The WordPress guys launched WordPress.tv – a video driven community site for wordpress users and developers. The idea is totally content driven and includes videos of Wordcamps, How Tos and Tutorials on WordPress. Also on cards are slide shows of presentations and interviews of and from the Automattic team. In basic it is a complete video center on anything related to open source platform.
The site is mainly divided into Wordcamp videos and How-Tos. Presentations, interviews, and audios are included in the Wordcamp sections including Behind the Scene videos of the event. While How Tos have a wider classifications as expected going into nitty gritties of blog management, tools and administration, and also have videos on feature discussions, media and even writing for that matter. The whole picture gives a comprehensive look not only in terms of getting information on WordPress but to in terms of what’s involved in terms of running and growing blogs. The site to my mind provides a wonderful insight into the blogging community in general. The videos include tips and talks on both WordPress.com as well as WordPress.org use.
The WordPress community is one of the more vocal and active among the new age open source groups online and therefore one was bound to find innumerable resources on WordPress related matters online anyway. WordPress.tv can perhaps act as a filter and a more refined resource center considering the media involved and the people behind it. However, Automattic intends to portray the website as more than a support resource and more as a community hangout for WP fans. The fact that their event Wordcamp gets prime space on the site as well is an extension of this thought I presume.
For Automattic the motive of this initiative seems a direct contact in terms of what issues are most sought by users both in terms of the direct questions they mail in, as well as the videos that are looked up the most. For a competitive niche like blogging platforms this is a goldmine of data. Beyond the research goals, it also seems a venture to involve the community even more at a holistic level, get them involved directly at the head of the community instead the long tail spread over various blogs on the web.
To my mind how the community will span out over the period of time will be a significant case study on how socialness of the web goes beyond the medium. You can check out the short intro video on what WP intends with WordPress.tv to get a better idea about the site.
Thanks man !
Very excited to see WordPress do this. The tutorials will really provide a lot of value to the public! Makes it even more of an inclusive hub to learn and grow with the entire wordpress/automatic community.