Videoblogging

Update: I’ve added a library to the list of videoblogging libraries:

1. Westerville Public Library, which I mentioned yesterday. They seem to be focusing on videos of programming right now.
2. Manchester Public Library’s Teen Matrix - “a video podcast about books.” Not sure if they plan to update this (all three videos are from Nov 2005).
3. Orange County Library System is also offering videoblogs. They have set up their videoblogs to be compatible with iTunes - wow.
4. Public Library Delft is videoblogging, podcasting, and blogging. Whew!
5. Kenton County Public Library’s Off the Shelf program: “airs every week on Monday and Wednesday at 9:30 pm, and then again on Saturday at 4:30 pm on Insight Channel 21. You can also subscribe using iTunes or our RSS feed.” Found via Librarystuff.net

Now… anyone else? Does anyone know of any other library-oriented videoblogs not mentioned here? Tell me about them please!

vlog
videoblog

Someone asked me to blog about how I created my “Are You Blogging This” video. So, here goes… But first, a shameless plug - take a gander at the image on the right. My silly little video was picked up by the USAToday Tech_Space blog, of all things! How cool is that?

OK…. shameless self-promotion over now…. Here’s what I did to make my video, song first:

1. Wrote a song (won’t go into that…)
2. Recorded song using Apple’s GarageBand. Involved plugging things (ie., guitars, mixers, etc) into the little line-in jack of the Mac laptop I have access to, then mixing it down into a semblance of a pop-ish sounding song.
3. Saved the song as an AIFF file in iTunes, transferred the file to my PC, then changed the file into an mp3 file (using the good ole dbPowerAmp Music Converter).

Then, I started on the screenshots of the websites I sang about:

1. Made screenshots of all the Web 2.0 sites I mention in the video using Paint Shop Pro.
2. I really had to think through the screenshots, so I could pull off some quirky little “tricks” for effect (ie., the first sequence of my pic in Windows, then in Flickr, then in Technorati required first searching for me in Technorati to see what Flickr photos of me appeared, then downloading the Flickr pic for the Windows shot)

Then I started in on creating the actual video:

1. Gave some thought to what I wanted to see in the video, for each section and actually roughed out a storyboard timeline for the video.
2. I dropped the mp3 file of my song into the Movie timeline, and created the movie title word thing at the beginning (there’s an easy-to-use template for that - I just typed and changed the color and font)
3. Then I filmed myself as needed (maybe 20 minutes of filming tops), and dropped in the screenshots (stretching them to match the length of the song lyrics)
4. The second chorus video chunk (the jerky screenshot with me superimposed over it) was actually a goof-up. I did the frame-within-a-frame thing on Camtasia, hoping to actually get me singing the chorus while typing. I did that, but messed something up when I dropped that video clip into Windows Movie maker - it turned out all slow and jerky. But I thought it looked kinda cool that way, so I kept it.
5. In a couple of places, I used the built-in video effects - you can see it on the clips of me in a few places, where I look all blotchy - that’s the Watercolor effect.
6. Saved it as a DV-AVI file.

Finally, I opened up the AVI file in Quicktime Pro, exported to Quicktime’s .mov format, and voila! That’s how I made my video.

For my second blogging anniversary, I’m not going to spew y’all with boring numbers about how popular my posts are, how many people subscribe, etc. Instead, I’m going to give you some good, old-fashioned entertainment (well, maybe not old-fashioned). I’m going to give you a song. And a video. About Web 2.0. ‘Cause I’m sometimes silly that way. So - if you want to download these behemoth files, here they are:

• Video
• Music only (your iPod will love this)
• Youtube version

And of course, since my singing is most likely incoherent to some, the lyrics, in all their danged glory, are included below. Enjoy!

Are You Blogging This?
2006 by David King

My picture is flickring around technorati
And I just discovered I am such a newb, I’m on YouTube

Are you blogging this?

Delicious myspace then tell me with meebo
Drop my feed into bloglines, I’m so web 2.0

Are you blogging this?

