I want to talk about the business aspects of what happened between Loren Feldman, Shel Israel and Fast Company, since everyone else talked about the personal branding issues. This is going to be a long one so I suggest you get the beverage of your choice, perhaps something to eat, get comfortable or leave, it’s up to you. Let’s do this…
The Root Issue
The core problem, in my opinion, is that Fast Company picked the wrong people to accomplish their goals. These people are probably “good” people (nice, kind, considerate, etc.) but they aren’t placed in positions where their strengths would benefit the company. There isn’t a system in place to overcome their weakened positions. It is my opinion if people were placed in positions they were more qualified to fill, these issues would not have happened in the first place and now that they have, they would be mitigated.
Fast Company Redesign: Bust
I wrote an article about my experience with the Fast Company redesign. I revisited today and I am happy to report that the spam I wrote about has diminished. This time I have 599 items in My Feeds and I’ve been auto-subscribed to Robert Scoble’s blog. I understand populating the user with a couple of Fast Company items to get the person going and show the features available. Why Scoble’s blog, out of all the blogs available, is the auto-subscribe is beyond me. His blog isn’t even business related. Why isn’t Fast Company TV the auto-subscribe? Place Scoble’s blog amongst the others listed and let the user decide the off-network blogs they want on their feed page. Plus Scoble isn’t updating his blog with the quality he once was; there’s another reason to take it off of auto-subscribe.
I called this earlier and I’m saying it now. There is no way Scoble will be able to continue this path of posting all over the internet, blogging, following 17K people on Twitter, etc. He’s going to say he’s burned out (again) and he’ll have to make a choice. Don’t be surprised if the blog wins since it draws an income.
Fast Company auto-subscribed me to Scoble’s blog and some Fast Company pages but my Contacts page was blank. Puzzling because one would think “someone” from Fast Company would be a contact, even if I decided to remove the person later. I suppose this shows the focus for the company. Loading up with feeds is more important than interacting with people in the company.
I stand by my original review and the site hasn’t changed much since I last visited it. I bet if I pulled a traffic graph it would show a decline in traffic since the redesign launched. My point being: there are very simple things that could be done to improve the browsing experience for the end user, eventually leading to a more traffic, more interaction, etc.
Robert Scoble – Managing Isn’t His Thang
I understand why Fast Company decided to launch Fast Company TV. I understand why they hired Robert Scoble to be a part of it. Scoble is the Managing Director of Fast Company TV. I honestly believe he’s too busy following the web to focus on “managing” the important things. For example, when Shel approached Scoble to do videos, why would Scoble pick Shel over an experienced person in video? Budget? Friendship? It does not matter, the blunt truth: Shel isn’t ready for video and as Managing Director (and friend) Scoble should have gracefully told Shel that and either nixed the idea or trained him.
Scoble doesn’t have the Manager mentality, which requires the very basic principle of thinking before reacting. Scoble and I had this discussion almost three years ago, and he hasn’t changed. Why would Fast Company place someone in a managerial position (without strict supervision) when it is not their strength? Managing is not Scoble’s strength and this is being proved by:
- The drama is still going on.
- Scoble doesn’t really know how to handle the situation (which isn’t bad in itself but nothing is being done about it either).
- He’s traveling all over the place, putting videos up on Qik while the site is not being properly updated. What exactly IS the video editor doing 8 hours a day?
- Companies are waiting a long time to get their videos aired and the companies receiving the Qik videos aren’t receiving the production quality or Fast Company “brand”.
A good person, placed in a position that isn’t his strength.
Shel Israel – The Branding Nightmare Begins
Yes, he doesn’t own the ShelIsrael.com domain. Yes, he’s being laughed at. Yes, his initial videos sucked. Yes, he’s improving. All of this was bound to happen because it was a nightmare waiting to happen.
Shel wrote Naked Conversations with Scoble. If you go back far enough it was called The Red Couch, that is where Shel’s domain URL came from (redcouch.typepad.com). The title changed to Naked Conversations, the domain was registered and parked/redirected to redcouch.typepad.com. New project, Global Neighbourhoods and Shel registered the .net version of the domain and redirected it to redcouch.typepad.com. Not once did the domains stand on their own merit, they were always co-mingled into redcouch.typepad.com, which Shel does not own. Before that domain it was ItSeemsToMe.typepad.com (and yes, redcouch.com and itseemstome.com were both registered by someone else when this went on).
Shel never had a clear brand in the first place. You can’t lose something you never had, can you?
Now would be the time to get one and he doesn’t need ShelIsrael.com to do it. Now would be the time to get his “house” in order, nip this stuff in the bud once and for all, and move on.
Shel seems like a nice guy, he really does. It’s time for Shel to create his own identity. Look at the video he did about Global Neighbourhoods. The first sentence, “Hi, I’m Shel Israel. I’m the co-author of a book I wrote with Robert Scoble”, like it’s his identity or the best thing he’s done (and yes he’s writing an e-book with Scoble and he’s at Fast Company TV because of Scoble so I can see why he makes statements like that – Scoble is every where). Right after that, he said that Global Neighbourhoods looks at the impact of social media on business and cultural. The goal of the project:
Global Neighbourhoods TV has very few of the answers, but it will continuously present to you examples of people, companies and institutions who are achieving some of the answers.
Well, the irony is that Shel is his own best story of how social media can impact a company and a brand. Yes, this issue impacts Shel’s personal brand but, because his personal brand is attached to his revenue streams, it impacts his business brand as well. There were hurdles from the start and it would have helped if the project had a stronger foundation.
Then Shel did something I can’t believe he did…he asked Loren for the domain back.
shelisrael : @1938Media You’ve had your fun at my expense. Why won’t you just give me the domaine? Why are you doing this?
The equivalent of begging. His friends are trying to come to the rescue and asked Loren to give the domain back. It’s really sad to see because Scoble and Shel are honestly baffled on how to deal with Loren.
Shel: You don’t need the domain.
Haven’t Heard a Word From Fast Company
Well, they’ve been pretty quiet about this publicly. Perhaps because they are unsure how to deal with the issue as well. Perhaps they thought it would die out on its own. It’s not that I expected an official statement or anything, but more like an iron fist. You know like:
- Scoble, we’re sending someone else to Israel, get the footage you need, while you straighten this mess – you created – out.
- There is no point in shooting more footage when things are backed up
- Why is there a work-flow issue? How can it be resolved?
- Is there a better way to shoot the videos so the editing process is easier?
- These videos are NOT up to our quality standards. Fast Company has a brand to maintain, never forget that.
- Shel, this is how you deal with Loren….
And the true irony in this situation? The latest Twitter from Scoble:
Scobleizer: I’m off to Israel. Will be on the 12:59 flight to London FLT:4490. Then on FLT:761 from London to Tel Aviv. See ya on the other side.
This Is Business – Stop Making It Personal
About the pleas for Loren to give the domain back. Time to join the real world. This is business and only the strong survive. The world doesn’t spin around the ShelIsrael.com domain. Let it go, it’s gone, and thankfully, Shel really doesn’t need it.
Perhaps Shel’s friends think they are helping by asking Loren to give the domain back but it only fuels the fire. Again, if people thought about their actions more instead of acting on impulse, the risk would not be worth it.
Friends and business usually do not mix and this is a very good example as to why. Feelings, compassion, etc. get in the way of making wise (and unfortunately tough) business decisions. To resolve this situation one has to do the very tough job of detaching, looking at the big picture, and forming a long-term strategy to address the branding issues that were there long before this puppet drama ever started. To step back and see how Fast Company TV can come back strong and thrive.
Contrary to popular belief, all publicity isn’t good publicity. If you felt that way, put yourself in Shel’s shoes. Would you feel good right now? Being the butt of the joke (people laughing at you) is different than telling the joke (people laughing with you), isn’t it?
What Now?
There are ways out of this for them, it’s not that difficult. I honestly wish Shel the best of luck, I hope everything works out for his show and Fast Company TV. But let me be clear: there are ways to turn this negative situation into a positive even if Loren kept the domain.
First!
And I came up with the title!
And nice analysis!
Yeah!
I think your article is correct but I doubt Fast Company will accept it as accurate.
You don’t think Shel needs the shelisrael.com?
Yours is the first I read that stated facts and didn’t resort to Loren being mean. How could Scoble leave the country with his company knee deep with problems? Why did Fast Company let him do that?
