Videoblogs and Moblogs

The very small file size of compressed video coming from cell phones, PDAs and digital camcorders stimulated the idea of moblogs, vlogs and videoblogs. Moblogs are focused largely on the low quality small file size video and still images coming from cell phones, clips of no more than 20 to 30 seconds and which can also be played back on cell phones. Others focusing on video appear to expect viewers to watch through computer displays. These sites, http://www.vidblogs.com/ and textamerica.com, compete as hosting sites for those that wish to video blog. Each site will have its own patterns to follow to actually reach video that can be played. This may require clicking on text or an image as appropriate.


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Examples of individual sites include Video Link Japan and Steve Garfield's Videoblog while Demand Media - A Collaborative Video Blog is an example of a team effort. The site MoBuzzTV is extending the moblog concept to a news and documentary format. Perhaps the most advanced vlog service is avblog.userplane.com/ which automatically detects microphone and webcam or other digital video device. This site allows up to 10 clips of 10 minute duration to be created for use in any web media, clips which are then streamed from the Userplane servers with a copy of code that can be copy-and-pasted into your own web-based media.

Google co-founder Larry Page also reported plans by Google to follow their own lead with photo blogging at blogger.com with a new service on video blogging (Kapustka, 2005, April 4). Given past practices, it would be logical to presume that Yahoo and MSN will follow with something similar of their own.

Those who want to focus just on finding video can use ANT, a feed-reader or iPodderX, which use RSS or syndication service to find and download video directly to your hard drive shortly after their creators post them to their vlog, moblog or video log or whatever they will be called in the future. Though ANT and iPodderX are also feed-readers (video player of material from subscription service), it is also a video aggregator along with mefeedia.com that provides sites to which one can subscribe.

Always wanted to have your own TV station? Once again, if you adjust to this "out of the box" blog thinking, it's yours today. Will TV stations start a vlog channel and someday play your video blog, as standard radio stations are now doing for audio? It is as inevitable as sunshine.

To learn more about video blogs, online video and tricks of the trade, visit videoblogging.info/ and www.video-link.com/; http://www.me-tv.org/wakka.php?wakka=HomePage ; and search.yahoo.com/mrss/mrss. Comments appreciated that point to other new video hotspots.