Did Facebook’s faulty data push publishers to make terrible decisions on video?

Re:Did Facebook’s faulty data push publishers to make terrib... by alot on Friday October 19, 2018 @07:28PM (#18260819)

A few months ago I would have agreed wholeheartedly. I recently had to replace the alternator on my 2008 solara and after finding instructions in text form unclear I found a video on YouTube that made the process extremely easy. Thing is, there were a few tiny details I was able to glean from the video that made the difference being very frustrated and very successful.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Did Facebook’s faulty data push publishers to make terrib... by beatgammit on Friday October 19, 2018 @07:43PM (#18260879)

It's certainly better at some things, but in general, I think it's a worse platform for conveying information.

- find content within a video is difficult (I'd rather search text) - you're at the mercy of the presenter's pace (you can adjust speed, but that's only part of the story) - sometimes listening isn't an option - sometimes presenters rely too much on visuals, so you have to watch as well - video can't be as easily edited as text, so most people just put subtitles to point out errors (this doesn't help if you're not watching) - less easy to link to additional information than text

In general, unless someone is demonstrating a step-by-step, graphical process, I prefer text.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Did Facebook’s faulty data push publishers to make terrib... by bjt2n3904 on Friday October 19, 2018 @07:36PM (#18260857)

For complex instructions like vehicle repair, videos can be amazing -- especially with good focus and lighting.

For letting me know what Trump tweeted yesterday, I don't need a five minute video with commentary. Even for protests and marches, a few pictures and a paragraph will pretty much do. Most news I'm happy to just read about.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Did Facebook’s faulty data push publishers to make terrib... by alot on Friday October 19, 2018 @07:42PM (#18260872)

Agreed. I guess video vs text is like most tools. Use the one that’s the best fit for the job.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Did Facebook’s faulty data push publishers to make terrib... by buboard on Saturday October 20, 2018 @08:25AM (#18262934)

i think this belongs to the " colors and bokeh" category. It all boils down to: how can you give the same information faster. For a car repair, a video is much quicker way to show what goes wher. The vast majority of videos on youtube, though, are elongated transcripts read aloud.

[ Parent | on HN ]