5 ms·

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 uncl

by alot 8y ago

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.

bjt2n3904 8y ago
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.
- alot 8y ago
  Agreed. I guess video vs text is like most tools. Use the one that’s the best fit for the job.
beatgammit 8y ago
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.
buboard 8y ago
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.

by alot 8y ago

bjt2n3904 8y ago

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.

alot 8y ago
Agreed. I guess video vs text is like most tools. Use the one that’s the best fit for the job.

beatgammit 8y ago

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.

buboard 8y ago

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.