Mike Myers, Kevin Kline Video On Oscar Etiquette Shows AMPAS Social Media Issue

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Kevin Kline And Mike Myers
The Academy Of Motion Picture Arts and Science either has a fear of social media, or a plain lack of knowledge of proper social media practices. And here I refer to AMPAS really annoying practice of trying to stop you from embedding one of their YouTube videos, and directing traffic to Oscars.org, the AMPAS website. The latest example being the Mike Myers and Kevin Kline video on Oscar Etiquette.

The normal practice is to offer an embed code so you can place the video on your website or blog. That also helps the video maker gain views, and makes the content “portable” – able to be seen from anywhere, rather than going to one place.

Well, someone at AMPAS didn’t get that memo; this is the message in the email that was sent:

Below view/download the video :30 sec trailer … please use in your broadcast coverage today with tune-in to www.Oscar.com.

To see the rest of the video, please ask viewers to visit Oscar.com

So in other words I can see it, but I can’t post it on this blog from YouTube, or post it there.

What AMPAS should do is not only allow embedding from YouTube but seek to become a YouTube Partner and gain ad revenue from its videos. And before you say that doesn’t square with AMPAS non-profit status, then why do they sell ads for the Academy Awards telecasts?

And what’s crazymaking is that when I get to the video at Oscar.org, guess what?

Yeah. It has an embed code. But the code is for a series of AMPAS videos, not just the Mike Myers and Kevin Kline video!

That is weird. AMPAS seems to be concerned with traffic counts to its website. But in staying with a rather weird strategy, it then allows video embeds to other sites, but only if you come to Oscar.org to get the single video. Instead, the common strategy of web portability allows for sharing via embed from any website or blog.

It’s not a “YouTube” issue, because AMPAS uses the YouTube Live system for the Academy Awards Nomination program, but a lack of a coherent social media strategy. It looks like different people have done different things at different times.

AMPAS can do better.

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