You’ve probably heard the announcement that YouTube has introduced a new feature that allows users to upload video from their mobile phone direct to the YouTube website. To enable the feature you have to log into your YouTube account, create a mobile profile and away you go.
Apparently, it only supports US mobile networks including Cingular, Sprint, T-mobile and Verizon at the moment but hopefully should include non US networks in the coming months. However, I tried uploading a video direct from my SPV which is on the UK network, Orange, and it worked fine. So go figure.
So, it looks like another new development in the age of citizen media/participatory journalism. Or does it?
As an end user, I don’t find it particularly useful for two reasons. A. Why would I want to spend £££ on uploading a four minute video when I can easily connect it to my laptop and upload it for free (not including broadband subscription) and B. I’d rather post video to my own blog as opposed to on a video sharing website.
What YouTube should do is take a leaf out of Flickr’s book and create a way for users to upload video to the YouTube site but also embed the video in a post on their blog at the same time. (Flickr does this with photographs.)
Mob video blogging is the future, I’ve seen it (As Peter Kay would say). But not until the data speeds are quicker, the costs are lower and the technology is a little more advanced.
Sidenote: Bloglines (the best RSS reader in the world…ever) has introduced a new feature that allows Flash based content to appear in your feeds. In other words, you can watch YouTube videos embedded in a blog post without leaving Bloglines. Cool.
Stephen is a communications consultant based out of the UK. You can connect with him on Twitter or check out his LinkedIn profile. | Email Stephen
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Rhys L
Hi,
You can do the same with video egg but upload to there server’s and put it on your website!