jakob
01-22-2008, 06:29 AM
Hey Revision3, what's up?
I just took your survey. It started out pretty cool. I felt "wow, they're finally asking me about my favorite shows! I feel like I could really make a difference!" Personally, there are a few that I love more than I could any regular TV show, and there are some that I think are a waste of bandwidth. I thought it was weird that you'd be asking me about the shows in the survey, since I'm sure you run all sorts of insane download statistics, but whatever. It still made me feel good about contributing.
Then things got kind of weird.
It turned into a really probing, "who are you and what's your demographic" survey, which I suppose is valuable information, too, but it seemed a bit much. Every page, it dug deeper into my life, asking about how much I pay a month for my cellphone, what my salary was, what my top five visited websites are (really, how many "top five" lists can you throw at us? It's hard coming up with answers to these after a while), how much influence I have at my job for buying things, how often my friends ask me what games to buy or what movies to see, etc. It no longer felt like I was helping out the station, figuring out what kind of shows to deliver, but instead teaching them how to sell me things, and influence what everyone else around me buys. I understand where you're coming from, I truly and really do, but enough is enough! These are the kinds of questions I'd expect to get paid $20 for on some online survey site, not my friendly, favorite IPTV station. By the end of the survey, I just felt dirty, and almost didn't even complete it.
Seriously. To all of the actors, producers, cameramen, and the people that actually create the shows: have you taken this survey? Do you know what your station is asking of its viewers? Go take a look.
But then there was the video. The promised "exclusive" video.
And how terrible was that? 45 seconds of time-lapse studio construction? First of all, it was boring. The walkthroughs done on the Rev3 Gazette were better by far, and this video -- the promised "tell us everything you can about yourself, let us whore your demographic, and you'll get a super exclusive video" video -- felt like a slap in the face. Really. It hurt to watch.
Let me tell you what video would have felt worthwhile. Don't worry, there's still time to change it. Aren't all the main players in these shows based in the same area? Cross-over. In the episode of the Rev3 Gazette where Dave was showing everyone around the studio, and talking about all the technology it takes to create a show, do you know what the most exciting part of that video was? Seeing Ron from iFanboy on the tour. There was no introduction or any big deal made, he just seemed to be there because he was interested, too. And that fascinated me. I have never seen Ron and Dave in the same room before. I have all of these great shows online that I love, full of personalities that I've come to know very well, but they're all very segmented from each other. I can see Alex Albrecht with Kevin on Diggnation, or with Jeff and Dan on TRS. But when have I ever seen them all together? When have I seen Kevin, Dan, Sarah, Patrick, and the iFanboy trio all hanging out? Never. A cross-over is the ultimate geek-gasm. I'm honestly surprised the network didn't take the time to put together some ultimate holiday special where everyone from all the shows says hello together. Maybe a holiday party, and we were all invited (digitally, of course). You could have even faked it by shooting different people at different times, each giving a specialized holiday greeting, in order to work around everyone's schedules. Really, how cool would that have been? I nearly soiled my pants just imagining it now.
Here was an even better (and easier) opportunity to let that happen: a thank you video. Nothing fancy, just a lot of the actors from our favorite shows coming together to say "Hey, thanks for filling out that incredibly revealing survey, it means a lot to us. You are what drives our station." It could have been a big group shot and only 10 seconds long, with everyone giving a big phony wave, and I would have felt satisfied. You could have gone above and beyond and let all the main shows introduce themselves and say a personal thanks, and that would really have been the ultimate, but I'm not greedy. Anything that felt personal would do. Instead, we got a cold, emotionless 45 seconds of regurgitated video that I can't imagine anyone being entertained by.
But here I am going to go above and beyond. Let me give you a few things I would really love to see on your network that didn't fit within the confines of that survey. You may or may not already have these in mind, but I think they're important enough to enumerate.
