tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7815640431651173676.post5560580324662203613..comments2024-01-01T23:38:31.538+00:00Comments on Faster Future: Possibilities now and beyond: Widgets are to web 'sites' as blogs are to broadcastDavid Cushmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09626601471173841299noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7815640431651173676.post-34740271322573586642008-02-25T09:30:00.000+00:002008-02-25T09:30:00.000+00:00BTW: If you're more of a visual thinker, David Arm...BTW: If you're more of a visual thinker, David Armano has this: http://tinyurl.com/2jzn8y which he describes as Models for "Advertising" in an Application Economy. I think we're singing off the same hymn sheet.David Cushmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09626601471173841299noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7815640431651173676.post-42692781330048358612008-02-25T09:27:00.000+00:002008-02-25T09:27:00.000+00:00This comment has been removed by the author.David Cushmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09626601471173841299noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7815640431651173676.post-47287805614199553172008-02-25T09:03:00.000+00:002008-02-25T09:03:00.000+00:00Great to see so many joining in and enriching this...Great to see so many joining in and enriching this conversation.<BR/>I'll do my best to join in as it branches!<BR/>Pablo: The link I'm referring to is in the list of tags under the original blog post. One is 'widgets'. But I'm sure you've got my drift by now.<BR/>AngusF: I can think of several models that monetise this and which would see users getting passionate about the things they join in creating (if you've ever told a friend about your new mortgage deal you're already in advertising...). I've discussed the broad principles many times on here. Perhaps, rather than repeating, I could ask you to read the white paper I have available for download : "Marketing and Advertising Models for a Networked World" See if it answers any of your questions - or raises some more! Be good to see you at our internal event to discuss further.<BR/>Try not to think of widgets as a replacement for the broadcast model of banner ads (your reference to tidiness of sites and moving on to other ones makes me think these are not places that are particularly relevant to you?). You'll put up with the mess of my blog to engage in its conversation if you think it's relevant to you, for example. When you go broad, the pursuit of the lowest common denominator sets a different set of requirements. And that's fine for your hits. But Reed's Law tells us that given time the network effect will always come to dominate the overall economics of a system. I think we're in that time (and hard economics seems to be backing that conclusion).<BR/>Angus you refer to 'getting it right' being the key. It's really important for us to understand what we mean by that now. I don't think it's as simple as 'quality' (who gets to measure that?), or what is best fit for our community as judged by us.<BR/>I think the key for 'getting it right' is in providing the tools to enable relevance. That way people set their own 'quality' standards among their own group of relevance.<BR/>Thanks for making me think some more!David Cushmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09626601471173841299noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7815640431651173676.post-34285915812376843462008-02-23T00:39:00.000+00:002008-02-23T00:39:00.000+00:00I also wanted to address something that Lisa broug...I also wanted to address something that Lisa brought up in her comment: "quality matters not".<BR/>I think this is a very contentious subject. Quality is always important, but it is not always the video quality that is important.<BR/>Quality of the content is paramount. Technicaly quality is not always necessary if the content is good enough, but that is entirely dependant on the type of content that we're talking about.<BR/>My point is demonstrated if we look at the video examples that Lisa posted. The art piece and the kid rapper are perfect examples of spur of the moment captures, where the content is excelent and only happened once. Users will accept that to be able to re-witness this one-off event then whatever means of capture must be used regardless of the technical quality.<BR/>If you look at the minidoc that Lisa loaded up to Current then both the content and technical quality are an issue.<BR/>The comments under the piece highlight this, in essence "interesting film, but the production quality isn't very good."<BR/>Now, no-one looking at the instant capture clips made any reference to technical quality, but when they are a) in an environment where they are expecting higher standards, and b) watching something that took time to produce and so <I>could</I> have been produced to a higher standard, they then expect that technical quality to be present.<BR/>In a year and a half of producing video for the web I have had successes with both produced and instant capture content and the lesson has been the same time and again. User don't mind the quality if it is obvious that lo-fi was the only way you would capture the moment, but as soon as they see you producing low grade videos on subjects that could have been conducted with a little more care (a review for example) then the complaints start to roll in no matter how good the quality of the content inside the film.<BR/>I suppose the point I am trying to get at is essentially the same as I made in my previous comment. There is a time and a place for everything. Get it right and your content will get used, get it wrong and it will be passed over. But once again, there is no one-size-fits-all answer.<BR/>Don't forget either that both of the Youtube videos that Lisa used as examples are also in popular areas of content. Look at the related videos on the Pixel Roller and you will see that most of the videos on that, lets face it, pretty cool bit of kit have all got over 45,000 views. Some are even up to 150k.<BR/>And I'm pretty sure that the rap and hiphop keywords are fairly highly searched terms on Youtube from users looking for music videos or cool freestyling. There is a good chance that someone watching a Kanye video would look at the related items and click on the cute kid rapping on the bus.