They came from as far away as California, and as close as Tennessee. Seeking enlightenment and a new direction from the wizard of wind. They found beer, wine, food and psychedelic popcorn.

Who is the king of the popping corn? Who is this modern day svengali who promises virtual friends to the friendless? Tweets for the tweetless? Fans for the faceless?

Although I can’t reveal his true identity, you can see him worshiping at the altar of the magic corn in these pictures smuggled from the dance of the faithful. Look closely and you will see him casting a spell over the silent silver kettle, adding a secret potion that removed  their resistance as they were drawn into to cult of Comptonville, one trusting person at a time.

Tonight, the ritual continues. Home inspectors beware. Your life will never be the same, if you join the cult of Comptonville and follow him into the virtual world of the internet.

Good morning.  Epix is about to take the stage at this the last day of Streaming Media West.  Watch the keynote live at:  www.livestream.com/streamingmedialive/beta. Presentations this weekend at streamingmedia.com/west.  We’ll be posting the remarks here along with a summary of what was said this week by other content distributors and producers:

Emil Rensing, Epix
Epix is a joint venture of Paramount/Lionsgate/MGM that launched three week ago as a FiOS Pay TV cable channel that for $10/month makes its content available to subscribers on any platform :  on TV, on demand, and online.  Epix owns the multiplatform rights for all their titles in the PayTV window of 9-10 months after theatrical release for at least 2y and doesn’t have restrictions on their content like legacy cable providers who signed deals 10 years ago and now have to renegotiate rights for TV Everywhere.   Currently offering 180 first run blockbuster movies and classics, Epix seeks to grow it’s library to 3,000 titles as well as offer outstanding original and event-based programming similar to the HBO, Starz, Showtime model.  Programming like Madonna and Kings of Leon concerts, Sam Shepard’s  Tough Trade and Charlize Theron’s Atlas Shrugged.  Seeking to become home to original storytellers….original programming builds brand for the network.  In terms of the size of the Epix acquisition budget, having just launched they are small now 62 staff, a third focused on digital, wondering whether sponsored star-studded sitcoms like Easy to Assemble and Justine Bateman’s FM78.tv then become an attractive option. Emil Rensing, founder of Next New Networks, shares space with Boxee in New York, is a digital guy agnostic about formats, hoping to see Epix on that toaster we’ve been talking about.  A media business, Epix is proud of its technology partners who provide a seamless playback experience: Akamai, Adobe, ClipSync. Amazing friending feature allows you to invite up to four friends to sit in a virtual screening room, watch the movie together, and chat via pop up speech bubbles.  The friends do not need to be an Epix subscriber. You can check out Epix this weekend.  Three day passes are available at www.epixhd.com/invite.   Watch Iron Man, Cloverfield, Curious Case of Benjamin Button, all four Indie Jones movies, even Scorsese’s Mick Jagger doc, Shine a Light.  Epix will be the first to run the Star Trek movie in the new year, so stay tuned.
(per SMW remarks)

Anthony Soohoo, CBS
CBS distribution strategy online, on mobile, in the connected home has been open, non-exclusive hyperdistribution to AOL, Yahoo!, Google, MSN. CBS.com watch full shows. TV.com nexgen navigation with integrated TiVo functionality and online personalized guide watchlists for the 20mm users of TV.com (2mm iPhone app downloads).  TV shows now, movies in the pipeline.  CBS Web Originals believes there are different ways to tell stories in terms of byte size text format, take about 3-4 different shows on a quarterly basis, on a project finance basis, find a sponsor working with the creators, then distribute across CBS properties and CBS Audience Network, bring expertise on sales side, largest video sales force out there, CBS Interactive is the 4th largest video player in the world, reach on a monthly basis 120mm.  Offer content creators sales and distribution piece mixed up with the TheInsider.com, TV.com, Chow.com, CBS.com.  300 syndicated partners.  A combination of having limited resources and it being early stage for the connected devices, focusing more on mobile right now.  TV Everywhere great for consumer, but only 52% of broadcast nets making content available, 10% cable nets, no economic model/measurement.
(per Commonwealth Club SmarterTV remarks)

Tom Gorke, MTV
Tasked with monetizing content off owned and operated 300 websites worldwide, goal is multiplatform, to stay close to consumer, drive awareness and traffic.  MTV is the largest provider of content to Xbox and iTunes.  The biggest driver of paid download to own is the need for portability, take it with you on the flight.  The need to aggregate a library of content has matured.  Done well on Hulu, Fancast, Atom, GameTrailers, DailyMotion, Veoh.  MTV is all about automation, too much content, it wouldn’t scale if had to customize, even putting a flag in a feed is tough.  Have close relationship with syndication partners, provide exclusive one off promotional content, lots of assets, art work, graphics.  Syndication partners care most about reliability and regularity of delivery, and standards of quality of content.  FB pulls a lot of content from MTV.  Really saw the power of Twitter during the VMAs with Kanye West.  MTV integrates Twitter into sites, audience of engaged folks.  Leading provider of mobile content, sold over 1mm of the 16 iPhone apps, VCast.  Live streaming tentpoles like Kids Choice Awards, VMAs. Live streaming is completely different technology (Ustream, Justin.TV, Kyte, Livestream).  When Ashton Kutcher did his Fantasy Football Show on Ustream viewership went from 100,000 to 1mm viewers, it had a watercoolers effect and was played everywhere all at once.  For the experiment, bought ad unit and inserted Ustream player – was expensive.
(per SMW remarks)

