Intranet Blog

Intranet trends (video)

Toby Ward — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 20:51:00 -0800

The folks at Ragan.com asking me about the future of intranets and trends to watch out for.

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The Internet is Dead, Long Live the Intranet

Toby Ward — Tue, 31 Jul 2007 00:27:00 -0700

The headline from a republished column on DMW written by web aficionado, maverick blogster and Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban.

“For some reason the fact that intranets can significantly outperform Internets and in particular THE Internet is a shocking concept. It shouldn't be,” writes Mark in IntraNets vs InterNets. “It’s a stagnant consumer platform (the Internet). We switched to browsers for most of our PC activity. We are getting to the point where the browser on the net as a platform is becoming stagnant.”

Cuban’s biggest complaint is the lack of quality video and multimedia on the Internet, and the websites that crash and timeout when downloading video. In theory, the intranet can do a much better job. Therefore, the Internet is Dead, Long Live the Intranet.

Cuban rightly asserts that most Internet throughput speeds are actually much less than 1 MBS (in North America. In Europe and Japan throughput speeds are offen much faster) – even though the advertised number is 3 MBS or up to 10 MBS. However, on the corporate intranet, it is possible to soon have throughput speeds of up to 100 MBS. An equivalent rate on the Internet may be many, many years away.

The nasty truth is that the vast majority of intranets feature little to no video and multimedia. Why? Because they don’t have the pipes and the infrastructure to carry and deliver video without crashing the intranet. And more pipes and infrastructure cost money. Why would executives invest more money in a cost center like the intranet when potential customers on the Internet are far more important than employees?

Cuban therefore is talking about the ideal intranet, or for the most part, the theoretical intranet. Yes, some companies have been providing rich multimedia on their intranet for many years. But they are a rare exceptions to the rule.

Not to burst Cuban’s bubble, but the Internet is a smorgasbord of video that has exploded in the past year. In case you’ve been locked in a closet or a Taliban cave, there’s this little website called YouTube. It’s the fourth most visited website on the Internet even though it’s only existed for a little more than a couple of years.

In theory, Cuban is mostly correct. In theory, communism works.

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Cutting-edge school broadcasts via the intranet

Toby Ward — Wed, 07 Sep 2005 22:43:00 -0700

A clever and obviously well funded high school in Price Hill, Ohio is demonstrating some clever innovation. According to The Price Hill Times (Elder's digital studio allows endless creativity), Elder High School is using a state-of-the-art production studio to produce and stream full news broadcasts including live sporting events via the school intranet:

PRICE HILL - ElderHigh School's new state-of-the-art digital production studio is allowing students to endlessly explore their creative capabilities.

This past summer a room in the SchaeperCenter was transformed into the studio, which doubles as a workspace and classroom complete with the latest digital production computer equipment.

"Our boys' creativity is unbounded," said Jerry Hamburg, Elder's technology director. "Anything they can think of, they can do right here in this studio.”

Students began using laptop computers last year to complete class projects and produce video broadcasts of sporting events and school activities for their Web site, www.elderhs.tv. But the new studio provides them with the resources to take learning to the next level, he said.

The room is stocked with two high definition camcorders, studio-quality lighting, a green screen, news anchor desk, several laptop and desktop computers, scanners and a high-powered computer with the newest digital production software, he said.

"We are the first school in the state to have high definition camcorders, we're exactly on the leading edge," Hamburg said. "We can replicate what any professional studio does.”

Elder students will use the studio when producing video for the Web site and creating broadcasts for the streaming Web cast on the school's Intranet, he said.

Students in the video club will also use the technology to make videos for their peers and community organizations, and students in courses such as history, film study and digital production will use it as an innovative approach to learning, he said.

"One of the great ways to learn is by doing hands-on projects and learning visually," he said.

Last year Elder students worked with the Price Hill Historical Society to make a video about Price Hill history, and this year students will make a documentary featuring the first-hand accounts of World War II from local war veterans.

Students can film a teacher conducting a science experiment, post it on the Intranet site and then other students can view it before class so they know exactly what they have to do, he said.

Hamburg said, "It is unbelievable what we can do here."