Well, I’m on Youtube – by Francesco Oggiano – Digital Journalism

Welcome, Lovely People! 🎉

Oh, what a thrilling week we’ve had, eh? We’ve blasted past 27,000 members! I mean, when’s the last time a number made you feel so alive? (Okay, maybe when you saw your bank balance right before payday!) But seriously, if we hit 30,000 by the end of the year, I’ll shower you all with a bottle of Champagne. Yes, it’s true! But if that isn’t enough, remember, I love you too. ❤️ Now, who needs love when you’ve got bubbly?

Moving forward, let’s dive into the juicy bits. We’ve got the Digital Journalism Fest just around the corner! I received a flurry of emails after reaching out to some brands about sponsorship plans—turns out, everyone wants to throw money at a good idea. Who knew? I’ll be jetting off to Rimini this Saturday for Marketers World, where I’ll hold forth on "The Best Story I’ve Ever Come Across." Spoiler alert: it wasn’t about my attempts to bake a soufflé. 🎤

And, here’s what you’ve all been waiting for — drumroll, please! 🥁 I’ve dipped my toes into the world of YouTube! Yes, I finally published my first video on the channel "fraoggiano." Why? Because I have so many stories brewing inside me, like a fine wine that just needed the cork popped! 🍷

Now, let’s get into the nitty-gritty of this splendid operation—what this channel is all about:

1. Why YouTube? It’s simple, really! I wanted a platform where I could spin a yarn for longer than a couple of minutes. You know, like an engaging dinner party story that doesn’t end with “and then I fell down the stairs!” YouTube is a treasure trove for discoverability! Let’s be honest, social media loves to munch and spit out content like it’s gone out of fashion. One post today and poof! Gone tomorrow.

2. What Can You Expect? You’re in for a treat, my friends! I promise to unpack the mechanisms of misinformation through the lens of legendary stories and media cases. I mean, have you heard about P. Diddy? Trust me, it’s not just about parties and bling, it’s much deeper!

3. Typical Content? Oh! We’ll be diving into the likes of:
   • The P. Diddy saga
   • The endless JK Rowling controversies
   • Fake news around the US elections (because who doesn’t love a good scandal?)
   • The Trumpification of Elon Musk (yes, he’s trending again, bless him)

This channel feels like your favourite online community where we share ideas and ponder the truth of life, or at least how many cat videos you can watch before productivity drops to zero.

1. Smaller Community Goals! I’m not aiming for the wild, rollercoaster heights of viral fame here. No. I’m more interested in building a sturdy, engaged community. Think of it as a cozy pub where everyone knows your name but with less beer. 🥂 Well, for most of you anyway.

2. Posting Frequency? Ah, the age-old dilemma! I’ll aim for once a week. I hear that’s a sweet spot for growing a loyal following.

3. Support Team – Roll Call! I have Alessandro on board, who’s juggling between the channel and this newsletter. Seriously, have you seen him multitask? He could teach an octopus a thing or two!

4. Monetization? Not right now. My goal is to build and nurture this community before slapping ads everywhere! No one likes being bombarded with a ‘Buy One, Get One Free’ offer when you’re just trying to enjoy your day with mimosas.

5. The P. Diddy Conundrum! Why did I start with P. Diddy? Pure serendipity! I had this 20,000-character (yes, you read that right) doc ready to go, and it seemed a shame to squish it into a snack-sized reel.

6. Feedback! Now, here’s where I need your help. After watching the video, give me feedback. Tell me what you loved and what you didn’t! I’ll be here, eagerly waiting like a dog at the door.

7. Comment Moderation? It’s all about creating a safe space where intellectual curiosity leads the way. So, if someone gets toxic, poof! They’re out faster than you can say “not today, trolls!”

So, buckle up and join me on this adventure! If you’ve not subscribed yet, do it! Because let’s face it — who wouldn’t want to join the coolest digital journalism fiesta since, well… ever?

