“In the garden…” is a series for A Gardener’s Notebook highlighting what is happening in my garden, my friend’s gardens and California gardens throughout the seasons.
Here is my first, real, entry in the Dog Days of Podcasting Challenge. I’ll post each days podcast here, regardless of what other show it falls under, so you can see them all together — Douglas
A few weeks ago I talked about how to attract work and opportunities to you, instead of constantly begging for your next job. One of the biggest elements of attracting work to you is using social media to share the most interesting aspects of your life and work and show people “what you do and how well you do it.” Of course, it is worth taking some time to think about what you might share on your social media feeds that contribute to this end goal. Here are a few ideas to get you started in sharing the right kind of information.
These aren’t some self-serving stories about how you saved the day, although some may have that aspect about them. Rather you are sharing these stories to help anyone else who might be experiencing the same, or similar, issues in their own line of work. Depending on your work, this could be a post on how you solved a particular tricky accounting problem, solved a difficult problem with a hidden leak (if you are a plumber), made a car run better (if you are a mechanic) or created a great computer system that saved your company tens of thousands of dollars (or even a few.) As you can see, it doesn’t matter what type of work you do. We all have interesting stories to tell that can be tremendously useful to others. By sharing these stories, you not only show people the quality of the work you do, you also help them solve their own, similar problems. This alone could lead to a job or consulting offer down the road. I know it has worked this way for me.
What you are reading, watching, listening
Sometimes, the media we are consuming can be very illuminating about our lives and our work. For myself, I make a point of sharing what books I am reading, what blogs I subscribe to, what videos I am watching and the podcasts I listen to as I drive about on business and pleasure. I think that if people pay attention to these items, they can get a very clear idea about where my interests lie and it can do the same for you. Again, the best thing about this is that you are just sharing what you find interesting, not trying to promote yourself, so it is a nice, soft pedal, way of accomplishing the goal of letting people know you — and your work — better.
Your thoughts on work, industry and life issues
While you need to be careful about descending to the level of a “rant” in these posts, working out your job issues in writing can help you discover solutions to solve the problem. Don’t name names, but rather address the deeper issues involved. Create “what if” scenarios of what you might do to solve the problem if you had the power. Tell people how you personally dealt with a problem, even if you couldn’t change the situation yourself. You can, and should, also talk about issues in your industry and how you would address the problem. Again, thinking through these issues helps you in so many ways. You might hit upon a solution that no one has discovered yet. You might find a solution to your own work issues and finally, you might help someone else who is dealing with the same issues. Often people are helped just by knowing that they are not alone in their problems. If you can offer some commiseration with their issues, and perhaps even a helpful solution, you can develop a great reputation as a problem solver that can lead to large opportunities down the road.
Cool things that you discover in your life and work, online and offline
Finally, one of the greatest pieces of information that you can offer is the cool things that you discover both online and in your own life. As I read through my RSS feeds each day, I often find 2-3 items that are worth sharing with others. This often results in many ‘Thank you” messages being returned as well as people sharing the information with their readers/followers/Facebook friends.
These items can take several forms. Some might simply be for entertainment (witness all the silly cat pictures out there). Some might be useful answers to business problems such as new smartphone apps, new web services and new online publications. These items also can, and should, be elements from your own life. Interesting pictures you have taken, neat templates you created, interesting architecture, music, writing and friends you encounter in your daily travels. Don’t limit yourself to just sharing things that others create. Create your own “neat things” to share, too.
If you are feeling a bit stuck on what to share via your social media feeds, I hope that these ideas will spur you into action. I believe that it is through softer sharing, rather than blatant promotion, that we can have the biggest impact on our work and careers. Rather than jumping up and down shouting “look at me, look at me”, you can have much more impact instead saying, “Look at this cool thing I found. It helped me and it might help you, too!” That is certainly how I approach my own use of social media and I believe it can be very effective in building the career you deserve.
Here is my kick-off video for the Dog Days of Podcasting event. I am going to use this event as a showcase for all the different ways and methods of podcasting available. You’ll see video shot with camcorders, iPhones and more, audio recorded with my iPhone and high-end audio recorders and even some photo montages and slide shows. There will be interviews, environmental videos (showing a particular location) and all my regular podcasts, too.
“Essentially, it is a challenge to do a podcast for 30 days in a row.
