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December 21, 2007

New Year's Resolutions 2008

The New Year is rapidly approaching and before we know it, we’ll be making our resolutions. In addition to making standard New Year’s resolutions such as promising to get more work done, eat healthier and watch less television, Quantum Shift TV is asking you what you’re be doing for the planet. Of course, you get to use your creative video making skills in answering that question. The Quantum Shift TV 'New Years Eco-reSOLUTIONS' video contest challenges the public to upload short videos answering the question "What are you doing for the planet in 2008?" Videos can be uploaded at http://www.quantumshift.tv/contests/contest.php?id=6 from now until January 15.

Voting will remain open through January 22 and winners will be announced on January 23. First Prize wins a package of prizes including a year's worth of carbon offsets for the winner’s personal consumption. Other prizes include eco-friendly products and gift certificates. We here at Black Turtle Media support the green movement and encourage you to enter this contest. We also look forward to an exciting new year here at Black Turtle Media. In addition to announcing new and exciting contests, Black Turtle Media will be adding all kinds of new features to give its users a one-of-a-kind experience in fostering creativity and preparing for success. Happy Holidays!

Connect with Black Turtle Media on Facebook and Myspace

Increase Visibility of Your Work! Black Turtle Media has a group on Facebook that allows you to post images and videos of your work, participate in message board discussions, and connect with fellow creatives. Join up at http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=6456675355 and bring your creative energy.

Black Turtle Media also has a Myspace page at http://www.myspace.com/blackturtlemedia . Here you can check out featured portfolios, top videos, and connect with creative individuals across Myspace.

Connecting with Black Turtle Media through Facebook and Myspace gives you a greater connection to the creative community at large.

December 12, 2007

When Politics Go Viral

There’s been an increasing trend in politics happening since the dawn of the internet age. Politics have gone viral thanks to the ever-present voice of millions of internet users. At first internet users vented their politics through chat rooms and message boards. Now, they have access to a new world of online multimedia where they can showcase their work and reach millions of people.

The trend of viral politics is growing even stronger with the 2008 presidential election on the horizon. Sites such as Youtube allow people to produce their own political videos endorsing their favorite political candidate and denouncing their least favorite.

Political candidates such as Republican Mitt Romney are asking the internet community to create ads for them. Romney held a contest to create an ad campaign, which 23-year-old college student Ryan Whitaker won. MSNBC held a contest in August for the best viral campaign video, which they showed on the station.

The line between user-generated content and official press in politics has been blurred and it is surely an indicator of what will be happening in other fronts: sports, film, local news, and advertising. The user-generated world has arrived, what are you going to do in it?

If you’re interested in checking out some user-generated political videos, you can find them right here on Black Turtle Media at http://www.blackturtlemedia.com/videos/list?contest_id=11.

December 7, 2007

Study Says 25 % of Media Will Be User-Generated by 2012

User-generated content is quickly becoming one of the most popular features of the internet. Nokia says that trend will only continue to grow stronger. The company recently released a study that predicts within five years a quarter of all entertainment will be created, edited and shared within peer groups rather than coming out of traditional media groups.

Mark Selby, VP of Multimedia for Nokia says, “The trends we are seeing show us that people will have a genuine desire not only to create and share their own content, but to remix it, mash it up and pass it on within their peer groups - a form of collaborative social media.” The research team identified four driving trends: Immersive Living, Geek Culture, G Tech, and Localism.

Immersive Living is the blurring of reality, between being on and offline, with the end result being that entertainment is no longer segmented. Geek culture says the boundaries between being commercial and creative will blur as it becomes cool to get feedback on user-generated work. G Tech says media is becoming more collaborative, democratic, emotional and customized. And Localism means consumers will take pride in seeking out the local and home-grown.

Tom Savigar, Trends Director at The Future Laboratory says, "Consumers are increasingly demanding their entertainment be truly immersive, engaging and collaborative…. We believe the next episode promises to deliver the democracy politics can only dream of." The full text of the study can be found at http://www.nokia.com/A4136001?newsid=1172517

November 27, 2007

Exposure on Myspace and Facebook

Social networking sites are used to stay in contact with friends but with a little effort they can also help expose creative work.

A networking feature on Myspace can be accessed in the profile editor. Once users select a network such as advertising, or film, they can message and connect with others in the network including prominent professionals.

Myspace videos works like Youtube but it also links videos to user profiles so viewers can message and network with video creators. Users can also highlight their work by using the bulletin feature to announce the creation of their Black Turtle Media portfolio and the blog feature to provide a permanent link to it.

On Facebook, users can join groups such as Creative Advertising (which has more than 5,000 members). Group pages have a discussion forum, a picture gallery, and a video reel. The tagging feature in Facebook allows users to select friends to be notified when they post a picture, video, or message. Tagging is a great tool to use when posting work.

Increasing exposure on existing social networks such as Myspace and Facebook only takes a small amount of time and can yield big results for professional networking.

Creative Networking

It’s a unique time for creative individuals. In the era of user-generated content, advertising agencies can find themselves out of touch with their targeted audiences. They need people who are highly culturally competent to develop effective advertising for them. Black Turtle Media gives creative individuals a chance to display their work and gives advertisers a resource of talented advertisers, filmmakers, and more.

At Black Turtle Media, creative individuals can show off their skills in two ways: contests and portfolios. Contests give users the chance to develop effective ad campaigns for particular products such as the iPhone or Halo 3. Portfolios give them the chance to showcase the work (print and videos) they’ve done in the past and to highlight their particular style.

Combining social networking with professional development, Black Turtle Media aims to create a community of creative individuals and to get them working with professional agencies.