TPR Readers! NEED YOUR FEEDBACK!!!

[robbalvey]

Trying out something new that we would LOVE your feedback on!

 

Click:

 

Please post your feedback here in the forum or in the comments section on YouTube.

 

THANK YOU!!!

 

--Robb

Edited November 2, 2013 by robbalvey

[Barge84]

I think it's a cool idea, especially since it's in addition to the reports that you do on the website. Screw the haters that only want to watch a POV.

 

Out of curiosity, how much time does it take to make the video? I'm assuming it's not too bad since you already have the pictures and the captions.

[robbalvey]

^ It took me a few hours to get everything imported, formatted and exported. It's not as easy of a "copy/paste" thing as you would think.

[Moose]

Maybe I'm a slow reader, but I had a hard time reading the full caption before the pic advanced.

 

Personally I would rather view a report in the normal way, though I did like the vine videos being interspersed, it was a nice touch.

[robbalvey]

Maybe I'm a slow reader, but I had a hard time reading the full caption before the pic advanced.

This is something I would have to try and balance. The video is already at 7 minutes long which is WAAAAAY over the average retention rate for any YouTube video. Even adding 1 second longer to each photo would mean an additional 100 seconds.

 

The hard part for me was because not only being a fast reader and the one who wrote the captions, I was able to read them all, some of them twice, before the photo advanced. But I'm also a fast reader. So maybe going into some of the longer captions and extending the length of time the photo is on screen, or the reality is, shortening the caption.

 

I worry more about the overall length of the video more than anything else, and I was already worried that at 7 minutes was too long.

[Mrlittle]

^ It took me a few hours to get everything imported, formatted and exported. It's not as easy of a "copy/paste" thing as you would think.

 

What program were you using to make the slide show? Just out of curiousity. I made a slide show from the Midwest Tour photos I took and it took me a few hrs. I hated the program I was using.

 

I like the idea of a slide show. I think it's definitely a different way to show a TR. I also liked that you used the vine videos in it.

[disneyfan1313]

I don't think I am the audience, because I would rather look at photos on the web than in a video, but I do think this is a good direction to go. People expect to be able to "eat" their content in whatever format works best for them. For some it will be Facebook, some the forums, some twitter and YouTube is a great additional option that will help that group understand the "TPR Style" more than a POV ever will. I do think it feels a little too long (I get the need to balance that though and I know I read fast) and I am actually very glad there is not a VO. A VO would have made it sound like a cheesy podcast.. this seems more professional.

Edited November 1, 2013 by disneyfan1313

[robbalvey]

What program were you using to make the slide show? Just out of curiousity. I made a slide show from the Midwest Tour photos I took and it took me a few hrs. I hated the program I was using.

I use Adobe Premiere for all of my videos.

[Crazy4Coasters!]

Yea, I can see how hard it would be to balance the time in between slides so the video won't be as long. I did have to speed through the first couple of slides but I guess I got used to it and kept up. Other than that, I really enjoyed this new slideshow trip report.

[larrygator]

I'm a slow reader also, so I was expecting to hate the video version, but really enjoyed it. I think only two captions were too lengthy to read the first go around.

[robbalvey]

I am actually very glad there is not a VO. A VO would have made it sound like a cheesy podcast.. this seems more professional.

Yeah, I have no interest in doing a podcast or video podcast. I know a few people on YouTube were suggesting that type of thing, but that's a completely different type of content to make, and I just don't have the interest. On top of that, I hate hearing my own voice, so the idea of me doing any sort of VO on a video is very very unlikely.

Edited November 1, 2013 by disneyfan1313

[cfc]

I like it. I agree that it's a good way to get a TPR update to those who follow the site on You Tube, but not necessarily TPR. Restricting captions to no more than two lines would be helpful (it was a little difficult to read anything longer than that).

[ernierocker]

^Chuck said exactly what I came here to post. Maybe slightly edit some of the longer captions down to a couple of lines so it is easier for slower readers to get all of the information.

 

And even with that said, it isn't that hard to hit the pause button and read the longer ones so that isn't a huge deal.

 

Overall, this isn't my preferred method of reading a TPR Trip Report, but I do think it is a good idea to reach out to the YouTube audience in this form.

[CoasterFEV]

The video is already at 7 minutes long which is WAAAAAY over the average retention rate for any YouTube video.

 

I'm in this category. I gave up watching the video after 3 minutes. Although I agree with Jon, the Vine videos inserted did help.

 

Agree that it's a potential new way to reach out to people who follow TPR on YouTube and not any of the other channels (Facebook, Twitter, and the site) - although how many people fit into this category vs. your time commitment in making these slideshows?

[sspaz1000]

I like the idea of it being in addition to the regular trip reports. I did find myself a couple times, having to pause and go back because of the caption length, but I think you mentioned on the previous page about finding a balance for that, so I think you are headed in the right direction with these, and a little tweaking it will be something that will be a nice addition to the Trip reports.

