I am not on this site to watch videos

[Joe Cool]

This discussion thread was locked by EarlG (a host of the General Discussion forum).

So, can anyone who posts a video give a detailed summary of what is in the video says since there is a pretty near 100% chance I am not going to watch a ten minute video nor probably any video for that matter? If you are not willing to give a detailed summary of the video, don´t post the video.
One day I looked at the first page of the latest discussions and I counted over 50 minutes worth of video posts.

[ornotna]

1. There is a simple solution

Move on to the next post.

[BlueTsunami2018]

2. Just don't watch them then.

This is an odd post.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

8. What's really odd is the idea that you have to watch a video to decide whether to watch or not

Take the two minutes it takes to post the source, the length, and 25 or so words of summary. Those two minutes saves DU members hundreds of minutes watching the first 2 minutes of videos before quitting.

Posters can handle that! More people will watch their video!

It's the polite thing to do, hunh.

[bucolic_frolic]

3. Agree videos are an inefficient use of time. I watch them at double speed.

The important parts are usually only a minute or two. I skip a LOT of intros.

[hlthe2b]

4. watching at double speed---good suggestion.

I fast forward and if the point hasn't been made in the first minute or two, I give up. It is frustrating when the provocative youtube titles don't begin to mesh with the content.

Some of the "hosts" need to realize that long "wind-ups" and incredibly obvious analyses really turn off folks.

[2naSalit]

6. I was wondering...

Because I watch many videos here, about the length of many videos like Midas Touch* vids that are at least ten minutes long, I think there may be something in the terms at utoob about length and how that effects their site somehow.

Some of them go on a bit too long.

*Only ones I could think of on the spot.

[bucolic_frolic]

9. Meidas Touch are lawyers, they can manufacture verbage at will

I just try to be efficient with my time. Skipping the intro (we know who most of these people are already), switching to 1.75x or 2.0x speed, I can watch a 17 minute vid in about 8 minutes. Productivity.

On YouTube itself, if you hold down the left mouse button it will do 2x on the fly. Then just slow down for an important point.

[2naSalit]

13. Well...

That's a feature of which I was unaware!

Thanks, I will make use of THAT! I get annoyed at having to filter through so many videos, I appreciate them, just don't have that much time, and I'm retired!

[bucolic_frolic]

17. Maybe I should include YMMV

Don't know if it's a browser feature, a YouTube setting. I haven't installed any add-ons to enhance speed so I assume it's a YT feature.

[3Hotdogs]

16. In particular, one source posts videos that average 15 minutes and say nothing

that couldn't be summarized in two sentences -- and in the middle, is a commercial for some shit or other. All preceded by a "bait" title that usually ends up not being fulfilled by what the title said.

I skip those.

Another one is an almost daily title on how the economy of China exploded yesterday, and yesterday's yesterday and the day after yesterday's yesterday...

[Tetrachloride]

5. Joe and I are asking for a summary

If DU members can be more considerate, that would be nice by definition.

[bucolic_frolic]

11. Start a business, YouTube @ 2ce the speed.

Summaries and quick important points at 1/4 the time!

I think you can already cut, paste, and repackage videos if you have a channel going.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

7. I watch 2% of vids w no summary, and 15% of vids w reasonable summaries

Why post if you don't want people to watch?

Post the length, the source, and at least a 25 word informative summary.

It's easy! Do it!

[brush]

10. Agreed. This is new with DU4. Admin pls call for summaries on videos. So many of them now with no brief context.

Before posting on DU required communicating intelligently what you were saying, not just copying and pasting a url in the text box without anything else.

[2naSalit]

14. OR...

Just a link to fucking xitter.

[LatteLady]

12. Segregate the videos to their own section?

I’d like the site set up to place all videos in a separate section so I can just not go there. Many of these repeatedly posted “shows” should have their own header link.

The suggestion to just not watch them ignores the fact that you have to open the link to discover it’s a video. It’s irritating for two reasons, repeated waste of time and annoying not to be able to read about topic of interest when you thought that’s what you’d find.

[Bobstandard]

15. Agreed. Post summaries. n/t

[dem4decades]

18. Please post summaries, i usually don't have headphones and my wife doesn't want to hear.

[EarlG]

19. We just had a long thread on this less than a week ago so I'll re-use my locking message

If people want to post videos, they are more than welcome to. We provide a couple of specific forums for certain specific types of video, but other than that people can post videos wherever they like.

Star Members can see which threads contain videos because on the Latest page and in forums, a little red square shows up next to the thread title if a thread contains a video. If you’re a Star Member and you don’t see it, make sure you have the indicator turned on in Account Settings.

We have a lot of people who spend a lot of time bringing interesting videos to DU, and I support those efforts. We’ve also provided tools for people to avoid seeing the majority of videos, and I encourage people who don’t want to see videos to use those tools, rather than try to disparage the efforts of people who bring the videos to DU.

I don’t disagree that it would be helpful for people to post a brief explanation of the video, but it’s not compulsory, and many people already do that anyway. So with that said I’m going to lock this now. People who like to post videos on DU should not be made to feel as if they’re doing something wrong.