April 8th, 2008Podcasts and Vlogs Kill RSS Numbers
There seems to be a problem afoot with the way people are blogging, now. No longer is it enough just to type out our thoughts. Instead, we are seeing quite the migration to “podcasts” and video blogging. Two things that should have probably stayed in the realm of science fiction.
Perhaps this is a bit harsh, however, I’d like to say that I don’t read any RSS feeds from the comfort of a computer. When I’m reading them, I’m quite often away from the internet. RSS is a wonderful thing, in that I can take it with me wherever I go on a PDA (when it wants to work) and read it from the discomfort of the train. The advantage here is that I actually have time to catch up on the 50+ sites that I’ve subscribed to.
However, when people post a podcast or video blog, there is no opportunity to read the content of the audio or video file. Instead, I’m expected to listen to somebody who has recorded their “not-for-radio” voice with a really poor quality microphone that either has a terrible echo, or a low whistle that is capable of getting every dog in a three block radius to start barking. On top of this, rather than write an entry with just a few hundred words, people are starting to post twenty and thirty minute media files that essentially say the same thing, but with thousands of unnecessary words! Could this be the end of blogging?
We’re Not Talk Show Hosts For A Reason
My biggest gripe isn’t really with the fact that people prefer to record their voice or a video to show their face and perhaps a few active screen shots. My biggest peeve with this change in media is that it suggests that we aren’t doing anything at the time.
The advantage to reading RSS is that we can do it while on the train, in the bathroom or just killing time while waiting for the man ahead of you at the convenience store pays for his $8 purchase in pennies. Sure, you could argue that the same can be done with podcasts, but it means that I actually care enough about the content to listen to a voice with no rhythm or background music. I don’t know how many people remember those oft-boring lectures in university, but that’s what most podcasts remind me of.
Video posts are even worse than their audio equivalents. Most offline RSS readers allow the option to download podcasts for later use, but nothing can take the various video streams and store them on a portable device. RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication. While it’s certainly possible to save streamed media to a PC, convert it for a mobile device, load it and then go about our merry way, there’s nothing “Really Simple” about it.
Audio Transcripts Required
Bloggers that make use of these alternate forms of media should really start seperating out their RSS feeds. I’d have no problem subscribing to a feed that did not offer podcasts or videos. But, I would also have no problem with podcasts and video posts if publishers would make the audio transcripts available. I’ve listened to a few podcasts and watched a few video posts over the last few years in an attempt to acclimate myself to the changing times but, at the end of the day, I like my blogs like my IRC: Lots of text, and very little “fluff”.
I wonder what it would take to make a WordPress plugin that would merge these flexible blogging technologies with something like EveryZing. Just the SEO benefits alone would be worth any subscription fee that might be charged.
I think some newspaper editors said the same thing back in the 1920’s.
Ultimately I think we’ll see devices that allow text, audio and video feeds to be made portable.
On a side note, you generally subscribe to podcasts through something like iTunes, and video blogs through YouTube of whatever, so in that sense, too, podcasts and vlogs kill rss numbers.