[pittendrigh]

One more observation.

I mentioned fly tying (making small fly fishing lures). Search youtube. There are tens of thousands of fly tying and lure making videos on youtube now already. It's astonishing how many there are. Why? There are too many intricate steps. You cannot teach complex stuff entirely with words and still images. Video rocks.

But the corollary is true too. Video only is severely inadequate. The fly tying videos mentioned above nearly all suffer from the excruciating presence of a long-winded talking heads. Too many youtube authors feel the need for background discussion. Some viewers need it. Some don't. When I click on a youtube video only to be greeted by three minutes of talking I usually click away.

Background discussion is important. Some readers (primarily beginners) need it. Some don't. Background resources and context discussion should be presented as optional text, rather than as an annoying talking head. The meat and potatoes how to do it video should be short quick and to the point. You can't do that on youtube now. Not yet anyway.

Try combining a smile with smoothly-flowing imagination rather than knitted eyebrow negativity. Video enhanced ebooks have their place. Online books will be a useful part of the overall big picture. It's already starting to happen.

Online ebooks have the potential to be far more profitable to the authors, albeit at the publisher's expense. That's the best part of all.