There’s been too much in-fighting around here this week, so here’s a video of a kitten trying to steal a dog’s tongue.
Palate Cleanser
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TheOtherOtherMe August 21, 2013, 4:27 pm
OMG that is so damn cute.
Imsostartled August 21, 2013, 4:29 pm
Love it! My husband sent me that one last week when I was having a rough day! I really like this cuteness feature, even if it’s only the one time. 😀
And I agree Wendy, too much fighting lately. Just look at the kitty and puppy and let all the anger melt away.
Fabelle August 21, 2013, 4:34 pm
Aww, I love how the kitty gets scared at first, & then is like “GIMME IT.” So cute 😀 And what a chill dog!!
Northern Mermaid August 21, 2013, 4:38 pm
I LOVE kitty’s initial reaction. Is that WET? HOLY SHIT THAT IS WEIRD! NOW I WANTTTSSS IT!!!
rachel August 21, 2013, 4:40 pm
Heehee, thanks Wendy, I think we needed that.
<3 you all.
Diablo August 21, 2013, 4:52 pm
Now I’m trying to think how I could start an argument about this video.
Dear Wendy, Is it just my nature to be contrarian? Is it just the hallmark of an abuser for me to say that other commenters MAKE me attack their views? Or is everybody else REALLY wrong?
My wife tries to make me watch kitten videos. She calls it “kitty porn.” Although on the other thread I claimed she didn’t watch porn.
Northern Mermaid August 21, 2013, 4:55 pm
This is the song I sing in my head when my feelings get hurt—-because I lack the ability to process emotions like an adult:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9zI3_pnUU3k
MissDre August 21, 2013, 5:06 pm
Can we somehow turn this into a way to promote my dance video?? I’m desperate trying to reach 1 Million views and I’m failing miserably.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=usvkMrQSBxE
MissDre August 21, 2013, 5:08 pm
Maybe someday Wendy will just feel sorry for me and feature it on the main page as like another palate cleanser or something, even though it has absolutely nothing to do with relationships.
Diablo August 21, 2013, 5:20 pm
So, are you one of the dancers? Very limber!
MissDre August 21, 2013, 5:24 pm
No, I’m not a dancer. It’s my family business. My SIL is the artistic director and choreographer, my brother is the executive director and I’m the marketing director. I’ve run out of ideas to get the local media involved, so I desperately want to reach 1 Million views so I can write a kick ass press release and get the local news, papers and radio stations to talk about us.
lets_be_honest August 21, 2013, 5:29 pm
Looks like you got a ways to go! I viewed it though.
MissDre August 21, 2013, 5:32 pm
Yeah, I need to multiply my current view count by 10 🙁 The problem is, I need to somehow turn it into a story so that it’s worth featuring, yet I can’t think of any kind of story other than it getting lots of views. I get lots of good feedback on it…. it’s just… not exactly a mainstream topic. Sigh.
Northern Mermaid August 21, 2013, 5:31 pm
I watched!
MissDre August 21, 2013, 5:33 pm
Sharing helps! Pretty pretty please and thank you? I love you guys. I love DW. I’m in a pretty good mood this week.
Diablo August 21, 2013, 5:34 pm
Write the release first, claiming a million views. Don’t let mere facts impede the progress of your marketing juggernaut. By the time the scandal settles down, you’ll have your million views.
If you take my advice, I am legally entitled to 15% of your having been fired.
MissDre August 21, 2013, 5:36 pm
Don’t think I haven’t thought of that!!! I’ve already got the release written up!
Northern Mermaid August 21, 2013, 5:46 pm
What if the story was about the age range of your girls? 12-17, right? That is pretty amazing…
MissDre August 21, 2013, 5:57 pm
Any idea how I can swing that into the kind of story that will get picked up by journalists and bloggers?
Northern Mermaid August 21, 2013, 6:03 pm
I’d start with blogs about your general area and arts-specific publications. Does your area have any free periodicals that cover arts events? Send teasers for your story to those kinds of places. If you were in Seattle, I would totally have the hook up for you.
Northern Mermaid August 21, 2013, 6:05 pm
Also, if you have any sort of advertising budget, offer to buy ad space in key publications. I work for a magazine part time and I’m WAAAAY more likely to look at your story if you’re interested in advertising….
Northern Mermaid August 21, 2013, 6:14 pm
Are you looking for new students? People to come to the shows? If you’re looking for new students consider reaching out to local homeschool associations, the school newspapers, are any of your students headed to college locally? Joining larger/more adult (as in grown up, not sexypants) cabarets?
MissDre August 21, 2013, 6:07 pm
Can your hook up feature something cool and arts related even if it isn’t local?
