9/4 Reading

wheatlmr
wheatlmr
Sep 4, 2018 · 3 min read

After a long weekend, I had some time to think about what organization I could use for my first project. Originally, I thought about the Humane Society, as animals and most importantly dogs, are a large part of my life. However, as I thought more about the idea I realized that I had never really been effected by anything the Humane Society has done, nor have I seen any of their content. With this in mind, I thought of other organizations that have effected me, and I stumbled upon The Dodo. More than likely you’ve seen a Dodo video somewhere on your Facebook news feed, or maybe a friend or significant other has tagged you in one of their videos begging you to give them the O.K. on adopting a dog.

From thedodo.com, the Dodo’s mission is to “serve up emotionally and visually compelling, highly sharable animal-related stories and videos to as many people as possible to help make caring about animals a viral cause.” With every post, I can see how clearly this message is reflected. I have also followed stories that have been posted on the Dodo, and seen how much influence the Dodo can have on their success. Without a doubt The Dodo has an impact much larger than itself, and I believe every post has then intention of growing that impact.

This video is targeted to dog lovers who would be willing to help or interact with the video — mainly in the form of sharing across their social media platform. The video does a fantastic job of portraying a story through emotional images and video content, along with phrases that tug on the audience’s emotion. The producers also chose to use a webcam video from the man himself. I believe they did this to show deepen the connection to the organization, rather than just a name of an organization with a voiceover. This video really speaks well to potential or current owners because it shows real footage of the dogs in pain or in harms way in the trash pit. The content is extremely graphic, and that is used to increase the urgency of actions.

This video was posted to Facebook, Instagram, and Youtube in order for it to reach the maximum amount of shares/views. This is easy for The Dodo to do, because their video format is compatible with all platforms, and does not require any cost to simply post it to their page. The Dodo might have costs associated with advertising their page, but not this post in specific. This content is also extremely interactive. Viewers share the video, tag their friends, visit the website, and can even donate to the cause or adopt a dog. There is a very clear call to action, and this can motivate viewers to interact more with the content, and thus feel more deeply tied to the organization.

My main question relating to the Dodo and more specifically this post, is how does The Dodo get a cut of the pot. I understand that The Dodo is running this organization for the good of animals, but I have a feeling that they are profiting in some way for their efforts. Additionally, I would be curious to know how much it costs to operate this type of organization. I assume writers and content creators must be compensated, as well as running the website/advertising. I hope that The Dodo gives those donations to the intended cause. Additionally, I would think to how The Dodo can create more of a community with their users, or how they can increase their customers loyalty. Since shares are such a great form of advertisement, I would be curious if they compensate certain networks to repost their content.

    wheatlmr

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    wheatlmr

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