Showing posts with label Blogging. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Blogging. Show all posts

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

This Day in Online Video History | First Video Uploaded to YouTube on April 23, 2005

It was eight years ago today that YouTube's first video, Me at the Zoo, was uploaded by Jawed Karim on April 23, 2005. Karim had co-founded YouTube with Chad Hurley and Steve Chen just a few months earlier as a way to share videos with friends and family far away. The video is only 20 seconds long and was shot by Yakov Lapitsky at the San Diego Zoo, and little did the video creators know that it marked the dawn of the UGC (User-Generated Content) online video age. YouTube wasn't the first video sharing site, but since Google purchased it in November 2006 for $1.65 billion, it has revolutionized video sharing across the Internet and has become the top online video content property, with more than 1 billion unique users visiting the site each month.



Just last week, YouTube won its second legal battle against Viacom in federal court with the dismissal of Viacom's $1 billion copyright lawsuit. The ruling by U.S. District Court Judge Louis Stanton in New York stated that Viacom had never proved that YouTube was aware of copyright infringement by its users, and upheld his original ruling from June 2010 which leaves in place the current understanding of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998. Stanton also ruled that YouTube didn't act with "willful blindness" and had previously responded to Viacom's requests back in 2007 by removing 100,000 copyrighted videos a day after Viacom notified YouTube of the infringement.

Google Senior Vice President & General Counsel Kent Walker said that the ruling marked an important day for the Internet.
"This is a win not just for YouTube, but for the billions of people worldwide who depend on the web to freely exchange ideas and information."
Read more about the case and the verdict in this article on ReelSEO: Viacom Comes Up Short Against Google/YouTube In Court Once More.

Happy birthday to the first video uploaded to YouTube! While you're not too exciting, you started an online video revolution.

Also to those born on April 23rd, I want to wish a special happy birthday to my daughter Marley Rose, my niece Rebecca and my good friend Steve Dung, owner of Visions Plus video production service in San Francisco!

I'll be back soon with more online video analysis and video conversations.

Saturday, June 30, 2012

Calling All Online Video Bloggers!

For those of you who have followed this blog you've probably noticed that things have slowed here bit over the last year, due in part to my busy work schedule. But while things have slowed down here on Klessblog, it's been picking up on my other site, Online Video Publishing [dot] com, with a number of new posts by guest bloggers. I've been running Online Video Publishing [dot] com, as a companion site to my blog, and over the last few years it's become a resource for sharing strategies, best practices, news, tips and how to's for online video publishers.

So why am I spending time on my other site instead of producing new content here on this blog? Well, as a matter of fact, all the most recent articles on Online Video Publishing [dot] com have been written by guest authors. So, I've written this post as an open invitation to any guest blogger who would like to contribute an article or series to Online Video Publishing [dot] com.

The articles on the site are all focused on video publishing for multi-screen platforms. In the most recent post, Peter Smith provides some practical tips on How to start your own Videography Business. He says, one of the first things you have to consider when thinking about starting your own videography business, "is whether or not you are suited to owning your own business. As difficult as it may be to hear the truth is not everyone is capable of being in business for themselves. It takes discipline and dedication and owning a decent video camera does not automatically qualify you to be in business." Read more here.

In another guest post, Apple's Thunderbolt Display Port Dismays the AV IndustryLorin Nelson, SF Bay Area-based Technical Panic Alleviation Technician, describes the current dismay within the AV industry resulting from HDCP encryption in Thunderbolt mini-DVI ports, and what current solutions are available. He sums up the challenges within the article in his sub-title, "AV Industry Challenges Brave Mac Techs Who Are Confined to Speaking In Terms of Re-Branding, With Little Success Given the Fact that They Are Unaware of Specs, Really want to Help, but Are Rendered Helpless by the Apple Core Design Team." Read more here.

Also, Joe Kukura, a writer for the RealPlayer video technology blog contributed an article on how music legend and recording artist, Neil Young rocks online music with a new high resolution audio format. Apparently, Neil Young had been working with the late Steve Jobs to bring this new HD audio format to future iPods and was quoted as saying, “Steve Jobs was a pioneer of digital music, but when he went home, he listened to vinyl. And you've gotta believe that if he'd lived long enough, he would eventually have done what I'm trying to do.” Read more here.

In addition to individual writers, video companies are also welcome to provide content, like UK-based Vidify, who shares 5 ways online video can increase your business revenue. The article points out that, "Video has been proven to be an effective tool in increasing conversion rates online. You should note however that a bad video is going to do just the opposite. When you decide that it is time to join the major brands in online video, ensure that you are providing your website visitors with a professionally produced video that explains your business message and presents you as an expert in your field." Read more here.

