Wedding Jitterbugs

   One of the funniest moments at a wedding I ever saw was when the preacher asked the groom the question that seals the deal:
   “Do you take this woman to be your bride?”
   Steadying himself for a few seconds, the young man responded sheepishly, “I do?”
   At which point his new mother-in-law stood up, pumped her fist in the air and exclaimed, “Yes!”
   Everyone in the church began laughing hysterically.  I remember thinking that I couldn’t wait to get home so I could tell my friends.  It was priceless.
   The problem was, there’s no way to truly share that story with words and do it justice.  You really did “have to be there.”
   Well, with TakeTheVideoTour, now you can be.
   All you have to do is have your videographer edit together a highlight reel of the wedding and the reception and send it to us.  (Or we can take the original tape or DVD and edit it down for you.)  Then we can post it on our website; we can even give you your own private link so that just family and friends can see it.
   That way, with the click of a mouse you can share the best moments of the most important day of your lives.

J&K

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Is Your House Invisible?

  
   Is your house invisible?
   Well, if it’s for sale and not listed on the MLS (Multiple Listing Service ), then the answer to that question is simple.
   Yes, it is invisible.
   It can be a grand million-dollar mansion on a hill, but unless it’s on the MLS, no one will see it.  At least no one who can help you sell it.
   That’s why By-Owner home-sellers need all the help they can get.  Word-of-mouth is good; but a video tour on our website is even better.  
   One of my clients was selling a home, and a woman from several states away who was in the area for a visit saw the For Sale sign.  Unfortunately, her husband was back home and could not go through the house with her. 
   The good news is the house was on TakeTheVideoTour.com, and the woman’s husband was able to walk through the home with her… on the computer!
   This is the kind of synergy that will be used to sell homes and grow businesses and client bases in the new millennium.
   Why use a Virtual Tour, when we can give you a Virtual Real-tor!

J&K

   P.S.
   A nasty fight is brewing in the housing industry, and the issue of full-access MLS will likely be settled in the courts.  Consumer groups have already accused realtors of belonging to a “cartel” (See June 19, 2006 CNNMoney.com) that raises fees and lowers customer service.  The National Association of Realtors disputed this vigorously, saying commissions have actually come down, in addition to the fact that there are more than a million Realtors.
   Our advice, do your homework if you’re buying or selling a home; and call us if we can help.

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Rock The Pod!

   Did you know that in addition to posting your video tour on the web, (on your site or ours or both), you can also get it to go… on your IPod?
   That’s right.  Right there between Ozzy Osbourne and Ludacris!
   If you want us to, we can email the M4v file to you, and you can simply move it over to your I-Tunes program.  It will load just like a music video or movie.  It literally takes seconds to add the video to your playlist.
   That way, if you’re out and about and away from your laptop computer, TakeTheVideoTour has got you covered.  After all, you never know when you’ll meet someone who’s interested in buying a home or learning more about your business or charity.
   Successful people already know that you should never miss an opportunity to put eyes on your product.
   So next time you’re at the gym, or the park, or the grocery store, or wherever else you “rock the Pod,” and the conversation turns to “we’re in the market to buy a home” or “what kind of business are you in?” you’ll be ready to show them your answer.

J&K

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To Us, You’re A Name, Not An Algorithm.

   The other day, my ten year-old was surfing on YouTube when some rather adult thumbnails came up on the window involving scantily-clad models.  We were right there, so we simply redirected the page to what he was actually looking for. 
   The videos were intended for mature eyes, and said so.  But the thumbnails were visible to anyone.
   At TakeTheVideoTour, we don’t think that’s right.
   You will never find any offensive images on our site.  We pride ourselves on being family friendly.  And we’re not so big that “we do the best we can” to filter out questionable pictures, like some mega video sites.  We look at everything ourselves, because we upload the files ourselves.
   To us, you’re a name, not an algorithm.  We don’t need special software to find your video, because we have no interest in getting ten million hits a day on a hundred million files. 
   With us, you target your clientele.  All we do is give them the bulls-eye to hit with their cursor.

J&K.

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You Be The Media.

