Wednesday
Aug062008
Microcelebrity and Web-based Entertainment
Wednesday, August 6, 2008 at 9:35AM
Spark did a piece on the relatively new phenomena of microcelebrity. The uncut version is about 40 minutes long and worth listening to if you get as even half as much of your entertainment from the internet as I do (100%).
by OllyHart
Spark - Microcelebrity
I find the content that I get from the web (podcasts, video, blogs) to be much more engaging, much more real, and much more interesting than anything I get via traditional media (TV, newspaper, magazine). I'd far rather listen to the latest podcast from Big Ideas than watch Lost.
by zoomar
Web-based entertainment offers content that is more directly targeted at my interests and knowledge-level. So if I'm looking for a documentary sort of thing, I don't have to worry about it being dumbed-down or turned into some crappy info-tainment product like you find on Discovery Channel these days. I don't need to know if a shark could beat a lion in a fight. Or what the "Top 10 Guns of the Future" are.
by zoezolka
There are also no commercials, or at least commercials that don't insult my intelligence. When Leo Laporte talks about Drobo, I know that he isn't bullshitting me and that it's actually worth considering. It's presented in an honest way that outlines it's important features and doesn't rely on flashy pointless imagery that has little to do with the real use of the product.
by Scott Beale / Laughing Squid
Unlike television advertising. Why do toothbrushes and razors fly around in Colgate and Gillette commercials? That seems somewhat hazardous. Why do both of those absolutely have to contain a shot of a person in a lab coat? I'm pretty sure we reached the pininacle of toothpaste and razor technology a long time ago. Adding new flavors or vibration does not make it science.
The key thing that ties the content and advertising together well is the hosts. They bring realism, honesty, and a conversational quality that cannot be found in television or any mainstream media.
by fred.andres
by Graham Ballantyne
What can I say, this guy is to me what a star of 90210 was to a 16-year old girl in 1995. You Look Nice Today is the only piece of media I have ever re-used numerous times. I read books, articles, and blog posts once, and any other podcasts I only listen to once. I've probably heard every episode of YLNT more than 8 times. It's just great to have on in the background while I work. As Leo Laporte said, it's pretty much the funniest thing on any type on media. The vocab alone is worth listening for.
by Scott Beale / Laughing Squid
He's the head of his own little internet empire now, and deservedly so. With 15 different shows on Twit.tv he's probably the most prolific single-man operation that I know of. The man himself comes from old media, where he used to work for Tech TV, and I can count him as the guy who introduced me to podcasts. His roots in old media show through in his shows with segues that cannot be beaten, and consistent branding throughout his shows. He's entertaining and a great host, even his occasionally lecherous nature is a nice break from staunchy television.
by Cwluc
These guys are the friends you had in high school. Not the "cool" people who smoked in the parking lot. The real friends that played video games and read comic books. Their engagement with their audience and down-to-earth nature is what makes their content so appealing. It's like talking about TV, comic books, movies, and video games with your friends. It's a review show that realizes you can't break things down into ratings, entertainment experiences are different for different people and reducing that to a number is overly simplistic.
I could go on, Kevin Rose, Molly Wood, Tom Merrit, Jeff Macpherson, John C. Dvorak, and Patrick Norton come to mind too, but I promised myself that I wouldn't contribute to the internet-cancer that is "Top XX Lists". Regardless, all of these people have something that can't be found in television or print. They understand their audience and would rather strongly identify with a moderate number of people than be grudgingly accepted by millions.
by Ernst-Jan Pfauth
The interaction you get with microcelebrities is what defines them. Real (or perceived as real) two-way communication via Twitter, Delicious, Facebook, and Flickr allow you to build a limited relationship with them. They are like casual friends that you share with dozens, hundreds, or at most, thousands of other people.
