Everyone dislikes that kid. You know who I mean, that one kid who threw bits of eraser at you or always ‘accidental’ stepped on the back of your foot. Yes, that one. But is Google+ really a bully in disguise?

Parents always teach their kids that ignoring a bully is the best way to stopping its behaviour, however, initial activity on Google+ seemed to suggest a different option. Curiosity about Googles next big project brought large numbers of views to the site who where wondering what Google could have possible come up with to compete with the likes of Facebook. However, KashmirKaur is correct in identifying Google+’s biggest error. In their attempt to differentiate themselves from other social networking sites, Google created its own niche function, but how much room do people having in their lives between earning a living in this ever competitive world, to TV, YouTube, Facebook and Twitter.

People only have so many hours in a day and Google’s failure to combine existing function into a more user friendly experiences means that their late entrance into the world of social networking will end in mediocrity. Though Google has seen success in almost all of its endeavours, Google+ appears to be a relative failure, at least for the time being.

Where the internet meets internet and then real life: Part 2.

Success is a term that is forever being defined and redefined by an ever changing world. Ze Frank created an entirely different category of success.

In 2001, in preparation for his birthday Ze created a How to Dance Properly guide, which was featured on his site. What started out as a joke grew to into millions of hits and the beginning of a different kind of internet. Before the popularization or even creation of sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr and Youtube, Ze Frank was creating the basis of personal internet connections. Small projects that targeted peoples day to day frustrations, internet experiments and comedic videos, Ze was able to take advantage of the accessibility to large numbers of people that the internet provides while maintaining the personal connections and loyalty of a conventional business. Unlike the rest of the internet, he wasn’t selling a product or filled with advertisement, which made him appeal to a larger audience. What Ze was doing was not essential to the processes and outcomes of peoples lives and yet he was able to engage an audience of great magnitude.

Ze Frank inspired a generation of internet content producers and along the way became successful at doing so. Without normal conventions or a nine to five job, Ze Frank inspired success.

“For me, experimentation is not about the technology. In an ever-changing technological landscape, where today’s platforms are not tomorrow’s platforms, the key seems to be that any one of these spaces can use a dose of humanity and art and culture.” -Ze Frank

Where Internet meets Internet, and then real life.

Advertisement to the masses used to be controlled by those who had the money and resources to have their products seen. However, as we see a decline in the consumption of conventional forms of media, their has also been a less noticeable shift in the methods of advertisement.

A great example of this is author and video blogger John Green. In 2007, John and his brother Hank started a video correspondence as the Vlogbrothers, which has grown into a subscriber base of over 500,000. However, what has made the brothers a force of great influence is the dedication of Nerdfighters, the community that surrounds the videos and content made by the brothers, and their impact has been immeasurable. Hank is now the organizer of the biggest online video conference, VidCon, as well as having his album, which is produced under DFTBA, the label he co-founded, chart on the Billboard 100.

John has perhaps seen an even greater impact made by his presence on the internet toward his already successful career as an author. The release of his most recent novel was announced via a live vlog on Youtube, which he tweeted about to his over 1 million followers. His book immediately reached number one on the Amazon and Barnes and Nobel sales. What may have been almost impossible for a small time young adult author has become a reality for John Green through the power of the internet.

Through Youtube comments, twitter, tumblr and even real life gathers, the brothers have been able to make what would have perviously been an impossible number of personal connections with their audience, and bigger successes are no doubt in their future.

Following a lawsuit from Viacom in 2007 over the distribution of copyright material that was being uploaded by users, Youtube has increasingly shifted its focus from television and film to independent content producers. This was a smart move for YouTube who soon found that it was unable to compete with the likes of Hulu, but the launch of their partnership program has also meant the beginning of a new kind of entrepreneur.

A legion of profesional YouTubers, who vary in content from comedy sketches to news and vlogs, are now being paid hundreds of thousands for the views they receive on their videos. Though no one has yet reached an income of a million for YouTube, a viewership of over a million subscribers is no longer an uncome milestone. Content producers are now expanding to create their own production studios that focus specifically on the YouTube demographic as the site continues to grow.

It is unclear whether the ever growing activity on the internet will peak, or whether the shift between conventional television and online video consumption will ever be complete. However, what is clear is that the internet is leading to new ways to make money as a new population focuses their attention online.

(A prominent YouTuber, Philip DeFranco, vlogging about money on YouTube)