Vlog updates
: Doktor Millenium, a frequent commenter hereabouts, has produced his own video that’s quite entertaining. Dok, aka Chuck, took his video camera with him all day and set it to time-lapse to capture life in jumpcuts.
: Dok/Chuck also links to other sites working on video. One sets forth rules and definitions for “vogs.” There is little more tedious in this world than a discussion of definitions (e.g., 90 minutes wasted while a conference panel asks and never answers, “What is a blog?”). Chuck himself asks whether vlogging is any different from webcams. I’ll dare to dance the definition dance and answer: Yes, they are different.
A vlog — a video weblog — simply has to say something, as weblogs do, only in video (which assumes that video adds something — graphics or expression or inflection).
There, that’s my definition. Now I hope I don’t get into tedious arguments about it.
Other video online — such as webcams, or Dok’s, or the ones from the vog manifesto author — capture life or paint an artistic vision. That’s all wonderful — entertaining and artistic — it’s just not the same.
What I think makes video weblogs different and new is only that there is now software that enables any of us to easily create video commentary thanks to the ability to work from a script (thus making us appear more cogent and articulate than we may be while ad-libbing) and thanks to the ability to insert graphics without tools, post-production effort, or expertise.
My maiden efforts are clumsy; they’re about learning the tool and the medium. Others will be more professional and creative and artful with it. This is just a start.
: While I’m yes-butting… Greg Beato also goes on at considerable length naysaying various aspects of vlogging and then concluding that there may be something here anyway.
Funny how this has already turned into a disruptive-technology discussion: Will radio replace newspapers; TV replace radio; Internet replace TV; bloggers replace journalism? Now it’s: Will vlogging replace blogging? Of course not. That’s hardly my intention or prediction. It’s complementary. Blogging is, yes, of course, quicker, easier, more direct, more interactive. Blogging is forever. Vlogging adds, as I said above, graphics, expression, or inflection where that is appropriate. It’s something new to explore.
