Sunday, November 27, 2022
Thursday, November 24, 2022
Media Man Affiliates Blog: Find your niche business sector For The Internet Matrix and beyond
Find your niche business sector For The Internet Matrix and beyond
We've been working in and around the internet and new media now for the better part of two decades and have continued to ramp up our coverage of this most interesting, dynamic and competitive sectors.
I guess you could say we have carved out our own niche (or specifically - niches). More on that later.
So, what is a niche market anyway? It's a specific topic or topics where one can specialize, either in a paid or unpaid capacity - sometimes both.
For example, my background includes crime scene journalism, combat sports, beach sports, lifestyle, big tech (predominantly Australia and Silicon Valley remotely), Australian Army Reserve (Comms), sports management and promotion, creative arts and entertainment management and promotion, and more. That's alot of background and experience, I know. That's a big part of the reason that having just one website, blog and social media channel was not enough for us. We wanted a bigger slice of the action and felt the need to offer more than "just" one site. We usually write about subject matters that we know a lot about - often intel not commonly known to everyone. This helps keep the readership coming back for more.
If you the reader has a vast background also and is looking to get involved in digital and search engine related business, or ramp up, you may like to adopt or dare I say it - copycat to a certain extent (with credit to me) some of my ideas, while putting your own personal stamp and branding iron on it.
For example, the following are websites of ours that also predominantly have blogs, social media channels and so on:
Real Life Examples of niche websites
Media Man Int - our own modest size, international focussed media and digital media company. We cover over a dozen business sectors. Interviews, articles, scoops, even gossip and much more. A mix of full on journalism, gonzo journalism, opinion pieces, trends et al.
Media Man (Australia) - as above but with more of an Australian and Asia Pacific focus.
Australia Sports Entertainment - all about Australian and international sports. Includes health, well-being, training tips, news scoops, videos, interviews and more.
Wrestling News Media - predominantly pro wrestling aka sports entertainment. WWE, AEW, NJPW, NWA, independents and some UFC, ONE Championship, Bellator MMA etc. Articles, interviews, videos, scoops, fighter contracts, media deals, opinion and more.
Cafe News Media - Cafe News and cafe culture, as the name suggests. A focus on Sydney's Eastern Beaches region as well as Melbourne, Las Vegas, Atlantic City and Bali. Google Local Review profile tie-in works a treat every time. Cheers Google.
Casino News Media - casino news, information and trends of course. Vegas, Atlanta City, Florida, Hollywood, Macau, Monico and beyond, with a dash of Casino Royale and James Bond 007 themes thrown in. Shaken, not stirred. Fear And Loathing in Las Vegas, Vegas Baby and some casino king and pit boss feature and interviews.
Hottest On TV - you guessed it. TV aka Television (hopefully not Tell Lie Vision)..Now includes streaming entertainment from the likes of Netflix, Binge, Paramount Plus, WWE Network, FITE TV, NJPW World, PPV (Pay-Per- View), UFC Fight Pass, SBS On Demand, ABC iView, PassionFlix (Tosca Musk), Court TV, Crime TV Network, National Geographic, History Channel, Internet TV on steroids and so it goes on.
Media For Good - good news in and around the media, sports, tech and community sector. Being a former crime scene journalist and social campaigner was the trigger for this. Many other websites copied this, and we don't mind at all. Helping bring transparency and accountability to society and the world. Shining a light or blowtorch I say. Deer in headlights on occasion and when required.
Coastal New Media - anything and everything pertaining to the coast, coastline, beach culture (especially Australia). Best surfing spots, hidden breaks, surfboards, surf and beach fashion and lingo, beach themed movies ala Gidget and so it goes on. Catch the wave. The ripple effect!
Eastern Suburbs Media - Eastern Beaches of Sydney, Australia. Some cross-over with Coastal New Media and Cafe News Media. What's news in these parts? Compliments a Google Local Review profile very nicely. Catch Of The Day mate!
Be unique to stand out!
How can one stand out in a crowded and even super saturated industry, marketplace and world? What makes you and your company or companies truly unique?
For us, we draw upon a few areas. We use significant gonzo journalism themes and influences (thanks Hunter S. Thompson), pro wrestling and MMA influences and banter (we know alot of wrestlers and did some basic training many moons ago), beach bum banter -; having spent much of our life and times around the beach), as well as many references from 'The Matrix', as we are a superfan of sorts. By using a combination of these terms and themes including "insider lingo", our scribes, websites and channels often stand out from the pack. A dash of controversy ever now and again. We got that idea from former wrestling promoter, television executive and author, Eric Bischoff ('Controversy Creates Cash' being his best selling and famous book). Real NWO (New World Order stuff).
