Thoughts on web video
Last night I Tweeted that I don't like video on the web. To my Twitter friends I was able to elaborate a bit, giving some examples of what I mean, but my Facebook friends (who receive some of my Tweets but not all) were left wondering why shortly afterward I posted a link to a live streaming video of puppies. Since I don't like video, I mean.
For me the web is, first and foremost, a bucket of information. When I have friends over and we can't remember who the guy was in that movie, or what that eggplant recipe was, I open up my laptop (which is undoubtedly on the coffee table, eagerly awaiting this scenario) and look it up. I get almost all my news online, from The Chicago Tribune to CNN to The Street for financial news. As I mentioned before, I get a lot of my recipes online, from whatever site Google returns when I enter "zucchini tomato onion breadcrumbs" (without quotes).
And when I find the recipe, movie trivia, or news story, I expect to be able to scan the page and get the information I'm looking for within a few seconds. This is where my "I don't like video on the web" whine comes in. I don't want to be linked to a clip of the local newscast's coverage of a story, and sit and watch it for three minutes. If I wanted video news, I'd watch news on TV. And recipes? I've hardly felt as stupefied as the time I linked to what sounded like a cool recipe, only to find that I had to watch a several-minute video of the guy show me how to make the dish in order to get the recipe. Anyone with an ounce of web savvy should know that, for the love of the internets, they should at least have a list of ingredients and a paragraph of directions, you know, like a normal recipe, underneath the video. Video should be added for embellishment only. If I want to see the chef demonstrate his folding technique, or if I really feel the need to see that fire on the South Side, then I can press play.
If you want to show me a video, also give me the information in copy. The only news videos that pass my muster are the kind that also have the story in print underneath. Same with recipes. Same with any "informational" video. I'm probably not going to sit and watch you tell me about your event; you need to write out the important information along with the video. Preferably in a bulleted list.
We're all still learning, I understand. I am as well. The web is still young, and constantly evolving. But I don't think our attention spans are getting any longer. I may be wrong.
Now, here are some videos that I like having on the web. They do not in any way fall under the "information" category; they are only for fun. That's the one of the only categories of video that belongs on the internet: entertainment.
Favorite music videos from the 80s:
When people do cool things with scenes from my favorite movies:
Live streams of puppies sleeping and feeding (I just found this last night and don't know when it's on the air):
Barbaro winning the 132nd Kentucky Derby:
Ninja Cat:
And, "The Website is Down," one of the only reasons to EVER spend 10 minutes watching a video on the web, except in the case of missed TV episodes or presidential debates, and admittedly it's not for everyone, but it's for more people than you think, once you get into it:
So, that's it. Those are my thoughts on appropriate video usage on the web. And trust me, I'm right about this.
For me the web is, first and foremost, a bucket of information. When I have friends over and we can't remember who the guy was in that movie, or what that eggplant recipe was, I open up my laptop (which is undoubtedly on the coffee table, eagerly awaiting this scenario) and look it up. I get almost all my news online, from The Chicago Tribune to CNN to The Street for financial news. As I mentioned before, I get a lot of my recipes online, from whatever site Google returns when I enter "zucchini tomato onion breadcrumbs" (without quotes).
And when I find the recipe, movie trivia, or news story, I expect to be able to scan the page and get the information I'm looking for within a few seconds. This is where my "I don't like video on the web" whine comes in. I don't want to be linked to a clip of the local newscast's coverage of a story, and sit and watch it for three minutes. If I wanted video news, I'd watch news on TV. And recipes? I've hardly felt as stupefied as the time I linked to what sounded like a cool recipe, only to find that I had to watch a several-minute video of the guy show me how to make the dish in order to get the recipe. Anyone with an ounce of web savvy should know that, for the love of the internets, they should at least have a list of ingredients and a paragraph of directions, you know, like a normal recipe, underneath the video. Video should be added for embellishment only. If I want to see the chef demonstrate his folding technique, or if I really feel the need to see that fire on the South Side, then I can press play.
If you want to show me a video, also give me the information in copy. The only news videos that pass my muster are the kind that also have the story in print underneath. Same with recipes. Same with any "informational" video. I'm probably not going to sit and watch you tell me about your event; you need to write out the important information along with the video. Preferably in a bulleted list.
We're all still learning, I understand. I am as well. The web is still young, and constantly evolving. But I don't think our attention spans are getting any longer. I may be wrong.
Now, here are some videos that I like having on the web. They do not in any way fall under the "information" category; they are only for fun. That's the one of the only categories of video that belongs on the internet: entertainment.
Favorite music videos from the 80s:
When people do cool things with scenes from my favorite movies:
Live streams of puppies sleeping and feeding (I just found this last night and don't know when it's on the air):
Barbaro winning the 132nd Kentucky Derby:
Ninja Cat:
And, "The Website is Down," one of the only reasons to EVER spend 10 minutes watching a video on the web, except in the case of missed TV episodes or presidential debates, and admittedly it's not for everyone, but it's for more people than you think, once you get into it:
So, that's it. Those are my thoughts on appropriate video usage on the web. And trust me, I'm right about this.
posted by Jen S. at
9:19 AM
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