New stats we’ve just been shown by video measurement company TubeMogul show that Twitter is quickly growing as a top referrer for web video traffic, far outpacing Facebook, Yahoo, Google and Bing. Further, when it comes to getting users to watch videos, users who discovered a video via Twitter tend to stay around longer, too. In fact, these users will view a video for an average of just over two minutes. In a quick Twitter poll, we tried to ascertain the reasons for Twitter’s emergence as a video-sharing tool. From what we can tell, people are using Twitter to connect not just to their real-world friends, but also to specific interests. Hence, they’re finding content that’s directly related to those interests, content that is more personally relevant and, for the individual, more watchable. Simply put, for video discovery, Twitter is “more tuned to my tastes,” in the words of one user. It might also have something to do with the sheer volume of content and the ease of spreading that content around via retweets. One user said most of his video recommendations were via Twitter, and another said he was less likely to tune out a video if multiple friends retweeted it. However you want to slice it, though, Twitter is a huge referral source for online video. Video blogging pioneer Steve Garfield , who literally wrote the book on web video, told us, “Twitter is my #1 recomendation engine for finding videos.” Do you tend to find good videos from your Twitter stream? Are they more interesting or more relevant to you than the videos you’d find on Facebook or from random browsing elsewhere online? For more social media coverage, follow Mashable Social Media on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook Tags: ONLINE VIDEO , twitter , youtube
As Apple’s “Get a Mac” ad campaign comes to a close , it’s the end of an era for a series that not only became Adweek’s “ Ad Campaign of the Decade ,” but also became part of the public consciousness. Whether you’re a right clicka, or a MacBook flippa, we think you’ll enjoy our humorous collection of the best spoofs spawned from the four-year ad campaign. Let’s just hope Apple’s next Mac-verts are as ripe with humor as this series was. We’ve already rounded up the best of the Apple-produced ads and brought you a tribute . Here’s a look at the best parodies and spoofs. 1. Novell “Get a Mac Spoof” Novell created three spoofs for its BrainShare conference back in 2007 and introduced a third character: The smart, attractive and — gasp! — female Linux, to the mix. 2. “South Park Mac vs PC” Created as the final project for a multimedia production class at California State University Northridge using South Park-ified versions of the ad characters, this amusing spoof has racked up a whopping 15 million YouTube views. Hit play to see why. 3. Mac Spoof: “OS” This video from the TrueNuff comedy group is part of a series of sketches on the “Get a Mac” theme, taking a look at the darker side of computer ownership — in this instance, a Mac’s lack of “upgradability.” 4. “I Hate Mac” Ads Another twist on the original here with some funny animation (Mac: “I’m the cool one, PC’s the dumb one”) in which we learn Macs are better because they’re shinier. Choice quotes include PC’s great line: “Stop looking at me with your stupid face.” 5. “Mac or PC” Rap Music Video The Pantless Knights do here what they do best — comedic songs — with a musical take on Apple’s ad format. Genius lyrics and a catchy tune make this an instant classic in the ages-old Mac versus PC war. “No fight gets bigga,” apparently. 6. “Hi. I’m a Mac.” Greenpeace Apple Parody While some of the claims are almost certainly outdated now, it was a clever move for Greenpeace to use Apple’s own ad format to raise awareness of the nasties that go into computer manufacturing. 7. “Apple Mac vs PC” Spoof Ad NeoFight also created a mini-series of “Get a Mac” parodies with this installment highlighting PC’s stronger productivity skills and gaming abilities. Well, it was made in 2006. 8. PC vs Mac — “Money” PC comes out on top in this spoof which sees Mac as a hip but dumb guy who can be easily fooled by a little bit of spreadsheet manipulation. 9. “Mac Vs PC Overdub” This super-simple clip uses footage from the original ads and delivers the message that “computers suck” regardless of OS. Maybe they’ve got a point… 10. “PC vs Mac Fight” This doesn’t follow the format of the ads, but it uses the characters, and it’s so funny we thought we could get away with including it. Mac and PC battle away, video game style, with some brilliant OS icon weaponry. It’s worth watching if just for the clever character selection at the start. For more web video coverage, follow Mashable Web Video on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook More YouTube resources from Mashable: –
