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A Little Weird

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August 23rd, 2007 by Sean Community Idea

So I just had an idea, which I think is pretty good.

Instead of forums, what if we had like a strictly video forum? You post a video of yourself on YouTube, and then enter it on the forums here as a “new topic”. People hit play, and see you either ask your question, or talk about something. Then they reply with videos of themselves, in response.

I have no idea how it would turn out, but it sounds like a cool thing to try. If you don’t understand what I’m saying, just imagine a normal forum… Now remove all text in threads and posts, and replace it with videos.

I may just implement this… it’s fairly straight forward, and as long as YouTube handles the video side of things, it won’t cost any bandwidth either :-).

Would you (the reader) participate in such a forum?

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### 42 Responses to “Community Idea”

1. Dash Says:
   August 23rd, 2007 at 4:29 pm

   would you HAVE to use videos?
   if so i dont think i would do it.. i have to maintain my secret identity

2. Sean Says:
   August 23rd, 2007 at 4:37 pm

   Yes, you would HAVE to. That’s the whole point :-P. I suppose you could record your response, and put something else up as the video. Although I think that sort of ruins some of the effect.

   I think the video idea would produce much higher quality posts and ideas. It’s easy to throw up all over a keyboard.

3. war1025 Says:
   August 23rd, 2007 at 4:40 pm

   i don’t dig it.

4. Dash Says:
   August 23rd, 2007 at 5:21 pm

   well i admit.. no one has done that before.. (that i know of)
   but sometimes people are lazy and just prefer to type :]
   besides it would take more work to post videos.. and there would probably be a LOT less responses .. and hence.. less would get done, right?

5. Lightbringer Says:
   August 23rd, 2007 at 5:29 pm

   Video is nice because it acts as a bit of a censor from “I r t3h l337″ type posts but it also kills accessibility because not everyone has a webcam. Plus, how many stupid, senseless posts are on ALW? The quality of posts here is exceptional and it seems like the subject matter already filters out many of the people who bring a forum down.

   Using video also means you’re spending more time per post (downloading and watching a video then posting your own) than you would be if you were reading a post (unless you read VERY slowly). So it’s less convenient as well, and I doubt many people on here have the time to make a video every time they have something to say. Plus if we wanted to do what you alluded to, what’s the use of this place? Youtube does everything we need for that already.

   I like your idea for what you want ALW to be, but it seems like it’s going to require some incentive to make the average poster NOT an ego-driven, approval-seeking, person who wants everyone to agree with them. People are generally too short-sighted to realize they won’t learn if they just bully and manipulate everyone into agreement. Basically you’re fighting the same fight as society by trying to trump human nature with rules, incentives, etc. (basically by using promise of benefits or using fear of loss or embarrassment).

   So if you solved the problem in a conventional way, you’d have just found how to make an unselfish, utopian (web-)society haha. Truth is, you can’t MAKE people who are otherwise selfish stop being that way for the sake of your online community. The only people who are going to have the attitude you want to create the community you want have already DECIDED to be that way.

   Ultimately, I think your problem is fixed by making sure only people with a certain attitude are allowed in the community. This reduces community size, and selfish, angry people are going to call you selfish for it but this ensures it will not reduce to boredom or senseless arguing. It’s not a new idea, and it has been abused for the sake of those within the “club” becoming elitist, but that’s only the case if the people who are allowed in are lacking the attitude you’re looking for.

   So now you have my advice, and the pros and cons of the main approaches. Do what you think is right, whether you favour the quality of posts or openness and accessibility to the general public. I hope I’ve at least outlined things so that you may make the decision regarding what you want ALW to be more easily.

6. Renodin Says:
   August 23rd, 2007 at 5:30 pm

   I do think the idea would be nice, but….

   Pros:
   Unique
   No mispelling
   Cool

   Cons:
   Not everybody has a video camera
   Not everybody has a fast computer(it takes me 30 minutes to load a 3 minute video)
   Some people don’t want to videotape themselves. It my reveal some of their secrets, eg Age, Gender, and some other things.

