So the summer holidays are finally over and we’re all back. The trains and buses are full again and it’s time to get back to business.

And it’s a really busy time for us here at WebsEdge. We’re covering some 20 conferences and events over the next three months on subjects as diverse as education, health and water consumption. We’re also installing a brand new television studio to cope with the demand for our regular local government, global health and education channels.

What makes this year even more interesting is the geographical spread of our work. We’ve grown up here in the UK but our markets are ever expanding. We’re opening an office right now in Washington DC and the US represents nearly 40% of everything we do.

But the really exciting news is that we’re just getting started in China. We have two big projects in the Fall – one in Mining and another in Vaccines – which we’re really looking forward to. And what’s interesting is that the issues – motivation, engagement, social cohesion – are the same ones you find anywhere. Sure the scale is daunting and the cultural barriers challenging but at the end of the day it’s about people and their aspirations.

So as you can see it’s an exciting few months for us here at WebsEdge. But to tell you the truth the event I’m most looking forward to is happening close to home. Our very good friends Sisters Heidi and Monica are visiting us from South Africa. You may remember that we play a small part in helping these two remarkable ladies to look after children living with the consequences to them and their families of AIDS in South Africa’s Eastern Cape. They’re coming in October to join in with harvest celebrations here and we’re hoping to share with them some of the filming we did earlier in the year in Malawi and South Africa..

Their Isibindi project looks after some 1600 children now across three sites and it’s incredible to see the progress they’re making. But there’s so much still to do. And if we enjoy global opportunity – which we do – then we share the same global responsibility. And that’s a message close to our hearts. For if we’re not playing our part using web based television to help the least advantaged in our global society the rest of what we do pales into insignificance.

“_____ with its penetration, its wide geographic distribution and impact, provides a new, direct and sensitive link.  The people have once more become the nation, as they have not been since the days when we were small enough each to know his elected representative. As we grew, we lost this feeling of direct contact – _____has now restored it.”

In both cases, the missing word in this quote is ‘television’; a medium that many believe once revolutionized the American electorate.

The quote is taken from a speech by Frank Stanton, president of CBS from 1946 to 1971. Stanton clearly saw TV as a way to transform people into witnesses, to inform the public, and to stimulate discussion and debate.

Here we are, just two months before an American presidential election, and once again TV continues to make its mark.  According to Nielson ratings, 38.9 million viewers tuned in to ‘traditional’ television for John McCain’s speech at the Republican National Convention; half a million more than the number of viewers that tuned in to hear Barack Obama’s.  But this is no longer the complete picture.

After every recent high-profile speech, whether it was Sarah Palin’s ‘do-or-die debut’, the nomination acceptances, or the unveiling of running mates, the volume of downloads of online videos, or IP television (IPTV) has soared.  McCain may have had more viewers sat in front of their television screens, but the democrats had more overall viewers.

According to online ranking specialists Visible Measures, 7.8 million Democratic National Convention online videos were viewed across 278 different video placements, compared to three million Republican National Convention video views online in 265 unique video placements.

Television, this time delivered and viewed across the internet as web-based TV or IPTV, is yet again proving to be a major driving force for political communication between candidates and for the national nominating conventions. There is also a very interesting slant here in terms of the different numbers between democrats and republicans, which could either reflect campaign tactics or the demographics of each group.

Web-based TV simply enables messages to be transmitted, allowing empathy to be established with large audience, and encouraging viewers to get interactive by joining discussions, posting content, or even emailing their own videos. The “feeling of direct contact” that Frank Stanton mentioned in his speech has seamlessly developed into a two-way street thanks to web-based TV. Viewers no longer have to get to know the candidates passively; they now get to have their say, if they choose to.

I think Frank Stanton would be pleased.

The internet has grown quickly over its short lifetime. Now, it’s about to see what could be its biggest spurt yet, and it’s all thanks to online video.

