Online Video and what it means to be "vitterate" (Pt.1)

[Note: I've been writing this blog post for-freaking-EVER. I started it the week after Social Media Week NY--and that was about two weeks ago! Granted, preparation for (and anxiety over) last week's meetup didn't leave much time for writing. Still, it's pretty clear I've hit a bit of a road block, so in the interest of getting things moving I'm just breaking it up into two posts in the hope of generating some inertia.]

I’ve wanted to write about video for a while, but didn’t really feel myself qualified to do so. I’m not a vlogger, and though I manage the Unigo.com YouTube account at work, I don’t produce most of the content that goes up there, save for a few random quirky videos from around the office. Still, I haven’t been able to shake the topic and it seems like these past couple of months, I can’t enter into a conversation about social media without it inevitably turning towards online video.

There’s no denying it: video is HUGE, and if you’re not paying attention to it, you definitely should be.

Two weeks ago I attended a few panels during Social Media Week NY (SMWNY). As can be expected from a conference bearing that name, online video was on everybody’s lips. Some interesting facts that I picked up:

The number of searches being performed on YouTube each day is second only to Google. People are searching for entertainment, yes, but also for practical information, how-to’s, educational videos, etc. Having a slice of that pie, even if it’s just a tiny sliver, should be part of every institution’s online marketing strategy. (via For Your Imagination's Social Entertainment panel)

There are 15 hours of video being uploaded to YouTube every minute. The pace at which video is becoming one of our most popular modes of communication is astonishing, and nowhere is this more apparent than online. I can’t tell you how many times I have wished, or even contemplated, sending a video instead of answering a particularly lengthy question via email—idea courtesy of Saul Colt of Freshbooks, who actually does answer client emails with video responses occasionally. Let’s face it, watching a 2-minute video is far quicker, easier and arguably more engaging than reading a 1,500 word blog post. At the Innovation in Politics, Policy and Social Change through Social Media panel, Andrew Rasiej posited that as communication platforms online are evolving, it’s possible that video could eclipse text as the preferred medium as our society becomes increasingly “vitterate.”

The average number of views for a video on YouTube is two a month. Considering all the videos with views in the hundreds of thousands and millions, this means that the majority of content on YouTube is unwatched. This raises questions (at least for me) about the nature of the majority of content populating YouTube (What is it? What purpose does it serve? What purpose was it intended to serve and has it succeeded?), the sheer volume of content you will be competing with means it’s got to be good to get noticed. For cultural institutions, which are serving a clear-cut niche audience and typically have a much higher standard of excellence than your average YouTube user, I think this particular statistic need not be a deterrent. If they create and distribute the content, chances are it will be seen, even with little or next to zero promotion.

.......

Ok, so now while I fine-tune the second half of this epic post and work on getting over my writer's block, I'm going to leave you with the video footage from the Innovation in Politics, Policy and Social Change panel. It was without a doubt the best panel I attended at SMWNY. I highly recommend watching it. I believe Rasiej's comments are in the second portion of the video segment.

Please let comments or questions below! Answering them might be just the thing that helps me get out of this funk.

Social Media Week NY: Innovation in Politics, Policy, and Social Change through Social Media Pt. 2 from Panman Productions on Vimeo.

Social Media Week NY: Innovation in Politics, Policy, and Social Change through Social Media Pt. 2 from Panman Productions on Vimeo.

Comments

[Maryann Devine]

Great post Julia -- I'll have to come back to watch the videos.

For so many arts organizations, video is not just an appropriate tool, but a powerful one. I'm seeing more and more examples of arts groups with their own youtube channels, posting professional-quality video (although I think amateur video is powerful in its own way). And this is the first time I've heard reference to a "vitterate" society -- Thank you!

[Amy Fox]

Something that most people I know aren't attuned to is the presence of tight-knit communities on YouTube. This is what attracts me to the medium more than anything, though I watch my fair share of funny clips and how-to videos. From the amazing community built around "vlogbrothers" John and Hank Green (called Nerd Fighters) to other vloggers who create collaborations and allude to each other's videos so frequently that it becomes impossible to be in on the story unless you follow them all, there are communities of talented, interesting and often funny people who pay attention to their followers and encourage (and respond to) video responses. For many of these vloggers keeping up with their channel is part-time (or full-time) job, but I'd love to see more people take that approach to video. That said, I hope there's always a place for funny clips and how-to videos... sometimes a girl just needs some comic relief or wants to know how to apply false eyelashes.