Rant

[ewt]

I do not like watching videos online, most of the time. I do not like websites that play music at me unbidden. I'm not a huge fan of lots of pictures. When I'm online I want to read.

That is all.

Comments

[feanelwa.livejournal.com]

Me too. I especially agree about music, especially when it's loud, crap, or takes up my entire CPU for five minutes.

[ewtikins.livejournal.com]

If I'm not wearing headphones I have sound off and don't want to listen to anything (or disturb anyone). If I am wearing headphones it's because I'm listening to music of my own and do not wish other music super-imposed on it.

Video Killed the online "three R's"

[hairyears.livejournal.com]

It's becoming a pain in the arse, the way that news sites have moved over to video - nearly half the links on Reuters and the BBC are to video streams and there's no text alternative. Not even a summary.

I guess this is the future of the web - the real 'Web 2' - a world in which the teenage generation interact by video clips on their MySpace pages and text, which has dominated the early years of the internet, becomes a rarity.

Face it, reading does not come easily to the majority of the population and the written word is not their medium of choice for entertainment and information. Worse, advertisers and media moguls know that dense information is pure poison if you want a mass audience, and the sheer density of information that you'd find in (say) a Wikipedia article, a LiveJournal post, or even the most demented and mis-spelt Usenet thread far, far in exceeds the 'content' of the longest news story you'll ever see on TV. Not only is text difficult, its greatest strength - information density - is the sure and certain route to obscurity.

Note that the 'broadsheet' newspapers, who target the top 20% of the population, have all but abandoned factual reporting and are unable to present any material at length without a 'narrative' element to draw the readers along.

No, text is dead - an obscure medium for geeks that is being abandoned as the web goes mass-market with the mass availability of broadband and easy-to-use video tools.

Re: Video Killed the online "three R's"

[lethargic-man.livejournal.com]

It's becoming a pain in the arse, the way that news sites have moved over to video - nearly half the links on Reuters and the BBC are to video streams and there's no text alternative. Not even a summary.

I've found that if you're prepared to wait a little, the videos on the BBC site are often followed, separately, by a text article saying the same thing. Though I do wonder how providing video only doesn't contravene making their site universally accessible (e.g. to deaf people). This might be something worth asking Auntie about. If so, let me know what you find. :o)

Re: Video Killed the online "three R's"

[feanelwa.livejournal.com]

Ok, that's another thing to add to my business plan - clothes that fit, banks that don't charge or talk bollocks, news sites that just give you the news.

Pfft

[pungoose.livejournal.com]

(Notice: rebuttal engine has failed. Rebuttal is therefore missing. Here, have a silly noise instead).

Message in a rebuttal

[hairyears.livejournal.com]

Rebuttal engines don't work on me: I use Opera with Java and Flash turned off. Apologies for the refutational damage.

[pungoose.livejournal.com]

Don't rant! Write spoof lyrics (http://pungoose.livejournal.com/12193.html).

Re: Video Killed the online "three R's"

[pplfichi.livejournal.com]

The sad thing is though that we can read the damn news page faster then watch a video of some newsreader giving a condensed version of the same thing. Video clips can be useful on the odd occasion, but that's the exception rather then the rule.

Re: Video Killed the online "three R's"

[reddragdiva]

Even worse - compare these for content, writing quality and actual breadth of news coverage:

http://en.wikinews.org/wiki/Main_page
http://uncyclopedia.org/wiki/UnNews:Main_Page

ZOMG we're becoming the Daily Show!

[pseudomonas.livejournal.com]

http://lynx.isc.org/

Happy New Year

[(Anonymous)]

Hi Daughter Dearest,

I regret that TV was ever invented. Radio I think is a far finer medium. Printed word is wonderful of course,

Love and a magnificent new years to you!
Dad

[nyecamden.livejournal.com]

Me too *jumps up and down*.

I like photographs though, mostly when it is of people I know.

[friend-of-tofu.livejournal.com]

Oh yes, soooo true.

[gigglingwizard.livejournal.com]

I have the same problem with television...all those sounds and pictures mucking up the programs. When I turn on the TV, I just want to READ. That's why it's sitting on a bookshelf, after all.