Get The Basics Right - All You Can EAT
E - Expert
A - Authority
T - Trustworthy
Become a Go-To person, if you are not already. If something is opinion based, be up-front about it. Opinion pieces are just that. We all have opinions and different life and business experiences. Life and business is full of perceptions and interpretations. This could relate to the good, great and not so much of Google and other big tech firms, "link juice", social media channels, trust in mainstream news, politics and so it goes on. Respect the audience, readership and self. Don't forget the option of becoming a Google Local Guide (for credibility, reach and passion). Google is your friend, remember. Everything matters, just like baking a cake. Get all the ingredients right. Not too many links. Keep adding quality content that the search engines such as Google will love. Keep testing. Choose your social media wisely and be mindful of what you write and put out there. Birds of a feather flock together. Are you a blogger/Blogspot, YouTuber, Twitter, Facebook, or combination hybrid? Does your social media reflect your business? Aim for the best cake humanly possible. The internet has many world class cakes er websites and best of class webby's and experts on all manner of things. Remember, you are writing for the web, not a 1000 page paperback, so keep that in mind. A best selling book may be in your future, but you are a web based businessperson of authority.
References - LinkedIn, website testimonials..
LinkedIn is a big hit for many SEO, marketing and media professionals. Boost your profile and street and industry cred with authentic references. Create a professional LinkedIn profile, and consider having a business branded channel also.
Aim to have strong agency (creative and advertising) contacts that would be sure to recommend you highly if asked. Hard work and quality work pays dividends.
Repeat business is excellent business. No hard-sell required, as they already know how good you are!
Be Honest With Yourself And Your Audience, Customers and Associates
You know what you know, and you don't know what you don't know!
SWAT
Strengths
Weaknesses
Opportunities
Threats
Focus on your strengths. Share your unique and in-depth knowledge built up from years of experience. Don't fall into the trap of pretending you are an expert on everything about websites and internet business, or even sport or elements of pop culture in the world. Specialize. Focus on strengths.
Niche Market (Wikipedia reminder)!
A niche market is the subset of the market on which a specific product is focused. The market niche defines the product features aimed at satisfying specific market needs, as well as the price range, production quality and the demographics that it is intended to target. It is also a small market segment. Sometimes, a product or service can be entirely designed to satisfy a niche market. Not every product can be defined by its market niche. The niche market is highly specialized, and aiming to survive among the competition from numerous super companies. Even established companies create products for different niches; Hewlett-Packard has all-in-one machines for printing, scanning and faxing targeted for the home office niche, while at the same time having separate machines with one of these functions for big businesses. (Wikipedia)
Web Basics 101
Meta-tags
Search Engine Optimization
Website Structure
Links to other authoritative destination websites - Wikipedia, IMDb, CIA world and country directory, Google search tools, popular social media channels.
Create quality and Google / search engine friendly and helpful content, just like 'The Big G' aka Alphabet powers that be keep telling us.
Be Courteous and Respectful to clients, associates, other media - everyone.
Be the white knight with white hat mentality. Some moderate amount of grey is acceptable in my view, but don't become the Black Knight with the black hat and black magic Pandora's Box. The web game is challenging enough already without extra dramas.
Keep building upon your technical skills. Google and Google Console is your best friend!
Have backups and a Plan A, B and C. Things can and do go wrong in business and life in general at times. Minimize the risks. Again, focus on core strengths.
Conclusion
Do your best to offer something of value that is useful and helpful. Most businesses supply products and/or services. You are a problem solver to a problem or challenge. You are also a content creator and even a publisher and educator of sorts. This has a high level of responsibility attached. Know your stuff. Hone your craft. Build up credibility. The right audience will find you. Get your basics and foundation strong, and keep building upon it. To succeed you will need to work hard and work smart. The world is your oyster in the giant ocean and Internet Matrix Of Things. Do enough of the right things well and you are setting yourself up for success. Agent Tingle out for now, and back to the webcode soldier.
Greg Tingle (Founder and Director, Media Man Group)
Monday, November 21, 2022
Friday, November 18, 2022
Media Man Affiliate Blog: Red Bull drives F1 car through Las Vegas casino days before launch party with Hamilton
Red Bull drives F1 car through Las Vegas casino days before launch party with Hamilton
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Red Bull Motorsport Casinos Las Vegas Sports Sports News Casino News Media
Red Bull have helped to promote F1's newest race in Las Vegas set to debut in November next season.
Red Bull have driven a Formula One car through a Las Vegas casino ahead of this weekend’s F1 launch party. Visitors looked shocked as the car shot past blackjack tables at the iconic Wynn Las Vegas Casino.
Ahead of its run, the car was parked in the foyer with fans able to get close to the car. After driving through the casino, the car came to a stop at the front of the building where it was collected by a team of Red Bull mechanics.
The demonstration was completed with a drifting display from the F1 car and Red Bull’s Stadium Super Trucks machine. Social media users were shocked at the footage with some in awe of Red Bull’s display.
