Flickr, YouTube and other media sharing sites

In a recent post I outlined the 6 different types of social media. In this post we will go more in depth on media sharing sites and how they play into your tribe building strategy.

Media sharing sites allow you to upload and share various media such as pictures and video.  Most services have additional social features such as profiles, commenting, etc.  The most popular by far are YouTube (videos) andFlickr (pictures).

There are two reasons to get involved in these media sharing sites:

1. Your tribe message is a natural fit.  If you are building a tribe around photography or videography, getting involved in these sites is an obvious choice.  But you also need to decide if your subject material naturally fits there.  If you are writing a cooking or recipe book, sharing pictues and videos fits nicely.  Likewise, if you are a fitness or martial arts instructor, producing how-to videos is the way to go.  If there is big emotional or practical value to sharing your message with picture or video, media sharing sites are a great fit.
2. It’s easier for you to produce video than written word.  I recently spoke with an author that had a ton of videos of him talking but very little written content.  When I asked him why, he explained that it took him no time at all to sit down in front of his webcam and produce a short video while writing was a long, laborious process for him.  In other words, if he wasn’t using video he wouldn’t be doing anything.  If this is the case for you, then go with video and YouTube.

If you are going to get involved in media sharing sites, here’s a few ideas and guidelines to be successful:

1. Start your own group or channel.  Market it to your tribe and other communities that are a natural fit.
2. Comment on other photos and videos that you find interesting.
3. Make sure your profile and portfolio pages are filled out and include links to your website.
4. Add relevant tags and descriptions to everything you upload.
5. Do not focus on selling your book.  Instead, focus on spreading your message and growing your tribe.
6. Upload new content on a regular basis.

YouTube gets over 100 million visitors a month and Flickr gets over 22 million.  These sites get huge amounts of traffic and getting involved and building a following is a great way to bring new people into your tribe.