Jul
14th

Will Cable TV Go the Way of the Newspaper?

Posted by Dave on July 14, 2008 at 11:35 am

The internet has already changed the way many people get their news. Instead of stopping at the newsstand, or having the paper delivered to their home, many people turn to the internet to learn about what is going on in the world of politics, sports, or whatever else interests them.

Now, with the increasing number of online video sites – YouTube and Hulu, to name just two – people are no longer bound to network schedules to see their favorite shows. Want to watch The Office at 3 a.m.? Not a problem. Want to create your own “Must See TV” schedule? Not a problem. In fact, many popular shows, such as The Office have even started to create episodes, or “shorts” available only to the online community. What’s more, it doesn’t end at TV shows. Want to watch a movie with the family? Ghostbusters sounds like a good choice.

In fact, according to Nielsen/NetRatings, in May of 2008, 119 million unique viewers watched 7.5 billion video streams. So, although the percentage of users with commercial television is continuing to grow, the growth rate is small. And with all of these shows, shorts and movies available online, on your schedule, how long will it be until this overtakes the TV as the dominant source for video entertainment?

Image: regacr

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May
28th

1 Billion Online Video Viewers Served by 2013

Posted by Keirsun on May 28, 2008 at 12:12 pm

YouTube may soon add signage similar to the golden arches. That’s because the number of people who watch video via the web is expected to quadruple in the next 5 years, rising to at least one billion viewers worldwide in 2013.

mcdonalds sign by daquella manera on flickr A new study from ABI Research, a New York state-based research firm, attributes the increase in online viewers to greater broadband availability and internet connection speeds.

ABI’s study is designed to attract pay-TV service providers looking for ways to migrate their services (and revenues) to the growing online audience. And if pay-TV providers aren’t thinking that far ahead, this study should be their wake up call.

ABI senior analyst Cesar Bachelet also makes the case for avoiding the same path the music industry took, and recognize right now that consumers are going to get their content from non-traditional sources:

Pay-TV providers should refrain from knee-jerk responses, or adopting defensive measures aimed at discouraging consumers from using those services. That would only produce resentment from subscribers and likely defections from their services.

But what does this all mean for the average website owner? It means you can use video to push your product/service/message to an audience that continues to grow each and every year.

Personally, I can’t wait to see which TV network finds global success online. NBC and News Corp’s Hulu is still going strong. And ABC recently won a 2008 Webby Award for its streaming video player.

Ultimately though, it’s the YouTubes of the world that will challenge pay-TV providers to create an online video experience that will satisfy the appetites of next generation video consumers.

Image: Daquella Manera

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Mar
13th

Online Video – Are You Sure People Are Listening?

Posted by admin on March 13, 2008 at 1:54 pm

ear horn Hello everyone. My name is Sarah. I’m a natural search project manager at Oneupweb, and I wear hearing aids. I’m not totally deaf or anything, but I’m just hearing impaired enough to make life interesting (“What did you say? There’s a unicorn in the parking lot?”).

Just the other day, I was talking with my lovely co-worker Christopher, and I asked him if he could find any documentation online about search engines not being able to follow links in drop-down lists that use option tags.

He found this video from Matt Cutts, which (allegedly) explains that search engine spiders will have a tough time following those links because they link to pages like this:

<option value="page-name.html"> Link </option>

Instead of like this:

<a href="page-name.html"> Link </a>

Of course, Christopher had to listen to the video for me. In cases like these, where you’re just looking for a quick answer, the use of video bothers me for a number of reasons:

1. Video is hard to hear.

2. Video is time-consuming to digest.

3. Your desk either suddenly becomes the noisiest spot in the office, or you have to put on headphones.

In fact, the time-consuming part annoys me almost more than the fact that videos can be so hard to hear and interpret. You can’t scan videos in an instant like an online article. You can’t go back and instantly re-read a paragraph a few days later. I have to wade through an entire video in order to figure this out? I really don’t have the time.

Don’t get me wrong: I love how video is revolutionizing the web. But there’s a time and a place to use it. Video should complement other existing data already available on your site, whether it’s a separate article, or even a verbatim transcript.

One analogy is that if you utilize image ALT attributes for your visually impaired users, you should also accommodate the hearing impaired. Not to mention that both alternatives are best practices for search engine optimization as well (search engine spiders can’t “see” images or “listen” to videos either).

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Feb
14th

YouTube – Broadcast Yourself And Broadcast People Treatin' You Bad

Posted by admin on February 14, 2008 at 4:26 pm

Has a new Bush risen up to move us towards being a kinder, gentler nation? By now, we’ve all heard about Eric Bush and his brush with the Baltimore police officer. Maybe the slogan should be, “YouTube – Broadcast Yourself… And Broadcast People Treatin’ You Bad”.

This post does not intend to ponder the over-the-top reaction of the officer (but come on, the guy needs some anger management classes!) nor is it my intention to comment on the inability of a teenager to speak up for himself beyond a muttered, “Dude.” What I want us all to see is how the threat of becoming a public freak show is bound to dramatically improve our behavior as a nation!

Had the officer known his actions would be indelibly etched in the minds of his co-workers, old high school friends and potential new employers, I think he might have censored his own behavior, don’t you? I know that I, for one, will now be on the lookout for a cell phone video camera aimed in my direction. Gone are the days of wild abandon, when I could bark at the drive-thru attendant who can’t enunciate. And I think it is safe to say that, if I plan to dislodge someone from their wheelchair, I’ll be certain to first check the room for cameras.

A new day has dawned for all of us and you can forget about telling “your side of the story” with any credibility. Online video now paints the picture that speaks 40,000 YouTube hits in a day. From now on I will conduct myself with the utmost decorum at all times. God forbid I should be enjoying a nice hamburger in my own home (sorry to hassle the Hof again) and my own child tapes it for the world to see.

Thanks, YouTube! You’ve done us all a service!

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