[videoblogging] Re: Does the Blog format work for Vlogging anymore?
Hello, Actually in wordpress you can make a post stick at the top of the list like a featured post. In wordpress 7.0 it's as simple as clicking 'quick edit' on your featured post of choice, then clicking 'make this post sticky'. After updating that will now be your first post seen on your homepage. Krystian http://KMOGVIDEO.net (redesign launching in less than a week). --- In videoblogging@yahoogroups.com, Pat Cook patsbl...@... wrote: Hi everyone: The achillies heel of not being able to sticky your favorite posts as if you the admin of a message board or mark them as a favorite has held true in ALL forms of blogging (Be it text, audio or video). Heck, I can still remember when I first posted my favorite personal rendition of Twas The Night Before Christmas. I've been reposting it EVERY YEAR ever since (And plan on doing it again this year on my AS MY WORLD TURNS blog). In fact, I may do something I hadn't even done with it before. That is to MAKE A VIDEO OF IT post it on my YouTube channel. That said (And basically put), about THE ONLY way to prevent your favorite posts from being forgotten is to REPOST them using the CURRENT date. That's THE ONLY way you can solve that problem. As for the lack of themes, well all I can say is that the creator of the theme needs to be compensated SOMEHOW (Especially during these economic hard times). It's just a fact of life. Hope this helps Just my opinion Cheers Pat From: Heath Sent: Wednesday, December 10, 2008 08:56 To: videoblogging@yahoogroups.com Subject: [videoblogging] Does the Blog format work for Vlogging anymore? I have been doing a lot of thinking as I come close to my 3 year mark of vlogging. From the outset of vlogging almost everyone settled on the blog format for their site. And I think at that time it worked. However, now.I am not so sure. I mean every time you make a video and post, that video moves down the list and soon it's off your homepage in some cases, never to be seen again. Now for some, maybe that is no big deal, but.I think some of us all make a few videos that we are especially proud of, and in the current blog/vlog format, there is no easy way (I know we can sticky but if you sticky more than a couple no one will ever see your new content on your site) to show off those posts. It seems to me that there is a huge lack in the number of themes that take advatage of vlogging. I mean with the explosion of online video, you would think we would have more, but I only know of a small handfull and most of those you have to pay for. I am just curious as to what you all think? I just don't knowI mean part of me likes the blog/vlog format as it is, but I find myself longing for a different way to show off my video's moreso the ones that I want to showcase or ones that I am fond of...I mean I could revlog but So what do you all like and dislike about the current vlog format? What would you like to see? Just curious... Heath http://heathparks.com [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
[videoblogging] Re: Does the Blog format work for Vlogging anymore?
--- In videoblogging@yahoogroups.com, Krystian Morgan k...@... wrote: Actually in wordpress you can make a post stick at the top of the list like a featured post. And in Blogger you have a couple of hacks you can use to the same effect: (1) You can pre date the post to a future date so that it sits atop of the rest chronologically.This is certainly cumbersome if you have prominant date headers. (2)On most templates, you can post your featured video into a gadget/widget and drag and drop it into the main column of you blog so that it appears to be a post. (3) I've searched for other hacks and while I prefer to feature my latest video post on my top page I deploy a few means to draw attention to more wares in the same way that the Ryan is Hungry http://ryanishungry.com/ does at the bottom of the page. You can use aggregators like Vodpod to do this and showcase your own stuff or I use a scroll bar to showcase thumbnails . EG: overflow-x and overflow-y div align=centerdiv style=overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: auto; width: 75%; height: 100px;[PUT LINKED TO THUMBNAILS HERE] /div I'm very new to videoblogging but I have been hacking templates for podcasting for about three years (not thats' I'm any good) and I think there's a different requirement with video as many posters have flagged in this thread. And the Ryan is Hungry format solves a few problems as does the Hemingway designed by Warpspire I use: http://warpspire.com/hemingway/ which you can get both for Blogger and Wordpress. But it isn't very hackable if you want to tweak it some more.(Although hacks do exist). But here it is for Blogger: http://tabo.aurealsys.com/templates/hemingway-template-for-blogger/ dave riley http://ratbaggy.blogspot.com/
Re: [videoblogging] Re: Does the Blog format work for Vlogging anymore?
