Uber Geeks Watch Twice As Much Internet TV

Do you watch a lot of Internet video?

If so, you may be an “Extreme Techie”.

According to the Nielsen Company, “Extreme Techies” stream significantly more online video content, watching about twice as much Internet video as average. These uber geeks watch up to 91 minutes (1.5 hours) per week, compared to the mean of 44 minutes for all broadband viewers.

Extreme techies make up about eight percent of the total adult 18 and older broadband population. Of this group, 38% connect their computers to their televisions.

Are You An “Extreme Techie”?

Here’s how you can tell if you’re one of Nielsen’s Extreme Techies:

• 63% are male, with a mean age of 31 and an average annual income of $67,000.
• 47% are married and 57% have children in the home under the age of 18.
• 74% report accessing video content over their computers using the Internet.
• 64% (vs. 30% for the total sample) say that watching TV shows online adds to their regular TV viewing.
• 60% (vs. 33% total sample) report they typically know what they want to watch online before they sit down at their computer.
• 55% (vs. 23% total sample) report they have found shows online and watched them on TV.
• Highest ownership of cross-platform devices used to view TV or movie content, with an average of slightly over four devices (compared to average of two for the total sample).
• Highest viewership on devices such as console gaming systems (46%), cell phones (33%), and set top media boxes (17%).
• 26% report planning to add to their television service (e.g. additional channels or services) in the next six months.
• They see themselves as ambitious, adventurous, tech-savvy and spontaneous.

This sounds suspiciously familiar to me. Do you fit the profile?

Image: eshm

Yahoo 360 Finally Going Away

There has been talk about Yahoo 360 closing down as far back as 2007, but only now is it truly official. They've set a date - July 13 is the day that Yahoo 360 will be no more.

Yahoo has been easing the transition for users to switch to their "new profiles," and is now requesting users move into their new profile by no later than July 12. Yahoo Community Manager Melissa Daniels at the 360 Blog writes:

While we know that many of you have faithfully used this service over the past few years, our goal has been to find a way to unify your social experience and connections across all of Yahoo! and anywhere you travel across the Web. So, while we’re sad to say that we will no longer be supporting Yahoo! 360°, we’re excited about this larger plan and hope you’ll transition over and be a part of it, too.

We also want to reiterate our commitment to preserving your blog content. We have been working to make sure we put the right mechanisms in place so that you can move your content and minimize disruption. It is with this thought in mind that we’re happy to introduce a new blogging feature that has already been integrated into your profile.

Melissa goes on to answer questions like:

- Why is Yahoo 360 closing?

- It’s been almost two years since you first announced 360 was closing—why shut it down now?

- What is going to happen to my blog?

- First you shut down Mash, now you shut down 360—why should I give profiles a shot?

- What about customization and photos? On 360 I can change the look and feel and upload multiple photos—can I do this with profiles?

...so if you want the answers to any of these, check this post. In addition, there is a FAQ page here.

Yahoo says the new profiles do not have all the features and functionality that 360 profiles do, but they're looking forward to incorporating new ways of expression in to them.

Comments Make Content More Valuable

Comments are the backbone of the social web. Everything is going social if it has not already been that way for some time. Why is that? People are social by nature. It's how we communicate. It's how we learn. It's how we teach. Do you find comments to be valuable resources? Share your thoughts.

Conversations are built upon comments going back and forth and branching out in new directions, taken from one channel to the next. As the web as a whole has become more social, the conversation has gotten larger and it has become easier for anyone to get involved at a growing number of destinations, whether you join in the comments on a blog post, a Twitter stream, a Facebook News Feed,  an email , a Google result (courtesy of SearchWiki), IMDB, a forum, a YouTube video, etc.

The web has never been as connected as it is now, and it is only becoming more so each time any service rolls out a new sharing feature. Facebook launched Facebook Connect, Digg launched the Diggbar, somebody launched the Shareaholic Firefox add-on, etc. These are just a few examples of thousands of content sharing tools.

There is value in conversation. I'm sure you've heard of the wisdom of crowds. Is every blogger an authority on something? No. Are all bloggers the authority on the subject of each of their posts? Of course not. That's why commenting is an option.

Comments add value for the reader. If a blogger is wrong about something (or even if he is not, but there is some debate), there are comments there to at least provide different views. Readers can then take these in with the original post and use their own judgment to reach their own conclusion, or use it as reason to further research the topic. Either way, they are getting value out of it because they are not taking one person's word for it.

