TIKTOK

How a viral TikTok video highlights Nebraska volleyball’s ‘awesome’ program culture

Published

3 years ago

March 5, 2021

Max

Watch now: How a viral TikTok video highlights Nebraska volleyball’s ‘awesome’ program culture

1 of 3

Nebraska’s Lauren Stivrins (top left) celebrates with her team after a kill during a win against No. 5 Minnesota on Feb. 21.

When the Nebraska volleyball season schedule was announced on Dec. 29 Lauren Stivrins and Lexi Sun put on their uniforms and called each of their teammates on FaceTime to celebrate the occasion. They made a TikTok video of the reactions and posted it on social media.

When the Nebraska volleyball season schedule was announced on Dec. 29 Lauren Stivrins and Lexi Sun put on their uniforms and called each of their teammates to celebrate the occasion. They made a TikTok video of the reactions, including of coach John Cook laughing, and posted the video on social media.

Lauren Stivrins and Lexi Sun went viral with a short TikTok video they made a few weeks before the college volleyball season began.

On the late December evening Nebraska’s season schedule was announced, and the Husker seniors knew for sure they’d have a season, Sun and Stivrins put on their volleyball uniforms and a made a FaceTime video call to each of their teammates and the coaches as a way to celebrate the occasion and get a few laughs.

For outsiders, it was a glimpse into the personality of the players, but it also points to what coach John Cook believes is a strong culture in the program right now.

Husker volleyball notes: Postponed matches are mental challenge for Huskers; Lincoln native in pro league

‘Huskers, code red': Nebraska players hope postponed matches against Wisconsin get back on calendar

And that culture could be key as Nebraska attempts to navigate a season with several hurdles while playing during a pandemic, and tries to live up to its own expectations of reaching the NCAA Final Four.

The No. 4 Huskers are off to a strong start to the season with a 7-1 record going into Friday’s match against Illinois (2-6). The 8 p.m. match will be televised on BTN.

The Big Ten volleyball schedule was announced on Dec. 29, shortly after the Huskers had returned to Lincoln to resume practice for the season.

So Stivrins and Sun came up with the idea to put on their uniforms and call their teammates. When the person on the other end answered, what they saw was Stivrins and Sun standing by a wall in their home in uniform, with Sun holding a volleyball. They didn’t say anything, and waited for the reaction to the peculiar sight.

They recorded the reactions, and then made a video and posted it on social media. On Twitter the video was viewed more than 90,000 times.

When Nicklin Hames answered the call she laughed, and said, “What the heck are you guys doing?”

When Cook answered he took a few seconds to size up the situation, and then laughed: “Are you guys serious?”

Freshman Kalynn Meyer was pretty low-key about the whole thing: “Hey.”

What did Stivrins learn from making the video?

“This team is funny,” she said. “Honestly Lexi and I were just sitting on the couch doing nothing at the end of the day. We had seen a few people from, I don’t know, ‘The Bachelor,’ doing a similar thing. We were like, ‘How would our team react?’ We didn’t give any of them a head’s up. We just threw on our jerseys and our full get-up and stood in front of the camera and didn’t say a word. It was so funny.”

The plan was just to share the video with the team.

“I was like, ‘No, I think it’s really funny and we should just put it out there,’” Stivrins said. “Everyone seemed to enjoy it as much as we did, so that was awesome.”

Stivrins thought Cook’s reaction was great.

“He thought it was so funny,” Stivrins said. “Even the next day he was like, ‘You guys got me so excited for the season. I can’t wait.’ He’s like, ‘Seeing you guys in jerseys again, that was so cool.’”

All but two of the players and coaches they called answered right away, Stivrins said. One called back later, but they’d already changed clothes.

“This team is so close like that,” Stivrins said. “We can call anyone at any time and they’re going to pick up.”

A sign of the team’s strong culture was when Nebraska beat No. 5 Minnesota two weeks ago, just two days after getting beat pretty badly by the same team.

And Cook says the team loves to train.

“I never think that they don’t want to be there,” Cook said. “I can give you years and dates that are imprinted in my brain of days and times when (past Nebraska teams) didn’t want to be there. But this group seems to really, really enjoy it. And I think it’s how we run our practices and how we structure it. They’re learning and getting better and having fun and getting challenged.”

Most of what Cook has seen tells him the program’s culture is strong.