Vanessa Pappas, Next New Networks
500mm streams online in 3 years, 30mm views/month, believe in super-syndication concept, be where the audience is.  Yahoo! has been great for family entertainment, long form does well on iTunes.  TubeMogul is integrated in content management system but do a manual refresh to optimize sites that perform for you.  Recently hired category manager from YouTube.  Know your syndicated partner’s audience.  On Twitter you can’t just post and pray, need to have dialogue with engaged community.  Share office with Boxee, getting on Boxee, Roku..
(per SMW remarks)

Brett Wislon, TubeMogul
Free supersyndication service to Blip.tv, Break, Brightcove, DailyMotion, eBaum’s World, Facebook, Graspr, Grind TV, Howcast, i2TV, Imeem, Metacafe, MSN Video, Myspace, Revver, Sclipo, Sevenload, Streetfire, Twitter, StupidVideos, Veoh, VideoJug, Y! Video, YouTube, Viddler, Vimeo, 5min, Zoopy.  Best campaigns are hybrid like the recent intentionally lame Windows 7 videos.  Got 5.5mm views in September, impressive for a brand.  http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/24/video-windows-7-launch-party-parody-is-bleeping-genius/3.  Most have given up on trying to make money in online video.  Although YouTube is 50% of the game, study found that those that also syndicated to niche sites saw a 100x increase in viewership than those just on YouTube.  Greater success with vertical focus.  Analytics allow you to see where video is most embedded, can see if a specific mommy blog is an important outlet and starting feeding them exclusive content which they love because content drives traffic.  Moving from super-syndication (content everywhere blast) to hyper-syndication (content to engaged fans fast).  FB has no video strategy but is a top ten video site.  Study found most engaged viewers came from Twitter.
(per SMW remarks)

Brandon White, FUNimation
License anime content, aim to meet the needs of the licensors in Japan.  Syndicated via ad-supported video, iTunes, Xbox/Zune, PS3.  Use YouTube for fingerprinting.  Plan to syndicated across all CE devices – mobile, Blu-ray, web-enabled tvs.
(per SMW remarks)

Jim Louderback, Revision 3
Syndicates 20 shows including Diggnation broadly anywhere, anytime, any device, want to be where our audience millennial men live.  Auto-syndicates with Tubemogul but still need to manually refresh metadata at each site.
(per SMW remarks)

Dominik Rausch, Eleven Minutes Production, Easy To Assemble
EasytoAssembleSeries.com is a sponsored star-studded sitcom that has garnered 4.2mm+ views between its Season I & II on MyDamnChannel, YouTube, Ikeafans.com, KoldKastTV, Hulu.  Also distributed on iTunes.  In talks with DVD sales, releasing on hotel networks, subtitles for 10-15 additional countries in Europe & Asia.  Innovative series where in addition to celebrities like Illeana Douglas, Justine Bateman, Tom Arnold…IKEA is a co-star.  Web series same premium quality as film, all 10 episodes of second season strings together as a movie.  Production company is thinking of new ways to make content adapting to fragmented time-shifting society.  As traditional TV distribution disappears, new media will take over distribution for all platforms.
(per Commonwealth Club SmarterTV remarks)

Brent Friedman, Electric Farm
Production budget for Crackle’s Woke Up Dead is over $1mm, high for a web production but has talent attached which attracted integrated sponsors like Kodak.   (Premise of show is friend trying to monetize fact that friend is a living zombie, sub-plot pitching to brands for sponsorship).  Sometimes you have to take a risk to get a bigger payoff just like more marketing dollars equals more views.  Kodak also cross-promoted on their own site which over a million monthly uniques.  Valemont is a success with an engaged community of 25,000.
(per SMW remarks)

Thom Woodley, Dinosuar Diorama
All-For-Nots co-produced with Eisner’s Vuguru.  Doesn’t like sponsor integration, hurts show creatively, prefer ad-insertion, and smaller more engaged audiences of 50-100,000, hasn’t quit his day job as ad agency exec yet. Show All’s Faire about the Renaissance Faire reaches 20,000 Renaissance Faire fans plus sci fi, comics and comedy buffs.
(per SMW remarks)

after dinner

Ciao a tutti i “blogghisti” 3T!

Noi ragazzi delle classi quinte di San Bortolo quest’anno abbiamo iniziato a conoscere il corpo umano.
In particolare stiamo studiando il viaggio dell’aria attraverso l’apparato respiratorio.

Insieme alla nostra maestra abbiamo realizzato una magnifica registrazione, usando la LIM.

Prima alcuni di noi – Federica, Sofia Caterina ed io (Sofia) -  hanno scritto al computer le informazioni raccolte e documentate anche nel quaderno di scienze, evidenziando le parole-chiave.