In 2012 Kreg Steppe was looking to give himself a little push in regards to recording his own personal podcast since he wasn’t recording it very often. That turned into a challenge for himself to record a show everyday for 30 days believing that after 30 days it would turn into a habit. Once it was mentioned to Chuck Tomasi he took the challenge too and they decided it would be a great idea to record starting 30 days before Dragon*Con, culminating with the last episode where they would record it together when they saw each other there.
Turns out there were some of our friends that also wanted to get in on the action and took the challenge too. So it grew into a challenge 7 of us took.
This year we are inviting more podcasters to get in on the action. Keep in mind, it’s a fun challenge, and you will not be shamed (too much) if you don’t record every 30 day. It is kind of like the way Drew Carey describes “Whose line is it anyway?”. A fun game were we earn points, but the points don’t matter.
What matters is that we all have fun recording and listening to each other.
Start Date: July 30th, 2013
End Date: August 30th, 2013
Rules: Podcast Once a day for 30 days. Show length is up to you. Most vary from 3 – 5 Min.”
New Media Gear 21: Fancierstudio 3000 Watt Digital Video Continuous Softbox Lighting Kit
A few months ago we had need to purchase some equipment for a testimonial project and a series of interviews. First on our list was a basic set of video lights that would provide nice, basic illumination and still be easy to transport, as we would be shooting the interviews at the client sites. As we are just starting to move into the video production business (beyond my own personal productions) and not exactly knowing how far this line of work will take us, I didn’t want to invest thousands of dollars only to have to sell the equipment later for a loss.
I did quite a bit of searching online and came across this kit on Amazon.com. I made a point of reading nearly every review available, both positive and negative to see how this kit might fit our needs. Overall the kit has a 4 star rating over 77 reviews. The one item I kept seeing in the reviews was the fact that this was, indeed, a “cheap” kit. That didn’t mean it didn’t work well, only that you had to be careful when setting up and tearing down and you couldn’t necessarily toss it around. Knobs are plastic, although the screws themselves are metal, the nylon bags holding the diffusion boxes are poorly stitched and things like that. Almost all the review said, though, that if you are looking for a good, entry-level kit, this could be it.
Based on these reviews, I ordered the kit and crossed my fingers that it would work out well. Once it arrived, we did a test setup here in the office so we understood how everything went together before we tried to do this under the time constraints of an actual shoot. It took a little time to learn exactly how to best put the lights together, but now that we have down 6 setups and tear downs, we are pretty good and can set up two lights in about 15 minutes.
Since we had the warnings from the reviews, we have been very careful to treat the kit with a light hand and try to keep the abuse to a minimum. These seems to have served us well, as nothing has broken or been damaged over the course of the last 2 months of transport and shoot.
Everything — stands, light bulbs, fixtures, diffusion boxes and screens — fits back into the original carrying case and allows us to move around quite easily from car to location to car. The kit is small enough that it easily fits in the trunk or back seat of all but the smallest vehicles.
Overall, we have been very satisfied in our purchase and while we may move up to more expensive (and expansive) equipment in the future, it has served us well as we grow. Go into this purchase with the full knowledge that is “cheap” and may require a little gentler care than most, but we have found it quite functional for, albeit limited, needs.
The popularity of Netflix’s House of Cards has, I believe, caused some large changes in the awards criteria for the Writers Guild of America, according to this article from Deadline.com. While House of Cards is a big budget, network-quality television production, its new delivery method required opening up the awards categories to be more all-encompassing due to the impact of Internet “broadcasting.” Of course, for me, the best result is the now, all New Media projects over 15 mins in length compete directly with other, more traditionally distributed shows — removing them from the New Media Ghetto where they had previously been placed. I welcome all such changes in the New Media world, as I believe we will be seeing more and more productions emerging from this relatively new production and distribution system. My only wish is that it had happened much more quickly.
From Deadline.com and the WGA…
Writers Guild Makes Changes To Awards Eligibility & Submission Guidelines; New Media Series Like ‘House Of Cards’ OK
Los Angeles and New York – For the upcoming awards season, Writers Guild of America, West (WGAW) and Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE) have changed awards eligibility and submission guidelines for the television and new media categories, and have added a new Quiz & Audience Participation writing award.
