Sunday, November 04, 2007
Podcasting? That's old-fashioned - video is the online future
Professor Jeffrey Cole reckons that before too long we will be watching several hours of video programming on our mobile phones. At a conference in Sydney, Australia, he told digital marketers to expect a major shift to mobile video.
We all know that video has taken off online - YouTube came from nowhere, for instance, to become a major force on the Internet. But the notion that we will shift our focus from watching TV "in the lounge" to "in our hand" appears somewhat fanciful. After all, this is what the mobile phone companies hoped for when they paid billions to get those much desired 3G licences. Yet, several years later still only a tiny percentage of people actually use video services on their 3G mobile phones. Most people still use their mobile phones for - well - phone calls...!
However, Professor Cole points to a major survey which is looking at trends and the curve is definitely on the up. The momentum for people wanting to use their mobile phone as their replacement TV is clearly picking up speed - and fast.
It means that people will expect information delivery via mobile video and that means your business needs to deliver through this method if you are to gain any market share. Sitting back and saying that the mobile market is so tiny compared with information delivery on the Internet is no longer an option. Clearly, the rush towards mobile video is picking up speed and online business owners need to start owning some of that space. If not, enterprising individuals will take the opportunity and will steal your customers.
Labels: future
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Readers' Comments:
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November 07, 2007 2:53 AM 
MJ Ray said…
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November 07, 2007 5:55 AM 
Graham Jones said…
Thanks for your comment. However, I think there is a site for podcasts equivalent to YouTube. It's called iTunes - and it is stuffed full of podcasts.
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November 08, 2007 8:46 AM MJ Ray said…
I just don't see it. How does one upload audio files to itunes.com? I thought that was just a directory/music shop which had some questionable restrictions and was designed to work with the iPod and Mac.
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November 08, 2007 7:12 PM Graham Jones said…
OK, I admit it's slightly different. You need the iTunes software first, then you upload your podcasts using that. However, you don't need an iPod or a Mac - iTunes works with PCs as well and plays ordinary MP3 files for you if you wish. Once you have the software you can happily upload your podcasts.
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November 09, 2007 7:38 PM MJ Ray said…
Thanks for explaining how to upload. Unfortunately, that's not going to work from my GNUstep/Linux PC, or my mobile phone, or integrate with my blog software, or the sound editing software that I'm familiar with. I wonder: does it even work with Garage Band on the Mac, or does that still need an extra download?
Anyway, it seems iTunes isn't the YouTube of podcasts. You go to YouTube and there's a huge "Upload" link at the top of the front page. It seems like to know about uploading to iTunes, you must first know about uploading to iTunes. Maybe iTunes is the Fight Club of podcasts?
I'm not sure there is a YouTube of podcasts yet. When there is, maybe we'll really see what people can do with them.
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November 09, 2007 10:37 PM Graham Jones said…
I agree - maybe the simplicity of YouTube is why video has taken off more quickly than audio podcasts. Equally it is frustrating that Apple has clearly taken the view that the vast majority of people either have a PC or an AppleMac and therefore can use their proprietary software. It means that the tiny proportion of people who choose Linux can't take part - but Apple is not really concerned with them. So, it means you lose out. But that's a choice you make when you decide to go "non standard".
I was talking to someone yesterday and he suggested that podcasting still isn't as easy as online video, so we've not really seen people explore the possibilities yet. I made some disagreeing noises and he challenged me to name the podcast equivalent of a YouTube site, one that allows people to upload and tag their audio. While I know about long-running sites like radio4all, I couldn't name one that is anything like as well-known by the general population - could you?
Maybe I just forgot the obvious, or maybe we haven't really seen what people can do with podcasting yet.