With all the attention that video posts have been getting recently, everyone saying how great they are, and the amount of them being posted (both in terms of quantity and ratio of video post to text posts), I have decided that now would be a good time to discuss some of the reasons I don’t like video posts and some of the things I don’t like about them.

While I am in no way saying that people should not have video posts on their blogs (heck, I even have a few and like to put one up from time to time), I think that in many cases they are being overdone. Why is this a problem? Well, below I will list a few of the drawbacks to video posts.

My Time Is Limited

Unlike some of the more well-known bloggers who make a living through their sites and don’t hold down a regular job, I work two jobs plus go to school full time. This leaves a fairly limited amount of time for checking out other sites and posting here at romandock dot com. Fortunately for me, I am a relatively fast reader and can breeze through most posts in a matter of just a couple of minutes. However, when put into a video post, the same amount of information will often be drug-out to last a fair bit longer.

I Get Bored

As a by-product of always being busy and having things to do, I (and I’m sure most of you) have become very accustomed to multi-tasking. My multi-tasking can take various forms and has become almost second nature to the point that I will multi-task without even thinking about it or realizing I’m doing it.

The problem comes when I am trying to focus on and watch a lengthy video post and as I am sitting there watching it and trying to focus on it, my mind will begin to wander I will start to think about other things and may begin looking at something in another browser window. Often times this is because I have opened a window to type in a link that the video recommended or browse to a site that is being referenced in the video. Before long, I realize that I haven’t been paying attention to the video and have to go back and rewind it a ways so that I can catch up on what I have missed and this makes it take longer to get through it. Obviously, this problem is mostly with longer videos, but some of the shorter ones can be the same way.

This isn’t an issue with a text post because I can open the link in a new window or tab and not see it until after I finish the post I am on. Also, it’s much easier and quicker to get back to my spot when I can just look at the screen rather than having to rewind and re-watch portions of a video.

I Can’t Always Watch Videos

Remember how I said that I am a full-time student? Well, many classes are taught in computer labs, which means that I am in front of a computer and can be reading blogs, checking email, and performing other tasks while in class listening to a lecture (multi-tasking), however, at these times, I cannot be watching and listening to videos and many times do not even have speakers available. What I end up doing in these cases is copying the URL of the post containing the video I want to watch and emailing it to myself to watch later which just takes up more time that I should be using for other more productive activities.

Sometimes I Want To Quickly Reference Information At A Later Time

The blogosphere is quickly becoming an important reference tool for all sorts of information. With the emergence of niche blogging, you can now find information on everything from making money online, to freelance writing, to picking out new office furniture. When this information is provided in a text post, it is easy to take snippets of information from a variety of sources, copy-and-paste them, and get a complete picture of what you are looking for. It is also easy to refer back to a certain portion of a text post at a later date to remind yourself of something that you read. While it is possible to bookmark a video and re-watch it later, it’s not as appealing and much less convenient and streamlined.

These are just a few of the things that bother me about video posts. If I tried, I’m sure I could probably think of a few more. I’ve just noticed a significant increase in the amount of video posts being uploaded to the blogosphere lately to the point where some blogs are becoming almost exclusively video blogs and I’m not so sure I like it.

By no means does this post mean that I am against video posts and I will continue to use them from time to time. They are fun and do break up the monotony, but I think that people should stop and think before making a video post and ask some of the following questions:

Would this information be better presented as video or text?

Do I need to use a video post to get the point across?

Will the majority of people find this video useful or entertaining? More so than a text post with the same information?

Have I had a lot of video posts lately? Do I want to have a video blog or a regular blog?

I agree that many video posts are worthwhile and that it is to good have them from time to time, but is there such a thing as too much? I think there is and that some people are walking that fine line and most of the time you would be better off with an old-fashioned text post.