* Content Variety
Hey, I love technology as much as the next guy, but it would be great to see a little more than that. Whatever happened to Ctrl-Alt-Chicken? That was the gateway show for many of my non-tech friends. I know the station is having a bit of an Alex-overload, but I'm sure we can handle a little bit more. I loved the idea for the show, and it was hilarious to watch. What's more, it took no skill for the actors involved ("cooks who don't know how to cook"). You could create any number of parody shows -- fishing, crafts, uhhhh... doing your laundry -- all completely ad-libbed by the actors on the spot just to get a laugh.
Ctrl-Alt-Chicken was actually much more than that, and done pretty well, but this does open up a whole new world of "_____s who don't ______"-type shows (some would argue Systm is already this, being hosted by Patrick Norton; just kidding Patrick). You don't have to go out and find experts in order to cover a new topic. You could even have a cheesy variety hour, where some of our favorite internet personalities do whatever the hell they want, or even talk about some of their own personal hobbies. To me, these shows are so special because I'm fascinated by the people on them. Any time we glean a tiny bit of personal information about them, or see them in a new situation (like traveling to a different country, appearing on a different show, doing something that makes them feel more human a la TRS' "Dan Becomes A Man" segments), they seem even more special, and we get even more attached to the people on the show.
* Format Variety
Every Revision3 show still feels the same. They all feel like really fancy, well-produced podcasts. Granted, I still love shows like TRS, Diggnation, iFanboy, etc where people just sit around and talk, but if you're only producing shows with one formula, it's going to turn people off entirely (and already has, according to some of my friends).
How about something that's actually scripted? You have so many talented people there, I can't believe you haven't explored this yet. A drama, a sitcom, anything would be a start. Dan's a director, and just about everyone else who appears in any show is a decent actor (and is usually damn funny). Put them all together and they'll come up with something great, especially if the show is presented completely tongue-in-cheek, like most of channel101.com (which is currently the exact opposite of Revision3, and I highly recommend it as part of your research).
* DVD Sales
Hey, did you know there are more ways of making money than just sponsors and shirts? We all come to the website because we love watching the shows! How about taking a little bit of time, cutting out the ads, producing some nice menus, maybe a few little exclusive behind-the-scenes clips, an introduction from the stars, and throwing together a professional-looking DVD for sale? Trust me, they do not take that much to make. I'm currently making my own Ctrl-Alt-Chicken DVD as a present for a friend's birthday (have I mentioned how great that show was?). A few menus, a laserjet-printed DVD sticker, a fake cover, and it actually looks pretty good. I'm sure you guys could create something magnitudes better, but you haven't yet. Had I been able to go to the website and buy the official Ctrl-Alt-Chicken DVD collection, I would have. Hell, I'd pay more than I would for any other Hollywood garbage, because I actually care about the show, and it would have made a fantastic stocking stuffer.
* Girls
Okay, this one's a bit tough, and I know you already have a fantastic cast of supporting ladies, but it still warrants mentioning. I have very, very few female friends who actually like any of the shows on Revision3 (Ctrl-Alt-Chicken, again, was a huge hit), and when I try to introduce them to it, they think it's just a "Boy's Club:" a bunch of shows featuring guys talking about games and gadgets, and nothing for the women. A few more female leads in the shows, as well as non-tech content, would go a long way. And hey, for all of us guys who are already watching, it's nice to see a few more pretty faces. I wouldn't recommend changing any of the existing shows, because fans would probably get really pissed off, but when you're looking to find new casts for new shows, just keep it in mind (as I'm sure you already are).
I really don't mean to sound like an ungrateful, whining ass, but I'm only posting this because I actually care about Revision3. It takes a true friend to point out that booger hanging out of your nose, or that maybe you should wash those pants a little more often. These conversations are hard to have, and it makes me really nervous to send this post. I love all the content, I'm incredibly glad that it's free, and, so far, the sponsorship has been pretty unobtrusive. Keep up the great work, and I can't wait to see what's in store for the future. I only hope that this helps in some tiny, "maybe that post wasn't such a waste of time after all" way.
