2007 Will Be The Year of Video
I hate predictions. I really do.
But based on conversations I’ve had with different people and then reading the news this morning about Abbey Corps I’m convinced that we are going to see a huge influx of new video content in the coming year.
This isn’t about podcasting, it’s about content that people will consume, be entertained by, shocked by and share with their friends. The good old “have you seen ________” will continue and people will stop caring if it was on television, the web, phone, iPod or virtual world. The point will be that they SAW it.
What I’m interested in seeing is how all these networks (both traditional and new) handle it. How they make themselves stand out from the others. What is going to make someone go to their computer to watch something as opposed to flopping down on the couch and watching? What about when the lines between where the content is actually coming from completly blur? What then?
I’d say that the rules have changed, but right now there are no rules. If you think there are some then you need to really stop and think about it, because there really isn’t and th ones you might think are in place are made of silly putty and thus we can all change them whenever we want.
I’m excited.
[…] But, then I go and read what Jeff Pulver is up to and I had to let one little prediction happen on Managing the Gray. « crayon Holiday Party Fun […]
I think you’re right, and having Pulver as your inspiration that things will be happening is probably spot-on.
Fortunately, audio will live on and thrive…
I’m confused. Didn’t this already happen in 2006?
With YouTube, Google Video, cheap video cameras at every concert, virtually every television station putting up online content, the domination of onDemand television, DVD sales surpassing movie ticket sales, the video iPod, tivo being a decade old, the Verizon VCast, widely available wireless broadband, the boom of flat-screen television sales overtaking new analog sales, webcams that offer facial recognition software to animated avatars, and MySpace making it super easy to embed video clips?
Seriously, 2006 was the year of video. The only thing that hasn’t happened yet as far as I see is the ultimate death of television schedules and the complete switch to on-demand for the majority of television watchers.
2007 will be the year of the avatar. Look at the trends: Second Life, Nintendo Wii’s “Mii”, IMVU, MySpace, Skype including avatars. All these major forms of communication and entertainment point toward avatars.
Or as Wired magazine would put it:
Wired: Avatars
Tired: Video
Expired: Podcasting
I think this was a HUGE year for video for all the reasons you pointed out, but I don’t think we’ve seen anything quite yet. It’s going to get bigger.
The world of the avatar is certainly one that is interesting. As someone who just set up my own MII yesterday afternoon I think we are going to see a whole lot happening in this area, but that is for another post. *grin*
Hadn’t caught that Wired chart. Love it!