Be jealous: I went to Las Vegas a week and a half ago. 

But even when I am on a short (but awesome) vacay, a part of my brain doesn’t leave work/writing mode. Well, I’m not a gambler and I have much more interest in partaking in spa services than any of the other “activities” that “sin city” has to offer. But the one thing that continually impresses me about Las Vegas is their use of social media and the way they use it to engage residents, visitors, and potential travelers.

Everywhere you go in The Vegas, social media follows. Almost every resort, spa, casino, and store has some sort of “get connected” signage encouraging people to… well, get connected. (Example to the right).

Even a mention of Vegas on Twitter and you’re going to be followed and @replied by a few casinos and/or shows that might want to help you out.

When I checked into Planet Hollywood on @FourSquare (a location-based social media application), a nearby special popped up. Just for checking in on FourSquare, I got a free drink from the bar at KOI, an uber-nice Japanese restaurant inside Planet Hollywood. (Screenshot to the left.)

If you have Vegas-related questions about discount show tickets, hotel reservations, restaurants, whatever, there is going to be someone in the social media space to answer it for you.

I had a huge breakfast mishap the first morning I was there. I tweeted to them about it, I was taken care of, and @PHVegas checked in with me on Twitter about it.

It was nice to know that if I had a problem or a question, there was going to be an answer, in real time, no matter where I was.

Vegas does social media right.

I know Vegas isn’t the ONLY city that uses social media to such heights, but it sure is a great example of how it should be done.

Need more examples? Look at some of the MANY Vegas venues on Twitter:

• @VegasConcierge
• @zappos (BTW: if you ever go to Vegas, DEFINITELY do the Zappos tour. It’s awesome.)
• @LasVegasHilton
• @PHVegas
• @CaesarsPalace
• @PalmsLasVegas
• @PalazzoLasVegas
• @HardRockHotelLV
• @EverythingVegas
• @VegasCom
• @WeddingsLV
• @HootersCasinoLV
• @MyVegasScene
• @Cirque
• @Vegas_Hotel

By using these tools, Las Vegas is able to reach out to an international audience. People come from all corners of the world to The Vegas and Vegas needs a way to connect with those people. And they do.

Question(s): What other cities do you think utilize social media tools as effectively as Las Vegas? Have you have a negative experience with Vegas social media? Do you think they could improve? What do you think engages you the most when a city uses social media? I would love to hear your thoughts and/or other examples.

Word.

Sure, all of us have spent many an hour perusing YouTube for that hilarious video of kittens on a roomba, or a dad getting hit in the nether regions, or that SNL sketch we all loved… And I’m sure some of you know about the advent of “career YouTubers” – people who are literally making a killing just by putting up YouTube videos.

Many people love incorporating video into their campaign, or message, or event, or whathaveyou. But you can’t just create a YouTube video or a YouTube channel and expect it to go viral in 24-hours. You can’t expect to become a YouTube celebrity overnight. Sure, creating video content is great, but if no one is watching it, then why do it? I’m by no means claiming that I am an expert. I love video blogging and putting up videos on YouTube, but my videos get a couple hundred views, maybe 1,000 views at best. I continue to do it because I love the work I do and frankly, it’s practice. I want to get better and the only way to get better is to screw up. [At the Social Media Business Forum I attended in October, I attended a panel on creating video content. Zach Ward wrote a great blog post about it to sum up.]

Well, “YouTube Celebrities” have become an entire niche and an entire industry. So, I just wanted to share a couple of the Rockstar YouTubers I, personally, follow and why I think they are so successful.

*

PS22 Chorus – AGreggOfSociety

Subscribers: 16,983 - Videos: 294 – Channel Views: 499,053

Who: Okay, so the PS22 chorus isn’t making money through YouTube, because they are a bunch of 5th graders. They are phenomenal singers and are so incredibly inspiring. I just wanted to give them a shout out here because I think they rock. PLUS I wanted to share one of my favorite videos they have done.

Community Channel

Subscribers: 494,071 – Videos: Too many to count – Channel Views: 24,268,468

Who: Natalie is an Australian video blogger and YouTube personality. She talks about anything and everything. She does all her own filming, editing, writing, etc. She is the #1 most subscribed YouTuber in every category in Australia and she is in the Top 10 Most Subscribed on ALL of YouTube in the entire world.

What makes her so successful: Aside from her sick Australian accent, her appeal is definitely in her charisma and her charm. However, she is savvy and knows what works. Her videos are solid and consistent, she puts a lot of work into the quality of her videos, and she engages with her community… She ends EVERY video with a shoutout to her fans, she’ll feature fan questions and give answers, etc. She is involved. She also generates a ton of content – thus, getting people hooked and bringing them back again and again.

