Seven Myths About Online Video

Jose Castillo posts a great article debunking seven myths about online video.

Myth 1: Traditional businesses can’t make money using online video.
Witness Will It Blend, a smash hit videocast from a blender company.

Myth 2: Podcasting is dead!
Tell that to my video podcatcher. I subscribe to a new videocast almost every week. I also have so many YouTube subscriptions I can’t navigate them anymore. Not only are there more videocasts out, there are more ways to get those videocasts aside from a traditional video podcatcher.

Myth #3: I can’t find relevant videos online!
Nontext video search technology, based on audio and video recognition, is being built as you read this.

Myth 4: 99% of online videos are some kid swinging a lightsaber for five minutes!
I don’t see any lightsabers in Four Eyed Monsters, the first original full-length feature film on YouTube. I’d like to see lightsabers there, though.

Myth 5: We should pay our ad agency a lot of money to do some viral videos!
Fakery never goes viral. Serendipity goes viral, humor goes viral, innovation goes viral, reality goes viral, but fakery never goes viral.

Myth 6: We can’t share our videos online; someone might pirate them!
“The big media companies shouldn’t worry that people will post their copyrighted material on YouTube. They should worry that people will post their own stuff on YouTube, and audiences will watch that instead.” — Paul Graham.

Myth 7: Online video is for web-savvy people and companies!
132 million Americans watch online video. That’s over a third of the US population.

If you’re still not convinced, go read Jose’s article and be enlightened.