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Why are people obsessed with uploading flash videos in place of short, well written instructions on how to perform a given task? The web is full of people posting 5 minute long, low-res flash videos of how to install software X under linux or some such when a simple page with 5 bullet points and a couple of screen shots would do the job so much better.
Here’s an example illustrating how to run Windows XP in a virtual machine on Linux using VirtualBox. I’m not picking on this one in particular, it’s merely the most recent example I’ve come across. There are many problems with this approach, including but not limited to:
You have to sit through the whole thing and follow it as it goes, making notes in order to be able to do it yourself, whereas if it had been a set of written steps, you could follow the instructions at your own pace with much less hassle. I’ve seen videos illustrating how to install linux, which is completely pointless - how are you supposed to follow along toa video? Surely you’d prefer to print out a copy of the instructions to follow them if you don’t have a second computer to hand during the installation?
This sort of thing isn’t limited to software installation guides, it happens a lot on the usually fantastic instructions site, Instructables. The whole point of the instructables site is to provide step-by-step instructions on how to perform some task or create something, yet all too often you’ll see a one-step instructable that merely contains a brief intro and a link to a youtube video. Use a video to illustrate a particularly tricky step by all means, but don’t use it as a substitute for proper written instructions.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying people shouldn’t produce their own instructions and HOWTO guide, far from it, I’m just saying that the appropriate form should be used. Thankfully, video instructions don’t rank so highly when searching due to the inherent difficulties in indexing videos in search engines in any meaningful way, but they still irritate me.
I agree with you, and I don’t think you are being curmudgeonly. The thing is that video CAN be excellent for showing you how to do something step by step quickly and easily. The problem is that a lot of the videos aren’t. If it’s something computerish, I like a good screencast with verbal instructions. There are some fantastic examples of how-to screencasts out there. But if you are doing a video where you use a camera (or worse, camera phone) to capture content on a screen, or you don’t take into consideration color balance and light levels for any video, then you just make the whole thing more frustrating for the person trying to learn.
For people doing how-tos I say, if you want to do the video thing, great, but do some things first: 1) write out the steps so that you read them as you go 2) have an actual script for your video 3) make sure the quality of the video is as good as you can possibly get it.
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Yes, I realise this post makes me sound like a curmudgeonly old fart, complaining about new-fangled things not being as good as old ones, but really I’m not. I object to using technology for technology’s sake instead of for some identifiable benefit.
Podcasting is another area that I have serious reservations about in most instances - I don’t want to hear some inarticulate mumbler read their latest blog post to me with the sounds of their life clattering around in the background. This counts double if the audio quality is poor.
Where podcasts make sense is if the content of your blog is tailored specifically towards the medium. Include discussions, audio clips, interviews, etc. Produce it like a short radio program, but please don’t just read out what you have written; it’s dull and less effective. All this applies to video blog entries - you have to choose the correct medium for your content and vice versa.
giles on October 3rd, 2007 11:30 am