Careers in New Media and Podcasting

A collection of New Media items I found interesting this week.
• Why social media gurus should be trampled by elephants – August 29, 2010
• Jazz Up Your Next YouTube Video with Royalty-Free Music From Incompetech [Music] – August 27, 2010
• Netflix adds iPhone and iPod touch compatibility in latest app version – August 26, 2010

I give a lot of training sessions — one-on-one, small group and larger sessions. I think this makes me a bit sensitive to issues when I am on the other side of the table. I cringe when I am faced with a class that is less than it could, or should be. Due to the freely available live streaming audio and video tools, it is easier than ever to create classes, but sometimes the fundamentals of teaching get lost in the process.

While attending an online course today via streaming video, I was struck with a problem that I hadn’t really thought about before. In classes where there is a large amount of prep work — installing several software packages, checking connections, trying a sample project — the first session can be quite daunting. Students are eager to dive into the topic and start working with the tools or information. If, instead, they are presented with an hour or more of setup, you are likely to lose them before you ever get started. I know for myself, today’s class seemed interminable. In fact, they may have lost me for the rest of the class. I will probably give it one more try, but if it isn’t significantly better, I will probably abandon the class in favor of more self-directed learning through others sources.

Of course, this got me thinking about how you can avoid problems like this, where the setup takes up an entire class session before the students can experience something “cool.” One way I would have approached it would to have had an online forum/discussion group setup a week or more before the live class, where students could work through the installation and troubleshooting of all the necessary software and materials. There could have been group leaders online to answer questions and help everyone prepare, so this information wouldn’t need to be covered during the first live class. The instructor could make the assumption that everyone was ready to go and could dive into the most interesting part of the information. This would provide a much more exciting and energetic start to any class.

The next separate, yet related issue, is that of instructor demeanor. Whether this was caused by being forced to address the setup issues in the first class, over-familiarity with their subject or general personality, the instructor of this online class showed no excitement about his topic. One can guess he is an expert in his field, but without any sense of passion about the topic it made the class a very hard slog. For me, when teaching in any environment, a certain amount of passion is expected, desired and, for me, required. If I can’t get excited about the topic, how do I ever hope to excite the students interest? How do I hope to help them (or push them) through the rough parts of the class, if I can’t make the topic interesting and applicable to them. How can I hope to enjoy teaching the topic if I am bored with it. A little excitement, a little fun, a little look into the cool stuff to come would have been very welcome.

Of course, classes are about information transfer — teaching students something — but without a certain amount of fun and passion involved they can become less useful than simply reading the material out of a book or web site. If you are going to “teach” a course, you need to add value to the information, not simply read it out. Your video needs to add value to the information in order to justify someone taking time out of their day to show up in a particular place at a particular time.

How do you add value with your audio or video projects? What passion to you bring to the screen? You would be well advised to think about these issues before you start. Share your thoughts using the Comments link.

Podcasters and other new media folks can always use some good music for their audio and video projects. If you aren’t a musician, have friends who are, or can’t afford a lot of money to license music, Incompetech can offer you some nice, royalty-free music.

They have music in a variety of styles and moods and a quick listen found several tracks I will use in upcoming productions. All that is asked in return is an optional $5 donation and/or credit in your project when completed.

Check it out!

I originally found out about this music from Lifehacker via Jazz Up Your Next YouTube Video with Royalty-Free Music From Incompetech [Music].

Over the last couple of weeks, I have been asked this question more than a few times, both face-to-face and via email/Twitter. The on-going privacy policy battles with Facebook have turned off a lot of people on the large (and growing larger) service, but for the foreseeable future, if you leave Facebook, you might just be reducing your social media effectiveness.

First, let me say that I haven’t had a large problem with Facebook privacy settings for two important reasons.

1. I joined Facebook after it had opened up for everyone, not just limited groups of high school and college students so I never developed an assumption of privacy there.

2. As with any social media, I consider anything and everything I post there to be public by default, so changes in Facebook’s privacy policy didn’t really effect me or the way I used the service.

For most people, you want (and perhaps, need) to be on Facebook for one very important reason…it is where the people are. In shear numbers, Facebook far outweighs any other social network and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. Removing yourself from that mass of people will limit the effectiveness of any social media campaign, both person and professional, that you might care to create. You need to connect with the quorum of people that exist on Facebook to spread your message as far as possible. Deleting your Facebook account might make your feel better, but your online relationships and business will suffer.

Will Facebook always be the big event in town? No. History has shown that companies ebb and flow over the years and sometime, somewhere, someone will create a new and better service and will do to Facebook, what it did to Myspace (and others). Until then, we all need to “dance with those that brought us.”

That said, if you want to continue to have private conversations via Facebook, you need to look elsewhere. Facebook has shown every indication that they will be “public by default.” Even if you manage your Facebook Privacy Settings perfectly, you will be exposing your “private” updates to any number of people. Look towards closed email lists or other services which promise closed communications and leave Facebook for your public-facing activities. Remember, though, that even then information can leak out of these so-called “private” realms very easily. A forwarded email, a Twitter message, a casual mention by a fellow group member over the phone show you just how fragile privacy can be. In some cases, the only way to truly private about something is to be the only person who knows about it.

