So what’s caught my eye this week here at WebsEdge? Well it’s interesting. The headlines are full of news of the iPlayer and the iPhone. And as regular readers will know I’m a great fan of both devices.

But what’s really grabbed my attention is the work that’s being done to help communities engage using on-line video. More often than not it’s actually practical applications that are making a difference. Let me give you some examples.

We’re currently working on an initiative with Norfolk, Virginia to let job applicants get more of a feel for both the city and the job specification through the use of on-line video. Straightforward enough you might think. But it’s actually making a real difference to their recruitment. They’re finding it much easier to get people to relocate after watching the video.

Another is the work we’re doing with the International City Managers Association based in Washington DC. We’re helping them run a simple competition where young people can upload their own videos and have people vote on them. Again, nothing too complicated but it facilitates two way communications and lets people feel a part of things.

And I think this is the way things will develop. There’s a great demand for top quality content delivered on-line – be in Doctor Who or CNN’s Doctor Dr. Sanjay Gupta. Literally millions of people a month are consuming television in this way. And running alongside that you’ll see lots of different communities coming together in a very 21st century way through the growth of on-line video.