by David Lee King on April 20, 2006
I just found out about this book – Secrets of Videoblogging: Videoblogging for the Masses. Here’s Amazon’s blurb about it (I’m going to get my library to buy a copy):
If you’re ready to graduate from blog to vlog, and start creating your own video blogs, this is the book for you. After explaining what video blogs are and how to view them, the book introduces you to the range of vlogs that exist today.
From there, it’s on to actually creating them. With chapters on assembling the right vlog toolbox (including camera,
operating system, editing software, jukeboxes and Internet connection), finding a story, shooting that first video blog, editing your video blog, preparing it for the Web, posting your vlog, and getting an
keeping an audience, you’ll learn how to:
• Sort out the legal, ethical, and creative issues involved in vlogging.
• Apply compression
• Get the right lighting and sound
• Apply transitions and effects
• Choose a blog service
• Work with RSS feeds
• Promote audience interaction
• And more!
Filled with real-world tips on both the technical and creative aspects of vlogging, this fun, fast, full-color guide provides all the instruction you need to get going with your own video blog.
by David Lee King on April 20, 2006
Well… possibly not in EVERY field, but check this Boston Globe article out: Blogs ‘essential’ to a good career. The author makes some good points:
- “It’s [a blog] the new public relations and it’s the new home page … it’s a way to let people know what you are thinking about the field that interests you.” Assuming you actually have good ideas to contribute to your chosen field, blogging about them is probably a good thing.
- Employers “google” prospective employees – and it’s viewed as a good thing when your blog comes up high in the rankings (which it will do if you’re a good blogger – because others will link to you).
- You need to have a purpose and stay on topic. Mixing personal and professional posts isn’t seen as a good thing. Personal voice – good thing… personal problems – bad thing.
Then the article lists 8 reasons blogging helps your career:
- blogging creates a network
- blogging can get you a job (has an example)
- blogging is great training – you will learn more about your topic. I’d also say your writing and presentation style will improve, as well.
- blogging helps you move up quickly – by going around the middle-man and establishing yourself as an expert
- Blogging makes self-employment easier – it’s a way to market your small business
OK – there ARE 8 reasons, but not all of them are “real” reasons (ie., the 8th one – blogging makes the world a better place). Yadda, yadda… Still a good artile, though!
by David Lee King on April 20, 2006
From the Online Publishers Association press release -
Watching online videos is becoming a routine practice for many internet users. Right now, online news videos are the most frequently watched videos. People actually visit specific sites to watch videos (they need to be introduced to RSS – imho).
So, some stats:
24% of internet users access video at least once a week!
46% watch a video at least once a month
The full study is here
by David Lee King on April 20, 2006
Well… possibly not in EVERY field, but check this Boston Globe article out: Blogs ‘essential’ to a good career. The author makes some good points:
- “It’s [a blog] the new public relations and it’s the new home page … it’s a way to let people know what you are thinking about the field that interests you.” Assuming you actually have good ideas to contribute to your chosen field, blogging about them is probably a good thing.
- Employers “google” prospective employees – and it’s viewed as a good thing when your blog comes up high in the rankings (which it will do if you’re a good blogger – because others will link to you).
- You need to have a purpose and stay on topic. Mixing personal and professional posts isn’t seen as a good thing. Personal voice – good thing… personal problems – bad thing.
Then the article lists 8 reasons blogging helps your career:
- blogging creates a network
- blogging can get you a job (has an example)
- blogging is great training – you will learn more about your topic. I’d also say your writing and presentation style will improve, as well.
- blogging helps you move up quickly – by going around the middle-man and establishing yourself as an expert
- Blogging makes self-employment easier – it’s a way to market your small business
OK – there ARE 8 reasons, but not all of them are “real” reasons (ie., the 8th one – blogging makes the world a better place). Yadda, yadda… Still a good artile, though!
by David Lee King on April 20, 2006
LISHosts just had some database woes, and as a result, my last 4 posts were lost (Blake restored from Sunday’s backup – thank goodness for backups). Dang, I thought!
