I have to give a nod of thanks for Streaming Media‘s issue on Companies Crushing It In Online Video. As a huge fan of video content but mostly clueless about most of the stuff in the magazine each month, the October 2015 issue made my little grey cells finally tumble into place.
A fantastic article by Corey Behnke co founder of CheeseheadTV.com shows how one video site brought the circus-like atmosphere of Green Bay Packers training camp to thousands of die-hard fans, with tips for successful multicamera streaming.
As Corey says, ” I was intrigued by the potential to switch a show from an iPad. As a live broadcast producer, the notion of wireless streaming via multiple wireless devices sounded daunting (and just a little bit crazy), but I knew there had to be multiple use cases where this technology could have a big impact, and in some instances, even make it feasible to produce a show that would’ve been impossible otherwise.”
That’s just what I have in mind for the Riverside Food Systems Alliance. Corey maps out the process, the gear and shares what he’s learned. It’s a pretty cool story. Thanks for dropping those breadcrumbs for the rest of us to follow. It’s greatly appreciated.
The invention of smartphones has given us a lot of things and has made communication easier than ever. However, it’s also changed the entire dynamic of how we interact in person and how we approach our day-to-day lives. This short film from CharstarleneTV shows just how obsessed we’ve become over capturing each moment in our lives.
Well, maybe not all of us are this obsessed. At least we can hope not.
I missed the occasion entirely, but on April 23, 2005, the very first YouTube video was posted by, Jawed Karim, one of the three founders.
From the start, you might say, YouTube thought big. No playful kitties. Karim chronicled…an elephant.
It was housed at the San Diego Zoo, and this is what Karim had to say: “The cool thing about this these guys is that they have these really, really, really long trunks. And that’s, that’s cool.” He added, so, so incorrectly: And that’s pretty much all there is to say.”
“At the Zoo,” this first video, was 20 seconds long, and has now been seen 10,638,024 times, possibly 10,638,023 times for the sake of history (or bloggers).
YouTube, on the other hand has one billion unique visits a month. It now claims 72 hours of video are posted to the site every minute. More amazing facts, in a nice graphic are here. To quote just one, YouTube says that nowadays, four billion hours of video are viewed on YouTube every month.
So here’s to massive social upheaval!
At the same time a certain segment of the universe marked the anniversary of the first official YouTube video–an elephant never forgets, for one–The New York Times Co. on Tuesday was announcing that all video features on its Website will now be able to be accessed without going through the paper’s paywall.
According to the Website Journalism.co.uk, “the number of video views on NYTimes.com had more than doubled over the year from the first quarter of 2012 which had prompted an investment strategy to promote video on the site. At present The New York Times produces more than 250 videos per month for the site but this is set to increase.” The very Gray Lady also won a Pulitzer this year for its multimedia story, “Snow Fall” about an avalanche that imperiled 16 skiiers in Washington last February.
You could hardly have predicted that video of a zoo with a “very, very, very long trunk” would be a marker in the creation of an industry with such a very, very, very long tail. It’s not that YouTube was the first video site (it wasn’t) but obviously, the one that hit the longest home run.
Today, as the Financial Times reports, “There is a new kid on the block in the advertising world, with online video evolving rapidly and audiences on the rise. Forget about skateboarding cats and the amateur, user-generated videos that used to dominate YouTube: these days the internet is full of slick, professionally produced programming that would not look out of place on prime time television…. Total advertising on digital video is forecast to almost double from about $4 billion in 2013 to $8 billion by 2016, according to eMarketer, the research company.”
All of which may be, but is in a way very unstartling, like looking at your kid and not remembering that once, that growing child was just a baby. In his 2006 book, The Beatles: A Biography, author Bob Spitz pointed out that not only did The Beatles create a “British Invasion,” they virtually created the British international music business. YouTube and lots of other online video pioneers are doing that now. They’re the new elephant in the room.
If you think the first slow motion filming of a bullet was impressive, wait until you see the effects and implications of imaging at a trillion frames per second. This Ted video will definitely let you know we’re not in Kansas anymore when it comes to visual data.
Who’s going to be the next startup to succeed in online video?
That’s the big question — and I won’t promise to have any answers, but I can share with you a video report from Beet.TV commentator Ashley Swartz that has me now keeping an eye on two companies in the metadata arena — Veenome and Watchwith. As metadata practitioners, they do the work of brand safety, which means they could easily fit in the ranks of firms that offer tools and technology to police ads for content or verify placement, for instance.
Former Digitas emerging media expert Ashley Swartz said in her report that as video proliferates on the Web, it won’t have as much value to marketers until more data and information is attached to it. Metadata is needed for the video advertising revolution to actually flourish, she said.
Veenome and Watchwith handle the heavy lifting of that process. Veenome’s technology identifies the visual contents in video and translates them into tags, keywords, categories and more. Video platforms, publishers and ad networks can then use that information to boost ad revenue and effectiveness, the company said. Veenome has logged some early success with video publisher Videofy.me, which has boosted online video CPMs more than 114% by using Veenome’s tools to segment content into more ad-friendly categories — essentially, acting as a filter to keep out the suggestive, offensive or copyrighted content. Veenome has also worked with music-centric social video service UGroove to index its videos, making it easier for the service to sell ads against them. UGroove also uses Veenome to tag its brand customers in videos and generate targeted ads that way.
