The Video Factor
Author: Jay DeragonCisco released a report titled "Changiing the Face of Video"[1] which describes the next paradigm shift in one line communities.
As reported earlier we recently witnessed a demonstration of an existing technology capable of integration with social networks and whose functions include: live video conferencing, on demand video channel programming and last but not least, user options for insertion of ads within the user generated content. A disruptive technology to say the least.
The Cisco report states "Change triggers more change when trends never imagined by the architect of a single innovation begin to appearâ€"and change paralyzes companies that remain rooted in the past."
"While some companies adapt successfully to new technologies, others falter.Such is the nature of business whenever the paradigm shifts. Recognizing a shifting paradigm is critical to dealing with it. Maintaining success requires changing the way things are done."
"Over the past 18months, a new paradigm swing in video-based entertainmentâ€"also known as the Video 2.0 experienceâ€"has made old business models obsolete and created entirely new ways to view content. The video experience will never be the same again, and new capabilities in the IP next-generation network (IP NGN) will be required to deliver on the promise of this new technology swing."
Following the Money
"Today's video subscribers want choices, personalization, community-based content sharing, and often instant gratification. No longer complacent to be viewers, they are now producers or distributors in their own right, empowered by the worldwide IP network. People no longer buy CDs to get a single song or remain glued to television to catch the 8pm broadcast. Apple's iTunes® serviceâ€"with over a billion downloads a yearâ€"demonstrated, unequivocally, that digital distribution not only works but can reach new customers."
"Download-to-own television and podcasts followed with time-shifted programming to a device other than the television, while Comcast's own on-demand digital TV service has reached more than 3 billion cumulative video-on-demand (VoD) streams in just 2 years. Time-shifted viewingâ€"what you want when you want itâ€"is changing the way people watch video. Even the major broadcasters are posting their most popular TV shows to Websites moments after they are seen on network television."
"Then there was a phenomenon from nowhere which, mere months after going live, culminated in a $1.65 billion acquisition by Google. YouTube with an estimated 120 million video streams downloaded daily by an estimated 6.2 million daily Internet visitors, has changed video distribution and viewing forever."
Person-to-Person Content
"Person-to-person video community-based sites have created an entirely new interactive forum as well as a virtual worldwide independent video network with free content coming from anywhere. YouTube offers viewers an opportunity to instantly self publish and push their production to millions who can share it, chat about it, and spend hours watching itâ€" eyeballs that are literally glued to Internet-enabled screens."
"This kind of stickiness offers opportunities for advertising across TVs, PCs, cell phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), iPods, X-Boxes, or a host of newly conceived interactive platforms that can search, browse, download, or host new forms of video independent of broadcast content. The world of many services to many screens is a reality, and video is leading the way."
Video appears to be the last leg of media for social networks and given what Cisco has depicted it would seem to likely cause yet another revolutionary change for social networking platforms and their usage for personal and professional objectives. Convergence of mediums, platforms and methods will certainly enhance the attributes of The Relationship Economy soon to appear.
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