Why I like her: Of course I think she is really funny, but what I like best about her is that I try to learn from her. Obviously I don’t have the camera or editing skills that she does, but she is incredibly creative in that arena which is an arena I am not as comfortable in. I gain something new every time I watch one of her videos.

JuicyStar07

Subscribers: 165,589 – Videos: 122 – Channel Views: 8,441,025

Who: Blair “JuicyStar07″ is a 16-year-old (yes, 16) beauty guru. I had no idea until recently there is an entire niche on YouTube of “beauty gurus” who do make up tutorials, share products, do reviews, etc. It totally makes sense. But anyway, Blair is 16-years-old, and is a beauty guru. She posts a video anywhere from every day to twice a week. I just happened upon one of her videos one day, watched it, and actually learned something. (I am totally not ashamed to say that I learned something from a 16-year-old. By all means, she knows more about this stuff than I do. Teach me!)

What makes her so successful: She has only been on YouTube for a little over a year. She posted her FIRST beauty tutorial in July of 2008. Wow. She really became almost an overnight sensation. She has been featured in Seventeen magazine and in the New York Times. She is adorable, quirky, and honest – which I think are 3 attributes that make her appealing to a crowd of teenage girls (and quasi-makeup-inept 20-somethings) who want to know what the must-have eyeshadow for Fall is. She creates a ton of content and keeps her content fresh. She is now getting sent free makeup and hair products and Coach bags from different companies to review and talk about in her videos. She is a 16-year-old entrepreneur and incredibly smart. Way to go, Blair.

Why I like her: What I think is interesting about her is that she is not afraid to admit when she doesn’t know something about a product. She doesn’t claim to be an expert which I think is really admirable considering the world we live in where people are afraid to admit defeat. I think the other reason I like her videos is because she talks about something that I really know nothing about. And every girl secretly wants to be super girly. Yeah, I love to write. Yeah, I love comedy, Yeah, I love social media. BUT, I’m also a girl and I love to do my hair, and I love makeup. But I want someone to teach me how to do it. (Totally not ashamed in the least).

Sxephil

Subscribers: 775,325 – Videos: He posts one every day Mon-Fri for like 3 years. So, a lot. – Channel Views: 27,375,711

Who: Philly D is a video blogger who creates short (2-5 minutes), fast-paced, news-like videos. He talks about the headlines, celebrity gossip, his own life, anything. He is frank, abrupt, honest, and doesn’t take sh*t from anyone.

Why he is so successful: Aside from the fact that he posts SO much (like I said, he posts a video every day Monday-Friday), he is hilarious. His content is original, fun, and incredibly insightful. But he get straight to the point and doesn’t sugar coat anything. He isn’t afraid of offending anyone… he just tells it like it is. And I think that whether people love him or hate him, people respect him.

Why I like him: I’m not going to lie, I get a lot of my news from Philly D. What I also love is that he keeps his videos short and sweet. Sometimes I am way too lazy to sit and watch a video that is 16 minutes long. I like that I can count on Phil’s video to be less than 5 minutes, funny, and get me up to date on the latest headlines/news/gossip/stories/fun. And I like the standard-issue  monkey poster in the background.

iJustine

Subscribers: 290,525 – Videos: Again, a lot. – Channel Views: 6,772,209

Who: iJustine is a video blogger, YouTube personality, internet geek, APPLE LOVER (she seriously LOVES Steve Jobs), techie, and all around rockstar.

Why she is so successful: She has an awesome balance of quality content, hilarious videos, and originality. She lets her personality shine through in every video or blog post she does. (She also loves to dance). She found her niche: she loves Apple products, Steve Jobs, dancing, technology, photography, social media, and videos. So she takes all of those things and makes them her own. Again, consistency is key.

Why I like her: In a totally non-creepy way, I want to meet her and be friends with her. I think we’d get along. I’m fun. She’s fun. I’m cool. She’s cool. I’m saying, together, we could do some serious damage (in that we would crush the business world with our genius powers… or something like that). But in all seriousness, her content rocks. When I mentioned earlier that I wish I were better at creating videos and editing (etc.), I have learned a lot of easy to implement techniques from her.

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And no YouTuber blog post would be complete without mentioning… Fred. I am not officially including him in my list. I am simply going to link to his channel and let you decide for yourself. Fred is the #1 most subscribed YouTuber of all time on all of YouTube. This is a link to Fred’s channel. I want to know: why do YOU think he is so successful?

