E-Media Tidbits

SheGeeks.net Here's what video comments look like on one site

Last night I was able to post this video comment to Howard Lindzon's blog, thanks to a new service launched this week by Seesmic in partnership with the comment-tracking service Disqus.

Video comments benefit commenters vs. the rest of a blog's audience in different ways.

From the audience's perspective, some readers probably won't be willing to play a 30-second video that they could have scan-read in a fraction of the time. Or they will feel frustrated if they do play something that turns out to be pointless waffle. But others probably will respond to the more personal connection video offers. As Russell Cooper commented on Robert Scoble's blog: "I imagine that it would create 'closer,' more personal networks than text comments alone."

Generally, you might expect that people will only click on video comments by people they recognize, or that have generated large responses.

For commenters, the benefits are more obvious. Some people are more comfortable with posting a video comment. I, for instance, find it physically easier. CostPerNews (which broke the story) pointed out, "Some people prefer firing off a quick video rather than typing out a response. While I'd rather type out comments on most blogs, I do see tremendous value in encouraging people to participate in whatever way they feel comfortable."

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Then there are the visual benefits. Robert Scoble uses these examples: "When we have something visual to talk about: Want to see what my kitchen looks like? Want to learn how to cook a meal? Want to see the injury my kid sustained and you're a remote doctor? Heck, wanna see what my kid looks like right now? How about can I show you my new cell phone's UI? Want to buy my car based on only my text? How about that piece of art hanging on my wall?"

As Howard Lindzon says: "For us stock [market] guys, I think it's a great idea for referencing charts and arguing. At the very least, it's cool and we need to work out the kinks for the good of mankind."

To see video commenting in action, Robert Scoble mentions these blogs which have activated Disqus/Seesmic video comments: Loic Le Meur, Louis Gray, SheGeeks, WinExtra, A VC, Howard Linzon, and Dave Weiner

Want to install video comments on your site? Current users of the Disqus commenting system can now activate this feature through Disqus. For Wordpress users (self-hosted, not Wordpress.com sites), here the Wordpress plugin. There's also talk of equivalents for MoveableType and Typepad. Neither option works for custom-build content management systems, however (such as the one used by Poynter Online).

Video comments can be surprisingly powerful, especially when negative. Fellow Tidbits contributor Tish Grier notes this December 2007 TechCrunch coverage of Loren Feldman's harsh critique of Seesmic (delivered via YouTube).