Merits of Web Video Conferencing Solutions

Define Web Video Conferencing?

Web video conferencing is an advance communication method that uses powerful and inexpensive features of internet to give customers the best results in video conferences. It has made possible for small business owners, nonprofit agencies and individuals to perform online meetings, seminars, training and normal conversations without spending too much.

Web video conferencing solution is best option for people who are interested in conducting online tutorials, business meetings, presentations or seminars over internet. It is a kind of online conferencing where every participant uses his/her system to get connected to internet and start making calls to other participants. The web conferencing software can be either a downloadable application or web based application. So, participants can join online conferencing by either downloading the software on their systems or by clicking on a link provided through email.

Merits of Web Conferencing

Web video conferencing brings people the real advantage of live meeting systems which come with a host of other features like slideshow presentations, text chat, polls and surveys, web tours, meeting tours, live video and much more. In this way, customers can get collaborative conferencing solutions along with mixed effect of video and audio.

Irrespective of the company size, every medium to large scale business house is opting for web video conferencing service to fulfill their communication requirements and hold interactive online meetings. Such type of online conferencing has enabled businesses to cut down costs on online training sessions, regular business meetings, product campaigns and several other events that involve huge expenditure. It also allows them to keep in touch with their partners, clients, investors and ask for their opinion to make quick decision.

Unlike traditional conference solutions, multiple numbers of people at distant locations can join in a web video conference to organize live discussions and meetings via internet. This advance communication method is increasingly being used by family members as well as professionals in corporate. Thus, web conferencing has found application in educational institutions and trade agencies.

The wide scale use of web video conferencing service in business sector is natural as this advance communication technology has enabled them to successively reduce the number of in-person meetings, travel expenditure and overall overhead. It also facilitates business-client or business-business communication at competitive price.

Moreover, web video conferencing can ensure no late arrival or absents during business meetings as it is easy to get connected and participate in online conferencing. The business professionals enjoy the option to watch the conference at their own personal computers or a common terminal. This conferencing solution is more comfortable for participants as each of them can have equal access to information and materials. The conference details can also be recorded so that they can be viewed later.

Another good thing about web conferencing service is that it comes in different packages so that every business type could get the service within the fixed budget. Again, prices differ depending on the features of the software application. You can even have the option to pay the bills per minute or in a flat offer per month

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Social Media Marketing Strategies - Website Promotion

There has been a significant increase in the popularity of social media websites over the past few years. With it has come a shift in the way that people search for information and how they share and consult opinions on the internet when making purchasing decisions.

Social media sites such as StumbleUpon and Digg, give users a voice on the internet by providing tools to connect, exchange views, share content, information, and recommend products and services using the thumbs up or down approach. This has caused a huge shift in the way people search for information online. More and more, Internet users rely on the opinions of others before they buy into the validity of a product or service. Word of mouth is no longer only from mouth to ear, but is more frequently spread on social media sites and it has never been so powerful. Any product or service deemed worthy are promoted, shared, or discouraged against in these online social communities.

Social Media Marketing (SMM) targets users by promoting content through bookmarking, blogging, online video sharing, and social networking to potentially expand their audience and drive traffic to their website. Businesses are beginning to understand the power of these influences when it comes to establishing a reputation and growing their online business. Social media marketing strategies such as a business engagement in various social media websites can help to generate branding and a personal connection with its users.

Business Profiles

One of the most important social media marketing methods includes posting business profiles on social media websites such as Facebook and linkedIn. Instead of waiting around for consumers to come to you, you have to reach out to your target audience. Solidifying your presence in the social media community creates a direct interaction between business and consumer that may not dramatically increase conversion rates but is definitely capable of establishing branding power and credibility. The valuable feedback consumers provide promotes insight in determining what business strategies are working and what could be re-evaluated to make a website more user-friendly.

Search Results

The influence of social media sites has changed the way search engines define placement. Images, videos and news content featured on social media sites such as Youtube, Digg, and Flickr are equally capable of sitting comfortably at the top of the search results leaving others, who have not yet jumped on the social media bandwagon, a little confused.

Effective Social Media Marketing Strategies

Take a hint from the popular social media websites by adding some type of interactive quality to your website. Engage the viewer and create an atmosphere of inclusion and direct contact that encourages a user to come back and visit again. Forums and social applications can help you compete for traffic in an evolving market.