   I don’t like to record myself, I don’t even have a camera, and my computer is slow. Hence, I think it would be better just to type. But, what if we could just create a video with Pivot, Flash, or Easytoon or whatever? We just make the movie with a computer program and have sound in it, or just letters in it. I don’t have a microphone either. I think you should have one page to type and one page for videos, or just let people do either one on a page.

7. NeoPsychic Says:
   August 23rd, 2007 at 11:25 pm

   I agree with Renodin and Lightbringer. But how about a safe intermediate? Like having everything in little podcasts format. Mics are cheaper, conceal identity a lot easier and provids something a little new. Or why not try and make a forum that is different from all the others? How about limited number of posts, or maybe certain threads only open on certain days?

8. Derg4 Says:
   August 24th, 2007 at 1:33 am

   I do not like this idea. I have no way of creating videos, and I would love to participate in the community. Just a thought.

9. Zectra Says:
   August 24th, 2007 at 2:42 am

   Video recording would probably be a bit too difficult for some people.
   I’d vote for an intermediate, like a choice between Video or Voice recording.
   Normally people could use voice recordings for replies and those who actually want to show something could use videos.

   Voice recording would be good for your bandwidth too, seeing as I did a five seconds search and found at least a hundred sites that host .wav files free.
   Members could just use the default ‘Sound Recorder’ software that comes with windows, host the .wav file on a site, and then post it. It’d be good for people with low bandwidth nets too.

10. Jazzy Ohm Says:
    August 24th, 2007 at 3:51 am

    It sounds like a great idea, it’s different, but most people can’t load up videos as fast as others.

11. BlackShadow Says:
    August 24th, 2007 at 4:01 am

    It’s a great idea other than to above problems, such as no everyone has a webcam. The forum can be more of a hybrid, for example a certain thread could be designated to video post only and/or and option to either type or speak your reply in any topic could be used. This could yeild to a GREAT experience. No need to mention, but the ones posting video responses could stand out as the more trust worthy and reliable members, do to the work needed to make a good quality video, which strikes me as a plus.

    BlackShadow

12. chajus Says:
    August 24th, 2007 at 7:26 am

    I think the Idea is very interesting. But I don’t think we should speed up there could be two-three tipes of forums, video, message and mix. I think the moust popular would be the original one, but for those who would like to try new thing they could do a videos and then as if they did good. I am shure that you get my message idea :]

13. kiepmad Says:
    August 24th, 2007 at 7:42 am

    hey.

    I think that this will restrict the number of posters very much, because, as stated above, people are too lazy, don’t have the equipment or want to stay anonymous.

    Personally, I would not post videos on youtube, because I want to stay anonymous and secondly my oral skill is not really that awesome to be able to post videos without intense prior preparation. (would be a good training for the exams though)

    I think it depends on your personal view of the community. I will, however, watch the clips!

14. Mari Says:
    August 24th, 2007 at 9:19 am

    Although I’ve read most of the posts so far, this is the first that I’ve been really motivated to comment on. I like watching other people’s videos, wouldn’t mind watching (as opposed to reading) comments, I have a cable connection which is fairly speedy, I don’t consider myself lazy, I’m not in the habbit of posting ignorant comments, I do own a webcam, and I’m pretty creative so if I had to comment by video you’d be looking at (and probably listening to) something other than my physical self making a comment, but I probably wouldn’t post again if my only option was by video. Why? I don’t really know, but that’s how I feel.
    Peace,
    ~Mari

    **interpretation is subject to interpretation

15. delimew Says:
    August 24th, 2007 at 10:15 am

    personally i think the best thing is make the fourm mostly around text and pics, but also allow easy posting of vids and/or sound clips.

    i really like watching the vids you place in some of your blog posts, and i’d definitely watch them in the fourm. but, as said many times above, video only just wouldn’t work.

16. Sean Says:
    August 24th, 2007 at 10:39 am

    Thanks for everyone’s responses.

    One thing I want to point out is that if/when such a forum is in place, the blog will still be active. So those that don’t want to participate don’t have to. And it’s not permanent either… if it fails, then I can just take it down. I don’t know if it would fail or succeed - but I’d rather try it out and see, instead of thinking of a bunch of reasons why it would fail and never try.