Twitter user @burrrke posted: “I would say there’s definitely room for disaster here, but I’ve never been in a casino or driven a F1 car. @masaloin added: “I should’ve been in Vegas seeing the Red Bull f1 car driving in the casino and on the Strip.”
Red Bull also took part in a filming session on the Las Vegas Strip on Wednesday. It comes just days before this weekend’s launch event to mark one year before the first race.
Fans reported on social media that Sergio Perez was behind the wheel of the car as the cameras started rolling. Footage shows Perez driving up and down the famous Strip before doing a 180-degree spin for the crowd.
Perez has already been confirmed to be attending the event at Caesars Palace on Saturday night. He will be joined by Mercedes F1 stars Lewis Hamilton and George Russell as well as Williams driver Alex Albon.
The event will be completely free of charge and will allow fans a chance to get up close with the cars. Spectators will also be treated by a live car demonstration on Las Vegas Boulevard and be introduced to the four drivers on the main stage.
Those in attendance can also enjoy F1's Pit Stop Challenge and grab photos with cars and trophies. F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali said the event would give locals a “taste of things to come” ahead of next season’s debut Grand Prix.
He explained: “We are thrilled to welcome our fans to the launch of the 2023 Las Vegas Grand Prix. The Las Vegas Grand Prix is going to become a regular fixture in the city and on the global sporting calendar, so it is important to have local fans both celebrated and celebrating with us from the very start.
“This launch is a small but exciting taste of things to come over the next year when all the Formula One teams hit The Strip."
Thursday, November 17, 2022
Media Man Affiliates Blog: bet365 & Incentive Games unveil a daily score predictor game for the World Cup
bet365 & Incentive Games unveil a daily score predictor game for the World Cup
World’s largest online betting brand launches ‘4 Scores’ for the world’s biggest sporting event
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UK: 18 November 2022 – With the World Cup just around the corner, bet365 have ramped up the excitement by launching a daily predictor game for the tournament, called ‘4 Scores Challenge’.
This is yet another collaboration with long-term partners Incentive Games – the industry’s leader in premium free-to-play games.
‘4 Scores Challenge’ does exactly what it says on the tin: offering users prizes for predicting four scores. bet365 successfully launched the ‘6 Scores Challenge’ at the start of the 2022/23 Premier League season, with hundreds of thousands of players taking on the prediction challenge each weekend.
During the World Cup, prizes of up to £250 are on offer each day, but users don’t have to get every prediction right to win – with three correct predictions earning £10, and £2.50 awarded to those with two correct forecasts.
The innovative new game offers football fans a brilliant, free game to play each day of the World Cup, with generous cash prizes available.
John Gordon, CEO and Co-Founder of Incentive Games said: “We are privileged to roll out this incredible title across the bet365 app and website – we're so proud of it.
“Here’s a prediction from us: with its generous cash prizes, despite being free, 4 Scores will become a real fans’ favourite during the World Cup.”
A spokesperson from bet365 said: “We’re thrilled to announce the launch of ‘4 Scores’, in association with our partners at Incentive Games. At bet365 we love to enhance the enjoyment of live sporting events for our customers, and there are none bigger than the World Cup. Good luck to all players with their predictions!”
Tuesday, November 15, 2022
Wednesday, November 9, 2022
Friday, November 4, 2022
Media Man Affiliates Blog: News Update
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Thursday, November 3, 2022
Media Man Affiliates Blog: AFR on the global streaming wars. - Amazon takes on Spotify, Apple with cut-price music offer (Australian Financial Review)
AFR on the global streaming wars
AFR on the global streaming wars. We're looking at doing more back-up and cross platform management of our audio interviews from almost two decades in the game. Who to give the business to... Alphabet's TubeTube and/or Spotify or another? SoundCloud just about priced themselves out of the game at this stage and may be going down further, just as MeetUp did years ago when their price point was off. Talk about a competitive market sector. Almost disappointed Musk's Twitter doesn't offer a streaming service/platform, at least not at present. LinkedIn continues to tie the other platforms together nicely, so kudos to Microsoft on that front. Regarding Paramount Plus, The Twilight Zone gets our nod for best legacy/traditional show on any streaming service. YouTubes' 'Hacking Google' series recently won our 'Documentary Of The Month' award. Can AFR reduce the paywall charge for happy SMH subscribers? Feels appropriate to ask here! Friendly Faangs season is here with and without adverts. Pass on Google Box for now. Have to draw a line in the sand somewhere. Sydney Twitter Flock out. Tweet Tweet!