@Scrivs – thank you for the title. It’s perfect.
@ViperGirl – No, Shel doesn’t need the domain.
@Stunning – I wonder if anyone at FC is closely paying attention. I personally would have been done more the nip the situation in the bud before leaving. Unfortunately Scoble doesn’t know how to handle the situation.
One thing this does prove: when things turn “slightly” bad, people do not know how to act. Let’s face it, Loren isn’t being nearly as mean as he could be.
I read about it on Tech Crunch. I didn’t understand why it was on Tech Crunch. Your entry should have been on Tech Crunch.
I read Scrivs this morning. I spit out my coffee laughing at Scoble asking what would you do if the puppet came after you? Sounded like the puppet was a mass murderer. What would you do?
Tyme, send Shel an email how to get out from under.
I was one that thought the guy should give him his domain name back until I read this. Shel had a branding problem for a long time and didn’t realize it. Does he work on anything without Robert?
I think Scoble has a bigger problem. The quality of what he’s doing is suffering. Why is he in Israel anyway?
Never heard of the two guys but if I was the director of a new division I wouldn’t be traveling. If I hired him and he was failing I would not leave the country and tell him to tough it out until I got back.
Pertaining to FastCompany, I tried their new site and I hate the orange, I hate the blue, I hate the spacing, I hate the small type, I hate having to sign in, I hate the crappy content, which at one time was stellar. Who is in charge over there?
Their site does not entice me to do anything. I can stand an ugly site. I cannot stand a useless one. Does anyone understand why some people have names, some are staff, some are a different title of staff, comments appear on the front page. Very confusing.
What are the requirements to be an expert online?
Colleen, there isn’t a set standard. Anyone can call themselves an expert.
Nope, there isn’t a requirement on the net besides passing yourself off as a doctor. Until they come out with a social media degree. Do they have those yet?
The Fast Company site is one of the worst browsing experiences. I tried but I couldn’t stay more than a minute or two.
I went to 1938 Media’s spot and there is a video of him saying something about this being bigger than everything. Does anyone care about Fast Company? They weren’t mentioned in the big picture.
I found out about it the other day and I use TweetScan to monitor the Twitter talk. It looked like people were getting mad earlier today because he wouldn’t give the domain name back but that didn’t last long.
This situation shows neither one are qualified to give advice on social media. How can they recommend these sites if they cannot realize the harm that could come from using them?
Scoble is almost kiddish the way he leaps into things, not learning from his past mistakes. I remember when he stopped blogging because he was tired and needed a break. He was only following something like 1500 blogs. His blog is already neglected.
Who pays for trips he takes? It seems that is presence is needed more at Fast Company to make sure things get done than him being on location filming. Does Scoble have a boss? What does he do?
I just wanted to say that I noticed they finally added a link for download and proper enclosure on Fast Company TV. I’m downloading an episode now. That’s an improvement.
Let us know how the video is. Be honest.
I forgot to say you’ve been very quiet on 9rules Tyme. Everything ok?
I’m fine, thank you for asking Cedric. I was in Notes day before yesterday but I Clip more than I make Notes. You’ll miss the Clips I do unless you’re logged in though.
Next week you’ll see enough of me on 9rules to last you awhile…trust me.
My honest take on the newest video. It’s about Rackspace. I think it’s cool they bought a mall and they are converting into a data center. Some of the business principles are on point. However, their were points where they repeated themselves (they started during the bubble, diversity of their client needs) so I think some segments could have been removed, reducing the length of the video. I don’t want to hear where Scoble has been while he’s talking to another company…it almost comes off as bragging so I’d remove those parts as well (and stop saying it in the future). I think the companies would appreciate the lack of other companies being mentioned during their video as well.
Interesting thing in the credits, it said that Ed Sussman is the Executive Producer so I would assume that would answer the question of quality control and who Scoble’s boss is. I had a comment exchange with him on 3by9. Seems like a nice guy. Scoble is the Managing Director and Rocky is the Senior Producer, Editor & Camera person.
I’m curious how long the actual footage was vs. the final product. Anyway, still too long. It’s a quality interview but I think it could be reduced without losing any vital information.
What is Bill’s opinion on this? What are his thoughts on why the videos are lag coming out, why they are long and boring, about FastCompanyTV in general? Tyme, your points are excellent but is there a industry reason why all these problems keep happening?
I read Shel’s entry and he said money was an issue. I do not understand that because Fast Company has money to get this right, to fix this. Where did the budget go?
I just realized Bill hasn’t been around in a while. Where did he go? You didn’t piss him off did you Tyme?
Doubt it. They get along too well and because he’s a genius with women he can probably get Tyme to do whatever he wants. :=)
If he was an average dude I could see it because Tyme hits hard, can be very blunt, and can hurt a man’s feelings but when she’s doing that she’s trying to get the man out of harm’s way so he be strong, not tear a man down. Look at this article, it’s tough but it’s fair, and it’s honest but it could hurt if you’re on the receiving end. She’s a solid friend like that, giving and rarely asks for anything in return.
Bill isn’t the average guy so they’ll be cool until the end…unless he slips up and makes the cardinal sin: lying.
Tyme is that why you keep talking about this web 2.0 stuff? One thing you didn’t mention is how two-faced people are. Stabbing each other in the back, smiling in their face.
No, I didn’t piss Bill off (I don’t think…lol). I talked to him today. I’ve been absorbed in 9rules/Chawlk and he’s crazy busy (in a good way).
And thank you for the kind words. It’s nice to be appreciated. I always try to be fair and I asked Scrivs if I was being fair in this article before I posted it. Like I told the guy in the previous article, when he asked me, I said he “couldn’t” do his plan the way he wanted but instead of getting his balls in a bunch he asked how he COULD do it and THAT’S when I don’t mind giving. Now he has a hell of a stronger plan because he listened. My new rule (outside of the entries I write here): I don’t say a word unless the person asks me for advice. I have successfully managed to detach = not give a shit lol.
I’ll send Bill an email and ask him to pop by when he gets a chance to share his thoughts. I know what they are but I’d like him to express them when he gets the chance. The questions about how a video company works are valid. When he writes on topics like that I always learn something.
Thanks for mentioning TweetScan. That’s a new one to me. Tyme is too sweet to permanently piss someone off.
This video mess is exactly that, a mess. I think it is going to die out when Loren finds someone else to pick on. Shel will always be known as the guy who got beat by the puppets unless he does something. What about the companies he does videos for? Is this affecting them?
“Next week you
Well said Tyme – nice analysis.
I’m writing a followup post for Blog Herald – will include a link to this – and to Scriv’s post.
Matt
This is a nightmare situation for Fast Company. As an advertiser which show would you prefer to be on, the puppets where people are laughing or the show people are laughing at?
Fast Company has been a joke for a long time. Before it turned into a mess it is now there were times the site wasn’t updated and when it was, the entries were under the standards I would expect Fast Company to have. If Fast Company didn’t have the print magazine it would be a dead online site.
I’m a manager and I would lose be reprimanded if I hired an inexperienced man to do a job, especially if this was the result. Israel REALLY needs to do something outside of Scoble because it now looks like the only projects he works on are the ones Scoble is involved in.
I went to the Fast Company site and sitting in a dark room that site lit up the entire room, no joke. The design is much too bright. Did they think about people using the site over a long period of time?
Another thing, Scoble brought Rocky from Podtech. Those videos sucked from Podtech and they carried the same format over. I don’t understand it. Those videos were boring as HELL.
@Matt – Thanks Matt. Long time no see.
@Batman – I was going to talk about that but my entry was long enough lol. If they slightly changed their approach they could have much more interesting videos and appeal to a broader audience.
Oh well.
@Mandy – I haven’t encountered anyone yet that likes the new design. People will tolerate a design they don’t like if they receive value from the site. As you can see from the comments here there is a diminishing value for people on the site. Most people just leave and don’t say anything at all.
I tried to watch a couple of the Podtech ones and I couldn’t. You said the new video was about Rackspace. Why would a non-geek want to watch that and if they are a geek, and they are happy with their hosting, why would the want to watch it? What makes the videos interesting?
Scoble recently Twittered this message:
I’m puzzled. They have the money to send Scoble to Israel, to a conference that, in the end, really doesn’t matter but they don’t have the funding to get Shel set up properly.