“They seem like they like each other,” Cook said. “The only thing that’s a damper is getting matches (postponed) because I think they really want to play. They were asking me, ‘Hey, can we go play somebody else?’ I said, ‘Well, we’re looking at it.’ I just think they want to play and compete. I think the culture of our program is awesome.”

Keonilei Akana

Kayla Caffey

Hayley Densberger

Nicole Drewnick

Anni Evans

Emma Gabel

Nicklin Hames

Kenzie Knuckles

Madi Kubik

Kalynn Meyer

Callie Schwarzenbach

Lauren Stivrins

Lexi Sun

Jazz Sweet

Riley Zuhn

Reach the writer at 402-473-7435 or bwagner@journalstar.com. On Twitter @LJSSportsWagner.

TIKTOK

TikTok Expands Creator Tipping and Video Gifts, Providing More Monetization and Marketing Options

Published

2 years ago

December 1, 2021

Max

tiktok-expands-creator-tipping-and-video-gifts,-providing-more-monetization-and-marketing-options

TikTok continues to expand its creator monetization tools with the addition of video tipping and virtual gifts for regular uploads, in addition to live-streams in the app.

To be clear, live tipping and digital gifts have been available for selected live-stream creators via its Creator Next program since last year. This new expansion brings the same functionality to regular TikTok videos, which will add another way for users to generate direct income from their TikTok videos.

As you can see in these screenshots, shared by social media expert Matt Navarra (via Dan Schenker), to be eligible for the new Creator Next program, users will need to have at least 1,000 followers, and will need to have generated more than 1,000 video views in the previous 30 days.

Though TikTok does note that these requirements vary by region – TechCrunch has reported that creators need to have at least 100k followers to qualify in some cases.

As explained by TikTok:

“The new Tips feature allows people to directly show gratitude to creators for their content, much like recognizing exceptional service or giving a standing ovation. As is standard for tipping in person, with Tips creators will receive 100% of the tip value.”

Tip payments will be processed by Stripe, with creators required to sign up to manage their earnings in the app.

“With Video Gifts, also available today, creators can now collect Diamonds not only by going LIVE but also by posting videos. This also gives people an all-new way to interact and engage with content they love.”

That will provide expanded capacity to generate real money from posting, without having to go live, which will open new doors to many TikTok creators.

In addition to this, TikTok’s also lowering the threshold for those who can list their profiles in its Creator Marketplace brand collaboration platform, which enables businesses to find TikTok influencers to partner with on in-app campaigns.

Up till now, creators have required 100k followers to qualify for these listings, but now, TikTok is reducing that number to 10k, which will further expand available opportunities for both users and brands.

That could make it much easier to find relevant creators to partner with, in a lot more niches, which will add more considerations into your TikTok posting and engagement process.

As noted, these are the latest in TikTok’s broader efforts to provide comparable monetization opportunities, in order to keep its top stars posting to the platform, as opposed to drifting off to YouTube or Instagram instead, which have more established monetization systems.

The advantage that other apps have in this respect is that longer videos can include pre-roll and mid-roll ads, facilitating direct monetization, which TikTok can’t utilize given the shorter nature of its clips. As such, it needs to look to alternate funding methods, which will also include eCommerce listings, with direct product displays now the primary source of income for the Chinese version of the app.

The platform’s continued growth facilitates even more opportunities in this respect, with more brands looking to tap into the various opportunities of the platform, and partner with creators to maximize their presence.

How popular, and valuable, direct tipping and gifting can be is more variable, as some dedicated fan bases will pay, while others will see no reason to donate for what they can already access for free.

But even so, it adds more opportunity, and the lower thresholds for monetization will see many more opportunities across the board in the app.

INSTAGRAM

Shorter Videos Are In Demand. Here’s How Different Social Media Platforms Are Reacting.

Published

2 years ago

November 24, 2021

Max

shorter-videos-are-in-demand-here’s-how-different-social-media-platforms-are-reacting.

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

With TikTok and Instagram Reels slowly conquering social media marketing, there’s no mistake: Short videos are in demand.

The average length for most, if not all, business videos is only six minutes long. And that number is set to decrease as consumers look for shorter videos.

With that in mind, why are short videos in demand? What platforms are implementing short-form videos the best? And most importantly, how can they benefit your business?

TikTok – Changing consumerism, one video at a time

Where shorter videos are concerned, TikTok has always led the industry. What started as a merger with Musical.ly quickly became one of the world’s most powerful social media platforms. And what made it so famous? The same concept that made Vine viral short videos.