Gianluca ed io (Leonardo) abbiamo scelto di disegnare con TuxPaint l’apparato respiratorio:

Da L’apparato respiratorio

Abbiamo riportato questi materiali sulla LIM, ricostruendo “dal vivo”  il percorso dell’aria nel nostro corpo: è stato davvero emozionante!
Ci siamo divertiti molto, anche se non è stato affatto facile, ma alla fine ci siamo riusciti. Eravamo tutti elettrizzati! 

E non è finita qui! 
Alessia, Isabella, Mirco, Nicola, Giulia e Valentina sono stati bravissimi a costruire con C-MAP una mappa colorata e “intricata” che rappresenta le nostre conoscenze, molto utile da utilizzare nello studio!

La mappa di Alessia e Isabella

La mappa di Mirco e Nicola

La mappa di Giulia e Valentina

Filippo e Nicola hanno disegnato con molta precisione i movimenti del diaframma e dei muscoli intercostali durante le fasi di inspirazione ed espirazione:

::::::Cliccate sulle immagini!

Altri di noi hanno illustrato alcune curiosità che riguardano l’apparato respiratorio e che vi saranno descritte dagli amici di 5^A:

• Perchè tossiamo? (Disegni di Andrea, Enrico)
• Perchè starnutiamo? (Disegni di Alice Spa., Mirco, Valentina, Sofia)
• E lo sbadiglio da cosa deriva? (Disegni di Alice Sco., Sofia Caterina, Alessia, Federica, Isabella, Francesca)
• E cosa è mai il singhiozzo?!? (Disegni di Gianluca, Giulia, Leonardo)

Curiosità dell’apparato respiratorio

Inoltre per farvi divertire gli amici di 5^A hanno creato anche un quiz con HotPotatoes che pubblicheranno presto!

E’ stata un’ esperienza indimenticabile!!!!!!  

Leonardo e Sofia e gli amici di classe 5^B e 5^A di San Bortolo

L’anno scorso abbiamo approfondito e studiato i vegetali, in particolare  la pianta e la quercia.
Qualche giorno fa alcuni di noi si sono fermati a scuola, dopo il rientro pomeridiano,   per provare con la maestra Barbara a registrare con la LIM la lezione sulle piante, ricavandola dal lavoro svolto.
E’ stato molto divertente!

Ci siamo divisi i compiti:  alcuni hanno scelto di leggere al microfono le informazioni che avevamo ricercato in Internet e scritto al computer, altri hanno “animato” sulla LIM i disegni che avevamo realizzato con TuxPaint.

E’ stato faticoso sincronizzare tutto, ma bello!

Il nostro compagno Gianluca che doveva leggere, “sputacchiava” un po’ quando pronunciava le “P”. 
Per questo noi ridevamo e dovevamo rifare tutto da capo .

Alla fine ce l’abbiamo fatta e abbiamo urlato:  

“Evviva! Adesso finiamo anche noi su YOU TUBE!!”

Ecco… divertitevi anche voi con la nostra “pianta interattiva”! 

By Sofia, Valentina, Francesca, Enrico e gli amici della classe 5^B  S. Bortolo

Bueno, no suelo coger cosas de failblog, pero esto es que ha superado los límites del cachondeo… Aquí podemos ver a un muñeco de Tarzán… que por sus gestos denota que no ha visto mucho a Jane últimamente…

By: J-Fénix

Crush It! Why Now is the Time to Cash in on Your Passion is a great read.  It reads less like a ‘how to’ or ‘for dummies’ and more like a download from the brain of Mr. Thundershow himself, Gary Vaynerchuk.  I like his ideas so much that I put signed copies up for auction on Ebay with all proceeds benefiting #socialgood–American Cancer Society, NYC Coalition Against Hunger, and Helping American Students Go Green.

Here is my take on this smart text.  I have taken tons of notes in the book and will quote Gary and offer everyone the Startup Officer / @startupofficer (“SO”) perspective where appropriate:

chapter one: passion is everything

Page 1/2    “Three years ago…if I had tried to tell you that you could build a business that creates wealth and the most happiness you’ve ever known with nothing more than passion and a willingness to work your face off, you might not have believed me.”

• SO: Success doesn’t happen overnight, but the Internet has removed many of the hurdles to make it happen sooner.

P3     “Live your passion…every single morning, you are pumped because you get to talk about or work with the thing that interest you the most in the world.”

• SO: Excitement and passion are not only attractive, they reflect another quality, authenticity which is talked about later.

P5     “Everyone knows the Internet represents one of the biggest cultural shifts since the printing press, but I think society has been slow to recognize that is represents the biggest shift in history in how we do business. Like, ever.”

• SO: Classic Gary talking here.  I agree, mostly.  I am sure there are some industrialists and technologists that can offer great advancements in business. But his point is well taken.  There is a paradigm shift occurring.  As Julien Smith (@julien) mentioned recently at the Trust Summit in NYC, ‘the hyperlink has erased the hierarchy’.

P6:    “It makes total sense that if this is where the eyeballs are going, this is where business has to go.”

