HTML5 has certainly been making the rounds in the news lately. With Apple’s on-going PR campaign against Adobe’s Flash technology, comes mounting misconceptions about what exactly HTML5 is, what it can do, and what it means for end-users.

I hope to clarify several of the most glaring misconceptions over the next few posts. Today I’d like to focus on the most publicized and misunderstood issue of HTML5 video.

HTML5 is not a complete standard

Before we even get into video itself, it is worth noting that for all the publicity HTML5 is getting as the next big thing, it isn’t even final. W3C, the standards body responsible for HTML5, still classifies the HTML5 spec as a “Working Draft” as of this writing.

This means that none of the features are final and are still subject to change. While many browser makers are being pro-active in adding support for the proposed HTML5 features, there is inconsistency in implementation between browsers and level of support.

In other words – HTML5 is not supported in its entirety by any browser currently available.

Why HTML5 video?

One of the biggest areas of growth for Flash has been in delivering video. Flash was probably never best suited to the task, but due to the market penetration the plug-in had across the Internet, it evolved into the defacto standard for delivering web video.

HTML5 seeks to alleviate the web’s reliance on a single plug-in for video by bringing native video support to the browser negating the need for a plug-in. There are many high-profile live implementations of HTML5 video on the web today that target modern browsers and Apple’s mobile devices like YouTube, Vimeo, Time Magazine, NPR, and others.

However, while Apple is aggressively pushing HTML5 video for their iOS devices and modern browsers as an open alternative to Flash, what isn’t open is the video codec Apple has chosen for their implementation.

What is a codec, and why does it matter?

A codec is a method of taking raw audio and video and compressing them into a single file for distribution, and subsequently decompressing the file for playback. Raw video is extremely large, and so codecs serve to produce the best possible size to quality ratio. For web video specifically, this is extremely important.

Several notable browser and smartphone makers like Apple, Google, and Microsoft are currently (or intend to in Microsoft’s case) supporting the popular H.264 codec for HTML5 video. However several other bodies oppose this seemingly ad-hoc choice due to the fact that the H.264 codec is not open source and requires licensing. Organizations like Mozilla and Opera have posed the argument that an open video implementation without an open codec is two steps forward, but one step back.

However, the counter-argument in favour of H.264 generally revolves around the notion that H.264 is already widely adopted, has excellent performance, quality and compression, the licensing terms are clear, and all patent claims against the codec are accounted for. Contrasted to some of the open source alternatives proposed like Theora, it isn’t clear whether or not they may infringe on existing patents, which makes them somewhat risky to use. In addition, both Microsoft and Apple are members of the licensing organization for the codec, which may also explain their preference.

To muddy the waters further, a new video codec called VP8 has recently been acquired by Google and has been released as open-source. Mozilla, Opera, Adobe, and Google, are all pushing for this codec to be considered for HTML5 video via the WebM Project.

So what? Does an open codec matter?

There are valid opinions on either side of this debate. It is logical to want to see an open source codec used in conjunction with an open standard like HTML5. Otherwise every piece of software that plays or authors video intended for the web will need to pay licensing fees for use of the codec. Others consider this a fair price to pay for access to a mature, robust codec with high-quality compression.

Personally, I don’t feel comfortable handing control of such an important piece of the Internet to a private organization. Much like the arguments levied against Adobe’s proprietary Flash technology, trading video locked into Adobe’s Flash is in a way much the same as video locked into MPEG-LA’s codec. Alternatively, browser makers could simply license and build the Flash plug-in into their browsers and achieve the same effect.

If we’re going to go through the effort of converting the Internet away from proprietary video formats, we might as well go all the way.

HTML5 video is not a catch-all solution

While the prospect of an open video format is extremely enticing, there are several cases where it will probably never be used. A prime example is the distribution of broadcast television and film. Currently networks stream their content online and support it with advertisements. Since this video is locked away in a plug-in like Flash or Silverlight, the viewers of these streams are unable to download and re-distribute the content.

HTML5 provides no method of content or copy protection, which means it will probably never be used to distribute this sort of content.

What this means for end-users is the continued use of closed, proprietary technology – whether it be plug-ins like Flash or Silverlight, or platforms like iOS applications.

