Four reasons why I prefer Devour to Youtube
Let me clarify: Devour wouldn’t exist without Youtube and the people that upload to it.
I find that 90% of the stuff I watch is through blogs and websites embedding the video. They’ve found it, they can explain it, and I’m happy to watch the content in their environment. The comments represent the readers of that particular site, and are often more interesting and insightful than the COMPLETE INSANITY you’d get over at youtube. Recently I’ve been drawn to Devour for my entertainment needs.
1. Interface. It’s times like this when graphic design is completely relevant and kicks ass. White space, simplicity, minimal colour palette, minimal font palette (trade gothic condensed and gotham i think). And a grid! Sometimes I feel like half of the internet has never heard of grids.
2. Curation. As they explain in their about section, they use a futuristic algorithm to collate content; they handpick it. Someone with a brain, and a decent sense of humour and taste scrapes these videos up from the top tiers of the vast internet. This makes the user feel calm, and in control. Sometimes an abundance of choice can be overwhelmingly depressing.
3. Copy. Fast, clear and memorable introductions that I actually make a note of reading. Because the site is a closed tunnel in terms of social interaction, they’ve made sure that there’s no need to add anything. They’ve said all you need to hear, and all that’s left is to watch the video.
4. Quality. Most of the videos are in HD. I think when TV’s get more involved with the internet this will be an important feature. You just can’t watch 240 on a widescreen without your eyeballs frying and vomiting blood.