Open Question: How Do You Use Web Video?

Joost, a much-publicized video service, is overhauling its technology and adding social networking services in a bid to boost its user base. From MediaWeek:

At the center of the new social-centric Joost.com is JoostFeed, which much like Facebook’s signature News Feed alerts users about what shows their friends are watching or have recently watched – hopefully stimulating more group viewing among Joost’s users and more “I didn’t know they had that show” moments.

Joost was originally released as a standalone application that required cumbersome download and installation, so the new Web-based version certainly offers a better user experience. But core technology has never been Joost’s problem. The old software app and the new Web interface sport sleek interfaces and strong platforms, but the functionality doesn’t overcome Joost’s lack of interesting content.

Joost isn’t alone. Every Web-based delivery platform is trying to find the right mix of content and technology. Since audience development is the ultimate measure of success in all of these video projects, I’m interested in hearing how the TOC Community interacts with online video:</p

Do you watch TV shows or movies online? If yes, which sites/services do you use?
What initially drew you to these services? Was it the service itself or the available content?
Do you ever share video clips or links through social networks, blogs/microblogs, email, or instant messages?
What do you think is the killer application for Web video? Access to any show/movie/clip? Availability across devices? Community features? Something else?

Please share your thoughts in the comments area.

http://toc.oreilly.com/mac_slocum Mac Slocum

I posed this Open Question because I’m an avid Web user and I’m an unabashed fan of television and movies, but I’m not keen on Web video. I peruse and share the occasional Web-based video clip — especially if it’s short — but I have *never* watched an entire movie or TV show online. I buy and download plenty of videos, but my video watching (hours and hours of it) generally takes place on a television. I’m a sucker for an immersive, HD, surround-sound experience.

To me, video’s killer application would combine access, content, devices and quality levels (I’m asking a lot, I know).

If you get past the DRM and lock-in, Apple is pretty close to achieving this. I can download an HD video through iTunes, and then watch it on a computer, on an iPod (the iPod Touch has a tremendous screen) or kick back in front of a big TV and stream the video through an Apple TV. Unfortunately, Apple is still running up against the obstacles of content and pricing. The selection in iTunes has certainly improved over the last year — especially now that NBC is back in the fold — and if you’re a TV junkie like me you can probably justify the cost of season passes to your favorite shows since you’d likely spend a similar amount on the DVDs. But the return on investment for one-off experiences isn’t really there and there’s little opportunity to sample shows or films. If Apple could incorporate a Netflix-esque subscription model (or if Netflix could actually get some decent streaming content), I’d gladly ante up for an annual all-you-can-eat subscription — especially if it included a mobile component.

One last point: Content’s “intent” is an oft-overlooked aspect of the digital transition, and I think that’s a mistake. Movies, TV shows and books are all long forms — their intent is to entertain/educate for an extended period of time. Most movies, shows and books don’t naturally lend themselves to chunking and reorganization (not without a lot of editing), so the true “killer app” for these forms needs to work *with* the content’s intent, not against it. Providing social tools that can clip and chunk and share is fine, but these things shouldn’t be placed above the intended experience that’s hard-coded into the content.