Web Article about DV INFO

[Ed Hill]

Hi Guys,

I'm getting more into PR as I promote my HighlyDef website and videos.

On my PR/web marketing website, I wrote an article were I talk about the 3 most important things business websites should do. So I used our very own DV INFO website as an example of what a good website should do. My article is called Meeting Customer Needs.

Here's a short quote:

This DVInfo.net online community boasts over thirteen thousand members and a quarter million posts. What makes users of DVInfo Community come back to the site on a regular basis? The users come back for relevant content that meets their needs.

Here everyone from Hollywood cameramen to new DV camera owners in Alaska meet to discuss digital video. Online communities can build powerful loyalty in users. Some unpaid users at DVInfo.net are posting their stories and answering other forum user's questions nearly every day.

You can see the whole article on my www.edhillpr.com website.

The URL is: http://www.edhillpr.com/meeting-customer-needs.html

Ed

[Mathieu Ghekiere]

Great article!
And what you wrote is completely true!

I was telling my teacher about this site, and how much information one can learn here, and I told her that you can always post questions here, and she looked kind of suspicious and asked: but do you get an answer then?
And I just screamed (well okay, not screamed, but I was yelling kind of loud :-p) out of pure enthousiasm: YEEESSSS!

Really, people here are just THE prime example of helpfull friendly people. I just love these boards... Not addicted.... No, I'm NOT ADDICTED.... okay, maybe a little bit, but they are worth it ;-)

[Imran Zaidi]

Nice article! And very sensible too - often times marketing specialists try to sell technology with technology - sort of like fighting fire with fire. It seldom has great results except with those customers who enjoy technology for technology's sake. To apply tried and true, and often fairly conservative marketing analysis techniques is usually more successful, and this article points those things out well.

Technology is a tool to reach a goal, not the end goal itself!

Another item you mentioned of interest to me was about how studies indicate that emotional reviews at amazon tend to be as useful to buyers as objective, systematic ones. I'm finding this sort of thing to be more and more true myself. In the end, you're selling to people, and people are emotional, and are always seeking some form of emotional high. We're like addicts that way.

To tie this back to film, recently I was at an event where some filmmakers were speaking - the topic was "Making Films that Make a Difference." In it, one filmmaker made a statement that, while simple, was really a knock on my head - one of those poignant things that help clarify filmmaking of this type. And that is, people don't change their value systems because of facts, and rational analyses of factual information. People change their value systems when they encounter a strong emotional event, usually one which is life-changing.

We all know smoking is bad, even if we smoke. But it isn't until Dad or Uncle Joe or we have a stroke or a heart attack or Cancer that we suddenly change. Same goes for our views on politics, religion, and a number of other topics. And this is why narrative filmmaking can be so powerful - a film that moves people strikes at the viewer's emotional center, and thus either causes change, or lays the groundwork for future change.

Of course, this is also why filmmaking can be extremely dangerous.

[Yi Fong Yu]

imran, i can think of two films that illustrate your points. return of the king (especially the extended edition) and triumph of the will. both of which i saw recently.

[Ed Hill]

Good points you guys. I think I have had an emotional realization about video. I have made only a few documentaries that i produced myself. Mainly i worked TV news or for other peples projects.

I never thought you could make money doing your own productions. But now I believe that the key to making independent productions is ....
( Wait for it .....)

SALES and PROMOTION! There are so many independent film makers who make a film that goes to a few festivals then sits on the shelf. I really believe that the most crucial thing after you make your video is to sell the darn thing so people will see it.

So that's my new focus this year.

So what if your DV film never makes it to the multiplex at the mall.
They say that over 90% of Hollywood out put never goes to the big screen.

I say take your opus to a good DVD mastering company and flog that bad boy! Sell it to the home DVD market!

Ed

[Chris Hurd]

Thank you for that article, Ed, I'm honored that you'd choose to write about this site.

While I have not yet been convinced of the creedence of Google's Page Rank system, I will say that a PR6 ain't bad but can definitely be improved... and we're certainly working on that. Thanks again Ed,

[Jed Williamson]

Ed,

Do you have a website for your videos?

Chris,

Is there a page on this site for everybody's dvd/videos for sale?
Would you consider it?

- Jed