Too Much Video? Maybe, Depending On Your Audience

We were talking with a client about a site they visited and came across something very interesting.

So many folks want to add all kinds of video, bells and whistles, and more to their site - because it’s “cool.”  And I agree, strategic implementation of multimedia can really make a site go “wow!”

This client made the mention that they were completely lost on the site they visited - they didn’t get the message, and it was just too much.

Just like other forms of design, sometimes too much is too much.  Not only is that video close to invisible to search engines (and search is a critical part of getting traffic to your site); but it can overwhelm and confuse your core message.

After all, as a business site, you’re there to communicate a message and enable others to get things done and buy from you (in one form or another).  I’m not saying we need to go back to 1998; but sometimes, the best decision is NOT to do something.

Video is sexy - but Audio can be more effective

An interesting thing that I run into very often is people who want all kinds of video content, esp. long form items.  And sometimes, it really works and is good.

However, there are a lot of times where audio outperforms video by factors of anywhere from 2-4 to one.  Long format content, especially when there aren’t a lot of supporting visuals, is suited perfectly for audio.  Although the “in” thing is video on the ‘net, the reality seems to be that people prefer to take with them audio.

Why?  Well, despite what some advertising agency people will lead you to believe (because you do make more money producing video; way more money, as the project is larger and the agency’s cut is larger) it’s because people don’t want to be interrupted - they may want to learn your content or be entertained but they have other things to do.

There are a couple exceptions to this - when the long form content has a live community around it (a beautiful example of this is TWiT Live - but they still don’t offer video podcasts versions of their content, and I don’t know if they should) but it works because there are a couple thousand people who are becoming friends chatting in real time about what’s going on.

The second is if the long form content requires lots of visuals, like powerpoints and such that keep things moving, entertaining, and informative.  It’s key that these visuals are resized and edited directly into the program as just shooting a powerpoint screen with a camera is unprofessional and very hard to read.

What are your thoughts on the future of online video?

4 links for the 4th day of the week

I’m swamped with stuff to do… so I will throw you some great links that I’ve seen that I’ll probably be talking more about later.

How today’s CEO can, and almost have to, manage the media with new media and other items…

Monster.com ad truck was assigned by Monster (with copy of orders on post) to park outside of Craigslist and get a photo… of note, Monster.com is a huge company that’s getting tarred and feathered in traffic by people who work in a small converted house on a narrow street (click through on the photo on the blog to see the Flickr highlights)…

Want to be productive?  Have a topless meeting… no laptops, blackberrys, nothing.  No distraction points.  Merlin Mann is a genius.

Is DEMO dead?  What about paying $18,500 for speaking?  Jason Calacanis thinks so, but he’s doing the competing Techcrunch 50.

Video Encoding: Best Twitter of the Week

Best Twitter of the Week, and sums up the life of an interactive producer and having to deal with all the formats you need to put out to do good online video:

Merlin, PLEASE re-encode all your stuff in “GleepGlop.” It’s a GNU format I made up at lunch for running lossless video on my inhaler. TIA!

http://twitter.com/hotdogsladies/statuses/712948392

Happy Valentines Day, everyone! Merlin, you’re a genius.

Technorati Tags:
Twitter, Video Encoding, Online Video

How To Get Inspiration

A common question in today’s world of 9-5, M-F, and sometimes, constant 24-7 work. It’s either creatives having a block, or managers looking to get more productivity out of a creative department (or IT department - I’d make the argument that programming, is in fact, creative, just a different kind).

Here’s the secret - honor thy energy.

If you’re a creative, your “life energy” is a little different than most folks. And, if you’re trying to tap into previously undiscovered creativity, you need to realize it just doesn’t appear. You need to give it space to do so.

What does that mean?

It means it’s going to show up when you expose yourself to creative situations, and when you work comfortably.

That means that although a suit-and-tie atmosphere devalues you for working at 7:30p and not at 7:30a, it’s OK. Some of my greatest creative inspiration has come after Thanksgiving dinners, or in the middle of a conversation. That’s tough for others to live with, but it’s how it goes. You can’t just “produce” art at a time that your body and mind don’t want to.

I also strongly advocate folks take a good look at David Allen’s GTD system and 43Folders on productivity. I’m not saying you need to join the cult, but there are really good ideas. A key to being productive is not having stress… and having a “mind like water” attitude. Not to mention, avoid timesinks… a great synopsis on avoiding timesinks is here.

But backing up a moment, what is “mind like water?”

Let’s draw a metaphor. The water is your brain, your soul, your you - the rock is the stuff you have to deal with. What happens when you throw the rock in the water? It creates waves and distorts for awhile, but eventually returns back to a serene state.

I’m guilty of this too - where something happens and it just discombobulates you to no end. But, if you keep in mind to keep your mind like water, you’ll be more creative, come up with better ideas, and be much, much more productive.

Technorati Tags:
Mind Like Water, How To Get Water, GTD, Merlin Mann

Blogs Help Search and Content, If You Use Them Right

Interesting article I stumbled over at George Dearing’s Blog… and reinforces what we’ve been saying for awhile. That blogs, can in fact, be ranked highly.

Now, I think there is a caveat to this, and was brought up in a discussion I happened to have with some other geeks. The problem is that most companies want to look at these items as checklists, and not part of an ongoing strategy.

One of the things that separate quality, long-lasting companies that are flash-in-the-pans or single-service entities is their persistence in marketing. The realization that when things get tough, the last thing you cut is advertising and marketing, because that is what will pull you through the down time. And blogging, as well as podcasting, should be part of what can be a low-cost alternative (or, frankly, main) strategy.

More and more, people are turning away from TV and onto their laptops and computers for knowledge and recommendations. The days of not needing a website (which I actually had someone tell me the other day) are over - it’s required to stay alive and competitive. That, and you need to prove your value in many markets where the product or service has been commoditized.

Podcasting and blogging help make that case in the minds of consumers, I believe.

Technorati Tags:
Interactive, Lessons to be learned, SEO, Web 2.0, Blogging, Marketing Strategy

This isn’t the first time Facebook has had to apologize

I start with praise.

Great way to handle a business mess-up.

It doesn’t erase that fact it was done, but shows that there is some self-responsibility at the top, rare in today’s world.

However, let’s not forget that there was another apology in regards to feeds last year and how they did not put in privacy controls.

There are two things at work here - although I admire that Facebook is trying to be innovative to support it’s business, it looks like there is a pattern developing of Facebook releasing services and not thinking, or underestimating, the value of or integration of privacy controls.

I’ve heard the argument that unless these companies can leverage your personal information in ways that work for advertisers the business portion of these social networking sites will eventually collapse - after all, they don’t make the amount of money right now close to justifying their current high valuations.

There has got to be a way that strikes a balance - there are plenty of “green” motivations for Facebook and others to figure this out.

Technorati Tags:
Beacon, Facebook, Facebook Apologizes Again