I am a Hubber. I Write Hubs! Keyword here = WRITE.

1. 86

   Don Bobbittposted 12 years ago

   I WRITE, therefore, I use WORDS as my Tools.
   With the increased emphasis by HP and especially Google SE, on Videos, I feel that I am being driven to use/create Videos in order to increase the popularity of my writings.
   But, I,(a Writer in my own mind, at least)  try to do my painting with words.
   Words that drip with meaning and allow each readers mind to soar and fly to places of their own, and hopefully, making and taking  from our common creation something special.
   No Actors, No Scenery, No Props........... just Words.
   So, am I being Neanderthal in my thinking, or am I being a doomed Spartan Warrior, or possibly, am I just paranoid?
   It has become tiresome to me to have to constantly go back and; add ads, remove ads, add videos, relocate pictures, restructure headings and titles, and on, and on so that my works become more popular.
   Popular, not for what I wrote, but for these frivolous trimmings.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

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      couturepopcafeposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I agree with you. It's just overkill sometimes. Some people still like to read and don't need or want the distraction of video. Others think electronic media is the height of delivery and many can't seem to do without the constant onslaught of visual stimulus.

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   2. 60

      Randy Godwinposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Yes, videos are being pushed lately.  Some of them are pretty bad too!  If I make a good video I can use for a topic, then I may add it to a hub.  But I really don't care to try and use them on everything I write about.  Like you, I joined this site to write.  I like to use photos and some videos are okay too, but not on every hub. 
      
      I don't know, it seems so much stuff is being pushed by the PTB lately, and we really don't know if any of it is worth troubling ourselves with.  Look at all of the hype about Pinterest a few weeks ago.  Now after getting a button on our hubs we hear the site can't control anyone from stealing our photos, but deny any liability on their part.  I never joined, but I know some members may be in a position to be charged with theft by the rightful owners of the photos pinned on the site.
      
      What a clusterf**k! 
                                               

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   3. 60

      HarperDavisposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I agree, and I am a broadcast news journalist at a major television station. It's probably being pushed as part of their business model, but I like your analogy with paint. As an artist too, I know all too well what one pencil mark or brush stroke can do to an entire portrait. If you know writing the best hub possible on a particular topic would also mean not including a video, by all means skip it and publish that best hub possible!

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   4. 84

      Marisa Wrightposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I love your description of writing! 
      I have never made a video in my life and am unlikely to.  I do use videos from Youtube regularly - if you haven't looked, you may be surprised how good the quality is on some.  It wouldn't be compromising your artistic integrity to add a good, relevant video at the end of your Hub, and it will improve your chances of being found in search engine results, so I do recommend you try it.   Remember, you need to get readers through the door before they can appreciate your writing!
      
      Right now, videos are the "in thing" and everyone is scrambling to get on the bandwagon, but I think it will settle down and find a balance eventually.  There are some things which work beautifully on video and some things that don't.  Last year I've noticed, for instance, that some online software companies were delivering their instruction manuals on video,which is intensely annoying - I don't want to sit through a whole tutorial, I just want to skim to find the bits I don't understand. Thankfully, some suppliers are realizing that, and are now supplying a text version as well.  I'm hoping this is the beginning of a trend, and that people will start to realize video doesn't work for everything.

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   5. 61

      Hokeyposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I agree with you. I mostly work in creative writing so I use my words a s a painter uses a brush. Hubbing is supposed to be about writing. Leave the videos to Vimeo and Youtube.

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   6. 68

      cloverleaffarmposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I agree. The world is filled with mind boggling images. When you are writing, why does one "have" to include a video. I have in a few of my hubs, but it was about movies, so I felt it was appropriate. I don't feel the need to go out and take a video, just to put it in my hub.
      I have enough input in my world, I don't need anymore.

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2. 85

   psycheskinnerposted 12 years ago

   We are you doing these things then.  Why not just write works and post prose hubs?

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   1. 77

      Joelipooposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      You are right.  No one is forcing you to add things to your writings.  I just post prose in my hubs and don't worry about fancy vidoes and such.

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3. 87

   Stacie Lposted 12 years ago

   The e-readers such as kindle use words, I've been told.
   anyway now there are some readers that will be using images and (gasp) moving images.
   I agree that this is a writing site and not a movie production site.
   I dont want to go on camera....

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4. 60

   Don Simkovichposted 12 years ago

   I've been thinking of the day when videos will become part of e-books. Why not? I see the text as the priority with video illustrating main points ... that's non-fiction speak. Video could also be used in romance e-books ... illustrating key plot points!

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      Randy Godwinposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Perhaps you are right, Don.  I have a Kindle but still prefer a real book for reading enjoyment.  When it comes to reading fiction I still prefer a real book. I'll watch a professional movie if I simply want fictional videos. 
      
      But then, today kids don't really seem all that keen on reading the written word, so videos may be great for them. I do feel bad for them, though.
      
                                                     

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5. 72

   Quilligrapherposted 12 years ago

   Every producer of high quality buggy whips that did not adapt to the changing market place has gone out of business.

