I realize now that i need to do this, so let me just jump right in:
Obviously, if you care, and if you've been paying attention, there's a lot going on right now in the realm of "free" online "content." Mostly, these things stem from the widespread implementation of RSS: Blogging, Podcasting, Vlogging, Video-Podcasting Etc... Then there's the content GO-TO's. Things like: the iTunes Music Store, Veoh, VideoEgg, all the other podcast/blog "aggregaters," like Odeo Etc, then sites and services like Current_TV, PutFile Etc... There's the RSS-consolidation sites, like Technorati, And now the search-engines like Google and Yahoo are getting into providing video content too...
I'm asking myself constantly: "Where is this going?"
Instead of ANSWERING in bold print, I think I need to be asking more questions...
Why is this happening? Why is it a good thing? What is standing in the way?
What are some of the Frustrations faced by USERS of these new technologies in the "media landscape" that is emerging?
What would be more IDEAL for the users and content creators? What improvements need to be made to these new and tenative infrastructures in order for any of them to last?
I think I need to start with where I imagine this is going... Or actually, WHY is it going? I don't consider myself a visionary, but I think I undersand the push that's going on right now and some of the causes of it:
*Media in general is too expensive, and lacking in quality.
*As expansive and open as the WWW is, it is difficult to find good content online.
*File-sharing has devalued traditional content for the internet's most effective [and important] users.
*In general, creatives do not make nearly as much on a media product as the providers/distibutors do [big problem for me because I'm a multi-artist].
*As of recently, the price of decent-quality audio and video production equipment has become low enough to make it possible for there to be so much new, varying, decent-quality content out there on the web.
*BitTorrent, or "file-sharing" at large has made it possible for nearly any intellegent, and/or slightly saavy creative-type to get ahold of professional software for free, however often illegally.
I will probably edit this, but for now those are the main factors I see driving this shift, which is effectively the shift toward the internet as THE ONLY PLACE TO GO.
[this is my intro-post...more to come]
