The Power of Social Media

[r.e.]

The power, or otherwise, of social media is a controversial subject here. Here's an example where social media have taken a two minute video from zero views to 1.3 million in four days. As the person who made the video said, "Everyone’s been tweeting".

http://www.quillandquire.com/blog/index.php/2012/01/10/meet-sean-ohlenkamp-creator-of-the-viral-video-the-joy-of-books/

Regardless of one's views on social media, I suspect that you'll enjoy the video (best viewed enlarged).

[Greg Blank]

Very nice video, maybe not so many of the folks here but the general population really have no understanding of the time something like a short animation takes to create. So the magic is not that someones attention is captured but that someone devoted the time to make it happen. Personally I think social media is a nice way to get that sort of attention to works worthy of viewing....does it sell from there? Another big question. Thank you for sharing.

[Jay DeFehr]

Very nice video, maybe not so many of the folks here but the general population really have no understanding of the time something like a short animation takes to create. So the magic is not that someones attention is captured but that someone devoted the time to make it happen. Personally I think social media is a nice way to get that sort of attention to works worthy of viewing....does it sell from there? Another big question. Thank you for sharing.

Not everything is about selling. Selling doesn't appear on the film maker's list of motivations, except in a very tangential way that tends to baffle those who think in very narrow, traditional market terms. Part of his motivation was to support the book industry. Why would an advertising professional give away what it is his business to sell? In classic marketing terms, one might suggest his film is an ad for his services, disguised as philanthropy. I think that's very cynical, and brittle. In social networking terms, one might say his film was made to enhance his reputation, which is still a little cynical. What's the difference? The former lacks the subtlety to allow for complex motivations, and even competing motivations, while the latter allows for a range of motivations and ordering of motivations. Describing human psychology and motivations in market terms is crude and brittle, while the terms of reputation systems are more sophisticated and flexible.

[Brian C. Miller]

Personally I think social media is a nice way to get that sort of attention to works worthy of viewing....does it sell from there? Another big question.

A coworker just IMed me, "Can't do that with a Kindle or Nook!" Or an iPad.


What was the motivation behind making the video?
Really just doing something fun, interesting, and positive, and doing something that’s both creative for my own sake and for a cause that I stand behind: reading and literacy. Also, helping out small bricks-and-mortar businesses, and the book industry as a whole.

Do books sell? They are selling like ... ah ... film ... oh, dear. Yeah! Let's raise the visibility of books!

And how about film, too? How many times has some one written about detail going on forever, prints that you could walk through? What attracts people to LF? The small, petite size? Or being able to count every pine needle and grass blade, literally? I wonder if Mr. Ohlenkamp has ever held a 4x5 or 8x10 transparency in his hands.

[Jay DeFehr]

A coworker just IMed me, "Can't do that with a Kindle or Nook!" Or an iPad.



Do books sell? They are selling like ... ah ... film ... oh, dear. Yeah! Let's raise the visibility of books!

And how about film, too? How many times has some one written about detail going on forever, prints that you could walk through? What attracts people to LF? The small, petite size? Or being able to count every pine needle and grass blade, literally? I wonder if Mr. Ohlenkamp has ever held a 4x5 or 8x10 transparency in his hands.

Brian,

Maybe you could make a photo from a LF negative that shows all the wonderful characteristics of film? On second thought, that's probably been tried. What are we going to have to do to get people to prefer what we prefer? It's like they just don't get it.:rolleyes:

[Craig Alan Huber]

Is the link from the original post dead? ... does not seem to be working for me

[Oren Grad]

Is the link from the original post dead? ... does not seem to be working for me

Yes, it is, but the page has been saved in the Wayback Machine (be patient, it loads slowly):

https://web.archive.org/web/20130830232837/http://www.quillandquire.com/blog/index.php/2012/01/10/meet-sean-ohlenkamp-creator-of-the-viral-video-the-joy-of-books/

Also, the video discussed in the interview is still posted on the creator's website:

http://www.ohkamp.com/