Ron Lindeboom
2
COW Coins
Forum Replies Created
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[Scott Bush] “If this is true, that youtube uses flash 8, either that is new, or the cow magazine has some bad info in it. In the march/april 2007 issue, on page 25, Aharon Rabinowitz writes in his article “How to Preserve Detail in Mini-Media Movies”, “What youtube doesn’t tell you is that if you upload flv files under 100MB as well, they don’t recompress them… I should mention that this only works with Flash 7’s Sorenson Spark Codec, not the newer Flash 8 VP6 codec…” Granted this article is several months old, so they may have changed to flash 8 by now (as they should!) but I found this confusing to say the least.”
The article was right at the time it was printed. YouTube shortly after changed their methodology.
Sorry for the confusion.
Best regards,
Ron Lindeboom
creativecow.net
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[Rennie] “I didn’t realize these were un-audited numbers. Now I’m feeling guilty…I registered for the 1st time in 7 years with hopes of going last year only to have my plans dashed by some work opportunities which took precedence.”
Making money is good, Rennie.
;o)
At least that’s what I hear from all those old guys up at the top of this forum. (I am not like them, I look far younger in person — it’s just a bad picture.)
“Yeah right, Lindeboom,” mutters those whose retinas have been burned by hall lights reflecting off too much white hair, while chatting at the COW booth during past NABs.
Have fun,
Best regards,
Ron Lindeboom
creativecow.net
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Thanks for the clarification, Rennie.
Like you, I live in a nowhere town hours from anywhere. We are halfway between Los Angeles and San Francisco and it seems that our area, like yours, is out of the flow of this industry.
But as I said somewhere else, NAB is great because it’s a party — not because it’s necessary.
That my opinion.
I don’t argue that NAB *posts* that they get large numbers. But there is only one event that posts audited numbers and that is DV Expo. NAB posts the number of people that sign up. But there are far fewer that actually show up.
Many that work the booths joke during breaks, etc., that we see the same people going back and forth for days. And it’s true for those that work the COW booth as our business is people and so we are looking at them, not at a computer screen.
I’d guess that NAB’s *real* floor numbers are somewhere between 40,000 to 60,000. Still a huge number but without any kind of third party verification, it’s hard to say what’s really going on.
That’s why we love Alexa.com, Compete.com, TrafficEstimate.com and Google Analytics. Between them, we can prove that we have five-times the traffic every month of the year that NAB has at its peak.
I am NOT saying that we are more important than NAB and I do not believe that for a moment. What I *am* saying is that the market is changing and as sites like CreativeCOW.net continue to grow, traditional venues that people went to for information — like magazines and expos — become less and less important and it is why they struggle.
As Tim and I like to say, we aren’t chasing news in the Creative COW Magazine. Why? These forums do a far better job ferrting out press releases, reviews and other traditional fodder of dead tree-based journalism than we ever could. So we look for the deeper stories, more broad-scoped analysis and commentary on things that really matter in the long run — this, as tools change all the time but over-riding principles usually don’t.
It’s why the COW Magazine is growing faster than we can add people to our database. We have budgeted monies to keep the magazine in the black and so we only add just so many with each issue. Most all of our competitors would love to be in that position. But they aren’t. Why? They are all chasing the same news and reviews and have the same hunks of plastic on their covers every month.
Times are not only a’ changin’, but so is the market and since writing this article here at the COW, I have been written by people at most all the major networks who have said that they loved reading it.
Our membership sign ups are three-times normal and we had the biggest sign-up day in our history yesterday.
While there are indeed a lot of people that love going to NAB, the truth is, there are many who have been in this industry for decades who never want to walk its hallowed halls again, it seems.
More and more of the people we met at NAB over the last few years are newer users who are just starting out. The old guard that we used to meet and talk with is fading out and tell me that they love sites like the COW just because it helps them keep up with things without being obligated to travel anymore.
For those who love to travel, god bless ’em, me says. ;o)
But I can too understand those who say that they’ll just take the information please, without all the sensory overload, thank you.
Again, that is just my opinion and I am not asking you or anyone else to agree with me.
Best regards,
Ron Lindeboom
creativecow.net
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[Dmods] “…a larger conference seems to be still relevant.”
I couldn’t agree with this, more. Conferences have their place and many users get real value from them. I think conferences will long outlive expos.
But hey, that’s just my opinion.
Best regards,
Ron Lindeboom
creativecow.net
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Another FREE suggestion is Aharon Rabinowitz and the Creative COW After Effects Podcast. Aharon has about 75 or more free video tutorials in the series.
No, you do NOT have to have an iPod to watch them.