Become an expert in your niche. Yahoo Answers is a great place to start. You can create a business or company profile and begin answering direct questions and supplying information to those in your target audience.

Join Social Networks. Social networking provides a means to promote association and the exchange of knowledge while also establishing business contacts and connections. Post your business profile in the popular social and business networks such as Facebook and LinkedIn, but also make sure to concentrate your attention on your niche audience by joining social media networks that represent and support your business or companys ideas.

For example if you are selling organic produce and you set up a profile in a social media network such as Care2.com, an environmental portal, you are then communicating directly with those individuals who will support your product or service because of a shared interest. These types of social media communities will extend their approval by sharing in discussions about your products or services with other users and even in some cases become a fan of your featured webpage.

Some examples of popular niche social networks include:

Publish articles to popular social media news sites such as Mixx.com, Digg.com, and Propeller.com. These sites allow you to post articles and vote on news stories.

Share videos and images by setting up accounts with Youtube.com and Flickr.com, leaders in online video and imaging to reach a broad or targeted audience.

Social bookmarking on sites such as Del.ici.ous and Ma.gnolia.com provide an opportunity to store and share links.

b>Blogging enables you to provide information and updates about your business to customers.

Businesses that incorporate social media marketing into their conventional marketing plan have the advantage of reaching audiences using a whole new approach. The benefits of branding and traffic are just the tip of the iceberg, establishing your business as a leading authority in your industry promotes good quality links, better search engine placement, which in turn increases sales.

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The Top 7 Questions for Social Media Marketing - Search Engines - SE Tactics

When considering a social media marketing strategy, it is important to remember that social media marketing has only just entered the 'prove it' stage. In other words, whilst many are aware of social media and its potential benefits, there is no clear road map yet that businesses can adopt for guaranteed success. There are case studies of brands and businesses who have achieved a level of success but there are still many businesses who have not sought to use social media in their marketing process so there is a need for more evidence to breed strategies.

There seem to be some common questions about social media marketing which those many businesses who have not yet got involved in social media are seeking answers to, before embarking on a potentially time-consuming and unknown strategy. Here are seven of the top questions we are asked.

The first question has to be "Where do I start?" There is an ever-growing number of social media websites, and you need to research these before you decide which site(s) will be best not just for you, but to track down your target audience. Trying to second guess which social site will be the next big thing or which is going to fall out of favour is a bit like trying to herd cats, so you should spread your actions across more than one site, and keep a weather eye on developing trends.

Question 2 - What tactics should I use? Once you have decided which sites are appropriate for your marketing message, you need to understand which tactics are likely to work best in those places. Once again, this is a matter of not just research but also trial and error. However, don't dive in to tweeting, for instance, without at the very least understanding the basics, the netiquette, and lurking for a while to see what others are doing, right and wrong.

Question 3 - What is social media netiquette? There is a fine line between communicating or socialising, and marketing, and ensuring you don't cross that line will take some effort. There are unspoken rules in each of the social media 'worlds' but there are many experts who are happy to ensure that the community adheres to those, by educating newbies and so on, so seek out the people who are respected within those communities and ask for advice, or listen to what they are saying.

Question 4 - How do I measure whether it is working? You need to be clear that spending time and money on the tactics required for those sites will not dilute your core marketing message, nor distract from or conflict with other activities. You should ensure that you have processes in place to track effectiveness and return on investment, just as you do with other marketing efforts. Remember: metrics matter!

Question 5 - How much time should I spend? It is clear from the many who are already involved in social media that it can, without careful management, become a major time sink. Understanding this from the outset will mean that you can develop clear processes that do not eat into precious time that could be more profitably be spent elsewhere. This is not to say that marketing via social media cannot reap rewards, just that you should be aware that you can become consumed and even a victim of your own success.

Question 6 - Can things go wrong? The social media world is very viral, and one minor post can go global in hours or even minutes if it captures the imagination. This can lead to servers falling over, out of stock product landing pages, or your email inbox suddenly becoming fuller than your secretary can cope with. Automation and checking that your backend systems are fully functional is worth considering if you don't want to be overwhelmed. Whilst it is not usual to find these problems happening, other events in the social media world outside of your control can contribute, and it is worth being aware of the potential for social media to make life that little bit harder than you were expecting!If there are any known problems with your site, ordering systems, stock control etc, or you have been seeing poor conversions from other marketing tactics, then it would be wise to resolve these issues before becoming a social media marketer. If there is already something wrong with your website, you can count on it being pointed out publicly to many in the social media world!

