Indie comedy starring all your favorite Vine celebs launches Kickstarter

Comedians and Vine stars Jason Nash and Brandon Calvillo have a new project that is largely inspired by their real lives: a full length film called FML: A Social Media Adventure.

The film centers around two men who travel across the country making short videos on a Vine-like app called Reload, trying to boost their social media following. Along with achieving viral fame, FML is also about the strong friendship between Nash and Calvillo's characters, as well as the real-life one that inspired it.

See also: 19 Viners Funnier Than Anyone You Know IRL

FML: A SOCIAL MEDIA ADVENTURE • Kickstarter Campaign Video from Fantail Entertainment on Vimeo. Read more...

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‘Money and Violence’ Proves the Value of Original Content on YouTube

YouTube has become one of the most democratic distribution platforms on the internet. Anyone with a camera and an internet connection can upload, and (if their content is good enough) achieve acclaim. A low budget original program called Money and Violence has shot up in popularity since its launch in August, a demonstration how important original web content has become.

Money and Violence was created by Moise Verneau, and all 24 episodes were released on the Cloud9TV YouTube channel over seven months. Verneau told Digital Trends that he was aware his project would have to be a self-starter, because the content of the show is unlike the traditional gang-violence narratives of television.

Most of the episodes have received more than 300,000 views each, and Digital Trends reports that there may be some interest from companies like Netflix in taking the show to a more mainstream audience. However, Verneau said he and his cast are ready to avoid television and do it independently in order to keep the show’s authenticity. Still, the truckloads of YouTube money aren’t rolling in yet.

Money and Violence is an example of creator-started independent projects on YouTube that can achieve success. YouTube has been trying to foster the creatives its network attracts, either through exclusive content agreements, or through direct project funding. Given that YouTube stars are more popular than Hollywood stars in some cases, it’s a wise move.

As the video market gets more competitive, and bigger companies move in, it’s clear that independent content is an attractive investment. If Money and Violence is able to attract an even larger audience, the possibility exists for it to transition easily to the mainstream. That said, with Woody Allen working for Amazon, and Spike Lee releasing a Kickstarted movie on Vimeo, it’s hard to say what the mainstream is anymore.

Don’t Get Caught with Your Pants Down: 3 Steps to Increase Your Search Traffic with Google’s Next Update

On April 21st, 2015, Google will roll out an update that will make mobile friendliness a bigger part of its algorithm. If you don’t think this is a big deal, think again. Why? Because Google is saying the mobile update will have a bigger impact than its Panda update. Should you be worried? Yes! Here’s why, and here are some  [click to continue...]

Chosen Launches Video-Based Talent Competition App on iOS

Chosen, a video-based, crowd judged talent competition platform, has launched by invitation only on iOS devices. Headed up by former CEO of Beats Music, David Hyman, Chosen allows users to become performers or judges of musical content.

As a judge, users can play mini-games including \"Star Spotting\" and \"Judge the Judge.\" In Star Spotting, users watch three 15-second performance clips submitted by the community, and choose the one they believe has the most star potential. Users are then shown the trio’s vote totals, and players \"win\" if they’ve chosen the most popular star.

Part of the app experience encourages users to be more than passive observers, and become actual reviewers of the submitted musical performances. With this in mind, users can record video reviews of a chosen performer, which leads to the app’s second game: Judge the Judge. Here, viewers watch two reviews, and pick the better of the two.

For performers, the app’s karaoke mode allows users to choose from up to 75 rotating songs (from a library of over 8,000 pre-cleared tracks) for each performance. The app offers a video karaoke experience that includes noise canceling technology (and other effects) to make each performance the best it can be. Other performance modes include Lip Sync and Perform Now, in an effort to allow all kinds of performers, including those who prefer musical instruments to singing, to have a place to shine.

Users receive experience points for their actions, climbing separate judge and performer leaderboards for a chance to win prizes. For its inaugural prize, Chosen has partnered with Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival. One Chosen performer will win an all-expenses-paid trip to Bonnaroo 2015, and the chance to perform live on-stage, while the winning judge will receive a trip to Bonnaroo for two, as well as all-access passes to the event.

In a statement, co-founder and CEO of Chosen, David Hyman, commented on the app:

We designed Chosen for tastemakers, up-and-coming talent and the more than one billion fans of online music videos, traditional reality competition TV shows and mobile gaming. On Chosen, fans and performers are able to get in the game in a way that simply isn’t possible while passively watching TV shows like American Idol or The Voice, or endlessly surfing online videos. In addition to being a powerful performance platform, Chosen is a completely new way for fans to interact and engage with music and video content.

Chosen is available to download for free on the iTunes App Store. Users can request an invitation to the app, here.

STUDY: Messaging Apps Get You Hooked, Keep You Coming Back for More

The main goal for mobile apps is to not only get that precious install, but to keep you tapping on that app often. One particular kind of app achieves this regularly, with retention rates of greater than 60 percent a year after install — messaging apps.

While you might bemoan that your Facebook messages are now largely bound to Facebook’s Messenger app, many people keep visiting regularly. Flurry, part of Yahoo, tracked the retention rate of Messenger and other messaging apps, finding that retention rates were 5.6 times better than the average app after 12 months.

Simon Khalaf, Yahoo’s VP of Flurry Products, documented the findings in a blog post:

Research we released in early 2014 suggested last year would be a crucial year for messaging apps that would determine whether they would remain independent, yet highly frequented applications, or become a platform for other mobile services. At that time, the jury was still out. Now, a little more than a year later, it is safe to say that messaging apps have made the leap to become the platform for many services, starting with payments and most likely ending with commerce.

Here’s a look at retention rates of messaging apps compared with the average throughout a 12-month period.

But this isn’t just checking in on the app every now and then; Flurry found that the daily frequency of the use of messaging app outpaced the average app by 4.7X.

This is great news for Facebook, which recently opened up Messenger as a platform and is now pushing for brands to use Messenger (not email) to communicate with customers about purchases.

Readers: How often do you check your messaging app of choice?

Top image courtesy of Shutterstock.

Please Link Responsibly: Social Media Guidelines for Alcohol Marketing

Known for game day-stealing marketing campaigns and clever cross-platform advertising, alcohol brands are key content creators on social media. But while these brands appear to have no trouble giving people something to talk about, they face…

The post Please Link Responsibly: Social Media Guidelines for Alcohol Marketing appeared first on Sprout Social.

Meerkat vs. Periscope #socialtoolkit

People are talking about these apps like its the #HarryPotter prophesy. @AppMeerkat @periscopeco pic.twitter.com/GrCWwJXAL7 — Dom Garrett (@DomGarrett) March 26, 2015 Social Toolkit 20: Meerkat vs Periscope Check out the full podcast below or download it on iTunes, Stitcher, or Soundcloud to listen later. Jason Keath and Jason Yarborough discuss the rise and debate of the […]