Cisco conducted a study that states that by the end of 2008, online video will make up about a third of all consumer internet traffic.  (See study here) It also predicts that by 2012 more than half of all internet traffic will be for online video. Some of this growth can no doubt be attributed to technical advances, such as increased bandwidth and improved streaming technology. A large contributing factor, however, is content.

In its early days, internet video was dominated by entertainment-based videos - think YouTube and its millions of funny and quirky videos. But over the last 12 months internet video has matured, and evolved into new vertical markets. Now, all kinds of organizations are finding innovative uses for online video from the US presidential campaigns, to corporate uses, such as bloggers who give people glances of the inner workings of a company like Microsoft, enhancing training like Deloitte and American Express, product demos and tutorials, and viral campaigns like Blendtec’s famous “Will it blend” series and Hitachi’s recent Tera Era viral video hit.

At WebsEdge we create video campaigns for governments, city communities, and healthcare providers – it’s clearly a far cry from the simple clips and entertainment videos of yore.  It isn’t difficult to see how online video will come to account for such a large percentage of net traffic.  The incredible potential of online video is finally being realized.

We’re deep in Wizard of Oz country this week bringing you APCOtv. For those who don’t know APCO represents emergency service first responders. Men and women who deal with the most harrowing situations day in and day out and we had several heart rendering stories to report on.

Also in America this week came a glimpse of the financial realities behind on-line video and the media industry in general. Whilst you tube is a testament to the phenomenal interest in on-line video we’ve yet to see the emergence of a sustainable economic model.

So when AoL/Time Warner released their latest results it gave us all a good opportunity to see how things are working out. It’s particularly interesting because that media giant has fingers in so many pies. And a rather clear – if slightly counter intuitive picture is emerging.

Contrary to public perception this isn’t a migration in income terms from traditional television to on-line video. Traditional television income still dwarfs on-line video and is holding up pretty well. And in absolute terms there’s no doubt that the big increases in advertising linked to on-line video have yet to emerge.

What is clear though is the dramatic fall in print revenues. Year on year declines in revenue of 10% or more are not unheard of. So media owners have  a big hole to fill and are struggling to do so. Strategy after strategy looks to on-line video display advertising to fill the gap and that just isn’t materialising.

So what’s the way forward? As far as on-line goes it’s simply a question of engagement. All the figures show that whilst people love watching video over the internet they’re not engaged by it. And given the smaller numbers compared to terrestrial television that means a lack of advertising revenue.

I think the good folks at APCO might give us a clue here. Waiting for the Wizard to deliver big revenues is just not going to happen. What we need to do is to make our programmes relevant and engaging to the people we serve. And if we do this the revenues to support it won’t be far away.

Thought so. And we are too here at WebsEdge. It’s been a busy year and there’s so much more to look forward to!

Last week in fact we were at the seaside in Bournemouth for the Local Government Association Annual Conference. We were there for two reasons; to show a series of programmes we made through the local government channel and to honour front-line workers through the council worker of the year awards.

Around the conference we conducted some research into how citizens interact with councils and what their major concerns are. As you can imagine people are concerned about crime etc but by and large they were happy enough with the overall job councils are doing. But what really surprised me was how poorly they think councils communicate. And get this. Only 6% use the Internet as their primary means of communication. When we pushed them further 64% wanted to see video as part of that communications mix.

A lot to ‘chew’ on when we made it over to the council worker of the year dinner. At the dinner we showed videos of each finalist which had played on our website over the past ten weeks allowing citizens to vote for their favourite worker. It was a good night and everyone enjoyed picking up their prizes and toasting the winners. View the winners collecting their awards!

But what stuck in my mind was the 21 year old man collecting his award for bravery. The video showed how he had saved several lives through cool thinking when the bus he was travelling on almost crashed because the driver suffered a heart attack. Luke received a standing ovation from the whole audience and was widely applauded in the press the next day. View his story here.

