Video blogging, podcasting and any other means of blogging that doesn't involve text written into a web page makes me angry. It seems fair to make an exception for those with a genuine reason for a different medium. However, I think that most video blogs or podcasts are just a medium for the blogger to communicate their deep love for their own voice.
Reasons video blogging/podcasting is a bad idea:
1) It makes links impossible. Links are crucially important to making blogging an interactive forum for discussion. They allow the writer to introduce new writers, reference arguments and cite facts. Without them blogging is just a soapbox.
2) Most bloggers are bad at it. Either they're ugly or poor speakers who stutter, get lost and generally make a mess of their time in the 'spotlight'. To see a professional journalist juxtaposed with a blogger watch Guido's crushing encounter with Michael White and Jeremy Paxman.
3) It is creepy. When I'm reading and thinking about politics at three in the morning I already feel more than enough self-loathing for being a nerd. I don't need to feel like a voyeur as well. This is why the long monologue format is rarely used by TV or radio and why I read at night.
4) It forces me to turn off my music.
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3 comments:
...Video blogging, podcasting and any other means of blogging that doesn't involve text written into a web page makes me angry...
Now isn't that interesting? My beef against it is that I can't receive it on my computer. I agree though that blogging should be text based with no more than some graphics to support it.
I agree with you both on this. I hate it. That said, I like to be able to pick up information on news sites that have audio articles, but generally I prefer the radio or the television. I find video blogging grating and unpleasant and it takes up a lot of bandwidth. Let's stick broadly along the lines you suggest James.
I would be rubbish at it, but used sparingly it can have a good impact.
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