You need to engage on Facebook, publicly, if you want spread your message and thoughts to the widest audience possible. Move your private conversations elsewhere. Facebook isn’t going back so you need to do what is best for you.

A collection of New Media items I found interesting this week.
• You own nothing in social media – August 24, 2010

I did a short interview via Skype video today with Tracy Pattin of Sizzlecaster.com. Tracy is starting this new show and business to help with “Turning your Passion into your Personal Brand.” We talk about the how and way of moving forward with your own personal branding.

You can find Tracy’s complete blog post at Sizzlecaster.com.

A collection of New Media items I found interesting this week.
• Which Email Marketing Platform is Right for You? Here Are 3 of the Best – August 15, 2010

I had some open time in the last few days and I have spent some time finding sites and shows that can help you make your New Media projects even better.

The first show I am highlighting is FilmRiot from Revision3. The production quality is quite high and the content is very good. There is a bit of silliness in each episode, but in reviewing several episodes I found some really good hints, tips and tricks you can put to use today. Embedded below is a recent episode entitled “Turn Your Tripod Into a Dolly or Jib!: Learn how to use your tripod as a dolly or jib, then learn about using different camera techniques to enhance your story.” These are simple hints, but for those of us working on small budgets and with heavy time constraints, they can quickly bump up the quality of our projects.

You can subscribe to FilmRiot and download previous episodes from the FilmRiot site.

A collection of New Media items I found interesting this week.
• Perian Makes Nearly Every Video Playable in QuickTime [Downloads] – August 10, 2010

• Q: How do I set up a WordPress or WordPress.com blog to use a static page as the opening screen instead of a list of blog posts?
• A: I first turned to the WordPress Codex to give me some guidance on this. You can read more in this here – Creating a static front page.

  Basically, you create the WordPress Page you would like to act as the front page for the site. Put your home page content here. Then, create another page and name it Blog, Posts, or whatever else makes sense to you. You need not add anything to this page, as it is only a placeholder to contain the usual posts you would see in a more typical WordPress blog.

  Next, from the WordPress Dashboard, select Settings, Reading. Under the first option on that page (Front page displays) select the radio button next to “A static page”. Then in the popup menus immediately below that, under Front Page, select the page you created to act as the new front page. Under the Posts page, select the second page you created named Blog, Posts, etc. Scroll to the bottom of the page and click the blue “Save Changes” button.

  Now when people visit your blog, they will see the static page you defined. You will need to include a link to the Posts page in the sidebar or header in order to allow people to access your blog posts.
  

Do you have a question? Why not drop me a line? Use the Comments link above, send email to me@douglasewelch.com or call the voice mail line at 818-804-5049

A collection of New Media items I found interesting this week.
• YouTube to increase upload limit from 10 to 15 minutes – July 29, 2010
• How To Use Your Online Community Skills To Revive Your Local Community – July 26, 2010
• HOW TO: Use Annotations to Promote Your Brand on YouTube – July 27, 2010
• Want a map of your Twitter followers? – July 25, 2010

A collection of New Media items I found interesting this week.
• Sony Bloggie MHS-PM5 Review – July 18, 2010
• Nixty Launches With Ambitions to Build Something Huge in eLearning – July 13, 2010
• Phone Your Blog — Blog — WordPress.com – July 2, 2010 – WordPress.com adds audio posting to their hosted sites.
• How to Create a FaceBook Landing Page for Your Blog – July 1, 2010
• How To Make Money In Online Video – February 7, 2010
• Zoom Intros $99 H1 Handy Recorder » Podcasting News – June 2, 2010

Update: I got to try viewing this post on an iPad and, sure enough, it allows for the embedded video to play right in the page, much like we see every other video. Very cool!

In this blog post, A New Way To Embed YouTube Videos, YouTube announced testing of new EMBED codes for your video.

The biggest enhancement I see is that this embed will serve up wither Adobe Flash or HTML5 video depending on the users environment. This should make it easier for bloggers to post one video link regardless of the technology their readers might be using.

There are 2 major limitations. First, videos with advertisements must still be played using Flash and, second, anyone using WordPress.com and other platforms that prevent the usage of “iframe” will not be able to use this new method.

Below I have embedded one of my older videos using the new method. I will then go and check it out on my iPhone and in other browsers to see how well it works.

We recently returned from a trip to the UK and I took several videos while we were there. The 2 videos below show 2 different methods of presenting a location to your viewer.

The first is this time lapse video of a “flight” on the London Eye. It seemed to me that presenting clips from the slow moving ride, or posting the entire ride in real time wouldn’t really give the feeling that I was looking for.

To capture this footage, we immediately placed our Flip Mino HD on a table top tripod on the floor of the capsule. You may notice that there was at least one time when we adjusted the few, but for the most part the video was just captured as we enjoyed the view. The movement of the boats and cars offers a nice contrast to the slow movement of the Eye itself.

