But I don't find myself clicking on a lot of the links. There are several reasons.
- I'd rather just read
- Video will not enhance the story.
- The videos are not very good.
- If the videos are standalone, they don't cover anything new or interesting.
- Ads are annoying
There's not much you can do about No. 1. But Web sites could improve their content to try to improve on the other three reasons. They could take their cues from Washington Post's Travis Fox and the Des Moines Register's "Insight into the Candidates."
Travis Fox
Everyone has heard of the devastating earthquake in Sichuan province in China. But many of us cannot travel to China to see the destruction ourselves. Travis Fox's videos show us the deadly aftermath using a few simple shots and interviews.
These videos work because they do not only repeat known facts. Rather they provide faces for viewers. One of the most powerful images in Fox's videos are a shot of a mother wailing at the site of a destroyed building where the body of her daughter lies.
In addition the videos are shot very simply, such as tight shots of faces and very little camera movement. This allows the viewer to focus on what Fox wants them to see and hear, rather than having them be distracted by things moving in the background.
The Web site itself is also constructed well. The videos are listed in reverse chronological order, with almost every story having a thumbnail. And there are no ads at the beginning of video segments!
"Insight into the Candidates"
This video segment by the Des Monies Register is very interesting and very well-made. As a standalone video, it has a very interesting subject — presidential candidates being candid.
It is not just a news broadcast story that has been posted online. Rather it is its own piece with its own merit and one that generates interest.
The video itself is spartan. It is simply a candidate responding to questions on camera. But what makes the video work is the content. I want to see this video because I want to know what these candidates are saying in a less controlled environment (aka a lot of PC answers... but a few interesting ones as well).
The entire Web site is a little crude and very texty. But it was easy enough to navigate and find the candidates that I wanted to here from.
Plus, there were no ads.
CONCLUSION
I often think that videos are poorly constructed and therefore aren't worth my time. But more and more I'm noticing that videos are getting better.
They are truly enhancing stories or exploring new angles. These are Web sites with good quality videos and great content.
Perhaps the more these videos become popular, the more people will notice them and watch them. Aka people like me.
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