Video Commenting By Bubble Comment
This is another Guest Post from Leo Wurschmidt. He’s a web marketer and branding expert who’s been increasing using web technology for creative means and methods.
Thanks again Leo!
I always enjoyed having Seesmic on my Disqus commenting system. The idea of being able to leave a video message in the comments is awesome and is a nice complement to just throwing some words out on someone’s post. Recently, I ended up switching to Intense Debate because I felt it was a better commenting system. The downside of the switch was that I sacrificed the use of built-in video messaging. Goodbye Seesmic, I will miss our frequent time together.
A couple of weeks ago I was introduced to Bubble Comment. Bubble Comment describes itself as
A great way to quickly add your own video comment to virtually any web page you want.
It’s great for education, marketing and just sharing information with others.
You can imagine my joy when I read this. I could once again infuse a nice blend of personalized video messaging with written text to create great blog comments. Unfortunately, there are some inherent problems with using Bubble Comment for long-term usage. Each video can only be played back a total of 50 times and are only active for 30 days. (Note: You can purchase a membership for $24.95/year to increase those limits.)
The limits are cause for concern. Blog posts are going to be around much longer than 30 days and the loss of the video after that specified time period would reduce the comment to irrelevant or meaningless. This affects the comment’s effectiveness during a good “post-post” comment discussion, which is (or at least should be) one of the goals of an effective ministry or business blog.
A final cause of concern deals with the work going on behind the scenes. Bubble Comment redirects the reader away from the blog post and onto the Bubble Comment website via a new window. From what I can tell, the pseudo-original web page appears identical and functions exactly the same. This is a huge issue. Trust and security are constantly looming in the back of Internet users’ minds. To redirect someone to an identical web page on a completely different website may signal a red flag in some people’s minds. I do not want anyone questioning the security of my website thus reducing possible trust in me as a blogger or my blog as a ministry/business.
An example is below. The web page looks almost exactly identical; however, the URL’s do not lie.
I think Bubble Comment has a great concept. While I feel they have some issues that will prevent me from using their services right now I look forward to seeing what they have to offer in the future. I will keep an eye to see how things improve.
What do you think? Are their time/viewing limits reasonable or would you like to see them extended? Do you see the same risks in using Bubble Comments in your comments? Do you believe the average user would perceive the redirection as a security issue? Throw your thoughts down in the comments below (text and video formats are both welcome).
Buzz it!
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24 Responses to “Video Commenting By Bubble Comment”
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I would say it's only a matter of time before IntenseDebate adds some sort of video commenting to their service. Seesmic seems like a no-brainer but I wonder if they entered into some sort of exclusive deal with Disqus. We'll see!
definitely. i know that their roadmap's gotta include some multimedia… i'm calling it right now.
in regards to the seesmic move… their API is gold.
Yeah, I have to wonder the same thing. Hurry up ID. We want some video capabilities!!
do you think the level of use is there?
It is like we talked about in a previous post. Is multimedia (as you called it below) a necessity or a novelty? It is a novelty and the level of use is not quite there. However, I see a lot of people moving towards video in one form or another. Look at the explosion of TokBox as an example.
I imagine the video capabilities for blog commenting will remain a novelty (for at least a few years), but the level of use will increase as more people get web cams and more people jump on board. Imagine what would happen if Los (with his large mass of readers) asked for video comments in a couple of blog posts. I imagine there would be a small explosion in usage.
he's done that a few times… the response has been positive, for sure.
I don't like the idea of being redirected to another site that looks identical. That seems deceptive. I would rather be redirected to a bubble comment site to make the comment so that I understood why I was redirected rather than feel deceived.
isn't that whack.
Yeah, I feel the same way. I know the intention was not to be deceptive; however, with a heightened sense of "awareness" for all things potentially fraudulent on the web, people might raise red flags. I would be concerned my readers might raise some red flags.
Yeah, I feel the same way. I know the intention was not to be deceptive; however, with a heightened sense of "awareness" for all things potentially fraudulent on the web, people might raise red flags. I would be concerned my readers might raise them.
without question. i think sometimes people think viewers are retarded or something…
Yep. Or as the Bostonians say: "retahded."
been there, done that. very cold up there.
I think this is great feedback…but I think you should all remember that Bubble Comment is really more of a peer to peer type of solution, so point out things to tight group of recipients…I think Bubble Guru would be more of a solution for the type of interaction you are all referring to.
Here's my quick video comment offering my 2 cents:
http://www.bubblecomment.com/id/nmnn
but if that's true, then does bubble comment not desire for critical mass adoption? and how could you possibly control that anyways?
Good question. I hope they are still listening.
Kevo,
Thanks for giving us your thoughts. Just by the fact that you are out there listening, I know that you will continue to make Bubble Comment that much more impressive of a supplemental commenting system.
I will definitely look into Bubble Guru. You are right. Bubble Comment is very flexible, and I can see its use better utilized in a peer-to-peer format.
Thanks for your two cents! They are much appreciated. I look forward to BC's future as you continue to tweak and mold this great idea.
hehe. so PC.
Did I get all weak-kneed and cave? Probably.
I do like the fact that they are listening, though. I hope they will take the feedback and make BC better.
definitely. kevo and team are doing a great job.
I was using Disqus and had twittered something about "woohooo, I love Disqus". That prompted an Intense Debate DM to me, telling me how I MUST try them. So, I did
and twittered something about "woohooo Intense Debate is so much more awesomer". Then I realized there was no video commenting and instead of switching back, I DM'd the ID twitter guy who told me that adding Seesmic was "in the works". I'm still holding my breath as that was a month ago. I like ID better, but wish they'd hurry!
hehe. swayed by the newest tech… i get caught in that storm
That is awesome. I like the fact that Intense Debate and Disqus are listening in on the Twitterverse. I hope Disqus wil continue to improve their system and that ID will add Seesmic (or someone else) in the near future.
I do wonder, though, where are ID and Disqus in discussions on blogs like this? John has talked about both systems quite a few times and I do not recall anyone ever chiming in. Hmm…
I am glad Bubble Comment is listening.
ID++ rocks.