Vidcasting

Will people ever care about vidcasting? Podcasting grew rapidly but seems to have hit a plateau in recent months. That's audio though, a format that has been declining in popularity and importance since the heyday of the DJs in the 1970s. But for podcasters, that's okay. Almost zero do it for money, and most of them don't mind. It's the freedom of being accountable to no one and saying whatever you want that makes podcasting so enjoyable. You cater to no audience (which is a good thing, since few podcasts develop substantial listenership), but what you provide is an honest, human voice; that, for someone who listens to quite a few podcasts, is the most appealing thing about the entire format. The low-cost entry level allows podcasters to cater to niche audiences and survive purely based upon the passion of the people creating the content.

But what of vidcasting (podcasting with a video component, also known as video blogging)? This format has a higher cost of entry, as you not only need to purchase a camera but need to have someone behind it with at least a halfway sense of how to use it. But for people watching, it is also a bigger commitment. With a podcast, I can be exercising, driving, doing chores, etc. while enjoying what the podcasters have to say. With a vidcast, I need to be in front of my computer, or at the very least sitting somewhere in front of a video iPod (another high cost of entry). For some vidcasts, this is not a problem. Two of the best out there, Ask a Ninja and Tiki Bar TV, are short, humorous podcasts that are easy to enjoy in 5 minute bursts in front of my computer. For something much longer than that, however, I simply don't see myself spending that much passive time in front of a computer. If I am at my computer, I want to be reading news, talking to people, playing a game, (or blogging), or something that I can't do anywhere else. If I'm going to sit down, relax, and watch a long form of entertainment, I want to be sitting in a comfy chair in front of my television. And when it comes to TV, there is no chance that Digital Life or diggNation is going to compete with the high production values and sophistication of everything from Lost to The Colbert Report. And that's not to say that those programs are bad or even at fault, it's just that I have difficulty grasping how they will reach a large audience. Because if you go to the trouble of producing a high-quality vidcast, you have to hope you're doing it for a larger audience than yourself. I've both podcasted and blogged and know that both are very easy, and can be fun for simply a self-servicing kind of way. I suppose in theory a vidcast could do the same purpose but again, why go through the expense and effort.

I think that vidcasting has the possibility of becoming successful, particularly when it comes to short form entertainment. I know several popular vidcasts are available free over Tivo, though I'm not sure how many people tune in. Regardless, that sort of mainstream exposure is good, particularly on a service like Tivo, where people are becoming increasingly savvy to the idea of programming-on-demand. Frankly, I think that's the biggest hurdle to both podcasting and vidcasting - getting people used to a new way of watching content that doesn't involve just pushing a button on their remote control.