Those who read, but comment
not, are called lurkers

Total user-generated videos (UGVs) published in 2007 topped an estimated 1.2 million, along with 26.5 million associated comments, according to User Generated Video 2005 - 2008: Metadata Metrics, published by AccuStream iMedia Research, reports MarketingCharts.

Average comments per video numbered 12.6 in 2007, taking into account videos published in 2007 and previously. The full-year comparable number in 2006 was 19.5, AccuStream said.

"User comments are an indication of content engagement behavior and underlying motivation," said Paul A. Palumbo, research director with AccuStream.

"Comments reflect interactive activity meaningful to brands, publishers and advertisers, particularly as a community's conversation about video becomes intrinsic to CPM value."

Media planners and site brand managers can use metadata performance knowledge to better shape campaign uniqueness and reach desired goals as they incorporate exposure and purchase triggers into message design, according to the report.

Among the findings of the study:

• MySpace TV's library, boosted by its emphasis on semi-professional and professional content, averaged 36.9 comments per video throughout 2007.
• Metacafe's library generated an average of 32.3 comments, followed by YouTube at 25.4. Metacafe has traditionally generated a high number of comments per video, due both to the adult/mature nature of some of its categories and to its predominately male audience.
• Across the group of UGV sites analyzed, a total of 1.19 million videos (hosted inside content categories typically accessible to users) were published in 2007 (excluding 2006 and older videos).
• There were a total of 26.5 million comments published by users associated with those videos, or an average of 22.2 on a per video basis.
• YouTube captured the largest share of those comments, with 79.9 percent, followed by MySpace TV with 13 percent.

About the report: User Generated Video 2005 - 2008: Metadata Metrics analyzes UGV interaction rates, focusing on user comments, videos and views, going back to as far as 2003; it evaluates each content category on AOLUncut, Broadcaster.com, Crackle.com, LiveDigital, Metacafe, MySpace TV, VEOH.com, Vsocial.com, Yahoo Video and YouTube, among others.