Sorry, that’s bullshit. I don’t want to hear anything about it’s a different show with a different budget. And Shel is releasing another video today. If that video isn’t da bomb diggity it’s going to start up all over again.
And the Managing Director is out of the country. Lovely.
Did Rocky go to Israel too or is he shooting everything himself? If he took Rocky too, or a camera person, then I think I will have lost all respect for Fast Company. Who makes and approves these decisions?
@Cool Guy – I personally would look at each company, try to find something to appeal to a broader audience then zero in on that content. Scoble takes the same approach to each company (walk in, ask some questions) when companies are diverse, unique and have different audience appeals.
The thing about video, you can tell how many people initially started watching the video but the longer the video is the less likely a person is going to watch it all the way through. Finding out the portion of people who are actually watching all the way through is very difficult, which is why (IMO) when you hear people saying videos or podcasts are too long, shorten them. Usually you’ll find content that doesn’t add to the main focus of the video or podcast.
Your analysis is spot on Tyme. Shel described the his show like it was separate but it is under the Fast Company umbrella and it deserves the same treatment. Seagate paid for Robert to go out of the country during this mess. And I do not understand why Robert has a show, there is a Live show and Shel has a show. That is a lot of video for a 4 person team.
Another thing I do not understand. Why did they pick the camera man from Podtech? Was Mr. Cammack unavailable? I think he is in New York, he is being talked about a lot and does excellent work. Then again, maybe he wouldn’t have liked what he saw going on because Fast Company’s set up is very unorganized.
Why is a conference in Israel important? More important than what is going on with his company? I’m not an expert on social things but I never heard of the conference and how many people are going to care? I believe he wanted to go to Israel and that is why the conference is important.
I’m still here, y’all. Thanks for asking.
@ Adam H (19) and others: I just posted my thoughts on the situation. It should trackback here momentarily.
Jermaine, I thought the conference was paying him to be there and promote it. Knowing how he got there it’s just stupid for him to go.
All of you are completely missing the big picture. The guy’s last name is Israel and he doesn’t get to go to Israel. That is the greatest injustice in the world. If there was a conference at White people world, we would send Tyme, not Mike.
If a conference was held in a vagina then I would have to send myself and not Tyme or Mike because I don’t like injustices. They aren’t fair.
If Shel is Jewish it’s a shame he didn’t go. He’s not qualified but it’s messed up for some reason.
Do you guys think Robert Scoble is selfish? The entire thing with Shel not having a budget but it’s under his division sounds like he doesn’t want to share the money.
First off, this is not a story. This is an Office episode.
It’s a case study on how things fall apart.
When problems of this type happen the blame goes up. You were spot on by pointing out that FastCompany should have acted, well, fast.
By letting it fester, the comedy (and damage) has spread up the FastCompany value chain infecting the parent.
A quick release stating that “We don’t comment on puppets.” and bringing a pro to help Shel would have been enough. Instead FastCompany has become this week’s punchline.
I do think you are being especially harsh on Scoble, though. WTF was he supposed to do?
Running to Israel seems smart to me. But I’m kosher.
You make a good point Tyme. Fast Company probably figured it’s his name domain let him figure it out but the show is being attacked as well, both of their shows. Feldman tried to get robertscoble.com.
Well well, this is a surprise. What’s up Chartreuse?
Harsh on Scoble? Please, this is business. What am I supposed to do, hold his hand? I warned him three years ago that reacting before thinking doesn’t work in most instances. He made this situation, it’s time to own up.
WTF was Scoble supposed to do? Well, let’s see. Get Fast Company to make a statement about the Shel/Loren thing. If there was money in the budget to travel all over the place there was money in the budget to get a video editor in to edit those videos. There was money to train Shel or nix the idea all together. Having the companies Shel interviews go through all of this drama or be the guinea pig while Shel hones his skills isn’t the optimal situation for them either. Get that Seagate advertisement down off of Shel’s site if they are not a sponsor because it implies there is even more money to get the proper foundation in place for Shel’s site when that is not the case (according to Shel that his show does not have a sponsor at this time).
Make sure the work flow isn’t backed up, that there aren’t hours of videos that are unedited. Last update for Live? 4/1. Shel? 3/28. Their shows (in general) are long, get the videos up on the site early in the morning so people have all day to download and view them before the next one comes out (can’t remember which one is supposed to be daily). The last thing one wants with long videos is for the viewer to get backed up. That means they will be downloaded but not viewed (waste of bandwidth). Interact with people making comments but that would mean taking 30 minutes tops from FriendFeed to do it.
If he’s unwilling or incapable of doing those things, be the host and add someone to the team that has management experience so things get done consistently and efficiently – with quality being the priority.
Call her the waitress, cuz somebody got served!
*runs
What Scoble shouldn’t have done? Go to Arrington’s house, laugh with Feldman when his friend and business partner was being dissed. Saying on Twitter the puppets were funny when his friend was obviously distressed by it.
LOL @ Scrivs
It’s easy to point out what went wrong because Fast Company hasn’t done much right this year. The redesign is atrocious. There was drama at the panel one of their employees spoke at SXSW not to mention the people on the panel were not the ones advertised to be there. I cringed when I saw the Cab Confession – pulling a tampon out and throwing it at someone? This video thing started off on the wrong foot. Nothing has been done right.
There are just too many big mistakes made. They have approaching unprofessional and I didn’t think that would happen because I respected them.
Curious George: I forgot about that. Loren went to the panel, said it was ridiculous. He was supposed to do an interview with the Fast Company woman but that didn’t happen.
Loren was targeting Fast Company before Israel came on the scene.
What’s the cab confession? What’s the tampon incident? Please discuss.
Hey, I’m no Scoble fan. But he has found his niche, (which seems to be posting banalities on social sites) and major companies willing to pay for it.
When a fire breaks out and you realize you have no water, running is not a bad option. Live to fight another day, right?
Obviously, fastcompany.tv was built on sand. Scoble is over his head but why blame Scoble? As I said, problems travel UP and I blame FC for this Fk up. They are the ones who thought he could handle it.
Of course the elephant in the room is Arrington. That’s who made this a story. And without the Arrington coverage the puppets would still be a low-level Loren gag with sponsorship for them being the last thing on anybodies mind.
Thank you for serving me, though, I love it when chicks do that.
Scrivs go here: http://www.justin.tv/techcab/archive Go to the archives and put in 3:34:43 March 11, 2008. You’ll see the confession for yourself.
Oh, I thought she pulled a tampon out at someone at SXSW. This is her telling a story of her childhood involving her sister. That is way less exciting, but funny nonetheless.
So now I need someone to find me a video of an important female in the web world taking out a tampon and throwing it at an important tech guy to satisfy my hunger of twisted things.
Finally there is an honest take on this! Why shouldn’t Robert be held accountable? I don’t think Tyme is being mean, I think she is being fair. If Fast Company listens they will have a better company.
The only gripe I have with Tyme’s article is that she didn’t say how Shel could get rid of Loren. It would have been a KO if she did that.
Unlike other articles I read Tyme is qualified to talk on the business end. She has a Master’s in Business. That puts Tyme’s analysis in a totally different light than a blogger stating an opinion.
@chartreuse – As I said in the beginning of my article I blame Fast Company for placing people in positions they are not qualified to fill (at this time). I blame Scoble because he’s messing up. If he’s over his head like you said, run…but he’s not running is he? He went to Israel but he’ll be back and unless the new video is the bomb, another batch of shit will hit the fan.
I haven’t had interaction with Shel in a couple of years but he’s a good guy. Scoble isn’t a “bad” guy but this fumble after fumble after fumble has been going on for too long. I’m sympathize with Shel because I can understand how frustrating this can be.
Scoble has water. He just doesn’t realize it.
There is a new video out but I am unable to watch it. The video froze about one minute in and I cannot move further down the bar.
Why is Israel doing video? Who does that? Decides to try something new, has no experience, gets a job, sucks at it, and expects everyone to be patient while he learns? There is a place for that, it’s called You Tube.
http://twitter.com/Scobleizer/statuses/786032900
I hold Scoble accountable because he Twitter that Shel had a new video coming out and it was interesting. The CEO of GM. He’ll say he’s sorry, he’s human but that excuse fails when the mistakes start piling up.