• SO: totally agree.  This is how Gary shows us that the old guard platform is about to crumble.  READ the last paragraph page 6. Twice.

P9     “Everyone—EVERYONE—needs to start thinking of themselves as a brand.  It is no longer an option; it is a necessity.”

“Let me reiterate that the process I am going to be talking about takes a lot of time, effort, and focus, but not a lot of dollars, if any.”

• SO: Be the brand, don’t buy the brand.

P12   “Do what makes you happy. Keep it simple.  Do the research. Work hard. Look ahead.”

• SO: reminds me of Ted Janulis (former head of Investment Management) comment at Lehman Leadership Retreat—“Keep your head down and head up at the same time.

P13    “Ultimately this book is not about making a million dollars, although it just might help you do that.  It’s about ensuring your own happiness….”

• SO: Success can be measured in many ways; money can be part of it but not without happiness.

two: success is in your DNA

P16   “For a business guy I talk a lot about DNA…path to your successful business literally lies in the twists and turns of your own double helix.”

• SO: Some people are natural entrepreneurs, some are not.  It’s also about what’s inside you and your experience.  Maybe Malcolm Gladwell has some thoughts on how much time it takes to become a virtuoso business owner.

P17/18        “I’m convinced, in fact, that if things had been a little easier for my family in the early days, I never would have gotten to where I am now.”

• SO: Okay, so it’s DNA and hunger.

P20   “By the time I was eight years old, I had several lemonade stands and was raking in crazy amounts of cash…”

• SO: If your kid is showing a passion, give them a gentle nudge, but really they know what they want even that young.

P26   “It was there, on the New Jersey Turnpike, that I had my aha moment…  I going to use video blogs to build a whole new world for wine, and for myself.”

three: build your personal brand

P28   “Whether you’re delivering your content by video, podcast, or blog, it’s the authentic you, the one thing that is guaranteed to differentiate yourself from everybody else, including those who share your niche or business model.”

• SO: Be yourself, that’s enough to be able to compete.

P32   “Consumers want you to tell them the truth.  Sure, they want quality and service and value and entertainment, but above all they want to know that the person they’re dealing with is being honest.”

• SO: That’s good advice, nothing prosaic to add here.

P34   “You’ll crush it as long as you concentrate on being yourself.  Besides, you can’t be like me.”

• § SO: Do you see a trend here in this chapter? Just be.

P36   “Leveraging social networks…is all about building word of mouth…the Internet and social networks….have pumped world of mouth up like it was on steroids.”

• SO: Work smarter not harder. Let the internet do its work for you.

P38   “Developing your personal brand is the same thing as living and breathing your resume”

• SO: Soon it will be time to renovate your b-card to list your Twitter alias and LinkedIn or Google profile.

four: a whole new world

P41   “Business in the future is going to be a field day for everyone with talent because they’ll no longer be forced to exist within the confines of old-guard institutions.”

“The platform is sinking because of the readers are going online, which means that the ad money is going online.”

• SO: Move over telecommuting, a Paradigm Shift is coming.

P43   “There have always been people in every industry with hidden agendas, but now there is no place for them to hide.”

• SO: Hopefully this will help carry the truth around the world.

P44   “The middleman has not yet been eliminated, but we’re getting there.”

• SO: The loss of platform allows companies and people to reach each other directly without the need to pay for an intermediary.

P46   “I still want you to plan to leave and launch your own business because life is way too short to spend it working in a job you don’t love.”

• SO: Crushing it with something you love.

five: create great content

P49   “Great content is what you’re going to pump into your social media networks to draw eyeballs to your blog.  It is exists as a result of passion plus expertise, so make sure you can talk about your product like no one else”.

• Know thyself for pretenders will be exposed.

P50   “Most people talk themselves out of success before they even start.  Their passion is sticker, but they think, “There’s no way I can make a hundred grand talking about sticks.” That’s why you’re going to crush it—because you’re the type who’s going to say, “Stickers? Hell, yes, stickers!””

• SO: Hell, yeah!

P54     “There are people who belong in front of  a camera…print…on the air.  These are the extraordinary people.  The ordinary ones…vast majority of businesspeople, and entrepreneurs out there, don’t have the showman DNA.”

• SO: If you are remarkable, your content will show it and relegate the others to be backseat drivers.

six: choose your platform

P58   “If you’re self-conscious in front of a camera but have loads of personality plus a compelling voice, don’t force yourself to do a video blog, do an audio podcast.”

• SO: Choose wisely; ask someone to help you decide if you are a VJ or a DJ.

P60   “Your blog will be your home, your central location with a no exceptions open door policy where anyone can find you.”

• SO: The platform is an extension of you with a history archive

P62   “WordPress is the established leader with the most users.  Its design is a little busy, it requires a few more steps to get your content up and shared, but it’s not difficult to learn.”

“Tumblr, on the other hand, is a simply designed site is supereasy to use.”

• SO: both Blog platforms are popular, I am developing content on both and will eventually figure out which one works best for me.

P66   “Your (Facebook) fan page also allows you to e-mail everyone in one shot and allows people to interact with your page.”

