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In yet another evolution of media consumption, video
blogging, or vlogging, is just beginning to take shape.
While not quite as powerful as some proponents proclaim
(“The power of a cable news channel in your office!”),
there is no doubt that technology and opportunity will
bring this new channel into the mainstream.
What was once the tedious and expensive task of
broadcasting video segments is now becoming a simple and
inexpensive process. Anyone with a video camera, some
software and a computer connected to the Internet can
post videos online that can be streamed to any computer
attached to the Web anywhere in the world.
For example,
videoenable.com will host up to 300 videos
per month for subscribers that require no special
viewers or software to install – for $15 per month. The
company offers a technology that will buffer the video
to match the viewer’s Internet connection so that the
entire video plays seamlessly regardless of connection
type.
In addition to the technology platforms, new software
has been developed allowing even the most
technology-challenged to produce video segments that are
presentable, if not broadcast quality.
Serious Magic,
for example, offers different levels of software that
enable amateur video producers to produce everything
from a simple personal video message to a multi-camera
production complete with green screen and background
graphics.
Just as blogs exploded on the scene years ago, expect to
see a similar boom in the video blogging field. Pioneers
in this area are just beginning to explore the
commercial viability of this new medium.
Rocketboom.com
is one of these pioneers. This group produces a three
minute “newscast” that has become very popular, with as
many as 50,000 viewers “tuning in” to every episode. The
company is considering a low-cost subscription service
to generate revenue.
While vlogs graduate from home-video quality to
productions such as Rocketboom’s newscasts, consumers
will be presented with one more media choice. Just as
blogs now compete with newspaper editorials for
readership, vlogs will one day challenge cable and
broadcast operators for viewers and advertising dollars.
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