And hey, if you fancy a good read about how to properly break up with AI, or the dark abyss of hurricane TikTok engagement strategies, you know where to find me.

Until next time, keep your Chardonnay chilled and your comments kind! Catch you at the end of the week! 🍾✨

Hello!

Very intense week.

🎉 Here we have surpassed 27,000 members! If we reach 30,000 by the end of the year I’ll deliver a bottle of Champagne to everyone! (No joke, but I love you ❤️)

🎪 I’m moving forward with Digital Journalism FestI received quite a few emails after I invited some brands to talk together about sponsorship plans on Thursday

📆 I’m in on Saturday Rimini at Marketers World: I will give a speech on The best story I’ve ever come across. Let’s meet!

🎞️ And above all I did something I had never donewhich I’m telling you about today.

Let’s go!

This week I published my first video on Youtube

The channel is called fraoggiano and I’ve been working on it for a month

I’ll try to tell you a bit about backstage

The P. Diddy case, from the beginning

1. Why a Youtube channel?

1. I felt the need to tell stories over longer periods of time. I love telling stories in the 2-3 minutes typical of reels, but sometimes I found myself with a lot of material (stories, analyses, various reflections) and I didn’t know what to do with it.

2. I wanted to land on a platform equipped with discoverabilityin which you can build an archive, post content that lasts more than 24 hours. If you think about it, I am present on all the main flow platforms (social media, newsletters, podcasts), which give you a lot of initial visibility but little long-term income: a piece of content lasts on average 24 hours and then disappears given the lack of discoverability . And as my friend said, encouraging me

   «on these platforms you are only as good as the last thing you did».

3. Youtube itself attracts me like platform: it is on the rise (I myself use it more and more as a user) and perhaps further away from the toxic interactions typical of other social networks.

2. What is the promise of the channel?

Explain the mechanisms of information through the analysis of great stories and media cases (yep, I’m working on the sentence in bio, if you have any suggestions tell me!).

3. Typical content?

• The P. Diddy case and disinformation

• The endless controversy over JK Rowling

• Fake news on the US elections

• The Trumpization of Elon Musk and his hoaxes

4. What is this channel close to?

Paradoxically, the platform I feel closest to is this newsletter! For its verticality on topics such as digital journalism and for its creation of strong ties with a community

5. What numbers do I expect

Small but significant. It’s not a channel on which I expect to get millions of views as can happen on social media. I expect to create a small but very strong community, very attentive to information mechanisms and with a very high rate of interaction and engagement. That’s why I’m inspired by this newsletter 😉

6. How often I want to post

Once a week, I have to organize myself

7. How I’m organizing myself

Working with me is Alessandro, who is taking care of the whole project and also helps me with this newsletter, and a person for video editing who will start soon

8. Will I monetize?

No, not for now, I don’t even want to put Youtube ads. For now let’s think about building, then we’ll see

9. Why the departure with P. Diddy?

By pure chance. I’ve wanted to make a video about the story for a long time. Then I found myself with a Doc of 20,000 characters, which corresponds to about 20 minutes of speech. It really seemed like a waste to reduce them by 90% to make a reel. The story was perfect for explaining some mechanisms of misinformation, so I recorded it on the fly at my house and Ale and I started editing.

10. What I need to improve immediately

11. How do I manage comments?

As I already do on other platforms. As soon as I see toxic tones (the funniest: “P. Diddy paid you”) I block the person in some way. Youtube gives you the ability to automatically hide comments from a particular user. I want to build a safe space, made up of curious and educated people. And to do this it is necessary to put barriers in place from day one.

12. “How can I help you?”

Okay, I added this one 😉 But if I think of the channel’s typical audience, I think of you, so the thing I would like first of all is to have a lot of initial feedback from people. So yes, you can see the video and maybe write to me at this email telling me what you liked most and what you least.

I will be grateful!

Sign up and give me feedback 🙏

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See you Thursday!