The top stories in the mainstream press are markedly different than those that lead on social media platforms, a recent study by the Pew Research Center’s Project for Excellence in Journalism revealed. Furthermore, what is popular on one social network rarely proves popular on another. In a 29 weeks that the Center tracked news items on blogs, Twitter and YouTube , the three platforms only shared the same top story once — the week of June 15-19, 2009, when Iranian citizens flocked to the streets to contest the results of the presidential election. Let’s take a look at what was popular on the different social networking sites and how that compares to what gained traction with traditional news media in 2009. Blogs Of the three social media platforms examined, news-oriented blogs and mainstream media have the greatest overlap. Bloggers tend to credit traditional news outlets for their information and focus on the same topics, mainly political and international news. Even so, the two had the same top story for a mere 13 of the 49 weeks they were evaluated together. Although blogs cover many of the same topics, the study found that bloggers tend to focus on more ideological and emotional stories — particularly those concerning human rights, like access to healthcare services or privacy on Facebook — and often with a personal or partisan angle. Bloggers also like to make a story out of “off-beat” or “buried” items in mainstream media coverage. Although bloggers often attribute their material to the mainstream press, this rarely happened in the reverse. Over the course of the year, the study found only one story that the mainstream media picked up from the blogosphere: a story based on a number of controversial e-mails about climate research dubbed “Climate-gate” . Because bloggers are so largely dependent on the mainstream media for their information — more than 99% of the stories cited in blogs linked to the websites of traditional news outlets — it will be interesting to see what will happen once major sources like The New York Times and The Times go behind paywalls . Where will bloggers get their information? Will they be as likely to link to stories if they are behind paywalls? How dramatically will that hurt referral traffic to traditional news sites? Twitter Compared to the blogosphere, Twitter’s community uses the platform more for sharing important breaking news items than for personal or political discussion, a method shaped both by the 140-character word limit — which does not allow for lengthy reflections — the service imposes, and because it is able to disseminate information through lists of followers quickly. Perhaps unsurprisingly, technology was far and away the most popular new topic on Twitter in 2009; of all the news stories shared or discussed on the platform, 43% were focused on technology. Technology makes up a marginal 1% of news coverage at mainstream outlets and 8% of blogs. Notably, few Twitter users appear to be interested in economic news; 1% of all news tweets were about the economy, compared to 10% of articles in the traditional press and 7% posts on blogs. Although technology is the Twitter community’s primary interest by and large, the top news subject in the latter half of 2009 was the aftermath of the Iranian election results. It remained the top news story on Twitter for seven straight weeks, much longer than on any other platform. Collectively, Twitter was more concerned with foreign events than the blogosphere and the traditional press, likely because its userbase is much more international . YouTube Like Twitter, YouTube is more of a platform to share and curate important information than a forum for lengthy discussions, although viewers are often active in the comments. Because videos take a long time to edit and upload, there is less of an emphasis on breaking news than on Twitter. What’s unique about YouTube is that its focus on politics and foreign events far surpasses that of any other platform. Of the news videos on YouTube, politics attracted 21% of views and international news attracted 26%, compared to 15% and 9% in the mainstream media, respectively. The study smartly points out that this is because “videos transcend language barriers in a way written text cannot.” What This Means for Mainstream Media The study underlines the large disconnect between what mainstream media thinks is “top news” and what social media users consider newsworthy, as well as the different kinds of content and discussion each platform attracts. It also suggests that if traditional news companies want to succeed online — that is, if they want to attract a large number of page views and be relevant to users on the web — they may need to alter their content to match readers’ interests. What do you find most interesting about the study? What does it imply for the future of news media, both new and old? [img credit: DRB62 ] For more social media coverage, follow Mashable Social Media on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook Reviews: Facebook , Twitter , YouTube Tags: blogosphere , BLOGS , new media , news media , old media , technology , twitter , youtube
