Here's the deal as I see it Andrew, You'll almost always qualify your statements with something to the effect that individual, diary type videoblogging is good and important but then at the same time you say something really patronizing and dismissive about it which negates the former. Here are some examples:
"This gets to the reason why most videobloggers, I would argue (the personal diary ones) don't understand the weblog medium very well. They asume it's all personal or "down to earth" or something. The blogs I read have very intense, high-level information from experts that parallels the best in field, and it's this very important, very precisely thought out threads of information that I appreciate in weblogs and find reliable and trustworth enough to rely on. This is a kind of mentality that we strive for (and have a long way to go). But I think we very much adopt the weblog format. I know I get all of my inspiration from weblogs." So first you say we don't get the weblog medium very well, then in contrast you say you like well though out, expert information. That implies that we're incoherent and ill-informed. -------- "Personally, I am tired as hell of seeing videoblogs (the most of them) going on personal rants about videoblogging, video equiptment and off-topic, unthreaded banter about night time dreams and trivial activities. I think our approach, which so far is irrelevant to most videobloggers, is ultimately a blog-style approach to 'reblogging the news with commentary.'" So mostly we have off-topic, unthreaded banter about night time dreams and trivial activities? Wtf? -------- "This is why I keep saying, I think their is still hardly a videoblogging movement at all in terms of reaching out into the world. We have political videoblogs, cooking videoblogs, and not much else except a bunch of people saying "I see you, do you see me?" I would like to see more. This is by no means meant to devalue all the amazing work most all of us are actually doing in terms of cheerleading, and spreading the word, building tools, ideas, etc. This is activity. Its just so unorganized and chaotic, it will be nice to see people start videoblogging threads." So we're unorganized and chaotic and the what it takes to really reach out to the world is to be more like Rocketboom? ------- "However my criticism really extends to most everyone. I have had a fews rant in the past about content. I remember arguing at first to even have a content section for vloggercon. Most videobloggs are random personal journals of self-discovery and technique exploration, it seems. I'm still just so surprised people have not locked on to themes more often. Of course there are some here that do, but its just strange to me that the vast majority are just random. I think choosing a more specific direction thematically, for many people, can be the thing that really spurs solid growth." Here you suggest we needed a content section at vloggercon because most videoblogs are random personal journals, which you infer, lack real content. ------- "If you had a deeper understanding of the medium though, you would likely understand that there are many ways to do things. A show format is one way of doing things. Its not really the world's fault that more people respond to content that is intended to be entertaining." Patronizing and dismissive. So your way is what's entertaining? There aren't more ways to be entertaining? We have to be entertaining? ------- This one is a quote by Amanda that you defended: "We wanted to have a creative video blog that would be palatable," she says. "A lot of the video blogs out there are by someone in their bedroom, half-awake. Mainstream America is not going to want to watch that. We wanted to get people watching stuff online, to get people interested in this new medium." Your explanation of Amanda's quote: "Since Ryanne was not asking Amanda about it, I thought I would try to give Ryanne an answer myself. Amanda didn't mean half-awake, as in half-baked, she meant, literally, doing mundane things like going to the mall and eating pizza - talking about what you dreamed of last night while you were asleep. This can be entertaining and usually it's not to most people who are not your close friends. We are trying to be entertaining, obviously." Here the two of you basically say that people just living their lives couldn't possibly be palatable or entertaining to a wide audience. ------ So that's just some background. That's what's on my mind when I read the statement at the beginning of this thread that set us off on this long exchange of emails. "I would assume Josh that someone could make the claim from looking through your videoblog that, as a whole, your videoblogging activity does not include fair use because your intent is the pursuit of personal celebrity." You throw out that personal celebrity line like an accusation. Like I said, why wouldn't someone look through his videoblog and think, "what a creative guy," or "I bet his friends and family really enjoy those videos," or "wow, I really like this videos because I can personally relate to them." Instead you have a history of being dismissive and patronizing. It's one thing to just not like something. I certainly don't like everything. But to be dismissive and patronizing toward what most videobloggers are doing is what I take exception to. Now please don't go through each statement and try to qualify them. They've been out there for a while. They have an effect in aggregate. To me it seems like a fundamental disagreement in the value of what people are doing. I don't think it's important that any one person reach a wide audience. Together, in aggregate, videobloggers are making a difference in the way people view media and the people who make it. Ultimately that can be achieved in any number of ways - a show, a tutorial, a personal diary, etc. They're all valid. Verdi -- Me: http://michaelverdi.com R&D: http://graymattergravy.com Learn to videoblog: http://freevlog.org Learn to videoblog in person: http://node101.org ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Get fast access to your favorite Yahoo! Groups. Make Yahoo! your home page http://us.click.yahoo.com/dpRU5A/wUILAA/yQLSAA/lBLqlB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/videoblogging/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! 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