View Full Version : Revision3 Hops in Bed with Google
ronxo
03-07-2008, 12:49 AM
We've got an exciting announcement about Revision3 and Google.
Read all about it on our blog > (http://revision3.com/blog/2008/03/06/revision3-hops-in-bed-with-google)
izzyb412
03-07-2008, 01:11 AM
I download all the shows I watch with Miro so this doesn't really affect me.
jmp2071
03-07-2008, 01:20 AM
As long as the ads stay out of the downloaded versions, everything is cool. If Revision3 is having a hard time, why did you make people stop being able to donate money? I would have kept on donating. Getting Diggnation early wasn't the only reason I donated money, I wanted Revision3 to be successful and keep producing quality content.
kronos6948
03-07-2008, 01:20 AM
Alright...considering I'm one of a small number of people who actually watches the videos in Flash, I'm sure that what I feel has less bearing on your decisions (although it seemed as if you guys did something nice for me by having more than one quality setting).
That being said, I'm kinda torn. I want you guys to make tons of money. If anything, you guys deserve it for putting quality product out there.
On the other hand, nothing's more detrimental to a show (and kind of a slap in the face to the writers/producers/hosts IMO) than having some ad come up in the bottom third of the screen to distract your attention from the show.
I guess that the in-show ads (like the ones peppered throughout Tekzilla) weren't pulling enough revenue? Pair that with the users that most likely have Ad-Block Plus, combined with people not clicking, and the result is low revenue streams.
Here's what I propose to do to help out Rev3.
I propose to click on one ad for every show I watch, listed in the show notes.
I may not buy anything, but I'm going to keep this up until you guys get some cashola. It'd be nice if everyone would follow suit, but every little bit helps.
BTW, if I do this, will the sponsors get wise to the same IP address clicking on the ads all the time?
***EDIT***
I just noticed that the links to the sponsors are no longer in the show notes. I'll turn off my AdBlock Plus then, I guess.
tokenuser
03-07-2008, 01:23 AM
I am sure Ron will remember to not post something in the Announcements area that doesn't effect you next time :rolleyes:
arkanic
03-07-2008, 02:08 AM
in order to support rev3 we should play the flash versions,when possible?
gi_josh
03-07-2008, 02:28 AM
in order to support rev3 we should play the flash versions,when possible?
But then they don't get the download count...and I'm not sure if they count streams in the same way. Whatever. I'm glad Rev3 is doing stuff to keep in business, but this doesn't really effect me. I download all my shows. Good for business though. It doesn't sound too annoying either, nothing like the bottom thirds we see on primetime TV these days.
jlouderb
03-07-2008, 06:59 AM
As long as the ads stay out of the downloaded versions, everything is cool. If Revision3 is having a hard time, why did you make people stop being able to donate money? I would have kept on donating. Getting Diggnation early wasn't the only reason I donated money, I wanted Revision3 to be successful and keep producing quality content.
We had an interesting debate about the paypal donation thing. One school of thought saw it as begging, which seemed a bit unseemly for a company like ours.
We actually do want to bring back a "membership" program, with some real benefits. Any thoughts on what those benefits should be?
Note that we're not having a hard time... we just want to make sure and make enough money to grow, launch new shows, and build a healthy business.
FWIW, I was at Ziff Davis for five years before this. And you can all see how that ended up this week (http://www.minonline.com/news/6307.html).
It's a path I'm committed to avoiding at Revision3 :D
jim
mr-underachiever
03-07-2008, 07:55 AM
Two things:
1) I actually watch most of the shows in the flash player, so I don't know what to think about this. Though, if it allows us to get new content and still for free, I can live with it.
2) Revision3, I want you to treat Google with the utmost respect, you hear me? Just because you hopped in bed with them doesn't mean you shouldn't call them the next day, okay? Don't be that guy, Rev3. Don't be that guy.
i hate ads but i love google 'cause they are soooo smart
autodas
03-07-2008, 09:10 AM
Memberships should be viewership without the ads anywhere on the Revision3 site and maybe even Digg if you can work that out. I don't mind viewing an ad at the bottom of my screen.
We had an interesting debate about the paypal donation thing. One school of thought saw it as begging, which seemed a bit unseemly for a company like ours.
Note that we're not having a hard time... we just want to make sure and make enough money to grow, launch new shows, and build a healthy business.
jim
the anonymity of the net and the scope provides a different mindset for accepting random money
giving people the opportunity to donate is not the same as asking
there are many situations in which individuals or groups would like to further the efforts of other individuals or groups so throwing some money in that direction works for both sides
there are no contracts and no pressures of expectations
both the means and the end are 'all good'
people like to feel involved in the growth of what they consider worthwhile it is mutualy empowering
in fact it actually works out to good pr plus you have more working capital garnered through good will rather than profit motive
that kind of thinking should be encouraged in the coprorate world
the long term benefits of such a paradigmatic shift are enormous and sweet
plus it has a positive effect on the economy every time money changes hands
xibalba
03-08-2008, 07:14 PM
Revision3, I want you to treat Google with the utmost respect, you hear me? Just because you hopped in bed with them doesn't mean you shouldn't call them the next day, okay? Don't be that guy, Rev3. Don't be that guy.