So while HTML5 video will clearly be a great step forward for web video, it will not fully replace Flash – at least not in this iteration. Therefore while Apple has valid reasons for not supporting Flash on iOS (namely Flash’s notoriously poor performance), it cannot be denied that Flash video will remain a significant source of copyrighted video content on the web until a better solution emerges.

1. Consider existing communities
   Chance are your employees are on Facebook and sharing picture on Flickr already, take a look at these communities and incorporate some of those ideas into your company intranet. Some people have a hard time building in features that don’t directly drive home the company message but if you make your intranet a place that people want to log into everyday then odds are it’ll get used for work related things as well.
2. Find out what people enjoy
   At Fenix we like to eat so creating a space where we can share recipes and photos of dishes we’ve made over the weekend is a great place to start. This can be a small part of your intranet but what it says is that you listen to your employees and appreciate that there’s more to life than making sure their work is done on time.
3. Make your intranet flexible
   We are always coming up with new things we want to add to the intranet. Make it easy for someone to add information that would be useful to everyone. Wikis and similar collaboration tools can be very useful in this case.
4. Encourage collaboration and contributions
   Often organizations choose the CEO or president to write blog posts and as much as we all enjoy hearing from the President – that’s often not the person who can contribute to the community in a really meaningful way. Encourage employees to talk about what they are doing, learning, teaching and give them a voice on the company intranet. As the intranet administrator you can then choose to publish the valuable information to the public website.
5. Include external sources
   There are loads of widgets out there that will draw in data from other sources like news sites, weather, blogs etc … This can help make the intranet useful for users and allows you to take advantage of existing technologies.

Advantages to starting a conversation with employees

The fact is your employees are already part of online communities this is an opportunity for you take advantage of their existing comfort with this space and build an environment for employees collaborate, communicate and share.

Bridge the generation gap. If you’re looking to attract new talent having a dynamic and social intranet can play a role in the appeal of your organization. Knowing how different generations like to communicate can give you a leg up in the war on talent.

Bring together a global workforce. We live in a world where many people can be working on the same project but will never meet. Having an intranet that is customized to facilitate collaboration will not only make your employees jobs easier – it will also make them more productive.

Be part of the conversation. This is your opportunity to hear what your employees have to say and make your company better, more efficient and more appealing to new talent.

“With each Drupal implementation our team impresses me more,” says Fenix Founder Jennifer MacKinnon, “and this project was no exception. The speed and sophistication with which we can deploy an enterprise class environment, complete with a complex feature-set and numerous custom components is exciting and we are happy to be able to offer this level of service, quality and professional capability to our clients.”

“Gennum Corp is a great company and we have enjoyed working directly with their team to see Phase 1 of this initiative to completion. Our two teams worked hard, but more importantly worked well together, mutually ensuring the success of this project.”

Adds Leanne Labelle, co-Founder of Fenix Solutions “Open source solutions are being more and more widely accepted, particularly by large, and international, organizations. Companies seek us out because of our Drupal and open source experience, passion and capabilities. The benefits of open source solutions are compelling and we are seeing a noticeable shift in thinking, resulting in the demand for our kind of offering deployed on open source software. It’s exciting for us to be leading this charge.”

The2009 Social Media Brand Engagement Report explores the social media efforts of the Top 100 Global Brands, including Starbucks (#1 rank), Toyota (#21), Dell (#2) .

The article provides excellent insight for anyone still not conviced social media can create an impact, or for anyone who is convinced but isn’t quite sure how to do it.

The article has an in-depth look into 4 featured companies and gives the reader a peek behind the scene. For example, Starbucks has a staff of 6 people manning 11 social media channels and they explain how manage that and who internally is responsible for it.

The study shows that those organizations that adopted and properly used social media (i.e. engaged customers) saw an 18% increase in their revenue between July 2008-July 2009.

When used right social media can show significant returns and limitless potential. “Recently, we found that for every four people we interacted with…another three people are added virally…” explains Starbucks.

How can you find success using social media? Fenix offers a few suggestions.

