It seems ‘little big’ changes are following each other up quicker then ever. After Google introduced the Sliding Adsense Ads I came across a post on DailyBlogTips today that announces the new possibility of video’s in blog comments. This is an option that is added through a new Wordpress Plugin by Seesmic.
One of the first blogs to install the plugin and provide video commenting to its readers is the popular TechCrunch. You can see some examples there as well.
So, what’s nice about video comments ?
Well, first and foremost, it gives the reader who’s leaving a comment possibilities to add extra flavor and depth to their opinion in numerous ways, and because these possibilities could very well revolutionize the way we leave comments on blogs to at least some extent, I have taken the opportunity to list some of them below …
1 - Possibilities for Visual Communication
Imagine for instance how a commenter can visually point out something in a video. This could be an object that they would like to show as an example, or a screen shot of something they are talking about.
As we all know, many bloggers leave comments on other blogs in order to build some traffic to their own blogs. Essentially, aside from adding value to the conversation, this is also a way of advertising. Video comments can make this kind of comment advertising more effective.
For example : Imagine yourself wearing a t-shirt with a domain name on it, or to take it to the extreme, having your own background wall full of specific blog logo’s. The possibilities are endless.
2 - Potential Enhancement of Reader captivation
If you’ve read the post about how to Improve Your Blog by Spicing up Your Communication then you’ll know where I’m going. It’s possible to add some spice to your communication, be it written or verbal, by using several communicational power elements. I won’t list these in this post because the article under the link above explains how to implement these in depth.
If your aim is to advertise your blog or attract attention through a comment you leave, video’s offer some extra possibilities to spice up the communication and effect of personal branding. Again, see the link provided about spicing up your communication if you’d like to learn more.
3 - Less Control Over Comments - the Need for Stricter Comment Policy
The first drawback that comes to mind when thinking about readers leaving video comments is that the blog owner does not have any control over the content in the video. Contradictory to text comments, there is no option to edit the content, making time consuming human moderation a must.
As a result of not having control over the content of a published video comment, and whenever a comment is alien to the blog’s comment policy, what action will the blog owner have to take ?
Removing a video that a reader put some time in to make will possibly leave them angry or disappointed. No blogger likes to disappoint their readers and it seems that the only answer for managing this risk, would be to implement a very clear and comment policy which is adjusted to video comments.
Finally,
So, indeed video comments are quite exciting, as they obviously allow the person leaving the comment to be more creative and thus potentially more effective.
But what about contrasting the positives and negatives ? What about the lesser control you have over the content of a comment as a blog owner, and what’s the weight of this disadvantage in comparison to the advantages mentioned ?
Feel free to leave your opinion on video comments. Would you install this new feature on your blog ? Or would you rather keep things the way they are ? And why ?
Considering the success of video responses on sites like YouTube, it’s only a matter of time before this ineffective use of bandwidth spills over to the mainstream blogging platforms.
Personally, I would never install such a plugin because I don’t have enough time to watch someone’s response to an article. I read these things on the go, syncronizing RSS feeds with post comments on my PDA for later consumption on the train or during lunch breaks. If people were to start leaving long winded discussions or otherwise non-portable points of view in some video file, then it would make blogging a much more “big-computer-centric” platform.
One of the things I really enjoy about blogs are the RSS feeds and ability to quickly skim through comments from various readers. If I had to listen to a bunch of n00bs shout “FIRST!”, try and pronounce “pWn3d”, issue some uncomical version of “All your base are belong to us” or whatever else catch-phrase of the week, I think I’d rip the headphones from my ears and go postal on the otherwise unsuspecting citizens of Nagoya, Japan.
I don’t listen to podcasts because 98% of all bloggers don’t have a voice for radio, let alone a poorly planned vocalization of a blog post with low quality microphones.
I don’t watch vlogs because 98% of all “posts” are poorly laid out and make the public shows on PBS seem like big Hollywood productions by comparison.
So, taking this one further, I will not waste my bandwidth by watching a bunch of senseless comments on a post in the hopes of finding one intelligent response to a topic that interests me
Yay for old school!
Lex,
I really appreciate your breakdown on this new feature — especially drawing attention to what the “cons” may be.
The lack of control over comment content could be a real deal breaker for me.
I am also hesitant wondering what kind of mad technical plug-in scripting can of worms gets opened up with video comments.
I also don’t feel I’ve reached an audience size yet to justify podcasts and video created by me, let alone managing it for my readership as well. A huge majority of my readers are not technologically savvy at all, so I don’t see anyone beating down my virtual doors to post video content. It seems like a large commitment in possibilities, in relation to who would actually take advantage of it.
But I will definitely be excited to see how video comments play out on other blogs — and I will certainly be watching to see which markets are impacted by it.
@slade :
I’m starting to feel that the moderation thing is going to be a problem as well … it’s not a good feeling to not be in control of your comments…
I read on some blog (can’t remember which) that video commenting would be the perfect solution to comment spam -> I have to disagree … because how are spam filters going to catch the video spam ?? You have to be human in order to see if it’s spam or not …
So it seems that the cons are winning in my mind right now, despite of the branding and marketing advantages …