Animator Simon Cottee has created an 11-minute documentary , called Pixel , about the pixel art phenomenon and posted it on YouTube . In the video, Cottee interviews notable pixel artists like the creator of the brilliant art-house video game Passage and mixes those interviews with glimpses of some gorgeous works in the currently-niche-but-growing movement. The practitioners of pixel art turn the digital art clock back 20 years by electing to use only a palette of colored pixels — the same limitations that technology imposed on early digital artists who made (among other things) 8-bit and 16-bit video games in the ’80s and ’90s. The movement has a cousin in a musical genre called chiptunes, whose musicians employ the same chip boards that are used to synthesize sounds on video game consoles to make music. Both the pixel art and chiptunes movements rely strongly on nostalgia, but while that reliance could be the basis for unfavorable criticism, Pixel points out that childhood nostalgia has played a part in the works of many respected traditional artists. The documentary also shows that artistic movements that favor a medium or aesthetic’s most basic elements have popped up time and time again, so pixel art is not unprecedented. Pixel art and chiptunes music have been popping up all over the place lately. Animator Patrick Jean created a viral video depicting pixelated monsters destroying New York City , two lovebirds made 8-bit wedding invitations , an annual chiptunes music festival called Blipfest draws big crowds and even (comparatively) well-known electronic music artists like Crystal Castles have adopted the chiptunes aural aesthetic. Watch the documentary below, then check out the other examples of pixel art and chiptunes that we’ve included. Pixel — A Pixel Art Documentary Rule by Simon Cottee Passage : Gameplay Walkthrough Crystal Castles – “Crimewave” Blipfest 2007: “Nullsleep” The Incredible Adventure : 8-Bit Wedding Invitation PIXELS by Patrick Jean (New York Gets Destroyed) [via Boing Boing ] For more web video coverage, follow Mashable Web Video on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook Tags: art , blipfest , chiptunes , music , pixel , pixel art , pixels , simon cottee , video , video games , youtube
The Lazarus Effect, a new documentary presented by (RED) — the organization that is working the help eliminate AIDS in Africa — is debuting tonight on HBO, Channel 4 in the UK and YouTube. Directed by Lance Bangs and produced by Spike Jonze, the thirty-minute film follows four people in Africa whose lives were saved thanks to antiretroviral drugs. The film will first air on HBO and 9:00 p.m. EDT and at 11 p.m. GMT on Channel 4 in the UK. Then at 9:30 p.m., the film will air on YouTube , where it will available globally and remain online for the rest of the year. This is the first time that an HBO film is getting this kind of global distribution and the film is the centerpiece of (RED)’s digital campaign for the coming year. Check out this trailer to see what the film is all about: The iPad, Facebook and Twitter In addition to being available on YouTube, (RED) will release a free iPad app tomorrow in conjunction with the film. The app will contain the full-length film, as well as additional information about how antiretroviral drugs work and photos of the transformative effect that ARVs have had in Africa. The app will also include ways for users to take action by joining (RED) or lobbying governments. We think that having an iPad app is a really cool part of the campaign — especially since the device’s design makes it a great way to watch a film and then dive into more details about the people, the issues and the potential solutions. Facebook and Twitter are also both going to be used to promote the film and its overall message. (RED) is asking that users tweet and post status updates with the #lazaruseffect hashtag to spread the word about the cause — including facts like “40 cents a day in Africa = 2 lifesaving pills.” HBO also built a special Lazarus Effect Facebook page that users can use to send pre-formatted messages to Twitter or Facebook. Social Media Meets Global Need We’ve written a lot about the role that social media and new technologies are playing in campaigns for the global good. As we’ve seen with the Red Cross’s efforts in Haiti, social media can be a powerful tool to get a message across to lots of people all over the world. The overall message of the film — that HIV/AIDS is preventable and treatable, and that access to treatment is a fundamental part of helping eradicate the disease — is one I fully support. Check out the film, whether you watch on HBO, YouTube or the iPad and then get the word out about what we all can do to help. For more entertainment coverage, follow Mashable Entertainment on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook Tags: hbo , ipad apps , lazarus effect , outreach , Red , youtube
