Some commentators are calling Youtube the new Google. From instructional videos to drama-soaked karaoke performances, video content on the web has become much more accessible and democratic. To successfully leverage video in your causes and campaigns, you will need a sense of 1) why video sharing is such a massive phenomenon, 2) What the major online players are in this space and 3) how to use the previous two to push your message and your work out to a broader audience.
Video has been a powerful way to move people to action since moving pictures became a medium. In the spring of 2006, the news cycle was buzzing with the rise of a “clip-culture”: a trend of increasing numbers of people looking for, and sharing short video clips online. The BBC discussed this pattern, commenting on the massive sums of money movie and television studios were investing into online content. The other category of content was ‘amateur’ or nonprofessional video content; the article stated plainly that “These clips should not be underestimated.”
With the widespread availability of inexpensive flipcams, digital camcorders, digital cameras and even cell phones with movie capture, creating video for the web is easier than ever. But where to host these large files? Dozens of free, ad-supported video hosting services have popped up to fill this increasing demand. Youtube, the mother of all video sites, has tens of millions of users with the site experiencing an overall upload rate of 20 hours of video every minute. Vimeo, an up and coming service offers another appealing video hosting solution. With a couple of popular video sites to consider, how can you really take advantage of online video?
PSA (Public Service Announcement) – make and appeal, tell a story and connect viewers with the cause you represent. During the 2008 Presidential Election, The One Campaign featured series of advertisements to encourage Americans to vote for candidates committed to tackling extreme poverty (e.g. “Voices”)
Vlog, or video blog – Update your supporters and the generally curious on what your organization has been up to. Invisible Children, addressing the issue of child soldiers in Northern Uganda, does just that with its video channel.
Get Creative! A great example is the Humane Society, which back in 2007 hosted an online video contest on Youtube called “Knock Out Animal Fighting”
This is just the tip of the iceberg: there is really boundless potential for you to employ online video to move people.
More Resources:
Techsoup’s “Share Your Nonprofit's Videos with the World”
Nancy Schwartz & Company, “How 6 Nonprofits are Putting Great Online Video to Work”
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Fearless Focus: Harris Wofford, Peace Corps Co-founder