I wrote something like this when I was begging The Frisky to share the video but of course they didn’t. I sorta tried to spin it into a feminist story about the physical strength of girls and women.
“A group of teenage girls demonstrate unbelievable physical strength and flexibility in this Cirque du Soleil inspired Acrobatic Dance & Contortion routine. These girls have won multiple Diamond Awards and Judges Choice awards across four regional dance competitions, and in 2011 the school took home 1st place at a National competition.
They train up to 30 hours a week, specializing in Acrobatics, Stunting, Tumbling, Contortion and Aerial Arts. They have been featured on local morning talk shows as well as the 6pm news. Several of them aspire to attend the National Circus School (École nationale de cirque) and one day join Cirque du Soleil.
We’d love it if you would share their video and support them by showing the world that girls have incredible physical strength too!”
Northern Mermaid August 21, 2013, 6:17 pm
Unfortunately, my Seattle contacts are really Seattle-centric, but a quick online search shows some promise for stuff in Ottawa
Northern Mermaid August 21, 2013, 6:19 pm
I’ve only ever worked for really locally focused publications, so my advice is super limited to things that are “small.” I don’t have a lot of advice as far as nation-wide advertising.
MissDre August 21, 2013, 6:25 pm
Yeah I’ve reached out to many publications/organizations over the years and we get picked up here and there…. a 1 minute segment on the 6PM news…. invited as a guest for the local morning talk show…. a short article buried in the newspaper… but I want something BIGGER. I want something that’s going to make my city take notice. To get the radio hosts talking, make the paper, make the news, all at once. I figured spinning a story about an Ottawa video going viral on YouTube would get me that…. I just haven’t been successful yet.
Northern Mermaid August 21, 2013, 6:28 pm
Also: YouTube is a fickle beast and 3something minute videos are usually too long. I get why you want to showcase how great these routines are, but have you considered trying for a million views with a compilation of awesome contortion trick poses that lasts about 1:30?
Diablo August 21, 2013, 6:57 pm
At least where I live, there is a resurgence of local morning shows due to the lack of local content from nationals and cable networks, so my organization is suddenly getting opportunities for coverage where we couldn’t get arrested a few years back. They are actually casting a wide net for content at this point, so if you were in Saskatoon, i bet i could get you coverage. We have morning shows waiting for us to provide some content, but we can’t keep up with the demand at the moment. Maybe it’s worth investigating.
bittergaymark August 21, 2013, 6:22 pm
Anything would be better than another stupid cat video…
Diablo August 21, 2013, 6:57 pm
That cat is stupid? How can you tell?
bittergaymark August 21, 2013, 7:29 pm
For starters… it’s a CAT. 😉
katie August 21, 2013, 6:45 pm
so, just wondering, but- what is the point of getting 1 million views? seriously- what is the game plan here from a marketing standpoint? i mean i dont see the value of having a video that has 1 million views- and im in the generation that invented youtube.
what is the end game? is it to promote the studio? get more students? get into more competitions? get on tv? get the dancers into the cirque school? depending on what it is, i think there are sooo many better ways to focus your energy and potential marketing dollars then getting 1 million youtube hits.
MissDre August 21, 2013, 7:57 pm
I’m not spending my dollars on it. I’ve been a professional media planner for the last 5 years, so every dollar I spend must have a trackable ROI. But it would be really awesome from a branding perspective. As I mentioned before, I want the story. I want the free press. I’ve done the whole press release thing, we’ve been in the paper and the local morning show and the 6 o’clock news but it’s just little things here and there. I want the big story so that the city is talking about us (even though YouTube fame is like literally 15 minutes).
It would be huge from a branding and awareness perspective. I’m always focused on my conversion funnel. Exposure drives Awareness drives Consideration drives Intent to Purchase drives Conversions. I want that hype, I want to be the most well known dance school in the city, and I want the city to know what we offer that nobody else here does — which is acrobatics, circus and aerial arts.
Plus the residual backlinks from city-wide story would be hugely helpful in terms of SEO. Quality backlinks is the one part of the algorithm I’ve been struggling with.
Plus a city-wide story would be so exciting for the kids. Whenever we win a competition or sell out a show, the kids get so hyped and they talk about how proud they are of their school and the mom’s hype us too, which often turns into inquiries which turns into new students.
