October 30, 2006 Program Summary “Introduction to Videoblogging” |
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Our October 30th speaker, Stephanie Bryant, author of the recently published Videoblogging for Dummies, presented an overview of a powerful communication medium that combines video and Web logs (blogs). Similar to blogs, the entries on a videoblog (or vlog) typically appear in reverse chronological order and often include embedded video or a video link with supporting text, images, and other metadata. According to Wikipedia.org, videoblogging saw a strong increase in popularity beginning in 2005. The growing interest in videologs can be attributed to several factors, such as the release of a new generation of iPods capable of playing video files and the introduction of video into the iTunes Store. The popularity of all types of Internet-based video also grew significantly in this same period, as evidenced by the increase of Internet traffic to sites such as YouTube.com. Since late 2005, vlogs have become a significant addition to online interactive venues. What does this mean to you as an educator, professional communicator, or hobbyist? You now have more ways to disseminate ideas and information to your students, colleagues, clients, customers, or peers. Have you ever felt the urge to share the entertaining and insightful things that happen in your everyday world? Got a message you'd like to get across to others? A cause you want people to support? A videoblog allows you to share whatever you choose in a colorful, interesting way that gets attention — and furthermore, videoblogging is fun! The presentation covered:
To learn more, read Stephanie's article, below. “Videoblogging and Screencasting”
Videoblogging can be a powerful tool for educating end-users, clients, and students. As a medium, video over the Internet has finally come into its own, but many technical communicators don’t know how to use this powerful technology, and often relegate it to the realm of social networking sites. At its core, videoblogging (also called video podcasting or vlogging) is the process of posting videos to the Internet, which can be subscribed to and viewed away from your web page, by your viewers. The key technologies needed to produce a videoblog are:
What can you do with a videoblog? You can entertain, inform, send out a personal message, keep a video diary, produce short videos in an artistic genre, promote a product, service, or cause, or educate an audience about a particular topic. Good planning goes a long way in having a superior videoblog. Decide early on if you want to accommodate all users regardless of platform, or if you want people to be able to watch your videoblog on iPods (unless you want to make multiple videos, these two noble objectives are incompatible). Figure out how much time you have available, and what equipment you already have. Recruit any crew or talent you plan to use in your vlog early on. Resource gaps can generally be filled using money, but many people already have some of the tools needed for a vlog. Use them. Some great videoblogging tips:
©2007 Stephanie Bryant
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Introducton to Videoblogging |
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Date: | Monday evening, October 30, 2006 |
Speaker: |
Stephanie Cottrell Bryant has been a technical writer and book author for 10 years, covering semiconductors to HTML and graphic design. She writes hardware and software documentation ranging from end-user manuals to APIs, and has written several books on Internet and graphic arts technologies. She's also been a teacher, an amusement park worker, and a web designer. |
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