Media Highway Blog

These days, we are often bombarded by what is sure to be the next latest and greatest in technology. Those with the financial resources and a great idea often bring their product to market without having looked at its long term viability. A few make a quick buck before fading away, making room for the next guy. Most don’t even make it out of the gate. Long term vision is important; knowing your audience is key. WMS has been in business since 1978, and we have certainly seen fads come and go over the years. However, the ability to adapt to ever changing technology and to create media with sustainability has proven invaluable in maintaining our success.

Take, for example, one of the newest trends of being able to watch video while simultaneously social networking. Will this take away from the message to be conveyed in the video? Will the focus then be more on the social and less on the video? Or will the idea add a complementary dimension to the whole experience, giving the audience an opportunity to share their views and exchange ideas as the video unfolds. This is certain to pose a challenge for those of us who create media – producing in a format that will keep our intended message in the forefront, while allowing for gaps where this interaction can take place. Definitely an interesting undertaking for companies such as ours!

An important requirement for WMS media, Inc. is having the ability to gauge which of these newcomers to the world of digital entertainment will be a survivor/thriver, and which will fall by the wayside. As technology changes, we too must revamp our way of doing business in order to remain competitive and to be in touch with the desires of our clients and, of course, our audience.

Here's our brand new commercial for San Pedro Square. Enjoy the extraordinary!

May is here and we have a special treat for fans of our web series, Bay Area Mysteries! Historian Rich Stiller takes the stage at San Pedro Square to reveal some hidden San Jose historical gems.

If you've been on YouTube recently, you might notice some pretty drastic UI changes. After years of star ratings and complex discover bars, the site recently went "back to basics."

Since Google bought YouTube in 2006, the video site has been in a constant state of development and transition. We've seen the addition of close captions, the syndication of TV shows, video responses, friend/buddy lists, instant video sharing, and even annotations. Some might consider these additions improvements, but it looks like far more consider them clutter.

What does this say about the way we watch videos online? With the explosion of streamlined sites like Hulu and the UK's channel4.com, video content is slowly reclaiming its position as the main focal point of the classic video website. The YouTube team says it wants to make "the video the star" by creating a more "subdued, stripped down and simple" user experience. The goal? When you get rid of the distraction, your video gets the attention it deserves. The result? Videos have a more impactful presence on the web which will most likely lead to better results (which is something we love here at WMS).

According to YouTube's official blog, the change is based on "eight months' worth of user research, feedback and data analysis." Here are their official improvement specs:

Overall look and functionality
- It's cleaner, simpler and easier to use.
- Information about a video is now grouped together in one place and there's a consistent way to get more detail when you need it. This way, unless something's truly useful to you, it doesn't clutter up your page.
- We've cleaned up the actions bar; you'll see a streamlined presentation for sharing, flagging, and embedding controls.

Discovery
- The right-hand side of the page is devoted to the next video to watch. We're smarter about suggesting the next videos to watch based on how you found the video you're watching in the first place.
- The channel name and subscribe button are now both on top of the video. We found that you prefer having a quick peek at more videos uploaders have created before deciding whether to subscribe to their channels.

Playlists
- There's a new playlist interface, with the next video in the list appearing consistently in the top right. You can easily expand that list or skip ahead using a new next button in the player controls.
- Saving to playlists is easier, and we've made Favorites the default option.

Ratings
- We've replaced the five-star ratings system with a simpler "likes / dislikes" model and introduced a new "Videos I Liked" list.

Comments
- Comments have a new highlights view which summarizes the best discussions and celebrates when creators communicate with their audiences.

Along the lines of simplification, all users can now add and remove modules from their front page, which is strikingly similar to the add/remove feature from every users' iGoogle homepage. It looks like Google, the ultimate minimalistic search engine, is having a big stylistic influence on its sister site. Not only is this change putting the web video back in the spotlight, it's giving users the ability to customize their experience.

With YouTube's trendsetting influence on the web, expect to see more sites trimming down their excess features and creating a simpler, more streamlined viewing experience. With limited distractions, we predict that viewers will now be more likely to watch the entirety of a video without giving in to a variety of diversions. This new interface means video is making a comeback, and to that we say "Bravo"!

YouTube's official blog entries on the change:
http://youtube-global.blogspot.com/2010/01/video-page-gets-makeover.html
http://youtube-global.blogspot.com/2010/03/new-video-page-launches-for-all-users.html

It's April 1st, and while the rest of the world plays practical jokes, The Hoffman Agency of San Jose, California serves up a treat for their employees. As a gesture of appreciation for the staffs' hard work throughout the year, senior management stepped up to the griddle flipping berry, chocolate, and buttermilk pancakes for hungry employees! WMS was there to celebrate with Hoffman and capture the moment. Enjoy reliving the fun and sharing the laughs with friends and family. See Hoffman's coverage here.