While we love the videos that make us laugh out loud , we also love the clips on YouTube that amaze us, and make us want to share them with friends, family, neighbors and heck, even strangers. We’ve taken a light-hearted look at some amazing human feats and abilities that can be viewed right now via YouTube. It’s mixed bag of musical skill, athletic acumen, artistic aptitude, and plain old geekiness, but all the clips have one thing in common — they feature some very talented people. Browse below to see what we’ve selected, and remember kids: Don’t try any of these at home — except maybe the Rubik’s Cube one. Yeah, and the clapping probably won’t hurt. And circle-drawing isn’t too hazardous… Oh, you know what we mean! 1. Fastest Violin Player We wouldn’t be surprised if this guy had sold his very soul to the devil, his fiddling skills are so amazing. Hit play now for the fastest rendition of “Flight of the Bumblebee” you’re ever likely to hear without first pressing “fast forward.” 2. Inspired Bicycles — Danny MacAskill Mr. MacAskill is a BMX god, and his stunt bike abilities need to be seen to be believed. We love how this video draws you in with some failed stunts at first, only to leave your jaw on the floor towards the end. 3. Junior Breakdance You may think you’ve seen some tidy breakdancing moves in the past, but until you’ve seen “Junior’s” attempts, you quite simply ain’t seen nothing yet. 4. Rubik’s Cube Official World Record In 2008, Erik Akkersdijk broke a world record by solving the Rubik’s Cube puzzle in a tad over seven seconds. This clip captures the notable feat. Well, the first 20 or so seconds do — the rest is a bit of blur, which can perhaps be explained by the cameraman’s astonishment. 5. Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest 2009 On July 4, 2009, Joey Chestnut ate 68 hot dogs and buns in ten minutes, beating his previous record by nine seconds. If that’s not an incredible feat, we don’t know what is. 6. Spiderman Climbs Skyscraper Frenchman Alain Robert (“the human spider”) has scaled over 80 giant structures around the world. Here he takes just 20 minutes to make it to the top of a 150-meter building in Abu Dhabi — not one to watch if you’re scared of heights. 7. Kent “Toast” French, The World’s Fastest Clapper It’s best not to question why you’d want to be the world’s fastest clapper. Just hit play on the video and be amazed at what 14 claps per second looks like on film. 8. Amazing Human Beatbox 28 million views later and it’s still hard to believe that “Scratch” is making all these sounds vocally. It’s safe to say that this vid is a masterclass in human beatboxing and scratching. 9. World Freehand Circle Drawing Champion We bet Alexander Overwijk’s pupils try to get him to perform his circle-drawing skills every lesson to avoid work, but we only need this one recording to enjoy it again and again on YouTube. 10. David Belle Father of parkour (the French discipline of overcoming any physical obstacle in your path), David Belle makes old Spidey above look like a slowpoke. This mini highlight reel video showcases his brand of free running that’s made him such a hot commodity as a Hollywood stuntman. BONUS: Amazing Feat by Pi Day Celebrant What do you get when you combine Pi, a hula hoop, and a Rubik’s Cube? Awesome, that’s what. For more web video coverage, follow Mashable Web Video on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook More YouTube resources from Mashable: – Top 10 LEGO Movie Tributes on YouTube – 10 Best LEGO Music Videos on YouTube – Top 10 Funny Cat Videos on YouTube – Top 10 Wedding Dance Videos on YouTube – Top 10 Recut Movie Trailers on YouTube [VIDEOS] Tags: funny videos , List , Lists , videos , viral videos , youtube
If you’ve been in “Get a Mac” withdrawal since the ad campaign bit the proverbial dust last week, you’re not alone. One More Thing Podcast has created a rather lengthy tribute video to the campaign of the decade . More than 100,000 people have already taken solace in this little vid, so if you’re among the bereft, cease with the shakes: Just plug in your headphones and let the iconic, repetitive strains of this spot’s classic background music envelope you for the next four-ish minutes. For more web video coverage, follow Mashable Web Video on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook Tags: apple , mac , MARKETING , pc , video