Blogger blummy skobee ditto seekum suckingfish
Auctionmapper frappr zoomr feedwhip blish
Rollyo seekum previewseek swicki wink
Flickr scanr talkr cheapr soonr kitchen sink

All Ourmedia’s confusing me
Maybe I need to read a Wikipedia entryAre you blogging this?

Google froogle blogger SketchUp calculator talk
Code news catalogs academic search
Finance images video alerts
Mobile SMS picasa translate search

Are you blogging this?

I’m working on a videoblog presentation I’ll be giving this fall, and discovered this cool list of “common genres” of videoblogs on Wikipedia. Here’s Wikipedia’s list and their definition of each videoblog genre, followed by my ideas for those videoblog genres in a library setting.

Personal - Vlogs documenting the author’s life, the recounting stories from their past, or the airing of their opinions on various topics.

• Any local or regional authors? Why not invite them in to talk about their lives, discuss their writing styles, etc?
• Oral Histories from the community.
• Topic-based histories - why not have three people talk about a common experience from their past or the region’s past (i.e., civil rights, the sixties), capturing different perspectives?

News - Vlogs covering news events.

• Library news in video format (hmm… possibly a bit on the droll side). But how about capturing patron’s opinions of local news events? How abot providing the background, current happenings, and “where can you go for more” types of information about current local events as a community service?
• Why not cover “extreme local events” that the normal news outlets might not pick up (and that highlight the library, if possible)? Examples: librarians picking up trash on the side of a highway, a library-sponsored charity event, librarians working in a soup kitchen, etc… things that draw positive attention to your library (all peppered with sneaky mentions of appropriate library materials that can be checked out).

Collaborative (also collective or group) - Vlogs with a collaborative nature.

• Give your teens a cheap videocamera, and let them create. Then “publish” their creations on the teen’s library videoblog.
• How about the librarians AND the teens working together to create something unique?

Political - Vlogs discussing political issues.

• Politics can be a hot topic that libraries might not want to mess with. But how about this idea: gather short videos of all local candidates for mayor explaining why they love the library and why you should vote for them (again, as a community service). People will definitely watch.
• Provide background information on issues, explaining how to find out more (ie., push those library materials again :-).

Environmental - Vlogs discussing environmental issues, nature, and natural history.

• Do you ever have a zoo give presentations at the library? Why not capture the moment on video and turn it into a videoblog post?
• Same thing with seminars for adults - capture those naturalists discussing regional natural history, and drop the video on your library’s videoblog.
• Or go one better - a library might, for example, have a list of hiking trails in the area. Why not send a librarian out to each of them with a video camera, capturing the highlights of each one? That way, your library can provide a great value-added service to the community, and possibly partner with some local organizations, too.

Media - Vlogs analyzing television, documentaries and other mass media.

• This one’s easy - NEW BOOKS, MOVIES, ETC - that the library has. It would be a pretty easy task to gather the library’s best new fiction, for example, and quickly describe the plot and why someone might want to read it.
• For universities - New [insert subject discipline here] materials this month at the library

Entertainment - Vlogs producing “shows” or short films.

• Anyone ever watch Rocketboom or listen to Inside the Net? Both are “this week in cool geek technology” types of shows. Libraries can do this type of show for their customers by creating small video snippets showing cool online tools like Flickr. Focus on how your patrons can use the tools (i.e., how Grandma can use it to see photos of her lovely grandkids).
• How about tech troubleshooting topics, like how to burn a CD, or how to hook up a digital camera to a PC (so Grandma can see those grandkid pics)?
• Teens could probably have a blast creating a monthly short film. Your library could even partner with a high school, and have the videoblog show be an assignment, complete with writing, scripting, casting, etc.

Third party collections - Vlogs collecting videos from third parties.

• Hmm… movie trailers…. of movies your library just received…
• Short segments of music videos… of bands in your library’s CD collection
• Maybe even something goofy like a “best viral video” feature, just for kicks

Educational - Schools and universities using vlogs as a teaching and creative medium.

• There’s that partnering with the school thing again …
• Capture all library events (author talks, seminars, etc) on video and drop them on your videoblog. That way, more patrons can “attend” the session (and you can count new fun statistics like downloads, visits, and hits in your annual “who attended our sessions” report).
• Library tours fit here, as well.