*

TAKEAWAYS: So all of these YouTubers are not alike, yet they are all video rockstars, and all for completely different reasons. BUT there are a few common threads:

• Quality content = people will want to watch your stuff
• Consistency = the more you post on a consistent basis, the more people will return
• Subscribers = the more people subscribe, the more they will keep coming back
• Quantity = the more you post, the more there is for people to find

‘nuf said.

So, what do YOU guys think? Why do you think some of these people are totally rocking YouTube? What makes them so successful? Are there any YouTubers you, personally, follow? Why do you like them?

Tell me about some of the rockstars you love.

Word.

This is quite possibly THE most adorable thing, I have ever seen, in my entire life. Well, not my entire life, but it’s pretty adorable. Nope, not social media related. Nope, not comedy related. Just an adorable kitten. I had to share this with you.

Thanks, @woley for sharing with me. Enjoy.

Can’t see the video? Click here.

Meow.

What is an auto-tune?

From Wikipedia: Auto-Tune is a proprietary audio processor created by Antares Audio Technologies. Auto-Tune uses a phase vocoder to correct pitch in vocal and instrumental performances. It is used to disguise off-key inaccuracies and mistakes, and has allowed singers to perform perfectly tuned vocal tracks without the need of singing in tune.

Basically, if you have ever heard a T-Pain or Kanye West song, you know what an auto-tune is. Well… they have made the auto-tune even better. For reals.

You HAVE to know the Charlie Bit Me video by now. This is 100 times better. Seriously. I honestly think I’ve watched this video about 12 times in a row now. It’s only :28 long. And each second is totally worth it. Enjoy.

As a bonus, enjoy an auto-tuned tribute to the late Billy Mays.

Ahhh it doesn’t get any better than that.

All for now.

Considering this video has over 7.5 million views on YouTube, most of you have probably already seen it. However, I wanted to share it anyway because I think it’s incredible. It is really humbling to think how small we are in the scheme of things. It puts things in perspective.

DISCLAIMER: AND it was researched and remixed by a good friend of mine and hilarious improviser, Jeff Brenman of Apollo Ideas.

What do YOU think?

Word.

I am in West Virginia for my best friend’s wedding. We went to a garden this morning and got to pick all the flowers we wanted for the wedding! It was awesome. Becca told me about this one flower called “fennel” – it is actually the main ingredient in black licorice! She told me to taste it. I did. It tastes like black licorice. It was awesome.

I just thought I’d share this with you all. Enjoy!

All for now.

Like um, this is real. I hope someone, like um, invents a candy, gum, beer, or like um, clothing line called “Like Um’s” because I think he would like um, be the perfect like um, spokesman. At first, I was like um, convinced this was a, um, joke. Although, sadly, it is not. Was not. Is not. It’s not a, like um, joke.

What I like, um, is they even created a REMIX. Like um, duh, that had to happen. Like um.

This is a hot, like um, song. I hope I hear it in the clubs, like um, soon. Drop the, like um, beat.

Like um, all for now.

I had a good day yesterday. So I felt like making a quick video. It’s cool.

That’s just how I roll.

All for now.

It’s Wednesday. Forget the FACTS was filmed on a Tuesday.

Last Thursday was National Librarian Day. But no one knew because they were whispering.

It’s also Earth Day. Why don’t you hug a tree?

Tomorrow is Take Your Daughter to Work Day. (And yes, we have a joke about it. It may or may not be “OKAY”).

Friday is Friday.

I am going to see the Dave Matthews Band in Raleigh, NC tonight.

Today is also Zach Ward’s birthday. Do you know him? You should.

I’m drinking a Diet Coke and thinking about Chipotle. A burrito, not a burrito bol.

Does anyone else think it’s weird that Burrito Bol is missing the “W”? I wonder if the Chipotle execs know that they misspelled a popular food item on their menu.

I don’t think the Washington National’s jersey-spelling-snafu really compares.

I have to go to the bathroom.

I’m just saying.

All for now.

Forget the FACTS took a break last week due to my possession of the plague. [Is the black plague still around? Because I think I had it...]. Well, we are back and better than ever this week with some good bits, and I mean good. No “news stone” goes unturned in the world of Ryan & Molly. 

This week, we tackled issues like Bill Gates’ and his iPhone hating, Germans and their topics of discussion, China, God’s answering machine, Christian Bale, and MORE. If you like Forget the FACTS, keep checking back. If you don’t, check back anyway. 

We’re all opinions, a whole lot of bits, and no facts. Well, sometimes there are facts. It just depends.

All for now.