Online video and Church 2.0

13/01/10 posted by Liz Niland

Just before Christmas, we discussed the outlook for social media in 2010. The point was made by one commentator that the idea of “velvet rope social networks” would appear as breakaways from the ubiquity of the more mainstream websites. Surprisingly, the man with the most “tweeps” (Twitter followers) is somewhat in agreeance, particularly when it comes to the ever-rising star of online video. In an article from Wired; actor, producer and Demi Moore’s 31-year-old husband, Ashton Kutcher weighs in on the future of online video - and he’s not a YouTube fan. “Whoever gets live video right will win,” he says.

According to him, YouTube is simply too big and too open - it needs a stricter door policy: “Every single new user is diluting your power. Every single video that goes up reduces the potency of your search engine, dilutes the advertising, dilutes the user experience. How do you retain your potency?” Online entertainment, it seems, is where not only his future lies, but also where everyone - from media moguls to web design teams - needs to look towards. Incorporating online video into your web design is definitely an avenue worth investigating if you wish to enrich your website’s content, promote a specific product, or simply value-add to a user’s experience on your site.

In technology news, while some may think the Church of England is living in the dusty past, a London reverend has this week performed a service that included a blessing of the tools of the IT trade. To a bevy of gadget-waving web designers, web developers, secretaries and Blackberry-fuelled executives, Canon Parrott prayed “May our tongues be gentle, our e-mails be simple and our websites be accessible." The Lord Mayor of London also offered his smartphone up for a blessing. The service was an adapted version of the medieval tradition of Plow Monday where, traditionally, farmers would take their plough to a church for blessing.