Vlogging + Design = Future?
Congratulations! You’ve just found the 3rd post in an exciting 13 part interview series detailing how to start and maintain a successful design blog. To see what topics we’ve already discussed and to find a list of participating bloggers, scroll on down to the bottom of this post. Have you ever wondered whether or not your favorite design blog is planning on featuring more video content in the future? Well here’s your chance to find out. There’s no clear consensus about the impact video will have on the online design community in the future. In fact, while nearly two thirds of participants seemed to think vlogging would gain in popularity, there was a pretty even split when it came to liking or disliking the concept of video blogging itself.
This weeks question:
How do you feel about consuming and/or creating video blogging (or vlogging) content in general and what type of role do you think it will play with design blogs in the near future?
Question 3 Quick Intel
The Experts Answer
Collis Ta’eed: I think new forms of content are always important and video screencasts are fantastic for learning content which is what we publish at Tuts+. So I’d love to see us do more and more in the future!
Jon Phillips: I think vlogging does have a place on design blogs and you see many bloggers dive into video blogging and achieve some great success (thinking of Danny Outlaw and the also guys at From-The-Couch). Of course video tutorials always work great but not everyone enjoys creating them – which is probably why you come across blog posts a lot more than video tutorials.
I think video is a great medium and I would love to see more designers create videos. I’m even thinking of creating some myself (not there yet though).
Jacob Gube: I think video blogging is the future, if not the present already. It’s a richer form of media. But I also think that regular blogging is here to stay. It’s simple, it’s bookmark-friendly, it’s easier to skip to parts you’re interested in reading, and doesn’t need a computer speaker and browser plugin (like Flash) to access. Regular blog posts are also a lot more web accessible and interactive than their vblog counterparts. Video is great for instructional posts. CSS-Tricks and Nettuts+ are great examples to refer to. But as you can see, they mix and match mediums; they don’t just do screencasts.
Fabio Sasso: I think video blogging is really good, however it’s more complicated for me in terms of language (since I’m originally from Brazil and English is not my primary language) and what the blog is focused on, which is inspiration. I believe videos are good if they are short, however the biggest problem is that we cannot scan videos. We have to watch the whole video to get all of it or the parts we want and we know that on the web people scan more than read.
Nick Finck: Most of the video blogs out there are in desperate need of editing and set design. Its ok if you just want to have a quick and dirty video blog, but at least pay attention to what is going on in the background, the lighting, have a point, make the video as short as possible with communicating the most valuable information.
Steven Snell: I’ve never done any video blogging myself, and I rarely watch videos on other sites/blogs. I know a lot of people really like video content, but aside from tutorials I prefer written content. I think using video to add some diversity in content is good, and videos are definitely a good way to help your readers to connect with you. I would image the use of video will continue to increase, although I don’t have any plans at this point to use it on my own blog.
Chris Spooner: I’ve had plenty of fun playing with the whole vlogging scene over the past 6 months or so. My video content has mostly been personal stuff, but I’m contemplating introducing some kind of design related videos to my blog. I know a small selection of designers have been using video with great success on their blogs, so I can only see it growing in popularity. I enjoy consuming this type of content as it really helps give a connection to the author in ways plain old text doesn’t.
Nick Parsons: In general, I’m not a fan of video blogging. I tend to enjoy content better when it’s written and I can read it at my own pace, reread sections that weren’t clear, etc. However, it seems to be picking up as a trend, and there’s a lot to be said for it. I can picture video blogging increasing in the future, although I believe there will always be room for written content.
As for whether I’ll ever start video-blogging on Webitect, that really depends on my readers. If there’s demand for it, I’ll go for it. I’m not going to start vlogging just because it’s trendy, though.
Jacques van Heerden: It is definitely a thing we will have to start looking at in the future. Up until now not everyone have been able to view video blogging videos due to their slow internet connections, but with technology evolving and growing I am sure this is the way forward. I have made use of video blogging before, but only in the sense of creating Photoshop tutorials for clients to promote in their products. I am convinced though that everyone should start looking into video blogging.
