The Internet is like the universe, only with
a better search function.
The Big Bang flung interstellar gas into
every (in)conceivable corner of the Universe, eventually cooling down and
taking its current form as stars, planets, asteroid belts and so on.
Likewise, we're continually flinging ourselves into every corner of the digital universe. Most of the decipherable domains were gobbled up years ago and almost everyone has a personal or professional website, or both. Like the interstellar gas of billions of years ago, we've settled down into our own discrete locations on the Internet.
But since you have to know another person's exact location (their URL) to reach them, it can be really difficult to get in contact with, or even learn about, people in different parts of the digital universe that you want to do business or network with. They're a Mars Lander away. And that's a real bummer because these aliens from exotic places like Lithuania and Tuscaloosa often have the advice, expertise or good or service you need. Ok, want--you don't need an AK-47 Lamp. The Cold War is over.
As Chris Anderson notes in his insightful book The Long Tail, "in virtually all markets, there are far more niche goods than hits" and, critically, "consumers must be given ways to find niches that suit their particular needs and interests."
Likewise, we're continually flinging ourselves into every corner of the digital universe. Most of the decipherable domains were gobbled up years ago and almost everyone has a personal or professional website, or both. Like the interstellar gas of billions of years ago, we've settled down into our own discrete locations on the Internet.
But since you have to know another person's exact location (their URL) to reach them, it can be really difficult to get in contact with, or even learn about, people in different parts of the digital universe that you want to do business or network with. They're a Mars Lander away. And that's a real bummer because these aliens from exotic places like Lithuania and Tuscaloosa often have the advice, expertise or good or service you need. Ok, want--you don't need an AK-47 Lamp. The Cold War is over.
As Chris Anderson notes in his insightful book The Long Tail, "in virtually all markets, there are far more niche goods than hits" and, critically, "consumers must be given ways to find niches that suit their particular needs and interests."
Unlike the universe, for which there are no sure and fast ways to track down interesting places besides Earth that might have pizza, Google give us, if anything, an excess of potential matches. The simple search "Worcester MA hardware" yields almost two million results. Who here is going beyond maybe page two or three? You're just looking for a quick answer to the closest place to buy some caulk for the tub, not launching a social network for carpenters.
So it's a good thing Google just keeps getting better at directing us towards what we actually want. And video is becoming a major component of that process. A website with video is 50x more likely to appear on the first page of Google. That's a real stat. Seriously, look it up.
Video is quickly becoming a primary filter through which Google sorts and orders search results because we freaking looooove video. Video is a multi-sensory, information-dense medium that keeps us rapt.
This can make a HUGE difference for a lot of people--like the owners of that friendly, helpful hardware store we might be trying to find. Anyone who wants to be found in the vast wilderness of the Internet needs to be thinking about video. Good copy and a few pictures just won't cut it in the not-too-distant future.
I've started a web-driven video production company, SkyScope Creative, with a couple of other guys passionate about telling compelling stories about people, places and products through video. We're a small start-up, so there's not much up on the site now. But if you've made it this far and you're not my wonderful professor Julie Frechette who has to plow through all of this anyway, I hope I've stoked some desire or interest in you. I'll continue to post on the future of the relationship between video and the web, musings that spring from the book assigned for class, Groundswell, and probably mention my business a bunch. Whoops, I mean--it will be informative. I hope.
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