• SO: Forget paying for viral marketing and email blasts, Facebook gives it away.

P66/7         “What you do with Facebook (and Twitter)…should be an absolute reflection of how you live in your daily life.

• SO: Gary keeps pounding us with that the truth does resonate.
• SO: The rest of this chapter talks about Twitter, Flickr, youtube and/or viddler, ustream.tv, analytics…WAY too much to add any value.  Like it said above – READ this chapter many times.

P82   “Vitamins can give your body a real boost, but they won’t do you much good if you don’t also incorporate exercise, proper nutrition, and even vaccines into your healthy habits.  The same goes for all of these platforms.”

• SO: Take care of the platform and it will take care of you.
• SO: general comment—read this chapter many times over.

seven: keep it real…very real

P87   “No matter how big or small you want to go, your authenticity will be at the root of your appeal and is what keep people coming to your site and spreading the word about your personal brand, service, or what-ever you are offering.

• SO: Truth conquers. And so do honesty and integrity and being nice.

P89   “Anything insane has a price.  If you’re serious about building your personal brand, there will be no time for Wii…Scrabble or book club or poker or hockey….Expect this to be all consuming.”

• SO: Don’t be scared, if you love yourself and your brand,  you will be able to feed yourself at the same time you are being consumed.  The existential snake comes to mind.

P90   “I said that you could make a ton of money being happy; I didn’t say you could do it overnight.”

• SO: Patience is a virtue, don’t be a silly rabbit and try to find a shortcut.

P93   “How did someone like me, who is so obviously not a patient guy, cool my heels for so long? Because I was 100% happy.”

• SO: Slow it down and let your happy quotient lead you.

eight: create community: digging your internet trench

P95   “Creating community is about starting conversations.”

• SO: If it’s better to give than to receive, then it’s much better to open dialogues than just talk your face off.

P97   “I would read hundreds of blog posts and leave comments on many of them.  I’d spend time on wine forums and read what other people said and then comment on those comments.”

• SO: It’s exhausting but connecting to everyone and sharing is what it’s all about.

nine: the best marketing strategy ever

P 102        “CARE.”

• SO: If you ever walk into Wine Library you will learn the meaning of the word C-A-R-E.

ten: make the world listen

P 104        “Buy both .com and .tv if possible because you never know if you’ll need them and there’s no obligation to launch both.  While you’re at it, buy the domain names for your children if you can.”

• SO: Think about the whole world, not just yours.

P 105         “7. If you’re doing video, open a TubeMogul account.  If you’re doing a written blog, sign up for Ping.fm.”

• SO: I haven’t done these yet. Sometimes there are so many websites to sign-up for that I get overloaded.  I will need to put together a spreadsheet for all this information.

P107        “Rinse and repeat.”

“We’re thinking of this brand building as a marathon, not a sprint, right?”

• § SO: Like it’s been said so many times before, it takes a lot of working your face off to achieve results.  Prepare yourself to train for the challenge of your life.

eleven: start monetizing

P110       “There are hundreds of billions of dollars in ad revenue out there that need a place to go, and they’re winding up online because it’s the best return on investment advertisers can find.”

• SO: Eyeballs equal money.

P111        “Next, start taking steps to get on the lecture circuit.”

• SO: Wouldn’t it be cool for someone to consider you an expert on something?

P112      “You could also consider doing an affiliate program.”

• SO: Say it with me, pay-per-action

twelve: roll with it

P119     “I’ve repeated over and over that in order to build a winning business you have to go whole hog with you passion

• SO: There is no holding back on happiness.

P123           “As far as I’m concerned, the biggest hurdle for most corporate brands today is their dependence on their PR people.  They’re terrified of the unfiltered message, but what they should do is encourage it.”

• SO: The old-guard will take a while to change; maybe new CEOs will be needed to understand these ideas.

thirteen: legacy is greater than currency

P127     “We’re all in the public eye now, swimming around in a clear glass fish bowl of our own making.  With every e-mail and video and blog post and tweet and status update, we add to the real-time documentary of our lives.”

• SO: Good morning, good afternoon, and goodnight.

P129     “This is why every decision I make is weighed in terms of currency and legacy.  Will this business deal make me money?  Yes? Good.  Will I be proud of how I made that money? Yes? Okay, then, let’s do this.  If the answer is no, I don’t go there, ever.  Legacy always wins.”

• SO: Let your moral compass guide you, not your greed.

conclusion: the time is now, the message is forever

P134      “I’ve offered you a blueprint of the step-by-step process…”

“If there’s any message I want you to take away, it’s that true success—financial, personal, and professional—lies above all in loving your family, working hard, and living your passion.”

• SO: Now it’s your turn to build on the plan.  Go out there and CRUSH IT.

Hello all,

I would like to bring attention – to the fact that I now have a Viddler account.
You can find the MyTutorialz account on Viddler, by going to this address: http://www.viddler.com/MyTutorialz .

Thanks!

(I would benefit from your subscription!)

What say you? Which one is better? I cant make the youtube dimension any bigger than this. Let me know if you know how to change the dimension to play nice in wordpress.  But at least it is HD.