Question 7 - What should I look to achieve? Understanding exactly what you want your social media efforts to lead to is a must. There is no point twittering or updating your profile purely for the sake of it. You should have clearly defined outcomes so that your actions lead to the results you wish for. This means that you also need to make sure that once you have driven your new audience in the direction you wish them to go, your website, newsletter, blog etc is also set up to help you achieve your aims.

Summary.

Social media marketing is definitely a must in the mix of internet marketing and promotion but you should enter the water cautiously. Not so cautiously that you don't see results, but it is most definitely not a 'dive in at the deep end' strategy unless you are very thick skinned and/or ready to start a new business if this one goes down the tubes because of your social media mistakes!

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Put these Social Media Marketing Tips to the Test - Business

Social media marketing, is an often effective means to create relationships that can alter a company's life. The one downside to this approach is that it is very extensive and time consuming. You can increase web site traffic to your business through the distinctiveness of several relationships, sales techniques and networking possibilities. Thus, what should be your next step if you wish to tap into the latest markets you weren't even aware of? Take advantage of our social media marketing tips to increase your business' presence on the web. The marketing should be cheap, relationships profitable and you should build image and credibility.Sales should go up and you should find hidden markets within a network. Cost-Effective MarketingSave thousands of dollars in marketing expenses by hiring a professional social media marketing company. They use these same social media marketing tips while increasing web site traffic without costing too much money. As a small business owner , you are always preoccupied around the business of performing usage opportunities. One should know where to hit. Invest in social media marketing. Your relationships will increase and last throughout your lifespan. As one of the most important social media marketing tips is establishing profitable relationships because those individuals can help you build a network of clients. Social media marketing intrigues audiences as they become loyal clients, readers of a blog, and subscribers to your membership sites for premium services. The twin goals of social marketing are to remain social and open and also increase the sales as much as possible. It's not a hard tasks, but increasing web site traffic does take commitment.Build up Believability and ReputationThe believability of your company often determines the customer's willingness to seek you out. If you hire a professional company, you can tap into the networks with no problems. What's the image of your business? You can make a huge change in your company when you are increasing your web traffic from consistent participation. Networking with the right professional will open up many opportunities for you, and companies that employ these strategies for social media marketing are sure to see sales improve.You have to tap into the knowledge of professionals instead of tarnishing your reputation through reckless relationship building attempts. You need to make more sales using social marketing tips provided in the marketing area. We'd all like to develop our skills at working through the challenges of locating customers. People are far more likely to react positively to well placed promotional strategies. There are a lot of hidden markets that most people are not aware of. With a professional social media marketing company by your side, you can securely navigate the net. Most important thing is your relationship. Your business' image online can change considerably by that. Find Hidden Markets Niches are important. In case you cannot locate where to tap,you should rely on the network you have generated for profitable opportunities. Ask your social media marketing consultant to help you create a stronger connection with other business owners. Consider the hidden markets - there's slim competition, you can establish an image no one else can fight, and you're open to new possibilities. You can discover other social media marketing tips by visiting Social Media Annahiliaton Blog for other free quick tips that you can begin to implement now in your own online campaigns. Check out fastwebstrategies.com for those social media marketing tips.

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Many To Many Web Video Conferencing

Many to Many web video conferencing is a combination of two web casting services named video conferencing and web conferencing. Video conferencing means collaboration of one or more than one people at same time while sharing sounds and videos with each other live. Web conferencing is an expansion pack of video conferencing. It includes not only live audio and video conferencing but also remote desktop sharing for sending or receiving documents, files and folders from one pc to another. Many to Many term is used when people are interconnect with each other in such a way that all participants can see, listen and speak with each other independently. It is just like a gathering in single room where everyone has independent access to each other. In a business meeting, business partners and co workers collaborate with each other to analyze their business objectives, sharing reports and making new business plans. When someone talks, all are able to listen and discuss at any point . This is a routine business meeting is real world. Many to Many web video conferencing is the best alternate of routine business meeting by providing virtual collaboration of business personnel through internet.