Many thanks,
Jakob
I just took your survey. It started out pretty cool. I felt "wow, they're finally asking me about my favorite shows! I feel like I could really make a difference!" Personally, there are a few that I love more than I could any regular TV show, and there are some that I think are a waste of bandwidth. I thought it was weird that you'd be asking me about the shows in the survey, since I'm sure you run all sorts of insane download statistics, but whatever. It still made me feel good about contributing.
Then things got kind of weird.
It turned into a really probing, "who are you and what's your demographic" survey, which I suppose is valuable information, too, but it seemed a bit much. Every page, it dug deeper into my life, asking about how much I pay a month for my cellphone, what my salary was, what my top five visited websites are (really, how many "top five" lists can you throw at us? It's hard coming up with answers to these after a while), how much influence I have at my job for buying things, how often my friends ask me what games to buy or what movies to see, etc. It no longer felt like I was helping out the station, figuring out what kind of shows to deliver, but instead teaching them how to sell me things, and influence what everyone else around me buys. I understand where you're coming from, I truly and really do, but enough is enough! These are the kinds of questions I'd expect to get paid $20 for on some online survey site, not my friendly, favorite IPTV station. By the end of the survey, I just felt dirty, and almost didn't even complete it.
Seriously. To all of the actors, producers, cameramen, and the people that actually create the shows: have you taken this survey? Do you know what your station is asking of its viewers? Go take a look.
But then there was the video. The promised "exclusive" video.
And how terrible was that? 45 seconds of time-lapse studio construction? First of all, it was boring. The walkthroughs done on the Rev3 Gazette were better by far, and this video -- the promised "tell us everything you can about yourself, let us whore your demographic, and you'll get a super exclusive video" video -- felt like a slap in the face. Really. It hurt to watch.
Let me tell you what video would have felt worthwhile. Don't worry, there's still time to change it. Aren't all the main players in these shows based in the same area? Cross-over. In the episode of the Rev3 Gazette where Dave was showing everyone around the studio, and talking about all the technology it takes to create a show, do you know what the most exciting part of that video was? Seeing Ron from iFanboy on the tour. There was no introduction or any big deal made, he just seemed to be there because he was interested, too. And that fascinated me. I have never seen Ron and Dave in the same room before. I have all of these great shows online that I love, full of personalities that I've come to know very well, but they're all very segmented from each other. I can see Alex Albrecht with Kevin on Diggnation, or with Jeff and Dan on TRS. But when have I ever seen them all together? When have I seen Kevin, Dan, Sarah, Patrick, and the iFanboy trio all hanging out? Never. A cross-over is the ultimate geek-gasm. I'm honestly surprised the network didn't take the time to put together some ultimate holiday special where everyone from all the shows says hello together. Maybe a holiday party, and we were all invited (digitally, of course). You could have even faked it by shooting different people at different times, each giving a specialized holiday greeting, in order to work around everyone's schedules. Really, how cool would that have been? I nearly soiled my pants just imagining it now.
Here was an even better (and easier) opportunity to let that happen: a thank you video. Nothing fancy, just a lot of the actors from our favorite shows coming together to say "Hey, thanks for filling out that incredibly revealing survey, it means a lot to us. You are what drives our station." It could have been a big group shot and only 10 seconds long, with everyone giving a big phony wave, and I would have felt satisfied. You could have gone above and beyond and let all the main shows introduce themselves and say a personal thanks, and that would really have been the ultimate, but I'm not greedy. Anything that felt personal would do. Instead, we got a cold, emotionless 45 seconds of regurgitated video that I can't imagine anyone being entertained by.
But here I am going to go above and beyond. Let me give you a few things I would really love to see on your network that didn't fit within the confines of that survey. You may or may not already have these in mind, but I think they're important enough to enumerate.