   How many times have you heard someone gripe, “It’s the media’s fault?”
   Of course, folks in the media have been having a good laugh over that tired bromide since President Ronald Reagan first made it popular back in the 1980’s. 
   Why?
   Because for all its billion-dollar technology and ubiquitous Voice of God-ness, the media is nothing more than a high-falootin’ service industry.  You have a product, we put it on TV, in writing, on a billboard, a movie screen, a computer moniter, a telephone… you get the idea.  The media is not the boss.  The person with the product is.  Without their revenue, there would be no media.
   Well, at TakeTheVideoTour, our mantra is “You Be the Media!”
   If you’ve got something to say, say it!  Put your message on videotape and let us help you put it on the web!  Put our link anywhere on your materials or website for instant access to your high-quality video. 
   (Ever wonder why successful companies don’t use YouTube for their video hosting accounts.  It’s simple, the video is terrible, and the ads on the page are designed to take viewers away from your spot.  When you do see some companies using it, it’s simply a tongue-in-cheek attempt to pander to the under-18-yo. demographic.)
   At TakeTheVideoTour, we don’t do politics, (or other offensive material ;), but if you have a message you want to get out about your business, your church, your school, your charity, we’re the perfect way to do it. 
   And of course, if you’re trying to sell your house in this buyer’s market, we’re there to help give you an edge.  As we like to say, “Having an open house?  Invite the world!”
   Feel free to call and bounce ideas off of us.  It doesn’t cost anything, and we’ve enjoyed helping others in the past.  Maybe our video packages will work for you too.

J&K.

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If It’s Good Enough For Big Blue, It’s Good Enough For You.

   There was an interesting article in AdWeek not too long ago that talked about IBM diverting 250-million dollars in its advertising budget to long-form commercials designed in part for the web.
   IBM has finally realized what many companies still have not: that direct video on the web can be far more efficient if it’s laser-targeted at a precise audience. 
   They have learned that the impact of television advertising is nebulous at best.  That’s because the attention span of today’s viewers can be measured in nano-seconds, and if your commercial doesn’t have a Super Bowl-caliber hook, few people will remember what they saw even a few minutes later.
   Add to that the saturation of TiVO and DVR’s, and you’ll be lucky anyone sees your commercial at all, let alone remembers it.
   That’s why some television stations routinely offer ads on three and four media platforms for the price of one.  (That is, your ad will run on any and all duopoly channels, station websites, PDA formats, print, sponsored events, whatever the station has to offer.)
   Three and four media platforms for the price of one.
   If you read between the lines, one could ask does that mean stations have been overcharging for airtime all along?
   Who knows?
   But we recommend that companies take a cue from IBM.  Get into web video now.  Dovetail it with your television and print ads. TakeTheVideoTour can show you how.
   Because, if it’s good enough for Big Blue, it’s good enough for you.

J&K.

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The New Frontier.

   Did you know that commercial video packages typically cost anywhere from 3-5 thousand dollars per produced minute?
   Yes, it is a staggering amount of money, and the truth is it’s way too much.
   At TakeTheVideoTour, we use backpack producers to put your project together, sometimes on-site if necessary.  That’s thanks to our top-ten market news background, where we do everything faster, better, and cheaper.
   We actually encourage potential customers to solicit estimates from other media services companies.  Don’t tell them what we’ve told you; just ask them how much they can do the job for.  When you wake up from fainting, come back to our website and hire us.
   We’ll do the job right and at a price you can afford.
   Make no mistake, video on the web is the new frontier in media.  But taking your Uncle Charlie’s old Hi-8 handheld and uploading the video to YouTube is only good if you’re an adolescent or targeting other adolescents.
   For a more professional presentation, use us.  We’ll take you to the new frontier.

J&K.

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The Endless Landfill.

  For some of us in the industry, it’s still hard to believe that Google spent over a billion and a half dollars to buy YouTube.  After all, the site never made any real money, and other than the debatable equity in the YouTube brand, Google will probably never recoup its investment.
   But don’t get me wrong, it is great fun. 
   I suppose that’s why they call them Viral Videos; they’re so infectious.
   Where else can a 7-year-old playing Stairway to Heaven get 40-thousand hits?
   Ditto for the reporter getting beat up by an old lady during a live shot.
   And while I don’t know about you, I never get tired of watching the latest Jackie Chan movie montage set to music.
   Awesome!
   They used to call TV the vast wasteland.  If that’s true, then free web video sites are an endless landfill. Trillions of gigabytes of images and nothing to see.  Unless of course you count the incessant flashing advertisements and pop-ups and redirections embedded on those pages that you’re waiting forever to load up.
   TakeTheVideoTour is to web video what cable is to television. 
   You pay a small fee for a superior product without the annoying ads that are actually trying to drive viewers away from your video.

J&K.

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