The posting guidelines for Online Video Publishing [dot] com are that articles be video topic related, and can be news, informational, analysis, observational, opinion, how to, production tips, best practices and can be any length. Articles can include videos, graphics, embed codes and can be in html format. Author and company will receive mention and backlinks within the post. Sponsored posts are also accepted, but posts that are just promotional, pure marketing, direct sales pitches or press releases are not accepted. 

If you're interested, please feel free to submit any article or series, contact me at klessblog@gmail.com if have you any questions.

Saturday, April 9, 2011

My 600th Blog Post!

The Silver Surfer by Jack "The King" Kirby
I started this blog to join the voices of the streaming media community as a way to share my knowledge, ideas and analysis of the online video industry. That was 599 posts ago, with my first post written on November 22, 2007, and so much has changed since then. This blog has become my main channel of conversation and more than anything it's helped me connect with so many amazing people in communities all over the world. While I wasn't a journalism major in school, which I think shows sometimes in my writing style and errors in punctuation and grammar, I do love to write and report on the online video industry as it has matured and grown over the last several years.

This blog has help me develop my voice and define my brand. Before I started blogging, I'd been in the enterprise video sector producing corporate videos, videoconferences and live events for the better part of 20 years, and while I had a challenging and rewarding career, I wanted to step out of the daily grind and do something different, something new, something of my own, something that would give a me chance to break out of my rusty cage.

I actually thought I'd start a podcast since I lived and breathed media production and just weeks before starting this blog I had the opportunity to be a guest host on an episode of the Lame Podcast, which was created as part of Jose Castillo's pre-conference seminar on "Planning, Building, and Launching a Successful Podcast" at Streaming Media West 2007. It was my first attempt at podcasting and it turned out to be a lot of fun and incredibly easy to do. I didn't realize it then, but the seeds were planted for what would later become my series of videos I call, "Online Video Conversations with..."

If you're interested, you can listen to that podcast below.



So when I returned from Streaming Media West I was inspired to start my own thing and "join the voices of the streaming media community", but rather than launching a podcast I followed the advise of my good friend Juan Aguilar who suggested that I start a blog since I could add audio, video, pictures and text, and as the the old cliche goes... the rest is history.

AP: Klessblog celebrates 600
As I approached this 600th post I thought a lot about what I should say and how best to reflect on own experiences and the massive changes within the online video, technology and social media landscape. I decided that I really didn't need to go into great detail on the industry or even delve to deep into myself to acknowledge this milestone. I really wanted to say the same thing I said on my 100th blog post, and that is to take this opportunity to thank you all. Many thanks to all my friends, followers, readers, subscribers, community members, colleagues, people who I've interviewed, PR people who've kept me up to date on the latest news and really to everyone who has helped contribute, support, read my posts, comment, retweet, watch video and share something.

I also want to say a special thanks to my friends Eric Schumacher-Rasmussen, Joel Unickow and Dan Rayburn at Streamingmedia.com and OnlineVideo.net who have given me great opportunities over the years to get more involved in the Streaming Media conferences; to Mark Robertson, online video superstar and publisher ReelSEO who has been a great friend and supporter of my work; and also to my friend Kris Drey, founder of VidCompare who has been a great supporter and also a sponsor of this blog. Last but not least, a heartfelt thanks to my wife Elaine for being my biggest supporter and for putting up with me and my crazy schedule and to our kids Marley, Mitch and Sam for their ongoing inspiration.

For many of you who have followed this blog for some time, I'm sure you've noticed the frequency of my posting has decreased, largely due to that thing we call life. Since blogging is not my day job and something I usually do by night, I generally fall behind on reporting the news. But with so many great new sources covering the space, I've tried to shift my focus from the daily news to provide richer content and analysis in the form of video interviews and conversations with industry shakers and movers, thought leaders, innovators and entrepreneurs. What I love most about writing this blog is that I get to meet so many people across the industry and learn how their companies, products and services and technology innovations help shape the online video industry.

It's been an incredible journey and I appreciate the encouragement, advise and guidance from so many of you along the way. I've grown so much since that first blog post and the online video industry has come a long way since then as well. I'm excited by what lies ahead and for the adventures that are in store for all of us.

Thank you all for your continued support and stay tuned for much more to come!