Why many to many web conferencing :

Question is why someone needed many to many web video conferencing rather than physical collaborations. What are advantages of web conferencing which replaced traditional business meetings with virtual business collaboration by using online web video conferencing technology? Answers are not much complicated. During current era, boom of technology creates enormous opportunities of business and trade. Horizontal and vertical expansion of business identifies the need of fast collaboration among different departments. Whole world was becoming a global village and geographical boundaries were no more barriers for any industry to establish its business and find new target markets. Need to be fast collaboration provides the opportunity of online virtual business meeting without travelling. Online Many to Many web video conferencing make it possible by availing this colossal opportunity. It saves travelling time from one region to another. There is no extra travelling and residential cost. Everyone has access to meet his partner at computer screen while sitting his workplace. Invention of web conferencing makes files and documents sharing very easy. there is no need to travel out of region with holding your pc. Someone can access his own computer from a long distance by using online remote desktop sharing solutions. During Many to Many web video conferencing, everyone can share business reports, videos and other data by sharing their personal computers with each other.
History:

History of online audio video conferencing is old as development of internet. In early 60s, a small program for distance learning was developed. It was designed for single class room and is called Plato. This program was much costly and main frame computers were used to run and operate it. During next few years, it was much developed and organized. In the mid of 70s, it was launched for commercial use. Hundreds of companies started to use video conferencing in next ten years. History of web video conferencing take a turn when main frame base Plato terminated in 1980 due to much high cost and low quality communication system. Mainframe computers were replaced with latest micro computers. Audio video conferencing technology enhanced to web video conferencing solutions. lot of expansions were added to facilitate and simplify online collaboration. Todays online web video conferencing solutions has become an industry which serves tele medicine, online seminars, online business meetings, law firms, religious organizations and online marketing companies.

How it works:

In many to many web video conferencing process, powerful dynamic streaming system is used today to run, stop, pause, and rewind online web video conferencing. It is latest technology till the day which works with integrated HTTP server. Adobe flash media streaming server 3.5 is a powerful mechanism to run all technical operations of web video conferencing. One person hosts the whole conference and invites guests by sending them conferencing link through email. Guest accepts this invitation to join many to many web video conferencing. Desktop sharing ID provides him access to desktop of another computer with him.

Coverage industries:

Many to Many web video conferencing is a bridge for telemedicine industry to Secure plus cure the health without any geograph ical restrictions. Get online Medicare by web video conferencing with your doctor while sitting at home. Online hospitals have become mature industry. Patients save time wastage, travelling expenses and other worries by instant consulting with their doctor. Online marketing companies are second largest coverage sector of Many to Many web video conferencing. Daily online collaboration made easy for online marketing companies to target achieving. Personal online meetings and virtual business collaboration are possible through face to face gathering by using many to many web video conferencing solutions.

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Is Social Media Marketing Right For My Business? - Advertising - Online Advertising

When radio stations first went on the air, people were introduced to a new media for their entertainment, such as movies, magazines, television and the Internet. It did not take long for companies to realize the potential of what is now called "traditional media marketing" to generate brand exposure. For at least half of the past decade, people have been using social networking sites and reading blogs for entertainment. Recently, companies started realizing the unique potential of advertising in social media. In fact, not too long ago, "social media marketing" became a coined phrase according to Google Trends. In 2009, the phrase's popularity has already grown 4 times faster than it did all of last year.

There is something different about social media marketing though; communicating through social media is extremely cost-efficient and the process involves far fewer steps than other forms of advertising. Both a commercial on television and a blog written by your company have the potential to reach audiences globally at the same time. At the speed that social media marketing is becoming a social norm for companies, in the near future, it will be common for most companies to be involved in some sort of social media. Today, if a company is operating without an e-mail address or a Web site, they seem out of touch. Soon we can expect the same for companies who choose not to participate in social media. There are many pros and cons to social media. The following is a list of pros and cons to help your company determine if social media is right for you.The pros

One of your goals should be to spread knowledge about your company and your industry, the kind of knowledge that your followers will feel inclined to spread to their friends.

Related Article:Understand the Gen Y Audience

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Social Media Marketing: What is It? How do I use it? - Business - ECommerce

The social media craze has come a long way and came onto the internet platform like a storm and has had a incredible impact on how we will be doing our online internet marketing know and in the future. There are there are a many social media sites on the internet today, and two I am sure you are familiar with are Twitter and YouTube.

The social media craze has come a long way and came onto the internet platform like a storm and has had a incredible impact on how we will be doing our online internet marketing know and in the future. There are there are a many social media sites on the internet today, and two I am sure you are familiar with are Twitter and YouTube.

