COLLECTIVE MADNESS


“Soft despotism is a term coined by Alexis de Tocqueville describing the state into which a country overrun by "a network of small complicated rules" might degrade. Soft despotism is different from despotism (also called 'hard despotism') in the sense that it is not obvious to the people."

Sunday, October 21, 2007

Internet Video Content. Is it Working for You?



The internet is changing in ways that are astounding. The latest is video content and the increased interest of media companies positioning themselves on the internet. Sites like CNN and Newsweek are promoting more and more use of video, but placing thirty second ads before the content. You Tube will be doing the same? Given the choice of reading or having to wade through internet commercials, I usually choose to read. How about you? What web sites and links are there that do a good job of mixing video content with more static presentations?


October 19, 2007
Video Meets the Web Meets TV
By David Needle Networking

SAN FRANCISCO -- Is the rise of the Internet slowly killing television? Not in the view of media execs here at the Web 2.0 Summit, who said TV is merely changing with the times.

"Television viewing has gone up every year," said Amy Banse, president of Comcast Interactive Media. "I object to this idea that it's online video versus cable video. I don't think most customers think that way, they just want video and the ability to seamlessly access it regardless of what screen it appears on."

In response to a question, Banse said Comcast isn't threatened by the potential of free ubiquitous Wi-Fi access sponsored by certain municipalities and tech companies like Google. "You want me to be a dinosaur running scared," she said. "Google is a phenomenon and it's been a wonderful partner. People want to buy our pipes for fabulous services and we monetize them in part through Google, and we've talked to them about new ways to expand the partnership."

Quincy Smith, president of CBS Interactive, said it's critical that online formats be standardized over the next two to three years to better attract the next generation viewers. He said CBS has been using "next-generation" ad formats that are starting to pay off.

Asked if he was worried about losing viewers to Facebook and other social networks, Smith said he wasn't, and that such networks help CBS. He said social networks have become a kind of online water cooler where people can discuss what they saw on TV the night before and indirectly market the shows. Smith said CBS needed to be more involved in social networks, get advertisers involved and figure out ways to monetize it.

Smith noted CBS bought celebrity gossip site Dotspotter earlier this month. He didn't confirm the price, rumored to be $10 million. In a recent posting, GigaOm analyst Om Malik, who moderated today's panel, described the deal as CBS's "Water Cooler 2.0" purchase.

Participatory television?

Another angle on where TV is headed came from Joel Hyatt, CEO and founder of Current TV. He said TV isn't dying, as evidenced by the huge viewership and companies spending billions to bring television content to the Internet. He said the chief problem is that "much of television sucks."

Current TV is a cable channel with an affiliated social network site, Current.com. In addition to sharing comments on programming, Current's aim is to move television from a passive experience to a far more participatory experience. Sponsors encourage viewer-created ads, which Hyatt said viewers prefer nine to one over those created by ad agencies.

"We've created the first truly two-screen experience," said Hyatt. "On the TV tab, you can find out what's on and then later you can go to the Web site and interact and engage with other people that saw the show." He said giving consumers a reason to go from the TV to the Web is a true convergence of the two technology platforms. "It's not about 'Gee, now we can watch Desperate Housewives on a laptop.' That's cool, but it's not a big idea."

Malik, the panel moderator, appeared skeptical that the Current TV idea would have broad appeal.

"When I come home from a hard day of hating my boss, why would I want to give up the passive consumption of TV to contribute online?" he said.

But Hyatt countered that viewership of many TV shows is declining, particularly the broadcast evening news. "You ask our target demographic about watching a news anchor at 5:30 tell you what the news is. It is of no relevance to the younger generation. They want to participate and create," he said.

Fellow panelist Mike Volpi, CEO of Internet TV play Joost, said the key for online video to succeed is for companies to provide services that aren't already broadly available -- not another YouTube.

"The market needs companies that provide high-quality video and content that's curated and packaged in the right way where frequently the content owner is the editor," he said.

The rosy outlook from media executives today comes as the second major indication that traditional media companies are becoming more aggressively active -- and less reactive -- when it comes to online video initiatives. Yesterday, a consortium of media giants, including Viacom, News Corp., Disney and NBC Universal, announced guidelines for how they wished to work with video sharing sites.

Those guidelines entail a great deal of policing for copyright-infringing user-uploaded videos, including a stipulation that sites develop technology enabling video content owners to detect and block copyrighted content even before it's made visible on the site. That's a marked difference from Google's proposed filtering scheme, which would enable media companies to find and remove videos only after they're posted.

At least two online video sites, DailyMotion and Veoh, signed-up to support yesterday's guidelines. Google is said to be in talks with the group as well.

28 comments:

  1. "Perhaps some people will be happy about this, but it is true that the German people will go extinct if we don't deal with this problem." Same goes for the Russians. Same for us all.

