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Watch, share, embed, distribute
A couple of interesting developments today that bring social aspects to large content sites — specifically, YouTube and eBay. The former, which hasn’t really had all that much of a social-networking bent to it (apart from comments and the ability to embed videos elsewhere) has launched something called Active Share, which lets you see who has been viewing your videos.
Meanwhile, eBay has taken a page from YouTube’s early success and added the ability to embed auction-tracking widgets in a webpage, so that people can follow an item without having to reload a page or get an email alert. Both of these make total sense to me — to the point where I’m almost surprised they didn’t already have these features.
Give it away, make it up on volume
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Media bites: fewer words, same great taste
Some items that may grow up to be blog posts someday:
- The Beeb is going to expand the on-demand TV service it has been testing, saying the video and audio service has been used by “well over” one million people watching a total of 20 million programmes since it launched six months ago. The new iPlayer system will allow viewers to store shows on a PC for 30 days.
- Chad Hurley writes a new media manifesto for Forbes magazine: “Never before has the opportunity been so great for independent writers and actors, musicians and producers to create compelling content on par with the studios, networks and labels,” he writes. “The playing field has been truly leveled.” Party on, Chad.
- Sony Pictures Television will launch a new Internet service featuring “minisodes” — short (three to five minute) versions of classic TV shows such as Charlie’s Angels and T.J. Hooker. But these aren’t clips — it’s the entire show crammed into five minutes.
- Rupert Murdoch writes his own version of a new media manifesto for Forbes, saying: “Media companies don’t control the conversation anymore, at least not to the extent that we once did. The big hits of the past were often, if not exactly flukes, then at least the beneficiaries of limited options.” You go, Rupe.
- Jesse England was experimenting with film and video, and came up with the brilliant idea of printing an eight-millimetre movie strip onto clear laminate using a bog-standard inkjet printer. It may not be high quality, but it sure is cool (hat tip to BoingBoing for the link).
Blogs that make me think
I wanted to take a minute before I forget (again) and pay some respect to several bloggers who have tagged me as a “thinking blog,” which is indeed an honour. As far as I can tell, the Thinking Blog memetag got started with this blog, which is fittingly named The Thinking Blog. I got tagged first a couple of weeks ago by Jack Lail — thanks, Jack. Then just a couple of days ago I got tagged again by Jason at Webomatica and then by Steve at WinExtra.
Thanks a lot, guys. In order to push this thing forward, I’m not going to choose Jason or Steve — although I think that both of their blogs are excellent (I don’t know Jack’s as well yet) — and I’m not going to name some of the usual suspects, such as my friends Rob Hyndman or Mark Evans, or the more obvious suspects such as Scott Karp at Publishing 2.0, or my friend Paul Kedrosky, although it should go without saying that they are all excellent.
Instead, I’m going to name my friend Leigh Himel of Oponia Networks, who always has something interesting to say that makes me think, as well as Cory and Steve at Lost Remote — who cover new media like almost no one else (except maybe Rafat at PaidContent) — and my friend Dr. Tony Hung at Deep Jive Interests, who seems to find time to save lives as well as blog his heart out.
I’m not sick, but I’m not well
Sometimes I wish I worked at a small startup with lots of hip young kids — like, say, the group behind Connected Ventures, who run sites like Vimeo, CollegeHumor, BustedTees and Defunker. Embedded below is a lip-synch video they put together in what appears to be their office in New York.
[vimeo http://www.vimeo.com/173714 w=400&h=300]
Lip Dub – Flagpole Sitta by Harvey Danger on Vimeo
Also worth checking out: Vimeo founder Jakob Ludwick’s version of Gnarls Barkley’s Crazy. Thanks to Theory Is The Reason for the links. Just noticed that Fimoculous spotted this one too.