Mirko Humbert: I’m not a big fan of video blogging, I’d usually rather listen to podcast. However I think that screencast are a good way to teach on your website and can be very effective. I don’t really know what the future of video blogging will be, I have too little interest in that to make any predictions.
Nick Pagano: Video blogging certainly serves a purpose. And for some topics, and some types of content it can be great. Tutorials for instance can be a lot more helpful sometimes in video format. Personally, I don’t view a lot of video blog content. I think thats because the majority of the time I come across a topic I’d be interested in, I don’t feel like I have the time to watch the video. I try to bookmark those things and watch them later, but sometimes it gets lost.
But like I said, especially for design tutorials, or ‘design lesson/history’ sort of content, video blogging can be great. So you probably will see more of that sort of video content on design blogs in the near future.
Andrew Houle: Good question. I definitely enjoy watching a quality video post. I’ve yet to do one myself, mostly because I’m terrible in front of a camera and I don’t have the software for it. I could see the popularity of this format increasing as we move forward.
Sneh Roy: I have personally not tried vlogging myself simply because I don’t like going through video posts. I just feel they are not very convenient, but that is just a personal opinion. In a busy day packed with a million things to do, I like the idea of written content that I can skim through and selectively pick up bits and pieces as I scan through the article. This is something that is very difficult to do in a video post. A lot of people do video tutorials because it is easier and more convenient for them as they don’t have to make screen grabs, add comments graphics and write lengthy explanations for a process, but the video itself makes sitting through the whole tutorial a pain, especially if you are looking for cursory tips and not the whole process.
Callum Chapman: I think vlogging is a great idea, but I’m not 100% sure it will fit in too well with the design community on a regular basis. The odd video review or design process could be cool, though! On the other hand, vlogging is superb for personal blogs, such as Chris Spooner’s personal vlog. It allows us to feel more connected with the designer, and I think this could really take off!
Matt Ward: Personally, I’m not huge on video blogging. That’s not to say that I haven’t seen some great video entries that I’ve really enjoyed. I just find text-based (or image based) content more accessible. It’s easier to scan, and you don’t necessarily need volume to appreciate it – think public places or some office spaces.
I think that vlogging will certainly continue and will likely grow and evolve over time, but I also think that it will really remain a niche market.
Zach Dunn: The type of attention span needed for video blogs makes it a bigger time commitment than text posts. I’d certainly like to see more video blogs, particularly for tutorials. I think screencasts have become one of the best ways to teach web skills, especially since there
are so many ways of distributing it. People can steal code, but the personality that comes
with a 20 minutes walkthrough is unique.
Shane Jeffers: I absolutely think there is a place for it! Not only now but in the times ahead. Alot of people find it easier to watch someone do it first and walk them through the process instead of just handing them some code and saying figure it out. I have a poll going on now to see what the users of Three Styles think about screencasts, so be sure to vote.
Jacob Huag & Linda Chadbourne: We’re not vlogging at The Web Squeeze. Building a relationship with a reader is important and in the long run and I can see this being a useful tool as long as the person vlogging is believable, has the ability to speak clearly, and effectively communicate their point of view. I don’t think vlogging is for everyone.
Gaya Kessler: I like video bloggers. If English was my first language I would have probably done it too. There is just one major downside to video blogging: it is time consuming, for the creator and watcher. You’d have to watch most of the video blogs completely to absorb the message. I like text articles better because I can scan through the content before deciding to read the full content.
Michael Wilson: I must admit I’m not really a fan of vlogging. I think vlogging has its place, but I’m yet to see it done well on a design blog. The only vlog I subscribe to is that of Dan Ritz whose videos are very quick and about UX/Design issues. While I do enjoy these, I often think I would probably prefer them as short written articles.
