talkingDigital

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Digital video and online video have been two hot trends, and there are multiple ways that this relatively new technology is bringing a change to the world. Here’s what we see happening now, and in the future, when it comes to this innovation.

1. Cord-cutting

People are “cutting” their cables virtually, when it comes to television and video. The term is a bit misleading, however, when it comes to what actually happens. Most people who discontinue cable television service will still get their Internet services through the same cable, but the point is, people are cutting costs by watching television, movies, and video clips online.

2. Simple answers

Did you know that YouTube is the world’s second-largest search engine? That opens an entirely different realm of possibilities when it comes to getting answers to people who can’t read or can’t visualize instruction.

3. Education

The cost of traditional college education has absolutely skyrocketed, and it’s reached an epidemic problem in America. The costs of tuition, living and books has escalated to the point where only the wealthiest citizens can afford to pay for it out of pocket, and the middle or lower class students who have to take loans are realizing that it’s not a good trade financially. Student loan debt in America stands at $1 trillion, and is rising, unfortunately.

At the same time, the bandwidth of the Internet and the scope of people’s devices, combined with the decreased cost of video creation and production, have led to an exciting revelation in education: it’s going online. It makes sense that the industry would consolidate in this manner. Why should 10,000 professors be giving the same speeches on any given day, when the five best professors could be giving it online, at a greatly reduced cost?

As a result, online video in the realm of education is becoming very popular. In many technical trades such as computing, it’s a natural fit. If you want to get IT training videos for Microsoft certification, there’s no better place to do it than on a computer. Being able to switch between video training and actual application of the learning is a natural fit. There are hundreds of educational uses of online video, and we’re only beginning to scratch the surface here.

Search engine optimization, or SEO, is a phrase that may cause people who are not in IT to shudder and others to cock their head to the side in confusion. It’s not necessarily easy to understand for those who don’t have to work with it day in and day out.

But if you have a business and a website, SEO should become your new best friend. Without it, your company is unlikely to grow. SEO is essential because it’s how the Internet ranks your website in search engine results.

If you want to grow your brand, you have educate yourself on the ins and outs of SEO. The first thing you may need to know is how SEO technology benefits your business.

SEO creates visibility

In a nutshell, SEO means your website is relevant. The higher your page ranks, the closer to the top of Internet searches it appears. Think of it like this: When you perform an Internet search for a specific company, don’t you usually choose the first one you see?

And why is that? Because if it’s the first result the Internet provides you, it must be a good one. Chances are you don’t scroll down to the bottom of the search page and choose the 89th search page — or even the third — to click on.

With SEO, your website has the capability to make it closer to the front of these search engines, which means your business gains visibility.

Consumer confidence

If your SEO techniques are solid, your business will appear in numerous searches. This gives your business consumer confidence.

Most Internet users rely on more than one search for target keywords. When they see your business name appear on more than one of these searches, this builds their confidence in you.

For example, it’s been demonstrated that more than half of searchers use the first three results of any given Internet search. That’s how important search optimization is for your company’s brand.

SEO education

Now that you know what makes SEO so useful to your business, you need to educate yourself about how it works. This might mean investing in a company that specializes in SEO techniques that can help you build your brand.

SEO is one of the most important facets of conducting business today. Without it, your firm will become obsolete in terms of Internet searches and brand-building ability.

Since most company owners haven’t the time to take on another project, hiring SEO professionals is a growing trend. You’ll receive not only a first-hand education on the inner workings of SEO, but the best possible optimization for your brand and business — driven by those who know the process intimately.

Related articles

• 5 SEO Tactics You Need for Your Store
• What Is SEO? [FAQs]
• 10 Lies You Should Never Believe From SEO “Gurus”

Over the past five years (maybe more) talkingDigital has changed directions many times. Most recently the site was used as the master feed for a number of podcasts. We will continue to produce podcasts and post the latest episodes here, but the content of the site will be soon be expanding.

talkingDigital is the home base for a variety of ongoing projects and experiments conducted by Adam Cochran, a professor of Mass Communication at Colorado Mesa University. For the past year and a half, Cochran has been working on an M.A. in Journalism from the University of Memphis. With the degree work completed, he now has time to work on expanding the content on talkingDigital. We hope to add more podcasts, but also post on topics that are important to the talkingDigital team.

Our passions at talkingDigital are centered around the role of technology in art, education, and industrial progress. We love politics, disruptive technologies, religion and almost any other subject that tends to lead to world-change. We hope that you enjoy the new direction and we encourage you to comment and participate in the discussions presented.

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