Friday, January 1, 2010

2010 Predictions From Around The Web - Online Video, Social Media and Technology

It's 2010 now, and many have predicted what will happen in the new year. I shared my thoughts on the subject in the most recent issue of Streaming Media magazine as part of the annual Special Sponsored Section: Executive Predictions - Streaming Media Magazine which features 30 executives and thought leaders in the space who share their online video and streaming predictions. An extended version of my 2009 reflections/2010 predictions appeared as a guest post on Nalts' blog Will Video For Food.

Many of the executives talked about how online video will continue to grow, how online video services and delivery will become more commoditized, how standards will evolve, how television will shift online, how mobile will explode, how we'll see emerging models for online advertising, analytics, monetization and convergence of content across all three screens and new generation portable devices, and many more perspectives. The print version has been published and the online version should be available sometime soon. You can read many of the predictions online at the companies' blogs.

Here's what I wrote:
"Today, virtually every aspect of video has become a business. Content producers, media companies, SMBs to major corporations all have the same opportunities to build their businesses as online video publishers.
What is important for video publishers is the value that video brings to ROI. It won't be enough for companies to just deploy video solutions. They’ll need to engage in the communities where their audiences are through a variety of social networks. Conversation tools like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube will help marketers extend their reach and promote their brands. Video is really becoming part of people’s strategy and part of the ecosystem of their overall marketing plan.

So what did we learn from 2009? Yes, video is big and keeps on growing. But if 2009 proved anything, it showed us that the power of video and social media can change the way we experience world events, like Presidential Inaugurations or breaking news stories from citizen journalists seen first on YouTube or Twitter.
2009 saw a shift in how we do business from the personal to the virtual. From the boardroom to the living room, to the mobile device that will soon do everything -- so it's no surprise that video has become the vehicle for our conversation.
More than any other year, 2009 saw the rise of video one of the most effective communication mediums. In 2010, the focus will be on high quality content, storytelling, and business models that will continue to emerge to foster that growth."
Now onto my annual collection of predictions from around the web:

Robin Good and Robin Good and Daniele Bazzano of MasterNewMedia prepared this 2-part collection of predictions:
I made sure that there were no duplicates from Robin Good's list of predictions:
  • 11 Predictions for the Online Video Industry in 2010 - Mark Robertson, Reel SEO - Everyone is giving their predictions for the Internet marketing and online video space in 2010 and I thought I’d better jump on the bandwagon with my 2 cents… Granted, I certainly have some more insightful predictions that I could provide but I figured it’s New Year’s Eve and we should all be relaxing…
  • Predictions For Online Video in 2010 | Jeremy Allaire | Voices | AllThingsD
    2009 brought a lot of change to the online video world. We saw the surging growth of new players like Hulu, the advent of TV Everywhere (TVE), the first steps of YouTube’s monetization, more live video and mobile video, and video starting to reach beyond media and into other sectors of society. Video advertising-based monetization also grew 50 percent year over year–the fastest growth rate for any form of advertising during the Great Recession. From the energy of our customers to the phone calls from investment bankers, it is quite apparent that 2010 is going to be a very significant year again for online video...
  • Kaltura CEO 2010 Prediction for Online Video
    We will see continued commoditization of the video delivery space. With affordable HDTV-grade online delivery available to all, publishers’ focus will shift from the delivery layer to the application layer. ‘Cookie cutter’ stand-alone video management features will be replaced by highly customized functionalities and work-flows that are tightly integrated with other content management systems...
  • 2010 Predictions for Online Video « Online Video and Video Providers - VidCompare - We’re seeing 2010 predictions emerge in the Online Video space by industry leaders and it provides for interesting reading. That being said, there’s nothing shocking being stated, or rather, there are no big surprises or prognostications of something new to come. Everyone tends to agree on what to expect in the New Year including the much hyped TV Everywhere, set-top boxes, multiple screens, and of course, mobile.
Kris Drey also included the following four OV predictions:


    Tech, business and social media predictions:
    I know I've missed a bunch more... so let me know if you see any that I should add to the list or if you have any predictions of your own. All the best to everyone in 2010!

    Thursday, December 31, 2009

    2009 Year-End Review: Best of Klessblog

    Another year comes to a close as New Years Eve 2010 draws near, and so does the first decade in this millennium. In this annual review of 2009, I'm following a similar format as my post from last year to recognize and thank everyone who has helped contribute to this blog, and to those of you who have taken the time to read, subscribe, ReTweet and share your comments.

