A Bold Step Forward
On July 1, Quality Digest strikes out in an entirely new direction with the addition of streaming video content to our web site. More than just a makeover of our existing online platform, the completely revamped site represents an exciting direction for us: Quality Digest Media.
Each week we will bring you brief and informative video clips on a wide range of topics: one-on-one interviews with notables in the quality world (our first is a series of interviews with Jim Harrington, which you don’t want to miss); how-to videos such as our series on how to use dial indicators, vernier calipers, and micrometers (spawned from a reader request); technology overviews on such topics as multisensor 3-D measuring equipment; author interviews; commentary; and perhaps the quality industry’s first news desk.
Every video is expertly shot and produced by Musselman Picture Story and Sound, and presented on the web site in a large viewing area. Much better than YouTube-quality videos, these videos are high quality and hosted by one of the nation’s best content-delivery networks. The videos should stream flawlessly on most broadband connections, even lower-end DSL. The videos are categorized by topic and are easily found and navigated to using our video viewer user interface.
The value of video can’t be overstated. Rather than just taking our existing stories and putting moving images to them, video allows us to more easily describe complex technologies or processes. Plus, a video interview with someone like Jim Harrington is definitely not the same as a quote in print.
For advertisers (and remember, it is the advertisers that allow us to bring you our excellent content for free), we can provide all the value that video has to offer, including product demos and applications stories, the ability to use advertiser equipment when demonstrating measurement or process techniques, and more.
Of course, we didn’t just slap video onto our site and call it quits. Readers wanted the capability to start discussion threads on individual articles; the ability to print or e-mail articles more easily; more robust functionality in forums, classifieds, and event listings; and much more. You asked, and we’ve delivered.
Quality Digest has always tried to stay on the leading edge of the quality industry, bringing you the latest management trends, dimensional metrology, and quality-related standards. We’ve been on the leading edge of trade publications as well, being one of the first trade publications and certainly the first in our industry to put its content online (our web archives go back to 1995). We were also the first trade publication in our industry to provide six different topic-oriented e-newsletters and weekly industry news feeds. Adding video is a natural extension of our mission to be the best and most informative trade publication for quality professionals.
Of course, we expect there to be glitches and hiccups as we roll out this new venture. So we are asking our eagle-eyed, nitpicky, quality-minded readers to tear into the site and tell us what you think… bad and good. Also, tell us what you want to see in video. Is there some sort of measurement device that you would like to see demonstrated, or learn how to use better? Is there someone that you would like to see interviewed? All suggestions are welcome.
We hope you are as excited by Quality Digest Media as we are. Take it for a spin and let us know what you think.
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