Mashable - The Social Media Guide - Latest Comments in How to Truly Bring Online Video to the Mainstream

Re: How to Truly Bring Online Video to the Mainstream

Michael Daehn — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 12:24:59 -0000

@Jeremy Agree, both options are better. User choice is key to good interactive design.

Re: How to Truly Bring Online Video to the Mainstream

Joseph — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 06:48:24 -0000

check out http://reeplay.it they're in beta right now

Re: How to Truly Bring Online Video to the Mainstream

onthebeach96 — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 09:53:50 -0000

Totally agree between the simplicity of adding a video to a playlist for later viewing in your account, and having your subscriptions aggregated or fed into playlists for all new content viewing.

It does certainly exist in the audio podcast space, but I don't think it exists in online video (that I'm aware of) and do follow the space very closely.

A relevant and continuous viewing experience would likely raise interest levels, and create a more engaged environment. I know that when a friend sends me a video on a site I usually view it and then I'm gone. But what happens when a site has your permission to opt in and take the experience to the next level?!

Kind of like when a friend tells me to check out a TV show and while watching it, there are ads for the upcoming show which grabs my attention and so I decide to view that one as well. Maybe an overlay "ad" for recommended videos, where I can opt in on the fly to keep my online viewing experience alive for that session. If done in a relevant, non-interupting way this could be huge.

Right now while there may be some utility surrounding playlists and continuous viewing, there still could be much more done to retain our attention, while enhancing and elevating our experiences that are personalized to our unique tastes.

Re: How to Truly Bring Online Video to the Mainstream

Mark "Rizzn" Hopkins — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 04:28:55 -0000

You're right. There's a place for interactivity, and there's a place for vegging.

I think that for the true crossover (or even replacement) to happen, it has to be available, though.

You're right - I'm very open to looking at existing solutions that may have this functionality. I've done exhaustive searches for this, but given the explosive growth of this space, I may have missed a few things.

Re: How to Truly Bring Online Video to the Mainstream

Mark "Rizzn" Hopkins — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 04:26:01 -0000

I plan on getting one of the NetFlix players (the Roku, right?). I'm a huge fan of their online content.

With Hulu, you're right. Netflix's streamer has the same problem. Old content.

Re: How to Truly Bring Online Video to the Mainstream

Mark "Rizzn" Hopkins — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 04:10:51 -0000

Yeah. I forgot they had that, otherwise I would have mentioned it.

But that's not exactly the type of playlist that really serves the function. It doesn't build up off of subscriptions - it's something that has to be built during each session.

The difference between the two of what I'm talking about it going to say, Webb Alert, Boing Boing TV, and Mashable Conversations, subscribing to all of them, and having each episode, as they come in, be a part of a daily playlist.

You can do that with audio podcasts on an iPod - just don't have that ability with any real video podcast players.

Re: How to Truly Bring Online Video to the Mainstream

prija — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 20:34:43 -0000

talking about quality of youtube.. remember.. the Urban Ninja..

http://www.youtube.com/watc...

looks like his fame.. has taken him to a possible movie deal.. might be a great post.. contact me.. if you'd like an interview with Xin Wuku the Urban ninja.. for some original content.

Thanks

Re: How to Truly Bring Online Video to the Mainstream

Facey Spacey Development — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 20:33:29 -0000

Um...Mark, Youtube for a long time now let you build a playlist of videos that play one after another, going from page to page.

What are you suggesting, that in Youtube, you type a keyword phrase, and request a dynamically-generated playlist to play indefinitely based on the videos in that query; and maybe even give you the opportunity to choose to order the video by top rated, most viewed, most commented, or randomly from related video to related video, or perhaps somehow randomly by tags???

Would that accomplish your Veg-Factor on Youtube?

Also there's another feature that Youtube has been testing. I've only seen it a couple times, but when you enlarge a video to full screen, there is a button that when clicked shows all related videos as bubbles areound the main video, and when you click any one of those videos, all their related videos popup around it. It's pretty much the same thing as just having the Related Videos box, but with a nifty and enticing GUI. I will say for myself though that going through related videos definitely is vegitative enough for me. Why don't we just automate it for old-school TV-watchers as described above. Would that satisfy you, Mark?

James
from
FaceySpacey - "The Startup Incubator"

Re: How to Truly Bring Online Video to the Mainstream

JamesBruni — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 20:24:16 -0000

Typo- McLuhan not McCluhan.... accuracy is king on Mashable

Re: How to Truly Bring Online Video to the Mainstream

JamesBruni — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 15:49:22 -0000

Great post, Mark. Reminds me of how mass media scholars used to talk about "mass media". McCluhan would have liked your "veg factor" analysis. Basically, online video can be "hot" (interactive, involved, meebo) or "cool" (the "veg"), using McCluhan's terminology.

Re: How to Truly Bring Online Video to the Mainstream

StevenHodson — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 15:22:27 -0000

Whoop-di-doo .. Netflix ... Hulu ... now how about the rest of the world?

Hulu - in the words of Cuban - might be kicking YouTube's ass in the US but at least in the rest of the world we get to watch those 1 to 3 minute moronic clips without some banner coming up say that the content is US only.

Re: How to Truly Bring Online Video to the Mainstream

Greasyguide.com — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 08:40:07 -0000

I agree with your statements here. But has anyone really looked at the content in Hulu. It's sub-par at best and I think the reports where way over hyped.

But to your point I think Netflix could bridge this gap with it's set top player. They need to give it away for like $50 or at least offer a rebate but try to get as many people on it. I still like my DVD's but the content they are adding to their streaming section is actually very good.

Hulu doen't appeal to me is most of their content is re-runs. There is no community there what so ever. It's just not a fun experience

Re: How to Truly Bring Online Video to the Mainstream

KAMRAN — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 05:15:14 -0000

thx