The brief: Disruption in the newsroom, dramatic viral video and Google Currents

Been a quieter day today, but here’s some of the stories and tweets which have caught my eye. Including a very dramatic video, a timely and insightful post about disruption in the newsroom and Google launching a new news app.

Investigative video channel to launch on YouTube

Following the announcement that YouTube had funded some high quality fashion shows from Hearst, this second announcement really confirms the shift from YouTube being the place for swinging cats to being a place we’ll consume much more long-form media.

It’s a good move from the two not-for-profit news organisations as YouTube will most likely pass on a very high monetisation rate for the type of content they will be producing – as it’s rare to find this kind of content on YouTube. Most importantly it’s a whole new network of distribution for hopefully some high quality and in-depth reporting which deserves a big audience. Let’s hope YouTube surface and share it accordingly. Read the rest of this entry »

The brief: Facebook buys Instagram, YouTube pays for new channel + MySociety data hack day

Took a few days off over the Easter holiday weekend, so back on it today. Here’s some of the links which have been catching my eye today as the world goes crazy over Instagram, YouTube goes after the fashion market, old-school journalists get a letter from a digital guru and MySociety launch their journo hack day.

Facebook buys Instagram. But why?

A lot of chatter about Instagram, the hipster photo service, being bought by Facebook for $1 billion dollars (it’s got a slight Dr Evil from Austin Powers ring to it doesn’t it?). Instagram is a rather cool app and web service which allows you to add effects to your photos after you’ve taken them, and then share them around an ever-growing network. People who are on Instagram, love it. So I was looking for a bit of analysis behind the ONE BILLION DOLLARS headline and found this insightful blog from Pete Warden who is behind Jetpac (a website and app for sharing travel photos).

He hits the nail on the head when you look at the numbers, Facebook is essentially a photo-sharing website – with 10 billion photos added a month. Yep read that figure back again. I know from looking at interaction reports that photos shared via our brand pages on Trinity Mirror (who I work for) get much larger interaction rates, and this backs up my personal experience. If I post a photo of me with a beer looking like an idiot, I’ll get far more comments than the usual status update (unless it’s a life-changing status update e.g. I’m just getting married…)

Warden outlines some great reasons why Facebook is on the money to time their purchase, because although Instagram hasn’t ever made a penny that’s not the point. Facebook is buying functionality and a community. Of course there will be a backlash, but Zuckerberg has shown rather than sit around and wonder what might have been he’d rather live in the now. Read the rest of this entry »

How local media could learn from YouTube’s diversification

A projection of YouTube videos playing on the Guggenheim's exterior during the Art After Dark event. Image credit to Katie Killary.

Last month I read a very interesting in-depth look at the developments going on at YouTube and how they are changing their offering in the online video market.

The New Yorker article highlights how despite being branded as funny cat videos and grainy CCTV the video beast is evolving itself into something different.

Offering start-up funding for well produced and quality video channels, the announcement that it wants to be the place for watching music videos online and wanting to show more and more long-form video – it’s clear there is a revolution underway. Read the rest of this entry »