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Blogging, vlogging and the new mainstream
June 12, 2006 -
Vloggercon: Where everyone's the media
June 11, 2006
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What does it feel like to have all this media frenzy over this breakup and over what your future is?
Congdon: Well, for this to be very public is kind of jarring. I intended with my video to communicate with the Rocketboom viewers because the situation was being (kept) from them for days. And when I put out the video and Andrew put out the notice on Rocketboom.com that I was headed to Hollywood and that I had quit Rocketboom and all of these untruths, I just had to make it clear what really had happened, and so I posted the information on my blog.
One interesting thing is how fast and how far your response to the "official" news spread. In the past, the tools didn't exist for that to happen.
Congdon: Exactly, yeah that's what's so exciting--the transparency. The corporations can't run and hide anymore from the facts.
Listen up
Congdon on her Rocketboom exit
Amanda Congdon tells why she thinks site founder Andrew Baron told the masses that she left to pursue her acting career.
Download mp3
So I'm assuming that this is kind of a long way from what you thought you would be getting into when you responded to that ad on Craigslist to go work for Rocketboom?
Congdon: Yes, you know, I come from the mainstream side of things, from the acting side of things: theater in New York and commercials. And to jump in online and really become totally immersed in Internet culture has been just a growing experience, and it has changed me in so many ways. And it has been so exciting, and I just love how I can communicate with anyone anywhere in the world and how I can make content with people from anywhere in the world.
What's next for you? What are you going to do?
Congdon: I don't know. I really honestly don't. I think right now I should probably start looking into all the e-mails that I've gotten. I've gotten, you know, about 2,000 e-mails at this point--a lot of them containing different offers and I haven't even been able to really look at them because I've been so busy with the press. So that will be my very next step.
You still own 49 percent of Rocketboom, right?
Congdon: Yes. I own 49 percent and it's legally registered with the bank.
So that means you have a stake in its future, and I'm curious, from your perspective, what do you think is next for Rocketboom?
Congdon: I have no idea. I sincerely wish Andrew the best, and I sincerely hope that he is successful with whomever he chooses as his new face since he seems to only be interested in faces.
What is your reaction to Rocketboom not meeting its commitment to get back up and running Monday?
Congdon: I'm sorry about that, but I'm not very surprised.
Do you think it was a little ambitious then to try to get things going so quickly?
Congdon: I think the fact that Andrew thought he could replace me within a few days is just very telling about how he felt about me and my talents and skills.
Do you think you and Andrew can ever patch things up?
Congdon: If Andrew is interested in working as business partners and is willing to straighten out a lot of the misinformation he has continued to spread online over the last few days, then maybe we could talk. But it would have to be a business relationship only. I don't think that we could ever be friends.
Do you think your fans will follow you to wherever you go next?
Congdon: Well, they've told me they will. So I am hoping they will keep true to their words. I guess time will tell.
So, I'm curious. Based on the success of Rocketboom, a lot of people are starting video blogs. What advice would you give them?
Congdon: To make sure that they stick to a regular schedule. If they are going to be up Monday through Friday every week, be up and have a video blog out Monday to Friday every week. Or if you can only commit to weekly or monthly just make sure that you do what you say you're going to do and also take it down a notch and be casual. Don't try to be television because video blogs aren't Internet TV. They're video blogs, and they are much more candid, much more personal.
At the same time, only a few will create successful video blogs. Do you think it's hard for people to believe that maybe it's not quite as easy as it looks?
Congdon: I think that it's just about creativity. If you have creativity and you have determination and focus, you can make a good video blog. I think it's about doing something that you feel that you are an expert at. What I would recommend for anyone trying to start a video blog is, anything that you feel you know a lot about, that's probably the best topic for you to explore.
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"In fact, this graph is similar to the suspicious Breitbart graph. It's possible that a deliberate Internet hype campaign is underway to drive interest in Internet video and the associated companies."
I notice that both whats-her-name, and CNet, named-dropped the "I just spoke with MSNBC" tidbit. Is that why CNet considers this news? Because MSNBC does?
I notice that both whats-her-name, and CNet, named-dropped the "I just spoke with MSNBC" tidbit. Is that why CNet considers this news? Because MSNBC does?
Is this like the girlfriend of one of CNET's 'journalists' or something?
Is this like the girlfriend of one of CNET's 'journalists' or something?
I've been diving into the vlog realm head first lately, so when I read everyone's comments I became concerned that I had a skewed perspective on the importance all of this vlog busines. So I did a quick search. The first page turned up some interesting names commenting on growth of video blogging (as well as R.B.) in the last month; Gates, Forbes, Scoble, Malik, MSNBC, Google, to name but a pinch. Warner Bros. cutting deals with YouTube... Gates telling CEOs that starting a channel9 (Microsoft's vlog network) is the best thing they could do for themselves... Scoble's recruitment at Podtech being the biggest tech news for two weeks straight... 300 regularly updated vlogs to 6000 in just one year...
I have to stop somewhere. But this ain't it. Vloging represents the dissolution of media power structures - now mega-media such as "Lost" is facing competition from low-fi content produced with $10k worth of equipment in some college kid's dorm. Don't trust modern big media? No worries, there's about 10k other sources you can find thanks to vlogdom. Most of it is junk? Sure, same goes for TV news content, what's new? start sorting.