 

Short answer, yes, I will watch these as well as reading TR's. I think it creates a nice whole.

[rcdude]

Honestly, while I would probably watch these if there was a link to them I wouldn't go searching youtube for them and would just view the regular trip report. Personally, I much prefer a traditional trip report to a photo slideshow, but for those who don't use the site this would be a great way to showcase the best reports. I do think it would be a good idea to cut the photos down so the video is only about 5 minutes long (this one felt too long to me) and keep the captions to two lines so everyone will be able to read them (I didn't have a problem with the three line captions, but I couldn't finish the four line ones and I'm a reasonably quick reader). It also might be worth considering either muting the vine videos or turning the music way down as the audio track conflicted with the music.

 

I still think the Coaster Expedition-style music videos are my favorite of all the video content TPR has produced (in fact, those are the reason I joined the site in the first place) and I would love to see them make a return. However, I'm guessing those take far longer to produce and would probably have less appeal to the youtube crowd, so it makes more sense to go with something like this slideshow.

[DanM64]

A few of the first slides were just a bit fast for me, too, and I'd say I'm probably an "average speed" reader. I'm not sure if the timing was a bit better or if the captions were shorter, but the pacing from the middle to the end seemed perfect. I LOVED the Vine videos you put in, also.

 

I think this is a really good idea, and for your first TR video it was really well done! I'm always happy to read TR's, and this is a cool way to present them. I enjoy the TR's you do in all forms, and I really appreciate all the time you put in making them.

[azza29]

I liked the video, especially the inclusion of Vine clips with the photos. Given the choice I'd probably still read the traditional trip report style, but I think it's great that you're trying something new. My only feedback would be that when viewing on my iPhone, some of the longer captions were a little too small to read quickly.

[yay101]

I have nothing against video trip reports. Personally though I like to scroll down and look at the pictures and read the captions at my own leisure. It is also quicker for me to load pictures like you usually do onto my computer than it does videos. If you started creating video trip reports though, I do not have any objections to it! It's up to you.

[XYZ]

It's a nice video, but I much prefer non-video trip reports. That way I can look at each photo as long as I want and many of the jokes are hard to pick up in the video.

[jray21]

I think it's good for YouTube, but not necessarily on the TPR website. It was a little long for me, and there were a few captions I wasn't able to read in time, but I thought it was a nice video! I think it gives a nice variation to the normal coaster videos.

[SuperShawn]

I think if it's easy enough to put together the video updates it's a great way to put some trip report content up for the Youtube viewers who might not visit or know much about the website to see. For me a 7 minute video of photos is a bit long though, you might look at cutting some images out and making slightly shorter videos in the 2-4 minute range. If some one is truly interested in the full updates they can always check out the site for further content.

 

Just my $.02.

 

PS- Happy to see the full TPR trip reports coming back. Going to be fun to relive all the fun from the past two years or so.

[Meteornotes]

While I think this is a good idea for those that only follow TPR on YouTube, I don't think I'm the right audience for this. I much prefer to look at these reports on the site, and just scroll through the pictures and read the captions as fast or slow as I would like. I didn't have any trouble reading any of the captions on the video, but I'm a really fast reader, so I'm likely not the person it should be timed to. It was cool having the mix of pictures and Vine videos, but I think the overall length was just too long. I think four minutes would probably be a better length.

 

Again, cool idea, and something that may prove popular with you YouTube audience.

 

dt

[ozziboy]

I understand how much you stressed that these are NOT replacing the normal reports in any way, but given the choice I wouldn't ever watch these myself.

 

That's not a comment on your presentation in particular, more just a personal opinion I have about videos of slideshows in general. If I'm surfing YouTube and see a title that interests me, if it then turns out to be a slideshow I usually jump off straight away. I always feel that if I wanted to just peruse pictures I'd look at a normal blog, webpage or gallery of some kind; where I can pace or choose what to stop or flick over.

 

I just can't see the point of using videos to capture static scenes. I don't want to seem negative, but that's just my personal opinion.

 

But having said that, I only discovered TPR thanks to YouTube POV's in the first place. So if these increase your reach to new readers and members, I'd fully support them for that reason!

[rollin_n_coastin]

I really enjoy video slide shows, especially with live video mixed in. Like others may have mentioned, the captions are legible and the transition speed is not too fast. There were a couple captions that seemed to be "too big"/ long with respect to covering up the photo but it's not a huge deal at all. The more concise the captions, the better it looked.

 

Loved it overall and it gives YouTubers another reason to hang out on Youtube for a few more hours.....

 

The link to the TR is available for anyone interested, which is great for anyone interested in leaving Youtube at that point in time or wanting to check out TPR later on.