Great content from UPS
March 3rd, 2008
My $0.02 on the first YouTube debate
July 23rd, 2007So the first YouTube debate has come and gone. I watched it for about 10 minutes this evening, and I have to say I was most unimpressed. However, I give CNN credit for trying to embrace something new that shows an innovative use of technology, a democratization of the political dialog, and actively inviting a generally younger audience into the tent. However, I don’t see what we really got out of seeing the questions posed on YouTube. Some of the people were cute and creative - but that’s not why I watch a political debate. Could this have been handled in another way? SMS? Twitter? iChat?
I could be wrong, but I don’t see this format lasting into the general election.
Needle in a haystack
July 19th, 2007I’m working on a presentation for Monday. To (hopefully) provide a bit of an impact, I’m looking for great video clips - the kind that spark conversations about the changes in online media. But it’s somewhat like looking for a needle in a haystack. I’m currently watching a video with Seth Godin at the TED conference. Since there’s no transcript, I’m forced to watch all 19 minutes in hopes of finding the perfect quote.
I’m looking forward to the day when you can quickly scan the transcripts of online videos, with related links directly to the video segment.
Counting down…
July 19th, 2007As I look around the good old internets at the multiple online video sources, I notice a lack of consistency in the player interface. To all of the online video sites out there — please, please, please provide a countdown letting me know how much longer is left in the video. I would like to know going in if this is going to be a 30 second investment of time, or 30 minutes. YouTube has this feature, as does Google video. However, Yahoo Video, MySpace, and others gives the viewer no information on how much longer they are going be watching until the presentation comes to an end.
O’Reilly explains Web 2.0
July 17th, 2007“Users add value”
Innovations at Joost, and welcome back
July 16th, 2007First of all, it’s been quite a while since I last wrote in this blog - almost three months. I’ve been busy. I’m going to attempt to post in it every once in a while again. However, I make no promises as to the frequency of posts.
I’ve been testing Joost a bit more lately. In part, this has been because of the increased press the application has been receiving in the press and blogs I tend to read. The latest round of press has mostly focused on a new show which is available via Joost, I Hate My 30s. Since I’m in the early half of my 30s, I thought I would check the show out.
For those who haven’t heard, this is a VH1 show which will premiere on July 26th. However, starting today the entire season of the show is available via Joost. Since I’ve received emails and read news on the event, I had to check it out. It wasn’t the easiest thing to find in Joost. As cool as this new version of IPTV is, the search interface could be better. In the process of looking for the content I found that a lot of new content has been added to Joost - but it still wasn’t easy to find the new show. After a few minutes of searching (it’s funny how three minutes of searching is an eternity in this era of instant information), I found what I had been looking for.
I won’t bore you with my review of the show content. But what I will talk about is how the show is being delivered. While watching the show I was able to click onto an icon which pulled up a menu. It was very similar to a DVD menu, but it did not interrupt the flow of the program. If I preferred, the show could be paused. Otherwise, I was able to interact with a water-marked widget over-top of the content. The widget contains an option to read about the show and the a listing of the episodes. This is all done with icons resembling coffee-cups (coffee seems to be a theme in the show).
The menu overlays aren’t changing the world, but it is one step closer to having instant access to relevant data while being entertained. For someone like me who tends to watch TV and movies with a laptop nearby, this type of information can’t come soon enough. We’re one step closer to realizing my dream of having on-demand baseball stats available while watching a live game.
A banner campaign for habeas corpus
April 27th, 2007Hello all… I haven’t gone into the witness protection program (yet). Things have just been busy. So here’s just a quick note.
The home page of the New York Times is currently running a banner unit on the lower right - right around the fold for most of you - for the American Civil Liberties Union. The banner supports an advocacy campaign calling on our citizens to demand the Congress restore habeas corpus. OK - I’m on board with this. I was one of many in this country who were appalled at the blatant disregard our government has shown to the Constitution in a post 9/11 society.
While I understand and support the intent of the ad, I think its execution is less than compelling. First of all, the campaign is a take-off on the missing children mail we each receive in our mailboxes weekly. It features a cartoon character - apparently named Habeas Corpus with a birth date of 1215 (the year Magna Carta was signed on the plains of Runnymede) - whose headshot is framed exactly like the missing children fliers. In my opinion, this is in horrible taste.
The second problem I have with the ad is its payoff. I click through and I am taken to an online petition. There’s a lot of text, the site is plain. There’s nothing visual to appeal to the emotional importance of this Constitutional right. Is this what Michael Moore would do? I can’t stand the man, but I can’t help but think he would do a better job incorporating some sort of audio/visual presentation here. Surely our Constitutional watchdogs can find a way to find a more emotional connection with their target.
New York Times Reader to charge
March 17th, 2007Earlier this week I received an email from the New York Times thanking me for my participation in the beta test of the Time Reader. It went on to say that starting March 27th, access to the Times Reader service would require a subscription for $165 per year. What??? Are they crazy? I love the service, but there’s no way I’m going to pay that much money to download a copy of the New York Times. The same content is available for free on the website. The Times Reader is particularly convenient when traveling, but not at that price point. It’s much cheaper for me to just buy a dead-tree edition of the paper at the airport before each flight.
Best of luck to the Times in their new model. Only time will tell if there are people who will actually pay that much for the service.
End of an era
March 10th, 2007After 5 years as an Atlanta Falcons season ticket holder, I think I’ve decided not to renew this year. The Falcons have raised tickets 13% this year (180% in five years) - and I just cannot justify this given the team’s recent performance. I still consider myself a fan - just a fan with $800 extra.
Send me an invite!
March 3rd, 2007If there’s anyone out there on the “internets” with an extra Joost invite, you won’t find a more interested beta tester than me. I know it’s a hot item, but I’m not willing to pay for this. Nonetheless, if you have an extra - please invite me! I can be reached by emailing rocky at rockyhunter dot com (yes, paranoid putting an email address online).