After postulating my 10 best technology podcasts last week, I delve into Web video shows this week — and it should be noted that all of these videos can be downloaded by subscription, just like podcasts. Here is my list of the 10 best Web video shows on technology and the IT industry.
Note: This list is also available as a PDF download.
10. IT Idiots
A pair of British techies introduce and explain various networking and server technologies to IT professionals. They tend to focus on Microsoft products and Microsoft certifications, and they also tend to ramble, but they provide some nice insights and tutorials from the trenches.
9. Systm
For the techies who have a “do-it-yourself” addiction, this is their show. Patrick Norton and David Randolph provide a hacks, tips, and tricks for technophiles. While some of the tips are focused on digital lifestyle, there is plenty of good information that applies to technologists in business.
8. Tech Talk
These short reports from Fortune — usually two minutes or less — provide a quick synopsis of a current issue in the technology industry. There’s a mix of consumer and business topics, but the conciseness of these videos makes them worthwhile.
7. Loaded
This quick daily summary of the news is produced by CNETTV (TechRepublic and CNET are both part of CNET Networks). Hosted by Natali Del Conti (formerly the host of TeXtra), the show is usually about five minutes long and typically publishes by 9:00 AM, Monday through Thursday. Fridays feature The Buzz Report - another good show, and another reason to add this feed. In terms of daily news summaries, Loaded edges out Webb Alert and Geek Brief TV.
If you aren’t located in the Valley but want to keep up with the technology behemoths and startups who are centered there, then this PodTech show is a great resource. It is especially helpful when you aren’t in the Valley but have other team members who are.
5. Top 5
Hosted by Tom Merritt, this short CNETTV show races through a top five countdown — often in three minutes or less. It also provides some great fodder for debate with lists such as “Top 5: Worst tech of 2007″ and “Top 5: Worst downloads of 2007.”
Quickly digest new tech topics and hot buzzwords with this series in which the host diagrams the topic on the whiteboard in three minutes or less. The series runs on ZDNet, which is TechRepublic’s sister site, and both sites are part of CNET Networks.
3. Cranky Geeks
John Dvorak leads this show as the “Head Crank,” where he and several panelists debate the latest issues in the tech world at large. This should really be a podcast rather than a video show because there isn’t much that happens on the screen. Nevertheless, the commentary is good, and so it’s worth listening to this one, but just let it play in the background and don’t bother watching the video.
In this interview series from ZDNet, listen to some of the top CIOs and IT executives in the business world as they talk about the ways they’ve used IT to deliver business value. For working IT professionals and IT executives, it doesn’t get much more useful than this.
Although this weekly show primarily covers general technology — rather than business tech — and it is heavily focused on the Silicon Valley, I consider it the best Web video show in the tech industry because of its polish and great content. Om Malik and Joyce Kim do a weekly recap of the top news stories and then typically have a guest from one of the top tech companies in the Valley. It is the interviews that make this show very worthwhile.
What do you consider to be the best Web video shows on tech and the IT industry? Join the discussion. (Just don’t say “Diggnation,” because I’m interested in shows that are actually useful and don’t kill brain cells.)