    Funeral Channel

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  2. I have found that YouTube offers a vast number of ways to waste resources, without renumeration, of any sort.

    It may add to name recongnition, always an important marketing tool, but ...

    In other news, the MNF Iraq. The Coalition is no longer fighting terrorists in Iraq. They are not battling insurgents. The MNF has become a police force, 100%.

    The proof is in their own verbage, in their public notices, like this one.

    MULTI-NATIONAL FORCE-IRAQ
    PRESS DESK
    BAGHDAD, Iraq
    http://www.mnf-iraq.com
    703.343.8790

    Oct. 21, 2007
    Press Release A071021c

    UPDATE: Coalition forces target Special Groups leader, 49 criminals killed

    BAGHDAD, Iraq – Coalition forces were engaged in a heavy firefight this morning killing an estimated 49 criminals during operations in Sadr City.

    The operation’s objective was an individual reported to be a long time Special Groups member specializing in kidnapping operations. Intelligence indicates he is a well-known cell leader and has previously sought funding from Iran to carry out high profile kidnappings.

    Upon arrival, the ground force began to clear a series of buildings in the target are and received sustained heavy fire from adjacent structures, to include automatic weapons and rocket propelled grenades, or RPGs. Responding in self-defense, Coalition forces engaged, killing an estimated 33 criminals. Supporting aircraft was also called to engage enemy personnel maneuvering with RPGs toward the ground force, killing an estimated six criminals. ...


    Criminals killed, without trial.

    Words do have meaning.

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  3. "And this world is so troubled and it's such a sadness that you think you've seen a film on your fucking telephone...Get real!" - David Lynch (who wants people to see his movies on the big screen with the sound cranked way up)

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  4. Bet this Federal wishes there was no "YouTube"

    ...a remark made by John Tanner, the chief of the Justice Department’s civil rights division. In a speech to a Latino group earlier this month in Los Angeles, Mr. Tanner said that a disproportionate share of elderly minority voters did not have identification, but added that it was not a widespread problem because of their life expectancy.

    “Creating problems for elderly persons just is not good under any circumstance,” Mr. Tanner told the National Latino Congreso, according to a video posted on YouTube. “Of course, that also ties into the racial aspect because our society is such that minorities don’t become elderly the way white people do. They die first.”

    On Friday, Mr. Obama sent a letter to the Justice Department, urging acting Attorney General Peter D. Keisler to replace Mr. Tanner for making comments that were “patently erroneous, offensive and dangerous.”

    Mr. Obama said the remarks were “especially troubling coming from the federal official charged with protecting voting rights in this country.”

    Mr. Tanner declined to be interviewed. But a spokesman for the Justice Department, Erik Ablin, said the remarks by Mr. Tanner had been “grossly misconstrued.”

    “Nothing in his comments deviated from his firm commitment to enforce the law,” Mr. Ablin said, adding that Mr. Tanner has worked for the department’s civil rights division since 1976 and has been a longtime advocate for minority voting rights. He said officials “have full confidence” in Mr. Tanner.

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  5. It's all in the image you project. Benazir Bhutto world class con artist.

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  6. Perception is reality, bob.
    While there are concerns about Ms Bhutto, there are concerns about Ms Clinton, as well.

    Hundreds of thousands of folk did celebrate her return to Pakistan. She does seem to retain a base of popularity there and does show well on western media outlets.

    If not her, who?
    If not now, when?

    To bad that the Tribal lands have broken away, worse that the Pakistani Army cannot succeed against the natives of the area.

    Civil War is a tough nut to crack, especially when it's a tribal affair and the Army is full of tribal loyalties.

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  7. UPDATE: Coalition forces target Special Groups leader, 49 criminals killed...

    "Upon arrival, the ground force began to clear a series of buildings in the target area and received sustained heavy fire from adjacent structures, to include automatic weapons and rocket propelled grenades, or RPGs. Responding in self-defense, Coalition forces engaged, killing an estimated 33 criminals. Supporting aircraft was also called to engage enemy personnel maneuvering with RPGs toward the ground force, killing an estimated six criminals"
    .....................

    "The US military has learned to exploit networked information and precision weapons to conduct real-time, coordinated, and precision joint/combined operations against an enemy dispersed over complex terrain in a chaotic theater on the other side of the world. Troops have learned to use a networked, distributed force of coordinated but independent joint combat elements with a wide range of capabilities. They have demonstrated that command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (C4ISR) can be fused and focused directly on a small, effective formation at the tip of the spear, allowing US forces to apply the right tool at the right time in the right place. Ultimately, this capability will prove itself more important than raw firepower."

