The Digital Unite Blog

Some interesting comments have been raised about the value of video, especially regarding length, content and what encourages someone to watch one video and not another. I put the first batch of ‘Grannies 4 You Tube on You Tube one month ago. They have have attracted 335 viewings in that time. But why has one of the seven videos been viewed 103 times and another only 11 times? Could it be that the first video has been viewed the most simply because its the first in the list. But if thats the case why has the last video been viewed 49 times and the video before the one viewed 11 times been viewed 88 times? I think the likely cause is in the titles. With three videos of three different ladies talking about their school days viewers have had enough after two videos they don’t really wont to view a third on the same subject. So if my conclusion is correct its not just the content that is important but how you present it.
Although Grannies 4 You Tube has marketing potential that was not the reason for doing it:

I have found that staff at sheltered housing schemes are generally keen to encourage there residents to take an interest in computers but seldom see beyond the World Wide Web and emailing. You may say this is enough and for the majority it is but some want to go a little bit further. I would like to think this project demonstrates that there is a lot more that the computer can offer. Another lady I have worked with enjoys making her own Christmas cards. She is now having a go at making a Christmas greetings video.

The ladies wanted to find a way to share their memories with as wide an audience as possible and You Tube seemed the best way forward.

The making of the videos has both social and occupational benefits. At my last visit we agreed the next batch of videos will be about how World War 11 affected their lives which is an aspect of this time in history that gains very little attention so we are recording memories that may well have historical benefits.

It is interesting to note that the three ladies in the video seldom spoke to each other prior to starting this project but over the next three week they plan to get together and have a pre-video chat.

My conclusion must be that video has its benefits but must be fit for purpose. The Grannies 4 You Tube works because the ladies are involved in a project that stimulates them mentally and provides an opportunity for socialisation. I have worked with an on-line training company and have been surprised at the number of trainees who would prefer a book to work from or one-to-one tuition.

And finally, Grannies 4 You Tube is indirectly a marketing tool in that it generates interest in the press and demonstrates to those organisations responsible for occupational therapy provided to the older generation that computers have a social/occupational benefit.

I think we agree that MAKING your own videos is a really great. It brings people together in a creative way and changes their experience of the web. Older people can do it as well as younger people (not news). As a business that trains older users, we should do more to encourage people to have a go.

But beyond that we have to think about how (do?) we use video as a campaigning organisation – that wants more older people using computers, more SSD events, less digital disenfranchisement. How do we get our message across – and achieve these things?

Maybe it IS just a question of encouraging more people to make films – but if for ex, we wanted to get a funding to do it – we’d need some thing more concrete than just “filming people”. It’s got to be something that reaches out to an audience, as well as fun to do.

How did you get that Alzheimer’s link? Did someone send it to you? Were you looking for an example and knew about them already? Did you watch all of it? I watched the first 20 seconds – couldn’t really hear the sound ‘cos I’m in the office – then got bored of shots of pretty ladies and stopped watching. Am I alone in this?

I’m genuinely interested in these questions – because that’s how we watch stuff online. Did they send it out to people? Would you have opened the link if it was sent in an email? Would we have embedded it on the blog if they’d asked us to?

That lion def prefers blondes.

I watched that AS video coz Dick asked me a question about it.

I suppose in terms of can ‘we use online video to engage with new audiences and get the message out’, answer is yes, but not overnight and not without some (considerable and sustained) work to push it on and offline. And assuming the delivery of the message is just right also.

Can we use online video to teach people useful things; erm, I think we can INSPIRE people to try something new, but really teach, really learn … no, coz I think overview/ sizzle stuff only works because of time and concentration, and Sophie all the things you know and talk about.

A few random thoughts on this:

After watching the Grannies4yt video, I immediately thought that I would like to make a video and put it on YouTube. But short of reciting my own poems, I’m not sure what sort of project would be suitable, or how I would go about it. Can it be done with a webcam? Yes I think it can, because I’ve seen somebody in the SS agegroup doing blogging style videos on YouTube, I think. It might be interesting to do a whole blog in video form and see if it has appeal. But I would need a lot of training first, I think,in editing etc.

I think I have said before how good I find the Common Craft ‘Plain English’ videos for learning basics about baffling technologies. http://www.commoncraft.com/ But they are spoken in American, and spoken very fast; it would be good to see something similar at a slower pace for older people and spoken in English. You can of course get a licence to use theirs for teaching purposes, but I guess you want to be making your own stuff.

Well, that’s touched on teaching people, and getting new users watching and making it. I’m not sure about spreading the DU message. I think one the groups where school children are helping the senior learners might make an interesting video. And thinking of the TV film that was made about me after the SS awards in October – they took shots of my computer screen as I ordered my groceeries from Tesco, and also showed some of my digital photographs, I think. Could videos be made on those lines, each one of someone learning a different application (is that the right word?) Perhaps that could be combined with the explanation in plain English approach of Common Craft, to make videos that are both teaching and message carrying.