At the end of the day video tells powerful stories – be it on or off line. And if institutions are going to communicate with their stakeholders in the 21st century they’re going to have to make a whole lot better use of it.

Communications and consultation are the watchwords of local government today. In the UK, there have recently been a number of central government announcements about e-government becoming we-government. Citizens, we are told, will have more involvement in health and social care decisions in their local areas, and in the design and delivery of public services.

All well and good. The trouble is, the public doesn’t believe it will ever happen. Government consultation does not always have a very good record for translating into measures that the public has asked for.

WebsEdge has just conducted a survey of 1,000 UK citizens to find out what they think local government’s top neighbourhood priorities should be. Not rubbish, as you might be forgiven for thinking if you read the acres of newsprint in the UK devoted to the subject (waste management came a mere fifth). It’s neighbourhood crime. And what’s interesting, is that there is a real appetite for helping to solve it – by using local government websites more, by posting photos or videos of the results of anti-social behaviour to speed up local government decision-making.

At the moment, there isn’t a lot of incentive to use the website – only 6% of people mostly get their information about local government from the council website. But imagine if you made these sites dynamic and interactive, using the combination of visual (photos and videos) and text content that they asked for in the survey. You could build real online communities, and use them to engage residents to participate in real decision-making. With that, you might just find citizens and local government working more closely together after all.

Read How Councils Communicate: Feedback from Stakeholders GfK NOP here.

As WebsEdge is an online video content provider I was interested to read about this recent study about where people go to watch video. As I predicted: more people are viewing videos at their computer screens than ever before.

The argument here is that whilst traditional tv is still dominant it’s market share is falling at the expense of people watching on a PC. This trend is particularly prevalent among 12-17 year olds. Personally I think whilst a lot of this is true what we’re actually seeing is something even more interesting as the total amount of content viewed – on whatever platform – continues to grow.

I think there are four key reasons why watching TV and video over the internet is so popular: content, navigation, location and community.

I’ve argued before (and will again) that content is the driving force behind online video: there is simply more of it and any viewer can find something relevant to their interests. Similarly, the navigation possible online is far superior to traditional television: you can search for things that you want so that anyone can find exactly what they want, when they want it- without having to wait for the “scheduled program”. And with all the new devices coming to market the ability to watch tv wherever you want to is also important.

Finally, possibly the biggest push behind growth is the community aspect of internet TV or online video. Having the ability to comment on videos, share them with friends, and connect with people about video makes it a social movement and more interesting for all users. Viewing video is no longer just a passive activity: this is a very compelling market proposition.

With such advantages over traditional TV the trend towards watching video on computers is only going to keep growing. I look forward to seeing next year’s data - let’s see if it doubles again by 2009.

If you’ve been reading our blog regularly, you’ll have noticed the recent swell of posts around our trip to Africa to work with The Global Health Council. If you are new to the site, please read the WebsEdge in Africa blog here.

We’ve recently created a video upload facility, From the Field on Global Health TV, an online video site used to help raise awareness of health issues in the developing world.

The concept behind Global Health TV is that online video is the perfect medium to connect those throughout the world who are in a position to help. Although distributing video through mainstream media can reach a massive audience, online distribution reaches a very finely targeted crowd, who are more likely to contribute to the cause.

Mainstream media is also great at telling the big story, but often misses some of the smaller, but equally important stories. One of the benefits of Global Health TV is that we have been able to reach out and capture many stories directly from the communities most affected.

Global Health TV will also benefit the cause because it is a multidirectional form of communication: once videos are uploaded, the community can comment and interact with each other. Utilizing the social aspect of online video will connect dedicated advocates, strengthen the overall support group, and grow the community dedicated to social change.

So go on then don’t be shy! Go on to www.globalhealthtv.com and comment on the work that’s there and share videos with your friends and colleagues. And encourage people working in the field to upload their videos to carry on the conversation.

