Seeking Balance in the Online Video Landscape

Online video has emerged as a powerful tool for distributing interpretive content to museum and web visitors. These technologies have created new ways to connect with and engage new audiences. [1, 2] New ways of publishing video online emerge constantly, leaving us the difficult task of determining the best option. [3] There are many factors that can influence our choices: the type of audience, quality of video playback, access to users, platform features, APIs, and much more. Instead of just jumping from one video service to another, is there a more strategic way of thinking about this content delivery? The Indianapolis Museum of Art has been active in the field of museum video for the past three years and has pioneered award winning web sites and applications that leverage this video content. But, the process of choosing where and how to distribute these videos was difficult. After a series of attempts, trends and characteristics of these different options began to emerge. IMA staff members will discuss their experiences with video deployment strategies including reasons why museums may choose one platform over another. We will illustrate some of these reasons using statistics and analysis of IMA’s own content on sites like YouTube and iTunes-U. We’ll also compare these statistics with the IMA’s use of video in custom exhibition web sites and in a newly released High-Definition Video channel called ArtBabble. Whether you’re new to video or an old pro, attendees will take away a knowledge and understanding of the issues surrounding video content delivery. Museums will be better equipped to make smart choices regarding which platforms to pursue based on their own institutions goals and ambitions. [1] Madden, M. (2008). Online videos go mainstream. Retrieved Sep. 24, 2008, from http://pewresearch.org/pubs/552/online-videos-go-mainstream [2] Rainie, L. (2008). Online video audience surges. Retrieved Sep. 24, 2008, from http://pewresearch.org/pubs/682/online-video-audience-surges [3] comScore.. (n.d.). YouTube draws 5 billion U.S. online video views in July 2008. Retrieved Sep. 24, 2008, from http://www.comscore.com/press/release.asp?press=2444