To add to this... I would assume that unless there is a huge glaring hole in the rel=thumbnail idea, it would be pretty simple for folks that build plugins like Vpip, etc. to automatically have the image used in their plugin to have the rel=thumbnail...
(I might be assuming too much, but you get the idea...I've been out of the loop for a while) 'build it, they will come'....am I old, or does anyone remember that one? -Devlon --- In videoblogging@yahoogroups.com, "Mike Meiser" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > Yeah, we're going to be working toward some standardization in the area of > thumbnails. > > The problem is that MediaRSS is great for all the rich meta information like > thumbnails but the problem is simply this... Who here codes their own RSS!? > > The answer is pretty much no none. This creates a disconnect because > vloggers don't have anyway to *smeantically* specify in theor blog post for > an aggregator or other piece of software "hey! this is the thumbnail". > > While we're planning on creating a whole media Microformat comprable to > MediaRSS so we can put the power to markup you data in your blog post this > is a far more daunting task I think than anyone has time for right now... > > So! If it's alright with everyone I'd like to just propose the idea of > "rel=thumbnail". This would work JUST like "Rel=enclosure", "rel=payment", > and "rel=tag". > > You'd simply mark your thumbnails like this. > > <img src="http://aceme.com/yourthumbnail.gif"; rel="thumbnail"> > > I can see NO conflict and it's short simple and to the point! > > So, I'm just proposing it. > > Anyone have any thoughts? > > My thinking is it would be such a boon for EVERYONE in this space from > Rocketboom and the biggest vlogs, to yahoo search, mefeedia, dabble, > fireant, feedburner, democracy... and every vlogger big and small that we > should just do it! > > Virtually overnight the vlogosphere would not only look a whole lot butter > but also FUNCTION a whole lot better. Great vlogger specified thumbnails > aren't just an asethetical issue they are a very important piece of > functional info. > > What's more I think the success on this one issue could lead to a lot more > collaboration and effort on future endevors for data sharing like this > proposed media microformat. > > BTW... A lot of you who use blip may have noticed that every blip user > vlogger has a blip feed. These feeds contain all sorts of rich meta info > including thumbnails, but then if you go look at your feedburner feed for > your primary vlog where you crosspost all your blip videos too you'll notice > that feed has no specified thumbnails and is lacking in a lot of meta > information. This is due the EXACT same issue as we're talking about here. > Since blip does not write straight to your RSS feed, but only has access to > the blog post they do not have a *semantics langauage*... a standard markup > language for specifying all this rich data like thumbnails, geolocaiton > information and a whole lot of sweet jazz... yes vlogmap will eventually > reap huge benifits from thie proposed standard too.. > > But... in the meantime we can test the waters with a great and VERY simple > rel="thumbnail" standard that everyone can just start using tomorrow and > it'll make a huge and immediate impact. > > I think I can speak for Devlon, and Frank and everyone at mefeedia in saying > we can litterally impliment this in the next couple days if we have some > consensus. If blip also agrees on the rel=thumbnail standard we'll be making > a huge difference pretty much overnight! > > So, How about it!? > > And yes... then if Democracy and especially feedburner agree to this support > the rel=thumbnails standard it'll solve the probelm pretty much overnight > for the majority of you. > > BTW, I think the reason this has never been addressed before is because > vloggers have a unique issue... while this will come in infinitely handy in > the future for podcasters and photobloggers videobloggers have been the > first ones to widely syndicate visual media. This is just the start of great > things. > > FInally I would remind everyone that we're litterally competing directly > with youtube to keep this space open and free. The better we can > interoperate and provide some of the search, collarboration and other > mechanisms in this open space the more we'll draw away that top talent pool > of independant minded people whom wether entertainers or just everyday media > makers realize that they'll have far more impowerement in the long ron with > a wordpress blog and an open community of services then being at the whim of > one service and a closed ecosystem. > > Amy I really saying something like rel="thumbnails" is going to help us do > this. Damn straight I am. Opportunities don't get any more obvious and > direct than this. > > In fact I'd like to quote Kent Nikols from a PBS interview today. > > From: http://mefeedia.com/blog/2007/02/124/ > > Everything about the Ask a Ninja <http://www.askaninja.com/> videoblog > > phenomenon smacks of a new form of entertainment. Two guys in Los Angeles > > produce a series of simple, low cost video clips where a ninja character > > answers profound and ridiculous questions. The comedic series gets popular > > as a video podcast through iTunes, with viewership of 300,000 to 500,000 per > > episode, and the show's web presence branches out to include an online store > > for merchandise. > > > > But when the Ask a Ninja creators, Kent Nichols and Douglas Sarine, wanted > > to get serious about making money as entertainers, they went the old school > > route and hired the behemoth United Talent Agency (UTA). Recently that > > representation bore fruit as the pair signed on with Federated Media<http://newteevee.com/2007/01/29/ask-a-ninja/>to have the ad network sell advertising on Ask a Ninja in a revenue-sharing > > deal worth $300,000 per year (if the site maintains its popularity). > > > > "It's not an accident we've set up under a Hollywood model and not a > > Silicon Valley model," Nichols told me via email. "UTA is much better at > > negotiating than I am. And they only make money when we make money, so they > > are extremely motivated to get us the best deal possible. Creators are never > > going to have enough clout on their own to negotiate better deals with the > > YouTubes of the world. We tried making deals without agents and they failed > > miserably because we didn't know what to ask for or how to ask for it. > > Agents save you a lot of time and effort." > > > So while YouTube and other popular video sites might make it easier for > > up-and-coming talent to get noticed without having to send out a demo reel > > by mail there's still a need for agents and managers to decipher the > > tangle of contracts and offers from online and offline media outlets. > > Nichols notes that the Internet might have changed the way video is > > distributed, but not the way artists can maximize their revenues. > > > > "The key thing that [UTA] gets is that new media is just show business, > > but without the distributor," Nichols said. "But show biz is show biz. It's > > just contracts and negotiations. That's what they know, that's what they do. > > The technology doesn't change that what it does change is the need to go > > through a distributor. Now two people and a laptop can reach as big an > > audience as a lot of shows on cable. That is the shift. So we have a show, > > no distributor, but we still have people that want to engage us in business. > > And to do that you need to negotiate in a professional and reliable manner. > > [UTA] takes care of that aspect for us and allows Douglas and myself to > > concentrate on being funny." > > > My thanks to kent for hitting the nail dead on the head. > > What he's talking about here is pure, wether you are a major entertainment > vlog or just a personal vlogger this rings true. It ring true fore Kent, and > UTA, and you and blip, and mefeedia and EVERYONE. Support the open > ecosystem. > > This is litterally a battle we've inhereted from the blogging world, and the > open source world. Is the future apple and ipods dominence? Is it youtube/ > google dominance? Is it Microsoft Vista Dominance? The answer of course is > NONE of the above. > > The anwer is open. It's only through building the interoperability, the > freeways and roadways.. the rss and the meta information that we can ensure > that there's an open, distributed and competitive marketplace. > > This is litterally about keeping the roads and sidewalks coming to your > front door. Thumbnails maybe only one piece but they are quite obviously not > an unsigificant piece. > > So... can we get some ratification on this rel=thumbnail spec!? > > It's funny, I just googled this > > http://www.google.com/search?q=%22rel%3Dthumbnail%22 > > and > > http://www.google.com/search?q=relthumbnail > > And we're pretty much the ONLY people talking about it. So it's up to us > people! > > Mike Hudack and the blipper guys are you in? > > Josh Kinberg and the Fireant crew are you in? > > Mary Hoder and Dabble.com are you in? > > Rick Klau and the Feedburner crew are you in? > > J.D. Lasica and Ourmedia are you in? > > Nathan Frietas of ION and Cruxy are you in? > > Do we have a representative of Democracy? > > Michael Sullivan of vlogdir are you in? > > Vlogmap? > > Whom else am I missing? > > Do all you vloggers want this? > > <img src="http://acme.com/images/mythumbnail.gif"; rel="thumbnail"> > > It really is that simple. > > Just as simple as > > <a href="http://acme.com/... yourvideo.mov" rel="enclosure"> > > and > > <a href="http://acme.com/tag/codemonkey"; rel="tag"> > > Let's do this! > > Peace! > > -Mike > mefeedia.com > mmeiser.com/blog > > On 2/8/07, duthied2004 <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > > I'll second that...we ('we' being Mefeedia) parse the thumb image out > > of the description element as well. > > > > ...as well as searching through every other pertinent rss element we > > find in a feed....it's like needle and haystack in some cases. > > > > I was surprised to see that not many people do this....especially the > > 'big boys'. > > > > -Devlon > > > > --- In videoblogging@yahoogroups.com, "mayel2b" <jmfrance@> wrote: > > > > > > I think it uses Yahoo's mRSS for that. > > > But the simplest way is putting your thumbnail at the beginning of the > > > RSS's <description> tag. > > > > > > > > > --- In videoblogging@yahoogroups.com, "J. Rhett Aultman" <wlight@> > > > wrote: > > > > > > > > Good question. I use their Brodcast Machine software, but redirect it > > > > through Feedburner, and that seems to be quashing my thumbnails, too. > > > > > > > > -- > > > > Rhett. > > > > http://www.weatherlight.com/freetime > > > > > > > > > Anybody using PodPress & WordPress know how to get thumbnails to > > show > > > > > up in Democracy? > > > > > > > > > > -- > > > > > Bill C. > > > > > http://ems.blip.tv > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Yahoo! Groups Links > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Yahoo! Groups Links > > > > > > > > > > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] >
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