In order second video, we did the opposite. Instead of speeding up time, we slowed it down…at least figuratively. Using the concept of a “long picture” I took 3 views of Stonehenge, again using the tripod, but rather than moving around like most videos would, these are 2 static shots.

I believe this gives a great feeling of what it would be like to be sitting there on the grass with us. The audio was captured from a group who were chanting nearby and I thought this added an important element, too.

You can see more examples of these “long picture” videos in this Places UK: Cardiff Bay and Water in Millard Canyon.

Videos don’t have to be like every other video on the Internet. Experiment with movement, stillness, profiles, interviews and any other videos that you can imagine. You never know what you might discover.

A collection of New Media items I found interesting this week.
• Apple Reveals New Service for Authors to Sell Their Books Directly in the iBookstore (David W. Martin/Mac|Life) – May 27, 2010
• How To Use Google Wave for Live Blogging – May 26, 2010

A collection of New Media items I found interesting this week.
• An Amusing Historical Look At Moral Panics And The Content Industry – May 24, 2010

One of the most common questions I get asked as a New Media consultant is “How do I live video stream my event?” The fact is, the technology part of the live streaming equation is easier than ever before, but it still requires a little bit of equipment and, more importantly, good planning to get your live video stream up and running.

Time to prepare

First, you need to give yourself some time. I often receive requests and questions about live streaming the day before, or the day of, and event. If you haven’t been streaming your events before, this is usually not enough time to do more than the most basic of video streams. This doesn’t usually have anything to do with technology, but more to do with logistics.

Depending on what you are trying to accomplish you might simply have a laptop and webcam which is pointed at a stage or a speaker. Even then, though, you will need to have some basic knowledge of the different types of live video streaming services out there and what they can do. Ideally, you will want to do a “sound check” earlier in the day or even the day before your event to make sure you don’t have any issues with the local network, web cam and service. You will need to set up your account with the streaming service and learn how you can embed and link to your stream during your event.

Time to promote

This points to another issue with time, too. If you want to attract an audience to your live video stream, you need to give them plenty of notice. They will need to place the event in their calendars and plan around it just as they would if they were attending in person. This is one of the limitations of live streams, of course, you still need to be in a particular place at a particular time, even if that place is only on your own sofa.

Ideally, you want to promote your event 2-3 weeks ahead. Then you will also want to remind people 1 week before the event, 1 day before the event and finally, right before the event starts. You will want to embed the player for the live stream on your blog and/or web site so people can easily find it and even stumble across it if they have forgotten about the event.

Adding complexity

Live video streaming from one location is the simplest to set up, but often show hosts and producers what to take live callers, or even live video calls, during their event. While it is possible to do this in a number of ways, be aware that the complexity of your production will increase dramatically.

You will probably want, if not need, additional computers, higher speed Internet connections and more people to handle the technology…at least initially. Once you get things up and running, you might be able to produce your show by yourself, but allow yourself some “helping hands” at the beginning.

Saving it for later

You will also want to make arrangement to capture the video from your event for those who weren’t able to watch it live. The fact is, the size of this audience is often much larger than the audience watching live. You can deliver this video via YouTube or other video sharing site, embed it on your web site or blog or even sell it on DVD to those who might want to own a physical copy.

Do you want to learn more about live video streaming and how to get it working for your event? Add your comments here or email me at me@douglasewelch.com to set up a phone or in-person consult.

Remember, allow yourself plenty of time before your first event so you aren’t struggling with the technology while also trying to organize your event.

A collection of New Media items I found interesting this week.
• How to Promote Your Blog on TV for Way Less Than You Think – May 19, 2010

Since I was there at the beginning of Podcasting and New Media, it only makes sense that I have a lot of friends and acquaintances in the New Media world. In fact, several of these friends have authored, or co-authored very useful New Media books. Below are some examples.

Friends Evo Terra, Tee Morris and fellow Friends in Tech members, Chuck Tomasi and Kreg Steppe all collaborated on 2nd Edition of this excellent Podcasting guide book. All were there are the beginning of podcasting 5+ years ago and they have a host of knowledge between them.

Chuck and Kreg also co-authored Sams Teach Yourself WordPress in 10 Minutes. WordPress is an integral part of New Media today and many podcast producers use it to host their web sites and blogs and also release their podcast shows. Anyone who wants to get started in New Media would be well advised to check out this book.

Evo Terra and Tee Morris, along with Ryan Williams, also created a followup to their Podcasting for Dummies book entitled Expert Podcasting Practices for Dummies.

Book Links:

Podcasting for Dummies: Paperback | Kindle Edition

Sams Teach Yourself WordPress in 10 Minutes: Paperback | Kindle Edition

Expert Podcasting Practices for Dummies: Paperback

A collection of New Media items I found interesting this week.
• Repeat Offenders | Fast Company – May 4, 2010 – Interesting story from Fast Company
• Twitter Cooks Up The Blackbird Pie Tool To Bake Tweets Into Your Website – May 4, 2010
• How to Build Your Free Email List with WordPress – May 2, 2010