Behind the scenes - Vlogs showcasing backstage activities of film production or other arts and skills.

• OK - I just mentioned library tours in the Education genre above. But go one further with it - create a “what happens to the book I just returned” video to show how a library works, then advertise that video to schools (or make sure teachers have subscribed to your “just for teachers” RSS feed so they receive the video automatically).
• Highlight library departments and staff
• Why not expand this idea into the local community? Show backstage activities at other local cultural institutions (theater, ballet, etc). That could be great info to provide to your patrons.

Tutorial - Vlogs offering advice, demonstrations, how-to’s, and tutorials.

• This is another easy one: bibliographic instruction. Put your classes online.
• This is also where you can add some screencasting - actually walking customers through search engines, library databases, the library catalog, etc.

Travel - Vlogs serving as a travelogue, exploring different places around the world.

• Explore your local area, and put that info online. You can go all out - list area attractions, include library materials related to that attraction, and include a short video of what you can do/see there.
• Is a librarian taking a trip out of the country? Let him/her take the videocamera along (and make sure to add an extra day or two to their vacation time, too) and shoot something fun and unique about their travels, with commentary.

Religious - Vlogs discussing religious topics.

• Libraries like to be neutral, and religion can be a hot topic. This genre is here primarily because churches and such tape their worship services, place them online, and some are even aggregating those services - it’s a great way for church members to participate when they missed the service.
• But how about capturing different viewpoints on topics of interest (like I mentioned in the politics genre listed above), then surrounding those videoblog segments with some comparative religion readings from your collections?
• For example, during Christmas… libraries like to have a display with Christmas, Kwanza, and Hannakuh books, right? Why not do the same, but with video on your library’s blog? Invite someone of each holiday persuasion to discuss what they like best, to point out differences, etc. (and still surround those videos with links to library materials about each tradition).

Magazine type or lifestyles - Vlogs discussing lifestyles and hobbies in a television magazine format.

• Collaborate with your patrons here - highlight patron hobbies and collections in a short video magazine format. Remember to include pointers to library materials about the topic, too.
• At least one of my library’s branches highlights kid’s collections in-house, in a display case. Why not go one step further, and create a video that highlights the collection AND mentions when the collection can be seen at the library?

Assignment-based - Vlogs consisting of assignments.

• This one is talking about how some of the more news-style blogs that have “field reporters” who shoot video “on assignment.” Hmm… I’ll need to think about that one some… Anyone have any ideas?
• Ooh. I have one. No, it’s gone. Dang.

Vlog Anarchy - Vlogs covering all or multiple genres.

• Mix and match a couple of the above ideas, and you have what Wikipedia calls a “vlog anarchy.”

So you see, there are many ways a library can use video, RSS, and a little bit of creativity to create a library-based videoblog. Read the Wikipedia article about videoblogging - videoblogging and online video are growing like gangbusters, as more people realize there’s some cool video out there (i.e., they discover YouTube), as more people buy video-ready gadgets (like iPods), and as more people create and share their own videos online.

Your patrons are already discovering other cool online services (blogs, RSS feeds, bookmark managers, Flickr, Instant Messaging, connecting and communicating like they never have before… will your library be ready when a patron asks if you are planning a video feed of library programs?

vlog, videoblog

So far, I’ve seen four libraries that are videoblogging:

1. Westerville Public Library, which I mentioned yesterday. They seem to be focusing on videos of programming right now.
2. Manchester Public Library’s Teen Matrix - “a video podcast about books.” Not sure if they plan to update this (all three videos are from Nov 2005).
3. Orange County Library System is also offering videoblogs. They have set up their videoblogs to be compatible with iTunes - wow.
4. Public Library Delft is videoblogging, podcasting, and blogging. Whew!
5. Kenton County Public Library’s Off the Shelf program: “airs every week on Monday and Wednesday at 9:30 pm, and then again on Saturday at 4:30 pm on Insight Channel 21. You can also subscribe using iTunes or our RSS feed.” Found via Librarystuff.net

Now… anyone else? Does anyone know of any other library-oriented videoblogs not mentioned here? Tell me about them please!

