“Scoble isn’t listening,” TechCrunch commenter says

by on December 16, 2006

Wild, proves you gotta read a lot of comments on a lot of different blogs to make sure you see everyone who has feedback about what you do. Here a commenter over on TechCrunch says that PodTech isn’t listening to feedback (asks for Flash player and shorter videos).

My answer: Flash player for ScobleShow is coming. Audio-only versions of my show are coming. iPod-playable versions are coming. Soon.

I’m sorry I haven’t gotten it done yet, but we’re making significant headway on all those.

As to the length of the videos. This is something I’m looking at too. I learned the hard way that YouTube doesn’t allow more than 10-minute videos.

Now, some of my videos are shorter than that. Especially when I get demos I try to get them done in four to five minutes. So, that’s an easy request to respond to for that.

But, personally, many topics need more depth than that. I am not aiming at the mass market with my videos. If I were, I’d care about making them two minutes long. But, I’d rather be known as someone that’ll get some meat when I do an interview.

How can you really get a good look at anything a developer is doing, unless it’s the most simplistic API or service, in less than 10 minutes. Heck, I just interviewed the guy who came up with the name “WiFi” and we talked for 50 minutes simply about naming products (and we could have gone longer).

That said, now that I’m getting a bunch of videos I think doing a weekly “YouTube Edition” which is less than 10 minutes, but has highlights of the week’s interviews is potentially interesting. That would let me take two-minute snippets from, say, four of the week’s shows, and have me introduce each show’s snippet and explain why that snippet caught my eye.

Does that interest you?

UPDATE: John Furrier, PodTech’s CEO and founder, saw the comment too.

  • Dear Robert
    Dave Winer is listening... he posted a comment on his blog. My point is that it is sometimes about the quality of listeners not quantity. If you want the mass market you have to dumb it down or make it short. This will require skill which I've noticed each video you shoot gets better.

    Give me shorter and I'll watch more. But make the long ones that I'm interested in available to consume at my leisure
  • I think folks just need to be patient. You say the Flash player is coming - then I can't wait.

    As for the length of the videos - I would rather not see you be constricted by a length of time, instead focusing on the content at hand.

    Just me two cents.
  • It interests me.

    I caught up with a few shows this morning, but to be quite honest with you it took a while. Shorter videos that are much more brief would be a lot better, and you could then decide to download the larger/longer video if the topic really interested you.

    Go for it, I say.
  • ET
    I like the long format videos! We have enough short content in our lives. I want the whole story and nothing but the whole story!! A highlights version would be cool but I will watch and listen to every second of the videos you produce. It lets me get to know the person you are interviewing and the product they are showing. I don't need a flash version, but if you want to make it, go ahead. Keep the long content coming!!

    Oh yeah and Thanks for the content!!
  • I always liked the NerdTV approach...a couple of shorts available (NerdyBit & JuicyBit) along with the whole enchelada.
  • >instead focusing on the content at hand

    Yeah, to me I'm just having interesting conversations with interesting people.

    Imagine having a conversation with someone like Douglas Engelbart and telling him "you gotta tell me how you invented the mouse and the GUI in less than 10 minutes otherwise we won't get on YouTube and not enough people will see it."?

    Dear: you nailed it. I'd rather have a smart audience than a large one.

    Anyone can get a large audience. Just look at Paris Hilton.

    But getting a smart audience? That's a LOT LOT harder.
  • PXLated: yeah, I like what NerdTV does too, but I notice that they have all the features but only have done a small number of videos compared to what I've done in three months and they were going a lot longer than I have.

    I remember someone telling me "shipping is a feature." So, I've put all of my energy into getting interesting conversations going.

    Now it's time to go back and add some more features into the mix.
  • Stanley
    While you're add it, how about WMV? I know it's against Silicon Valley protocol (which you devoutly adhere to these days) to use any MS tech, but I've seen posts here asking for WMV that have been ignored.
  • Stanley: WMV will take longer, sorry, but it is on my list to do. What I really want to do is create a high-definition version that could be displayed on Media Center/Xbox 360. AMD loaned me a box to play with doing that, will let you know how it goes. If we do a high definition version than I could also put it on DivX/Stage 6. You should see videos over there, much much better quality than YouTube or Google Video or anything Flash-based. But that requires another player to be downloaded and installed.

    What's the reason you want WMV, by the way? Zune?
  • Oh, and to say I devoutly adhere to Silicon Valley protocol makes me laugh. If I did that I wouldn't be using Outlook anymore.
  • I, for one, don't need a Flash player or shorter videos. What I _would_ like is videos in WMV format. I don't have a portable video player (or audio for that matter) so I watch videos on my PC with Windows Media Player. I'd mind the length of the videos less if I could watch them at 1.4 speed.
    Otherwise, it's a pretty good show and I agree that your interviews should last as long as they're interesting. The trick now is learning how to make interviews intersting all the way ;)
  • Mauricio: good point about WIndows Media's ability to play at higher speeds than recorded at.