On Viddler There’s this feature I really like. Check out my custom made logo at the lower right corner. Click it and it link to my other website Getook.com. Unfortunately Viddler HD is still on beta. I’m still waiting to be invited to be a beta tester.

Overall, I’m liking Viddler better because of the custom logo. By the way that’s my plant “hap-hap” less than a year old

I found a game for the iPhone called spinball, and from the screenshots it looks like an exact clone of Curveball, plus a few UI modifications. I used to spend hours on end playing Curveball; it’s just insanely addictive. Frustrating too. Play it… At your own risk. I take no responsibility for any damages to your mental or physical health, nor can I be held liable if you get insanely addicted and do stupid stuff like throw your computer out the window :p
My current high score since I found it again yesterday: 19490 (Level 6). I know I’ve gotten to Level 7 before, but that was ages ago.
Scratch that, just got 21690 – Level 7.

I’ve been both a little busy but bored at the same time lately. I decided I’m going to overhaul the DEQ site design (a religious wordpress blog I run for my old mosque) because I’m not happy with the LightWord theme. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a great theme, but it’s not what I’m looking for. The way it works is like a standard blog with each post containing several self-hosted videos. I’ve decided I’m going to rebuild it so that firstly, the videos are hosted elsewhere. Youtube would be the obvious choice, but there are competitors that are simply better. It came down to Revver and Viddler.
Both are similar in the sense that they have ad-revenue-share schemes and have very customisable interfaces through their respective API’s. But I am faced with a difficult compromise: Revver allows me to create a white-label of the site, but has a 100MB file size limit. Viddler, on the other hand, has a 500MB file size limit, but white-labelling is only available to business customers.
Given that most of the videos are around the 300MB mark, it makes a big difference.
In the end, it came down to client requirements. Though technically, it’s me who created, developed, maintains and records the content for the site, it’s for the mosque, so they are the clients. They don’t want the videos to be split into smaller parts, meaning Viddler is the way to go.

The second thing I’m rebuilding is the design. I’ve already created one WordPress theme, which I know is four short of my intended target for the end of this month, but I’ll learn along the way.
This time, rather than making a design based on the technical knowledge I have, I decided to completely let loose and design for the sake of making it look good – no compromise. Then I’ll learn how to do the stuff I don’t know. It’s a positive step forward.
In my mind, I know how it should look. But in the name of doing it professionally, I’m following the technique of Elliot Jay Stocks – a designer I recently heard of because of his book ‘Sexy Web Design‘. So I’m going to go through the entire planning and research phase, beginning with the sitemap. I should get the requirements from the clients first, but I already know that I have free rein on most of that. As long as the videos are there and work, they’re happy. They’re not very technically inclined, so they’re not really aware of what sort of stuff is possible. Thus, their existing web projects lack ambition. As Elliot Stocks would say, “it’s not sexy”. No, I haven’t missed the irony of trying to create a religious website that can be called ’sexy’. I’m taking control of that aspect of things – and the only things in which I’ve let them have a say is stuff to do with the actual videos. I’m not a friendly web-designer, am I? :p

I used WriteMaps to create the sitemap – it’s quite useful: simple and effective. I did some post-processing for the sake of it in photoshop, so here’s the final* sitemap:

*Where ‘final’ means ’subject to vary due to unforeseen circumstances’.
Click for larger image.

See the “An XT Production” thing in the corner? That’s that I was talking about here. Next is the wire-framing, paper-prototyping and then the design. Finally, the coding aspect of it will come into play. That’s the part I’m dreading: trying to get what I see in my mind and turn it into working 1’s and 0’s.

I’ve got a new partner in bed. She’s not like you would expect. She has great curves which compliment her slim figure oh so beautifully. I’ve known her for ages; she’s always been around, just hiding in the shadows waiting for when I need her. Now she’s here, and I can’t let her go.

What? You thought I was talking about a real girl?
And just for the record, I don’t sleep with the blade out.

Days Without Incident: Five

Although the link I show for new Flash Newsflash episodes is on youtube.com each weeks episode is also available on break.com, blip.tv and viddler.com. You can also find Flash Newsflash as a downloadable podcast on ITunes, become a fan of Flash Newsflash on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.

Online video marketing has now become a key business differentiator for companies wanting to communicate with customers or prospects in a compelling manner, and to do it in a short timeframe.

There is really not anything else that rivals the effectiveness and persuasion power of a well crafted video message that is placed on a website’s “landing page” (the page that new visitors to a site see first).

I believe that video should almost always be part of every social marketing mix. I say almost always because I don’t believe in cookie cutter approaches to anything. But I also haven’t seen many types of businesses that can’t benefit from incorporating a video component into their overall online marketing strategy.

Why? Because these days, the average attention span of a web user today is measured in mere seconds.

Today’s web surfer has a notoriously short attention span. When they visit a site, they very quickly determine whether the content and style matches what it is they’re looking for or interested in. If you can grab their interest right there and then, then they might  stick around a little longer!

It’s not an understatement to state that you have one shot at arousing the interest and/or curiosity of a first time vistor to your website. They are always just one click away from leaving your web page if you have failed to engage them in some way.

