Message From Michael - December 1, 2008

WHEN LIFE-CASTING BECOMES DEATH-CASTING

FEAR RULES THE NEWSROOM

LIVING IN SPAMALOT

LICENSE TO BE A RICH IDIOT

DO IT YOURSELF IDIOCY

COCKTAIL CHATTER


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WHEN LIFE-CASTING BECOMES DEATH-CASTING: A 19-year-old Florida college student committed suicide online while upwards of 15-hundred people watched, some reacting in horror, some ‘egging’ him on, according to a variety of media reports. Abraham Briggs Jr., who went by the name Candyjunkie on the website Bodybuilding.com and Feels Like Ecstacy on Justin.TV, had threatened suicide in the past. He took a drug over-dose and left a suicide note which was a combination of two other suicide notes from other posts. When it became apparent he was not moving, a viewer from India urged the forum moderators to do something but was initially dismissed, and then contacted other viewers living in the States. Other viewers watching reacted with either OMG (Oh My God) or LOL (Laugh Out Loud). The video of the cops breaking into his room, along with his actual suicide note are still available online. The CEO of Justin.TV issued a statement that, “we regret that this has happened and respect the privacy of the broadcaster and his family during this time.” Police in the young man’s home town of Pembroke Pines are investigating the role of the website which calls itself a “life-casting” site.

The suicide is not the first on line. A British electrical engineer hanged himself on line last year. British newspapers report at least 17 deaths in Britain since 2001 involving chatrooms that give advice on committing suicide. There have been several ‘cybersuicide’ pacts formed, most notably in Japan where more than 140 deaths have been attributed to this phenomenon since 2004. A memorial site has been established on MySpace.com by friends of the young man. If you go to the Justin.tv website and enter suicide as a search item, you will find a series of videos, mostly animes, but including one in which a young man televises his call to a suicide hotline. If you go to MySpace.com and enter suicide as a search item, you’ll get nearly 3 Million returns, including Bludgeoned to Death by Suicide Silence and a suicide prevention website. Funeral services for Briggs were held this past Saturday.

As a footnote, I know this story has been reported fairly widely, but frankly it was too important not to report it again, with hopefully a few more details for you.

FEAR RULES THE NEWSROOM. So says former CBS anchorman Dan Rather in one of the many vignettes created for the IFC Media Project. It’s the fear of being beaten on a news story, the fear of loss of ratings, and the fear for one’s job. His brief interview is one of many examining the role of the media, along with a cartoon character called the “news junkie” who gives his spin on the media. The project offers a handbook on “decoding the media” with an in-depth look at terms, resources and milestones but also a somewhat asinine media quiz, loaded with pretty obvious, expected responses to prove that you’re ‘media savvy.’ But still an interesting site. Meanwhile, in a similar vein, The New York Times recently profiled a series of web-based, independent news sites doing investigative reporting. The article points out that these sites have arisen in several cities as newspapers and television stations have cut back on staff. Some of those cited include voiceofsandiego.com, MinnPost in the Twin Cites and St. Louis Beacon. Other sites without a specific geographic focus include ProPublica, the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting and the three-decades-old Center for Investigative Reporting. All well worth a visit.

LIVING IN SPAMALOT. It seems we all do. According to a report by the BBC, spammers are turning a profit, even though they’re only getting one response for every 12.5 Million emails they send. Quoting a study by the University of California, Berkeley, the report says spammers churn out so many messages that they are still able to turn over “millions of pounds in profit every year.” The study investigators infiltrated a spam network called Storm and found that it had One Million machines under its control. The researchers sent about 469 million junk email messages, got a response of only 0.00001%, but still this came out to $100 a day – not the vast sums some people think but when the numbers are scaled higher, the profits increase as well. On a related note, China led the way but closely followed by the U.S. as the leading source of “attack traffic” on the Internet. Of the 179 countries involved, the two accounted for nearly half (45%) of all the attack traffic worldwide, according to the quarterly report State of the Internet by Akamai.

LICENSE TO BE A RICH IDIOT. A Statesville, North Carolina, man has just won $5,000 plus a trip for two to New York City for coming up with a new catch phrase (fan-taste-ic) and setting it to music for an ad for Crest toothpaste. But that’s nothing compared to Joel Moss Levinson, a college dropout whose declared major was medieval weaponry and who has won more than $200,000 creating “digital ditties” – home-made advertisements. His consumer generated pieces have generated a viral buzz for everything from Klondike ice cream bars to Little Penguin wine, to Delta Air Lines and even an Israeli advocacy group. Levinson who admits to having held, and lost, more than 40 jobs is quoted in The New York Times as saying, “it’s great to have a license to be an idiot.” Levinson is also one of the 1,773 entrants in what is becoming an annual event for chip-maker Doritos, looking for the ‘best’ consumer generated advertising spot to run during the SuperBowl. The winner gets $1 Million. Sorry, entries have closed, but you can see the entries at website crashthesuperbowl.com. You can enter the $25,000 contest by Truth North snacks which is looking for an inspirational life story which will be played during the Oscars in February of next year.

The point of all this is a claim by Current.TV founder Joel Hyatt that his video and TV site has landed multiple million-dollar deals based on non-professional commercials created by fans. He says surveys (un-named) show that viewers prefer consumer generated ads 9-to-1 over the Madison Avenue creations, according to website ReadWriteWeb.com. Meanwhile a senior executive with advertising giant Ogilvy says that while user generated content can be difficult to ‘monetize’ because of its edgy nature, it can be done. Gina de Mendonca told Beet.TV that UGC video mash ups and contests are especially appealing. But all is not wine and roses in the consumer generated world. AOL has announced it’s dropping its consumer generated content site, uncutvideo, on December 18th and turning over operations to Motionbox.com. I should also note previous MfM reports in which consumer generated reviews and comments, on websites and in blogs, did prove to be critical to users’ decision making. On a semi-related note, eMarketer reports that two thirds (67%) of the U.S. Internet population – 145 Million people – will be reading blogs at least monthly by 2012, and that one out of every six (16%) of the people on the Internet will actually have a blog.

DO IT YOURSELF IDIOCY. In a semi-related vein, several Internet websites have popped up, that promise to show you how to do virtually anything. The granddaddy site is learn2.com which focuses on how to get the most out of your Microsoft Office and Windows software, but others are decidedly more interesting and often risqué. Website Instructables.com recently announced its winning entries which included scavenging free electronics and food while helping the environment, renewing old children’s toys and how to convert an old cell phone (Nokia 6600 to be exact) into a “super gadget microcomputer.” Website Howcast.com shows you how to do simple magic tricks, to how play iPod videos on your TV, to how to break out of prison. Website WonderHowTo.com shows you how to curse in several languages, change the PCV valve in your car and how to turn old underpants into a bra. Website Tricklife.com shows you how to get over autumn depression, how to tie a surgeon’s knife and how to be a Ninja. Website 5Min.com shows you how to pick the perfect Christmas tree, how to prevent acne and what parents should know about giving their kids a debit card. Website VideoJug.com shows you how to play the Ukulele, how many fish you should have in your aquarium and how to give the ‘perfect hug.’ I am offering this all up this week as an alternative to my weekly Cocktail Chatter (since last week’s Message was all CC), but I warn you that these sites, while having many useful tips, can also be addictive time-eaters.

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