Due entirely to an error on my part the blog post on my live Stream with Steven Keen and Friends appeared rather late on this site yesterday. All two hours of it are here.
The show was, apparently, quite popular. That gave rise to the question as to whether Richard Murphy and Friends might do a live stream. What are your thoughts having, preferably, watched a bit of this one? I suggest the second hour might give a better indication.
Would a conversational live stream be a better video format than short talking head ones?
- Yes (49%, 46 Votes)
- I am not sure (41%, 39 Votes)
- No (10%, 9 Votes)
Total Voters: 94
Loading ...How long should a live stream video be?
- 30 minutes (29%, 26 Votes)
- An hour (26%, 23 Votes)
- 45 minutes (24%, 21 Votes)
- 15 minutes (16%, 14 Votes)
- Longer (6%, 5 Votes)
Total Voters: 89
Loading ...Is video better than a pod cast format?
- I am not sure (40%, 36 Votes)
- Yes (37%, 33 Votes)
- No (23%, 21 Votes)
Total Voters: 90
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If it’s a conversation then it could be both a video and a podcast. I can’t watch a video for 45 minutes when walking the dog for instance.
True
Agreed – Ill listen to podcasts when doing something else and video if Im sat down.
Timothy Snyders fantastic lectures on Ukraine and Russia are a good example of offering both
You can of course just listen to a video (on your phone, while walking the dog etc) so it serves both purposes. That said, you really need to have 4G coverage for video.
first hour kept reminding me how little I know of economic theory. I did tell my grandson that awareness of our limitations is the beginning of wisdom. He wasn’t impressed but I impressed myself !
I was interested to hear about Richard’s journey to where he is today. I did reflect on my own. In the 60s I came across a printed pamphlet on ‘Social Credit’ which seemed interesting but no one seemed to discuss it and I couldn’t quite work out how worked though it had been popular in Canada.
After my OU degree I helped start a local branch of the Ecology party. I only stayed in the EP a few years then supported the SDP -who did, with the Liberals capture the County Council in Somerset. These early interests have come together in the community of those of us who follow this blog.
I am in full agreement with the need for on-going revision and reflection. Steve Keen is right in suggesting we would all like a revelation from Heaven which gives us a complete, once and for all account and there have been times I thought I had found one which was near enough, but, damn it, I always found aspects which I didn’t agree with.
On retiring from teaching I became a counsellor. I was trained in a particular school and when i was told I didn’t understand some aspects despite some, I thought, useful practice I realised that I disagreed with aspects and evolved my own practice. I met a number of leading Psychotherapists who had done the same. Psychotherapy is like economics in that there are schools who often think the others are just not as correct as they are!!
I also have an interest in different spiritualities. With all three subjects it is an on-going quest and when we think there is nothing else to learn, I think we are stuck -like some Marxists -and not just them-I knew who fitted reality to their paradigm.
And i noticed we had identical shirts!
Thanks
Richard,
I watched it, and it had real merit, but it was too long; too many involved; and frankly I thought the ‘audience intervention’ text at the side appalling. As soon as I see the foolish psuedonyms I know it will go rapidly downhill. Fortuitously the troll merely focused everybody to handle it well; but it is too disruptive. A focused discussion on a single topic for 45 minutes, without the extraneous noise from the groundlings seems right to me. Public debate can take place in the Blog, below the line – afterwards. If the ‘friends’ have a Blog of their own, then they can have their own debate there (you could provide links if that helped). That is my opinion, for what it is worth.
I tend to agree – especially on the prominent timeline to the right. I think the option to view comments should exist, but also need to be capable of being turned off
I pretty much ignored it
One potential benefit of a livestream is that it sometimes can provide the environment for real creative spark when you get the right knowledgeable people together, such as your good self and professor Steve.
Two thoughts linger from participating in that livestream.
1) It was undeniably a bit too long.
2) Live comments need to be policed by a dedicated team.
– especially Broadcast Participants cannot be expected to have the mental bandwidth to multitask
and the behind-the-scenes tecchies or the livestream operator have already got their responsibilities.
On occasion Live Comments_can_ provide a worthwhile audience participation, but in general, the more viewers to a stream, the more likely that disruptive elements derail them. That’s just the way it goes, I have observed. 🙁
However having ruthless deleters can suppress this chaos, if there is a good enough underlying signal to noise ratio to begin with. 😉
Thanks
All noted
I don’t think there is a magic formula for live streams or shorter videos posts, something appeals to everyone one. On the other hand, your resources and efficient use of time, may be a better indicator. I think there only way to find out is to try a couple of options.
Agreed
You hosting Bill mitchell and warren mosler, go for it..
That would need a third party host
Not sure how relevant to what you’re talking about doing, but I do find Steve Keen’s podcast Debunking Economics an excellent listen.
It is
So is his Patreon / Substack
As I commented on a different thread, I watched all of the Steve Keen stream and surprised myself by enjoying all of it, despite usually being turned off by the video element and anything over an hour long.
Regarding the three questions you posed at the top:
1. A conversational video stream format would be better than a talking heads one, in my view, as it would allow some of the depth of engagement that your blog allows through the (always interesting) comments. I would absolutely ban the ludicrous running commentary that took place on the right of the screen. There is no way any participant could be giving full attention to other participants’ contributions, while formulating their own thoughts and having to dredge through the rubbish for any comment worth addressing. Having said that, I prefer podcast to video, as it lets me get on with not only dog-walking, but also any other household task I want to tackle.
2. I suggest you take a tip from the most successful TV and podcast format to determine length. One of the most popular podcast (The Rest is Politics) is always less than an hour and most of the news/info type podcasts are around 30 minutes. Even the most extensive political shows on TV (Newsnight, Panorama, Kuennsberg) are only an hour long.
3. Whether video is better than podcast, or vice versa, is a very personal choice. It seems that the youngest generations can’t get enough of video, while I have a sneaking suspicion that older generations, like me (I’m 73), like to listen to the content, rather than be distracted by the spectacle offered by video. I also suspect that a high-quality podcast is a somewhat simpler production proposition than a video.
Rest assured, whatever format you settle on, I’ll be staying along for the ride.
Thanks. Appreciated
As a vid listener to podcasts and also talks on Zoom/YouTube I’d agree 100% with all three points. All my favourite podcasts fit with those parameters, both on serious and less serious topics. They’ve got to be exceptionally good to go on for much longer or rely just on a single talking head. Timothy Snyder’s talks on Russia/Ukraine might be the exception.
Thanks
I found the poll answers too narrow so picked ‘don’t know’. What I wanted to say is that I think both formats can work for different purposes. The ‘free range’ discussion and different perspectives of Steve Keen and Friends were entertaining and instructive for an informed audience. Shorter talking heads are easier for general viewers to digest.
On length – I wouldn’t normally watch a two hour video and the start of Steve Keen and Friends felt like ten minutes of my life I’ll never get back. I’ve not yet watched the second hour but I will because the discussion was great once it got going.
Podcast vs video – The ‘halo effect’ of moving heads against a lurid green background looked awful but video as well as audio adds personality and helps me concentrate.
I endorse the suggestion that the chat window should have a ‘hide’ option but have learned to tune out irrelevant stuff (e.g. ads) on screen.
The verdict – Richard Murphy and Friends sometimes, in shorter sessions, and with a touch of technical polish would be excellent so yes please.
Noted
Thanks