Your analysis might seem harsh but the toughest criticism usually brings a better product or service. Compliments that are actually lies to help someone feel better doesn’t help, it hurts.
If Tyme didn’t care she wouldn’t have written the article.
This is all spot on. I wish you had called me before writing this, because I could have told you a lot of the stuff happening behind the scenes that you didn’t know. My phone is always on my blog and I enjoy talking about this stuff so that you can write a better post. +1-425-205-1921
So, let’s go through these things.
First, Fast Company did NOT approach us. I approached them. I had a sponsor. I had a choice. Either I could start my own business, or I could hook up with someone else. I decided to hook up to Fast Company for a number of reasons (I didn’t want to do my own HR, my own audience development, my own brand development, etc).
Second, this was started up in very fast time. TV shows usually take a year to get funding and get started. We did ours in six weeks.
Third, Shel Israel approached me with much the same pitch. He had a sponsor (who I won’t name) ready to go, and had a show idea. He also had something that others couldn’t deliver: ability to get great interviews. He already — in the first four weeks — has had interviews with CEOs of Intel and General Motors.
Fourth, after we joined up Shel’s sponsor pulled out because of the recession. That was right before we started shooting and that significantly hurt our ablity to hire people (FastCompany made it clear that this effort had to stand on its own two feet and not be subsidized by Fast Company).
Fifth, I’m in Israel to get video for my show. Since I have a major sponsor, one of the agreements is to do a video every day. So, if I stay home and work on stuff for Shel I won’t deliver what I promised to my sponsors.
Sixth, our network is a month old. It’s a startup. And it’s improving dramatically quickly. I’m listening to all this feedback and we’re making tons of changes.
Seventh, the video you’ve seen from Shel is mostly from when he was trying to get things going and before Loren bashed the hell out of us. We’re learning fast from all the bashing. Keep it up.
Eigth, the real answer to Loren is to keep shipping video and to improve the quality. That’s what we’re working on right now.
Ninth, the reason I’m in Israel is because Israel is one of the hottest tech startup generators in the world. As I type this my roommate is Craig Newmark, founder of Craigs’ List. I’m not here on vacation, I’m shooting dozens of companies here.
Tenth, no one else is getting the kind of inside business access that we are. Who else on the Web took a tour of Microsoft’s new Research Building, got MySpace’s CEO and CTO, visited Mahalo, interviewed General Motors CEO, interviewed Intel’s CEO, got a tour of Rackspace, got an interview with Tesla’s chairman, got a tour with Annie Leibovitz, and much more all in the first month? No one. All with only three guys. And we’ll only get better. Keep tuned.
11th, I funded Shel’s shows out of my own pocket once he lost his sponsor.
12th, we have some big stuff coming. You haven’t heard the last of us yet.
Thanks for the criticism.
Hi Tyme,
Long post. You are trying to step back…take some perspective…but my feeling is that you miss the point.
The purpose of the shows is to give the audience access to people and content who where not accessible before AND try to create a new video show format which is more interactive/real-time. Scoble has been pushing the envelop on that since the early days of Channel9.
Is it perfect? of course not…and Scoble has proven over and over that he is a good listener and will patch things as he goes.
So my recommendation is to stop comparing it to a CNBC TV show, try to understand what he is trying to do and try to provide constructive feedback.
Unless your point is to just criticize to criticize to get some visibility and attention.
Edwin
wow!
I’m sure glad Tyme isn’t MY supervisor.
This is almost like your supervisor posting your review online for all to see. ouch. Glad I work for myself these days.
I’ll certainly be following this story now.
But I do find it interesting how some comments above prove how some still just don’t get “social media”.
It’s not about “posting banalities” on Twitter – rather it’s about forming connections and friendships – and YES – people DO do business with people they like. Whether or not people like that or not is irrelevant. It’s a simple fact of life – and business.
The bottom line is that Robert Scoble does more for brand recognition and driving traffic “organically” due to his online presence than anyone I’ve seen to date.
In just the past month alone – he’s revealed several things in real time that I never would’ve found out about if he weren’t active on twitter. He’s not just “posting things” all over the web – he’s connecting with people and informing them of what’s going on both in the news, in tech, and in business.
As for why you get automatically subscribed to his blog? I have no idea – but now I want to go there just so I can start getting his blog. I’m not currently subscribed to his blog. I’ve just been following him on Twitter – b/c it’s easier and faster.
Bottom line?
oh – did I say that already?
Well – at any rate – if Robert Scoble says he’s not going to blog anymore – I really wouldn’t care. B/c Twitter has become my new source of info-gathering – and I’m glad the @Scobleizer is there to keep us all engaged and informed.
Scoble is in Israel on invite. FC isn’t paying for this nor did they pay for Amsterdam. These were in place before we started with FC.
@Kelly Strom – no, I didn’t go to Israel.
Scoble’s credibility when it comes to riding around on sponsor’s brooms was shot to hell a while back. The fact that immediately before FastCompany.tv he was spinning the skimming data off of thousands of Facebook acquaintances in a deal with Plaxo that other bloggers were offered and turned down… sigh. Whether anyone agrees with that incident, here’s a guy who spat at Facebook enforcing the rules but clung to his NDA with Plaxo.
A few moments ago on Twitter Scoble compared himself to the iPhone:
“Scobleizer @krishman if you do anything interesting in life some people will hate you or your work. Look at iPhone. Lots of people hate that. half a minute ago from im”
Um, Scoble, correlation does not equal causation. There’s lots of things that suck that people hate too. Just because you and your sponsors think it’s interesting, well executed, dynamic and one-of-a-kind process or product that deserves all of this auto-credibility and goodwill doesn’t make it so; and shouldn’t make it less of a target.
And finally, as a total outsider to all of this: Domain name scooping? Poor video editing? A lack of perspective on usability? No quality control? What is this, the internet in 1998? Who are the clowns that can’t manage what 16 year olds are doing on the internet and why are we following them?
Hey! I like watching Scoble and company continuously fall up the ladder. It’s great LOL’z IMHO. I remember reading @DaveWiner’s Tweets saying this of Scoble’s interpetation of his RSS Screensaver. Literally, I don’t remember the exactly verbage “I cringe watching Scoble demo my creation.” Scoble apologizing for screwing it up and @DaveWiner saying something to the effect that he’ll have to demo it himself. Backtrack further, when Scoble ranted on Twitter, “Dave Winer’s new thing is gonna make you want to ditch your Apple TV’s and get a Mac Mini!” I thought wow can’t wait to see it. It was a bloody Screen Saver!!! I know this is unrelated but it is fun to see a guy bumble through life exclaiming, “I just had lunch with the CEO of XYZ Corp yesterday” In the middle of an interview. That’s gangsta! Look, Scoble is a God and he knows it! He gave reason to why Shel’s video failed and it was because they are on a budget! Nuff said! So stop hatin’ on Scoble cuz he’s bulletproof and you can’t hurt him! He’s like an LOLcat, he’ll always land on his feet LOL’ing!
PS: Very good stuff Tyme. I’m glad I wasn’t sitting in my own lil biosphere a gasp watching these guys fuddle through their careers unchecked. I know I couldn’t get away with it. Good stuff indeed.
Good read. Personally, I agree that Shel brought a lot of this on himself. Sometimes it is better to greet criticism (which came in the form of parody from Loren) with humor rather than anger. I think that would have ended this as a controversy a long time ago.
Thanks for pointing me here Scoble. Paprika makes some good points and could run fastcompany tomorrow. Scurvy seems smart too, make him CTO. profit
It is the likes of Scoble et al who are behaving like many did in the last boom-bust Dot.Gone times
You have to have a substnace and income, regardless if you are in ‘Dam or the West bank.
it is all blogeratti navel gazing.
Edwin how is Tyme’s feedback NOT constructive feedback? Did you read the article? She proved her case point by point. Compared to TV? I don’t think you read the article because your comment doesn’t make any sense.
Thank you Robert for explaining but couldn’t you interview those people where they reside instead of Israel? The owner of Craigslist lives in the US, doesn’t he?
To CoachDeb: Scoble is notorious for using a platform and abandoning it. Be prepared to follow him when the next popular thing comes out.
I’m glad that an honest opinion was written because it is from these honest articles that change begins. I’m glad Tyme didn’t call Robert first because what is really going never would have come out.
