This video is entertaining dot com (I just wanted to use that rediculous phrase in it’s proper context [in reference to things that try to be cool and contemporary, while failing at doing both for one’s self-the phrase that Toni Braxton’s sister constantly says not the video]).

But beyond that it is a good use of video elements that are becoming staples of professionally made viral attempts: a sense of humor about itself (the monkey mask=the monkey see monkey do maturing viral nature of video [expansion of the jabbawockeez idea that it is about the motion of the body not the face-will make sense later]) the use of a bed room setting with a shot from a webcam feel; the use of the dance group poreotics-last years ABDC champs (only guessing on that one, from the playful nievate, group tutting, and robotic isos-but probably); and the general sentiment of the song itself.  

And I say ‘attempt,’ because (and here comes the obligatory rant about socio-memetic implication) I hesitate to call any videos made now-a-days, by professionals to get hits for music artists, politic agendas or online sensations; viral videos.  The nomenclature doesn’t fit, not just because of the impetus behind it, but because the culture that exists in online communities is changing.

I personally don’t interact with video content that is made by professionals and say to myself,

“Self, other people must see this and share in the shock and awe I have experienced.”

But I have before and in the same thought realized that my friends have probably already seen it talked about on TV or by professional aggregates that crawl the internet looking for these sorts of things.  Point of fact: (a little over an hour ago)

mashable Pete Cashmore  Click Around & Buy Things in Devo’s Interactive Video [PREMIERE] - http://on.mash.to/hKv118

In that same vein the, president’s recent live video streams on whitehouse.gov, today even, and coming to Facebook’s new LiveStream channel tomorrow; show that even if he looses the presidency in 2012 he is setting the strategies for online engagement: speed (just came out a few hours ago- a little non-sequeter but still enhances the point of viral success), accuracy, interactiveness, a sense of humor and an understanding of the landscape.

Video is kind of my thing.  Finding it’s place in the social world is the area I like to focus on; while data mining, measuring metrics and figuring out repeatable ROI stuff for people who just don’t get “it” but know that “it” is important.  

Obama and/or his staff get “it.”  They get how to use video and I’m not giving away any secrets that aren’t obvious.

The just of Obama speech if you didn’t watch the live stream or click the big thumbnail at the top of this post went like this:

[hood Obama-paraphrase]

Gaddafi must be out of his rabbit-a** mind if he thinks him and his son can try me by threating to jack up oil prices.

We will go upside your head if you keep killing people.

… pretty much.

I don’t really want to get into how he dealt with the mid-east instability different than the Bush administrations and the reasons behind it-that’s a job for pundits, aggregates, and other super opinionated people that think their opinion makes them psychic or precognitive.

Basically (when it comes to vidoe):

Hire people that know what they are doing.  Don’t yoke unrealistic expectations on the shoulders of a one-man-band.  Record as much as you can.  Live stream the most timely stuff.  Keep archives of everything and at least give people the option to embed your stuff if they can’t download it, because you’ll only encourage ingenuitive people such as myself to figure out ways to steal it and mess it up worse than you were imagining: just because you wanted to control the content you put on one of the most open forms of communication available after it was put in the ether.