First there were diaries and journals—those that one wrote in, locked with an insignificant little key, and hid where none would find to read; then there were published diaries and journals, such as those of the infamous Samuel Pepys (that you were assigned to read in high school maybe) and those of Anais Nin and Sylvia Plath. Then there were home movies, the reel-to-reel kind that you forced visitors to watch of your trips to the Grand Canyon or of your baby’s first Christmas or whatever. Then there were blogs, some utterly dull and useless things that allowed (and still allow) any psycho or silly willy to post ramblings, some brilliant and time-consuming collections of advice, reviews, and news. Then there were video blogs. Or were there?

Video blogs—a.k.a. vlogs—marry journaling with video, allowing the video blog artist or administrator or user or whatever to log events and upload to the net, so site visitors can see what you are saying…can hear what you are reporting. The faith in this “new” form, however, is stretched to its limitations. Some believe in and are using the new mode. Here, for example, is one of the more well-maintained of video blogs sites:

VidBlogs http://www.vidblogs.com – This site is clean, easily navigated, and set up with more appealing entries—as most are done by creative individuals who have something clever to share. The other redeeming characteristic of this site is its format: there is a search segment where one can search by nation or state; a section of random video blogs; and a section of featured blogs—the better or more appealing entries, if you will.

However, the web gurus see video blogs differently. The genius of geniuses (or genii, as it is properly written), Jakob Nielsen, web design usability expert/consultant, offers a discussion of video blogs (as they apply to user eye-tracking) that minimizes the viability. (Check out his December 5, 2005 AlertBox: http://www.useit.com/alertbox/video.html ) He sees the “talking heads” approach as boring online, and considers the video blog a tool of distraction. The users who “read” a video blog look at every eye-catching element in the frame; this means the viewer reads the landmarks and road signs, the menu text, as well as the play. Rewind, and fast-forward buttons at the bottom of the frame. This in turn means, according to Nielsen, that the manifest content will be absorbed less—that the actual content will not get the focus or attention it should.

Now that you have visited VidBlogs and read Nielsen’s AlertBox information, what do you recall from the video blogs you just watched? You’ll be the judge, after all, of whether video blogs take or get sent squealing back to lock and key format—or online text blog format, anyway.