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6. 86

   Don Bobbittposted 12 years ago

   I understand that change is inevitable in almost every facet of our lives.
   And, we must evolve with change, if for no other reason than to have our own small affect on it ourselves.
   But let me give an example of the difference in writing and video presentations.
   I wrote a Hub a couple of years ago, and it is a short free-form poem about a nature walk one day in Florida. It has a couple of generic photos that I took on that day, but because it is so short, and it has ads that the great Good Adsense places on it that are generally misplaced guess' on my my true content. THus, it is ranked fairly low and gets very little true exposure.
   In it, I described how there was a small group of Water Spiders "dancing" across the Peace river together, and how it looked to me.
   Here is my point.
   If you show a Video of dancing Water Spiders in a theater or on TV millions of people will see and take away the same visually driven impression.
   But on the other hand, if, say, three different people read my words describing my dancing spiders, each will build a different impression, each their own personal idea of what dancing Water Spiders looked like to me on tat day. And each one will, hopefully cherish their own vision.
   Both methods of presentation have their place, but again back to my original presumption, Hub Pages was a Writers site and now I feel that if I want equal exposure, I need to start becoming a Video expert also.
   Is this right?

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   1. 59

      Mark Knowlesposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Yup. I agree. My opinion is that unless you are making video (or at least interactive) content - you are going to be dead in the water within 5 years.
      
      Trying to learn Final Cut Pro as we speak.

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      1. 84

         Marisa Wrightposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         But surely it also depends on what your goals are. 
         
         If you're fundamentally in the business of making money online, and writing just happens to be the vehicle to achieve that - then yes, I agree.  If your vehicle isn't up to the job, you need to switch to a new one.
         
         However if you're fundamentally a writer, there may be little or no job satisfaction in switching to creating videos. Many people try writing online because they hate their real life job:  if, to make money online, you also have to do something you don't like doing, what's the point?
         
         It's also worth pointing out that everyone predicted radio would be the end of newspapers, and TV would be the end of radio, and neither turned out to be true.   The written word may become less popular but I doubt it will die out altogether.

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            CMHypnoposted 12 years agoin reply to this

            I agree with you Marisa, I write and I would like to make some money from it - I did not start writing to make money.  Making videos and working with images is not really my thing, and I will keep on writing even if I do not make any

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         2. 59

            Mark Knowlesposted 12 years agoin reply to this

            Actually - I was talking about from the perspective of attracting traffic. I did not predict the death of the written word either. But - if you want to attract traffic, then you will need to go to video/interactive within the next few years.
            
            Sensibly - combining the written word with video makes most sense to me because this is the format that works best with the new devices such as Android phones and iPads etc. 
            
            I make a living online and I can see I need to change my delivery if I wish to continue doing so. And making a living requires an audience. So - I am adapting. Evolution in action as it were.

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7. 82

   Mark Ewbieposted 12 years ago

   Perhaps this forum thread answers its own question.
   
   We are 'talking' via writing words.
   
   Is this ever going to be replaced by us posting a series of videos in response to each other?
   
   I like videos of people doing crazy things - that YouTube stuff.  But if I want an answer to a question I would never watch five minutes of a moron mumbling into the camera. 
   
   Unless it's something where I really need to see how you connect sprocket A to sprocket B.
   
   The weekly podcast or whatever from HP is an example. I NEVER watch it.  I NEVER will.  If they write something I'll scan read it.  You can't scan read a video.  Why would anyone spend five minutes of time watching something that may or may not tell them anything?

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8. 75

   Kangaroo_Jaseposted 12 years ago

   Everything you can do on a hub, is done with modules, text, poll, video, ebay, amazon, html, etc etc.
   
   These are like colours of a palette for painting.
   
   There are also three ways people take in information. Some people take it in by listening or reading, some take information by watching, others by doing.
   
   Dont get concerned about what others are doing or what they want, paint your picture with the colours you want.

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9. 58

   WD Curry 111posted 12 years ago

   Don,
   
   Let's use this hub of yours for an example. http://donbobbitt.hubpages.com/_wdc3/hu … Hybrid-Car
   Let's say you take your digital camera (they all shoot HD Video now), put it on a tripod and shoot a thirty second spot of you driving by . . . dog hanging his head out . . . then . . . pull right into the driveway . . . straight at the camera . . . fade to shot of open hood. What else are you going to do? You are an old dude in Florida.
   
   It takes one to know one.

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   1. 86

      Don Bobbittposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Yes, I am an "Old Dude in Florida" LOL
      They say that with Age Comes Wisdom, so I am waiting for that epiphany to Slap me in the Face!

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      cloverleaffarmposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I think the hub about your hybrid is fine without a video. A video wouldn't add anything to it.

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      1. 86

         Don Bobbittposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         I think that you are right, cloverleaffarm.
         My Hub on my decision process for selecting and purchasing a Hybrid car and specifically the Toyota Highlander included my thought process as well as my justifications.
         Adding glowing pictures and videos of the actual vehicle would be just an example of my "padding the Hub" with FLUFF, and not really add much at all to the information that I was trying to convey.
         If you need flashy videos on different models of Hybrid cars, they are out there, in abundance on each manufacturers site, already.
         And, as I understand it, linking to such sites with their focused advertisement of themselves and no paths to other information is not what makes the Google Search Engine happy with your Hub.

