*What am I supposed to be doing with this thing?
I’ve been lifecasting for about a week now and it’s amazing how I have completely forgotten that I am even wearing the camera, most of the time. It’s also amazing how little I’ve changed my life in an attempt to play up the camera. I am not currently doing any active promotion (why?), or making any real attempt to provide compelling content most of the time. Thus far, I have simply been living my life and hoping people tune in to the channel. So, my question is, “Does it bother me that very few people are watching?”
The short answer is yes, with shades of gray. What I don’t mind is that not many people are tuning in, but what I do mind is those who are tuning in and upset that I’m not doing something awesome 24 hours a day. I write several blogs, edit videos, write and make phone calls for a living. There are going to be plenty of times that I’m sitting in front of a computer and that’s what you’re going to see me doing. While I do try to crank up the tunes from time to time, occasionaly I have to ignore the camera and finish some actual work.
Would I mind having more viewers? Of course not! I wish everyone in the world watched me all day long. That’s how into myself I am. : ) As an experiment, I really went into this thing without the slightest idea of how it would turn out. So far, it’s been pretty uneventful, except that I can rewatch how stupid I sound when I’m drunk. I suppose that’s a good thing. Maybe it will convince me that it’s not such a good thing to drink those five margaritas on a Sunday night. But, maybe that’s what the people want to see? I don’t know. Is the Justin.tv video format really only successful if you take on a self-destructive, Jackass broadcasting formula?
Here are few things that I’m going to try and start doing to gain more viewership and hopefully bring a little bit of value to the viewer with this technology. Some of these things are no brainers and should be applied to all forms of broadcasting, but seeing as I haven’t implimented any of them, I’m going to list them as a way to remind myself, if no one else.
10 Things That Might Make Your Lifecasting Better:
- Have a call in show that allows viewers to interact with you. Do this show on a regularly scheduled basis.
- Schedule out events, so that people know when you’ll be doing something other than sitting at your computer.
- Go interesting places that most people don’t get to experience.
- Address the camera more often. People are watching you instead of reality television for the opportunity to interact with you.
- Treat lifecasting like any other form of social media and use it to start conversations. Building relationships is the most important part of any social media campaign.
- Figure out who the people watching you are and what they want to see. If you share any common ground, try to meet them there.
- Introduce other charaters, other than yourself. An ensemble cast makes your life much more interesting.
- Give away prizes for tuning in. This sounds like a stupid, even sleezy way to pull in viewers, but people love free stuff. Even a matchbox signed by a waitress can be a fun momento if the person is really a fan.
- Have other people run the camera from time to time. This adds a little professionalism and it never hurts to have someone direct you to do entertaining things.
- Ask people questions and let them answer. If you want to know something, ask it and make sure to get the answer on camera.
Ultimately, this is my attempt to actually do something useful with this whole lifecasting thing, instead of pretending that you care to watch me sing along with the radio during commutes. I hope to add some of all of these things to my broadcast and more. What would you like to see happen in my lifecast (life)? How should I be utilizing this technology in a way that is entertaining or interesting to you? Where should this go from here? Your ideas, comments and critiques are welcomed.
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