Remember the Al Gore channel, CurrentTV? It's still got a website, but I sure haven't heard much about it lately. Also check out Google Current…
Category Archives: Video Sites
Most Popular Viral Videos
Want a nice collection of popular viral videos? Check out this Wikipedia listing for Intenet Phenomenon and scroll down to "videos." A few you've seen (like one of the first viral videos ever: Bad Day), but maybe a few new ones. Not of all the items link to the actual videos, so you'll have to do some digging.
Is A 15-Second Ad Every 3 Clips Fair?
What's the tolerance for ads before online videos? I kinda like the Office Pirates model of one 15-second ad before every third video. Obviously we'd all like to watch our videos without ads, but then we'd have to pay for them or the companies would go the route of www.Chapter11TV.com.
On the continuum, iFilm is probably the most aggressive and Google Video the most laid back about ads. Think that will change? I see us moving to a model somewhere between iFilm and Google… and 15-seconds every third video seems fair.
Who’s Not Watching Online Videos?
This post's headline is from eMarketer, which did a story covering the Comscore Networks report about growth in online videos. Not a lot of new information, but some perty charts. And if you're lucky you might find an ad from a new Pointroll video banner.
Soup of the Day Video Series
As web videos and television videos lose their distinction, we're obviously going to see some online videos that are series. Here's the first I've uncovered. It's called "Soup of the Day" and highlights the life of Brandon Craig, a 28-year-old freelance photographer that is dating three attractive women. To understand the series, you need to visit this page, and begin with "serving one."
It's a nice marketing idea. The production and acting quality is pretty decent, so costs weren't inconsequential. So I'll be interested to see how they introduce ads or services to generate revenue.
We Like Our Dancing Videos: Napolean and Evolution of Dance
We like our dancing videos online. In the past 6 months more than 5 million people have watched Napolean Dynamite's Dance Scene on YouTube. That makes it one of the top 10 most watched videos on the web. But nothing tops "The Evolution of Dance" by Justin Laipply. In one month, he's been seen nearly 15 million times- and it's an amusing six minutes. Justin will be on the Today Show on June 5, and here's his website.
Now here's the interesting thing. Obviously the Napolean Dynamite piece is a copyright violation, and if the studio cared they could have YouTube remove it. But actually so is Justin's piece. He can't produce or sell his clip (despite the popularity) because he'd need a license of every song. So for now he'll have to enjoy the free press and consider his dance video a gift to the universe (until one of the music studios tries to axe it).
Extra, Extra: The Top 10 Most Popular Video Sites!
At last Hitwise does a public ranking of the online video sites. I use Hitwise in my day job (the company track about 25 million Americans web habits by buying ISP data). However I can't release any of the rankings. Now it's public!
Some highlights & observations:
- YouTube is obviously number one- with 42% market share and an average visit of about 13:20. These "average visit" numbers are less reliable that actual log traffic that measures a "mean visit," and tends to overstate them. Still- that's a nice chunk of time.
- The second highest share is just more than half of YouTube's… MySpace comes in at 24%.
- Yahoo video is ahead of MSN video AND Google video by a few percent. They had a lead, so that doesn't surpise me. Now that Google videos are showing up in Googles search, we'll see that change in the next months.
- DailyMotion, while being low on the list, has a decent average visit number.
- Revver (and CubeBreak) aren't tracking high- mostly because Revver is doing almost no promotion since it's still in beta. Plus- Hitwise would not necessarily track most of the videos viewed via Revver since Revver's strategy is to deploy its videos on other sites.
This quote kinda summarizes why I created this Blog: "The rapid growth of online video sites in the past six months demonstrates a major shift in online behavior" said LeeAnn Prescott, senior research analyst at Hitwise. "The Internet is quickly moving from static web pages to an environment rich with interaction and user generated multimedia content."
I Saw That Video on… Um… the Internet.com
I ask my dad what medicine he's taking, and he says "the one from CVS Drugstore." You ask millennials (people born after 1980) and 33% can't name the TV networks (according to a Bolt Survey covered by ClickZ). Such is the dilemma of being a middleman between a creator and a consumer. Nobody remembers you.
You're not going to remember that you learned this factoid — about TV networks fading to obscurity — on WillVideoForFood, much less ClickZ. Maybe you'll remember it was a Bolt survey.
Right now we're all fascinated by the places… MySpace, YouTube, Revver, eBay. But what really matters is the stuff, the videos, the community. That's what will transcend the individual players and channels. Do you care where you got your soft drink? Probably not. Will you drink another brand? Probably not.
One in three millennials (people born after 1980) can't name the TV networks.
Signs You May Have Obsessive Video Dissorder (OVD)
If you're obsessed with making and viewing online videos, there's help available. Answer these 10 questions, and speak with your doctor if you answer "yes" to 5 or more of the following: 
10. I regret any funny moment that passes which I failed to capture on video.
9. My significant-other or spouse sees my online video sites as "another man or woman."
8. I check my views (and income) more than 7 times a day, starting with first thing in the morning.
7. My life is a series of 20-50 second bits.
6. I cannot fathom the commitment of watching a 30-minute television show.
5. My visits to Revver, YouTube and Google Video are surpassing my time spent on Google or e-mail.
4. I have an uncanny ability to know who (among friends or co-workers) will agree to be in a video.
3. I have developed a parasocial relationship with the "celebrities of online videos" like the Numa Numa kid or BowieChick.
2. I can't stand the period between when I upload a video and when it's viewable.
1. The subject of my online videos has come up in my day-job performance review and career pathing dicsussions.
Only a healthcare professional can tell you if you have Obsessive Video Dissorder (OVD). Print this page and ask your doctor about a new drug that might help.
Google and AOL and Video Ads Online
Interesting news. Google will offer video ads through Adsense in a very "non-intrusive" way… meaning the visitor would have to select it before it loads (thank goodness). What I find most intriguing is that Google seems to offer this for its partners (any site that "syndicates" Google ads via Adsense to make money). But apparently they won't be using these on Google itself. Why?
Let's pray that Madison Avenue takes advantage of this new vehicle by creating fun ads. Not 15-30 second pieces that work for a captive audience watching American Idol* without a TiVo remote. But a busy web searcher that, if not entertained, is moving on quickly.
On a related note, AOL bought LighteningCast recently, which gives them the ability to insert ads into video content. According to MSNBC, this gives AOL the ability "run targeted ads within video and even change ads from time to time without replacing the entire video file."
* We at WillVideoForFood are big Catherine fans, but we think Hicks is our next Idol.