davemcnally.net

Seems kind of ironic that I’m writing about how the written blog appears to be on its way out but there we go. Online video is only getting bigger by the day. More people are abandoning podcasts in favour of video/screencasts, there’s a lot more video popping up in blogging and live streaming continues to grow too. Are we witnessing the gradual downfall of the written blog? Let’s find out…

I’ve seen quite a few mentions lately of video being an increasing feature online and I tend to agree with what’s being said. There are plenty of different ways of using video, from live streaming using services such as Yahoo! Live and Ustream to recorded video using the likes of Seesmic and now even mobile video with services like Qik. So why bother using video at all? It adds an extra level of interaction and a personal touch to communication online. Talking to someone via an instant messenger just isn’t quite the same as being able to see them live and chat in much the same way as you would offline.

Whilst there are some great benefits to video, it’s not without its disadvantages either. I think one of the biggest factors with people trying out video, myself included, is becoming comfortable with using a camera in the first place, then there’s the point of sharing it and wondering what others will think of the content. A lot of people will prefer to stick with written content as it provides much more of a ‘screen’ to hide behind and gives you a lot more control over choosing what perceptions you give off when people first come into contact with you. Confidence aside, there’s a couple of small technical points that may put people off, from choosing the right camera to use, compressing and/or converting the video to upload and then choosing the service to go with. However, these issues don’t appear to be stopping many people trying out video online and I assume as more people start using it, others will follow suit.

It used to be the case that the term “vlog” was just something thrown around on sites such as Youtube but more recently, I have noticed this type of multimedia appearing on personal blogs more, and rightly so. I don’t think it’s necessary to give this medium a different name or term, it’s still technically the same as a normal blog entry; just using video instead of text. I can see more people being willing to watch a recorded video you have published rather than reading through a written article so surely using video would generate some more interest in your content?

I’m sure video is going to continue becoming more popular over the coming months but I doubt it’s going to replace written content and blogs, I see it complimenting the content instead. Combining the mediums is probably the best way to go about it. There’s no doubt people enjoy watching videos online when they are produced by those who are looked up to and admired and I’m more likely to watch videos of someone I know or like whilst I’m not very likely to sit through a video of someone I’ve never heard of but I would probably read their content if I found the subject interesting.

I hope you followed most of that, it’s late and I’m rambling. I’m interested to know other people’s thoughts on using video, feel free to leave your comments below and if anyone ever fancies a video chat, let me know!