Bloggers using TypePad will find it easier to integrate video ads into their content thanks to a partnership between VideoEgg and Six Apart announced today.
Six Apart will offer AdFrames ad units including Twig, which is an ad that stays in the browser window and can be expanded upon mouse over (one of the types of ad I hate, for what it’s worth).
The press release implies that the video units will be available to all publishers, though I’d be surprised if there was no quality control/bar to entry at all. It mentions that “launch partners” include Orbitcast, MediaBlab, Geeks are Sexy, Make Use of and Blog Net News, so perhaps it is fairly selective. read more
Happy Monday, folks! We’ve got a few new and updated plugins this week, so let’s start there.
Byrne Reese released a new version of the Photo Gallery plugin. This version includes two new options for the “front door” of your gallery. You can now choose a grid or blog layout, and you can display a featured photo. Byrne also released an updated version of the plugin’s documentation.
SetOffset, written by Shinichi Nozawa, is an enhancement to the Movable Type admin. On the Manage Entries screen, it allows you to “jump” to a specific point in the list of entries, rather than have to page through them to find the one you want. read more
If you’re a blog network like Gawker Media, mixing rumors and news with celebrity stalking and snarky commentary, you need a demo reel to go with it. Luckily, enough people have spoken out against the network blogs, and they have been featured in a fair share of popular culture TV shows (you missed the Californication Gawker mugshot, guys!) to make for an interesting video. read more
You might remember that Flickr opened up its video functionality to everybody, and giving paying pro members a HD option. Back then I noted that 150 MB might be a tad small for 90 seconds of HD footage, and now Flickr finally realized that “HD Video Files are Big”. So now pro members can upload videos up to 500 MB. Sweet.
Flickr’s video hosting features puzzled me when they launched. 90 seconds, why would I limit myself to that really? But fine, if you shoot a few vids with your digital camera then that might cut it, most won’t support long clips anyway. Video used to be available for pro (as in paid) users only, but they’re opening it up to everyone now. Still 90 seconds limit, and 150 MB/video. Pro users can upload videos in HD (where 150 MB might be a tad small, as Webware points out), and so can regular users but it’ll play in SD only. Also, there’s an upload cap on regular users, just two videos/month.
No, I’m still not sold on Flickr Video. Sorry. I do appreciate the lifted set limit on free users, that really bugged me before I went pro.
Envato has launched its video marketplace, VideoHive, which we’ve written about previously. The VideoHive marketplace sells video split into Motion Graphics, Stock Footage, and Project Files. For more, read manager Mark Brodhuber’s launch post in the VideoHive blog, or just check out VideoHive.
YouTube have added support for deep linking, which means that you can link to a specific point in a video by adding the timestamp to the link. Like so:
Paul Boutin — “Very Special Correspondent” at Valleywag — has written what I can only assume is linkbait over at WIRED Magazine. It’s working, anyway.
While I don’t disagree with some of his opening words, I do take issue with his black-and-white stance: that blogging is dead and microblogging (or whatever Boutin might call it, given that “blogging” itself is now a dirty word) is the way forward — linked in to social networks like Facebook.
“Thinking about launching your own blog? Here’s some friendly advice: Don’t. And if you’ve already got one, pull the plug.
Writing a weblog today isn’t the bright idea it was four years ago. The blogosphere, once a freshwater oasis of folksy self-expression and clever thought, has been flooded by a tsunami of paid bilge. Cut-rate journalists and underground marketing campaigns now drown out the authentic voices of amateur wordsmiths. It’s almost impossible to get noticed, except by hecklers. And why bother? The time it takes to craft sharp, witty blog prose is better spent expressing yourself on Flickr, Facebook, or Twitter.”
Britney Spears is all about success these days, it seems. The new single, “Womanizer”, tops the US charts, and now she relaunches her website. With a blog, written by Team Britney (that’s PR speak for, well, PR people I guess), and some video posts. read more
Lately, video and podcasting blogs are making a huge inroad in popularity. A common question I’m asked at workshops and speaker gigs is how long a podcast or blog video should be.
I thought I knew the answer: thirty minutes. That is what works for me. An hour long program means that I typically have to pay attention to it in two sections since I rarely have that much free time in one chunk. But that’s not the answer I got from those I talked to.
Most people have told me that they enjoy 45 to 60 minute shows on their favorite blogs with multimedia. They listen to them while driving, running, jogging, exercising, and working, and a few even while relaxing instead of spending time with television.
But what about you? How long is long enough for you for a podcast or blog video? Are you willing to listen to a podcast longer than watch a video? Or the reverse?
If you are a podcaster or video blogger, have you found some trends in time lengths that work best for you and your blog?
Lately, video and podcasting blogs are making a huge inroad in popularity. A common question I’m asked at workshops and speaker gigs is how long a podcast or blog video should be.