    To those that can’t create videos - it’s actually not that hard with Windows Movie Maker. I can type up some tutorials and put them online. Even if you don’t have a webcam, you can still make videos (either by taking clips from other vids, or using pictures, or just using text [though that would be lame :-P]).

    To those that have a slow connection - there is no real way to solve this problem, unfortunately.

    One thing I think I’ll add is a spot to type a short amount of text with your video. Maybe a max of 200 characters, or something like that. That way you can post a quick text response if it’s short, and you can label your videos so people can quickly get the gist without watching the whole thing.

    About the whole anonymous thing… I realize that a lot of people on the internet want to stay anonymous. Especially when talking about weird subjects. But that’s one of the things that I like about this type of forum. It gives us an opportunity to show people who we are. We are human. It’s OK to think and talk about weird things. It’s OK to have an opinion. What are the reasons to hide behind being anonymous?

    I’m going to make this forum, and we’ll see how it turns out. I hope people other than myself will participate :-). If not, then oh well :-P. But I’m going to give it a shot.

17. psionmaster Says:
    August 24th, 2007 at 11:57 am

    idk.i dont even kno how to make videos on youtube!!

18. keen31 Says:
    August 24th, 2007 at 1:05 pm

    new threads must be video, replies can be text with character limit?

    this way everyone can participate, but it restricts the topics to those willing to put for the effort. also forces responders to really hone their input to fit into the limit, or makes them put forth the effort to make a video if they really feel they have something important to add that cannot fit within the character limit.

19. Sean Says:
    August 24th, 2007 at 1:30 pm

    Here’s a preview so far:

    http://alittleweird.com/vidbrd.php

20. Renodin Says:
    August 24th, 2007 at 7:22 pm

    Everytime I clicked on a post, an error window pooped up saying “1″.

    I like the idea of being able to make videos without filming yourself because I do not have a webcam or digital camera. Another reason I don’t want to film myself is because I’m very young. Older than 13, younger than 17. So, I would probably make a video with pics and some animations maybe, but I would not be able to get sound into it. I don’t have a microphone either.

21. Hey_you Says:
    August 24th, 2007 at 8:00 pm

    I vote intermediate but we should definitely try it.

22. Sugomi Says:
    August 24th, 2007 at 11:11 pm

    I think it’d be worth the try, but what about people who can’t participate with a video? And as Renodin said, some kids under 18 don’t want to have their identity on the internet… and even some parents won’t allow it I’m sure. Maybe the video section should be seperate from another area with a text based forum.

23. cinderwild Says:
    August 25th, 2007 at 2:36 am

    I agree with Sugomi, both would be a good alternative. We have the comfort of a a text based forum, and the intrigue of a video experiment.

24. cinderwild Says:
    August 25th, 2007 at 2:37 am

    Furthermore, the video section could be used for more hands on activities, like tutorials that show the proper way to do something.

25. Mad Hatter Says:
    August 25th, 2007 at 4:34 am

    I think this is an interesting an potentially great idea. The amount of work involved in making a video or mp3 response is itself a barrier to poorly thought out responses, spam, bumps, and a lot of the other problems that plague forums. It has its own issues, but I think it is a better medium to discuss this kind of subject.

    Some potential issues which will need to be resolved, many of which have already been brought up:

    1:The equipment required to make a video (or just an mp3), as well as the basic technical knowledge.

    2:The privacy loss of being seen and heard. (This is a double edged sword though, it also keeps people in check better and allows you to feel like you’re really communicating with the person)

    3:The relative slowness of following/reading the conversation, as it is limited to how fast the person speaks in the recording, not by your reading level.

    Adding in text responses might make it tempting to not use the video or to curtail your response, so that will have to be done delicately.

    I will most certainly participate if it is put up though. Speaking of which, can we expect anything soon or should we forget about it until later?

    -Hatter

26. kiepmad Says:
    August 25th, 2007 at 5:35 am

    I can write some tutorials of how to make clips in Linux, if there’s any interest. Just tell me.