TikTok has over 1 billion active users, twice as many as Snapchat and Pinterest. For reference, Twitter only has 397 million users. With such a massive user-base, the only thing keeping the platform alive are the 15-second-long videos.

But why are short videos so popular? Simple – people don’t have time on their hands. When they open apps like TikTok and Instagram, they’re more likely to spend time watching shorter videos. And businesses are already catching up.

The impact of Instagram Reels

With the invention of Stories by Snapchat, other platforms like Instagram caught up on short videos. Instagram Reels presents adults and young users with a more straightforward way to tell others about their day. It employs quick photos and videos that are only available for 24 hours instead of being permanently posted. Now engagement is encouraged, especially after Instagram included the “Swipe” option. This has allowed e-commerce sites to both advertise their products and make instant messaging easier.

Youtube has joined the bandwagon

While YouTube is more or less a platform for long-form videos, its recent update offers shorter vertical videos. Known as YouTube Shorts, the feature allows creators to engage with their audience in under 60 seconds.

But YouTube has another trick up its sleeve, and this one is mainly towards advertisers. It is “YouTube TrueView” and is the primary advertising technology for YouTube. Through this, advertisers can promote long or short videos, with some being skippable after five seconds.

However, since most people are unlikely to click on longer ads, YouTube now offers 6-second non-skippable ads. The clickthrough rate for shorter 15 and 30-second ads is around 70%, a whopping number for any business.

It’s time to say goodbye to IGTV

With Instagram’s IGTV coming off as less captivating than its Reels and video posts, it has decided to remove IGTV. Instead, it has a separate section for videos. These videos will appear on a person’s profile and can be viewed from the Instagram app.

The change they made here is that videos posted to the Instagram feed can be up to 60 minutes long. The exact reason for doing this is not confirmed. But it seems like Instagram wants a seamless platform where short and long videos co-exist.

This makes long videos more accessible to users using the Instagram app. And it helps promote video tutorials that people typically do not consume on social media apps.

Another significant change is that Instagram videos that are longer can be monetized, a feature not available on Reels. This significantly shifts the focus towards creators who don’t sell a service and want to gain cash through Instagram.

Does this mean long-form videos are out of the picture?

With short-form videos becoming more popular among consumers, will long-form videos die out? While it’s highly recommended for any business to create videos as short as possible, the answer isn’t that black and white.

While short-form videos will drive traffic from new users, long-form videos are better for brand loyalty. Shorter videos will get more engagement and show up on new users’ feeds. But longer videos will be the backbone of your business.

Of course, that depends on what service you’re offering. Ecommerce companies will want to direct their attention towards short-form videos and ads. However, long-form videos are better suited for when you want to go in-depth about product details. That is, of course, only after you’ve grabbed the user’s attention with a short-form video.

Companies that offer webinars will benefit from longer videos. And so will companies that post interviews. However, promos and how-to videos should remain under a minute or two, depending on how long the tutorial needs to be.

Essentially, ask yourself two questions:

First, can the video content be summarized in a short-form video?
Do you want to merely catch the attention of the consumer or develop brand loyalty?

The correct formula is neither short nor long, but a mix of both.

What this all means for an entrepreneur

Short-form videos hold substantial market value, especially for new businesses. Take the example of the Dollar Shave Club. What started as a viral video on YouTube grew to become a behemoth of a brand.

And that’s not where the examples end. There are countless success stories like this one that prove the value of short videos.

Short videos have a higher clickthrough rate, and for entrepreneurs, that’s all you need. Short videos are of particular interest to people with ecommerce businesses. For example, 84% of people say they are more compelled to buy a product by watching a video. And the statistics keep on showing a friendlier short-video market.

There is no doubt that short-form videos are gradually creeping up the graph. And while long-form videos are great for information and brand loyalty, shorter videos are better for PR.

This begs one last question: Are videos beneficial for you? The answer is – yes!

TIKTOK

How to Make a TikTok Video: Beginners Start Here

Published

2 years ago

November 16, 2021

Max

how-to-make-a-tiktok-video:-beginners-start-here

Let’s face it, TikTok is the moment.

And with 1 billion monthly active users, it’s time to join the action and get your brand out there to a wider audience!

Want to learn how to make a TikTok Video but don’t know where to start? Don’t sweat it! We broke down all the steps and tools you’ll need to make a viral-worthy first video and make sure your debut is anything but cringe.

