TODAY we did the soft launch of our new INQUIRER.net VDO page.
Contrary to what some people might think, our VDO service has always meant more than just, well, videos. It just so happened that online video was the most obvious “new thing” for INQUIRER.net, foreign territory for a company which has its roots in a print newspaper. What’s great and at times amusing, however, is that in a relatively short span of time, video has become one of the staples of INQUIRER.net. More and more people are coming to expect that video will be part of our coverage, and it’s even come to the point where some PR people would ask me, “When will the video interview come out?” in the same manner that they would once ask, “When is the story coming out?” or “Will you be able to use my press release?” In fact, I’ve even heard anecdotes of some people in print being asked when covering events if they’re also going to take videos.
Online video was once a novelty. Now, it’s becoming a necessity, if you want to gain a competitive advantage.
Of course, we’re just starting out and we know there’s a lot of room for improvement — and we’re addressing that. Moreover, video is a very important, but by no means the only component of our multimedia thrust. VDO is our hub for all our multimedia initiatives, including online video, blogs and podcasts — and yes, whatever new services we will launch in the months to come. I’m pretty excited over all the things that we’ll be rolling out this year, but for now I have to keep my mouth shut.
Anyway, let me leave you with this Technobabble video podcast, where Cisco Philippines country manager Luichi Robles and Cisco Systems (USA) Pte Ltd director for Asia Channel and Commercial Business Christian Hentschel give us a tour of the Cisco Network on Wheels mobile showcase, a container van featuring the latest Cisco solutions. Joseph Lee, Cisco Systems (USA) Pte Ltd director for Advanced Technologies in Asia, also demonstrates some of the solutions for the education sector.
Online Videos by Veoh.com
As we’ve been telling people inside and outside the organization time and again, we are no longer an online newspaper but have to transform ourselves into a multimedia news site. We have to move beyond just the news, and develop new content that will address different niches. The future won’t happen overnight, but it will come, whether you want it to or not, whether you’re prepared for it or not. So it’s really up to you how you deal with the inevitable.
Some might choose to worry over what tomorrow might bring. I’d rather embrace the future and take part in building something new.