    I think we ought to try it out.
    “probieren geht über studieren” for those who understand some german.

27. Nezz Says:
    August 25th, 2007 at 5:59 am

    Eh, if that happens I guess ill just be watching and listening. I communicate my thoughts and feelings best through typing rather then through talking. With typing I can go back and re-read what iv typed to make sure I have delivered my message correctly and efficiently Vs having to keep re-taking voice clips or video clips over and over again until I feel my message had been addressed correctly. Beings that you usually write such long posts, Sean, I think the idea is great if you were to do Video Posts and we respond with text if you’re looking to connect more with the ALW Community. The Idea for me is far too inconvenient, so ill be hanging around in the backround but never heard again

28. Sean Says:
    August 25th, 2007 at 9:12 am

    Mad Hatter - I’ll probably have the code functional by Monday. I already got about 20% of it done, and there’s really not that much to actually DO. WordPress is handling the membership and template, which is a big chunk of the coding… and it’s already done :-). If I were coding it from scratch, it would take a while, but luckily I can just use WordPress because it’s very easy to “plug in” to.

29. Gumby Says:
    August 25th, 2007 at 11:54 pm

    I would do it! If you dont want to reveal what you look like, you could just hav the cam point at wall or something while you talk.

30. Dash Says:
    August 26th, 2007 at 3:28 am

    HAHA!! well that is one way Gumby!
    i dont think this video thing is a “Bad” idea.. its just.. excessive,
    for instance.. i dont care what you people look or sound like.. im here for your opinions.. ideas.. thoughts about what goes on “behind the scenes”
    i dont think we need videos for that.. thats all..

31. Antisankari Says:
    August 26th, 2007 at 6:55 am

    Yea great. Hundreds of Megabytes are streamed simpply because someone decides to have his video in HD resolution while filming a plant in his room and uttering “Yes… I agree totally with that!”.

32. Veb Says:
    August 26th, 2007 at 9:05 am

    Sounds like a good idea, although I neither have a webcam nor a working mic.. I’m also under 18 years old, and I doubt my parents would let me put videos of myself on the internet if they knew about it, and I bet I’m not the only one with that problem. I think you should split it, some forums with text, and some with videos, because I really want to be a part of the community even though I won’t be able to post videos of myself.

33. Sean Says:
    August 26th, 2007 at 1:18 pm

    The Video Board is now up and running!

    http://alittleweird.com/vidbrd.php

    There are a few things I still have to do, but it’s functional :-). Hopefully some people will use it :-P. If not, then I wasted about two days of coding (which isn’t a big deal, I do that all the time :-P).

34. Gumby Says:
    August 26th, 2007 at 3:31 pm

    I saw it. I’ll start doing stuff once I’m home in a week, because I cant install my webcam on this computer.

35. Frost Says:
    August 26th, 2007 at 5:19 pm

    do you guys think that you could run a sound file using garageband?

36. Hunaynay Says:
    August 26th, 2007 at 7:06 pm

    The problem with me is that my parents would be weirded out if I communicated with someone on the internet with video. (identity and stuff). I suggest making it an 18+ section of a forum. Of course, it’d be obvious who’s 18!

37. Dash Says:
    August 26th, 2007 at 7:40 pm

    18+?
    what about people who are under 18 that ARE allowed to post?

38. Etree8 Says:
    August 27th, 2007 at 12:49 pm

    But then how could we do the “User above you in jail” thread without using all of YouTube’s bandwidth?

39. cinderwild Says:
    August 27th, 2007 at 3:23 pm

    Another advantage, you don’t!

40. agony of the mind Says:
    August 28th, 2007 at 3:23 am

    Why not put a chat room instead?!

41. Renodin Says:
    August 29th, 2007 at 6:25 pm

    Surely there will at least be a forum to type? I have no way of making a video! Or sound!

42. Renodin Says:
    August 30th, 2007 at 6:41 pm

    Well i just watched a video and you said we didn’t have to record ourselves, but it still needs to be a video. That is a BIG relief. I still will have a tough time making sound having no microphone, i might get one, but I can make a form of video.

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