The Web is certainly known for things that get very popular and then disappear into obscurity. I’ve certainly heard people argue that much of Web 2.0 is just a "fad." I highly doubt it, of course. But I understand the skepticism. As I’ve said before, I used to think blogs were a waste of time, as I did Twitter, but now my own learning has grown significantly through my use of both tools.

And I’ll admit I’ve been at least hesitant about the use of video as a communication/learning tool. For a while now, my biggest use of video has been watching funny clips on YouTube. There’s nothing wrong with that, of course, but will we really be able to harness video for more important learning?

Initially I saw many attempts that used video just because they could. They were videos of people saying things to me. Okay, but I could have been reading it. In fact, in most cases, THEY were reading it to me from a script. It’s like those early podcasts where people were reading their blog posts. If it’s just words, then a blog will do. The video actually has to enhance the words somehow.

The CommonCraft videos have gone a long way in demonstrating the power. Their "in plain English" series (blogs in plain english, rss in plain english, etc.) are great because they explain tough topics using video. The animations are incredibly simple, but they are critical to making the points. Writing it out or even just recording a podcast would not have been enough.

The best recent example of a really good video comes from Lindy Dreyer. She helped Jeff De Cagna re-establish the Association Social Media Wiki. Jeff started it as a place where one could keep track of all the different associations who were using blogs, podcasts, wikis, etc. in their work. I remember looking at it when there was only a very small list of associations who were doing anything.

I also remember being nervous that no one would enter anything on it, because it was a wiki. A number of  us used to joke, a few years ago, that the association community was so afraid of social media that if you said the word wiki too many times in a session, an association exec’s head would explode (wiki…boom!). Even if an association wrote a blog, would they have the nerve to enter something in on Jeff’s wiki?

I will admit that I was nervous about using wikis at first. I hadn’t done it before, and I didn’t want to make a mistake and look foolish, so it’s easier just not to do anything.

So when he re-launched the Association Social Media wiki, Jeff enlisted the help of new blogging (and video) superstar Lindy Dreyer. As part of the re-launch, they put on the page a five-minute video of Lindy showing you how to do the basic pieces. Editing a wiki is obviously a visual thing. I am sure they could have had a nice FAQ page that instructed people how to search for their association and how to use the style templates, but I know if I were a newbie, I would have read the FAQ pages and still chickened out. But the short video made it crystal clear. The first time I saw that wiki I thought "Oh, cool." This time, after viewing the video, I was actually disappointed that I couldn’t contribute, since my association has no social media initiatives. Talk about engagement! When was the last time someone went to YOUR website and was disappointed that they couldn’t participate more on it!?

Lessons?

1. The video should be shot with the viewer in mind. Where will the viewer find value? What does the viewer need? Do it that way.

1a. The video shoud NOT be shot with the producer or content leader in mind. I’ve seen way too many of these. I don’t care if you think it’s cool to get your message out using video. If it’s about you, I turn it off.

2. Learning is better than just information. Can they DO something after watching the video?

3. Real is better than staged. The authenticity of social media applies to video too. Even if it is rehearsed and scripted, it can be real. Make sure it is.