    Even though the economy was spiraling into the abyss, 2009 was a breakout year for all things related to online video and mobile. Social media played a much greater role with the year starting with Barack Obama's inauguration, with millions watching online and on Facebook. That event and many others that followed generated much discussion about the missed opportunities for monetization online. But in 2010 many have speculated that it will be the year that online video will finally gets paid.

    In looking back over the past year, if 2009 proved anything, it showed us that the power of video and social media can change the world. Throughout the year, I covered the online video space posting news and conversations that I had with a variety of online video executives and innovators to learn about their companies. As I said last year, I echo the same words by saying, there are so many others who I met along the way that I need to thank, but the list is really too long. Thanks to the many people who took the time to reach out me with relevant news and information, those of you who arranged for interviews and those who kindly agreed to be interviewed, for those of you who spoke on panel sessions I helped organize and also to those of you who helped me in 2009 with your encouragement, advise, acknowledgement, support and friendship.

    I was incredibly honored and humbled to be on this years list of Streaming Media All-Stars and for the great opportunity to Co-chair the Online Video Platform Summit with Eric Schumacher-Rasmussen. I want to thank Eric, Dan Rayburn, Joel Unickow and everyone at Information Today Inc. for the great work that they do to support, educate and promote the streaming media and online video industry. Also, a big thanks to my good friend Mark Robertson, Founder of Reel SEO, who welcomed me into the fold as a contributor to Reel SEO and who for the last year has been trying to convince me to quit my day job and blog full time. Mark also gave me this awesome three wolf moon shirt which is both intrinsically sweet and fits my girthy frame. ;-) Photo credit Jose Castillo.

    I have a lot more to come in 2010 with many interviews I tried to publish in 2009 that just didn't happen due to my busy work schedule. So to wrap up the year, I present the following series of posts from this blog as a "Best of 2009". Thank you to all my readers and friends and all the best to everyone in 2010!
    Here's a few parting shots from 2009:
    Me, Mark Robertson and Kevin "Nalts" Nalty!

    Me and Jeroen "JW" Wijering!

    Thursday, December 17, 2009

    Read my Guest Blog Post on Nalts' "Will Video For Food" Blog, "Video & Your Smart Business Marketing Plan"

    [wvff_header.jpg]

    After a few weeks of Streaming Media West 2009 Red Carpet interviews, I'm breaking from the coverage to share news of my guest post on Kevin "Nalts" Nalty's blog, Will Video For Food. I want to thank Kevin for the opportunity to be a guest blogger on his blog and thanks as well to Jan Ischinger for the great editorial work on the post. I'd encourage everyone to visit Nalts' site and subscribe to his blog to read his daily posts and posts by other guest bloggers.

    Last month, I had the pleasure of meeting Nalts at at the Online Video Platform Summit where he spoke on our Redefining Monetization panel session. It was a lively session that included Benjamin Wayne from Fliqz, Peter Csathy of Sorenson Media and Teg Granager of Adap.tv. The video from session should be online sometime soon. A few weeks ago, Kevin followed up with a note to "fellow online-video enthusiasts, virtual friends or BFFs" to see if there was interest in writing a short guest blog post on WillVideoForFood.com.

    Nalts said,
    "I thought it would be fun to have a series of various subject-matter experts chime in on various online video topics as 2009 closes out and we look at future trends for 2010 and beyond."
    I was excited at the opportunity, and it's something I've actually been wanting to do on my own blog for some time, and have done on my OnlineVideoPublishing.com blog with a recent guest post by Tim Hawthorne, Creating a Frenzy with Online Video Contests, with another one from Tim in the works.

    So needless to say, I wanted to join the fun and be a guest blogger on WillVideoForFood.com and sent a piece I had been working on to Nalts. It's an expanded version of the 250 word article I had sent to Streaming Media for publication in the December/January issue of the magazine, about looking back on 2009 and ahead in 2010 in social media and video.

    Here's a short excerpt from the post...

    December 17, 2009

    Welcome WVFF Guest Blogger
    Larry Kless

    2009 proved the power of video and social media can change the world.

    We experience the Presidential Inauguration with millions of friends on Facebook. We read breaking news stories from citizen journalists on Twitter. We saw live as-it-happens video on YouTube hours before the stories reached our televisions and the standard reports by traditional news agencies were read.

    More than any other year 2009 saw the rise of video as one of the most effective communication mediums in world history.

    Virtually, every aspect of video is now included in business. From concept, scripting, storyboards, production, editing, encoding, storing, managing, distributing, syndicating, tracking, analyzing, etc… Content producers, media companies, small and medium-sized business all have the same opportunities to build their business and become online video publishers like any major corporation.