* Content Variety
Hey, I love technology as much as the next guy, but it would be great to see a little more than that. Whatever happened to Ctrl-Alt-Chicken? That was the gateway show for many of my non-tech friends. I know the station is having a bit of an Alex-overload, but I'm sure we can handle a little bit more. I loved the idea for the show, and it was hilarious to watch. What's more, it took no skill for the actors involved ("cooks who don't know how to cook"). You could create any number of parody shows -- fishing, crafts, uhhhh... doing your laundry -- all completely ad-libbed by the actors on the spot just to get a laugh.
Ctrl-Alt-Chicken was actually much more than that, and done pretty well, but this does open up a whole new world of "_____s who don't ______"-type shows (some would argue Systm is already this, being hosted by Patrick Norton; just kidding Patrick). You don't have to go out and find experts in order to cover a new topic. You could even have a cheesy variety hour, where some of our favorite internet personalities do whatever the hell they want, or even talk about some of their own personal hobbies. To me, these shows are so special because I'm fascinated by the people on them. Any time we glean a tiny bit of personal information about them, or see them in a new situation (like traveling to a different country, appearing on a different show, doing something that makes them feel more human a la TRS' "Dan Becomes A Man" segments), they seem even more special, and we get even more attached to the people on the show.
* Format Variety
Every Revision3 show still feels the same. They all feel like really fancy, well-produced podcasts. Granted, I still love shows like TRS, Diggnation, iFanboy, etc where people just sit around and talk, but if you're only producing shows with one formula, it's going to turn people off entirely (and already has, according to some of my friends).
How about something that's actually scripted? You have so many talented people there, I can't believe you haven't explored this yet. A drama, a sitcom, anything would be a start. Dan's a director, and just about everyone else who appears in any show is a decent actor (and is usually damn funny). Put them all together and they'll come up with something great, especially if the show is presented completely tongue-in-cheek, like most of channel101.com (which is currently the exact opposite of Revision3, and I highly recommend it as part of your research).
* DVD Sales
Hey, did you know there are more ways of making money than just sponsors and shirts? We all come to the website because we love watching the shows! How about taking a little bit of time, cutting out the ads, producing some nice menus, maybe a few little exclusive behind-the-scenes clips, an introduction from the stars, and throwing together a professional-looking DVD for sale? Trust me, they do not take that much to make. I'm currently making my own Ctrl-Alt-Chicken DVD as a present for a friend's birthday (have I mentioned how great that show was?). A few menus, a laserjet-printed DVD sticker, a fake cover, and it actually looks pretty good. I'm sure you guys could create something magnitudes better, but you haven't yet. Had I been able to go to the website and buy the official Ctrl-Alt-Chicken DVD collection, I would have. Hell, I'd pay more than I would for any other Hollywood garbage, because I actually care about the show, and it would have made a fantastic stocking stuffer.
* Girls
Okay, this one's a bit tough, and I know you already have a fantastic cast of supporting ladies, but it still warrants mentioning. I have very, very few female friends who actually like any of the shows on Revision3 (Ctrl-Alt-Chicken, again, was a huge hit), and when I try to introduce them to it, they think it's just a "Boy's Club:" a bunch of shows featuring guys talking about games and gadgets, and nothing for the women. A few more female leads in the shows, as well as non-tech content, would go a long way. And hey, for all of us guys who are already watching, it's nice to see a few more pretty faces. I wouldn't recommend changing any of the existing shows, because fans would probably get really pissed off, but when you're looking to find new casts for new shows, just keep it in mind (as I'm sure you already are).
I really don't mean to sound like an ungrateful, whining ass, but I'm only posting this because I actually care about Revision3. It takes a true friend to point out that booger hanging out of your nose, or that maybe you should wash those pants a little more often. These conversations are hard to have, and it makes me really nervous to send this post. I love all the content, I'm incredibly glad that it's free, and, so far, the sponsorship has been pretty unobtrusive. Keep up the great work, and I can't wait to see what's in store for the future. I only hope that this helps in some tiny, "maybe that post wasn't such a waste of time after all" way.
Many thanks,
Jakob