You can go over key features and concepts with tutorials that are every bit as good as the ones in series that sell for hundreds of dollars.
Aharon is amazing. Check him out.
Click the “podcasts” link in the orange bar up above. Go to the After Effects podcast.
Best regards,
Ron Lindeboom
creativecow.net
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I just looked at my map and sure enough, just like I thought, Europe is much bigger than just those islands on the left of it.
The BBC is in a unique position in that it is subsidized to a level that PBS and others can only dream of. They have research and other support resources that are inherent in the company that other major broadcasters — even the largest commercial broadcasters here in America — would likely kill to have.
But again, Europe is a pretty big place.
Best regards,
Ron Lindeboom
creativecow.net
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While I agree in principle with much of what you are saying and agree with you and guys like Walter Biscardi that other tradeshows are far less important than NAB, I don’t think that the future will be hostage to the buzz created on a showfloor in Las Vegas.
I always tell Kathlyn, Tim and others close to the COW that as big as the COW is, it is but a pittance of the users who use this technology. The same is true for NAB, Comdex, and even PC World, Macworld, or any other tradeshow/expo that is at the forefront of its industry.
Oh, tradeshows and magazines that report on them would like you to believe that they are critical to your success as a manufacturer/developer/publisher — but the truth is, the word will get around without them and some of the smartest and most informed people I know haven’t been to a tradeshow in years. Does that make them ignorant because they haven’t been informed by the show’s titillating presentations? Hardly. Being informed is far easier today in the days of the internet.
As far as “predicting the demise of tradeshows” goes, I think it’s pretty safe to say that it’s a safe bet. Most are already gone, the few that remain are running aground and only the industry front-runner in any category has a semblance of health about it.
But as the manufacturer who started this thread stated, they are looking hard at their returns from their expense. As the other shows fall away, NAB keeps jacking up its prices to the companies to be there. They probably think that they can as they are the only game in town. But the fact is, manufacturers are wising up — and they are — that the world is different than it was decades ago when the tradeshow model came along.
Information is far easier to get than it was in the past. I asked a MAJOR supplier in this industry that many of you know and have probably talked to, when was the last time he surprised anyone with his information on the show floor at NAB. He thought for a second and said that it was at least five years ago.
People go to NAB because it’s fun and it makes some things more convenient. They do not go because it’s necessary.
That is the knowledge that will keep eroding NAB and other shows and you can say it isn’t happening but it most certainly is…
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[Timothy J. Allen] “CBS simply feels that they don’t have a need to put that kind of money into the NATPE convention this year.”
In light of this kind of thinking, one of the department heads from ABC — I don’t want to use his name without his permission — wrote me today and said that “…I agree with your point of view. I go to NAB each year but never feel like it does a whole lot of good.” (His words, not mine.)
A friend had forwarded the COW Newsletter to him and he wrote me asking to subscribe him as he liked what he read.
:o)
Sometimes, outspoken is good.
Kathlyn and I hope all is well with you and the family, Timothy.
Best regards,
Ron Lindeboom
creativecow.net
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Oh please, Rennie…
Who in the heck said that NAB was DEAD???
Sheesh.
What I said was that NAB is becoming increasingly irrelevant as a means of marketing for SOME companies, Avid being one and the COW another.
You seem fit to prove that the only exercise some people get is jumping to conclusions.
I have talked to more than a few companies who have written me following the publishing of this letter and they have been largely quite favorable, by far.
That said, if you wish to try to put words in my mouth, at least read what was said and use my words, okay???
Best regards,
Ron Lindeboom
creativecow.net
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[walter biscardi] “I honestly pay no attention to movies because that’s not my market. And as you say, 400 major movies. That’s a pittance compared to thousands upon thousands of projects created for all the television networks and stations each year. I’d rather concentrate my efforts on those projects that try to land one high profile movie. That single movie won’t earn us the same income as the almost 200 projects we will complete this year alone.”
Yes, I agree with you 100% in your situation, Walter. My point was that these 400 movies represent Sony Imageworks, Dreamworks SKG, Paramount and many, many others who buy huge infrastructures — systems that bring massive purchases to Avid.
I also agree with you that in the world of smaller shops and indie producers, Final Cut FAR exceeds the incursion of systems hailing from Avid’s Tewksbury, Massachusetts shipping address.
No argument from me there. ;o)
And am I saying that Avid’s strategy is a shoe-in for success or that I think they will be a dominant player always in the days ahead? I really don’t know. If they play their cards well and make the right moves, they could be. But if they don’t serve their core market as well as they have to date, they could become a thing of the past.
It all remains to be seen as the big and little hands on the clock go round and round…
Best regards,
Ron Lindeboom
creativecow.net
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