    I will do WMVs, just will take some time. Probably after CES, sorry.
  • Greg Wadden
    I agree with Brandon. Focus on the content and ensure that it's compelling. Just because most video on the web follows the YouTube model, doesn't mean it ALL has to. I for one have an attention span a little longer than a hummingbird, and it's a safe bet that I'm not alone.
    I also like the idea of a highlight reel showing key moments from the weeks videos. This would make it easier to choose ( if time is limited ) a specific video in spite of its length. Content is KING!!

    Cheers!!
  • What I'd like is to be able to go to Scobleshow and see a list of the most popular/most watched videos. I like the way IT Conversations has a highest rated and most popular list. That's at least a good place to start if you don't have time to listen to every show. When you add Audio feeds that would be the first feed I'd subscribe to.
  • I like the long format clips actually, there's nothing worse rushed or edited content that leaves you with loads of question's. They are conversation's and should take as long as they take, by the way your video is "all killer and no filler" hehe. The pop window is also useful, allowing me to go off and browse and read as I listen to the audio and flip back and forth watching.

    If your going Flash there's a nice site that breaks down long free form content at http://www.fabchannel.com, I like it anyway.
  • Robert, howzabout reaching out to some MS contacts and getting the show up on the Xbox Live Video Marketplace or available on-line through WMCE? I'm not suggesting the content delivery be MS-centric, but those are two more avenues to garner a smart audience. By all means, WMV, Flash and MOV are all needed, which puts a fair amount of burden on content providers. It's a killer to have to create good content in the first place and then encode it over and over for every player....solid content creation ought to be enough, but unfortunately, it's not. ;)
  • Kevin: I will definitely be working on distribution relationships in 2007. Thanks!
  • What would be great is a wiki for all the episodes with a list of points covered and a transcript if somebody has the time. This way people who want to get the content in 3 mins can read instead of watching.
  • Gordon
    It would be nice if you could separate the interview from the demo. For example, with the Mark Lucovsky interview, I was only interested in seeing the demo but since it was near the end had to wait for the whole video to load. It'd be cool if you could give people a choice on how they watch: demo, interview, or combo.
  • "I think doing a weekly “YouTube Edition” which is less than 10 minutes, but has highlights of the week’s interviews is potentially interesting. That would let me take two-minute snippets from, say, four of the week’s shows, and have me introduce each show’s snippet and explain why that snippet caught my eye. Does that interest you?"

    Sounds good, thanks... provides a more accessible path to the more engaging versions... lets us better judge where to put our limited attention each day. (Text summaries & transcripts are a good entrypoint too.)

    jd
  • LayZ
    On the one hand you say shorter videos are coming, but on the other hand you seem to suggest shorter videos would reduce the "quality" of your content. So, which is it? You can't be all things to all people.
  • Zian
    I'd also like to add a vote for WMV. I found that QuickTime gives me a black viewing panel after coming back from a screensaver so I really prefer to use Windows Media Player.
  • Stephane Rodriguez
    The reality is I think it's up to Apple to provide native support for Flash in Quicktime, or ipod sizes, or to allow audio-only streaming without having you doing the work separately.

    As for transcripts, it's a whole another thing. But it does not have to be you doing the work either, it's a perfect opportunity for a company to emerge in this niche.

    Anyway, in short, it's 100% automated technology we are talking here. Don't do the work by hand.
  • danja
    Great to hear about the podcast versions etc.

    I reckon, if you believe the long-format HD vids are necessary to do the subject matter justice, then by all means produce them that length.

    But at the same time, if you want people to be able to watch the stuff, you should make it available in smaller chunks, with lower definition. I'm sure format converters and editors are available. I'm not talking about mass market, just expanding your audience from those who want to watch the material and are equipped to do so right now - my guess is a small proportion of all the people that would watch.

    ...and don't forget links, screenshots and transcripts!
  • We work in AVI and then do all of our conversion to flash, MP4, and 3GP on a separate machine in parallel...of course we dont have 40 minute interviews (10-20 minute interviews and 1-2 minute property videos are our norm). Our transcript generation is an outgrowth of our human translation process.

    Given the rendering and upload times, rework is a killer (having to redo a video due to a mistake not caught in editing). A replicable error-free process is really key to being successful in multiple formats.

    As a side note, the data for our audiences show that FAR more people watch the online flash version than download the video...
  • Aki
    I think the first thing that you should fix is the sound quality. Currently I think it's horrible, I constantly need to have my hands on the volume knob to be able to enjoy the show. First I need to max up the volume to hear the introduction in the next second your laughter makes my speakers explode, I really think you should level out the sound somehow.
    As for the HD content, I think in your shows the spoken content is much more important than the visual.
  • Youtube does allow videos longer than 10 minutes you just have to apply for a directors account. they will aprove it after a few days.
  • Steve
    Instead of worrying about YouTube, why not post the videos to Google Video? You are not limited by the 10min time constraint there at all, and their flash player can be embedded easily into a website. You are also able to control how the video is shared.

