YouTube offers new type of EMBED code for videos

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.

Video: Different methods of presentation – 2 vacation videos

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.

What do you need to live video stream your event?

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.

…requires a little bit of equipment and, more importantly, good planning…

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.

New Media Books by my Friends

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

Event: All-day podcasting workshop at mLearnCon in San Diego, California

I will be presenting the workshop below during the mLearnCon Conference in San Diego, California.


Audio Podcasting A to Z for Mobile Learning

Monday June 14, 2010 08:30 AM
Douglas E. Welch, The WelchWrite Company, Inc.

Podcasting is the epitome of m-Learning in that education and training can be “pulled” to your audience at the time and place of their choosing. While many organizations could provide educational, training, and informational content via Podcast, the subject just seems too complex and outside the “comfort zone.”

This workshop will demystify the subject, and provide participants with clear direction and guidance that will allow them to go home and get started. You will get step-by-step instructions on the design, development, and delivery of an audio Podcast, and explore recording software, microphones, and headsets as well as other equipment.

In this session, you will learn:

A thorough understanding of the structure of a Podcast
The Podcasting design process
The Podcasting production process
The Podcasting delivery process
The Podcasting distribution process

Audience: Participants at all levels who have general computer knowledge and a willingness to be recorded.

Technologies Discussed in This Session: Delivery platforms include the Web, iPhone, iPod, and CD or other portable media device.


I will also be presenting a current conference session on Tuesday, June 15 @ 230pm…

Mobile Audio Recording: Let Me Count the Ways

Tuesday June 15, 2010 02:30 PM

All too often, great content is “lost” simply because people don’t realize they can capture it. Now new mobile recording solutions make it possible to capture content “at the source” wherever and whenever it might appear. In the past, audio production, especially mobile audio production, was complicated and expensive. Today, new and inexpensive tools make high-quality audio recording available to everyone so that even the home/office user has access to technology that lets them create amazing audio presentations even while on the move. This session will open doors for those who have been considering mobile audio production, but haven’t yet taken the first step.

Session participants will explore the equipment and software available for mobile audio recording. You’ll learn about the reasonably priced or free software available for producing your recordings and how to use equipment like your iPhone or iPod Touch. You’ll learn how to capture audio with USB microphones or high-quality shotgun microphones used for film and television production, and even doing online recording via phone. You’ll learn the tools ranging from Audacity and Apple Garageband to ProTools.

In this session, you will learn:

* The wide variety of mobile audio recording options available
* The ease with which you can collect high-quality audio content
* How to use online recording and teleconference services to capture your audio
* The variety of inexpensive microphones available for specific uses
* About free audio software such as Audacity and Garageband
* Why you should be capturing audio at every event and opportunity

Audience: Novice. Very little previous knowledge of audio recording and production required.

Technologies discussed in this session: Apple Macintosh, Microsoft Windows, Audacity free recording and mixing software, Apple Garageband, portable recorders such as the iRiver IFP-795, Zoom H2/H4, Edirol R09, iPhone/iPod Touch, cell phone, online recording systems, phone-based recording systems, teleconference systems like Talkshoe.com and BlogTalkRadio.com, a variety of microphones, and USB mixing boards.

Claim your business online with Foursquare and Google Places

Location is hot in the technology world lately. As new services are created and achieve some sort of traction it is always a good idea to try each one. You never know how useful any particular service might be, especially until you give it a try.

Recently, both Foursquare and Google Places (originally Google Local) have opened up a new selection of services for business owners. You can now “claim” your business, your store, your venue and control the information that is shared via Foursquare check-ins, Google Search and Google Maps. Location is destined to be the next big thing, so organizing your own piece of location “real estate” could pay big benefits in the future.

How to claim your Googles Places listing?