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7815640431651173676.post-71096044184554153522008-02-22T22:32:00.000+00:002008-02-22T22:32:00.000+00:00David, I love your thinking behind this. Engage yo...David, I love your thinking behind this. Engage your audience, get them to create their own content about your product or a related activity and give them something they like so much they want to take it with them and show it off to everyone they know, advertising your product for you for free.<BR/>This is great and definately something that I have seen done before to great success. However...<BR/>I have several problems with yur implication that this is <I>the</I> answer to the current issues with display advertising.<BR/>Firstly, this will only work with products that people are passionate about, why would I create/use a widget about my new mortgage or lawnmower?<BR/>Secondly, your asuming that everyone that loves a product will have a place to display your widget. I know very few people that have a presence online other than a very underused Facebook or MySpace page, which brings me on to my next point.<BR/>The majority of people still just want to be consumers. Everytime figures are released on the number of people that upload to UGC sites Vs the number of people that simply consume, the ratio is incredibly small. So what makes you sure that there will be enough people in that already small group that are also passionate enough about your product to do your advertising for you?<BR/>And finally, where in this scenario do the content creators/agregators - whether they be independant blogs or big media companies - actually make money out of this? The ultimate goal is for the product maker is to raise their brand awareness and trust so that more people buy their product, but if you don't charge for your product and rely on charging other people to raise awareness of their's then how does anyone in media make a living?<BR/>I'm not saying that widgets are a bad idea, in fact I believe quite the opposite. But I also think that the use of widgets should form part of a coherant whole that includes all forms of marketing, advertising and networking.<BR/>Widgets work great in small numbers, but I don't see any reason why they wont reach saturation point in the same way that display ads have and henc eloose as much of their power as display ads have. <BR/>I know many blogs that are a case in point with so many widgets on that they look rediculous and are very hard to read and those are not even usually for commercial products. I usually either ignore them or go to another cleaner site - much the same problem that sites with too much display advertising have.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7815640431651173676.post-24469005221700384022008-02-22T20:56:00.000+00:002008-02-22T20:56:00.000+00:00"That user/consumer/prosumer cares little for the ..."That user/consumer/prosumer cares little for the efficiency of code."<BR/><BR/>If it was in-efficient, they wouldn't use it.<BR/><BR/>But I think I said that the efficiency is in the re-use of code, not the efficiency of the code itself. It makes everyone's life easier.<BR/><BR/>I looked for the 'widget' link, but I couldn't find it amongst the other 12 'widgets' on your site. Maybe we can make a widget to find the widget I was looking for. ;-)Pablohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06258243512713430364noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7815640431651173676.post-43592503617313180762008-02-22T15:22:00.000+00:002008-02-22T15:22:00.000+00:00Hi Neil - thanks for your kind words. I saw Russel...Hi Neil - thanks for your kind words. I saw Russell present that at Widgety Goodness - very entertaining too. Don't 100% agree with Russell though - as I wrote at the time (following link also has video of Russell's presentation): http://tinyurl.com/2uq829<BR/><BR/>best dcDavid Cushmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09626601471173841299noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7815640431651173676.post-23518355648076055362008-02-22T15:09:00.000+00:002008-02-22T15:09:00.000+00:00That's a great post David, and I agree wholehearte...That's a great post David, and I agree wholeheartedly with where you are coming from on this. Russell Davies has written some interesting posts around this area. The first in the series is here:<BR/>http://tinyurl.com/2e5myrAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7815640431651173676.post-67791775999490852422008-02-22T14:02:00.000+00:002008-02-22T14:02:00.000+00:00Hi Lisa, thanks very much for your great contribut...Hi Lisa, thanks very much for your great contribution to the conversation.<BR/>One particular take-away for me is how we are all constantly surprised by what proves most 'popular' among our UGC.<BR/>It's a great illustration of how the role of 'editor' is becoming increasingly overtaken by the wisdom of the crowd, by the widsom of serving your community first!<BR/>Editing is, at its heart, guessing at the thing(s) you expect your 'audience' to want.<BR/>Time and time again, creating ugc and releasing it on to the web shows us we didn't know what we thought we knew quite as well as we'd like to have...David Cushmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09626601471173841299noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7815640431651173676.post-89579465904519887852008-02-22T13:04:00.000+00:002008-02-22T13:04:00.000+00:00I like that Pablo is pulling this discussion away ...I like that Pablo is pulling this discussion away from the widget world. I more latched onto the philosophical thinking on David's new post. And, here is my ridiculously long rambling comment on what his post has got me thinking about this AM:<BR/><BR/>I like David's description that we are all the 'conversation starter' and I also love the idea of all individuals being 'the great mouth' in user-generated content.<BR/><BR/>Within all of these conversations we are all starting -- I see value in an audience of 3 vs. 3 million, and that it is good to see broadcasters also recognizing the value of quality vs. quantity in niche viewership and audience interaction. Most broadcasters who have the resources to develop platforms that invovle more user generated content in a 'YouTube' style are totally spot-on the right path in my opinion.