RSS feedI got an interesting flyer in the post today, for “Media 2.0”, a conference in Sydney on what I’m assuming is the latest term for online video. It’s amusing that the Web 2.0 term was coined as a buzzword, but not to be outdone, we’ve double buzzed it to Media 2.0.
Media 2.0 of course, as opposed to Media 1.0, which I’m guessing is being made redundant? Doubtful, as I’m sure the presenters, consisting of corporate managers from companies such as Fox, Yahoo!7, ROO (who?) and Reeltime will reassure you. Their dependence on traditional media, would seem in direct conflict with what Media 2.0 is supposed to be about.
The tag line for the conference is content – anywhere – anytime – anyhow. I’d suggest they’re missing the any in front of content, and they’ve missed the quite vital – anyone at the end.
Some of the conference summary text is quite enlightening, even for traditional media companies running scared from their ever decreasing traditional markets:
No longer is video an after-thought on text-driven websites. Many new websites are video-centric.
Nice. This is exactly why I keep going on about the term videoblogging being redundant as anything but a genre. Everything is video, and it’s happening faster than any of us expected.
The only reference to videoblogging however, in the entire conference program, is the following:
THE BUSINESS OF PODCASTING & V-LOGGING
Cameron Reilly, CEO, The Podcast Network
The Podcast Network (TPN) was launched as the world’s first podcast publishing business in February 2005 and continues to be one of the largest publishers of independent podcasting content on the globe, with over 70 podcasts in production, over 250,000 listeners, and the support of a dozen advertisers.
You remember Cameron right place at the right time with the right accent Reilly. Launched to popularity on the Gday World podcast, by interviewing (quite badly) notable people in the blogging and podcasting world, who were falling over themselves just to be interviewed by “the boys from downunder”. Given an American accent, the show would have disappeared into obscurity, along with all those other amateur tech interview programs who have done so stunningly well. The converted, preaching badly, to the converted.
While the Podcast Network seems fairly successful, and good on them for jumping when the time was right, they certainly weren’t the first, and I wouldn’t necessarily consider their productions as independent.
However, of all the sessions at Media 2.0, this is the only one referring to V-Logging, whatever that is, and if this is supposed to be videoblogging, then excuse me, but I must have had my head in the sand when Cameron Reilly was actually involved in vidoeblogging, let alone him understanding the mantra and mission of most grass roots videobloggers. V-Logging? Pah!
The intersting thing is that videoblogging hasn’t even appeared on the conference’s RADAR. And why should it? Isn’t videoblogging just people videoing themselves speaking into a camera? It’s not like they’re out there creating TV shows or anything, is it? Getting the idea? Big media get it, video is just video. Videoblogging is the personal.
I see it as a welcome nail in the coffin of the term videoblogging to describe what is simply just online video. The tide is turning, and instead of bitching that somebody’s definition of videoblogging doesn’t include their obviously TV like video production, small independent producers need to get on board and use the language of the corporates, if they wish to make any kind of difference.
Videoblogging, schmideoblogging. Who gives a fuck. Go make video, before that door is closed to you as well, because semantics certainly hasn’t stopped the corporate Media 2.0 juggernaut, however ignorant we think they are.