Casual friends that make more money than you, are too busy to return your calls, and are far more popular, but casual friends none the less.
by Cwluc
by OllyHart
Spark - Microcelebrity
Microcelebrity is the phenomenon of being extremely well known not to millions but to a small group — a thousand people, or maybe only a few dozen. As DIY media reach ever deeper into our lives, it's happening to more and more of us. Got a Facebook account? A whackload of pictures on Flickr? Odds are there are complete strangers who know about you — and maybe even talk about you. [From Wired]
I find the content that I get from the web (podcasts, video, blogs) to be much more engaging, much more real, and much more interesting than anything I get via traditional media (TV, newspaper, magazine). I'd far rather listen to the latest podcast from Big Ideas than watch Lost.
by zoomar
Web-based entertainment offers content that is more directly targeted at my interests and knowledge-level. So if I'm looking for a documentary sort of thing, I don't have to worry about it being dumbed-down or turned into some crappy info-tainment product like you find on Discovery Channel these days. I don't need to know if a shark could beat a lion in a fight. Or what the "Top 10 Guns of the Future" are.
by zoezolka
There are also no commercials, or at least commercials that don't insult my intelligence. When Leo Laporte talks about Drobo, I know that he isn't bullshitting me and that it's actually worth considering. It's presented in an honest way that outlines it's important features and doesn't rely on flashy pointless imagery that has little to do with the real use of the product.
by Scott Beale / Laughing Squid
Unlike television advertising. Why do toothbrushes and razors fly around in Colgate and Gillette commercials? That seems somewhat hazardous. Why do both of those absolutely have to contain a shot of a person in a lab coat? I'm pretty sure we reached the pininacle of toothpaste and razor technology a long time ago. Adding new flavors or vibration does not make it science.
The key thing that ties the content and advertising together well is the hosts. They bring realism, honesty, and a conversational quality that cannot be found in television or any mainstream media.
by fred.andres
Merlin Mann - You Look Nice Today/Macbreak Weekly
by Graham Ballantyne
What can I say, this guy is to me what a star of 90210 was to a 16-year old girl in 1995. You Look Nice Today is the only piece of media I have ever re-used numerous times. I read books, articles, and blog posts once, and any other podcasts I only listen to once. I've probably heard every episode of YLNT more than 8 times. It's just great to have on in the background while I work. As Leo Laporte said, it's pretty much the funniest thing on any type on media. The vocab alone is worth listening for.
Leo Laporte - Twit.tv
by Scott Beale / Laughing Squid
He's the head of his own little internet empire now, and deservedly so. With 15 different shows on Twit.tv he's probably the most prolific single-man operation that I know of. The man himself comes from old media, where he used to work for Tech TV, and I can count him as the guy who introduced me to podcasts. His roots in old media show through in his shows with segues that cannot be beaten, and consistent branding throughout his shows. He's entertaining and a great host, even his occasionally lecherous nature is a nice break from staunchy television.
Alex Albrecht, Dan Trachtenberg, and Jeff Cannata - The Totally Rad Show
by Cwluc
These guys are the friends you had in high school. Not the "cool" people who smoked in the parking lot. The real friends that played video games and read comic books. Their engagement with their audience and down-to-earth nature is what makes their content so appealing. It's like talking about TV, comic books, movies, and video games with your friends. It's a review show that realizes you can't break things down into ratings, entertainment experiences are different for different people and reducing that to a number is overly simplistic.
I could go on, Kevin Rose, Molly Wood, Tom Merrit, Jeff Macpherson, John C. Dvorak, and Patrick Norton come to mind too, but I promised myself that I wouldn't contribute to the internet-cancer that is "Top XX Lists". Regardless, all of these people have something that can't be found in television or print. They understand their audience and would rather strongly identify with a moderate number of people than be grudgingly accepted by millions.
by Ernst-Jan Pfauth
The interaction you get with microcelebrities is what defines them. Real (or perceived as real) two-way communication via Twitter, Delicious, Facebook, and Flickr allow you to build a limited relationship with them. They are like casual friends that you share with dozens, hundreds, or at most, thousands of other people.
Casual friends that make more money than you, are too busy to return your calls, and are far more popular, but casual friends none the less.
by Cwluc
Reader Comments (7)
I must say this is a great article i enjoyed reading it keep the good work :)
Thanks man.
What did I say?
This is a great blog.
It is the only blog of which I read in its entirety every time there is an original entry.
Invite me on your podcast once you start it.
It's inevitable.
Thanks, the positive reinforcement. I do it for the fans.
nice post eric
Hey! That's me in the pic with Danny from TRS!
This really got me thinking about there may be indeed people who are talking about me or my website. LOL! But who can really tell? The microcelebrity status is perhaps one of the coolest things that the Internet age has given to anyone. One may be the ugly geek in campus but to his readers, he's God to them.
Jane Darwin
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