Why Text Remains King of the Web

My friend Robert Scoble has a problem. He produces terrific videos on technology companies for Fast Company. They're a little long sometimes, but they're almost always interesting.

So what's Scoble's problem? Well a lot. The videos don't generate a lot of in-bound links from bloggers, conversations on Twitter or mentions on aggregators like Techmeme. "None of my 1,000+ videos has ever made it to Techmeme," Scoble said. 

He's right. A quick analysis reveals some get no links, others get a couple. However, when he surrounds them with text, it's a different story. Why? Text! It provides context and I suspect for many it's a proxy for the video.

I am starting to believe that despite all the hype around online video, text remains King of the Web. Why text? There are at least five reasons...

• It's scannable - according to Jakob Nielsen users have time to read at most 28% of the words during an average site visit and 20% is more likely

• Three letters: SEO - For all that Google Universal Search has done to elevate video, search results are still largely made up of text and everyone wants better SEO

• The workplace - It's much easier for cube-based workers to read text on the screen and get away with it vs. watching long videos. Watching videos (even work related vids) screams "slacker"  

• Mobile Devices - Yes, of course you can put a video on an iPhone. But it's work and requires planning. Text is easier to pull up in a nanosecond  

• Distribution - Nothing flies like text. It's so easy to cut and paste it and send it somewhere or to clip and re-syndicate it via email, RSS or social networks

I don't know about you but I love text. Now I have always been a reader. Today I am a scanner. So for me it comes natural.

Still, think about just how much of what you consume and share online remains text-based. Twitter - it's all text. Friendfeed - mostly text, but augmented by images. Facebook - a mix but certainly a ton of text. Even what makes YouTube hot is the metadata and commentary around the vids. So I don't see any big threat to King Text. 

So what does this mean? Well, if you're creating video you better pay attention to the text you put around it. Without text, you're dead. You won't be found. Further, if you want to influence you must have a command of the English language and know how to write for the web in sound bites. More on that in a subsequent post. I believe marketers and PR pros are well positioned to succeed.

What's your view?

Comments

[Robert Kopacz]

Take a look at Larry Lessig's book Free Culture (it's available free on his site as a pdf). On page 39 of the pdf I have, there is an interesting passage about how video as a medium can involve otherwise inarticulate kids (when it comes to writing) and help them express themselves. But they come to a point where they need to do explaining that they cannot do with video; so, they turn to writing, and all of a sudden, they are highly motivated to get the words right.

In the end, as Robert McKee has said, no matter what it is, it needs to be a good story, and it needs to be well told. Video may be effective to get someone's attention and interest. If their curiosity is aroused, they will then seek to learn more about the subject through reading. I recently learned about a piece of camera equipment by reading about it; I was convinced to buy it when I watched an online video demonstration, as well as online video testimonials. Overall, the manufacturer told me a good story effectively using the right tools for the right job.

Marketers, writers, producers of stories are fortunate these days that they have a variety of tools in their tool chests. But if they want attention, they still have to tell a good story.

[David Hobbs]

I would agree with many of the other comments, that the key issue probably is the first one: text is scannable. That said, photos are also scannable (so it's not just the fact that videos are visual). Most of the time when on the web, I want to get to the point, quickly. So even if I'm trying to figure out how to wire a switch in my house, for example, I'd like to get right to the diagram (rather than watch a whole video). Perhaps over time technologies will emerge that make videos more scannable?