Stay focused: don’t try to do everything at once. Start small. Choose one or two channels/tools and dedicate time to using them properly. Be sure to benchmark where you are at  and  monitor your activities to see the impact of your efforts. Build a following, get the format right, and then adopt new tools/channels. This approach is designed to help you see success early on, so you don’t abandon your efforts. This approach is recommended for those of you just starting out. Determining what to start with can be tricky, we can help.

Stay on schedule: be sure to set aside time devoted to conducting social media, and social media monitoring, activities. Unless it is your full time job, you have to balance this with your other duties. Once you figure out the format for tweeting, blogging or whatever channel you choose, and corresponding monitoring, you will get into a groove. As with all initiatives, don’t abandon your channel. If you choose Twitter, then be sure you have the ability to keep the tweets up to date. Never abandon.

Don’t push: don’t use your chosen channels to solely sell your products or services. The key to social media is engagement and conversation. So while it’s okay to talk about your products and services, it’s better to find out who is talking about you and communicate with them. Encourage participation in your social media channel, thank users for their time/comments/feedback, answer questions, provide information, spark dialogue, encourage users to talk amongst each other.

Monitor: you must monitor not only how effective your social media efforts are, meaning the activities you do  online, but to monitor the web in general to determine what is being said about your organization. Twitscoop, Facebook Lexicon, Technorati, Google Insights, are all [free] tools you can use to search for your organization and see what people are saying. Tools such as Google Alerts and TweetBeep will send you email notifications when your brand has been mentioned online or on Twitter respectively.

Use tools like Google Analytics to see how your own social media efforts are driving users to your website (if that is the objective) for example. Monitoring is the only way to find out if your efforts are working and the only way for you to stay on top of your brand chatter. Use this information to make decisions about your organization and your marketing/social media initiatives.

Get Viral: use your followers to spread the word and encourage additional followers of your brand. Word of mouth has always been a tried and true method of awareness building and the Internet offers a global opportunity.

Be wise: a protocol is beginning to form online with respect to social media usage and best practices. Be aware of this protocol and follow it wisely. If someone follows you, take the time to find out whether you should follow them back. If someone leaves a comment on your blog, be sure to review it and respond if required. If someone has promoted you, your brand, your product online, be sure to acknowledge that coverage. You get the idea.

Have fun: really. Social media is fun. It’s immediate, done in real-time involving real-people. It’s brevity makes it manageable, so go ahead and enjoy it. You just might like it.

First of all, don’t try to force anything. Sometimes it is important to take a step back from whatever you are creating and re-assess. Oftentimes I get very caught up in what I am doing, which is a dangerous leeway into frustration. I find it helps to switch tasks for a while, or even leave the computer and take a walk; when you come back to your design you can see it again with a fresh pair of eyes.

We are not all creative geniuses, it is impossible to come up with new, interesting ideas consistently. I do not recommend plagiarism, but taking a look online at websites similar to the style you are trying to achieve may provide new inspiration for your own works. A great resource for this is http://visionwidget.com/showcase/graphics/84-get-design-inspiration-online.html, it features 50 beautiful websites full of unique styles and layouts.

Get a second opinion. People generally know what they like and it is important to remember that your design isn’t going to just be viewed by other designers, so have some friends or colleagues critique your work.

Try some fresh colours. Oftentimes it is difficult to pinpoint exactly why a design isn’t working, so in order to jumpstart what may feel like a flat idea, try completely re-vamping your current colour scheme. This is a quick and simple way to overhaul the look of a piece, modernize something classic, or change an overall mood you are trying to portray. I like using the Colour Schemer Gallery, http://www.colorschemer.com/schemes/ for ideas on which shades work well together. This website is based off the colour schemes of various websites, which you can go and preview.

Finally, remember that design is supposed to be fun! Don’t make it just about work; create some personal artwork in your own time. Developing your personal style should be enjoyable!

A few more great resources:

http://www.gomediazine.com/category/freebies/

For some vector freebies

http://blog.uprinting.com/10-fab-flyer-design-ideas/

Beautiful flyer designs

http://www.texturelovers.com/

A great resource for textures

Below is a link to a comprehensive list for all things Twitter; from getting started to mobile clients and Twitter stats. Enjoy!

http://traffikd.com/resources/101-twitter-resources/