  • Visit http://places.google.com and login with your Google Account
  • Click Add Listing
  • Enter in your business information
  • Google will perform a search looking for an existing business in your location
  • Select your business and Click “Claim Listing” or, if your business was not found, select “Add Listing”
  • Complete the questionnaire regarding location, hours and more and click “Submit”
  • You will then be asked to verify your listing by phone or mail. I used the automated mail system to verify my listing in about 2 minutes.
  • Now your Google Places listing will include  the label “Owner-verified listing”
  • If you perform this verification first, you can use your Google Places page to verify your Foursquare venue in the next step

How to become a manager of a Foursquare Venue

  • Visit http://foursquare.com
  • Search for your business or venue
  • If found, click the link “Are you the manager of this business?”
  • Step through the 2 steps, using your Google Places URL, Yelp URL and others to verify your “ownership” of the Foursquare venue.
  • As of yet, my Foursquare registration has not been confirmed or denied, but they also don’t list a timeline for confirmation of that registration.

Any questions? Drop a comment using the link above and I will offer whatever information I can.

Ning.com removes free option

Community service site, Ning.com, announced today that they are removing the free option for their services and requiring all free sites to move up to their premium plan or move off the service.

“So, we are going to change our strategy to devote 100% of our resources to building the winning product to capture this big opportunity. We will phase out our free service. Existing free networks will have the opportunity to either convert to paying for premium services, or transition off of Ning.”

As it is, I will be closing the 2 Ning.com sites I run as they are for free groups without a means to support the premium payments. There are several alternatives including using existing Facebook Fan Pages.

Elsewhere Online: How Adam Carolla Became a Podcast Superstar from Fast Company

Fast Company has an interesting story on Adam Corolla and his turn to podcasting after the ending of his traditional radio show. This is an interesting look inside the world of entertainment-oriented podcasting — podcasts that seek to make money as entertainment in their own right, as opposed to shows used to support a company, product or service.

How Adam Carolla Became a Podcast Superstar
BY: ELLEN MCGIRTApril 1, 2010

Adam Carolla is a master builder who created this glass office. His next project? Building his podcast network to profitability. | Photographs by Jeff Minton
Radio-and-TV personality Adam Carolla stumbled into podcasting and immediately became its No. 1 star. Now he’s launching his own broadcasting network. Inside the messy birth of a new medium.

Read the entire article

VoiceRegistry Podcast: Douglas speaks on New Media/Social Media Strategies for Voice Actors – Part 2

The second part of my interview for the VoiceRegistry podcast appears today. You can check it out using the links below.

Podcast- New Media/Social Media Strategies for Voice Actors (part 2)

March 23rd, 2010 Posted in Audio Podcast

Doug Welch pictureDouglas E. Welch is a New Media/Social Media Consultant and pioneer podcaster. His early work in the theater prepared him well for a life of speaking and teaching about technology, computers and New Media and the amazing benefits they bring into our lives. Douglas spent 5 years at Walt Disney Imagineering, but eventually struck out on his own and has been working as a freelance consultant for almost 15 years. Douglas is also the founder of New Media Interchange (http://newmediainterchange.com), a free group dedicated to bringing the power of New Media to everyone. You can find links to all of Douglas’ projects on http://DouglasEWelch.com.

icon for podpress Standard Podcast: Hide PlayerPlay in PopupDownload

VoiceRegistry Podcast: Douglas speaks on New Media/Social Media Strategies for Voice Actors

I appear today on the VoiceRegistry podcast, speaking on social media and new media. The interview will appear in 2 parts. Watch this blog for Part 2 when it is released

Podcast-New Media/Social Media Strategies for Voice Actors

Doug Welch pictureDouglas E. Welch is a New Media/Social Media Consultant and pioneer podcaster.

His early work in the theater prepared him well for a life of speaking and teaching about technology, computers and New Media and the amazing benefits they bring into our lives. Douglas spent 5 years at Walt Disney Imagineering, but eventually struck out on his own and has been working as a freelance consultant for almost 15 years. Douglas is also the founder of New Media Interchange (http://newmediainterchange.com), a free group dedicated to bringing the power of New Media to everyone. You can find links to all of Douglas’ projects on http://DouglasEWelch.com.

