posted on Monday, July 31, 2006 10:48 AM
by
Lou Michels
Snacking on a Podcast or a Mobisode?
A recent labor dispute in the entertainment industry provides yet more evidence as to why all of us are becoming obsolete at an increasingly faster pace. The Screen Actors Guild, Directors Guild of America and the Writers Guild of America were in a dispute with studios over so-called "snackable" video programming. The "snacks" are typically videos designed to be viewed on cell phones or wireless PDA devices. Content (shows are not even called “programs” anymore) that is “snackable” runs for several minutes, or about the average time you would be waiting in line to get your daily coffee-flavored milk drink. Highly popular television shows are also broadcast in separate mobile phone formats known as "mobisodes." Along with podcasting and video downloads for cell phones and other small screen devices, these types of programs introduce new issues for labor negotiations as the unions involved try to get their arms around the profits and income streams these snacks provide.
I now feel completely antiquated. I thought it was pretty neat to be able to get my emails and attachments through my Treo 650. I now realize that instead of walking around in Tomorrowland, I actually live in Jurassic Park.
I suspect most of my clients will be thrilled to find that their employees no longer need to use their computer workstations to view video downloads, the latest Jack Bauer episode, or to learn if those air crash survivors ever get off that stupid island. I guess we'll just have to make work more entertaining.