Download the full Social Trends report to get an in-depth analysis of the data you need to prioritize and plan your social strategy in 2022.

How to create a TikTok account

First things first, you’ll need to create a TikTok account.

There are different ways to sign up for one: you can use your phone number, email address or social media account. Here’s how to do it using your phone number.

1. Download TikTok from Google Play or the App Store.

2. Open the TikTok App on your iPhone or Android.

3. Click the “Me” or “Profile” icon at the bottom-right of your screen.

4. Choose a method to sign up (we’re choosing “use phone or email”)

5. Enter your birth date and phone number (make sure this is accurate because it’s how you’ll retrieve passwords and confirm your account).

6. Enter the 6-digit code sent to that phone number (see, told ya!)

7. You did it! Celebrate by scrolling TikTok for too many hours.

How to make a TikTok video

Here’s how to get started on your very first TikTok video. Luckily for you, it’s way easier than learning this TikTok Shuffle dance.

1. Hit the + sign at the bottom of your screen.

2. You can upload photos and videos from your phone’s library or make a video directly using the TikTok camera.

3. If recording directly, hit the Record button at the bottom of the screen. Hit it again when you’re done recording. The default video mode is “Quick” which is for 15 second videos but you can switch it to “Camera” for more editing options and longer videos (15s, 60s and 3 mins), or “Templates” to create a specific style of video.

4. Tap the check mark when you’re done shooting all your footage.

5. Make any edits or changes on the post page. All your edits are on the right sidebar of the screen. Also, add music or sounds by hitting “Add sound” at the top of the screen.

6. Post that video and share it everywhere! Make sure to include a description with some hashtags so it finds its way to your audience.

How to make a TikTok with multiple videos

Instead of taking one long video, why not capture shorter videos and edit them together to make your TikTok video? Here’s how to do that (and you don’t need a film degree).

1. Hit that “+” sign to start your video

2. You can either shoot multiple videos directly by hitting that record button after each clip, building up your video with different shots. Or, you can hit the “Upload” button next to the record button and add multiple videos and photos you have stored on your phone.

3. Select all your media and tap Next.

4. You can now sync sound across your videos and make adjustments (or try “Auto sync” which will do the syncing up for you.)

5. Hit Next when done. You’ll be brought to a preview screen where you can further add sounds, more effects, text, and stickers.

6. Tap Next when you’re done editing your video and proceed to the Post screen.

7. Remember to throw in a description and some hashtags and bingo-bango-bongo you’re the Steven Spielberg of TikTok!

5 things to know before creating your first TikTok

TikTok style is less polished than other types of video

Don’t worry about being too precious with your videos. On TikTok, videos are meant to be candid, and natural—and they should show off your personality. Things like perfect edits, smooth transitions or flawless lighting shouldn’t get in the way of your idea and your own charisma.

Sure, there are lots of editing options, effects and filters to choose from (what the heck is the difference between B3 and G4 filters anyways?) but the real star is you —or, at least all 6 of these friends belting out Lady Gaga for the #caughtinabadromance challenge at this bachelorette. If that’s not candid, I don’t know what is.

@ariellehartford
That finger stole the show! 😂😂😂 #bachelorettetrip #gatlinburg #caughtinabadromamce
♬ original sound – Arielle Hartford

You don’t have to dance

Good news! You don’t have to spend 2 hours trying to perfect the LaLisa dance tutorial to make sure your video stands out (unless you want to, then no judgment over here!).

There are so many different ways to engage your followers that don’t involve you popping and locking in your living room in front of a ring light (but again, no judgement if you do, except maybe from your pet and their adorable judging eyes).

You also don’t have to attempt whatever this is.

@sdavidrodriguez
♬ Grab Da Wall & Rock Da Boat – 504 Boyz & Weebie

Hashtags can help more people see your post

It’s no secret a good hashtag can go a long way on TikTok. Strategic use of hashtags will help people find your videos who don’t already follow you, and maybe even see it on their For You Page (FYP).

Find the best hashtags to grow your views and help get your content recognized by the algorithm. You worked so hard on it, might as well show it off to as many people as possible.

The right song can go a long way

Attaching a trending song to your video or audio from a popular TikTok video can help it get seen by more people. This app has a big music following (lots of new songs are intentionally promoted through the app to help them climb the music charts) so lassoing your video to one of these shooting stars is only going to help you get on more FYP and in front of new audiences.

