23 Aug 07 Video Doesn’t Need to “Kill” Virtual Tours
Yesterday, Jeff Turner decided to make a personal attack on WellcomeMat, and me (Christian) on Active Rain, based on a blog post that Phil (co-founder of WellcomeMat) wrote. Here’s a short history:
-Christian Sterner, Jeff Turner, and Phil from Turnhere on on a panel about video at the Inman Connect event in SF.
-Jeff Turner decides that video is still a debatable medium, and attempts to sway the attendees into believing that slide shows are better than video using a “cheaper/easier” argument. His ROI statements are decently solid, but all new technology starts off more expensive, and becomes more affordable with competition.
-WellcomeMat team members wrongfully use a bad video to demonstrate how easy a video tour is to create.
-Jeff uses this video as his foundation about how slide shows are better than video
Here’s what I’ll say: congrats to Jeff for creating a bunch of product advocates out of his customers. It takes one look through the comments of his post to see that he has some serious fans. However, slide shows companies are not WellcomeMat’s competition. Maybe they’d like us to think that they are competition (I can’t speak for them), but WellcomeMat has far more lofty goals than to just supplement or beat out slide show/virtual tour companies as a listing enhancement. We consider video technology companies our competition, and no one else. If someone has to make the choice between a good video or virtual tour, we think the choice is plainly in favor of video. Should you use photos and video? You definitely should if you want more attention on the web.
WellcomeMat is a real estate and local business advertising platform. Can we help people enhance a listing…not a single doubt in my mind. But, WellcomeMat has only just begun to execute the most exciting plans for our business and there will be no doubt what my team, and company, are capable of when our work is completed (can someone please tell me when this is?). While I don’t appreciate being attacked by Jeff Turner, I don’t think his argument (or personal attack) matters. It is home sellers, and ultimately buyers/renters that decide which medium wins. I will end with a hypothetical situation:
Imagine the television has just been invented. Someone sets this TV down, connects the wires, and turns on a program. Web video is in precisely the same position: did radio and print guys try to downplay TV when it came out? Their future depended on it…of course they did!
15 Aug 07 Slide Shows Are Not Video
posted by: Christian
Alright….Team WellcomeMat has seen the word “video” tossed around at will for too long. Time to set the record straight. Slide shows are not video. Zoom in, zoom out, fade in, fade out….do whatever you wish with a photo, but it just isn’t video. We started a discussion today in The Neighborhood because we have been seeing quite a few slide shows getting uploaded to the site. While we don’t necessarily like this (we are a video site after all), we are going to roll with the punches. In our minds, it’s better to help people to use video then to shun people away from WellcomeMat whom aren’t.
How do you know if you are looking at a video? The litmus tests for a video are really quite easy: can you see movement within the image frame (a tree blowing in the wind for example)? Is a real person giving you a tour of a property/place? Is the position of the camera changing as time goes on (is the shooter and camera moving towards a doorway and then turning back towards the entrance for example)? If your answer is yes to any of these, you are looking at a video.
Why should we care? We should care for one very good reason: videos are better than photos! With video, you can offer the closest thing to a real life walk through on the web. Video, unlike any other medium, tells a story. If you have someone in front of the camera telling that story, even better! More importantly, video sells! If this weren’t true, how would QVC, HSN and infomercials have made it? Do you see products being sold on television using slide shows?
We have heard slide shows defended because “houses don’t move,” and therefore an image can do much justice. The truth is that houses don’t move (yes…I am bright enough not to argue this one). However, people do move: how does one see the true connections between each room in a place without viewing a video? Answer…in person. If you are using slide shows to market properties, that’s great! Truth be told, pictures are a great way to market properties. Video is better and they are not the same.