“Whether you’re watching content on a TV screen, online on a laptop, or with a hand-held device, outstanding writing and great storytelling deserve the same recognition,” said WGAW President Christopher Keyser and WGAE President Michael Winship. “These changes in eligibility and submission guidelines reflect the evolution of distribution models in the entertainment industry. We are also looking forward to giving out the new Quiz & Audience Participation Award in 2014.”
Fellow Friends in Tech member, Kreg Steppe started the first Dog Days of Podcasting Challenge in 2012, as a way to kickstart his own podcasting efforts. I missed that announcement, but I am jumping on board for this years challenge and you should too! What a great way to try out new styles, new shows, new ideas and generally get your podcasting feet moving!
Essentially, it is a challenge to do a podcast for 30 days in a row.
In 2012 Kreg Steppe was looking to give himself a little push in regards to recording his own personal podcast since he wasn’t recording it very often. That turned into a challenge for himself to record a show everyday for 30 days believing that after 30 days it would turn into a habit. Once it was mentioned to Chuck Tomasi he took the challenge too and they decided it would be a great idea to record starting 30 days before Dragon*Con, culminating with the last episode where they would record it together when they saw each other there.
Turns out there were some of our friends that also wanted to get in on the action and took the challenge too. So it grew into a challenge 7 of us took.
This year we are inviting more podcasters to get in on the action. Keep in mind, it’s a fun challenge, and you will not be shamed (too much) if you don’t record every 30 day. It is kind of like the way Drew Carey describes “Whose line is it anyway?”. A fun game were we earn points, but the points don’t matter.
What matters is that we all have fun recording and listening to each other.
Start Date: July 30th, 2013
End Date: August 30th, 2013
Rules: Podcast Once a day for 30 days. Show length is up to you. Most vary from 3 – 5 Min.
I’ll be posting my daily shows here during the challenge, but I will also be including my usual podcast selection as part of the 30 days, so you should see podcasts on careers, new media, gardening, technology and more!
I just saw notice in my WordPress dashboard that their latest update is now available. It resolves a number of security issues in the software. As usual, it is best to install updates soon after they are released to prevent any hacking attacks that might arise from these known bugs. Click on the “Please Update Now” banner in your WordPress Dashboard to install the update automatically.
From the WordPress 3.5.2 release notes:
The security fixes included:
Blocking server-side request forgery attacks, which could potentially enable an attacker to gain access to a site.
Disallow contributors from improperly publishing posts, reported by Konstantin Kovshenin, or reassigning the post’s authorship, reported by Luke Bryan.
An update to the SWFUpload external library to fix cross-site scripting vulnerabilities. Reported by mala and Szymon Gruszecki.
Prevention of a denial of service attack, affecting sites using password-protected posts.
An update to an external TinyMCE library to fix a cross-site scripting vulnerability. Reported by Wan Ikram. Multiple fixes for cross-site scripting. Reported by Andrea Santese and Rodrigo. Avoid disclosing a full file path when a upload fails. Reported by Jakub Galczyk.
Today’s edition of Subscribed is another member of the Mindcrack Server, like BDoubleO, VintageBeef and others. Etho is one of the foremost members of the group and has (as of this writing) 860K+ subscribers to his YouTube Channel. Etho takes on the more technical side of Minecraft, developing amazing machines and processes within the vanilla version of Minecraft — something that, in some cases, isn’t easy to do.
Ethos also has a wry sense of humor that comes out during his individual videos and also in his co-op play with other members of the Mindcrack server. While the more technical videos are a bit beyond my Minecraft skills at the moment, I usually watch just to see what amazing stuff can be done within the Minecraft environment and hear Etho’s unique take.
Recent Prank Video from the Mindcrack Server
Watch some of Ethos recent videos in this playlist
What are some of your favorite Subscriptions? Share them here in the comments!
Subscribed is a Careers in New Media series highlighting the Podcasts, YouTube Channels and Blogs that I follow on a daily basis. Check out this entry, and past entries, for some great New Media Content — Douglas
I recently produced a series of video testimonials for a client and they are now available online. We shot 3 videos over the course of the day, dodging the jet noise coming out of Burbank airpot and the home improvement projects of the next door neighbors. Video production “out in the wild” is always a bit of an adventure, but I think these video turned out quite well. I am working with the client to get some bette thumbnails chosen for the video — always a bit of a pain with YouTube videos. We will need to create custom thumbnails for each video to make it look its best.