<BR/><BR/>I guess, from my own experiments with YT/Current and other video sharing platforms, it is a little freaky and kind of amazing how, and what, audiences seem to latch onto in random content sharing. I recently checked some views on my YT channel and was shocked at my most viewed video, which is a totally random, blurry mobile video of an art demonstration, which now has about 50,000 views, and a lot of comments and threads from all over the world. You can check it out here: <BR/><BR/>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sv-HLZ6q6H8<BR/><BR/>Another video, randomly filmed on a bus, has 8,000+ views, and I'm thinking about asking one of the big broadcasters to do a talent 'hunt' for this kid, because people are really loving his random rap act:<BR/><BR/>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6tClUMEXf9U<BR/><BR/>When I actually try to 'produce' a video, all in a most amateur user-generated approach, and try to create something with better quality to it, no one seems to give a flying fff about it, and this shows me that it really is not about the quality and proves that in the hit or miss world of attracting viewer interest, it is so impossible to control. Really you can only seed it, show it, and share it with who you know and wait for the audience to react, and then learn from the response, or lack of it. I worked really hard on a podcast for Current, but for whatever reason, it is drawing a lot less attention than the lesser quality random mobile videos I've posted over on YouTube, you can see my podcast Jacqui Rock here: <BR/><BR/>http://current.com/watch/175873112<BR/><BR/>In my own DIY, hands-on experience I'm gaining, and maybe relevant to your post and discussion, I do notice that, unlike news value in normal broadcast pieces, a forgotten about YT video that has been up for more than a year or so, can suddenly get an explosive audience -- that doesn't seem to care when the video was taken, and quality matters not. Unlike news broadcasting, where so many headlines and topics are lost, YT seems to live on forever like undiscovered gems in the archives of the internet. I absolutely love that aspect of what is happening, as it really serves as a record of our own, individual niche of human history and experience.<BR/><BR/>Just hope that top tier broadcasters, along with YT and all the other new multimedia platforms, including anything Emap has, will be able to invest in helping all this emerging user-generated content live on for many more generations, so our ancestors can find these snippets of our lives.<BR/><BR/>We are all creating our own digital time capsules, for people to watch in the long distant human future.<BR/><BR/>So thanks David for inspiring some Friday thoughts about content, I, and likely all of us out here who are generating conversations, enjoy having a bit of thoughtful pause about the bigger picture of what it might all mean, for the future.<BR/><BR/>-Lisa Devaney<BR/>Hai Media Group<BR/>http://www.haimediagroup.comAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12279590981036407596noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7815640431651173676.post-35665555107072369742008-02-22T08:50:00.000+00:002008-02-22T08:50:00.000+00:00Sorry. I could have been clearer. My definition of...Sorry. I could have been clearer. My definition of widgets is, as described previously on the blog (I should have added some links... perhaps try the 'widget' link (just added!) under the post for previous references)<BR/><BR/>widgets, for me (at least the ones that disrupt distribution) are those a user can take and do with as they wish.<BR/><BR/>That user/consumer/prosumer cares little for the efficiency of code. I don't think youtube's distribution model and success is just a happy coincidence with an easier life for a developer (sorry if I'm misunderstanding or exaggerating your point pablo). Which I guess is why I say widgets (at least as a distribution model) have rather more value as a strategic understanding than a simple tactic than perhaps you are suggesting?<BR/><BR/> The following is lifted out off my white paper 'marketing and advertising models for a networked world. I'm reusing the encoding of ideas... :D<BR/><BR/>Widgets force you to think in engagement terms. <BR/><BR/>Is the widget useful/fun/worth sharing/ can you create a personal outcome?<BR/>Getting this right in the eyes of your users reveals what the brand means to those consumers.<BR/><BR/>Allowing them to shape the outcome (create their own versions/subvert the message or create their own) reveals what they think about your brand and creates an ever-more-authentic, community led brand voice.<BR/><BR/>Widgets rely on virality to have a life at all. Which means if they don’t like what you are offering all is lost and or can’t change it to something they want to offer, all is lost. As detailed in this post:<BR/>http://fasterfuture.blogspot.com/2007/12/how-to-go-viral-lose-tv-envy-and-tell.html <BR/>1. Speak in an authentic voice (close the gap between creation and marketing)<BR/>2. Lose the TV envy (think relevance over quality)<BR/>3. Give people tools to make it their own (that which we create, we embrace)<BR/>4. Don't bother with urls, links or 'brand messages'. (We don't do spin) If people are interested they will search. Buy the keywords if you want to make it easier for them.David Cushmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09626601471173841299noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7815640431651173676.post-83784798681149397692008-02-21T17:46:00.000+00:002008-02-21T17:46:00.000+00:00I'm not fan of unnecessary terminology, certainly ...I'm not fan of unnecessary terminology, certainly not web 2.0 or even the word 'Widgets'. A widget to me is an un-named, un-defined unit. A 'thing', if you like.<BR/><BR/>But in the context I think you're trying to describe above, 'Widgets' or 'Plug-ins' or 'Applets' as they've been known throughout the ages, have been around since I started creating websites, maybe somewhere around 1996; and so most definitely before then. <BR/><BR/>Their existence stems from a general software development mantra: code re-use, ideally *portable* code re-use. It's a matter of efficiency, not content syndication, advertising or meeting the needs of the community. So that basically means they can be and do anything, and with that in mind, they aren't really anything at all.<BR/><BR/>Apologies, but I find talk about 'Things' without defining what they are somewhat annoying.Pablohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06258243512713430364noreply@blogger.com