Rowdy Orbit™

What’s the FCC saying about Rowdy Orbit?

Prepared Remarks of Commissioner Mignon L. Clyburn
Minority Media and Telecommunications Council’s Broadband and Social Justice Summit
John H. Johnson School of Communications
Howard University
January 22, 2010

(paraphrased)

But when it comes to communities of color –and other traditionally underrepresented groups –the broadband story does not and can not end with adoption.  Broadband is not simply a one-way challenge limited to finding ways in which individuals can obtain meaningful high-speed Internet access.  To view the problem in such a circumscribed manner misses some of the most potent aspects of this transformative technology. Broadband’s keypromise for people of color in particular is economic empowerment.  For the first time, there are no immediate and overwhelming barriers to entry for upstart businessmen and women or “cyberpreneurs”.  Broadband has opened avenues never dreamed possible by those in challenged communities.

Just ask Jonathan Moore, the Founder & CEO of RowdyOrbit IPTV.  Rowdy Orbit is an online platform featuring professionally produced original programming for minority audiences. We learned at the Commission’s Speech, Democratic Engagement and the Open Internet workshop in mid-December that Mr. Moore founded his company because he was frustrated over the lack of representation of people of color in traditional media.  The reality is that minority content is almost impossible to get distributed through traditional channels.

With an initial investment of only $526, Mr. Moore has created a platform for talented media creators to get eyeballs without the cost and culture barriers of traditional media.  Had the costs of access been much greater, however –say if he had to buy his way into priority status on one or more networks –Rowdy Orbit maynever have seen the light of day.

FOR THE FULL OPENING SPEECH VISIT:

http://www.fcc.gov/

Then download Word or PDF under the Headline Section with the date of 1/22/10

11 Tips for Online Video

1.  Make sure it’s professional. Too many times the quality can make the difference between occasional views and high-repeat engagement. If it looks sub-par, here’s the perception:

-cheap product(s) and service(s)
-they don’t get it
-outdated thought process

2. Be selective where you place your video. Think media placement — get the most bang for your buck. Instead of just traffic, here’s an opportunity to increase ROI by Hyper-Focusing on “the right audience.”

3. Don’t hide the goods, think Impact & Visibility. Place the video on your front page.

4. Use tags. Discover “what search terms” your audience is using to locate your product. Then apply. If need be: Tweek —> Modify —-> Apply.

5. Online video should be considered BFF with SEO.

6. Provide a thumbnail snapshot of the online video. Make sure the snapshot captures the energy. If not, it will get skipped.

7. Always…always…always, link back to a corresponding specific page to measure audience CTR. This is where the video connects with the site to improve sales funnel efficiency, increased message retention, or take action.

8. Be social and have a conversation with your audience. They’ve come this far, why not use this as an opportunity to increase sales, message retention, build word-of-mouth.

9. Don’t hit audience over the head with a “Hard Sell Message.” Once you’ve done that, call the PR Medic. This is where:

-you’re going to spend more money defending your position
-you’re going to witness a decline in new consumer embracing your efforts
-your intended audience will call you out on the carpet

10. New content. New content. New content.

11. Add-too —-> Increase —-> Grow your online audience baseline.

Narrowing the Gap in 06 – 08.

• Internet use among Latino adults rose by 10 percentage points, from 54% to 64%.  In comparison, the rates for whites rose four percentage points, and the rates for blacks rose only two percentage points during that time period.
• In 2006, 79% of Latinos who were online had internet access at home, while in 2008, this number was 81%.
• In 2006, 84% of African American internet users had a home connection, compared with 87% in 2008.
• In 2006, 63% of Hispanics with home internet access had a broadband connection; in 2008 this number was 76%.  For whites, there was a 17 percentage point increase in broadband connection from 65% to 82%, and for blacks, the increase was from 63% in 2006 to 78% in 2008.

FULL POST

Online Viewing Up 13% in December.

The Nielsen Company today reported overall online video usage and top online brands ranked by video streams for December 2009. Year-over-year, unique viewers, total streams, streams per viewer and time per viewer were up, led by 13 percent growths in time per viewer.

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