But no problem after all – here’s what I did:
- I subscribe to my own blog using Bloglines, so I clicked that feed under “My Feeds”
- Down at the bottom of the screen, there’s as Display button, with the wording “Display items within the last…” and a drop-down menu that gives a few options
- I changed the drop-down to Week (I usually have Session picked)
- Voila! My 4 lost posts appeared! Yippie!
And now I have to repost those stray posts. So – if this happened to anyone else, here’s something to try for recovery.
bloglines
by David Lee King on April 14, 2006
by David Lee King on April 14, 2006
Second Life is so cool. I have explored the game/digital space a couple of times, well… because I like the whole idea of the virtual world/digital creative space thing.
So today, there are lots of posts about Second Life and libraries. The Alliance Library System and OPAL are doing a nifty experiment in Second Life – they plan to hold a few OPAL programs within Second Life, and … see what happens.
From this article at the Our Future blog: “The goal of the project is to promote the real library and online library services to adults who might not otherwise use the library.” Yet another way to reach out to potential library usurs, or to go where your [potential] patrons already are.
Is creating a digital avatar and holding a presentation in SL to attract library users any different from sending a children’s librarian to a school to do a book talk? Not really. Sure, the format is different… but the content and the goal is essentially the same.
Do your library patrons play Runescape? Do they like online services? If so, you might consider looking into Second Life. Or at the least, go create an avatar and explore this new, rapidly growing digital space.
second life, secondlife
by David Lee King on April 11, 2006
Go to Manchester Public Library’s teen site, called Teen Matrix. From there, click the get information about the teen services podcast here link.
That page offers two types of podcasts: the first is an audio-based podcast (here’s the podcast feed) – it features a librarian giving book reviews.
But the second one (here’s the videoblog feed) – it’s actually a true videoblog. It features a librarian and local teens talking about their favorite books!
I’m not sure if the library/librarian plans to continue – it looks like the videos were all created in November 2005. But still… it shows a definite proof-of-concept, if nothing else. And it shows a great implementation of videoblogging for libraries, too – that of a book review. Think about it – many libraries already have patrons attending book talks. Why not simply video the book talks, and place them online after-the-fact?
That way you get the best of both worlds – the live presentation and interactions at the event, but also the videoblog version (with comments enabled!!!!) via the normal blog/rss route. That opens the book talk up to a potentially larger audience, and provides even more interactions.
So get out there and do some videoblogging! And send me more examples if any exist…
videoblog, vlog, podcast
by David Lee King on April 10, 2006
Update: How funny… this post was SUPPOSED to show up on my fledgling non-library blog, davidleeking.com/etc – not my library techie blog!
I’m doing an “etc” blog to get other non-library stuff out of my head. It will most likely include videoblog posts (stretching out a little more in that area), might include podcasts of music I create, and once in awhile will have a music and/or a church/worship team post (I drum for my church’s worship team). I still plan to post an occasional videoblog over here – but it will have a library focus to it.
As I said, this post wasn’t actually supposed to show up here. My etc blog works great – just for kicks, I set it up using the ftp version of blogger. But I attempted to post to the etc blog using Performancing, and apparently did something wrong when I set up the Performancing pointer. When I sent the post, I checked to see if the post hit the blog – and it wasn’t there. So I figured I goofed somewhere along the way, and posted the normal way (ie., went to blogger to do the post).
The post apparently decided to worm it’s way over here! So enjoy anyway – the penguins really ARE pretty cool.
***************
Taken at the Omaha Zoo – the aquarium is extremely cool. This video shows the penguin tank.
performancing
by David Lee King on April 10, 2006
Take a peek at this post from the Experience Economy Evangelist. The post discusses using scents as part of creating an experience. Apparently, some hotel chains are beginning to incorporate “signature smells” in their hotel lobbies.
And if you think about it – when you walk into a Starbucks, don’t they have a “signature smell” (as in strong coffee)? New cars also have a “signature smell” – that “new car smell.”
I think libraries also have a built-in signature smell – that of books! That slightly musty, old book smell… that’s one thing that digitization can’t match. I love the smell of books… and I think many other people do, too. It’s a smell that bookstores and libraries share, and I think it’s part of the overall “library experience.”
Maybe we’ll have to start “piping in” the old book smell as we continue to digitize? Who knows…
