USTREAM.TV – Part 2

Some big surprises, both good and bad…

By Brett Lloyd Abbott, MYM Austin Inc.

Well, it’s been one week since I first tested the new online video technology of USTREAM.TV. And I have some rather surprising information to share with you.

First, I was shocked at the power and impact of this technology on the search engines.

I posted my first video about “Pool Builder Marketing” on Tuesday morning, about 10 a.m.  On Wednesday afternoon, a mere 30 hours later, I did a quick check on the phrase “Pool Builder Marketing.” There, at the very top of Google, ahead of my own website and several other postings and listings of mine, was my meek and mild video from Tuesday morning.

Holy moly!  I’ve listened to a lot of annoying SEO sales reps who’ve promised me they’ll get me “first page listings on Google” for $2000 plus $500 per month. And here, I got to the very top of Google with one short four minute video, and a cheap, hand-me-down USB camera!

What the heck is going on here?

But wait, there’s more.  I was giddy all week with my newfound power.  But it turns out fame was fleeting. When I checked again on Monday (yesterday), I discovered that my video posting had disappeared from the list.

Talk about your 15 minutes of fame!

My conclusion so far is that Google (and the other search engines) cares deeply about video, but not for very long.  It looks like “live feeds” and “frequent updates” and probably “a long history of video contributions” may be required to stay in the limelight for any serious period of time.

Those Google guys are annoyingly smart, aren’t they?  I hate that.

Meanwhile, let me tell you a little bit more about this whole USTREAM.TV thing. While I think it has tremendous power, and requires further attention, I have some gripes to share:

First of all, I have to tell you that in this day and age of YouTube and I-phones and plug-and-play computer components, I expect a certain level of simplicity with new technology.  I figured USTREAM.TV would be on the cutting edge of “ease of use.”  Not so.

Getting the camera to work was a piece of cake.  I didn’t have to do anything except plug it in. In fact, no sooner had I created my account with USTREAM.TV than I saw myself “live on the Internet.”  Also easy – the phrases such as “record now” and “broadcast now” were about as simple as they could be. But unfortunately, that’s where the simplicity ended. Most of the technical challenges I ran into a week ago, I’m still struggling with now:

  • How do I show something besides myself on the screen?  What if I want to show you something that’s on my computer?  Shouldn’t I be able to do that?
  • I can put the name of my show on the screen, like a title. And in fact, I did that about six times.  So why doesn’t it show up in the final recorded version?
  • What if you’re recording, and the phone rings?  Shouldn’t you be able to “pause” the recording, and resume when the interruption stops? no, unfortunately, you have to start over from scratch.  Don’t forget to re-type in the title of your show (that isn’t going to show up on the screen).
  • And what is with those annoying ads that are running right underneath my video?  I don’t think ABC pool builders wants to be running a video and have an ad for XYZ pool builders pop up underneath their “show.”

Okay, I’m sorry if I’m venting a little too heavily on these USTREAM.TV guys.  After all, I got back every penny I’ve spent. Oh wait, it’s free.

Well, the bottom line here is this — there’s lots of new stuff out there to explore, to keep us on the cutting edge of great marketing.  I guess you should be glad I’m doing this for you, so you can go out there and sell some more pools.

Till next time,

Brett

PS — I’m pleased to announce that we’ve finally launched our “a la carte” marketing programs. Historically, the only way you could engage in MYM Austin was as a “full service” client.  We’re now offering individual programs and services without the long-term commitment.  We’re not finished updating the site, but you can check out “the more crucial stuff” (such as Website Development, Hopper Systems, SEO programs, etc.) at www.PoolBuilderMarketing.com/services.

BA

©2009 Brett Lloyd Abbott / MYM Austin Inc.  May not be used without permission.

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