With that one click, you have lost the opportunity to develop a relationship with that person, and the potential conversation about your product or service that can lead to a sale.

That click away factor is why I strongly recommend an easily seen video message on the web page that people will see when they first go top your site. It has the ability to arouse curiosity, entertain, hold the attention of your site vistor.

Most people who click on a short video (2-4 minutes) watch it to completion.

That means you have a captive audience for those 2-4 minutes! You have your shot to intrigue them, interest them, educate them…whatever your objective is.

“But I have no idea how to create a video for my website!”

It’s easier than you might imagine. You can be as basic or as advanced as you prefer, or as the marketing campaign requires.

A really basic method that can be effective is to create a video using screen capture tools. These tools make it possible for you to capture websites, make a video screen capture of you going through a PowerPoint presentation, or any number of other things like that.

And really, it is not all that complicated.

What you will need to get going with this method is a video screen capture program and a simple microphone. And if you want to create videos of PowerPoint / Word / Notepad presentations, you will of course need those programs as well.

Camtasia is without exception, one of the best screen capture utilities available – but it will cost you a little over 300 bucks!  If you can swing it, I would highly suggest you get it.  The makers of Camtasia offer a 30 day free trial for you to try it out before committing to it.

Here’s a bonus hint for you! Camtasia was inspired by a program called Cam Studio, which is free. It doesn’t have all the bells and whistles that Camtasia has, but it’s a pretty decent program. And the price is certainly right!

With these types of tools, you can produce very slick and professional looking videos.  Here are just a few ways you can use them on your webpages:

* Create a set of videos answering your most frequently asked questions

* Create video tutorials or “how to” demos for products or services

* Create video-based information products that you can then sell

Here’s a link to the free version:   http://camstudio.org/

Here’s a link to the “all the bells & whistles” version: http://www.techsmith.com/camtasia

The other and probably more common method that people use to produce videos is a simple camcorder.

Frankly, most consumer camcorders shoot very high quality video. With the right sound and light accessories, you can shoot a highly professional looking video to upload to your website.

There are a number of editing programs to polish your video before putting it on your site.

Free options include Windows Movie Maker for XP or Vista users or Apple iMovie for Mac users.

This is something though, that you may want to spend a little money on. For under $100, you can get some fairly powerful video editing software. Google these to find the products: Adobe Premiere Elements, ArcSoft Showbiz DVD, CyberLink PowerDirector, MoviePlus, Nero Ultra Edition, Pinnacle Studio, Roxio VideoWave, Ulead VideoStudio.

Once you have produced and edited your video, you will then be uploading it to share. There are a number of sites that you can upload your video to.

If you wish to embed the video on your site (usually the best option), then sites like You Tube will host your video while providing you with code that you can place on your page.

You can also set things up so that visitors to your site click on the video play button and never leave your site.

All things considered, I believe video to be a “must” for anyone who wished to leverage the social spaces if the internet.

It’s not a magic pill however. It takes work, creativity and a good strategic plan to make it effective.

Do some research, develop a strategy, decide what types of videos to produce, shoot them, edit and enhance them, create your online presence with them!

Dafür dass mein Firefox immer den Löffel abgibt wenn ich Viddler neu aufrufe, dafür hab ich nichts anderes im Sinn als diese Worte: ****** ********** ********** ******* **** ****** ******** ******. ******. ***********************************. Da fühlt man sich doch gleich befreiter. (Zensuristkeinauslöserdesautorssondern, derminderbemitteltenfähigkeitderlesenden, solcheworteüberhauptauffassenzukönnen.)

Was mir heute ebenfalls auf den Wecker ging sind diese total seltsamen Preise für I-Tunes. Ist immer Hübsch wenn ich 60% aller Apps für 0.79€ bekomm, ist aber blöde wenn ich mir mal wieder eins holen will, aber nur noch 0.78€ noch von meinen I-Tunes-Karten übrig sind. Sicher, ich könnt natürlich auch per Überweisung bezahlen, aber da ich noch nie (und auch schon vor der Wirtschaftskrise (uuuuuh, böses Worte)) keiner einzigen Bank traute und sie nur nutzte um mein Geld an die zu überweisen die es zugute haben von mir, ist mein Konto natürlich stramm auf 0. Ich kann ja schlecht auf die Bank gehen, dem Bankier hinter dem Schalter eine Cent-Münze zuwerfen und sagen “Einzahlen. Nicht dumm schauen, einzahlen. Atmen nicht vergessen.”

Ach ja, von wegen seltsame Ideen: Twitteraccount~

Ich hab jetzt auch einen. Tweets von mir befinden sich links oben auf der Mainsite dieses Blogs. Dann kann jeder sehen wann ich anderen Mitteile das meine Spaghetti nach Spülmittel schmecken oder dass das Zebra den Tod verdient.