Amazon takes on Spotify, Apple with cut-price music offer (The Australian Financial Review)
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Media Man Affiliates Blog: Murdoch's News Corp-Fox reunion gambit comes as sports betting valuations tank
Murdoch's News Corp-Fox reunion gambit comes as sports betting valuations tank
Nov 2 - Rupert Murdoch’s proposal to recombine News Corp (NWSA.O) and Fox Corp (FOXA.O) and capitalize on sports betting has yet to convince Wall Street as the valuations in the once red-hot gambling market crumble, according to former employees, financial analysts and sports media experts.
While some former employees see the move as driven by the 91-year-old Murdoch's succession planning to consolidate power behind his son Lachlan Murdoch, CEO of Fox Corp, people familiar with the Murdochs' thinking say they are serious about the sports betting opportunity.
"The proposal is 100% based on business rationale," a spokesman for Rupert Murdoch told Reuters. "Any commentary that implies it has to do with succession planning is absurd and comes from sources with no knowledge of the strategy."
There are other factors motivating the merger including a bid to achieve greater scale in news, live sports and information, sources said. Lachlan Murdoch did not discuss the potential deal on Tuesday's earnings call, but talked up the value of scale, "particularly (in) the next couple of years, when opportunities in the marketplace will emerge."
As recently as August, Lachlan Murdoch described sports betting as "a huge opportunity" for Fox Sports, telling Wall Street it would fuel viewer engagement. Combining live game broadcasts with News Corp's sports coverage would create a more compelling sports package, and strengthen the company's hand when it comes to sports betting, according to people familiar with the deal's logic.
But Wall Street's enthusiasm for sports betting has cooled since early 2021, as investors prioritize profitability over spending aggressively to acquire new customers. Thirty-six U.S. states and the District of Columbia have legalized sports betting, though the pace has slowed.
"The thing about the sports betting opportunity is it started off like a house on fire, with all the states approving it," said Huber Research Inc analyst Douglas Arthur. "But I'm not hearing as much excitement about it right now as I did nine months ago. If that's the rationale (for the merger), it's a pretty weak one.”
Since the start of 2022, the stock prices of 11 major publicly traded sports betting companies, including DraftKings Inc (DKNG.O) and Barstool Sportsbook's Penn Entertainment Inc (PENN.O), have tumbled by an average of 35%, according to Refinitiv data.
That does not necessarily mean the pace of legalized sports betting is slowing. Total wagers are expected to reach $390 billion globally this year, according to researcher H2 Gambling Capital. Kantar Sports analyst Ryan McConnell said the market is flooded with new entrants and consolidation appears likely.
Casualties are starting to build up. Streaming service FuboTV shuttered its sports betting service in October, and Churchill Downs announced in February that it would abandon online sports.
"It's a highly competitive market," said gaming industry analyst Steve Ruddock. "It's difficult for companies that aren't fully invested in that as their primary business to compete."
SLOW START
Since selling their movie assets to the Walt Disney Co (DIS.N) in 2019, the Murdochs laid a new course for a slimmed-down Fox, based on sports betting. The company soon paid $236 million for a 5% stake in Toronto online bookmaker the Stars Group which helped launch Fox Bet and owns the app.
Combining Fox with News Corp could bring a larger audience to sports betting, potentially increasing the financial rewards for attracting new gamblers and gaining more lucrative sponsorships from sportsbooks eager to promote their apps, said one media executive.
The Murdochs' early foray has been slow-going. The sports betting app Fox Bet is available in four states, with just 0.2% share of the U.S. market, according to researcher Vixio. A free version called Fox Bet Super 6 has attracted some 6 million users whom Fox hopes to eventually convert to gamblers.
The growth of Fox Bet has stagnated since market-leading FanDuel's owner, Flutter Entertainment Plc (FLTRF.L), acquired Stars Group in 2020. The companies have been locked in a dispute over the price Fox would pay to exercise its option to buy 18.6% of FanDuel. The matter is the subject of an arbitration case and Lachlan Murdoch told investors a decision is expected imminently.
News Corp has previously stumbled in sports betting. Last month, News' first direct investment in Australian bookmaking, Betr, went live ahead of the country's most-watched horse race, the Melbourne Cup. Within two days, an ad that ran in News Corp's tabloid newspapers triggered a regulator inquiry into whether the ads breached laws prohibiting inducement to gamble. Betr says it is cooperating with the regulator.
Matt Davey, chairman of Las Vegas sports betting investment firm Tekkorp Digital Acquisition Corp , which co-invested with News Corp in Betr, said News had seized on its media reach in Australia, where it sells more than half of all newspapers and runs sports-heavy cable TV channel Foxtel, to create a "pretty powerful combination" of media and betting.
At least one investor is waiting to be convinced that approach will work in the United States.
"Fox has got a far-reaching audience so it does make sense, if you're going to launch (sports betting) into the U.S., that you have that Fox network, distribution and partnership," said John Ayoub, a portfolio manager at Sydney-based Wilson Asset Management, which owns News Corp's Australian-listed shares. "But we'll probably need a little bit more detail."
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