    Read the rest of this post on Will Video for Food

    Saturday, January 10, 2009

    More 2009 Predictions From Around the Web

    This post is a follow up from my previous 2009 Predictions From Around the Web and features another sampling of predictions for the coming year.

    Crowdsourced 2009 Predictions | from This is going to be BIG! - Comments on New York Tech Community, Startups, Venture Capital and Career Education

    • Your 2009 Tech and Media Outlook | Uptown Uncorked
      2008 was a big year. An economic recession, presidential election and wild weather certainly made the year exciting; for tech and media, we saw the continued adoption of smartphones, the advent of online mobile application stores, the success of Twitter, and an increase in the use of social media tools by both young and old.
      And 2009 should have a few big stories up its sleeve as well. There’s a lot coming, and hopefully most will be good.


    • In each of the past five years I've written a predictions post - usually at year's end or by the first of January. This one is late, and I'll admit it's because I found it hard to write. The world is showing itself to be predictable in only one way: bad news begets bad news. I've spent a lot of the past two weeks, where I was ostensibly "not working," thinking about what this year will bring. And I'm not much further from where I started: this is going to be a very difficult year, for a lot of people. But I do have a fair amount of hope. I think times like this force all of us to make honest choices about what we do with our energy, our resources, and our lives. And in the end, that brings long term health to markets.
    • Slashdot | A Look Back At Kurzweil's Predictions For 2009
      marciot writes "An interesting look at Ray Kurzweil's predictions for 2009, from a decade ago. He was dead on in predicting the ubiquity of portable computers, wireless, the emergency of "digital" objects, and the rise of privacy concerns. He was a little optimistic in certain areas, predicting the demise of rotating storage and the ubiquity of digital paper a bit earlier than it appears it will actually happen. As it comes to human-computer speech interfaces, thought, he seems to be way off."

    Thursday, January 1, 2009

    2009 Predictions From Around The Web

    It's 2009 now, and many have been peering into the future to predict what will happen in the new year. I'm not going on the record quite yet with any predictions of my own but I've read many of them over the past month and have collected some of them here.

    Technology trends, social media applications, new gadgets, online video, advertising and content delivery business are a few in the new media space. In the political spectrum, January 20th is on many peoples minds as the great shift in power takes place in Washington, D.C. and how an Obama administration will define the national agenda and bring long awaited change.

    As the new year begins, with more optimism while also faced with financial challenges which we haven't seen in generations, so does the annual cycle of events, conferences, new products and services and speculation on what will be thing next big thing, what trends will catch on, who will be the winner or loser and what will be the defining moments that shape the new year. What else to say but, only time will tell.

    Hayden Black’s Predictions for Online Video in 2009




    Kent Nichols’ Predictions for Online Video in 2009




    Beet.TV: Predictions for 2009 from Ad Age's Michael Learmonth: Most Media Companies Will Do Deals with YouTube
    Most media companies will do deals with YouTube in 2009, ending what has been confrontational relationship for many, expects Michael Learmonth, staff reporter at Advertising Age and veteran reporter of digital media having worked for the Industry Standard, Reuters and Variety. Michael recently blogged for the Silicon Alley Insider. Michael thinks that the ownership of exclusive, unique content is key to monetization, not aggregation or syndication schemes. We agree. I sat down with Michael at the Mogulus studio in downtown Manhattan where we taped several segments last month. This is good overview of the business. Check it out.

    Read out Michael's story about Hulu published yesterday. -- Andy Plesser, Executive Producer

    • Ten tech predictions for 2009 » VentureBeat
      Everyone’s predicting doom and gloom for the tech industry next year, and hey, who are we to argue? New Year’s Eve may be coming up, but when VentureBeat’s writers were feeling far from festive when we pooled our thoughts about the year ahead. The verdict: Dark clouds for startups, venture capitalists and the tech industry as a whole. Still, 2009 won’t be bad for everyone, so we tried to bring out some silver lining, too.
      1. Advertising will gradually be replaced by information.
      2. Content and conversational marketing strategies will converge.
      3. Social media marketing will continue to gain acceptance
    • '09 IT Predictions -- the Economy Dominates - PC World - Nancy Weil, IDG News Service
      Dec 12, 2008 10:40 am (Dan Nystedt in Taipei, James Niccolai in San Francisco, Nancy Gohring in Seattle and Juan Carlos Perez in Miami contributed predictions.)