    You can monetize the video easily in multiple ways. You can make it available to watch freely on Google Video, you can charge a micropayment to watch on Google Video, you can make the video free or you can charge a fee to download the video.

    There are lots of options there. Not to mention, the bandwidth costs then get put on Google instead of on your own servers. Especially useful given its free to host videos on Google Video.
  • i have a simple request (perhaps it is there but i can't find it?). Can you post the date that the interviews/demos are actually recorded? Some times during the interviews you may say something and i would like to know in what date context you are talking in. The only date that i see and comes through my reader is the upload/post date i think?

    A production date tag of some sort along with the post/upload date across all podtech productions can also be used as another archive search feature in the future as the podtech collection grows.

    thanks-
  • Don
    I agree with those above who say quality over shortness. Our society has ADHD'ish tendancies and we feed that by making everything short and choppy.

    Resist! Just because one person says so don't make it so.
  • Daniela: that's a great idea. I'm actually thinking of putting up a Google Calendar so you can see what I'm going to record in the future too.

    LayZ: >On the one hand you say shorter videos are coming, but on the other hand you seem to suggest shorter videos would reduce the “quality” of your content.

    I will always do the longer-form interviews. That's what interests me the most. But, I could put that up in complete form, and also put a three to five minute "short" version up for people who just want the highlights.
  • Personally I generally like the current format. I automagically download everything on the feed and then do some manual filtering based on my interests, which probably reduce the number of videos by 50% before I actually start watching them. Some I'll watch with attention, some I'll listen in the background while I'm working. On some topics, I'll watch the interview, but not the demo; on others, it is the other way around.

    I don't think having a weekly 10-minute highlights of the current shows would change my downloading behaviour, and it's not sure I would even watch it.

    But I have noticed that the one type of video I really don't care are the photowalks; I guess digital pictures are not on my radar.

    As for the sound quality, it is now generally a lot better than in the early videos. But to echo Aki's comment earlier, once you start laughing it often feels like my computer speakers will explode due to the sudden jump in the audio volume.
  • Bess
    1. True. Apply for Director Acct at YouTube allow you to upload longer than 10 min videos.
    2. True. Google video allows you to upload longer videos, give you option to charge a fee.
    3. Why uploading video to YouTube and Google may not be the best interests for PodTech.net? Because you lose the traffic tracking in the future. Your shows do contribute a major traffic flow to PodTech.net, part of the assets that PodTech.net can show and attract corporate sponsors and clients.
    4. True. Podtech.net needs to build machine farms to do massive conversions to WMV, MOV, FLV, iPod on 24/7.
    5. Sound quality. It is painful but necessary. It is better to invest the time to clean up audio part of past videos before you do massive conversions. Take the opportuntity to breakup long videos, such as separate the demo away from interview.
    6. True. Date is important. It is important for viewers to know how old the content is especially tech world move rapidly. The demo may valid for 2-3 months given the short product cycle.
    7. Don't let those complainers to change your content quality. Content quality comes first, regardless of length. If you make video viewable in ipod or other portable players, they can watch longer video without getting tied to the computer.
    8. Always good to have written summary/outline or short video highlights of long videos.
  • Bess
    Diggnation video podcast is very long like over 60 min. No one seems to complaint the length as long as they can watch the videos on ipod, not on computer.
  • >Apply for Director Acct at YouTube allow you to >upload longer than 10 min videos

    I was going to mention this ^-^
  • Belatedly.... QuickTime is a bit of a disaster on Windows, in my experience, frequently refusing to play things because it wants to download something that's not available on the server. (Solutions welcome, but I've switched to QuickTime Alt with Media Player Classic.)

    H.264 would be nice if Microsoft woke up or if you could get your users to install Media Player Classic with the K-Lite codec pack. This seems to play mp4 files without any problems.

    Otherwise, yes, I *would* like a 10-minute hightlights version of very long vids, please, and an audio-only file, and a transcript, and... ;-)

    But you might want to run a little vote on your site to find out what the key things are. Pareto applies. No point in devoting vast resources to things not many real users value.
  • Susan Fraser
    HI Richard

    Please let us know if you can come to the DivX booth at CES so we can host our solution demos for you.

    Thanks
    susan
  • One of the things that I love about your blog is the great feedback and advice. Some amazing comments in there.
  • Bess
    Thank you, John Furrier! for being open about airing voices. Sometime I can get carried away especially Robert is such a funny guy and his post cracks me up all the times. Being funny is a good thing. I hold my two arms up.

    And I hate to leave him "crippled" when I am aware of possible solutions.
  • Bess: you're awesome!
  • Susan: I'll be at the DivX booth. So will Irina and Eddie.
  • Robert,

    The big advantage of the 2-minute clips is the same as movie trailers. How many movies do you really go watch without watching the trailers?. Also, putting them on a show is nothing more than providing a preview/demo. Something that has worked for years!

    So go ahead and do that, might be i'll take time out to watch that 10 minute show full of preview's and then pick 1 or 2 videos to watch full-length. Else, I watch about 1 of your videos every month.
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