@suzyjonesmusic
♬ original sound – Suzy Jones
Advertisement

Your greatest asset is you

Don’t overthink it, just come up with a simple idea and let your personality shine through. The sense of intimacy and community that TikTok brings is why people love this app—it feels personal.

Even if you’re doing a TikTok challenge or trend that’s popular, the thing that will make you stand out is your unique take on it. It’s not about gimmicks but about putting your best self out there. Nothing should feel too staged or self-aware (that’s cringe territory). Pretend your audience are your good friends and approach it with that energy!

@janikon_No, I can’t re-record this, I’m laughing too hard #fyp ♬ original sound – Stu (he/him)

community-manager:-job-description-&-key-responsibilities

Uncategorized2 weeks ago

Community Manager: Job Description & Key Responsibilities

career-stories:-influencing-engineering-growth-at-linkedin

LINKEDIN1 week ago

Career stories: Influencing engineering growth at LinkedIn

whatsapp-ipad-support-spotted-in-testing-on-latest-ios-beta,-improved-group-calls-interface-on-android

OTHER1 week ago

WhatsApp iPad Support Spotted in Testing on Latest iOS Beta, Improved Group Calls Interface on Android

social-media-intelligence:-what-it-is-&-why-you-need-it

Uncategorized2 weeks ago

Social Media Intelligence: What It Is & Why You Need It

how-to-create-a-social-media-report-[free-template-included]

Uncategorized2 weeks ago

How to Create a Social Media Report [Free Template Included]

the-complete-guide-to-social-media-video-specs-in-2023

Uncategorized2 weeks ago

The Complete Guide to Social Media Video Specs in 2023

youtube-announces-ai-enabled-editing-products-for-video-creators

OTHER1 week ago

YouTube Announces AI-Enabled Editing Products for Video Creators

cci-said-to-have-appointed-former-whatsapp-executive,-government-officials-as-new-members

OTHER1 week ago

CCI Said to Have Appointed Former WhatsApp Executive, Government Officials as New Members

Cookie	Duration	Description
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics	11 months	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional	11 months	The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary	11 months	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others	11 months	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance	11 months	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy	11 months	The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.

Social-Ping

How a viral TikTok video highlights Nebraska volleyball’s ‘awesome’ program culture

Keonilei Akana

Kayla Caffey

Hayley Densberger

Nicole Drewnick

Anni Evans

Emma Gabel

Nicklin Hames

Kenzie Knuckles

Madi Kubik

Kalynn Meyer

Callie Schwarzenbach

Lauren Stivrins

Lexi Sun

Jazz Sweet

Riley Zuhn

You may like

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Leave a Reply

TIKTOK

TikTok Expands Creator Tipping and Video Gifts, Providing More Monetization and Marketing Options

INSTAGRAM

Shorter Videos Are In Demand. Here’s How Different Social Media Platforms Are Reacting.

TikTok – Changing consumerism, one video at a time

The impact of Instagram Reels

Youtube has joined the bandwagon

It’s time to say goodbye to IGTV

Does this mean long-form videos are out of the picture?

What this all means for an entrepreneur

TIKTOK

How to Make a TikTok Video: Beginners Start Here

How to create a TikTok account

How to make a TikTok video

How to make a TikTok with multiple videos

5 things to know before creating your first TikTok

TikTok style is less polished than other types of video

You don’t have to dance

Hashtags can help more people see your post

The right song can go a long way

Your greatest asset is you

WhatsApp, Instagram and Messenger to Get AI Assistants; Meta Shows Off Image Generation Tool Emu

Meta Smart Glasses in Collaboration With Ray-Ban Launched, Allows Hands-Free Livestreaming

YouTube Shorts Monetization Guide [How Much Can You Make?]

WhatsApp Spotted Working on New Colours, Icons for Chat Interface on Android

5 B2B Social Media Marketing Tactics That Actually Work

Reddit Rolls Out Contributor Program, Offering Real Money for Gold and Karma

Enhancing Security and Developer Productivity: LinkedIn’s Journey with Implementing Content Security Policy

Top Social Media Manager Interview Questions and Answers [2023]

What Is FedRAMP, and Why Is It So Important?

How To Save Time and Avoid Issues With Facebook Auto Reply

What is Lemon8? TikTok’s Sister App Explained

Open Sourcing iris-message-processor

Trending

Leave a Reply
Cancel reply