With the current pace of change in technology, it can be hard to keep up. What was desperately new, cool and current a few months ago can change in an instant. Already we’ve seen powerful networking tools like Facebook and Twitter change how we communicate with each other, and sites like foursquare and emptyspoon are having a huge impact on how we choose to interact with our friends, communicate online and get information. Video, skilfully deployed, can really drive home how effective your venue is, from testimonials to walkthroughs to demonstrating what rooms and spaces are available. CHG can produce online video from storyboard to effects that really drives user attention and can tell an extremely powerful story.

The popularity of video sharing sites like YouTube shows how far video has come over the past five years or so, with leaps in quality and bandwidth allowing for a richer technical environment in which to tell a story. It can be overused: when choosing to use video, the question should be asked as to whether a site really needs it, or is it simply a gimmicky feature just for the sake of the technology. We find that sparing use of video technology can be effective – particularly when demonstrating physical areas or getting insight from individuals – but using streaming video throughout your site, constantly, will end up annoying your visitor and they will more than likely depart your site none the wiser. The moral? Never use technology for technology’s sake. Concentrate on getting your message across, and use the right media to achieve this where appropriate. Streaming video will be right in some places: some well chosen words, such as a pull quote, in others. As part of our strategic reviews, we can determine what tools will be the most effective for your site at an early stage, and work from there.