http://www.dxibalba.com/revgoo.jpg
mr-underachiever
03-08-2008, 09:01 PM
That is my new wallpaper. In my bedroom.
http://www.dxibalba.com/revgoo.jpg
i think having google calling would be more significant :D
i would love to have google calling me :cool:
they can have 90% of my 1000 minutes a month
xibalba
03-09-2008, 07:01 AM
Revision3 took googles money and ran and said they would call but never did. :D :p
kev585
03-09-2008, 07:18 AM
It's really a non-issue in my opinion. Given enough time you'll find everyone using methods similar to Adsense for Video, Revision3 is constantly providing great content, any way to profit off of it is acceptable.
gi_josh
03-09-2008, 11:35 PM
We had an interesting debate about the paypal donation thing. One school of thought saw it as begging, which seemed a bit unseemly for a company like ours.
We actually do want to bring back a "membership" program, with some real benefits. Any thoughts on what those benefits should be?
Note that we're not having a hard time... we just want to make sure and make enough money to grow, launch new shows, and build a healthy business.
FWIW, I was at Ziff Davis for five years before this. And you can all see how that ended up this week (http://www.minonline.com/news/6307.html).
It's a path I'm committed to avoiding at Revision3 :D
jim
Jim, I don't think that placing a donation button or having memberships is begging. Just look at independent artists like Jonathon Coulton. He gladly accepts money and has a donate button, but it doesn't bother his fans. His true fans enjoy supporting him and his music, and those that don't want to donate just ignore it. No big deal.
Benefits for members is a tougher one though. I would lean towards it being more physical goods, as the extra videos/early videos hasn't worked well in the past. How about once a quarter or so you get a free t-shirt or coffee mug or mouse pad or something, possibly even signed by your favorite Rev3 stars? That would seem more substantial and meaningful than early videos.
Just my two cents.
jmp2071
03-10-2008, 03:26 AM
Benefits for members is a tougher one though. I would lean towards it being more physical goods, as the extra videos/early videos hasn't worked well in the past. How about once a quarter or so you get a free t-shirt or coffee mug or mouse pad or something, possibly even signed by your favorite Rev3 stars? That would seem more substantial and meaningful than early videos.
Just my two cents.
That sounds like a nice plan. Something like $5 a month would get you a coffee mug or something similar, $10 a month would get you an exclusive t-shirt just for paying members, $15 a month would get you a shirt or something else cool signed by the host or hosts of you favorite show, like a autographed DVD or blu-ray of a season of a show. Just have it like the more you donate the cooler stuff you get. Every quarter you would have to change the comps though, or it would get old. I don't think exclusive videos is a good idea though, it could drive people away from the site thinking they don't get everything on the site without paying extra. Also, having something physical to show for your money would make a lot more people donate, imo. Thats just an idea though. If I think of anything else I will be sure to post it.
That sounds like a nice plan. Something like $5 a month would get you a coffee mug or something similar, $10 a month would get you an exclusive t-shirt just for paying members, $15 a month would get you a shirt or something else cool signed by the host or hosts of you favorite show, like a autographed DVD or blu-ray of a season of a show. Just have it like the more you donate the cooler stuff you get. Every quarter you would have to change the comps though, or it would get old. I don't think exclusive videos is a good idea though, it could drive people away from the site thinking they don't get everything on the site without paying extra. Also, having something physical to show for your money would make a lot more people donate, imo. Thats just an idea though. If I think of anything else I will be sure to post it.
there could be a selection of merchandise and you would get 'points' for your membership which you could redeem or save up for more pricey merchandise - that way you get what you really really want even if you have to wait
and by the members choosing items instead of being given items then rev3 would get a good idea of which items are the more desired and create new merchandise based on that information
a lot of college age people are rev3 fans so why not a rev3 backpack (you can send me the first one) :cool:
Revision3 took googles money and ran and said they would call but never did. :D :p
google sends the money monthly i think so that would not be wise ;)
once google feels you are not playing fair they show you the door and it is nigh on to impossible to get it open again
it would be hard to outsmart google
it would be foolish to try
damnedeyez
03-10-2008, 03:58 PM
there could be a selection of merchandise and you would get 'points' for your membership which you could redeem or save up for more pricey merchandise - that way you get what you really really want even if you have to wait
I like that idea...
mrugly
03-10-2008, 04:35 PM
I understand that they have to make money in order to cover their expenses and I hope there isn't a backlash to this move. I get my Rev3 content via iTunes and the feeds I've set TVersity to monitor, so I'm guessing that I won't see any of the ads (I'm not sure since I didn't bother to read Jim's announcement in it's entirety).
suiken
03-10-2008, 06:35 PM
a lot of college age people are rev3 fans so why not a rev3 backpack (you can send me the first one) :cool:
I call dibs on the second one (though I'd prefer it as a messenger bag)
I guess Rev3 could just open up an online store? Maybe via CafePress or the like?
murphy1d
03-10-2008, 06:38 PM
Someone posted that the site needs more Swag and I agree. Its obvious at any live Diggnation that you have a core group of people who live in basic obscurity until they get together at a bar and it's "bee costumes and Blind Melon on the juke box."