Rocky: When I saw this Twitter I thought Fast Company and Seagate paid his way: “Thank you Seagate and Fast Company for picking up the costs of my trip” http://twitter.com/Scobleizer/statuses/786382596
That implies that money from the budget was used to take the trip. What many people are thinking is that there are enough people locally to interview and the money would have been better spent.
I’m confused. Isn’t there enough video already filmed for there to be video everyday so time could be spent dealing with issues?
If the cameraman didn’t go to Israel, who is filming the video?
If Scoble is doing it himself, won’t it be inferior in quality? That was on of the complaints on Shel’s site that I saw.
Holy mackerel….how much milk is there in this stormy teacup?
I’m slowly slowly nurturing Enterprise 2.0 adoption, trying to coax leaders and employees to enter the blogosphere and “join the conversation”, but these type of conversations are way too naked for the professional person and would dismay rather than encourage people to participate.
Robert Scoble has made a valiant attempt to respond to the critique, admit mistakes and address the issues, but this public stoush is damaging to him and Shel Israel as credible advisers on how enterprises and institutions could build trusted relationships and talk with customers. My company would be horrified if our brand was damaged in this way.
Then again, the brand of Fast Company is about “Fast”….not perfect….so it may be exactly “on brand” to create a TV channel in 6 weeks and live with the beta bloopers for a while.
it’s incredible how much time we all waste on this unimportant stuff. like we all have nothing better to do…. when we could be talking about really important things like ending poverty or enacting the national initiative
Here they come, the Scoble fans, writing from emotion and not addressing the facts.
Sash – This is important. This discussion will actually help Shel, Robert and Fast Company because it was honest criticism that even Robert admitted was accurate. What did your comment do to help this situation? Should we all stop trying to HELP to talk about ending poverty?
Annalie – if Robert Scoble and Shel Israel are “credible advisers” they would not be in this position in the first place. As Tyme pointed out Shel’s branding issue started way before he started at Fast Company and Robert has a history of messing up and saying, “I’m human”.
When you take a company’s money is it fair to them to screw up and expect them to be understanding and sympathetic? Seagate is being very supportive but most companies would not be. Most companies could not afford to be, particularly during this down economic time.
If a person can’t take criticism, the internet isn’t the place for them.
The reason why this article means more to me than others I read is due to the fact that Tyme has taken her fair share of criticism herself. Her partners have as well.
As an example they held a live stream recently explaining they were changing their site. Someone asked if they would be adding old members back and Tyme said no, they would not be inviting old members back but would not hold anything against them if they wished to apply. Then Scrivs ask why should they invite them back, they made the decision to leave.
I was sort of iffy on them until I saw them say that. I saw the look in their eyes. They are standing behind their decision. They meant what they said that this change has nothing to do with past members and about future goals. They are fair and will allow old members to come back if they qualify, their past status means nothing.
Because of their honesty and standing by their decision, I trust them.
Robert, when you say “I’m human” that doesn’t take responsibility for the decisions you made. You said, “Eigth, the real answer to Loren is to keep shipping video and to improve the quality. That
Right on Sash.
Robert, it is wonderful that you have those interviews in your first month, but what is the point of getting those interviews if people are not watching the videos all the way through?
@helene (72)
This post did not seem to be about “Scoble is boostrapping a new show or a new kind of show, more participative, giving us insight into conversations we should not have insight into but the experiment is not optimal|sucks and here is 10 ways he could improve the experience).
This post started instead with “Scoble is not the right person, he should given up the idea of creating a new show…” (despite the fact that he has been pushing the envelop on the concept since the Channel 9 days and a LOT of people enjoy watching his shows and discuss about them on his blog).
Sorry but that in my book is not constructive criticism. Constructive criticism would focus on how to improve the user experience/concept of more participative/real-time video conversations.
Edwin
@Edwin: Did you ignore Scoble’s comment: “This is all spot on. I wish you had called me before writing this, because I could have told you a lot of the stuff happening behind the scenes that you didn
A very good point about Shel’s brand. This is a very good time for him to strengthen it. I am astounded that he pointed all the domains he does own to one he doesn’t. If TypePad ever went under he could potentially lose everything. If Twitter went out of business or changed their business model he’d take another hit.
I don’t agree with Edwin’s comment either. Since when does negative criticism have to provide solutions? Negative criticism, IMO, has to be accurate, which Tyme’s was. Then a conversation can come from it.
Robert, thank you for responding. To be clear, my intent was not to be mean, pick or bash you. As mentioned, I know what it is like to have to handle negative criticism and we’ve had our differences of opinion in the past.
I brought these points up because I gave my honest opinion and it is not one I formed over night. Thank you for explaining what was going on. I honestly did not think to call you because we tend to disagree LOL.
I honestly want you guys to succeed. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t have taken the time to write the article. Loren is one part of a large problem. For example, if I understand the premise behind Shel’s show it is how companies can use social media to benefit their business. In the Lutz video Lutz talked about their blog and how he uses the blog to help control, initiate and engage in the conversation(s) about GM. That’s fine, but who is your target audience? The under 35 crowd will not sit and watch Lutz talk for 17 minutes. They will instinctively want to know about the younger start ups and businesses, people they can better relate to. So for the Lutz video, how could you make that video more appealing to your target audience? What would make people want to check out their blog (that way everyone is benefiting from the interview)?
Many times when I look at the videos I don’t understand the point, what they expected to achieve. Talking to someone is fine and the caliber of people being interviewed is on point, but what was I supposed to get out of the Rackspace video? That they have a cool data center? Was I suppose to want to reconsider my current hosting solution and consider Rackspace? If so, that didn’t happen.
Did it happen for others?
I could have written more about this but my entry was already a book. Since the goal is to help, what do you guys think they could do to improve their videos?
Yoshi,
The point I am trying to raise if that you are criticizing the wrong aspect of the problem. This discussion/conversation seems very similar to people who see MySpace for the first time and complain that it is ugly and unorganized, missing the point on the core value of My Space.
The core value of Scoble videos to me, it that he gives me access to people and conversations I would not have access to otherwise. I do not really care that there is not 5 camera/views, that the quality of the video is not always optimal, that they might be sometimes too long, etc..
Those aspects will improve over time the same the UI of my space improved over time.
Despite hearing what you and Helene have to say, I still think that Tyme missed completely the point on what is core to the scoble show and scoble being a better manager or shel having a stronger brand would not fundamentally improve my experience as a user. The key is access to people you would not have access to otherwise and a more participative show model.
Edwin, you’re not the majority. Scoble received many comments about the length and quality of his videos. Many people said they cannot watch them all the way through. Very nice that you enjoy the videos but there are many others that would like to enjoy them too.
This discussion needs to happen so more people can enjoy their movies.
Tyme was addressing Loren, the puppets, the backlog of videos, things that affect their BUSINESS. As Scoble himself said, she was right. Now we’re all looking forward to the suggestions that will be made and the hope he will put some of them in place so his show and BUSINESS last for the long haul.
Tyme what you speak of has already begun. On the Global Neighbourhoods (why the European spelling?) blog it was mentioned that the Lutz interview was already done and this type of content was not what they wanted to see. The interviews were going to be with Fortune 500 companies.
http://www.fastcompany.tv/video/gms-bob-lutz-talks-social-media-and-global-warming
There might be an age issue there unless they can figure a way to make the videos appealing to an audience with a large age range.
Tyme, I’d like to watch one to entirety and enjoy it at the end. I wish they had a beginning, a middle (a point) and an end. I wish they weren’t so long because most of the time the person being interviewed is rambling. I wish they talked about other aspects. Most people aren’t CEOs so why do we care what the CEO says unless they are talking about a change to their product?
I everyone, my name is Paul Scrivens and I am under the age of 35. I love all people and am very rational so I will give out some pointers and I think everyone will agree because I shall put numbers next to them. We all love numbers.
1) Whether you love them or hate them Scoble’s videos haven’t changed in the past 2-3 years since he started doing them. When people say they will improve I’m curious as to how. But that is just straight criticism and obviously that is unwarranted here so since I am under the age of 30 and half-black, half-white I know a thing or two about entertaining.
– Cut up the videos and make them 5 minute segments. The idea is to get people coming back and we know not all the video is important, relevant or even interesting. Yes this takes a bit more work, but it will be worth it in the end.
