YouTube, Video Site Visits Double

It isn't your imagination: more people are going to YouTube and other video sites than did a year ago. So say researchers at the Pew Internet and American Life Project.

Nearly half of online adults now say they have visited such sites. On a typical day at the end of 2007, the share of Internet users going to video sites was nearly twice as large as it had been at the end of 2006.

About 48 percent of surveyed Internet users say they have visited a video-sharing site such as YouTube. A year ago, in December 2006, 33 percent of internet users said they had ever visited such sites. So year-over-year growth was 45 percent.

About 15 percent of respondents said they had used a video-sharing site “yesterday". A year ago, just eight percent said they had visited such a site “yesterday.” So, on an average day, the number of users of video sites nearly doubled from the end of 2006 to the end of 2007.

More Personalized Digital Media

U.S. consumers across all demographics and geographies appear to be adopting digital behavior that is far more personalized, distributed and niche oriented that executives at Avenue A/Razorfish previously had thought. In fact, a recent survey of 475 consumers found that the majority are personalizing their digital experiences and sampling a wide range of niche content.

Those behaviors span recommendation engines, blogs, customized start pages, video consumption, mobile behavior and use of social media. About 60 percent of respondents have customized their home pages, for example. And 82 percent use bookmarks “all” or “most” of the time.

But there is less use of more participatory features. About 18 percent subscribe to Really Simple Syndication feeds “all” or “most of the time.” About 39 percent read “most popular” or “most emailed” links “all” or “most” of the time.

Only about 12 percent use tag clouds “all” or “most” of the time.

According to the survey, nearly 70 percent of consumers read blogs on a routine
basis, and 41 percent have their own blog, or post frequently to blogs. In fact,
46 percent of consumers who responded to the survey read four or more blogs
on a regular basis. All of that blog activity is significantly cutting into the
reach of traditional media outlets, Avenue A/Razorfish notes.

Some 91 percent of consumers rely on the Web to get current news or information, vastly eclipsing more traditional outlets such as television, Avenue A/Razorfish says.

The growing use of niche content also can be seen in respondent consumption of music and video consumption as well. Some 67 percent of consumers watch videos on YouTube or similar sites on a regular basis and 42 percent purchase music online. Avenue A/Razorfish executives conclude that online video not only is becoming more pervasive but also is affecting offline consumption.

For example, 85 percent of consumers have watched a movie preview online before going to see the film at a theater. Some 58 percent of consumers have used a service to download (iTunes) or order (Netflix/Blockbuster) films online, and 71 percent have watched a TV show online.

Consumers also appear to react positively to recommendation engines and personalized services: 62 percent of respondents have made a purchase based on personalized recommendations (by retailers such as Amazon.com) while 72 percent find such services helpful.

gPC from Wal-Mart, Everex

Wal-Mart will sell a $200 Linux-powered desktop built by Everex and running Google applications. The Everex gPC runs Gmail, Google Docs & Spreadsheets, Google Calendar, Google Product Search, Google Blogger, Google YouTube, Google Maps, Google News, Meebo (instant messaging), GIMP (image editing), Firefox, Xing Movie Player, RhythmBox, Faqly, Facebook, Skype and OpenOffice.org 2.2.

The device is seen as an impulse buy. First-time users and grandparents, perhaps. Or, as will happen, as test platforms for people who already have full-featured PCs, but want to experiment with Linux apps and cloud computing. In some cases, people might just use it as a communications and Web apps platform.

Besides green, the “g” stands for the gOS, the Ubuntu 7.1 Linux desktop developed by an open source startup of the same name. “The gOS is an alternative operating system that makes it apparent that Google is your entire computing experience,” said gOS founder David Liu.

iPhone Apparently Forces Helio Policy Change

Wireless service provider Helio recently announced a fee for access to YouTube video on its handsets. It just about as quickly rescinded the policy after it became clear iPhone handsets would be able to access YouTube content just like any other Web content. The switch shows just how easily a serious competitor can force a walled garden approach to crumble.

Volpi Joins Joost

Joost has named Mike Volpi CEO. The ex-Cisco executive says "traditional television as we know it is gradually going to go away.” Separately, Apple TV now supports the display of YouTube video. In principle, there is no reason why Joost software could not be embedded into a TV set top decoder, into a TV itself, a mobile phone or personal digital assistant. Given the early support provided by Time Warner and Viacom, it appears video content owners have gotten the message the music industry did not: the Web is a new distribution medium.

To this point, most telecom executives have taken an approach to IP-based and Web-based services more akin to the music industry than the video industry. To wit, they've seen more threat than opportunity. That will change, at some point, just as every content, advertising or media business will have to adapt as well.