It's been our collective opinion for quite a while here at Room 214 that the effective use of video is the future of marketing on the Internet. Not an unpopular opinion. So what is the video boat you ask?

As you've likely deducted, it's the social media vessel everyone is trying to catch. Some have already paid for their tickets, but still have not managed to catch the boat. Others have caught the boat but didn't pay what they should have to get on board.

Forgive the analogy if this isn't resonating. All I'm saying is some companies have spent a great deal of money on video production for the web, but have not produced or distributed the video in a way that would best serve them from a social media perspective.

On the other hand, those who have cranked out video yet failed to meet or even account for how success would be measured around it have missed something big.

Humble note: kudos to the many who have realized value, even with the most basic levels of production. Social media credit, if you will, actually should be extended to anyone who is trying at this point. Why? Because the boat, itself, is still being worked on. Consider the mere prospect of shopping for a video camera these days: one that the manufacturer has even considered the web for. Pickens are slim. Standards are new (and continuing to form). Options are numerous.

Of course, the camera won't be an issue for most. But then there is the actual production (we learned the hard way that acting natural on camera doesn't come natural at first), post production, means of embedding formatted video in an RSS feed while simultaneously post within a flash player, etc., etc.

What do you think about video in social media? You or clients interested in catching the boat?

Why a personal blog? Because now more than ever, the wave of social media provides an increasing ability to personally connect with others while naturally building search visibility and relationships. Through the expertise of individuals, companies can be part of communities.

An additional obvious draw is simply being able to share what you have to personally offer. We all love the community aspect of Capture the Conversation here at Room 214 - but each of us has our own skills, interests, opinions, etc.

For example, JennyU likes playing games on facebook and informing me of the Santa Barbara surf report when the waves get big (and I'm sitting here in Boulder). Stepan likes following any and every piece of news on Rage Against the Machine. Ben likes fantasizing about riding his bike again while popping percacets to ease the pain of his recent snowboard accident (brutally falling off a chairlift). Ingrid looks forward to spin class, and one day proving Stepan wrong. And James, well, James is all over the place.