– If this is Social Media start getting the Social aspect involved. Tell your audience that you are going to interview the CEO of Yahoo and ask them what questions they want answered. It isn’t about what questions you want answered and it isn’t about letting the person you are interviewing control the interview (ala Calacanis did). Maybe you do this already and if so I apologize.
– You have said many times the goal is not to be entertaining and if that is not the goal then be interesting. You can be education and interesting, why do you think we watch Discovery Channel? Why are cooking shows so popular? There has to be some aspect of the shows that draw people in. If you think it is your personality then make your personality shine more. Trust me, it isn’t going to be the people you are interviewing.
– When it comes down to it all of this is about the videos. Not your management style, not Shel personally, not FastCompany and not Loren. It all starts with the videos. Don’t mistake having a sponsor as people wanting to listen. Don’t mistake FastCompany giving you space as people wanting to listen. There is no reason your videos can’t reach a larger audience if done right. Stop thinking small and insulting the world by saying that the audience for long, intelligent and thoughtful interviews is small because it isn’t. Give people what they want and they will follow.
2) All this public discussion can not be easy to watch, but good thing it is Friday and the weekend will let it blow over. Just take it in, breathe and really start to think how you can make your show evolve. It seems you are just interested in getting interviews. We know you can get access to people, you have proven that. Time for the next step.
3) If you want to see a different take on interview styles Tyme, Mike and myself will have no problem doing a podcast with you or Shel for however long you want to do it. Our style is a bit different though, but it may be good for your image and just a chance to experience something outside the Valley.
4) @Emily Q: Thanks.
5) I’ll leave you with this, when I do a video if I can’t go back and watch it over and over and over again then it isn’t worth putting up. I’m not sure if Scoble and Shel can watch their videos over and over again and if they can’t that should tell them something. If they can…well nevermind.
Tyme, You asked, “How can these videos be done better?” Well, length is one issue. I produce video for the web medium I know that unless I’m hardcore about the subject matter I time out at about 10 mins max. Scoble’s videos shoud be no longer then 10 mins max. All self praising dialog should be edited out. Nobody cares about your strategic partnerships unless it adds to the content significantly. Long static shots are boring. Rocky has to work with Scoble before hand to set up establishing shots. Framing the participants. Establishing start and stop points to vary camera placement and maybe getting a second guy (intern) to shoot b-roll. You can’t roll out of bed and do these things on the fly you need to plan out how it’s gonna go. In the rackspace segment (which was shot 2 months ago so I can imagine they have at least 5 hours of footage) Learn how to use the start/stop button effectively. The sections where they were riding the golf carts could have been sped up or deleted. They could have used static images to overlay the video when talking about partners or products.
Hmmm, I propose a contest where Scoble makes video footage (640×480) format in long form available as a download and have a contest to see who can cut his content up into webready content. Just to see what can be done with it. I’m sure some great talent will rise to the occasion to show Scoble how things can be done better/different/effectively. Hope this helps.
“When it comes down to it all of this is about the videos. Not your management style, not Shel personally, not FastCompany and not Loren. It all starts with the videos. Don
Um, I hate to say this but what Scrivs described is management. Planning, organizing, asking the audience questions – that’s management. It’s his start up, SOME ONE has to manage it.
Edwin, you truly aren’t in the majority. Like LuLu said, most feel the videos are too long (and Robert knows how many times he’s received that complaint), the videos have no focus – are you reading the feedback on the videos? It might not be something you agree with but they are people expressing their opinions in hope for change.
I watched the Rackspace video. Very cool that they are turning a mall into a data center. Interesting how they talked about the Amazon competition – unfortunately (and what you failed to mention)….
Most people don’t make it that far into the video to hear that conversation.
What we are all trying to do is make it so everyone hears those interesting tidbits. How about thinking about other people’s viewing experience outside of your own? Thanks. Appreciate it.
Edwin – what is Scoble’s position at Fast Company TV? He’s the Managing Director/Host. It’s his JOB to manage. Get it straight. Read what management is.
What Scrivs described and what LuLu described IS management. You think those interviews arrange themselves? The advertisers drop in their lap? Management is NECESSARY…if only to decide who is interviewed.
LuLu you have a very interesting idea (having a contest). I almost wrote about that in my article but I thought about the copyright issues or other contractual obligations. But since you brought it up…I think it’s an excellent idea. It would give their team an idea on what their user base would prefer and give them some cool ideas for future videos.
I have been asked what I think Shel should do. Well, since there are branding issues that would be wise to resolve why not take control of the situation and honestly talk about it? You know how many people want to get into video and don’t know how, are afraid of the criticism, etc? It’s great to talk about companies using social media but companies are only as good as the employees who work there and as people they face the same issues Shel (or anyone else who wants to socialize online) faces.
Instead of being the butt of a joke, turn it around and be the topic of an educational and valued discussion.
But that would take some managing and Edwin doesn’t think that’s important. o_O
hahaha I wrote my screen name wrong it’s LaLa FuFu! Means talking shiii
You forgot Scrivs Tyme…he doesn’t think management is important either.
Well if we are getting into semantics I manage my life by getting dressed in the morning. So are we saying in this case managing is the act of actually doing and getting stuff done? If that’s the case then wouldn’t we be managing everything?
Shit, I don’t wanna be a manager. There is no life for us non-manager types! Enough with the semantics of the word management.
In all seriousness let’s breakdown what Scoble is managing properly (I’m sure I will be corrected when I am wrong in some cases):
Positives:
- Getting the interviews. Because of who he is he can obviously get the interviews that others can’t and doesn’t seem to have a problem setting them up. That doesn’t seem to be a problem.
- Getting to places. Man is going to Israel so he has no problem managing his schedule. Okay I’m stretching here.
Negatives:
- Let’s look at a blog as an example. If you are expected to release one entry daily that one entry is expected to be exceptional. Many people attempt to do this and find that they start to get squeezed for time and over time their entries suffer. If the videos are daily it would seem there is a time crunch if proper editing can’t be done. What can be done?
a) Someone has to take the time to edit these videos beyond the rudimentary scene switching and adding the intro and outro. For any who has done a video they know editing take almost 2-10x longer than actually filming the video. Somehow this time needs to be managed better.
b) Shorter. For some reason Scoble told me on TC that long videos were good and I think I read this somewhere else. Don’t ever mistake quantity for quality. Paul Graham writes long essays, but those are monthly so you stayed interested the whole way through. If there is a part of your interviews not interesting cut them out. Nobody will hate you for it.
If you cut them up into shorter bits then you can develop a library to take care of the time management of not having enough time. You should be way ahead of yourself.
——
In a sense you almost get the feeling that the people behind the videos are taking the easy way out by putting in the least effort needed. Yeah there is some effort in getting something setup, traveling and actually doing the interview, but after that what? Encode it and publish? You do that first 80% then finish off that final 20%.
And be grateful that there are people like us who have nothing better to do than to comment and try to help out a company that we don’t even pay attention to really. If my ex-gfs gave me this kind of wonderful feedback I would be married 5x by now.
@Tyme: You owe me 2 more guest entries for all these words I add to the comments. Damn me and my insane intelligence. You know what I be sayin?
This is social media at work!
The video contest is a great idea. I’m very interested in seeing the different approaches to the same topic. In the end Robert might see an approach his crew could use, making everyone happy. People view long videos but they need to be interesting. Interviewing is not an easy thing to do. Anyone can ask questions.
I’d like to see something the community could do to get help guide the direction of the shows. No one ever responds on the site to comments and suggestions.
Tyme you suggestion for Shel is a very good one. I am sure there are many people that could learn from what he is going through and if he talked about it, he would receive encouragement.
I love the idea of the video contest. Do you think there would be any takers?
Video seems to be the new popular thing on the internet. I think it would be nice for Shel to discuss how to get into video, which could move on to the next new thing. He could talk about all the social sites, how to use them, etc. That would be better than a book because it is ongoing.
Why are the old videos being released when it is known they will not please the audience? With the long delay between videos I’m sure most people expected a better video. When do the good videos start?
I’d definitely try it. I’m a shooter, producer editor (preditor) I’m always looking for ways to expand my circle and possibly gain business leads generated by such. Give us the footage Scoble!
I think I’ll pull the age card here, I grew up WITHOUT television. The first shows that came on TV were exactly like these online videos–weird experiments that were good and bad simultaneously. If you look back at Howdy Doody today you would think it was incredibly amateurish. It was all they knew how to do.