Social media sites are classified as internet sharing sites and these internet locations offer free tools where internet users can discuss and share information at a causal level. One important note! Internet sharing sites like Twitter and YouTube are not and do not operate as search engine sites. The traffic that these sites generate particularly, Twitter and YouTube have changed and revolutionized the online internet marketing world forever.

To utilize the social media sites such as Twitter, Youtube and many others to benefit your online business you need to understand the basic principals. To understand what the social media market is you need to identify the "who", is looking for information, "what" they are looking for, "where" they are looking for it, and "when" they are looking for it. In our article today I want to discuss some methods to understand these principles to use the social media market to your advantage.

To really understand social media you need to educate your self on have the sites communicate. If you are a older internet user like myself this communication process is quite awkward and somewhat confusing, and functions nothing like communication and marketing principles that I learned in college. If you intend to tap into a piece of this social media market and sell you're products online you need to re-educate yourself on the communication process at the social media sites such as Twitter and YouTube. You absolutely need to keep a open mind.

We will be using some basic steps that are key to use Youtube and other social media sites successfully. We have selected Youtube to show examples because their social media market share is incredibly large. Youtube is a video sharing site and a social media site. The following tips will concentrate on how the "who" which are known in social media circles as the opinion leaders.

1.0

The opinion leader is defined as a person who will influence decisions in your social media marketing strategy. An opinion leader is someone who can influence other peoples attitudes in a causal informal atmosphere on a regular basis. Here are some basic characteristics of opinion leaders that will be useful.

1.a

Identifying characteristics of opinion leaders.

1.a.1

Opinion leaders have a greater across the mass media their followers.

1.a.2

Opinion leaders are like a broker between groups, but not necessarily group leaders.

1.a.3

Opinion leaders have a greater exposure to change destinations then their followers.

1.a.4

These leaders are more participative in their social groups then their followers.

1.a.5

These key folks also reject or approve new innovations then their followers.

Well folks, this concludes my article about social media marketing. We sincerely wish you great luck in your internet marketing efforts.

Well folks that concludes my article about social media marketing. I hope this information has been helpful.

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Leveraging Digital Information Products

PDFs, ebooks, audio files, video packages, and software programs are examples of digital information products. Like all products, they need to be manufactured, inventoried, and finally shipped to the buyer when the purchase is made.

Some advantages of digital products are that they can be stored easily on a variety of media like your hard disk, cd, dvd, or usb memory stick as well as delivered electronically anywhere in the world with an internet connection.

Traditional physical products incur significant expenses in production of inventory, storage, packaging and shipping that contribute to the reduction of your profit margin especially where there is competition.

On the other hand, the main expense incurred with digital products is in production. Storage and delivery advantages provide instant fulfillment to buyers and so can realize very high margins and profits.

While competitive advantage over traditional product lines are obvious, a new form of competition is emerging in the digital marketplace. The quantitative problem being solved by technology leaves only the quality to be measured or tested.

What all publications have in common is that they contain information and the quality of that information is discovered by reading. Unfortunately, digital products can be more difficult to evaluate without a table of contents to consider. Whether the publication is free or not, evaluation can be frustrating and the wrong choice lead to wasted time, effort, and sometimes money. Although refund guarantees are included with some packages, there is no refund of your time or effort.

What instant food did for kitchen prep time, digital ebooks are doing for business building. However, quality remains in the content or use value not the package. Unfortunately, the current trend appears weighted toward excellent sales and marketing techniques not content.

The extraordinary bonus and content bundles sometimes priced in the thousands of dollars are typically offered for a low one time payment usually less than a hundred dollars and is akin to the million dollar opportunity theories that in reality is quite different. In other words over delivery claims may significantly differ from actual content value.

To help mitigate diminishing return found in the gap between over-delivery-theory indicated by quantity and under-delivery-reality indicated by quality, I set up a site at h4h.biz to list exceptions to help leverage time in favor of the buyer and to stimulate content enrichment.

So far, low cost or free ebooks that are not produced in pdf format tend to be at least unavailable to some operating systems and frequently of low quality, content poor, or just dysfunctional.

To achieve the best results with your online business, focus efforts on finding digital products that you can promote that are of high quality and in a professional pdf package. Alternatively, you can produce your own ebook to expand your market by using a service like h4h.biz that offers professional pdf packaging. After all, content now appears to be the next great opportunity knocking.