My old — and rather inexpensive — set of headphones are on their last legs, and since I am moving into more on-location video production I decided I needed at least one new pair. I put out the call for headphone recommendations on both the Podcast Community Group on Facebook and the Podcasters list on Yahoo. As usual, I received a host of great recommendations.
For the time begin, I picked up a rather inexpensive pair of headphones at the local Radio Shack store as I had a discount coupon available and they are nearby. These will get me by for a while and I will continue checking out all the further recommendations for a more expensive set for the future.
From this list, I am leaning towards the Sony headphones. I have used them professional environment before and liked both their sounds and their fit. It was great to be reminded of them as a possibility.
This week’s Subscribed entry is a bit of a departure as it isn’t a podcast, YouTube Channel or blog, but rather a Facebook community dedicate to Podcasting. The Podcast Community has nearly 800 members and a depth of new media information not found in many other places.
The Podcast Community is a place for questions and discussions, not just announcements of upcoming shows and guests. If you have a new media question, this is one of the best places to get it answered. You’ll find a wide variety of advice, guidance and support in this community.
What are some of your favorite Subscriptions? Share them here in the comments!
Subscribed is a Careers in New Media series highlighting the Podcasts, YouTube Channels and Blogs that I follow on a daily basis. Check out this entry, and past entries, for some great New Media Content — Douglas
New Media Gear 19: Premium microphone power supply with 9v power
Last week I posted a call for recommendations/answers for connecting my existing set of laveliere mics to my new camcorder (mentioned in last week’s New Media Gear post). While my Zoom H2 has a Plug-In Power mode, which boosts the signal from these mics, the camcorder does not provide this power and the mics did not work. Since I had purchased this camcorder specially because it had an external mic input, I needed to find the proper way to boost this signal without adding any noise.
My audio expert friend, Michael, led me to this microphone power supply/pre-amp and it appears to work very well. Connecting this between the mics and the camcorder powers the mic and posts the signal properly and with very little noise.
This will now allow me to record lav mic audio directly to the camera, removing the need to record on an external recorder and sync the audio during the editing process. This sync isn’t really difficult, but it does make for extra work if it really isn’t necessary for the project.
Both a blog and YouTube Channel, Gary provides a wealth of gardening information. I subscribe to both the blog and the YouTube Channel, although I discovered him through his channel first. I find myself making lots of notes when I watch his videos. I am trying to grow more vegetables her in my garden and I find that my 40 year old knowledge of vegetable gardening can be quite lacking sometimes. It is great to have a straightforward demos and advice to turn to when I need a refresher.
Subscribed is a Careers in New Media series highlighting the Podcasts, YouTube Channels and Blogs that I follow on a daily basis. Check out this entry, and past entries, for some great New Media Content — Douglas
“A promo, shorthand for promotion, are a form of commercial advertising used in broadcast media, either television or radio; promos are generally used to promote a program airing on a television station, radio station, television network or radio network. The usage is to try to bring a showing to a specific set of people.
Promos typically run a standard length of about 30 seconds, though occasionally some can at times last as short as five seconds or as long as 90 seconds. Most promos commonly consist of select clips of segments from an upcoming program (television or radio series, film, event, etc.), however some television promos (particularly for an upcoming television series) utilize a monologue format in which a star or host of the program breaks the fourth wall. Most radio promos utilize this format as well, with a host of the program discussing the show itself, though some feature audio clips from past editions of the radio broadcast. Television station newscasts promote (a) select news segments to be featured in an upcoming newscast, such as an investigative report or special-interest feature piece.[1] — Wikipedia.org
Promos are a large part of promoting any New Media, be it a blog, podcast or YouTube Channel. In the case of YouTube, their new Unsubscribed Trailer is basically a built-in promo for your channel that auto plays to those visitors who are not currently subscribed to your channel.
Audio podcasters are big users of promos, as it gives people a taste of their show along with basic information on how to listen and subscribe. Promos are often shared among podcasters in order to expose one show’s listeners to another show that might interest them.
You can find one sample promos over on the Podcast Pickle site. They can give you some ideas of how you might format your own promo and the type of information you should included there.
Sometimes it can be useful to schedule blog posts to go out on a specific date and time. For example, you might be on vacation or away from your office, but still want that content to go out. Both WordPress and Blogger provide support for scheduled posts and this video shows how to use it.
from Shawn Thorpe