Online video is in its beginning stages. If all it is doing is replicating broadcast TV quality and quantity on a monitor, it’s not worth it. Scoble and Shel and Loren are ALL pioneers. They make moves, some good some bad. But they make moves. All 3 of them.
Both FastCompany.tv and Seagate couldn’t have paid enough to get all this advertising and page views. Shel is personally hurt, but will no improve his program; Robert takes criticism unbelievably well and will improve his program. FastCompany.tv is already vastly superior to FastCompany.com, on which I blog. So everyone here is a startup. We are all beta testers.
Here’s my take on it. Business requires compassion. There’s no such thing as “just business.” That’s so naive. That’s how people thought about employees in the 19th century factories or in third world sweat shops.
Here’s what I wrote about this originally. http://blog.stealthmode.com/2008/04/complications-o.html
Get some perspective, people. If you keep giving out all this negative energy, you will keep getting it back and wondering why.
francine please, there are young kids out there that are producing videos with standards that kill Scobel’s efforts 10 to 1. And there is such a thing as a workflow. So they don’t spend 6 months trying to edit down 5 minutes of video either. Unfortunately, I’m not a startup when it comes to producing video and audio for web. I started back in 1998 doing digital produce for M&M Mars and won a couple of Ad: Tech awards for it as well. I’ve shot and produced HQ video for Vibe.com while I was the online Creative Director there so your start up theory doesn’t hold any water here. Trust me when I say that Scoble’s video could be much better using some proven online video formatting rules.
Francine you are speaking from emotion. From entry:
I’m sure that he is disappointed. The difference between you and I is that I understand he is disappointed and I’m willing to start a conversation (using social media) to help improve the situation.
If “just business” was naive-thinking, Loren wouldn’t have his puppet show, would he? Instead, he’d be compassionate and not jump all over a start up when they are just starting. Even he said, “it’s just business”.
Walter Henry: I have no control of my old footage at PodTech. By the way, at PodTech my videos were watched 20x more than those done by “professionals.” So, they are rereleasing those to try to get some more revenue out of them.
I love the idea of a video contest too. My videos are already downloadable, but the idea of a contest is a great one. Thank you.
Rocky: actually Fast Company +is+ paying for my Trip to Israel.I’m not allowed to take gifts from companies or governments.
If you don’t like the videos or blogs, why are you watching/reading them? Unless your motivation is purely thriving on spreading negativity, although some comments were valid and useful, one would think you’d have something better to do, as important and influential as you think you are… I’m up for improving the experience. Absolutely. EVERYONE has room for improvement. There is also the fact that I work for someone and they tell me the way they want things. They sign my checks, I do as they ask. As a ONE man crew, you don’t always get to have everything perfect. Just doesn’t work that way. Sometimes I’m forced to do just do the best I can. And I do. Some videos yet to post are still from before we upgraded equipment- No doubt we’ll hear about it. So be it. Try listening to the message. You might learn something or enjoy it more. Finally- Scoble is as genuine as it gets, and you know it. I dig the guy and believe in him, even though I too find myself wanting to strangle him, but only for the moment –
I proudly write from the heart. (from emotion). The facts are not in question. It’s not the criticism that I mind; it is the lack of empathy with which it is delivered to people whose efforts are laudatory, if imperfect. I am a business owner and a mom: if you want your children or employees to improve, you don’t beat them.
I’m a mother and a business owner. I hope people wouldn’t tell me I was doing better than I was. I prefer the truth than a lie. That’s how he gets better. In this article Tyme was being honest. This isn’t mean. Perhaps Tyme can dig up an article where she’s absolutely ruthless.
Here she said they were good people and she is trying to help.
I didn’t really mean Tyme, so much as the commentors.
I love this discussion. I am excited about the video contest.
Rocky there is always room for improvement. The good thing is that even with this criticism people are rooting for you.
The “contest” – Cool. I’m up for that PROVIDED that the constraints are identical. As the producer, my days aren’t just sitting and editing. I’m making calls, getting calls, arranging meetings, interviews, shooting, editing, capturing, balancing, traveling and much more…
ANYONE can take the raw material and make something better, given enough time. Me too.
You put yourself in my shoes and make it so, I’ll applaud you.
George- I really appreciate the rooting. I want you all to enjoy our content and learn something or at the very least, be entertained and have nothing to complain about. That’s MY second goal. Tough one though… Can’t ever please everyone. My first is to keep my boss happy.
Tyme I’m glad you started this conversation.
I’d like to see responses from comments on the TV site. It would give me incentive to comment more.
When I look at the videos I don’t understand the point. What are you guys trying to achieve with your videos? I often ask myself what the point is.
I love the video idea too. I have a suggestion. Ask people who they would like to see interviewed or, if interviews are scheduled, what questions they would like answered.
I wish the videos were shorter because there are other shows I enjoying watching and I have limited time. Even if they were in segments I would appreciate it.
If you saw that they were responding more, you’d be more inclined to comment? Suggesting people to interview is another good idea.
Having a schedule so people know when to expect the videos would help as well. I know you’re just getting started but one of the comments I received was people looking for the videos, wondering what time they were going to be released.
You people act like you were wronged for something you paid for. Granted the videos could be shorter. Tighter. More manipulated. But get a freakin’ life if the quality of shit you get for free is what gets you all hot and bothered. This sounds more like jealousy than anything.
I thought Rocky was the cameraman/editor. I’m confused on who does what over there.
Loren has been quiet today. :+)
I see a lot of emphasis on interviewing the CEO’s of a company but what about the message of the video? What are these companies trying to achieve by doing the video? I tried to watch the GM video and I couldn’t watch it all the way through. I tried but he was rambling.
See: http://www.zooomr.com/photos/hdiwan/4545505/
Morgan-
I’m a Senior Producer for FastCompany.TV I also do cam work and editing. We all have to do a lot of things both related and unrelated to our titles. For example Scoble is the host of the show, His title is Managing Director.
I don’t think Tyme’s article was harsh. All throughout the article she said they were good people and wished them luck. She wrote what a lot of people were thinking and never said.
Why is it okay that blogger can write about Microsoft, Apple, Yahoo, etc. and give honest opinions but people have to have compassion for start ups? They are all businesses. A business isn’t exempt from criticism.
People care more about the videos than the social site. Tyme started off her article saying the Fast Company design is bad (and I agree, I can’t stand the design).
There are more people commenting here than all of Loren’s videos added up. I think that speaks volumes.
Chelsea – your comment was out of line. If you bothered to read the comments people are offering suggestions to help. Perhaps you need follow your own advice and get a life.
I have a suggestion for the FastCompany TV site. The comment box is at the top of the comments. When I read all the comments to respond I have to scroll back up. It would make more sense for the comment box to be at the bottom.
“There are more people commenting here than all of Loren
I too don’t see being mean in or harsh her entry. People being harsh and mean don’t say nice things like good luck or someone is a good person. Unfortunately, I see the price for being honest is being tagged as harsh or mean.
I guess that’s a price you have to pay for honesty.
Shel does have a serious brand issue. How did he write a book telling businesses what to do with their blog and not follow the same advice? If he had a strong brand no one would think for one minute that a site with puppets was his. If that really happened like that then it proves how weak his brand is.
Some of your topics receive so many comments, it can be hard to keep up sometimes.
Tyme’s analysis was thorough. Tyme said the FastCompany site design was bad and she said why. I agree, I don’t like the site. It’s too bright. Tyme said Shel had a brand issue and she proved why. She said there was disorganization and she proved why. She was not disrespectful nor rude. Her analysis reminds me of an employee review – concise and to the point but non-emotional.
Tyme did something she did not have to do. She asked people for suggestions to help them out. The people who, supposedly, she is being mean against. How can anyone say she’s mean or even jealous doing something like that? I don’t understand people’s mentalities. 1938media Twittered this today:
“Just watched more crap from @scobleizer and @fastcompany. g-d you guys suck so bad. You, @rocmanusa, @shelisrael do you even try to improve?”
That is mean and harsh.
I was a puppet watcher. I thought they were funny until I read Tyme’s article. I agree with most of the arguments in the article and that is what made the puppets unfunny to me. For the puppets to be funny I had to laugh at the business. I don’t want to be the guy laughing at a business in trouble. I prefer to be on the side helping.
