Hands up -- how many of you don't like video links?

One former Jelly used to Rick-Roll quite a bit, and I am sure he didn’t care how annoying it was.
I am actually surprised my anti-virus detection doesn’t go off more often with some of these links.

I often surf from my phone, and my data plan has it’s limits.
Regardless, I can read fast enough to take in information faster than videos play; they take too long to get to the point.

I like them but use them sparingly, if it’s something I feel is really worth sharing. Of course it might be a biased sharing based on my own humor, preference or random moment of whimsy.
I’ve enjoyed some funny sharings here, music, art, pictures, etc. If you don;t like video links, just don;t click. Simple. :-)

Thanks, @Coloma. I feel the same way. Nonetheless, I’m interested to learn at this late date that some people don’t like them. I guess I should have figured that out a long time ago, but I’m not too old to learn, right?

^^^ I like your Sinatra song links. :-)

They are inappropriate (in my opinion) for the following:

- “Watch this video and tell me what you think?”
– As a replacement for argument.

They are fine for:

- When you are referring to a song.
– If you have clearly made – in writing – a thorough summary of someone’s position, and provide a link to a talk in case people want to follow-up with more.
– You want to present something that is best seen in video form, like an app demo.

In other words, if you can’t be bothered to type words to present your position, don’t expect me to watch someone else present “your” position for you. But if you want to include additional links for those that have the time to watch, or have a really great song to show us, go ahead and provide the link.

Links for the “bored” or the “board”?
Maybe both? haha

I don’t mind video links if I’m told ahead of time that it’s a video, and vaguely what to expect, so I can determine for myself whether it’s relevant or interesting enough to spend the time downloading and watching.

My only internet access is through my phone’s wifi hotspot, and I blaze through my 3.5g of full speed access within a couple of days already. My connection is sloooow.

Most of the time, I won’t bother. I’d much rather read an article.

Me! I almost never click on the links… Especially if they aren’t explained or described. I especially dislike when a question asks for music or movies and people put just the link without telling what song or movie it is referring to.

They don’t bother me, although I get a little nervous clicking on loli’s links. lol

^ I’ve found Loli to be one of the most consistent linkers. Always sends you exactly where she says she will.

I think that I’m worried about tentacle porn popping up. ;-)

I’d like a notice or warning letting me know the link is a video. Our satellite internet has a bandwidth limit.

I like them in the right context (since I post them, I guess that’s obvious). I agree with @tom_g that links of any kind shouldn’t be a substitute for a post – if a person can’t be bothered to explain their point of view, why should I be bothered paying attention to it?

But in threads that ask about movies or music, I’ve found that I post them more often, because I genuinely enjoy checking out videos that others have posted – and I’m more likely to do that if a link is provided than if I have to go do the search.

@jonsblond Assuming you’re fluthering on a computer and not a phone, you can hover your cursor over the link, and a preview should appear in the bottom left (if a PC) corner to tell you what the real URL is. That way at least you can tell if it’s a YouTube video (if not which one) and save yourself the bandwidth. Not sure if there’s a way to do that on a phone.

@glacial – In iOS and Android, if you tap and hold a link, a pop up will show the URL and give you options similar to a right-click options menu on a computer.

In other words, if you can’t be bothered to type words to present your position, don’t expect me to watch someone else present “your” position for you.

@tom_g, I don’t use links the way you describe above, as a way to let someone else argue my positions. I state my own positions, pieces of knowledge/experience, or advice. I use links only to give the reader a chance to see a movie clip, hear song or read article that’s pertinent to the question being asked, such as “What’s Your Favorite Xmas Song,” and I believe I usually if not always word my comment to make it easy for the reader to understand that’s what the link is for.

I don’t like watching videos online, unless it’s clips from a favorite tv show. I hate having to stop music or adjust my volume for a video. I hate thinking it’s one thing, and it’s another. I don’t like funny videos, or ones with a lot of profanity or NSFW stuff (not a work issue, I just don’t like that kind of stuff). I like documentary type stuff, stuff that teaches me things. I prefer things in a written to a verbal format. I like the written expression of language. I can’t multitask with a video. I am staunchly anti-video.

I like video links. There are things you can show in video that would be nearly impossible to explain in words. Showing the double slit experiment, for instance, is far more interesting than just telling what happens in it. How would you top this video just typing out words?

Or how about just telling someone what happens in the Belousov-Zhabotinsky reaction versus this video showing it?

Same goes for showing what you can do bump firing an AR-15 with a 100 round clip. I could write it out, but seeing it is far more dramatic.

As far as arguments go, I’m perfectly happy to let a world renowned particle physicist explain why a certain feature of quantum mechanics is as it is. Why transcribe the clip? Anyone who wants to reject a statement supported by a video is welcome to do so, but that seems an awfully illogical reason to reject something that very well might be true.