Hey you, taking a break from your coffee break, throwing hours of hours of your life into messing around with Google’s Pacman logo — look over here, we’ve got cat videos! Yes, that’s right, this week’s YouTube roundup features not one, but two vids starring your favorite furry feline friends. And then there’s some stuff about Lost … and some children… and a couple of men speaking with pleasant accents… and then there are some wolves. Basically, this week’s list of YT fare is deliciously distracting. So plug in those headphones, you checked out after the first bite of your sandwich, anyway. Animals AutoTuned: Wolves Brenna Ehrlich: This is brilliant. Just nix all those silly bands named after woodland creatures and replace them with actual woodland creatures. Best watch your back, Wolf Parade. PS22 Chorus “LISZTOMANIA” Phoenix Lauren Rubin: I don’t know how they do it, but the young kids of PS 22 manage to add a wistful note to a fun song by French group and current favorite of @keithtiley , Phoenix. An Englishman’s boat Is His [Bouncy] castle Matt Silverman: These guys sail a blow-up bouncy castle right into the middle of an international Regatta boat race. The best part? When they spot the U.S. racer and shout, “Hey USA! Barack Obama!” LOST Re-enacted by Cats in One Minute Brett Petersel: LOST . Cats. Period. (Please note that I’m not a fan of cats, but I do love Lost !) NIKE WRITE THE FUTURE – FULL-LENGTH VERSION Amy-Mae Elliot: The World Cup is edging closer and Nike’s upping the hype ante with this high budget, glossy “Write the Future” ad campaign that looks at the possible consequences of various international players’ actions during the tournament. As a Brit, I particularly enjoy that fact that England star striker Wayne Rooney is the only footballer (sorry, soccer-er) featured that’s happy for the world to see him ending up fat and beardy in a trailer park. Let’s just hope we can look back and laugh after the competition… Arial Font Is Bullsh*t (Hungry Beast) Josh Catone: I first came across this video a couple of months ago, but after a discussion with a friend this morning about how terrible Arial looked on our website, I had to view it again. It’s one of my favorites, and any type nerds are bound to find themselves nodding along as they watch. Caution: If yours is the type of workplace where enraged swears shouted in an Aussie accent are considered NSFW, throw on a pair of headphones for this one. Oh, and Arial really does suck. Kitten Suckles Air Lauren Indvik: There is absolutely no reason to watch this entire video, but the first five seconds are good for a laugh. For more web video coverage, follow Mashable Web Video on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook Tags: humor , pop culture , viral video , youtube
Google TV has arrived and will begin bringing the Internet into living rooms this fall, but we are all wondering: Can it play Hulu? For the last few days, I’ve been testing out Adobe Flash 10.1 for Android. While almost every Flash website worked for us, Hulu did not. When we questioned Adobe on the issue, the company told us that it wasn’t a technical issue, but a licensing one. Hulu is unique in that its content is restricted by a multitude of licensing deals with major networks. That’s why only certain episodes are available on Hulu and why it isn’t available internationally. That’s also why Hulu doesn’t work on Android; Hulu only has licensing rights for the desktop. We pressed Google and Adobe about whether Hulu would work on Google TV, given that it doesn’t work on Android. Google VP of Engineering Vic Gundotra responded by saying that Google TV and Flash 10.1 are technically capable and ready to run Flash on your TV screen. However, the final decision of whether to allow content to run on a platform like Google TV resides with the content provider. Given Gundotra’s response, we doubt that Hulu will work on Google TV when it launches this fall. Hulu makes less money streaming a TV show to you than it does showing it to you through cable or satellite — the rates are simply higher and the volume of ads are simply larger on TV itself. For more web video coverage, follow Mashable Web Video on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook Tags: android , Android 2.2. , eric schmidt , Froyo , Google , google tv , youtube
Hot on the heels of Pakistan’s blockade of Facebook due to caricatures of Prophet Muhammad comes the news that Pakistan has also blocked YouTube due to “sacrilegious” content. While the Facebook ban in Pakistan was a direct result of a group calling users to submit drawings of Prophet Muhammad, the YouTube blockade isn’t explained in detail. According to AP , Pakistan Telecommunications Authority simply cited “growing sacrilegious contents” as the reason for the ban. The ban of Facebook and YouTube is likely to continue until representatives from both sites contact the Pakistani government and resolve the dispute in a way that “ensures religious harmony and respect.” Facebook representative said the usual way to resolve such issues, if the group in question doesn’t break its terms of service but is illegal in another country, is to restrict the group from being shown in that country. However, the blockade seems to be much wider, as some of our readers, as well as reports on Twitter , point out that access to Flickr, Wikipedia and other sites has been restricted, too. For more social media coverage, follow Mashable Social Media on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook Tags: censorship , Pakistan , youtube