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Internet Distribution The Future of Entertainment

A friend and I were having a discussion recently. I asked him what he thought the next method of distribution for films and music would be. My thoughts were that we would have to come up with some new method that was convenient, sturdy and didn't involve compression (as CDs and DVDs do, thereby limiting the picture and sound quality, although not very much). He simply said that it wasn't going to happen; in the future it's all going to be distributed on the Internet.

I've heard this argument before. My grade ten IT teacher assured us that within five years (and this was four years ago) we would no longer be purchasing CDs. With the advent of broadband we were going to see purchases of music and movies online, streamed to the computer or another device. I've always thought this was relatively unlikely. I may be in the minority, but I really like the CD and DVD cases. There's something a bit more tangible to them, more of a feeling of value for money. Plus they look kind of good lined up on a shelf like some new-age library.

Having thought about it for a while now I have no doubt that the Internet is set to become a major distributor of media. When you think about it, it makes sense. Low to no production and distribution costs; you just provide a download location when people send you money. Cutting out the 'middle man' has always been an effective way to save money, and in this case you're cutting out the shop owners, couriers and manufacturers. This should lead to substantial drops in prices (and loss of jobs... but... I have no defence for that. You're just going to have to find yourselves a new career. Sorry. On the positive side your entertainment costs will go down, so you won't need the job quite as much...).

Purchasing movies or CDs can be quite expensive. When you're a bit unsure about whether or not you really want a particular title, the full price is often more than you're willing to pay. This leads to trawling the second hand shops looking for a cheaper copy or simply pirating the product. Digital distribution opens up whole new areas for the marketers. Different quality streams could be provided at increasing prices. If you're just interested to see what a film's like then pay a little and get a low quality version. If the distributor were to offer an upgrade option that takes into account the amount of money already spent on a film, it could become a very attractive offer. This could also reduce the amount of piracy around. Finding and downloading movies is time consuming and irritating. It often takes around twenty hours to download a film, due to varying connection speeds and quality. If the movies were easy to access, cheap to purchase and the servers fast enough fo r the user to get the movie in around the time it would have taken to go and hire a film, then many of the reasons for pirating would be lost. In terms of hiring films, providing temporary access to online streams of movies for very low cost would work nicely.

Global distribution becomes a lot easier this way. As a big fan of foreign films, I often have to hope that the movies I want to see pop up on EBay, or wait for one of my infrequent trips to a larger city than I live in to visit their markets and/or Chinatown in order to purchase movies. I'd love the option of buying the movies with greater ease online.

There are already a few sites out there offering the purchase of movie downloads, although I'm not sure how the legality and licensing of these ventures works. The content available from the sites is often quite limited (and we're talking really quite limited here, the most recent flick I found on one site was from 1980), but the right idea is there. Music is also being sold online through such places as the Apple Music Store and the MSN Music Store. These offer songs for download at about $0.99 a song, which is cheap, easy, quick, legal and more likely to get your money to the artists as opposed to the big corporations manufacturing CDs.

So, I've come around to the idea of online distribution and its beneficial application to movies, music, software and even books. I still like my colourful boxes and cases but there are some movies that I own simply because I wanted to see them. The local video rental shop didn't have a copy, so resorting to buying them is an expensive way to see what a film is like. I guess my hopes for a completely uncompressed format are all but lost (not that it really matters any more with the ever increasing quality of technology). If the distributors will just get onto this idea as soon as possible they can solve many of their problems and ours within a very short period of time.

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Google Creates Video Vending Machine Online

It's really no secret that search giant, Google.com, wants to own the gateway to all media online.

They operate the Web's most popular search engine, largest free blogging service, and one of the largest news services online.

Recently, Google started offering video from their website. Google's video offerings so far, comprised mostly of documentaries, news, and daytime talk TV programs, represented a testing device to get the kinks out of their video delivery and search system.

Now, thanks to widespread availability of high-speed Internet access, inexpensive desktop video editing, and the emergence of portable video players, Google is steadily ramping up what will surely become the Web's first video "vending" machine.

Log on to Video.Google.com and search a limited number of available TV shows.

Curiously, most do not allow you to play video, only to see still screen shots of the show and read a transcript taken from closed captioning for the hearing impaired.

However, based on the fact that Google recently started accepting video submissions through their website, this format is about to change drastically.

Originally, speculation about Google's new video service centered squarely on video "blogging, " where online pundits would share their thoughts in video rather than written form.

However, after releasing more details, it appears that Google maintains much grander plans for online video than just allowing people with a camcorder to rant and rave.