Zudem werden hier noch weitere kleine Dinge von mir hier erscheinen. Einige Kategorien hab ich schon erstellt, fehlen nur noch die entsprechenden Seiten und einige andere Dinge, wie bspw. eine Seite in der alle meine Apps aufgelistet sind, dazu gehörend natürlich persönliche Bewertungen, wenn auch kurze. Auch eine Seite mit allerlei Spielzeug, was ich so besitze, Scores und weiteres. Gedichte werde ich ebenfalls hier veröffentlichen. Ich hab auch vor einen bestimmten ‚Satz des Tages’ bzw. ‚Zitat des Tages’ unterzubringen. Wie ich das mach und was genau ich darunter verstehen lassen werde, das weiß ich noch nicht so genau. Geschichten, das ist wieder eine andere Sache. Kurzgeschichten die nicht irgendwie anderweitig benutzt werden lass ich hier sicherlich mit einfließen, aber wie viele und welche, darüber hab ich mir bisher noch keine Gedanken gemacht. Von wegen, geistiges Eigentum.

Grund für die so späte Aktualisierung dieses Blogs, obwohl ich schon viel früher den ersten Post schrieb, war kurz und knapp mein Urlaub. Diesen konnte ich nicht nur gebrauchen sondern auch genießen. Kleines Update hier, ich weiß, aber ich werde mich ranhalten hier einige Dinge zu hinterlassen die hoffentlich auf gute Klangresonanz treffen.

Wo wir gerade von Klängen reden: Ist sicherlich jedem aufgefallen das es sich hier zwar nicht um ein Musiker-Blog oder ähnliches handelt, aber dennoch sehr viele Bezeichnungen mit Klängen, Liedern etc. verbunden sind. Warum das so ist, das ist sehr schnell zu beantworten. Ich liebe Sterne. Ich könnte Jahrelang von Sternen und für sie singen. Ein guter Sänger bin ich bestimmt nicht, auch wenn einige sagen dass ich mich doch gar nicht so schlecht anhöre. So kam ich jedenfalls auf Sternsänger; ein Name, den ich mir wirklich gerne als Familiennamen zulegen würde falls es mal dazu kommt. Hat irgendwie etwas Außergewöhnliches und dennoch sehr bodenständiges, was ich sehr attraktiv finde.

Dafür war es das erstmal für Heute. Man hört sich

Video source

Some of my favourite quotes from the video:

• We teach kids, not subjects.
• School is real life, not preparation for real life.
• Technology needs to be like oxygen: Ubiquitous, necessary and invisible.

Other Lehmann presentations via SlideShare are here. I’m certain he has moved past the rhetoric and got into gear. How about the rest of us?

It’s a viddler video but it refuses to size for my blog!

It’s from www.thewinevault.co.nz. Follow them on twitter here. And click here to watch the video properly.

www.viddler.com/explore/bryantj/videos/87/

FRUSTRATED

Making video social

Tomorrow, Tuesday, June 16, I will be livetweeting Social Media Club Sacramento’s “Making Video Social.” The event is live, and if you want to come in person, it’s at the Peppers.TV office in Sacramento (near Mather Field) at 7:00 PM. (Networking and snacks start at 6:30.)

The event is free — you can sign up here.

You can follow my livetweet by following me, @paulardoin. Also, I have become enamored of TweetChat.com lately. Go to TweetChat.com on Tuesday night, sign in with your Twitter username and password, then enter the room with the #smcsac hashtag. The feed updates automatically, and only sends updates with #smcsac. I’ve used TweetChat.com for a few livetweets before, and it is often the difference between tolerable and intolerable! (A few of the SMC-Sackers like HootSuite, which I haven’t used yet.)

So remember: follow the #smcsac hashtag on Tuesday night. I plan to post a lightly-edited version of the transcript here on Wednesday.

Over the last 12 months I have regularly demonstrated Veotag which is an excellent site where you upload a video, you then go through the video and apply ‘tags’ and a textual description to parts of the videos. these tages can then be used to navigate to a certain point within the video, or you can directly link to one from somewhere else (e.g. a blog being used a reflective diary), or just to provide additional information about what is going on in the video. This could be used by the tutor creating resources for learners, or by learners showing their understanding of a topic. An example of a veotag output can be found here.

However Veotag have announced this week that they will be stopping the free service, which is a real shame, so I have started looking at alternatives.

One option would be to use YouTube and the caption tool built into that – an example of which would be (I have used the same video and added a couple of captions at the beginning. This wasn’t as easier to do as with veotag, but I think that YouTube is unlikley to ever go away or to start charging.

Another option is something called Viddler which does allow tags and captions which are quite easy to add, and by the looks of it, other people can add captions and tags to my video, which could have huge educational benefits (as well as a few undersireable side effects) – and the output from this looks like

Now I still think that Veotag does the job the best, so I guess that I will have to look at how much it costs to subscribe, but at least I know that there are other alternatives out there that can be used.

1. Visit the Viddler site to find a video you would like to insert.
    
2. Click “Embed This” below the video. 
   
3. Copy the shortcode that appears after you click the WordPress.com option.   
     
4. Paste the shortcode into your post or page

The default width and height of the embeded video is 437×370. You can adjust the size settings in the shortcode depending on the size of your video if needed. 

After publishing, the video will look like the one below.