Estimated reading time: 2 minutes, 27 seconds

I too do not like video – and yet I see the need for it to help with “presence” … but often I find that video is just a waste of time. Unless it is very well crafted, it takes too long to get to the point … the irony of they Buddy project isn’t lost on me, but that project is not so much about the video, but rather about the connection. I should have taken a screenshot of Dave with his fingers pointing to each other. The goal there is not broadcast video but rather two way video. It is about synchronous communication, rather than passively watching video. One of my colleagues did his masters on video in physician education. They found that video used to tell personal stories were valued, but video that talks about facts was not – learners felt that they could read about fact faster … the idea is that video was useful (not necessarily needed) to help with the humanizing aspect of the interaction, but wasn’t needed for the knowledge dump aspect …

I also think that part of what makes buddy work is understanding what video is worthwhile and what video is wasting time, but also, the fact that we are good at backchanneling in text. We developed our relationship solely using text based communication. We can have deep conversations with text … that is not a skill that everyone has. So for some, the video is an easier form of expression. But for me, to, it is exhausting but also largely impractical …