As I have written before in my post Empowering internet video, automatic voice-to-text for online videos is already here. It means that any words spoken in a video is automatically transcribed into text.
The transcribed text can be shown in the video window or be used to search for the part of the video where something of particular interest is said. This is of course very powerful for videos from speeches and seminars etc, but there are many more possibilities such as automatic translation.
I have said for some time that this will become the 2008 killer application for online video.
So I’m not surprised that Google just started adopting it on YouTube. They start now in a moderate way with US presidential campaign videos:
Try it: search the election videos here. Your search term is highlighted in yellow lines in the video timeline, point your mouse to the lines to see snippets of the transcript. See also an interview with Steve Grove, head of news and politics at YouTube.
I am convinced that Google and YouTube will go full ahead with voice-to-text services, for several reasons:
Video has many advantages but two major drawbacks: 1. It is hard to search video content. Most videos can only be searched by their titles or meta tags.
2. It is time consuming to watch. A 5 minute video takes 5 minutes to watch, but a text that takes 5 minutes to read normally can first be glanced through in 15 seconds to give you an idea of what it is about and let you decide to read it, all or not.
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Voice-to-text solves both these problems effectively! Search engines can search for anything said in a video and it is easy to create video controls that lets the user jump directly to the interesting parts in the video, for example by clicking on a word in the text transcript or in a word cloud.
Monetization!
Exact information of the media content is a key factor for all kinds of monetization. Voice-to-text enables targeted video ads in a much more effective way. This is undoubtedly a key factor for Google’s interest in this technology. The obvious start is to integrate it with Google’s Adsense and include video commercials in search results. But it will be much easier for all the new online video sites to create valu-adding business models with this technology.
Another giant step for voice-to-text technology will be taken later this year when Adobe reportedly will integrate it into their Flash technology, thereby enabling it to a vast majority of all internet users.
So, 2008 will indeed be a breakthrough year for a more powerful and interactive online video!
Diploma is very successful elearning platform that I created in 2005 (and later updated) for Boehringer-Ingelheim, a large pharmaceutical company. It is based on a constructivistic learning model where medical doctors are trained using wireless PDAs to control video patient scenarios.It is all done in an intense group session with interactivity in three directions:
Between the participants when they are discussing the patient scenario
Between the participant and the video patient, since they can ask questions, take tests and decide on diagnosis and treatments and see how the patient reacts.
Between the participants and the lecturer that moderates the event.
So this is a new way of learning, far from the traditional lecturing using slides and one-way communication from the speaker to the audience.
So how do you market this? How can you reach out to and explain this new concept to all the Swedish medical doctors and inspire them to sign up for the training?
Well, Boehringer-Ingelheim used to do it the traditional way; writing about it on their web site, handing out leaflets with text and photos during sales calls and seminars.
But they have a story to tell about this new learning system and video is a very effective tool for telling stories. So I persuaded them to let me produce a 2-minute video enacting a Diploma learning session, watch it here:
It is in Swedish, but there is no dialogue in the video.
This is a low- budget production, simply because we felt that we did not need professional actors and a large crew for this. The point is to tell the story so that the target group, in this case medical doctors, are inspired. The feedback has been very positive already.
Now this video needs to be spread. Their sales reps are using large-format versions in their laptops during sales calls, video banner ads promoting the video are in production for medical web sites and the video will also appear on a number of other web sites in order to make it viral.
You read about a new cool internet application and click on the link.
An unfamiliar site appears. In about 5 seconds you decide if you want to stay there and explore it, or if you will surf away. Fact: most people only give a new site 5-10 seconds to attract them.
So why are so many internet apps so bad at really quickly making the first-time visitor understand the basics:
What is it?
What’s in it for me?
How does it work?
Often you just meet a confusing startpage with a login-form and some user comments, with few clues to what it really is about or who should use it.
An exemplary example of how it should be done is the new American online speed-dating service WooMe.
It is financed by the smart Skype-founder Niklas Zenström and not only because it uses Skype video technology.
Here’s why it is so great:
The window title explains it all: Meet People Live in Voice and Video Online Speed Dating Sessions
The next thing you see is a text box with the head line What is it? that explains the service in short bullet texts. Beside this is a “How to play” section with screen images and the highlighted key words Find, Meet, Woo.
And best of all, right at the top there is also a professionally made video with a user that goes through the service in a very personal way. The video clips is short, inspiring and cleverly shows how it works and how easy it is.
Video is usually the best way of showing how you do things, especially when you can show a person interacting with a computer such as in this case. Mixing the screen shots with the shots of the woman looking into the camera is also a very efficient way to inspire the audience.
You also see a big join now! button with the tag line (takes 29 seconds). Again, an exemplary way of making people think “Well, if it only takes 29 seconds I could try it out”
Corporate sites are also falling into this trap. How often haven’t you visited a corporate site that do not explain what the company is doing and for whom, really?
Checklist for creating a web service start page that entices users
Write your pitch in the window title. It is one of the first things people see. And, even more important: this text shows in the search engines. Standard window titles like “Welcome to XYZ!” sucks!
Put the important presentation stuff at the top of the page.
Very short headlines describing: What is it? Who is it for? How does it work?
Add one or several video clips where a typical user goes through the service. Make it very short (2 minutes max) and very personal. Better to have several short videos than one long.
Important to use a credible person representing your target group .
It should be someone I as a user can identify with, who can inspire me and give me confidence that this is a smart service.
Avoid using grinning sales guys with shining ties and costumes!
(Unless that type of person is your key target group…)
It is often also a good idea to have some videos with typical customer scenarios, showing situations where different problems are solved by someone using your service.
Put a “Tip your friends” button on the start page, viral marketing is very powerful. Make this a very quick and easy process for the user.
If your service requires a lengthy registration process, divide it up so that the users can get started with a minimum of form-filling. Then make them fill out the rest of the forms during later visits.
Videobloggaren Björn Falkevik på Lidne Inc. intervjuar Henrik Ahlén om styrkan med video som kommunikationsbärare och fördelarna med att använda video i företagssammanhang.
My favourite pastime when I am riding a bus or the underground is to watch video clips on my iPod Touch from the american elite conference TED (Technology Entertainment Design). It “brings together the world’s most fascinating thinkers and doers, who are challenged to give the talk of their lives (in 18 minutes).”
They made the smart decision to post all of those talks online, and they do it in a very professional way. Watch some of them and then contemplate: Would you want to attend a TED conference in the future? Or would you rather just watch the videos? Well, millions have already watched the videos and TED is sold out every year a long time ahead.
For example, they have a new rating system for the videos: Most jawdropping, most persuasive, most inspiring, most courageous, most fascinating, most ingenious, most beautiful and funniest.
The famous talk by the Swedish researcher Hans Rosling talk “New insights on poverty and life around the world “is in the “Most jawdropping” category, you will understand why!
It is interesting to note that Hans Rosling held his first talk on TED in 2006 and ever since this talk was posted online he has received speaking requests from all over the world.
Den 8 minuter långa filmen “Epic 2014″ skakar om mediabranschen. Filmen är gjord av två lärare på journalistskolan The Poynter Institute i Florida och föutspår att Microsoft och alla nutidens mediajättar går under. År 2014 är all media genererad av datorer för varenda individs smak och intressen, på gott och ont.
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