Video blogging is the most interesting thing going on in media news, and one of the more interesting things going on in democracy. Rocketboom, as the golden child of that world, is bound to make headlines, it's just a reflection of where the power increasingly lies; in the hands of the little guy. Alas, I am but a humble video production designer, so please, dont take my word for it. Trust the names that DO know a little about business, media and trends - here's a couple links to get you started:
Forbes:
<a class="jive-link-external" href="http://www.forbes.com/bow/b2c/category.jhtml?id=316" target="_newWindow">http://www.forbes.com/bow/b2c/category.jhtml?id=316</a>
Scoble blog:
<a class="jive-link-external" href="http://scobleizer.wordpress.com/" target="_newWindow">http://scobleizer.wordpress.com/</a>
Technorati:
<a class="jive-link-external" href="http://www.technorati.com/tags/vlog" target="_newWindow">http://www.technorati.com/tags/vlog</a>
For small business:
<a class="jive-link-external" href="http://seedsofgrowth.com/what-the-heck-is-a-vlog" target="_newWindow">http://seedsofgrowth.com/what-the-heck-is-a-vlog</a>
What we've never heard of is this Rocketboom thing.
I've been diving into the vlog realm head first lately, so when I read everyone's comments I became concerned that I had a skewed perspective on the importance all of this vlog busines. So I did a quick search. The first page turned up some interesting names commenting on growth of video blogging (as well as R.B.) in the last month; Gates, Forbes, Scoble, Malik, MSNBC, Google, to name but a pinch. Warner Bros. cutting deals with YouTube... Gates telling CEOs that starting a channel9 (Microsoft's vlog network) is the best thing they could do for themselves... Scoble's recruitment at Podtech being the biggest tech news for two weeks straight... 300 regularly updated vlogs to 6000 in just one year...
I have to stop somewhere. But this ain't it. Vloging represents the dissolution of media power structures - now mega-media such as "Lost" is facing competition from low-fi content produced with $10k worth of equipment in some college kid's dorm. Don't trust modern big media? No worries, there's about 10k other sources you can find thanks to vlogdom. Most of it is junk? Sure, same goes for TV news content, what's new? start sorting.
Video blogging is the most interesting thing going on in media news, and one of the more interesting things going on in democracy. Rocketboom, as the golden child of that world, is bound to make headlines, it's just a reflection of where the power increasingly lies; in the hands of the little guy. Alas, I am but a humble video production designer, so please, dont take my word for it. Trust the names that DO know a little about business, media and trends - here's a couple links to get you started:
Forbes:
<a class="jive-link-external" href="http://www.forbes.com/bow/b2c/category.jhtml?id=316" target="_newWindow">http://www.forbes.com/bow/b2c/category.jhtml?id=316</a>
Scoble blog:
<a class="jive-link-external" href="http://scobleizer.wordpress.com/" target="_newWindow">http://scobleizer.wordpress.com/</a>
Technorati:
<a class="jive-link-external" href="http://www.technorati.com/tags/vlog" target="_newWindow">http://www.technorati.com/tags/vlog</a>
For small business:
<a class="jive-link-external" href="http://seedsofgrowth.com/what-the-heck-is-a-vlog" target="_newWindow">http://seedsofgrowth.com/what-the-heck-is-a-vlog</a>
What we've never heard of is this Rocketboom thing.
Other things to know about these days: youtube & stickam (video), lunarstorm & hyves (Europe), vmware & xen (virtualization), GDrive & Amazon S3 (hosted storage) etc. etc.
But back to this RB story...
I'm not convinced that Amanda's side is the only side that needed to be heard. I heard about her departure from HER blog (unboomed) before anything appeared on RB.
Quite frankly I think this was a case of an anchor overestimating her contribution and feeling indispensible after becoming 'the face' and a producer who did not want to lose controle over his creation.
If Andrew had truly 'planned' to push her out, wouldn't he have had another person lined up to replace her?
PS I never liked RB, *because* of the humor and 'boobie-appeal'.
Other things to know about these days: youtube & stickam (video), lunarstorm & hyves (Europe), vmware & xen (virtualization), GDrive & Amazon S3 (hosted storage) etc. etc.
But back to this RB story...
I'm not convinced that Amanda's side is the only side that needed to be heard. I heard about her departure from HER blog (unboomed) before anything appeared on RB.
Quite frankly I think this was a case of an anchor overestimating her contribution and feeling indispensible after becoming 'the face' and a producer who did not want to lose controle over his creation.
If Andrew had truly 'planned' to push her out, wouldn't he have had another person lined up to replace her?
PS I never liked RB, *because* of the humor and 'boobie-appeal'.
<a class="jive-link-external" href="http://spiralbound.net/2006/07/19/amanda-congdon-bisonboom/" target="_newWindow">http://spiralbound.net/2006/07/19/amanda-congdon-bisonboom/</a>
<a class="jive-link-external" href="http://borkweb.com/story/bisonboom-logo" target="_newWindow">http://borkweb.com/story/bisonboom-logo</a>
<a class="jive-link-external" href="http://spiralbound.net/2006/07/19/amanda-congdon-bisonboom/" target="_newWindow">http://spiralbound.net/2006/07/19/amanda-congdon-bisonboom/</a>
<a class="jive-link-external" href="http://borkweb.com/story/bisonboom-logo" target="_newWindow">http://borkweb.com/story/bisonboom-logo</a>
"In fact, this graph is similar to the suspicious Breitbart graph. It's possible that a deliberate Internet hype campaign is underway to drive interest in Internet video and the associated companies."