From Dances to Danger: Inside the Secret Meta-Funded TikTok Smear Campaign. Plus, How to "BeReal"

Here’s what’s new and what caught my eye this week:

?Meta Targets TikTok with Dirty Tricks: I guess this is what happens when you put a career politician in charge of Facebook’s business. This incendiary story from Taylor Lorenz at the Washington Post details Meta’s shocking smear campaign designed to deflect criticism from Big Blue to Double-T. Even worse, the false stories planted in traditional media actually put teachers and students at risk. Shame, shame. Hey, I have a novel idea –– how about we all try to win with great products instead of flinging poo?

Rethinking Videos on Instagram: There’s been a bit of backlash on Instagram moving so heavily into video and leaving photography behind. Rebecca Jennings at Vox elegantly describes why this might not be a good idea. And the New York Times (sub required) reports that small businesses are rethinking the platform as well over the pivot to video. Add in how Gen Z seems to be rejecting the stylized perfection of legacy social platforms, and there’s a market for a new approach. Coincidentally, I’ve been playing around with BeReal recently. Each day, it gives you two minutes to post a front-and-back picture captured simultaneously. Alas, none of my mobile contacts are on the app, so I’m missing the whole “social” side of it. If you join, connect to me (@jlouderb) and we can be friends ––?for real!

Patreon Wants to Be a Video Platform: Just how big can Patreon get? It’s grown like a weed since Jack Conte launched it nine years ago. CEO Conte sat down with Fast Company and talked about how becoming a video destination is the next likely area of growth. I’m of two minds. First, do we need another video platform? Maybe not. But on the other hand, a video platform where creators own their fans is a net positive. Don’t bet against Patreon for sure, but don’t forget how you got there either, Jack.

Why You Need to Focus on Community Building: Many top creators realize that their community gave them everything –– and they spend half or more of their time cultivating the fans. But according to Derek Yang, many creators struggle with how to build a robust community. Yang works at Discord, so he’s somewhat biased, but I agree with most everything he says. Reminds me of when we trained TV folks to become internet video producers back in my Revision3 days. It was such a shock when I’d tell them that AFTER their video posted, their job was only half done. Those lessons from 2008 are just as relevant today. One tip Yang doesn’t share is how to find great Discord mods for your community. But I’ve got you covered.

?

QUIBIS:?

• Super useful new map and list of creator economy startups from Speedinvest is out –– story and map here, Airtable sheet here (h/t to Bradley Miles from Roll).
• Media analyst Brian Morrisey writes about the slow path to building media brands –– the lessons are relevant to creator-based media startups, too –– with Mythical as the poster child.
• Related analysis of why “recursive publishing” will win.
• Good analysis of why Twitter is probably screwed –– and it includes a great primer on internet-based advertising as well.
• Instagram adds seven?new messaging features!
• It might be LinkedIn’s time to shine as a creator-first platform.
• Discord fighting with predators.
• Building your own community in the US or EU? Then you need to know about the “Trans-Atlantic Data Privacy Framework.”
• Send in the clones –– LinkedIn infestation alert!
• Insightful research from data.ai on the state of mobile 2022 (although it’s unclear where the data comes from).
• I used to hate the teleprompter, and you probably do, too. This piece from Descript will help squash your robo-voice!?

CRYPTIS:

• Private autograph signings become a multi-million dollar business.
• Decentralized creator platform Joystream raises $5.8 million.

Music in the Metaverse is Big Business!? Do you want to learn how to use music to deeply engage communities? Look no further than the metaverse. At this year's VidCon US 2022, we've brought the top experts from Wave, Warner Music and more to share how gaming, music, creators and celebrity collide in this exciting new digital frontier. Learn how you can profit at VidCon 2022 in Anaheim CA this June! ––?buy tickets now!

?

Tip of the Week:

This week’s tip comes from Jade Darmawangsa, CEO at X8 Media?

There are a lot of ways to make money as a creator. All you have to do is promote merch on Instagram, right? Wrong. To create long term financial security, it's not enough to just create a product and post a swipe up link to promote.?

We are going from an economy where creators monetize through selling merch to NFTs and social tokens.?When this shift happens, it's not going to be easy. There's a lot of friction migrating your audience to new technology (Web2 to Web3). The #1 way creators can prepare to make the transition is by focusing on community first. At our agency, we encourage our creators to use platforms like Discord to launch a community outside of their social media content. Fans not only need peer-to-peer interaction with other members but also be able to have a say in the direction of the community. Once these fans are invested in a creator’s community, it will be a lot easier to convert fans into customers for life.

Jade will teach you how to Make Money from NFTs and Crypto at VidCon US 2022.

What We’re Watching:?

• Well, not watching but playing jacksfilms new game Be Funny Now!
• A YouTube product specialist answers six top questions about Shorts.
• Here’s how to run a TikTok-famous bodega from the New York Times Cooking YouTube channel.
• VidCon US 2022 Featured Creator @guywithamoviecamera posted behind-the-scenes clips of the Oscars red carpet on his TikTok account.

Feel free to share this with anyone you think might be interested, and if someone forwarded this to you, you can sign up?on our website at?VidCon.com?— scroll down and select “VidCon Weekly Industry Insights.”

?Jim