her message:
We have addressed this situation internally, not only with Sarah but with our entire staff, especially all of our new team members. Inaccurate pitching is a personal pet peeve of mine and we are striving for each staff member to resonate that same theme. I appreciate Belinda's response, but at the same time, the proof is in the pudding. I hope we'll see real change from them and others in the industry.
It's true, Common Craft (the company and blog) is 5 years old today, or sometime around now. I recently went back to the very first blog posts I wrote in 2003.
This weblog will be written in the language of a lay person. I feel strongly that a key to my success is being able to relate technology and technical concepts to people that are not educated or well-versed in technology. I think that the language of technology is very much focused on technologists. My goal is to make communication technology easy to understand for people like my Mom.
And...
Lastly, my overall and far-reaching goal with this weblog is to increase the understanding and acceptance of the Internet as a communication tool. There is a world of people and organizations that are looking for ways to use the Internet to work and communicate better and I want this site to help them see new opportunities.
I honestly didn't realize that these things were such a big part of my plans 5 years ago. Truthfully, I don't see much change in the next 5 either.
This birthday post at 2 years is one of my favorites too.