The BluePoint of View has moved!
In the spirit of keeping things light this morning, I won't blog about the endless Imus scandal...You knew it was only a matter of time before Microsoft jumped into the online video sharing sandbox. Constantly looking for new revenue opportunities and arguably a follower when it comes to rolling out new technologies (browser, search engine, etc.) especially those that tap the Web, Microsoft yesterday launched its own video service. They do acknowledge, they are trailing YouTube, which has an eighteen month head start, not to mention an installed base in the tens of millions and a proven advertising model. Not only that, but Google, Yahoo and AOL have also beaten Microsoft to market with their own offerings.
Exactly what demographic will Microsoft be able to capture with its video service? I tend to doubt that YouTube users will switch. I also wonder if the typical Microsoft loyalist wants to bother with online videos yet or ever.
To that point, a couple months ago, Lee Gomes of the Wall Street Journal took a hard look at YouTube – who’s using the service and for what purpose. Among the tidbits in his piece was this gem – Johan Pouwelse, a professor at Delft University of Technology in the
