DECA

Momversation — the vlogging site that regularly features bloggers Alice Bradley, Rebecca Woolf, Asha Dornfest, Heather Armstrong, Daphne Brogden, Giyen Kim, Maggie Mason, Dana Loesch, Mindy Roberts and Jessica Gottlieb — just launched its newest foray into video: Her Story.

Power doesn’t come easily in the digital content world.

Despite the buzz about the iPad or Foursquare, audiences and revenues generated by programming on PCs or wireless devices is still a pittance compared with that on such established mediums as film and TV. But measured by the more intangible metric of influence, even the slightest innovation can portend big changes to come in the evolving media business.

Which makes the accomplishments of the 50 men and women highlighted in The Hollywood Reporter’s third annual Digital Power issue worth noting.

The second deal was for a collection based on the Web site goodbite.com, called Good Bite’s Weeknight Meals: Delicious Made Easy. The site features video recipe demonstrations by a number of popular food bloggers, and the cookbook will bring together a mix of those recipes to, as Glick said, “demonstrate a range of styles and flavors.” Wiley is planning a fall 2011 publication.

DECA CEO Michael Wayne, meanwhile, takes a different approach, as DECA removes its shows from the Internet following their cancellation. The reason for that, though, is the same reason they also don’t use the word “cancel”: for DECA, according to Wayne, a show isn’t just a show — it’s a brand and a standalone business.

So in considering whether or not to continue making a show like the now-defunct Bush League TV, “We look at it as: ‘Is this business heading into profitability or not?’” If it isn’t, they shut it down. “When you shut down a brand and you don’t take it offline, it can look bad, and that inevitably doesn’t reflect well on the company,” he said.

Of course, DECA’s focus has also changed dramatically over the last few years, as they’ve started almost exclusively targeting women over 25 with shows like Momversation and Good Bite, which partner nicely with brands. They only got to that place, though, after experiments like Bush League. “At the end of the day, you have to take risks, and you’re never going to be successful 100 percent of the time,” Wayne said.

In other Streamys/IAWTV news: Michael Wayne, CEO of DECA, has been named chairman of the IAWTV, with Blip.tv co-founder Dina Kaplan serving as vice chair. (The announced board of directors was common knowledge as of last October, when the IAWTV met as an organization for the first time.) Those who have applied for IAWTV membership for this year are still waiting to hear if they’ll be allowed to join the non-profit advocacy group.

Web series fans, take note. The International Academy of Web Television, the independent, non-profit organization that serves as the voting body for the Streamy Awards, officially announced its Board of Directors today along with its first Chairman, Michael Wayne, co-founder and CEO of DECA (Digital Entertainment Corporation of America).

“Just as the Academies of Motion Picture and Television Arts and Sciences had humble beginnings, so do we,” said Wayne in the IAWTV press release today. ”While our industry may be in its early stages, it is growing at an exponential rate … 2010 promises to be a phenomenal year for the International Academy of Web Television with the 2nd Annual Streamy Awards and the continued expansion of our membership.” Before DECA, Wayne served as the Vice President of Strategic Alliances for Sony Pictures Digital and Sony Pictures Television.

By supplying content in a robust, visual manner through video, you can engage audiences on a whole new level. Momversation does this very well through a network of online influencers who contribute videos on topics of interest to moms, ranging from sick days to learning disabilities, to how to keep your kids healthy. The videos provide additional exposure for the influencers involved, and another forum for ad-based revenue.

For marketers, this is a reminder that today’s video goes beyond the traditional 30-second spot. Production quality can vary, length of time can vary, and even tone can be modified, but as with social media, the voice and the content should be authentic and genuine.

Here are some sites you should consider participating in if you want to see the future of social networking:

Support and Conversation
Perhaps you’re looking for deeper conversations, something way beyond the 140-character limit of Twitter or short status updates in your Facebook profile. Social networks like Gather.com cater to those craving deeper conversations and intellectual discourse. Overcome with questions and worries as a new mom? Sites like Cafe Mom and Momversation provide a place to share information.

Over at the Momversation this week, Heather Armstrong of Dooce.com is leading a candid talk about depression. She has been extremely open over the years about the postpartum emotional crash that led her to a psychiatric hospital. Her fellow bloggers on the video — Alice Bradley, of finslippy.com, Mindy Roberts of themommyblog.net and Danny Evans of DadGoneMad.com — have been somewhat less public about their suffering, and their conversation about what Bradley calls “being filled with crushing despair” is a moving one.

DECA is fast becoming to parenting what Revision3 is to gamers and techies, building up a stable of original web series around an super-focused audience. Their Target-sponsored hit Momversation recently rolled out its 100th episode and Daphne Brogdon’s Cool Mom is still going strong. Sure, they also rock World of Warcraft slugfest Project Lore and Boing Boing, but in terms of new properties it’s all about the parents.

“We know that parents are looking online for answers to the tough questions about raising their kids, so we set out to bring together a panel of the top experts in the country,” said DECA’s CEO Michael Wayne. “We created Parents Ask to directly connect parents with the most knowledgeable authorities on every parenting topic.”