Event: All-day podcasting workshop at mLearnCon in San Diego, California

I will be presenting the workshop below during the mLearnCon Conference in San Diego, California.


Audio Podcasting A to Z for Mobile Learning

Monday June 14, 2010 08:30 AM
Douglas E. Welch, The WelchWrite Company, Inc.

Podcasting is the epitome of m-Learning in that education and training can be “pulled” to your audience at the time and place of their choosing. While many organizations could provide educational, training, and informational content via Podcast, the subject just seems too complex and outside the “comfort zone.”

This workshop will demystify the subject, and provide participants with clear direction and guidance that will allow them to go home and get started. You will get step-by-step instructions on the design, development, and delivery of an audio Podcast, and explore recording software, microphones, and headsets as well as other equipment.

In this session, you will learn:

A thorough understanding of the structure of a Podcast
The Podcasting design process
The Podcasting production process
The Podcasting delivery process
The Podcasting distribution process

Audience: Participants at all levels who have general computer knowledge and a willingness to be recorded.

Technologies Discussed in This Session: Delivery platforms include the Web, iPhone, iPod, and CD or other portable media device.

Douglas talks New Media with BiggSuccess.com

I was interviewed by George and Mary-Lynn from BiggSuccess.com the other day. Here are the results of that interview.

Bigg Success Podcast LogoCareer Success with New Media

We were happy to visit with Douglas E. Welch today on The Bigg Success Show today. Douglas is an expert on building the career you deserve and spreading the word about your talents using social media. Among other things, he’s the host of two great blogs and podcasts: Career Opportunities and Careers in New Media. Here’s a recap of the conversation:

Read Douglas talk with George & Mary-Lyn on The Bigg Success Show! with complete text transcript.

Listen to Douglas talk with George & Mary-Lyn on The Bigg Success Show!

Douglas talks about pocket camcorders on New Media Tea Time

Co-hosts Tracy Pattin and Danielle Gruen talk flip cam and shooting videos with New Media and IT guru, Douglas E. Welch of New Media Interchange. Doug joins New Media Tea Time and yes, via Skype! We are so delighted to have our “go-to-geek” guest starring once again.

[Tip] New Media Assignment: Capture your great ideas

Book and Book - PaD 1/5/07When I am talking New Media, one question that always arises is, “…but what do I have to say that people will be interested in?” That fact is, we all have something interesting to say. We just don’t take the time to recognize it for what it is. We let it slip away instead of turning it into the powerful new media it is.

Assignment #1: Capture your great ideas!

Everywhere you go, take notepad or journal. This is both your capture device and your reminder to be aware of opportunities to gather great ideas. The act of carrying it around, setting it on the table when you sit down at the cafe, putting it your bag is like tying a string to your finger or snapping a rubber band on your wrist.

Now, whenever you are talking with someone, be aware of when you and they are particularly enjoying the conversation. Are you laughing out loud? Are you ranting? Are you commiserating over some lost opportunity, job, lover?

Now, write down in your journal the topic of your conversation. It doesn’t have to be a detailed reconstruction of the conversation, just a quick line noting the topic and perhaps why it was so interesting.

Before you know it, you will have a whole series of pre-vetted ideas for blog posts, audio podcasts, videos and even books. You already know these topics are interesting to you and at least one other person, so you can turn them into something more without worrying about whether they are interesting enough — a common pitfall of folks just getting started in New Media.

Do you accept my assignment? Start doing it today! Share your stories about how it works for you as comments here on the blog of on the New Media Interchange Community site. I’d love to hear what your are capturing and how this tip works for you.

Douglas talks Skype on New Media Tea Time via Skype!

