Airbnb Goes To Video

Posted May 25, 2018

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Airbnb, the world's biggest hotel chain that does not own a single hotel room is now moving into the realm of video - more specifially, YOUR videos.

The massive travel and 'find me a room in Brooklyn for $30 a night' site has opened its own WATCh or STORIES or whatever you want to call it.  

Airbnb users are invited to shoot and edit and upload their own 'strories' about their stays at Airbnb locations.  I can only assume that people who are trying to make a living, or a few extra bucks, from renting out their own spare rooms can also shoot, edit and upload their own videos as well.

It all makes sense. Video now represents an astonishing 70% of the content online, and as a rule, people tend to spend far more time watching videos than they do reading text. So video is the place to go.

And, of course, what people love the most are 'stories'.

I have always felt that the big realty companies are missing a trick. Then they do post 'videos' of the homes they have for sale, the video is generally nothing more than a string of stills, Ken Burnzed, so to speak, and cut to music. This is not video. This is a film strip (cultural reference to the older reader).

What Airbnb is cleverly doing is creating their own on line version of House Hunters, HGTV's #1 series.  It's about people, places and an arc of story.

Likewise Airbnb.

The only shortfall so far is that the videos are limited to 10 seconds each.

Better than Vine, but not really enough time to see very much, let along get involved in a plot line.

But it is a beginning.