When you're talking about a blog, or a news site, or really any kind of content site, comments add value. They don't just add vale for the reader, but for the publisher as well.

WebProNews recently conducted an interview with James Smith, Chief Revenue Officer for the Huffington Post, a very popular social news site. In fact, James attributes the site's success to being social. He says the site currently logs over a million comments a month.

More WebProNews Videos

"The reason I like to read HuffingtonPost is because of the comments - it makes it feel so much more community based AND the comments are refreshed quite quickly," writes Susan, commenting on a WebProNews post looking at the interview (and adding value to that post of course).

In the above clip, Smith talks about some types of things that attract people to want to "dive into" content. He mentions polls, images, and most popular stats, like showing the most popular news stories, and how many comments they have. Readers see hot topics of conversation, and often feel more compelled to look at that content because they have an indication that it has generated some interest.

Of course this helps page views, which can help advertising, and so on and so forth. This benefits everyone involved. Advertisers get more clicks. Publishers get more money from advertisers. Readers get more valuable content - not only from the comments, but because if the publisher is doing well financially, they'll be able to keep providing the content. Everybody wins. Furthermore, the publisher will be more inclined to post on subjects of interest, because they will attract comments, and the cycle continues.

Sometimes readers need a little push for commenting (which is why you'll often see comment links scattered throughout WebProNews content). It's simply a call to action for added value for all parties. Blogger Neville Hobson has a nice list of tips you can use to encourage comments.

As a blogger/publisher, once you get comments, keep up with them, and stay involved in the conversation when applicable (certainly time can be a factor here). For one, it will give the commenters a reason to come back, and conversations that come from comments can often inspire future posts. There also may be some things that fit right into your post that you hadn't thought of, and they will be there as additional resources for your readers.

Do you enjoy reading comments on articles and blog posts? Do you find yourself commenting frequently? Tell us.

Mogulus Relaunched As Livestream, Debuts Broadcaster App

Live video streaming site Mogulus recently announced their rebranding under the name Livestream:

“As much as we loved our old name, it was time for a change that reflects our growth and more clearly communicates what we do. We hope you like “Livestream” as much as we do.”

Along with a new name and new URL, Mogulus - er, Livestream - also has launched a new Broadcaster application, which offers instant streaming. Users launch the app by clicking the red ‘Broadcast Now’ button on any page on the site, or by going to the user’s ‘My Account’ section.

Broadcaster works with “almost any” webcam or video camcorder, and the application has options to promote the channel via live chat or Twitter. Greater customization and higher quality video is still available via Procaster, the company’s downloadable desktop application.

Although Livestream maintains that “Your channel pages and embedded players will continue to function just as they did before,” they encourage users to update any existing links *to* their old Mogulus channel page from “www.mogulus.com/yourchannel” to “www.livestream.com/yourchannel”, but they also maintain that the old links will still work “even if you don’t get around to it.”

According to company sources, more than 300,000 people have registered and launched live video channels using Mogulus/Livestream since its introduction in 2007.

Livestream service is available to producers and aspiring broadcasters two ways: as a free, advertising-supported service; and Livestream Pro, a $350/month advertising-free “premium service” with advanced features. The company announced that premium service has passed the 1,000-customer mark, and includes such clients as C-SPAN, USA Today, and the World Economic Forum.

Gizmodo: The Zune HD Is Tight And Beautiful!

Click here to view the embedded video.

We may have been unimpressed by the Zune HD, calling it “two years behind Apple’s iPhone/iPod touch platform” - but Gizmodo says that they would take one in a heartbeat:

The device is tighter and more physically beautiful than the iPod Touch and it’s got a better UI, the main menu’s scrolling so natural through the swipe gestures. There’s a little note on the side, under the volume toggle—”Hello from Seattle.” The power button is up top. The home button is nice and prominent, a bar rather than a round button on the Touch. It’s smaller. And the accelerometer is more swift in responding to repositioning; images rotate very fast.

Check out Gizmodo’s Bourne-o-vision blurry-cam video, above, to see Zune HD in action.

Do you think third time’s the charm for the Zune? Could the Zune HD be a contender?

Fighting Crime Via Podcast

“Inside the FBI” is a podcast from the Federal Bureau of Investigation that looks at current national crime-fighting issues.