Since one of the best ways to demo and talk about a technology is putting it to work, I guested on New Media Tea Time this week via Skype, live from my own kitchen as I made peanut butter fudge and offered up some Skype tips. You can watch the entire show here.

Feedburner Email Subscriptions

If you use Google’s Feedburner service for managing the RSS feeds for your blogs and podcasts, you may, or may not, know that Feedburner also provides email subscriptions to your RSS feeds. Some people prefer email to RSS, so they might be more comfortable receiving your blog updates in their inbox.

You can turn on the Email subscription feature for your Feedburner feed by logging into your account and then clicking on the Publicize tab. In the left-hand column, you will then see the Email Subscriptions link. Click that link and 4 sub-topics will appear.

The Subscription Management link allows you to grab the code for an HTML form that you can embed in your blog to allow users to subscribe with one click. You will also find a listing of those people currently subscribed to your RSS feed via email. The Save button at the bottom will activate the service, if it isn’t already and save any settings you might change.

The Communication Preferences link allows you to see and edit the messages sent to those people who subscribe via email. You can change the text of the welcome message, including whatever information you would like them to have.

The Email Branding link provides access to the standard subject line, blog artwork and styling of the email sent to your subscribers.

This review of the email subscription features was driven by an email I received from a subscriber noting the small font size of the messages they were receiving. I hadn’t realized it, but the font size of the message in this section had been set to 9 point, much too small for the average reader. A quick change here solved the problem for everyone receiving these emails.

The final link, Delivery Options, allows you to set your time zone and the time of day when you would like your email updates to be delivered to your subscribers. Mine are scheduled to be sent between 7am-9am Pacific Time.

Readers will consume your web content in any number of ways, so providing alternative methods, like email subscriptions can help you add to your subscribers as well as capturing email information about your users — something that is nearly impossible using RSS feeds alone. If you haven’t checked your Feedburner Email Subscription settings recently, check it out. You might be pleasantly surprised at their usefulness.

10 Tips for better Skype Audio and Video Calls

Just 10 simple steps to insure that your Skype calls (and other VOIP calls) are as high quality as possible.

  1. Shut down resource hogging program and services
    • If your computer is busy doing something else, it is not giving you all the power you need for your Skype call. Shut down your Instant Messenger, Twitter program, Email program, etc.
  2. Stop all downloads and uploads
    • Don’t try to buffer that video from YouTube or upload your latest video to Blip.tv. Skype needs that network bandwidth for your call
    • Make sure no one else is hogging your network. Shut down computers to make sure.
  3. Use headphones
    • While Skype is better than ever at quashing echo from either end of the conversation, headphones stop it cold. Take a cue from live TV news. Put in one earbud and drape if off the back your ear and down you back, if you don’t want it to be seen.
  4. Don’t send video if you only need audio
    • Save the network bandwidth and only send video if you really need it. It will insure that your audio stays as solid as possible, even if you network connection gets a little slow.
  5. Get close to your microphone
    • In most cases, you laptop microphone is fine, but the better your microphone, and the closer you are to the microphone, the better the audio quality. Use a nice condenser mic on a stand or lavaliere mic clipped to your shirt.
  6. Find a quiet place.
    • Background noise is more disruptive on a Skype call than a telephone. Make it easy on yourself and find a quiet place to talk.
  7. For video, choose a pleasing, uncomplicated background
    • Complicated backgrounds (and clothing patterns) mean more work for video compression programs and more network bandwidth. Keep it simple and make it easy on your computer
  8. Test your computer and network before you need it
    • Before any important call, do a test using the computer and network you will be using for the actual call, if possible. As is often said, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” It is so much better to identify problems before you are under the pressure of the actual situation.
  9. Stay with the most current version (not beta) of the program
    • I have had issues in the past with 2 different versions of Skype working well together. Sometimes it can’t be avoided, but if you have having connection or quality issues, check that you are using similar versions.
  10. Try not to talk over/interrupt one another
    • This can be difficult, as you can’t see each other on an audio call, but establish some sort of protocol with your caller so that you don’t end up talking over each other, or asking each other to repeat something that was missed.

