Trial and Error

To better compete with Yahoo Finance, Google Finance and other business and money-centric sites, CNBC relaunched its Web site on Dec. 4. CNBC said it integrated videos more tightly throughout the site in this makeover.

I pay a visit to the rejiggered site on Dec. 4. From the get-go, video in general is easy to find and the site offers several paths into video. The horizontal menu bar includes a video link, underneath that is a list of exclusive videos and a button to launch the live video player, and on the right hand side sits an embedded video player poised to play a market news update.

I start with the menu bar link, which jumps me to the “CNBC Video Gallery.” I choose to watch “What’s Behind the Rally,” Maria Bartiromo’s interview with a Smith Barney expert. All the functions work easily, so I go ahead and email the video to myself to test the email tool.

I hop back to the main page and launch the live player, opening a rectangular window with an alert that the next live update will be at 4:30 ET, in four minutes. So I try the embedded video player in the meantime and watch a “Market in a Minute” update from Sue Herrera to pass the time.

I check my email and the video link contained in it works perfectly. The best part is the site lets me choose the “play video” option, meaning I control when the videos start rather than having them launch automatically.

And now it’s 4:30 ET and boom, there’s Bill Griffith with the market update.

CNBC has done what many sites only say they will do—make video ubiquitous and easy to use.