Few people have talk about the many similarities between web development and TV production. As we move into an evermore video-based web the similarities become apparent. In many ways, YouTube has become the new TV experience. Influential bloggers are now heralded as respectable pundits and regularly invited to major TV programs. But how can you capitalize on this convergence and learn from TV to enrich your website?

For a while now, I have suggested highly multidisciplinary teams with a rich background. TV people are used to tight deadlines and steady production schedules. They are also familiar with a number of Adobe tools and Unix environments. As the web grows we have to be more focused on the details like typography, photo quality and content quality. Hence, TV strategies can do fine for website content direction with minimal training and adaptation. Web animation development started with implants from the TV industry and most web sites of the web 1.0 era were create by magazine designers.

Aside from providing a pool of professionals suited for web production, the TV industry can provide a myriad of ideas for web site creation/enrichment. Flash sale sites can perhaps find inspiration in QVC-style programs, while search engines have a lot to learn from Oprah-style programs, namely to provide a conversation around the point of view of specialists and like-minded people instead of a cold list of machine-ranked topics.

We still have a lot to learn from print, radio and TV, but the web is rapidly catching up!