Do People Have Time To Read Full Articles Anymore

1. 59

   Ben Aidooposted 9 years ago

   Lately on Google Search you are likely to find at least two YouTube videos on most items searched for. I'm often tempted to click on the videos because in 5 minutes or less I get the information I need. Moreover, as we've all become multitask oriented, videos allow us to get the information we need, while doing other things. It's difficult to do other things, while reading an article, and this may explain why traffic on articles sites has been falling. Even so, I'm optimistic that articles with 700 to 1400 or 4000 words would survive the competition from video contents, if writers give readers the information they need in the first and last paragraphs of the article, because for many people that's all they would have time to read. Do you think the article would survive the video content competition?

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   1. 74

      csmiravite-blogsposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      There are people who likes to read more than watch video. Complicated subject matters would need to be read rather than watch. I would like to read about economic statistical review and stock trading reports rather than watch them on You Tube. But it would be fun to learn how to bake choco/coco cookies while watching it on the tv monitor 

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   2. 94

      Susana Sposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      It totally depends on the information I want (ie: the search term used).
      
      If I want to know about how to upgrade my laptop memory or give my daughter a new way to do her hair I'll look for video.
      
      If I want to know about the history of Aruba or what ISIS really wants to achieve I'll read very long pages (as long as they are well written and formatted for the web).

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   3. 77

      colorfuloneposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      It depends on the articles and on the videos. Personally, I read information more than listen to videos. Although, I listened to & viewed several YouTube videos recently. I picked up on some interesting insights from groups of people who do historic reenactments. I enjoyed it.

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      peachpurpleposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      I agree, if i need to know about printer trouble shooting, i watch the video, if i need to know how to cure flu, i read articles

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2. 74

   WriteAngledposted 9 years ago

   I find videos generally tend to be useless in providing real information. Furthermore, it is far easier to navigate and use information in text format. As a result, I ignore videos in search results. If I am directed to a web page where the information is only presented as a video, I leave the page immediately.

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   1. 83

      Marcy Goodfleischposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      I'm with you - videos are generally not informative, have too much clutter in the content and take forever to get to the point (if they make it at all).  When I do click on them, I usually bounce off right away if they drag out, are immaturely produced or otherwise not worth viewing.

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      1. 59

         Ben Aidooposted 9 years agoin reply to this

         I'm wondering where you get your videos from. On almost all the "how to" questions you will find informative answers to them under 5 minutes on YouTube videos. To put this to a test, I asked, "how to tie a bow tie". A YouTube video appeared in which a young man speaking in English with a French accent explained how to tie a bow tie under 3 minutes. In my book this is quick, informative, and with no frills.

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3. 92

   dwelburnposted 9 years ago

   I find videos a very mixed bag. Some are very good but some are awful. So I do think a good well written detailed article will survive video competition. But perhaps a detailed article with a video on there as well would do even better.

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4. 70

   makingamarkposted 9 years ago

   As with everything, it's got nothing to do with length - it all depends on the calibre of the person writing - whether it's a tweet, a Facebook post, a blog post, a YouTube Video etc etc etc and whether they are writing in  a way which suits their audience's preferences
   
   There are two unfailing indicators of performance
   1) traffic - does it increase?
   2) bounce rate - is it NOT increasing?
   
   My advice is know your demographic as well as your subject!

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5. 78

   Uzochukwu Mikeposted 9 years ago

   Yes I think articles will survive the video competitions in the world. One of the reasons is because some may not have enough data to watch videos.

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6. 43

   RanaKmposted 9 years ago

   I actually like to read articles instead of watching videos so that I can have time to focus and write down  what I would wanna get from something..
   I can also directly scroll down to read what I wanna know about without trouble, but if I watch a video, then I'd have to watch the whole video to know if I would be able to get what I wanna know about and things.. I'm sure you get my point

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7. 70

   Elsie Hagleyposted 9 years ago

   No I just skim through articles, get the basic idea, as you said watch a video and in most cases the information you want is there.
   I enjoy reading short stories in HubPages they are very interesting.

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8. 64

   lisavanvorstposted 9 years ago

   I believe they do. However, the content and subject of the article must be something that is educational, news worthy and current. For example, an article of side effects of medications would be of interest to someone taking that medication. Food articles in regard to what is good and what is harmful to your health catches my eye. I think we live in a society where our minds want to absorb as much information as possible. I write poetry and short stories, unfortunately I do not get as much viewers as I would like. Yet, I still write. I also do not read any romance or love articles. This just does not interest me. "To each his own", I say.

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9. 77

   colorfuloneposted 9 years ago

   There are no words spoken in this YouTube video, none need to be, and I have no words to express what marveled me that anyone would believe.
   
   If you decide to watch it, get ready now because you are not going to believe what you see and it will blow your mind. ~~>  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPrWo5pEvyk

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10. 83

    psycheskinnerposted 9 years ago

    Videos take far longer to "consume" than articles where I can scan through and find what I need to know in seconds.

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    1. 59

       Ben Aidooposted 9 years agoin reply to this

       Watching video is an outgrowth of the most popular American pastime of watching television. People naturally prefer to sit back and relax to be informed and entertained. Two weeks ago, I wanted information on how to jump cut a video. I found an authoritative article on the topic on Google that would have taken me 10 to 15 minutes to read. Next to it was a video that gave me the information I needed in 3 minutes. It's a no brainer, the video won hands down. As video contents become better, more people would choose video contents in their search for information because it requires less effort to watch a video than to read an article. The people at Google saw this coming that was the reason they bought YouTube. Of course, the article will not disappear, but it will have to change to seamlessly integrate within its body several video clips to provide the reader the benefits of both mediums in a single article. Alone articles would lose their standing as a major source of information.

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11. 83

    psycheskinnerposted 9 years ago

    I suspect if you found out how many webpages an average person reads each day and how many videos they watch, videos or even webpages with embedded videos would still be a great minority.
    
    But perhaps it has something to do with reading strategies.  I find the right subheading and the fact I seek typically in less than a minute.  A video, well, usually I find it does not even have that fact.  I use videos only for detailed technical how to stuff like home repair.

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    1. 59

       Ben Aidooposted 9 years agoin reply to this

       When you choose videos by their titles you are sure to find the information you need. Even in the area of health care, specialists are making videos to answer health related questions, which previously could be found only in printed form.

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       1. 91

          Jean Bakulaposted 9 years agoin reply to this

          I don't think people are reading much in general, if their speech is any indication. Society is getting illiterate and speaking the same way they text. It's really sad.

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12. 94

    Solarasposted 9 years ago

    My computer has been sound free for several months.  My old headphone jacks were not compatible with my new computer sound board.  So I did not care for videos in the least.  Also, I would not care for them if I was trying to sneak knowledge at work either.

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    1. 59

       Ben Aidooposted 9 years agoin reply to this

       The transition from photographs to videos as visual aids to the written word has already began, and I can assure you that you will learn how to embed video clips into your articles sooner than you think.

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13. 72

    word55posted 9 years ago

    Yes, if it is interesting enough. It must be continuously filled with information as it is read. The info should inspire, educate, touch emotions and relate to inner feelings to the end.

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14. 0

    Snakesmumposted 9 years ago

    I'll read an article over watch a video, usually, although videos are useful in some ways.    Many of the videos I've seen take far too long to get to the point though, so my preference is still with reading.

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