Blog Video Comments?

Seesmic has released a WordPress plugin to enable blog video commenting. I’m somewhat lukewarm to the idea of implementing them here on ZNF… One can be efficient scanning text for interesting keywords, while video comments (in their current form) only offer a text title and an automatically selected keyframe thumbnail without a rating system. Meaning you’d have to watch the entire video to determine if there’s anything worthwhile within. And, unlike text, these video comments don’t allow editing – what you film, is what you post. Related, in chatting with a few fellow bloggers, we wonder if moderating video will significantly add to our workload. While I figure Google (YouTube) is here for the long haul, I’m generally reluctant to host content on third party sites.

The entire Crunch Network has pulled the trigger on Seesmic’s video comments (Arrington is an investor), and I left a couple of test replies to CrunchGear editor John Biggs earlier today. John offered a good response (using text) to my first video in suggesting folks utilize this video option to show off their gear. Although, I replied (with video, copied below) that I no longer read text comments and might have missed his archaically-presented insight. ;)

So what’s the consensus here… Is there any interest in implementing this?

14 thoughts on “Blog Video Comments?”

  1. I think it can work but only for certain audience. The problem is reading comments is much more difficult due to the fact you can’t really “screen” the videos without actually playing them. Maybe on something like Slashdot or Digg where comments are rated would it be useful to me.

  2. ( Slightly dizzy from the irony of the references to not being able to create or read text annotations for video…but I digress… )

    Yes! Please allow for video responses, but you don’t have to use that lame thing Arrington is pimping, you can just let registered ZNF readers copy/paste YouTube embedd codes.

  3. I’m never excited to see or hear my own voice on video and so wouldn’t use it much. I guess it has its place, but I’m not ready for it yet if ever

  4. Todd, I’ll research what WordPress options we have for embedding YouTube videos into comments. It’s definitely not supported out of the box and not sure what sort of effort it would take to pull it off… and interest seems low so far. Though everyone is currently welcome to post relevant links into the comments, including URLs for YouTube video pages. I’m also willing to consider guest posts or reviews, via video and/or text.

  5. Not in general, no. I can *imagine* that one of your readers might have an actual demo or product or something that they could demo to explain something, but that’d be rare, and more what I’m expecting from you. Rather have people explain themselves in text form.

  6. I’m willing to be convinced but when I saw the techcrunch announcement yesterday I thought to myself WTF??

    But I never thought eBay or twitter would catch on either so what do I know?

    I know I don’t want them on my site

    …Dale

  7. Oh hell no.

    I certainly won’t be bothered to watch video comments on ANY blog. I have better things to do. I can read a text response FAR faster than waiting for someone to stagger through a badly shot video.

    And I can just see the trolls making some interesting videos.

    This is just a bad idea. DO NOT WANT.

  8. Dude, not without a dress code.

    Skirts above the knee; no pants. Low neck line or tight sweaters for cold days and/or remotes. Hair shoulder length or greater.

    No facial hair for men (or women.) :eek:

    Shirts with collars.

    Shoes required.

  9. “Hair shoulder length or greater.”

    For men too? ;)

    I like the dress code idea though. I also think the workload to filter and approve comments is not going to be fun.

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