I should add that no link (video, image or text) should lead to NSFW or obscene material without a warning telling users that is what it shows.

It merits repeating, if you aren’t a fan of video links just don’t click. As my old chinese boss would say ” Understand? Perdy simple!” lol

@Pachyderm_In_The_Room: “I don’t use links the way you describe above, as a way to let someone else argue my positions.”

I agree. But there are a few people here who do this. Didn’t mean to say that you do this.

I don’t mind so long as when I mouse over the link it tells me I am going to youtube or some other safe link.

I don’t mind them as long as:

1.) We’re told it’s a video, so I can decide if I want to watch it before clicking.

2.) The video does not take the place of a question/argument. “Watch this and tell me what you think” – uh, no.

I get a little annoyed by them from time to time, but not enough to complain about it.

I love the video links, but @tom_g nailed it with – “Watch this video and tell me what you think?” As a replacement for discussion. There was a poster on another, site similar to Fluther and 75% of his questions were simply: What do you think of [THIS] with a link attached. It drove me insane. For another 10% they would allow him to post questions (literal example) as “Have you ever seen a person so fat that they had as many chins as a Chinese phonebook?”

That said, I’m in the same camp as @Seek_Kolinahr and @jonsblond that I have limited monthly connectivity. I open a lot of links, but rarely watch one to the end. @ETpro did the ideal recently on a Mandela question. He posted what he warned was a long video clip (I just can’t do that, and appreciate the heads-up) followed by the Cliff Notes typed highlights. Glorious quote that I would have missed otherwise. Best of all possible worlds, that.

Still, I think the links are valuable and I appreciate the poster going to the trouble. I mean, hearing the first few lines of your favorite Christmas song is more emotive than reading “Rocking Around the Christmas Tree” can ever be.

I don’t even watch what I post in my own questions much less in the questions of others.

^ That is true.

@Seek_Kolinahr At least I’m honest. I just… don’t give a crap.

@DWW25921 But then why bother? It just wastes everyone’s time.

@glacial I don’t mean to. I just get distracted and loose interest quickly.

@DWW25921 How about if you make a rule for yourself, that you never post a video that you haven’t watched? Then if you lose interest, it won’t affect anyone else. ;)

@glacial I will en-devour to do better. However I will say my last offending question was fun.

@DWW25921 Well, if it’s fun to laugh at other people who are trying to have a constructive conversation with you, I guess you had fun with that.

@glacial That’s not what I meant. I thought the conversation was interesting.

I don’t click on video links. Since I fluther at work, I have learned to not click on most links anyway.

I can honestly say that I’ve never posted a video that I’ve not seen.

I open the vast majority of the links I encounter on interesting questions, and I enjoy the vast majority of the vids I open. I find they enrich my Fluther experience, immensely. They just engage you senses more fully.

Plus, as noted, I have the option of just ignoring the links.

Why WOULD anyone post a video they have never watched?

I don’t like them much, who’s got the time to invest in watching 30 minute video’s?

Just tell me your point, question or what you think, you can post a link to the video or website if it’s factual evidence in your Q.

Although I have to admit, I’ve watched a few of ET’s that really made me think but I do that out of respect for him (his brain) more than interest in the video.

Oh!

If at all possible, please link directly to YouTube, and NOT TO UPWORTHY.

The nine billion popups on that site really bog me down. And it takes twice as long to actually watch it, making it even less likely I actually will.

I don’t mind them at all. I hover over links, and decide whether to click based on the URL.

How on earth would we be able to reference what you were referring to, with regards to a video clip, or movie clip, if you didn’t include a specific video reference? The more video clips, the merrier!

A picture paints a thousand words, @Kardamom!

I like @Kardamom‘s recipe links. I have quite a few of them bookmarked.

@Seek_Kolinahr Why not use a popup blocker?

I like them just fine. I annoy myself a lot by forgetting to do the click-hold on links when using Fluther on my phone to see if it’s taking me to youtube, which will take one out of the Safari app and into the youtube app, and then it takes a minute to load that before I can exit out of it, go back into Safari, and reload the Fluther page. But that’s just because I am forgetful and have an older iphone; not the links’ fault.

My ad blocker doesn’t seem to work on Upworthy. It’s not ads, so much as that “HEY GIVE US YOUR EMAIL!” thing that they do every time. Even if you’ve already given your email. And then it takes about ten years to unsubscribe.

I like the videos Upworthy chooses, but gods their site is annoying.

I prefer reading. I can skim and get the gist of the message, then go back and read more closely if I’m interested.

I enjoy to see clips and things. I sometimes want to keep them, but I don’t know how to.

@ahro0703 You can bookmark them or download them.