Is this my only strategy? Of course not. It’s not really even a strategy. It’s one of those “Nice-to-Have” things. The dance studio is my life, I’ll never run out of energy to promote it in any way I can.
katie August 21, 2013, 10:02 pm
“I want that hype, I want to be the most well known dance school in the city, and I want the city to know what we offer that nobody else here does — which is acrobatics, circus and aerial arts.”
i guess im just still lost as to why a milestone of 1 million youtube hits would give you any of that stuff. i mean, i just actually went to youtube, and i havent been to youtube in a loooong time, and “dog plays dead to avoid bathtime” has 2.5 million views. i mean this isnt exactly groundbreaking, reputation-serving, promotional, hype-producing stuff, you know? i just dont get it. ill be way honest- this sounds like a social media misunderstanding to me. there are so much better ways to achieve what you want to. for instance, instagram video.
MissDre August 21, 2013, 11:21 pm
Its not about the views themselves. Its to use as a PR header. Kinda like link bait but for local journalists. They love that shit (in my boring city anyway).
Like I said, YouTube is not my strategy, its a nice-to-have. I think you’re just going to have to take my word for it that I know what I’m doing. Not that you actually care about my campaign, I know you’re just trying to play devils advocate. But, I have a decade of marketing experience, I’ve been working as a strategic planner and media buyer for the last 5 years, and I’ve been pretty successful in terms of local PR.
I really do want the views, obviously I’m failing in that regard so far, but not getting them has no impact on my campaign strategy.
Now I’m sure you’re going to come back and say that you STILL don’t understand the point and that I should do X, Y and Z but you seem to say that to everybody who thinks differently than you so, whatever.
P.S. I hate Instagram
katie August 22, 2013, 8:20 am
well, all im saying is that if you ARENT getting page views, then you are doing something wrong, a la the offbeat empire’s general strategy of social media and/or online website useage – “If I’ve learned anything from a decade of online community management, it’s that you cannot teach people how to use your community “correctly.” Your members will use the tools you make available the ways that suit them, and time spent trying to convince them to use them differently is just a waste of moderator energy. Your tools MUST match the needs of your community — if your members are not using the tools the way you intended, then you need to reassess the tool.”(http://offbeatempire.com/2012/12/changing-your-tools-to-meet-your-online-communitys-needs)
so that is all. i dont think your bad at what you do or anything, im not trying to call out your skillz or whatever, but if people arent into youtube… maybe try something other then youtube?
ps. i have never watched your video, but i would follow you on instagram if you posted semi frequent short videos of tricks, pictures of the girls in their shows, ect. i actually love dance and i was a dancer… but i hate youtube and i NEVER watch videos.
bethany August 22, 2013, 9:26 am
The problem is that the video is WAY too long and nothing, literally nothing, happens in the first 30 seconds. Actually, something started happening around 28 seconds, but I already lost interest by then.
A million people aren’t going to sit through that. You need to edit that down.
Diablo August 21, 2013, 5:15 pm
My mea culpa:
I remember the only time I really lost my shit on DW. I felt attacked for some of my lunatic views on sexuality, and I launched a new thread with this absolutely shrieking passive aggressive rant about the length of War and Peace. I clicked “submit,” and virtually instantly emailed Wendy to ask her to take it down, which she was kind enough to do.
After, I was basically shaking my head at myself. Like, why did I care enough to get so mad? But then I remembered that this is a basic quality of my approach to people (and it doesn’t always end well). If I can’t be bothered to argue with you, I may not respect you. If I am arguing, it’s because i respect you enough to bother wanting to change your views. Does that make sense?
I run into so many 9/11 conspiracy nuts, space alien lizard overlord believers, anti-vaxxers and other people whose views seem incomprehensible to me IRL, and my only response is to walk away, because there is nothing to gain by trying to argue with people covered head to toe in hardened bullshit-based belief armor. Life is just too greyscale and too insanely funny to me to deal with some people’s rigid views.
So, here’s to DW, a bunch of people worth arguing with!
katie August 21, 2013, 6:20 pm
“So, here’s to DW, a bunch of people worth arguing with!”
i totally agree with this!
MissDre August 21, 2013, 6:31 pm
@NothernMermaid yeah I’m going to create a series of much shorter promo videos this season. Maybe around 45 seconds to 1:15. For now I’m stuck with just the footage of our competitions, but I’m heading back to school this year for web dev and video production, so I plan to apply those skills to the business for sure.
Northern Mermaid August 21, 2013, 6:37 pm
I think that will REALLY help. Contortionists are soooo exciting to watch live because there’s this whole element of danger and suspense—on video it’s a little less thrilling because if they’re on video it’s like “ehhhh. everyone’s fine.”
Sue Jones August 21, 2013, 7:22 pm
Awwwww! I love how the kitten just hangs out between the big dog’s paws…
Taylor August 22, 2013, 10:01 pm
What happened? I’m out of town this week and seem to have missed the fighting. The interwebs are SLOW for the most part, so I can’t scroll through much. Eek, missing stuff!!!