I find vlogs are much more forgettable, while I do listen to every one of Dan’s vlog entries I couldn’t recount any of them to you. However, there’s something about reading and understanding a written post that makes the message in them stick.
Mihai Opariuc: I have published a few video tutorials and users reacted OK. I think that this is the future of the design blogs. There will be no more text, only video.
Dmitry Fadeev: Some people are more suited for producing video content, just as some are more suited for writing. I chose writing as my main medium and don’t think I’ll change that in the near future, however, I do see video becoming more and more popular.
Right now there isn’t a lot of competition in this area, at least in design blogs/magazines, so if you are able to produce great vlogs and screencasts I think it’s definitely something to consider doing. I think tutorial based sites that can move to screencasts over text as the main medium will see a lot of success, and there are good opportunities for selling premium content there as well.
Teylor Feliz: In the web development field, video blogging is not the future, rather it is the right now, here, and present. For example, we can see blogs like jQuery for Designers and Nettuts+ that use this type of media to bring tutorials to their visitors. This is a great idea because many people do not like to read or they may be visual learners, and this is an excellent way to keep the visitors coming their site. In addition, instead of a flat tutorial in a web page, the video is more interactive and can capture the personality of the blogger. This is something I would like to implement in my blog sometime in the future.
Vitaly Friedman: Video blogging has its place, but sometimes it’s just easier to scan the block of text to find the information you are looking for. Video is more difficult to scan.
Chris McConnell: I like video blogs. Chris Spooner’s personal vlog is awesome. Once my wife and I discovered it we went back and watched every “episode” from the beginning because it was cool to see another person who is a designer and blogger and see what they are up to. We felt like we got to know him as a friend even though he was across the pond. We saw him move in to a new house and get a dog. It’s every bit as good as an MTV reality show. To me, it doesn’t really matter how slick the production is as long as the content is interesting. Someday we’d like to incorporate video blogging into Freelance Review. For those that prefer text posts, we’ll simply post a transcript (also good for the search engines).
What’s Coming Up Next Week
Next week you’ll learn how our esteemed panel of bloggers avoids blogging burnout. Don’t miss it–subscribe to the RSS feed now!
Previous Posts in This Series
- Expert Advice on Starting a Design Blog: What Would You Do Differently?
- Pro Design Bloggers Speak Out on Best Promotion Practices
Who Participated?
- Collis Ta’eed (Envato)
- Jon Phillips (SpyreStudios)
- Jacob Gube (SixRevisions & Design Instruct)
- Fabio Sasso (Abduzeedo)
- Nick Finck (Digital Web Magazine)
- Steven Snell (Vandelay Design Blog)
- Chris Spooner (Blog.SpoonGraphics & Line25)
- Nick Parsons (Webitect)
- Jacques van Heerden (Creativeoverflow)
- Mirko Humbert (Designer Daily)
- Nick Pagano (Think Design)
- Andrew Houle (MyInkBlog)
- Sneh Roy (Little Box of Ideas)
- Callum Chapman (Circlebox Blog)
- Matt Ward (Echo Enduring)
- Zach Dunn (Build Internet)
- Shane Jeffers (Three Styles)
- Jacob Huag & Linda Chadbourne (The Web Squeeze)
- Gaya Kessler (Gaya Design)
- Michael Wilson (D-Lists)
- Mihai Opariuc (Area 1)
- Dmitry Fadeev (UsabilityPost)
- Teylor Feliz (Admix Web)
- Vitaly Friedman (Smashing Magazine)
More Posts You Might Enjoy:
4 Responses Vlogging + Design = Future?
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Daniel Golden says:
Yeah, good post. I love to see a combination of both blogging and vlogging on a design blog. Envato ( Tuts Plus Network) does a great job of that.
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I think video and vlogging will definitely play a large role in the content we consume in the future. Personally I love vlogs.
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Hi!!!
who knows about bloggers in spanish???Hola…
quien sabe o conoce de bloggers que escriban en español???
I like it, very inspiring!