Creating Community and Content

UWSMC TreatmentBarbara WilsonDec. 14, 2011

Tell Your Story to Sell Your Story

In the new social media landscape, there is a need to create compelling content that consumers will seek out and share.

Behind every great business or cause there is a great story. Recognizing and using these stories is becoming increasingly important to defining company identity and marketing it.

Successful brands attract consumers by appealing to people who believe what they believe. Once a business or cause defines why they do what they do, they are able to speak in an authentic voice which will resonate in social media and cultivate brand advocates.

Video cameras and editing software are affordable, accessible, and easy to use. The non-professional can now create quality video content in order to tell their story.

What is Vimeo?

Vimeo's mission is to provide creators with a safe and positive environment to share their videos and connect with others, as well as to develop simple and elegant tools and features to present your videos to the people you want.

Establishing the Tone

First, establish the rule of no jerks allowed.

Building Community

A platform that values the social as much as the media. The user experience is designed to make it easy to find people with common interests.

Organizing Interests

The user experience is personalized, similar to flickr, in the way it promotes joining groups and subscribing to users.

Empowering Content Creators

Vimeo aims to bring filmmakers and audiences closer by encouraging more individuals to become creators themselves. It offers tools such as video school tutorials, a music store, a widget creator, and stand-alone video hosting for businesses.

Encouraging Collaboration

Vimeo encourages collaboration and inspires creativity through project assignments, discussion forums, and offline events.

Promotional Uses

Vimeo only allows a user to post video that they have participated in creating.This distinguishes it from YouTube and limits commercial usage.

Users that can use Vimeo for promotional purposes include:• Creative professionals such as Designers or Filmmakers• Arts Organizations• Non Profit Organizations• Musicians and Indie Record Labels• Activists • Independent Journalists

Conclusions

What Vimeo does well as a platform• Create simple tools to communicate new technologies to a

broad audience.• Set the tone for a community network from the start.• While working with brands, stay relevant to your community.• Videos are more than a numbers game – consider the value of

rewards beyond the number of hits.• Consider the relationship with a community beyond online –

such as the Vimeo Festival. Explore fostering relationships off-line.

Demographics

References and Readings• Amy (Aug. 1 2011). The importance of telling your story Social Media for Startups. Retrieved from

http://esocialmedia.co.uk/social-media-for-startups/the-importance-of-telling-your-story/• Retrieved from http://vimeo.com/help/faq• Retrieved from http://vimeo.com/guidelines• D.M. Levine (Nov. 30 2011) Vimeo Goes It’s Own Way. Adweek Retrieved from

http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/vimeo-goes-its-own-way-136718• Hugh Hart (Dec. 13 2011) Calling DIY Video Makers: Vimeo Festival + Awards Rides Again. Wired Retrieved

from http://www.wired.com/underwire/2011/12/vimeo-festival-awards/• Dave (Oct. 5 2011) Interview with Blake Whitman from Vimeo. Retrieved from http://www.learningdslrvideo.com/blake-whitman-vimeo/• STYLUS reports (May 20 2011) Vimeo: Taking Film Beyond the Upload. Retrieved

from http://www.stylus.com/en/Vision/2011/May/Reports/Vimeo-Taking-Film-Beyond-the-Upload/• Sam Biddle (Sept. 21 2011) Vimeo’s Got a New Music Store for Easy Soundtracks. Retrieved from

http://gizmodo.com/5842079/vimeos-got-a-new-music-store-for-easy-soundtracks• Andy Plesser (July 21 2011) IAC’s Vimeo Claims 50 Million Unique Users Worldwide, Cites Big Growth In Europe. Business Insider. Retrieved from

http://www.businessinsider.com/iacs-vimeo-claims-50-million-unique-users-worldwide-cites-big-growth-in-europe-2011-7• Karyn Campbell (July 12 2011) A Case for Strong Community: Vimeo’s VP of Creative Development Blake Whitman on Filmmaking's Webolution. Retrieved

from http://theidealists.com/meta/view/a-case-for-strong-community-vimeo-s-vp-of-creative-development-blake-whitman-on-filmmaking-s-webolution• http://vimeobuzz.tumblr.com/• Mindspark Advertising Demographics Report. Retrieved from http://www.mindsparkadvertising.com/sales/websites/vimeo/index.shtml• Quantcast Demographics Report. Retrieved from http://www.quantcast.com/vimeo.com