It's restricted to US and UK non profit organizations but Youthbe now has a non profit channel option. "So what" you ask? Well a lot as it actually has Google Checkout built in which allows donations to be directly sent via Youtube.

The check out the Youtube Non Profit page for more info. Let's hope they roll this out to Australia. This is a great move on Google's behalf as it could generate another revenue stream for non profits. It's early days, Mashable reported on it just a few weeks ago so we'll see if people are willing to part with cash while on Youtube. I can see non profits integrating the call for donations into their videos and even holding users to ransom for more funding until the next video is released (well maybe not but you get the idea).

Youtube also introduced Theatre view. For full length videos. It's a welcome feature as this "lights out" feature has been on other sites for a while. You can restrict YouTube's search results to feature length videos by appending &longform=1:
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=site:youtube.com&longform=1

Cheers to Google System Blog for the tip.

Posted by Ashley Ringrose at 11:19 AM | Link to this Article | Comments
Archived in: Industry News

Attention Ad people: Think of a brand that would fit these type of photo videos, throw in a logo at the end with some line about making problems small or we have everything in perspective (i'm not a write as you can see) and you're golden. Oh and pick a brand that's in an industry that's usually dry like the finance industry.

Beached from Keith Loutit on Vimeo.

Bathtub II from Keith Loutit on Vimeo.

This Tilt Shift effect has been done a fair but with stills but this is really the first time it's been done in video. It's an effect that once it's used once it loses it's appeal. And there isn't much else that hasn't already been done. We all know that super slow mo has been done to death.

So has light drawing.

Stop motion too.

Anything else I've missed?

Posted by Ashley Ringrose at 10:38 PM | Link to this Article | Comments
Archived in: Interesting Promotions

Attention CSI writers. Real life is stranger than fiction and the two following examples involving Criagslist prove this.

From Cnet just last week. Man robs Armoured truck and uses decoys dressed as himself recruited via Criagslist to be around the scene as he escapes. He escapes via an inner tube down the river! They may have been filming a new season of Prison Break :) Another link here with a video.

I love this story! Can you imagine pulling this off but not being able to tell anyone!

And this one from March 2008 where an ad announced the contents of a house were "free for all" as the owner had to leave suddenly. The owner returns early to find 30 people taking stuff from his house!

I love this too. It's like the ultimate prank and cost's nothing.

I remember when for Mission Impossible 3 they were running their Easter Egg hunt / ARG (info here) and one code was hidden on Craigslist. I posted an entry to my blog at the most obvious spot (but the wrong answer) and got heaps a traffic. It got taken down 2 days later. Not exactly at the same level of these guys but an example of how you can easily hijack a promotion running on social networks.

Are there other examples of this in which a social network has been used in a nefarious way? I was going to try and claim the term Crime 2.0 but it's already been used. Here's one blog which sums up what I'm thinking.

"I'm just waiting for reports of shrewd criminals that monitor Twitter, Jaiku or Facebook to see reports like "I'm going out of town for the weekend. Ciao" and use the information to break into some poor geek's house. It wouldn't take a genious, that's for sure."

So keep that in mind when you next tweet that the people following you might be doing so for the wrong reasons.

Posted by Ashley Ringrose at 10:16 PM | Link to this Article | Comments
Archived in: Interesting Articles

An RSS feed I always take notice of is the Viral Blog's Viral Friday. Which this week had this gem (Take on Me the Literal Version) as their #1. We can't stop laughing. I can see more in this series being rolled out soon.

The creator has his own Youtube channel as site Dust FIlms. This is how the new bread of directors are getitng their start. With the funding for music film clips going as low as $2,000 for semi-mainstream artists (according to the talk I heard last year from TDB) it's these guys who offer something that the bigger directors cant. Slave wages with unlimited enthusiasm.

Posted by Ashley Ringrose at 2:14 PM | Link to this Article | Comments
Archived in: Viral

Nice idea even if it has been done before with other apps and doesn't really suit the product.

This is actually student work from Carl Fredrik Jannerfeldt and Tomas Jonsson who will be courting emails form potential employers very soon.

Posted by Ashley Ringrose at 1:59 PM | Link to this Article | Comments
Archived in: Interesting Promotions