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All About You
There's an intriguing story in the Washington Post this morning about YouTube.com.
Some 60,000 videos are added to the site daily, and according to the Post, there are 80 Million video viewings daily. Big numbers, no doubt.
I've watched various and sundry on this site for about six months, now. It's a challenge to separate the wheat from the chaff, but there is the occasional yummy kernel there. But, considering the amount of content on the site, it's amazing that anybody finds anything, even with the assistance of the site's search functions.
All things political are already shifting as a result of the home-grown, home-shown video. The persuasive and the clever among us can create very big levers to make our opinions and points-of-view much bigger than we are.
I'm still thinking it through - and I'll be back with more after more thinking - but I'm convinced that this burgeoning stew will soon turn its attention to the marketplace. I can't help but think that it will create some big impacts.
I'd love to chat with other people who are thinking about this. It feels big.
Posted on July 10, 2006 05:34 AM | Permalink
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Comments
I have been viewing YouTube for quite some time now and never though of the political edge the site may have as the article described. I watched the Stupid Bush video, and when used properly, it can be quite damaging to his (already tarnished) reputation. Quick integrations into blogs also makes it quite accessable.
However, my main interest in the site is mostly discovery and nostalgia - TV clips (old and new), complete programs (such as Frank Zappa's two appearances on Crossfire - must see clips), chances to see things that are hard to find (I have discovered various clips of Paul Kossoff, Eddie Hazel, Larry Carlton, Allan Holdsworth, etc. that I probably would have a hard time tracking down).
Friends of mine who are musicians also use the site for promotional purposes to post their video clips. All at a huge savings to them - no need to pay for the extra hosting, server space, bandwith, etc. Just throw it on YouTube and put some links down. Done! Particularly great for the Indie artist that has to pay for everything themselves due to little or no label support.
And this is just the tip of the iceberg as well...