Blogging business idea #2234.
Damn, I’m linking to Chartreuse again, but there was a good discussion over there about WeblogsInc’s plan to build a network of state-specific blogs.
Me, I’d like to build a network of city-specific video blogs. I couln’t be arsed to write the whole thing out again, so I’ve copied and pasted my comments here.
Any thoughts? Good idea? Load of rubbish? What do you think?
I’ll tell you what I’d look at often: a city-based blog network that uses video footage and video interviews with real people as much as it uses written words.
And I’d watch it whether I lived in that city or not.
…for my citylogs, I’d be more thinking along the lines of having a small team of videobloggers per city (in a similar model to metroblogging but with people shooting video as well as writing, however, keeping the main focus as video).
Each of the video bloggers would be briefed to have a wander around the place, shooting interesting stuff, maybe show up at events, talk to lots of interesting looking people, etc. They’d edit and upload at home in the same way that thousands of people already do with youtube, etc. You could even save on bandwidth by hosting them at youtube.
What i think you’d find is that people would get excited if they appear in a video, and they’d tell their friends/family to go watch it, too. If it works out well enough, I can imagine having a fleet of fully branded up vans (one per city) driving round shooting footage with people following ‘em round trying to get in the videos. Maybe a little optimistic, eh? ;o)
Oh, and as for “duplicating every hodunk TV station”, I wouldn’t interested in covering ‘news’. There’s plenty of people already doing that. I’m more thinking of covering people and maybe some of the more low key, funny/offbeat stuff that news stations generally wouldn’t touch.
I also can’t see the production costs being that high with everything being decentralised like that. Thousands of people are shooting and uploading video every day. Initial costs would be equipment and maybe some decent editing software - but after that, just your average hosting costs.
Oh, and those vans, too.
;o)
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dee said on April 20, 2006 @ 6:06 pm...
thanks for this post. i just put your idea in my idea folder. i just might do it in my small college town.
Barry Bell (View profile) said on April 20, 2006 @ 6:33 pm...
Hi Dee - if you do do anything like this, give us a shout and let us know how it works out for you, ok.
B
raj said on April 21, 2006 @ 6:03 am...
My idea isn’t exactly the same, but similar. Around 1997, an idea infiltrated my mind: the Book of Mankind Project (BOMP), which would be an online video and text library about human beings: specific people, tribes, countries, families, anyone, etc. Roving groups of travelling videographers would record the history of a group or family - in their original language, with English translation.
My original idea was inspired by one of the very first Star Trek episodes, where Kirk’s crew finds a library of mankind. I actually consulted my then accountant about how to get funding. I felt I need $400 Million for a satellite network for broadcasting (which would also be used for my Virtual Zoo project). My accountant felt, based on my description, that anyone who implemented the project could have won a Nobel Peace Prize.
Ever since he told me that, I have been trying to come up with the capital to start the project, in hopes that all those people who do get involved get some acclaim. I even went as far as too register a domain name for BOMP and V-Zoo, but let them expire, as I never managed to drum up enough capital.
On the other hand, I like your idea just as much. I am a wanderer and traveller by nature. I miss living in some of the cities I’ve been in, and I’d be rather cool to be able to access a city-blog network that has videos. I mean, there’s already a city-blog network WITHOUT videos. I won’t mention the name, but it’s rather boring.
Here’s to hoping that someone runs with your idea.
Barry Bell (View profile) said on April 21, 2006 @ 6:42 am...
>>”I won’t mention the name, but it’s rather boring.”
Isn’t it!
;o)
But yep, seeing a video is going to evoke more memories than reading a short blog post.