I have seen people yell out to me across a mall when I wear my Diggnation shirt. We want to be free advertising for Rev3 . Thus, more swag means more revenue AND more advertising. This summer there needs to be kids at outdoor concerts prominently displaying their love for the site across their chests. I want to see hats, backpacks, stickers, cereal boxes (jk).
And place a link prominently on the site, not on the bottom after Jobs and Press.
Dude, pimp that shit!
murphy1d
03-10-2008, 06:56 PM
Well Golly! I just played the flash player version of Lil Internet Superstar and low-and-behold there was no advertising.
Oh, wait. It was the "Lemme smell yo d%ck" episode.
Hmm, wonder why there was no advertising?
murphy1d
03-10-2008, 07:03 PM
Oh wait, now I see it.
... brought to you by "Ho Daddy," Nutflicks," and the new AXE penile spray...
"For when a Douchebag needs to smell like a D%ck."
kilroyperrywinkle
03-11-2008, 07:32 PM
I know this is thread jacking but...
The CEO of the company responded to a viewer's comments in the forum.
That just never happens anywhere else... I fucking love this company.
Continue....
tokenuser
03-11-2008, 07:57 PM
I know this is thread jacking but...
The CEO of the company responded to a viewer's comments in the forum.
That just never happens anywhere else... I fucking love this company.
Continue....JLo pops up from time to time all over the place on the forums.
autodas
03-11-2008, 10:24 PM
I just saw these ads during the Rockstar thing, but they all advertised comics so I didn't click any. I think the next step for this is to have premium flash sponsors that have a custom moving graphic like what MetaCafe did with the release of 300 on DVD.
njiska
03-12-2008, 12:16 AM
Ok I get the need to advertise, but interrupting content is never a good idea.
Ads before the stream, fine.
Ads when the stream ends, fine.
Ads by hosts during the show, awesome makes me feel like we're in the 50s again.
Ads during the show that take up the lower 1/3rd of the screen? Annoying as all hell.
Yes it's only temporary, but it's still very annoying and to me is on par with the banner that G4 used to run through all their shows.
I'm not a fan of this method of advertising and have no intention of clicking on any links that occur during the show, if for no reason other then, "I'm trying to watch the show".
Because it comes over video content with no actual pause in the content my only reaction is to close it without even reading it. As annoying as commercial breaks are, at least they don't block part of the content.
gi_josh
03-12-2008, 01:01 AM
JLo
I see what you did there.
high6
03-12-2008, 01:33 PM
I would rather have the ad popup at the start than after 1 minute into the show.
justin316a
03-12-2008, 05:00 PM
The first time I experienced this kind of advertising on YouTube I generally just found it annoying (maybe because it was for 1800flowers.com), mostly because there it does tend to take up a larger percentage of the video.
I'd admit yes I do mostly watch via the site. To me when I get home from work it's about instant gratification, and since I generally dont wanna blow out my hard drive without realizing how many episodes I've downloaded =P
It is still alittle distracting more than helpful mid-video. It's like Patrick Norton's mid-sentence talking on Tekzilla or Systm, GoogleAds comes up, have to go off and deal with that and I might have missed something about the needing ventilation when working with chemicals, I guess it wasnt important (kidding). I dont mind the listing at the end of the video (actually those ones i did glance through). That method of delivering these kinds of ads seemed far more productive to me at least.
Again, shows have been awesome, keep up the great work everyone.
warkro
03-12-2008, 11:28 PM
I'll be fine with the ads if, they don't cover any part of the video. I'm sure you can resize the player so that it has a small ad slot in the bottom.
I like being able to turn off the ads, but it will work much better if it wasn't distracting me from the content.
italiano40
03-13-2008, 03:24 AM
I am actually glad, because maybe the shows become even greater with the money they make from adsense
garrun
04-08-2008, 07:21 AM
I like the swag idea. You could follow the NPR model of donating and specifying what show you are supporting and getting swag related to that show with different swag levels for different dollar breaks. A DVD of a season or so of your favorite show would be really cool, as would the usual T-Shirts, etc.
bigshotprof
04-08-2008, 10:04 PM
You know, when you hop in bed with google, you are hopping in bed with everyone google has ever googled. It's something to think about.
vahnx
04-09-2008, 12:11 AM
I usually watch the flash version. If it's a show I normally don't watch like the gazette or sometimes Internet Superstar. But I download Diggnation in HD, and whenever a new broken comes out I download it. Other than that all flash. Ad's don't really bother me because I never click them, wouldn't mind them on the site around the video. But I do use Adblock, Adblock Plus, and Filterset G Updater so I never get any ad's ever. I know it's not supporting Rev3 by using those tools but I use them for other sites with many ad's that are most likely spyware & pop-unders, and just plain annoying sites that I need for specific reasons.