    - Colonel Jogerst is the Special Operations Chair to Air University, on the faculty of Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Alabama

    Nascent Net-Centric War Gains Pentagon Toehold

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  8. Yes, elijah, we have the ultimate SWAT Team in the world.
    No doubt about that.

    But why in the world should the US have 171,000 troops in Iraq, to do Law Enforcement work when the US homeland is being invaded by criminals, up to 4,000 per day?

    If the US military is going to be tasked with police work in foreign lands, we'd be better off having them patrol the US borders. If catching or killing criminals is the mission.

    There is no proof that providing a law enforcement capacity, in Iraq, secures the US homeland, per General P's testimony.

    Securing the border would, by definition, be securing US.

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  9. 1.5 billion(a lot of it probably from US taxpayers) is nothing the sneeze at, Rat:) You know me, few offered solutions to anything. I wish her well, I quess, not having any real reason not to, but basically I think Pakistan is a hopeless mess, at the best of times.

    Mrs. Clinton is reported to have taken a real hit on her image,with reports lately of her tossing out the White House cat, soon as it wasn't needed anymore, imagewise. You can tell a lot about a person by the way they treat animals.!

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  10. Charges were dropped, bob.
    She must be innocent of them, no?

    Managing a "soft power" empire, not the easiest of tasks.

    To bad Mr Bush did not keep to his word, and deprive the Jihadists of sanctuary in Pakistan. That 2002 State of the Union speach, going down in history as premier example of superb "doublespeak".

    There will be found Mr Bush's legacy.

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  11. General Jones testified the Iraqi would be ready, in 18 to 24 months.
    Last Auguust.

    15 to 21 months to go.

    With Elections slated for that same time frame, in Iraq.

    After that, will the US judge their democratic government to have emerged?

    Or will they still fall short of the mark?

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  12. When Hillary gets in, I believe we can surely kiss the idea of border control good bye. Hillary is going to be a disaster, period.

    Might as well just curl up in the world of YouTube, advertisements, and die.

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  13. Why sure, bob.
    That's why Mr McCain and Mr Kyl were telling US that their "comprehensive reform" was the "best" deal they could get out of the Congress.

    Eight more years of lack of border security and more motor voter ...

    Licenses for everybody!

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  14. Back from a fishing trip with the President, Cheney again says No Nules for Iran. Time grows short for Cheney/Bush.

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  15. I like YouTube--can get info on stuff like the Georgia drought, right up front, that I couldn't get around here, without it. Homo sapiens, or the clams, that is the question

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  16. Mrs. Clinton is reported to have taken a real hit on her image,with reports lately of her tossing out the White House cat

    On the day after the 2012 election, no matter how it goes, I betcha she serves Bill his walking papers too.

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  17. T., if she loses, she might do that, but if she wins, I'd bet Bill stays. That would be part of the deal.

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  18. While watching Bill Mahr toss out some rowdy audience members from his studio, I caught a piece of my own thinking from a Democrat Congresswoman from TX, Sheila Jackson Lee.

    Mission accomplished, aQI defeated, bring the troops home to Victory Parades. That was what she said was going to be the "new" course for the Democrats as concerns Iraq.

    General O, General Simmons and the commander of Spec Ops in Iraq, they all agree.

    It'd be tough for Rudy to say, no the Generals are wrong, we're still losing.

    Bill Mahr was taken aback by the idea, but there it was, it'll be rollin' at US, like a freight train.

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  19. You know, the most wasteful thing in the world is fresh water emptying into the ocean.

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  20. Kasparov runs for President, keeps most of his family in the USA.

    YouTube.

    Rufus, some of the enviros out here would lynch you for that comment:)

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  21. Cmon Ruf:

    It's not wasted.

    Rain falls, the runoff is carried to the ocean. Evaporation takes water out of the ocean and delivers it back to the land masses where it again condenses out as rain. Ocean currents, hurricanes, even droughts all play a part in a complex ecosystem that only a fool would think just happened to develop out of nothing.
    (No offense intended, Rufus.)

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  22. Whit, the oshun has plenty o' water. It won't miss it.

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  23. Kasparov says Poooty needs a little chaos in the world to keep those petroleum prices high. Or he falls. Asks whether you'd believe the Poooty popularity figures, if you were living in what amounts to a police state. Says he takes his food and drink in private. :)

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  24. Pelosi Experiences an Epiphany The only way to read the news these days and stay sane is slanted with some help by a guy like Scott Ott. :)

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  25. Kasparov had a segment on theat Bill Mahr show, aswell.
    Said much the same thing there.

    Do not think he'll gain the office, but at least there are still free thinkers in the world.

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  26. Here's some examples of how businesses are using video on the internet
    www.tvwebpro.com
    They're on the 'sample" page.

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  27. Here's some examples of how businesses are using video on the internet
    www.tvwebpro.com
    They're on the 'sample" page.

    ReplyDelete