More resources on using Skype:

 

 

What is your favorite Skype tip? Tell everyone by clicking the Comments link below.

2 Great Ways to Engage Fans Who Don’t Like Your Advertising Campaign (and more)

I received an interesting message today from a fellow LA Tech traveler. She hosts a major event but was getting some push back on the advertising poster that was designed and released. She asked a couple of questions about how she might deal with this push back and turn it around into something positive.

Off the top of my head I came up with 2 ideas.

First, instead of hiding from the controversy, engage it. Post a poll on the web site and send it out to the mailing list of interested people. What don’t they like about the poster campaign? What would they change? What would they keep? Controversy is great at driving discussion and shouldn’t be avoided. You could be developing some of your biggest fans through just such a conversation.

SurveyMonkey (and many other sites) provide free embedded polls. You can also use Google Docs Spreadsheets to make your own surveys and show live results to those voting.

Second, if the fans don’t like the ad campaign, have them design one of their own. Put their talents to use and have them show you — via text, photos, audio, video, whatever — what they would like to see in the promotion. I must admit this is better to do BEFORE you have completed your own ad campaign, but I also think it is a great response to the people that took issue. Give them a chance to express themselves in some other way than simply saying “I hate it!”

An Example Survey using Google Docs

What I’m Reading… – February 11, 2010

Five books arrived from the LA Public Library today — my next collection of books to read. Here is what is in the stack on reading table next to my chair.

Twyla Tharp: The Collaborative Habit

I enjoyed Tharp’s earlier book, The Creative Habit: Learn It and Use It for Life so this one caught my eye when browsing through my Amazon.com Recommendations.


Trust the Process
by Shaun McNiff

I am starting on a reading, and re-reading, of several books related to the artistic process. New Media has a lot of similarities to more traditional arts, so I am reading to see what commonalities I can find.


Art & Fear: Observations On the Perils (and Rewards) of Artmaking by David Bayles and Ted Orland

Another book on the arts, but this time more directed at my personal arts process and how I can re-invigorate it.



Path of Least Resistance: Learning to Become the Creative Force in Your Own Life by Robert Fritz

One final book on creativity and making the best use possible of it.


For more book highlights, check out the WelchWrite Bookstore.

New Media Experts mustn’t say MUST

Important rule for New Media: Be very, very careful of anyone, including me, who says you MUST only use New Media in a particular way — you must only update your status once each day, you must connect your Twitter feed to Facebook, you MUST tweet only about professional things, you must only tweet about personal things.

New Media experts like to think they have a corner on the market of New Media knowledge. Even worse, they like to think that they have all the right answers, all the time, for everyone. Despite that statement being ludicrous on its very face, more and more pundits seem determined to make everyone act…just…like…them.

MUST

For myself, I try to couch any advice in these terms…I have found these particular methods to work for me in accomplishing my unique goals. You mileage may/will vary, because your life and your work are individual to you. Hopefully, you can find some commonalties between my experience, my life, my work and your own.

I know it doesn’t have quite the ring of “YOU MUST DO THIS”, but I feel better about it. I also think that too many MUSTs is exactly what turns some people off on New Media Experts. Even the newest person to New Media knows that someone can’t be right 100% of the time. Conflicting advice abounds and yet some experts proclaim their version of the New Media truth as if it were etched by fire into stone tablets. They might not realize it, but being “too sure” about something can seriously damage your credibility. Provide only one version of “the truth” and someone is almost assured to come along to prove you wrong.

So, when you are confronted with a lot of New Media Musts, let this be a warning to look elsewhere for opposing opinions and look deeply for similarities between the experts situation and your own. Critically think about their advice and your experience and how they might mesh rather than blindly following their dictates. Sure, there might be some great advice there, but only you can decide if that advice is right for you.