I am sad to report that the C-SPAN Video Library, a supposedly non-profit venture, is still less public than many for-profit video sharing websites, such as YouTube and Vimeo, because:
- C-SPAN does not allow you to embed its videos onto your blog or homepage.
- The link to the video, provided by C-Span video player, sends you to a page without the video. The linked page only tries to open a pop-up window with the video.
- C-SPAN separates its video library from the search results of the main site. This means that many users need to perform the same search more than once.
Moreover, the C-SPAN site, which is supposed to be the premier video resource for Congressional coverage, lags behind the video sharing of other non-profit sites, such as the Internet Archive because:
- C-Span does not allow you to download the video for free.
- C-Span does not allow you to download the video in mutliple video formats.
Finally, C-SPAN lacks many obvious features for an increasingly web savvy public. For example:
- C-SPAN does not allow you to clip the video into a smaller relevant interval for re-publication.
- C-SPAN does not allow you to add video widgets to your website (unlike Hulu.com’s video widgets)
- C-SPAN does not allow you to download and save its videos.
On the upside, C-SPAN Video does allow you to:
- Search the transcripts of the video for keywords and fast-forward to those sections.
However, this feature is a moot point for those who want to embed videos of Congress onto a blog or other websites to begin a discussion.
It looks like C-SPAN needs to provide the public with better access to our public information. Congress has a special relationship with C-SPAN, giving them excellent access to record Congressional hearings. In return, Congress needs to require C-SPAN to provide the public with complete access to the content they record. Otherwise, Congress should sever their special relationship with C-SPAN in favor of a more civic-minded organization. In general, C-SPAN needs to release their video and audio recordings to the public or lose their special access to recording our public institutions.
A good first start would be for C-SPAN to:
- Loosen their copyright restrictions to permit unlicensed commercial use. The current copyright restrictions hinder file downloads and “Any other use that C-SPAN believes enhances the value of an organization or entity”. The provisions would restrict people from using public information to create “Documentaries, films, or television progams”, as well as compiling “DVDs and the like”. It also hinders embedding content on blogs, many of which include for-profit ads. As a public service, C-SPAN should release all of their public content into the public domain.
- Partner with multiple video sharing websites from the public and private sectors to freely syndicate their video recordings to the public.
7 responses so far ↓
1 Leslie Bradshaw // Aug 24, 2008 at 11:10 am
Hi there — I came across your post while doing a project with C-SPAN for the presidential conventions. The timing of your post and the launch of their new convention video archive seems to be well timed. Most all of your concerns are in fact addressed by the sites they developed for the conventions held by DNC and RNC, respectively.
Would love for you to check them out and let us know what you think. I will be working with C-SPAN for the duration of the project and am available at email provided in my comment
* Democratic convention coverage: http://c-span.org/politics/dnc08
* Republican convention coverage:http://c-span.org/politics/rnc08
Thank you in advance for your time and consideration. Look forward to being in touch.
Best Regards,
Leslie
Community & Project Manager
New Media Strategies
Leslie Bradshaws last blog post..My debut on C-SPAN: This isn?t your father?s convention
Leslie Bradshaws last blog post..My debut on C-SPAN: This isn’t your father’s convention
2 Will Riley // Aug 24, 2008 at 3:06 pm
Leslie,
Thank you for your comment. I have posted this comment on your blog about the C-SPAN video player used on the Convention Hub 2008 websites:
“The clipping process needs some improvement. First, the clipping icons may need to be more obvious, perhaps a pair of scissors facing each direction. The main problem with the current icons is that they look like rewind and fast forward buttons. Second, after I clipped the video, the player stopped playing and returned to the first point at which I clipped. It would not allow me to play outside of the clipped area. Third, once you have set an endpoint, you cannot move it by clicking and dragging the endpoint. Fourth, if you click on an endpoint, it does not take the player head to that point.
I am excited that the video player permits setting endpoints and embedding parts of a movie clip.”
I also wrote:
“Oh yes, one more issue are the iframes used for embedding the link. The iframe that is holding this video has scroll bars. Can you copy YouTube’s approach to embedding videos?”
But C-Span still lacks the basic ability to allow the public download the video and edit it.
Moreoever, unlike YouTube, C-Span does not allow the public to:
1. Add comments to the videos.
2. Rate videos.
3. Save their favorite videos.
And finally, the C-Span site does not allow users to:
1. Save their clipped videos for further comment.
3 Leslie Bradshaw // Aug 24, 2008 at 4:11 pm
Will — thanks for your quick response on both your blog as well as mine. I will re-post my comment on your note here, as well as add that I have taken all of your feedback and will get it to the C-SPAN team ASAP. I will keep you posted on developments in response to your requests and also ask for your understanding as we help C-SPAN take on a lot of new things during the two conventions.
Thanks so much once again - Leslie
“Will — thanks so much for stopping by and for the very insightful feedback. I will make sure it makes its way to the C-SPAN technical team ASAP. As with any new endeavor, there are kinks to work out and improvements to be made, so I really appreciate your patience and support for the massive undertaking that this is.
This is a huge step for C-SPAN and all of us who are interested in posting their video coverage to our blogs… not to mention their desire to link to others covering the conventions from near and far. Overall, I hope that we can continue to all collaborate online, for certain. Thanks again
Leslie”
Leslie Bradshaws last blog post..My debut on C-SPAN: This isn’t your father’s convention
4 Will Riley // Aug 24, 2008 at 5:20 pm
Leslie, I would add one more important improvement to the video player:
1. Put a picture from the interval of video recorded as the front image of the embedded video, the one that displays before the user plays it. This will give the user a better indication of what they are about to watch.
5 Leslie Bradshaw // Aug 24, 2008 at 5:56 pm
Will — all great comments. Thanks again for taking the time to provide feedback. This is a major step forward for C-SPAN with their own flashplayer… it will continue to be a work in progress
Leslie Bradshaws last blog post..My debut on C-SPAN: This isn’t your father’s convention
6 Leslie Bradshaw // Aug 24, 2008 at 7:01 pm
Will — as I noted on my blog as well, really appreciate your feedback and will relay it all to the C-SPAN team. Your understanding and thoughts on all of this is most helpful, as this is a first for C-SPAN and an evolving project indeed.
Leslie Bradshaws last blog post..My debut on C-SPAN: This isn’t your father’s convention
7 Leslie Bradshaw // Aug 24, 2008 at 7:03 pm
Oops, sorry for the double-comment, wanted to make sure I got back to you on both spots and seem to have too many tabs open
Leslie Bradshaws last blog post..My debut on C-SPAN: This isn’t your father’s convention
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