The Next Big Step for Online Video is Offline
By Cliff Etzel • May 29th, 2008 • Category: Content DistributionOver at Poynter Institute Online, Al Tompkins had the opportunity to interview Travis Fox of The Washingtonpost.com.
I’ve admired the quality of work Travis is producing these days and have been following his work for the past few months.
One question Al asked falls into line with one of the philosophies I have been speaking on since I began blogging on the Solo Video Journalist Paradigm and the democratization of video content.
The question he asked has to do with the next big step for online video – and Travis believes it is for the ability to take online video and make it available offline.
Quoting Travis’ response to Al’s question from the interview:
“One thing I think we should be looking at is video going offline. Let me explain: We will see the Internet used more as a means of delivery, as opposed to a medium (the Web). At washingtonpost.com, we’ve already seen this in the huge increase of traffic to our various video podcasts on iTunes. Not that podcasts are the future, but the technology of delivering video to several devices, like your phone — and especially your TV — is. I hope some day soon, your Time Warner cable box will allow you to download our videos in true high-definition for viewing on your TV. Our high-def podcast that syncs with the Apple TV is a glimpse into this world. Once this technology becomes more mainstream, we can capitalize on higher TV advertising rates and reach a more comfortable audience, one that sits on a couch at home, not crouches behind a computer at work. In short, it’s the hub model. We are becoming a production company that creates work that goes out in many directions like spokes on a wheel — to your computer, your phone, your TV. And let us not forget, your morning newspaper.”
I’ve been posting on this for close to a year now and the detractors still don’t grasp the concept that content is open and has to be accessible no matter what time of day it is or what device it’s being watched on. The detractors dismiss my posts on this and other topics related to the new paradigm of solo vj’ism, but it seems my perspective has been validated by someone who works in what I would consider the upper echelons of the new paradigm of solo video journalism.
Read Al’s full interview with Travis over on the Poynter Institutes website
Cliff Etzel is a regional award winning photojournalist from the Pacific Northwest who has been a visual content creator since 15 years of age. In his past still work, he specialized in photo documentary and slice of life stories. Since discovering the new paradigm of self contained video journalism, he now focuses his energies in the Solo VJ paradigm with an emphasis on people-based stories, environmental, social justice, travel and documentary work through his company, bluprojekt
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