Mike Folgner discussed why the online video business is not only its own industry, but one of the fastest growning media forms today.
The Search and Media conference held at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel has several open forum discussions highlighting the unique relationship that search engines have on the media and how that information is acquired, then distributed.
The two-day conference featured speeches from leaders such as Mike Folgner, GM Yahoo Video, illustrating the various ways consumers find video on the web. Folgner, a founder of Jumpcut and Open TV, is no stranger to the interactive experience.
Jumpcut (which was acquired by Yahoo in the fall of 2006) let web surfers use its interface to edit and repurpose preexisting videos online. “We need to enhance the web experience,†says Folgner, who says one aspect that is missing from web video at present, which is fully developed in television, is original programming.
By improving content and webisodes the online video business will enhance the editorial search and social interaction through a symbiotic relationship, simply because users can access information on-demand. Folgner cited three major ways that consumers find video online.
“People find video through social interaction†says Folgner. To date, web users have searched for video on the web by linking through portals, searching through an engine, or by social context from a friend. Folgner noted that the latter is the fastest growing method to finding web-based content as evidenced by sites like YouTube, and Facebook.
If site designers can find a way to marry the three concepts, people will be drawn in to almost any topic being discussed as a result. He says it’s a simple formula that multiplies the probability that a new user will engage, by what he is exposed to, resulting in him being converted to a new way acquire his most pertinent information and news.
- Bridgette Perry
