“It (online video) went from a novelty to kind of a commodity,”
The success of sites such as YouTube has helped online video catch fire in the government sector. According to a report recently posted on Streaming Media.com, the site played a large part in improving people’s perceptions of online video, lending the medium some credibility and soothing government agencies’ fears over adopting it.
So what is driving this streaming explosion?
The economy is one answer. Dave Gardy, CEO of TV Worldwide, Inc., says many government agencies are jumping on the streaming bandwagon to cut travel, elearning, training, and marketing costs. He also says many of his customers that were previously apprehensive about e-conferences have come around to the idea because it helps them save money while increasing their events’ visibility.
“It went from a novelty to kind of a commodity,” he says. “So it’s good enough quality, and the infrastructure’s there, and the IT administrators have opened up the ports and allocated the bandwidth for it, and people are using it more.”
According to the report, streaming video is almost a necessity on every government website. People expect an agency’s website to contain all the information they need, including any forms they may need to fill out. Now, as the web becomes more visual, they are also demanding video of meetings, messages from government officials, and more.
The article notes that online video has improved the DOD’s training and learning capabilities in several ways. First, the agency has introduced web-based tool demonstrations that take viewers from an introductory level to advanced use of a tool, improving productivity. Training videos are also available at any time, so if an employee needs a quick refresher course on how to use a specific tool, he or she could simply watch a video, reducing wasted time and improving efficiency.
Online video has also expanded the DOD’s reach. Because the agency works globally, it must deal with time zone differences and travel concerns, and online video helps to solve these problems.
The article concludes with observations from a broadcast facilitator for online video operations for the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, Darrell Norton.
“Rather than sending someone a DVD copy of material or a VHS copy or any other format, we can actually point to a direct link in the web stream and send that as a hyperlink, which means there’s no web traffic,” Norton says. “In sending material, there’s no physical material transferred. It allows people to see just the clip that they want.”
All in all, Norton says online video has been a tremendous help to the assembly, and he encouraged parliaments, agencies, and other organizations worldwide to get into the game before it’s too late.
“Having that presence, I think it’s expected now,” he says. “To be working and doing business in the modern world, you do have to have that.”
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