The latest episode focuses on a recent flood of threatening phone calls, coming from overseas via VoIP, made to Chinese-Americans. Special Agent Dean Phillips, Chief of the Asian-African Criminal Enterprise Unit in the Organized Crime Section, details the problem and its current status, and gives information on how individuals can get in touch with law enforcement if they encounter such a situation.

Other FBI podcast series include “FBI This Week;” a case studies program called “Gotcha;” a weekly look at the most-wanted criminals entitled “Wanted By the FBI;” and “FBI 100: A Closer Look,” which is a historical retrospective on the federal policing agency.

Pictured at right: Bonnie and Clyde, two famous criminals sought by the FBI.

Internet Video Platform To Grow Over 400% In 4 Years

Worldwide shipments of devices that support Internet video consumption will nearly quintuple by 2013, according to electronics industry analysts iSuppli, spurred by an increase in consumers’ broadband Internet access.

Four years hence, an estimated 376.5 million “entertainment-oriented consumer electronics platforms” with Internet video-watching capabilities will ship, up from 80.5 million such devices shipped in 2008. These “platforms” include television sets, video game consoles, set-top boxes, and other Internet-enabled gadgets.

iSuppli market analysts tout the mushrooming demand, but also stress challenges that device manufacturers, designers, and distributors will need to overcome. Consumer electronics companies will have to “educate consumers and the supply chain on the benefits of Internet video and how it can be implemented,” according to the report.

Internet TV device makers will need to bring merchants and customers up to speed, not just about Internet video, but also about the unique benefits and features of each different platform and gadget, iSuppli says. That, and the “challenge” of adequate bandwidth for an optimal Internet tv-viewing experience, comprise the main hurdles for consumer electronics companies to overcome.

Nonetheless, the report’s authors say, the future of Internet video “is bright.”

Henry VIII: Man and Monarch Podcasts

The British Library has mounted a major exhibition to commemorate the accession to the throne of larger-than-life monarch King Henry VIII.

“Henry VIII: Man and Monarch“  provides new insights into one of England’s most memorable monarchs, featuring some of the King’s personal belongings, as well as a love letter he wrote to his mistress, Anne Boleyn. The letter was secreted away at the Vatican for nearly five centuries, and is displayed for the first time at this exhibition.

For those who can’t make it to see the exhibition in person, there is even a series of podcasts about Henry, his life and times, and thoughtful discussions of some of the artifacts on display in the exhibition. Topics include music written by and for the monarch, the King’s contributions to the field of cartography, and analysis of the famous international summit of “The Field of Cloth of Gold.”

The feed for the podcast is here. The exhibition itself runs through 6 September 2009.

Hulu Launches Lab For Experimental Projects

Popular video portal Hulu.com today announced the launch of Hulu Labs, “a place to try out experimental projects from Hulu and share your feedback while they’re still in development.”

Hulu Labs consists of four new features:

• Hulu Desktop, a downloadable application that enables what it calls a “lean-back” video watching experience from the viewer’s personal computer. The app is optimized for use with Apple or Windows Media Center remote controls (or can use simple keyboard and mouse controls). Hulu Desktop aims to simplify navigation, and customization of the viewer’s desktop page. The application is available now, but is still in beta.
• The Video Panel Designer creates “easy-to-use, embeddable widgets” that allow simple content programming and easily integrate a Hulu video player into a user’s website.
• A Time-Based Browsing feature lets the viewer sift through videos by the episodes’ original air date, with records extending back many years and up to date with current news and other programming. Viewers can search by the most popular videos from that date, or look through an alphabetical list.
• Recommendations are just what they sound like: an updated help for discovering interesting shows and movies which the viewer may not have heard of, but is likely to enjoy. Viewers can rate shows and movies and share channel preferences with Hulu, improving subsequent recommendations.

Editorial: Make Health Insurance Tax Deductable for Everyone

Today, only big companies get a tax deduction for health insurance.

Get laid off, no tax deduction for you.  You pay taxes on your health insurance bill.

Work for yourself.   You pay taxes on your health insurance bill.

To me, this is one of the biggest problems with our health care system.

It makes people captive to working for big companies and captive to the health care plans the company decides on.

It means the unemployed and the entrepreneurs pay much more for health insurance.

The current system is bad policy, bad for business, bad for personal choice and totally BS.

The American Medical Association is asking people to tell their representatives to change this bad policy.

I’ve read their proposal and it seems good.

Tell the bozos in Washington to fix it.  I did and I hope you will too.

Here’s a short cut http://ta.gg/2v9

Alex

If you want health care fixed, pass it on.

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