vlog
videoblog

Westerville Public Library is shooting video! I just saw this (via Library Stuff): Westerville Public Library is doing a few pretty hip things:

1. They have created something called castr, that they claim is their “podcast delivery system” (more on that in a sec). So far, they have three videos (a zoo visit, story time, and spanish class).
2. They have made their castr page look like a web 2.0 site, complete with large text, a simple design, a gradiated image for the page background, and a large image (and they have also left out the “e” in castr, and given it a flickr-like color combination).
3. They are using Ajax (cool geek web coding language)
4. They feature one of the videos in the large ad on their main page, with a big “watch this movie” link (in fact, their whole site looks nice… I might have to do another Cup ‘o Java review of it)

This is the second attempt at library videocasting I’ve seen - the first one being Manchester Public Library’s Teen Matrix site. See? I’ve been saying video will be coming… and it is… and it’s pretty cool!

OK - so why am I saying “attempt at videocasting?” Because, technically speaking, Westerville hasn’t really created a podcast/videocast. They have created a blog that links to videos. Sounds picky, but it’s not - a true videocast/podcast has the video/audio file embedded with the blog post, so a podcast aggregator can automatically download the media file. That’s what makes a pod/videocast so cool. So I’d humbly ask Westerville Public to go that one extra step - then they’d be extremely cool (and have their wording right, too).

Update: Aaron, the guy who created Castr, emailed me and commented on this post. Castr is now a true videocast. Cool beans!
All that aside, I find it exciting to see online video slowly becoming part of a library’s digital outreach tools. We’ll definitely be seeing more of this type of service!

vlog, videoblog

For those interested in learning more about videoblogging, here are some great books for starters:

Videoblogging For Dummies
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!

Secrets of Videoblogging
Here’s the perfect introduction to the art of the videoblog, or vlog, whatever your subject. Filled with both technical and creative tips, this fun, fast, full-color guide provides everything you need to get started vlogging … Vlogging pioneers Michael Verdi and Ryanne Hodson are co-founders of NODE101, an international network of videoblog classrooms, and FreeVlog.org, NO DE101’s online equivalent. Verdi also vlogs at www.michaelverdi.com, while Hodson produces vlogs at http://ryanedit.blogspot.com and http://revlog.blogspot.com.

Videoblogging
Amazing, isn’t it? You’re on equal footing with multibillion-dollar TVand movie producers. Videoblogging lets your audience see your cause,your story, or your personal creations—and you can distribute your showto anyone with Internet access. And since the videobloggingcommunity is all about sharing, more than 20 expertshave kicked in tips and ideasto make this book the ultimatevideoblogging crash course. So head for the checkout, grabfresh batteries for your videocamera, and let’s get started!

Hands-On Guide to Video Blogging and Podcasting : Emerging Media Tools for Business Communication
In The Hands-On Guide Video Blogging and Podcasting industry experts explain these emerging media tools from a professional perspective. Quickly learn the technical aspects of video blogging and podcasting along with their business and financial ramifications.

No more posts from me for 2 WHOLE WEEKS!!! I am officially on vacation. See everyone soon!

I’m still experimenting with video, as you can see here. This was taken today, at my library’s First Fridays event. This month, we had a band performing on the stairs to our way-cool library parking garage. We also had free hotdogs and an information booth! It was fun (if you’re interested, I took some photos, too).

So… here’s an example of a video snippet taken of a library event. This snippet (assuming it’s good enough for the average joe - I’m no Steven Spielberg) can be used to showcase library events, future First Friday events, etc. If a library has a blog and/or an RSS feed, the video can be sent to patrons - what a great way to get the word out about cool library events!

And it’s done in more of a “story” format, rather than in a formal, “look we paid lots of money for a TV spot” style, which seems to be nicer for the web. The video briefly tells the “story” of the First Fridays event, and provides viewable snippets of the event at the same time.

Time spent on this? Let’s see… 45 minutes of actual video shooting (including time spent eating a hot dog). 1-2 hours of downloading, editing, and exporting to Quicktime. And that’s because I’m not used to it yet - it would be faster if … well … I was faster. And then the time it took me to upload the video to blip.tv and write this blog post.

Any thoughts?