Best of Show -- Video-On-The-Net
Here are my best-of-show awards from this week's Video-on-the-Net event in San Jose. I admit they are a little subjective. They don't reflect the wisdom of the crowd. Nor will they win me any friends or money (unfortunately I have been unable to find a sponsor for these awards). They aren't relativistic though. I do, however, believe that that there is one universal definition of the good and what follows really is the best-of-show for Video-on-the-Net 2007:
The Digital Narcissism award: Best audience-generated-content
As one young audience member whispered to another: That's what I should do -- take my daily self-portrait"
Prize: a mirror.
Biggest Lie award
Advertised prominently at the VideoEgg Booth: "FRIENDS AND MONEY: We can get you both" (This was confirmed when I chatted with the young lady at the VideoEgg booth. She really did promise me more friends and money -- although she refused to either lend me $50 or go for a drink with me after the show)
Prize: A pork pie
The Jeff Jarvis Award for multiple Jeff Jarvisisms
Uttered by a fist waving Jeff Jarvis -- or least by somebody who claimed to be him: "We own tv... There is no longer one definition of good.... video is a form of conversation.... This is 1954.... There is no one definition of the best"
Prize: A Jeff Jarvis boblehead doll
Top Personality of the show
Prize: A latke
Buzzword Overdose award
To Fan Rocket who managed to summarize the whole Web 2.0 revolution in a single sentence: "Grow your audience with social social networking and user-generated content tightly integrated with your video programming".
Prize: An Oxford English Dictionary
The NotYahoo/NotGoogle award (top company of the show)
To QOOF. Their "business model" offers users money if they make their own videos about consumer products. The QOOF guys (QOOF'ers) told me they are the "Yahoo and Google of user-generated content". While their marketing pitch for the show promised: "make a video, win an iPod". This is a company that combines all the most original qualities of the digital revolution: the original name, the original business model, the original iPod prize. Wow. I really hope they succeed in making QOOF an original household name. Then, at least, I'll be able to use the word in scrabble (qoof, qoofs, qoofed, qoofingly, qoofist...)
Prize: an iPod