Our penultimate day was spent at the Candlelight Memorial. It was memorable for meeting the former President of Zambia, Kenneth Kaunda. He was quite delightful and warmly greeted us every time we bumped into him. He was staying at the same hotel and allowed us to accompany him to the mausoleum of his friend and fellow freedom fighter, President Banda of Malawi.

Kenneth Kaunda has been one of the most out-spoken African leaders in the fight against Aids. When his son died of Aids related illnesses, he made this public and also went himself for Aids testing. Secrecy and stigma is a fundamental barrier to HIV/Aids prevention. It stops people wanting to know their status and when they do, from sharing that knowledge.
The morning started early when we, and the Global Health Council team bundled together into Gerald’s truck to travel to the CiVo stadium. There was great excitement surrounding the ceremony and in particular the arrival of Malawi’s President Mutharika, surrounded by men in black suits wearing dark glasses. The President toured the information booths, which sadly were not open to the general public.

After candle lighting, dancing and speeches, the stands were pulled down and everyone dispersed quickly.

The following morning we bade a sad farewell to Malawi. Back in Johannesburg, xenophobic rioting was taking hold of the townships. Safely tucked away at the airport, we waited for our flight back home reflecting on this life-changing experience.
A couple of weeks on and we thank all those that we met. The wonderful people of Ilinge seemed so grateful to us for visiting, but personally, they have given me far more than I could possibly offer them.
Thank you.

One of the aims today is to find time for a proper swim…..

Three quarters of the crew headed off very early to the Lighthouse Project leaving me to do battle with Avis to change our two inadequate vehicles for one with tyres big enough to cope with these roads (oh, and brakes, a complete exhaust and mileage under 100k miles would be nice).

The Lighthouse provides care and counseling for those infected and affected by HIV/Aids. Malawi is one of the most severely affected countries. About 15% of those aged 15-49 years are infected with the AIDS virus making it the leading cause of death in the most productive age group. Over 1 million adults and children are infected leading to around 80 000 deaths annually.

The Lighthouse integrates existing services and initiatives into one centre. TB is the other major health problem here and this is the first specialist centre in Malawi providing care and palliative support.

Meanwhile, back at the hotel, Avis have come up with the biggest 4×4 in the world. It has AVIS plastered all down both sides in 1m tall red letters. So much for trying to be inconspicuous! The vehicle appears to work. Gerald is now very happy and looking for pot holes!

Filming at the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the equivalent to our DFID. Met a very interesting man called Jones from Population Services International (PSI). He had driven 3.5hrs from Blantyre, the other big city, where, incidentally there has not been any water for 4 days.

Next, we ventured down to the craft market to pick up some links. Tourists seem a bit of a novelty in Lilongwe. Particularly those with very big cameras. We make many instant friends. Of particular note is Alex’s Chelsea-supporting mate who rather worryingly for him, has relations in Brixton.

Hard to escape without spending some of our wodge of Kwacha so we have ordered some wooden carved signs for the office from ‘Mike and his uncle’. They are going to deliver them tomorrow.

It is very hot today…we might yet get that swim….

Sam is getting a bit fed up of wearing her yellow filming shirt….

In the afternoon, we visited the Baylor clinic, a very new, very shiny clinic supported by Baylor University, TX and the drug company, Abbot. There was a party going on with Malawian rap stars. This weekend club is for teenagers who know their status. They come together, have fantastic fun and support with the staff and each other.

After Baylor, we had to pop back to the market to pick up some other bits and pieces. En route to the hotel we parked up by a shanty town and filmed the quickest ever link. Gerald is a very good getaway driver…..

By the time we arrived back at the hotel tired and dirty it was sadly, too late for a swim… maybe tomorrow. Tomorrow is the big Candlelight Memorial Day. It is hard to work out exactly what is going to happen but word is that President Mutharika is going to attend. It’s all very hush hush as there was an attempted coup last week. Bit of a problem when you can’t publicise a public event.

Anyway, we have to meet at 7.15am tomorrow to go over to the stadium. So off to bed.