NNSquad - Network Neutrality Squad
[ NNSquad ] Re: Why YouTube's Leap From Cute Kitties to Real Research Matters
Hello Lauren,
Sunday, January 18, 2009, 1:21:59 AM, you wrote:
> [ With some observers claiming that video is essentially the
> "root of all evil" in terms of Internet congestion today,
> it seems relevant to consider how there's far more to YouTube
> than just "simple" entertainment.
> -- Lauren ]
> Why YouTube's Leap From Cute Kitties to Real Research Matters
> http://lauren.vortex.com/archive/000495.html
> Greetings. As this New York Times story notes
> ( http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/18/business/media/18ping.html ),
> YouTube is rapidly turning into a bona fide research tool, a fact
> that vocal Internet video haters ignore at their peril (a cohort
> I discussed a couple of days ago in "Risks in Hating Web Video"
> ( http://catless.ncl.ac.uk/Risks/25.51.html#subj5 ).
> I must admit that I've been using YouTube for a variety of research
> for some time, with quite remarkable results, at least by my
> standards.
There's one community of folks who have embraced the internet and video as a learning/teaching and employment tool in its entirety.
One example:
There are other brother communities like this one for other instruments such as banjo, flatpick guitar, etc.
Much of the video is being streamed from youtube, and much of it is video of older fiddlers in an effort to preserve forms of music that are in danger of being lost forever. There are also many teaching videos, and other fun videos of community members.
Yes, there is a lot of value, and a lot of scope for research within this particular topic. I'm sure there are many other topics like it.
Unfortunately for the RIAA, most of the music available on that site has been out of copyright for a very, very long time. :-) And that's part of why corporate interests feel threatened by the wide open web. I read somewhere recently where those who subscribe to the internet radio stations such as Pandora will more often choose to listen to small label or independent music than that produced by Big Media. I know I do, since most of the music I like is from Rounder and other smaller labels. Sites like the Fiddle Hangout also promote independent artists and small label recordings.
Just food for thought. I have high hopes that maybe we'll get it right with the new group of policymakers coming into Washington, but there is so much more to lose if they screw it up this time . . .
ciao,
bj