I was in a meeting today, with a gentleman from Netli, discussing video-blogging (vlogging), and how Netli could aid in the strive towards creating a technologically workable video-publishing network that would be similar in its essence and uptake potential as text blogging.

A few interesting ideas and thoughts on vlogging immediately came out:

• Vlogs are not an alternative to blogging, they are an alternative to television.


• Vlogs, unlike blogs may not focus on bi-directional communication (this seems to be the key differentiator). While blogging, in many respects, treats all network participant as equals, vlogging would create a fine line between publishers of information and its consumers.


• Linking is essential to blogging, frame-in-frame (picture-in-picture) and audio commentary overlays will make or break a vlog.

The point that has not been resolved, however, is the level of expertise that a potential vlogger may need. Producing text, such as this post, is easy enough – for years we have been conditioned to learn how to spill our guts on paper, how to type, how to use a word processor… Only a few have mastered the intricacies of video editing software. So the paradox, and perhaps the reason for the second conclusion above, is in the fact that (i) poor video (“talking heads” in search of their pundit voices) will not draw enough attention, and (ii) there is only a very finite number of people able to produce quality video content.