Watchwith studies video and builds metadata synched to the time the information appears in the video. Its tools can be used to identify actors, music or locations, or on a custom basis to tag plot points or backstory.
Veenome and Watchwith are not the only companies betting on metadata. Digitalsmiths is a more established player and it has been building product suites for media companies that are used to better understand, identify and manage video assets and then make money on them. Digitalsmiths’ latest products allow customers to pick videos by their mood.
Keep an eye on these and other players that are betting on metadata. Their tools may be just as valuable as those from companies offering measurement, brand safety and cross-media buying services.
Thanks to pixability for reminding us about the importance of tags.
The last time you watched a video on YouTube, you probably didn’t check below the fold for the video’s keyword tags, but they’ve always been there, visible to everyone. That is, until last week, when YouTube announced the removal of keyword tags from all video pages. It is believed that YouTube is trying to prevent mass keyword copying by spammers hoping to ride the SEO benefits of popular videos.
Rest assured, your keywords haven’t gone anywhere and still contribute to your video SEO. You can edit them from your video’s page as you normally would; the only difference is that they will no longer be visible on the video’s page. And if you’re using software like Caffeine, you can still lookup the keywords of any video and perform research on your keyword competitors.
For more about pixability and the resources they offer:
In this report, are powerful insights to provide recommendations for what retailers can do to increase the success of videos.
Key takeaways include:
1. How video improves conversions
2. Why size matters for video calls to action
3. How placement of video on product pages impacts view rates
4. The impact of actionable text for video
5. …and much more!
Paul Riismandel makes the case for video’s potential as an education delivery system. Provided learning management systems are designed for open source standards, there won’t be any limit to educational possibilities. Check out his article at Streaming Media.
As publisher of Nutrition News, we’re planning our video strategy. Education is what we’ve always provided. Engagement – Read, Share, Ask, Tell and Buy – has been the result. It’s exciting to imagine the ways we could animate our content and deliver it via video.
Maybe we should look for a few of those high school students who have the technical chops to help us create a health education series for them and buy them. That could be amazing and profitable for all.
Education’s Technology Dilemma
Schools and communities at large are being forced to do more with less and to collaborate more. A special report from Information Week looks at how two school districts, Kentucky’s Barren County School District and Oak Hills Local School District in Ohio, are using virtualization, wireless and cloud technologies to meet that challenge.
Today’s new media landscape can be utilized to better serve your business
Have you embraced new technologies and trends within the online publishing environment?
By now we’ve all heard about the benefits of online components like social media; Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Google+ are all utilized to build closer relationships and portray a sense of transparency. Yet, the technology that can be used and shared on these social platforms is often overlooked.
I am of course talking about the inclusion of online video throughout the digital landscape – from blogs to social networks and beyond.
Web videos help to aid in the social and relationship building process. They are widely viewed by the online community because they bring a visual component to content. It seems only natural to embrace web video, as it provides audio and visual components to create a more humanly experience.
Are you already using web videos online? If so, how are you doing it? What video types have you been embracing to adequately serve your business?
Patrick Hughes, New Media Producer at Mequoda Group, has created a list of seven video types that can be used to assist online businesses.
Seven video types for online business
Video type #1: Product demo videos – If you are an online publisher or content marketer with a lot of products, video demos might be a great solution in generating more revenue. Most potential buyers want to see how something works before they purchase it. Video is the savior in this process, as it is otherwise very difficult to provide demonstrations online without video.
Video type #2: Promotional videos – Sales letters and pictures can help in selling a product, but they can only present so much. A video can aid in the sales process by showcasing the product or service and generate a personal connection.
Video type #3: Training videos (external & internal) – As stated, training videos can be used internally or externally, to train employees or clients. If your business deals with strategies or processes that have a visual component, video can greatly help in the teaching process.
Video type #4: Quick, fun viral videos – These type of web videos can help show a different side to your organization. Plus, you never know when something will go viral – which leads to a lot of brand visibility.
Video type #5: Staff videos – As another way to build relationships and show transparency, staff videos help show the public who your company is from the inside out.
Video type #6: Podcasts or video blogs – Online publishers are quite accustomed to presenting content through the written word. To change the pace and reach additional audience members on another level, video podcasts or video blogs can be used as a premium content format.
Video type #7: Testimonials – Video testimonials are great to shoot at live events. Start by finding someone willing to speak in front of the camera, and then capture their first-hand account of the event as it’s completely fresh in their mind. These testimonials can be used as promotional materials for future events with similar topics.
If you want to learn more about these seven video types, and have the opportunity to ask questions to Mequoda’s New Media Producer Patrick Hughes, join us for our upcoming Web Video 101 for Publishers webinar.
The magazine Cosmo in New York have launched a strange but brilliant advertising concept where a woman has walked around the city with 4 iPads strapped to her head. The video does a better job of explaining it than words ever could but it’s a pretty smart concept because users had to slowly figure out that to engage with the advert they actually had to swipe a page on her “Face”. The ad is a new promotion for the Cosmo for men iPad app and with people taking pictures, the video approaching 1 million views in just 48 hours and plenty of blogs picking this up you have to say it is job done.
I have to give a nod of thanks for Streaming Media‘s issue on Companies Crushing It In Online Video. As a huge fan of video content but mostly clueless about most of the stuff in the magazine each month, the October 2015 issue made my little grey cells finally tumble into place.
