4 ms·

Wanna know what I prefer? Clearly written, succinct instructions. So much knowledge is being frittered away in podcasts and “smash that like, follow, and subs

by pbj1968 3y ago

Wanna know what I prefer? Clearly written, succinct instructions. So much knowledge is being frittered away in podcasts and “smash that like, follow, and subscribe” videos it almost keeps me awake at nights.

quickthrower2 3y ago
Yes I find I need to be fussy to avoid that kind of promo driven content. There is a place for both videos and written instructions. None is better.
- GavinMcG 3y ago
  Assuming you meant "neither is better," I disagree. Text is far more susceptible to navigation—especially via searching, but also by way of formatting and hyperlinking. It also permits more flexible clipping, saving, or sharing. You're right to suggest that video can be a good replacement for in-person lectures. But it's a terrible replacement for a transcript or other way of publishing content in two dimensions rather than binding it to the progression of time.
  - wholinator2 3y ago
    Well i think that's what they're saying. Videos are better than text for a college lecture. The big up video has on text is... video. Moving pictures, animations, words at the same time as images. These are all things text cannot do or cannot do well. You are right that it's hard to look at a video and know what's in the whole thing but a portion of that is solved by table of contents/chapter navigation and its honestly good enough for me. I can't read a paper while doing the dishes or other necessary chores that have to be done, but i can watch or at least listen to a video or podcast. Each medium has its own benefits and i will state again, neither is better outright. You're entitled to your opinion. I've been working through an applied linear algebra textbook on my own this summer and have at multiple points encountered subjects that the book simply could not communicate to me well. I go search a video on the topic and find that the man who wrote the book also made video lectures from the time he released the book, so it's not like the book sucks and the videos are $100,000 dollar productions. If anything the book is ridiculously better produced than the videos. It's just him talking into what sounds like a crackly phone mic and drawing on pieces of paper under a bright but inconsistent light. But you know what, I'll be damned if those videos didn't make sense of every difficulty i had in the book. And it's explicitly the benefits of video, he shows the process while talking and there's no editing for brevity or page count, just the raw facts that come into his head as he progresses. It's so good that I've honestly switched to the videos for at least a chapter. I find they're more succinct and usable, and i learn much faster from them. And that's nowhere near a 3b1b level of video! Again, you're entitled to your opinion but i don't think the fact that you like books better gives you the ability to state the 'fact' that books are downright and unquestionably better than videos, podcasts, images, hell even vr some day maybe. Videos are also drastically more accessible. I can find videos on things that would cost me hundreds of dollars to get a comparable book on. It drastically lowers the barrier to learning and i think that's really important for children whose classrooms are not adequately challenging them
bongobingo1 3y ago
I landed on a classic "32 pt typing into notepad tutorial" the other day. What a weird concept that was. I guess it was an artefact of having no other way to post text to a large community as a lay person.
BiteCode_dev 3y ago
Those have different goals, it's not an XOR.
_17sn 3y ago
Videos are useful when they're 3blue1brown style taking advantage of the format. They're a waste of bandwidth when they read from a script with some footage/stock photography in the background.
- curtisf 3y ago
  Even then, a lot of the video may not be useful to a particular audience. Being able to scroll past a sequence of short animations could be even more valuable -- especially because then you have the opportunity to include more optional branches via links or tabs or user preferences, and make the content even more accessible without making it excessively long for all audiences.
rkangel 3y ago
I'm transitioning to Bitwarden. It seems great, but the "how to get going" content is all in a series of 5 minute Youtube videos. I just want some text to read!
jvanderbot 3y ago
Written instructions are abysmal for woodworking or other mechanical tasks. I adore videos for home improvement. But yeah, I'd love written instructions with optional videos for each step.

quickthrower2 3y ago

Yes I find I need to be fussy to avoid that kind of promo driven content. There is a place for both videos and written instructions. None is better.

GavinMcG 3y ago
Assuming you meant "neither is better," I disagree. Text is far more susceptible to navigation—especially via searching, but also by way of formatting and hyperlinking. It also permits more flexible clipping, saving, or sharing. You're right to suggest that video can be a good replacement for in-person lectures. But it's a terrible replacement for a transcript or other way of publishing content in two dimensions rather than binding it to the progression of time.
- wholinator2 3y ago
  Well i think that's what they're saying. Videos are better than text for a college lecture. The big up video has on text is... video. Moving pictures, animations, words at the same time as images. These are all things text cannot do or cannot do well. You are right that it's hard to look at a video and know what's in the whole thing but a portion of that is solved by table of contents/chapter navigation and its honestly good enough for me. I can't read a paper while doing the dishes or other necessary chores that have to be done, but i can watch or at least listen to a video or podcast. Each medium has its own benefits and i will state again, neither is better outright. You're entitled to your opinion. I've been working through an applied linear algebra textbook on my own this summer and have at multiple points encountered subjects that the book simply could not communicate to me well. I go search a video on the topic and find that the man who wrote the book also made video lectures from the time he released the book, so it's not like the book sucks and the videos are $100,000 dollar productions. If anything the book is ridiculously better produced than the videos. It's just him talking into what sounds like a crackly phone mic and drawing on pieces of paper under a bright but inconsistent light. But you know what, I'll be damned if those videos didn't make sense of every difficulty i had in the book. And it's explicitly the benefits of video, he shows the process while talking and there's no editing for brevity or page count, just the raw facts that come into his head as he progresses. It's so good that I've honestly switched to the videos for at least a chapter. I find they're more succinct and usable, and i learn much faster from them. And that's nowhere near a 3b1b level of video! Again, you're entitled to your opinion but i don't think the fact that you like books better gives you the ability to state the 'fact' that books are downright and unquestionably better than videos, podcasts, images, hell even vr some day maybe. Videos are also drastically more accessible. I can find videos on things that would cost me hundreds of dollars to get a comparable book on. It drastically lowers the barrier to learning and i think that's really important for children whose classrooms are not adequately challenging them

bongobingo1 3y ago

I landed on a classic "32 pt typing into notepad tutorial" the other day. What a weird concept that was. I guess it was an artefact of having no other way to post text to a large community as a lay person.

BiteCode_dev 3y ago

Those have different goals, it's not an XOR.

_17sn 3y ago

Videos are useful when they're 3blue1brown style taking advantage of the format. They're a waste of bandwidth when they read from a script with some footage/stock photography in the background.

curtisf 3y ago
Even then, a lot of the video may not be useful to a particular audience. Being able to scroll past a sequence of short animations could be even more valuable -- especially because then you have the opportunity to include more optional branches via links or tabs or user preferences, and make the content even more accessible without making it excessively long for all audiences.

rkangel 3y ago

I'm transitioning to Bitwarden. It seems great, but the "how to get going" content is all in a series of 5 minute Youtube videos. I just want some text to read!

jvanderbot 3y ago

Written instructions are abysmal for woodworking or other mechanical tasks. I adore videos for home improvement. But yeah, I'd love written instructions with optional videos for each step.