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10. 84

    rebekahELLEposted 12 years ago

    I'm not crazy about some of the videos I've seen here recently.  While some are decent and hold my attention, there are a few I've watched that simply didn't hold my interest. I've seen a few with kids which were long and drawn out. I would never watch the entire video as a viewer. If viewers want info from a video, it has to have appeal outside of the content itself. I think those converting hubs into videos should make sure they put just as much creativity and interest into the video as they would in a written hub. And make sure it's not too long.
    
    I'll probably experiment with videos, but in a different way than what I've seen.
    I still think the content, or method (if explaining how to) should be visually appealing with nice sounds, music, and a nice speaking voice if you are speaking.

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11. 75

    WriteAngledposted 12 years ago

    If I'm looking for information on something and land on a video, I leave immediately. As mentioned above, I like to skim read to establish whether the information matches my needs, and then read only those paragraphs that answer my questions. With the written word, it is easy to skip over fluff, with a video I am forced to watch some moron stumble and stutter for ten minutes, into order to get to the five seconds during which he might provide the facts I need.
    
    I too never watch and never intend to watch the Hubpages pods.
    
    In terms of creative writing, I have always found the film of the book to be a massive disappointment compared to the book itself.

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12. 86

    Don Bobbittposted 12 years ago

    Looking back at the forum responses so far,
    an old adage comes to mind;
    
    "A PICTURE IS WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS"
    
    And, to me that is true in some circumstances, but as a writer, I feel that a good writer can take just a few words and paint such an amazing MENTAL picture for the reader.
    
    I agree with WriteAngled and her comment, that she has invariably been disappointed when watching a movie that is made from a book.
    
    I have felt this over and over with movies and I think that this is because I took the words in the book and I painted, frame after frame, of my own, very personal movie.
    And when I went to see someone else's interpretation of the book, there was no way that, even with a staff of hundreds, even thousands, they had a chance of competing with what I had built for myself.
    
    So, what is the advantage of our having Videos in our Hubs?
    Why do i need to take other peoples video work and "fluff up' my writing.
    Or, why do I need to become an amateur Video Artist when that is not my strength?
    
    So that the great Google Search Engine will love me more than if I just write?

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       JamaGeneeposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       Don, IMHO a WRITERS' SITE should NOT be telling members that videos are now the preferred vehicle for creativity.  Hello.  Or encouraging their GREAT WRITERS to convert their hubs into videos.  If I wanted to express myself in a video, I woulda made a video. 
       
       And like you, the written word allows the reader to imagine how a character or place described in a story looks or feels like.  My favorite example of a book that should never have been allowed to be made into a movie by the people who made it is Stephen King's "The Shining".
       
       The book is truly scary.  I had to read it with the lights on.  The movie, on the other hand, was camped up to the point that it was a joke. Not one scary moment.  Even more disappointing was that King LIKED (and supported) the movie version.  "Overdrive" was another great King story turned into a silver-screen flop.  "The Stand", on the other hand, had such a following that nobody DARED film it (and risk screwing it up) for years, and why it finally came out as a pretty-faithful-to-the-book mini-series.

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       1. 86

          Don Bobbittposted 11 years agoin reply to this

          JamaGenie, Great to hear from you again.
          And You, like all of my favorite writers on HP, that have commented are in agreement that HP WAS for writers, and we want it to stay that way.
          Sometimes which one is wagging the other one, Google Search Engine or HubPages.

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13. 85

    psycheskinnerposted 11 years ago

    It seems to me that hubpages if for whoever can use it effectively.  For those who want to post their pictures and videos as well as for writers.

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14. 94

    Sue Adamsposted 11 years ago

    Nothing stimulates the imagination more than good prose or poetry. On the other hand, images can convey larger amounts of information much faster than the written word alone. Especially when the images and videos do not try so much to "illustrate" as to add to the content to the work, tastefully combined words and images can enrich a Hub article a great deal.
    I embrace both. Video is an additional opportunity to express myself. There is nothing wrong with branching out.

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    1. 86

       Don Bobbittposted 11 years agoin reply to this

       Sue Adams.
       I can see your perspective after I went to your profile and read through several of your Hubs.
       And I am now a follower of your Hubs.
       But ...... My immediate impression of your works is that they are almost exclusively commercial and/ or instructional in nature.
       And, if you look at mine, I am about 50/50 between instructional and Creative Writing..
       And my complaints are about the seeming push to place Videos in my stories and
       poems and such.
       I can see the advantage for using videos in Instructional writing.
       You will have to admit that they are two totally different styles of writing.

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15. 85

    psycheskinnerposted 11 years ago

    I can't say I have ever felt pushed to use videos.  I think it was a suggestion a year or so ago.  But a lot of things get suggested.  The whole 'video will dominate the internet' idea really didn't play out.

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