If you are into online video creation at all, you see a lot of “experts” touting 30-60 seconds of video is the maximum length you should post.  Silly and misguided–and I am being kind with that assessment.

Sure, if all you are offering is drivel or a “make me feel good because I created a talking head video” then less is better…..much, much less to be frank. As in–Why bother?  Shooting for “viral” or “sticky?”  Right……Might as well spend that time playing the slots.  The odds and payout are likely better.

I don’t buy into the idea that advocating for this short-format video has to do with youth, Millennials, or the unending barrage of media that is bombarding our lives each day.  Normal people don’t have the attention span of a gnat when it comes to:

• Something they care about
  • A Cause
  • An Event
  • A Hobby
    
• Technical Topics
  • Say you want to fix your washing machine
  • Or you are considering a new coffee-maker and want to compare models
  • Or you want a review or unboxing of the latest Android phone
    
• A desire to learn new skills
  • Public Speaking
  • Selling
  • Creating a compelling slide deck
  • Resume writing
    
• And the subject matter goes on and on…….

So, when you hear this talk online about how “you should only create videos of 60 seconds or less” please ask that person suggesting such nonsense to come back to reality.

Yes, many elements of communication online are different–”It’s not rocket science” as my internet mentor Sanjay repeatedly said in 1993 when our first website was being built.  Smart humans have always tailored their communication to the subject at hand and the given medium.

Yet, globally suggesting some artificial limit and advocating hard parameters for any form of communication is foolish.

Being concise is important.  No doubt.  Yet, some topics require more time to fully communicate an idea–whether it’s an online video, or a blog post about the absurdity of artificial limits. 

Image credit: David Stewart