This is a business and I’m sure if we all band together with some suggestions we can help them have a stronger company.
@Martin – Now how f*ing cool is that !!!
Martin (123) I had the same reaction. I read Tyme’s article and I read about Shel’s branding problem, how things are being mishandled. Reading the comments from Rocky and Robert, seeing how hard they are working, I couldn’t laugh anymore, even at the Seesmic one which made me laugh because the guy in it laughed so much. Now I see why Tyme spends so much time helping people. It actually feels good.
Maybe we could go back through the comments and then tally them some how to present to them? Maybe Tyme could volunteer a couple of hours to help them come up with a strategy so the videos can be longer, which Robert seems to want, and still be appealing to their audience? Or help with Shel’s branding issue. That really needs to be fixed. We could come up with suggestions of people we’d like to see interviewed. Shel said he interviews Fortune 500 companies.
If Feldman came out with a new video it wouldn’t be as funny if you read this article. The puppets too away the seriousness of their problems.
I don’t think we are the only ones that feel that way Martin. Feldman tried his bashing earlier today and it did not receive the same can-I-be-interviewed response.
Why don’t we try to watch some of the videos over the weekend and come up with some ideas? I don’t understand what Fast Company Live is. I don’t understand the difference between the three shows.
I just looked at their site. There is a video up today with Saturday’s date.
I don’t understand the difference between the shows either. Another problem Shel may have with branding is the social media thing. It’s the cool phrase right now. When it dies out and something replaces it, what then? Or worse, people get sick of hearing it.
I’m down for helping out. I’m going out tonight but I’ll look at some of the videos over the weekend and respond with my suggestions by Monday.
I won’t be watching the puppets anymore either. I watched the videos and I do which they were shorter only because I found the people being interviewed to be repeating themselves. There wouldn’t be a loss in content only time.
I am unclear on what the differences are between the shows as well. The shows seem to overlap in content.
Perfect! Now we have come out the other end and are doing what social media is best at — allowing authentic communication between customer and brand, person to person. The conversation has turned constructive, useful, and supportive. I bet FastCompany and the principals can and will benefit from this, and I know they will thank Tyme in the end for making it possible.
I just wanted to say I have the most fantastic audience ever. You guys are awesome!!!
Just finished reading all the comments. Wow. I’m game to help. I’ll look at the last 2 videos from each show tomorrow and see if I have anything to add that hasn’t been said.
Tyme, once again, I learned something, thank you. I have a couple of clients that are doing what Shel does with their domains. I’m going to recommend they switch it around so the domain they own is the primary, not the hosting service.
I only saw one or two of the puppet shows but I too opt to help more than laugh. I can laugh at something else while I help.
I told you Tyme, you can’t help it. Helping people is in your blood. You can’t turn it off!
I’m about to head out but I’ll check out the videos. I just looked at the site and I agree about the comment box. Being on top of the comments is awkward. If I wanted to make a comment I’d have to scroll back up.
Is there a recommended length for video? If the tv part of Fast Company is going to expand and the videos are long, wouldn’t it be harder for people to subscribe and watch their favorite shows? If I wanted to subscribe to all three it would be about over an hour of watching video. If they were shorter a person could easily subscribe to two or three shows. If the intent is to try to get on TV, I guess the shows should be 22 minutes.
Kudos for all the positive attitude!
I watched Shel’s current video. I’m not into cars but I couldn’t help thinking if I had to the chance to talk to the CEO of GM, what would I talk about? It wouldn’t be their blog. I found myself waiting for the good part that never came. Did the sales of their cars drop because of the higher gas prices? What new cars are they making? Are they going to monitor Twitter for complaints like other companies are? A tour of the facility.
Maybe I am off-key here but I don’t have an interest in how companies use their blog. All of that was covered during the blogging boom. We’ve all moved on.
Are these companies using Tumblr? How do they handle negative criticism in an age where anyone can say anything? Those are the topics I would like to hear about. My suggestion would be to pick companies that would fit more with the viewer. Start ups people could probably relate to more. Fortune 500 companies? Not so much.
On the amusement park one include links to their viral videos. It would have been nice to view them. If they aren’t available that’s like telling the end of a story without being able to read or hear the story. Why talk about it at all?
Does that help Tyme? I hope so! /fingers crossed
I’m not amused by the puppets anymore. This article made me think about the challenges new businesses go through. I’m not sure what I can do to help but I’d love to be part of a new helpful community!
We just found out that the highest officers of the U.S. government personally reviewed and recommend which prisoners should be totured by which means. And, yet we’re all getting worked up over a puppet and Scoble’s travel itinerary? Perspective, anyone?
Michael we’re here helping others? Are you suggesting we gain perspective and stop?
A schedule of when the shows are published would make it more convenient to know when the shows come out. I didn’t know Rackspace had a radio station. Between the new data center, multiple data centers and the radio station they must be pulling in some serious dough.
MoPimpin,
By all means, keep helping. Tyme’s original post is thoughtful and helpful. The discussion is in fine, positive spirit. I’m just shocked that this story has attracted so much passionate interest. A fine Robert, Shel, and Loren, and the power of social media.
Didn’t mean to derail things. As you were.
Wouldn’t it be a woot if one of the videos from the contest went viral? That would be awesome!
Megan that would be cool if one of the videos went viral.
Loren is starting to remind me of that guy that was obsessed with Scrivs. I forget his name but he kept following him around the net, copying off of him. Damn it, why can’t I think of his name.
I’m about to go out. I checked my feeds because I’m hoped a couple of sites were updated. Feldman has a new video. I watched a minute or so and it turned me off. I unsubscribed from his site. Maybe once me moves on to something that isn’t belittling someone I’ll resubscribe.
Have a good weekend. See everyone on Monday.
Emo, are you talking about David Krug? It took a couple of years for that dude to get over whatever was making him trip out. I hope for Shel’s sake Loren moves on a hell of a lot sooner.
I’m going to pass on the video and enjoy my Saturday night. I’m interested to see them get through this. Deep down I’d like to have my own business one day and this is one of the worse case scenarios I think everyone prays never happens to them. Watching how they handle this could help me later.
If they are serious about making this work we’ll see the following, only because there isn’t another option:
1) All the old videos will either be scrapped or put online immediately. On the same day or spread over a week. No more than a week.
2) No more videos will be published unless they meet a set of standards which should have been in place before they went public.
If the video doesn’t meet the standards it doesn’t go up. No exceptions. Shel’s show went public almost a month ago. That is more than enough time to improve.
Give Shel’s show a deadline to improve and if it is not well received within that time, it goes. That’s what happens in TV, video isn’t any different. One show should not affect the entire company and that is what is happening now. 30 days is more than enough time since kids are shooting quality video on a wide range of topics out of their bedrooms.
That is the reality here, there really isn’t an adequate excuse for the quality (the shooting and the interviews themselves) to be this bad. No one wants to hear someone say the same thing three times.
If it were me, I would put up all the old video within a week, practice and not come back until everything was spectacular. Using that approach Shel would be drawing traffic to Fast Company TV. Everyone would be talking about how much he improved, it would bring some buzz, etc.
Good luck.
Did Feldman and his girlfriend breakup? During SXSW he said he missed her and couldn’t wait to get home. He’s extended his trip 3 times and doesn’t make a mention of going home, like he has nothing to go home to.
As much criticism Tyme received for being mean or not having compassion this is a trait that is essential for a business to thrive. Someone in the top tier of a business must have the trait. Tyme judges blogs for entry into 9rules. Scrivs can be fairly sure that Tyme will not allow people she has become friends with to gain easy entry into 9rules because of her friendship with the individual. She obviously doesn’t have a problem speaking her mind.
Dealing with someone like Loren emotions will lead an individual down the wrong path every time. It’s the detached person who isn’t letting emotions rule that will find the tactical disadvantages the enemy has (in this case Loren) and use them or not be overwhelmed by compassion and the need to cheer someone up to tell the person what needs to be done to achieve the set forth objectives.
I loved your article Tyme. I Googled you and found an old article you wrote:
http://chartreuse.wordpress.com/2006/06/07/living-with-beyonce-or-the-problem-with-most-blog-networks/
Very good advice that applies to this ordeal. It seems like you’ve been writing about branding and business implications for a long time.
I subscribed. I like the honesty I see here. You seem to know what you are talking about.