Screenshot of video playing with Autoplay: On.

D.O.A. (Death of Autoplay)

You have read all these posts and now have a non-shaky video with crystal clear audio you are ready to post it online. I am sure all the readers of this blog are committed workers and would never try use office hours to do things like…fantasy football research for example. I always want to be honest with you readers, and since my bosses don’t read this blog, I will admit I check out what is going on in the world of fantasy football. Like I have told you video is crucial and fantasy football sites have noticed this as well. They have started embedding videos into their posts. As a consumer I love the videos, but as someone covertly searching for for fantasy football info I hate how they play automatically.

Auto-play is the dilemma that brings us here today. Many many companies have their videos start playing as soon as the page loads. They figure the audience will be happy to not have to tax themselves with clicking play. They have complete disregard for those of us trying to trying to read these webpages on the low. The auto-play videos are like a burglar alarm blaring out from my iMac alerting everyone around me that I am trying to use company time to get a leg up in a fake football competition. According to a post on Ad Week’s  Social Times six of 10 consumers do not like the auto-play feature. I am sure you have had a similar experience as me. Don’t put your audience through the same thing.

I even encountered this problem when I was doing research for this blog. CNET has videos on nearly every page. They are all set to auto-play, so each time I load a page I get to hear the beginning of a Best Buy ad. I know you are thinking, “but what about autoplay on mute?” I don’t understand why you would want a video to start playing with the chance the audience may not realize. I think the best option is to trust that viewers will click on your video and play it themselves. They want to watch videos, but they want to do it on their own terms.

 

Sean is a web specialist. He runs the email marketing program, helps in website design, manages social media accounts, and uploads weekly ads. In 2017, Sean started Grocer Podcast, a month show that intends to be another way to get information to retailers. Prior to joining AWG, Sean spent three years as a high school teacher. Sean is an avid cook, sports fan and Kansas Citian.