Currently Google is in the "gathering" stage. This means they are accepting video submissions from content providers with very few restrictions.

Basically, Google says they want original content, no porn or offensive content, and they want it in a very specific video format (mpeg2 or mpeg4 with MP3 codec).

Other than that, the sky is literally the limit. For specifics, log on to / and click the "Find out more" link.

Right now it appears that Google decided to gather as much content as possible before offering any of it to the public, so you currently can't view any videos.

Google also states that they will allow content providers to either charge for their videos or allow viewers to watch them for free.

Google states they will collect the money, take a small fee, and pay the content provider. This alone should excite anyone who sells content online because the barrier to entry (high-speed servers, video delivery, credit card processing, customer service) just got a lot lower.

Plus, it's a safe bet that Google will find a way to integrate revenue producing videos into their pay-per-click program.

Combine all this with the recent emergence of truly portable digital video players (Sony PSP, Creative Lab's Zen Media Center), and beginning of video-on-demand through the Internet just arrived. Now this doesn't mean growing pains won't occur.

The biggest drawback to searching for and finding online video is that each video file must have a text transcript associated with it in order to get properly indexed by a search engine.

In the beginning, this will slow the production of new material.

Despite these and other growing pains, plan on Google opening up the first and largest video "vending" machine online within 12 months.

© Jim Edwards - All Rights reserved

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keeping-on-top-of-gaming-news

Keeping on Top of Gaming News

The gaming industry is a huge industry that consumes as much news space as any other widely known enterprise. It's so large in fact, if you take a walk down the aisle of any store that sells magazines, you'll find at least two or three gaming magazines to select from - and this includes stores that you would least expect to find them in, like the Walgreens Drug Store for Pete's sake.

What's even better, is that regardless of what your skill level with games is, you can take advantage of this news coverage and use what you learn to improve you knowledge, your equipment, and your play. You can additionally find out about gaming events that you can attend or even participate in.

To start, take a trip to your local game shop. Game Crazy and Game Stop are two popular gaming stores that regularly carry related magazines (although you may discover that your local game shop carries only one). One of the things that you'll want to do while looking over these magazines is to compare prices of both games and game systems. The Gamer Informer magazine shows no preference, and provides a one to two inch thick critique of the newest stuff out there. Inside this resource, you'll find commentary on the Wii, EA games, the PS3, the Xbox 360, PC games, the PS2, the PSP and the DS system.

As a no holes barred manual to what's hot and what's not, gaming magazines show you how news in the mainstream media affects game production and how it can affect not only your purchase decisions, but the type of games you play as well. It isn't uncommon for a game to experience a rise in sales just from being mentioned in the 5:00 news hour.

You could learn what's happening with new and competitive gaming businesses before investing in their products, however if you dig a little deeper, you can even find out what's influencing the market that you're a part of.

Here's an example of what we mean:

"Today, professional gaming took a giant leap forward. DIRECTV, Inc., the nation's leading digital service provider and key partners are taking the professional gaming industry to the next level with the creation of a new video gaming professional sports league that will be the standard for the industry and redefine the consumer gaming experience."1

You can also discover what influence the news has on gaming within an international level:

"The British Academy of Film and Television Arts today announced that its 2007 British Academy Video Games Awards will be held on the evening of Tuesday 23 October at Battersea Evolution in London."2

Interested in console specific information? How about Nintendo:

"Nintendo plans to boost Wii production (AP via Yahoo! News) Nintendo's president acknowledged Friday that the shortage of the hit Wii game machine was "abnormal," and promised production was being boosted to increase deliveries by next month."3

Of course, there's always the chance that you'll find out things you're weren't exactly supposed to find in the first place:

"Halo 3 gameplay leaked online (The Inquirer) A VIDEO HAS has appeared online showing seven minutes of fresh, crisp Halo 3 gameplay."4

From these few, small examples, you've learned about the creation of a new video gaming professional sports league, the Academy Video Games Awards, a boost in Wii production, and the leak of a "certain" video from a "certain" game. Just imagine what you'd find out with a monthly subscription to GamePro (), Computer Games Magazine (), or GameSlice ()!

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1 Source: /bw/070426/20070426005950.html?.v=1

2 Source: /content_page.php?aid=24562

3 Source: /s/ap/20070427/ap_on_hi_te/japan_nintendo_8

4 Source: /default.aspx?article=39134

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