yes, we're finally going to a show in a box style in jan in part because we have about 200 episodes now and we want them to be easier to scroll thru for viewers since almost each episode is a world of its own On Fri, Dec 12, 2008 at 7:43 AM, bmilam52 mmila...@gmail.com wrote: The blogging format for video blogging doesn't really work for two reasons. One, the tendency is to do a video blog much like the average boring blog post, which consistently deals with the mundane aspects of our lives. There's nothing wrong with that except that unless your day was more interesting than everyone elses, you won't get that much attention. -- http://geekentertainment.tv [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
[videoblogging] Re: Does the Blog format work for Vlogging anymore?
Actually the only thing I use RSS for is for downloading my podcasts, I don't use RSS either, I was just asking for those that do... Heath http://heathparks.com --- In videoblogging@yahoogroups.com, Ron Watson k9d...@... wrote: g through their reader, than why have a site at all then? As far as having all of your video's on Blip etc, well I know for me, that Blip's Showplayer does not show all of my stuff it only goes back about a year, so you are missing anything older...but that is neither here nor there... Nobody but you guys are viewing through your reader. Nobody is going to mefeedia. The feed services like feedburner and mefeedia are awesome for giving a large footprint, but for the masses they are not destinations. The only people who go there and use feed readers are geeks. Regular people don't know what an RSS feed is let alone how to use and manage one. If FF did not automagically parse them they'd think it was a broken link. I use RSS feeds to push my vids out there and to get them exposure so I can get hits on search engines. Mefeedia and Feedburner are great for creating a large footprint. They are for the people on this list. But there are very few people who view stuff on RSS feeds. Just the busy geeks like yourselves. I exempt myself from this statement, as I don't use feeds, although I probably would if I had the bandwidth available to watch videos. I gobble up my 5 GB shuffling files around the sites that I am developing. So I go back to my first statement and ask, Is RSS in effect part of the problem? Is it so easy now to just watch that we are becoming passive? That we no longer care about the communication or the connections that can develop? Yes, they are part of the problem. The people on this list are busy, busy, and we live in our own little world. If I don't follow a link from a post here, I don't see it. There needs to be a gathering place with an application that can make the people on this list happy AND reach the public. Hasn't happened yet. We need to start trying to put things together as a group if we're going to get any kind of serious visibility. Hasn't happened yet. peace, Ron Watson http://k9disc.blip.tv http://k9disc.com http://discdogradio.com http://pawsitivevybe.com On Dec 11, 2008, at 3:46 PM, Heath wrote: So it seems that by having an RSS feed we are actually taking away from the communial side of blogging/vlogging? I mean if there is no reason to ever go to a site because everyone is reading through their reader, than why have a site at all then? As far as having all of your video's on Blip etc, well I know for me, that Blip's Showplayer does not show all of my stuff it only goes back about a year, so you are missing anything older...but that is neither here nor there... So I go back to my first statement and ask, Is RSS in effect part of the problem? Is it so easy now to just watch that we are becoming passive? That we no longer care about the communication or the connections that can develop? Heath http://heathparks.com --- In videoblogging@yahoogroups.com, michaelaivaliotis michaelaivaliotis@ wrote: If someone can watch all your videos on a site like Blip.TV, Vimeo or even Youtube - which probably already has a great viewing experience - Why should they come to your site? what's the compelling reason? I think this is the main question that needs to be answered and thought about before you start redesigning your site. If you can't clearly answer that then your site needs to be more of an About Me page with links to your stuff. On the other hand, if Blip.TV is the only place you have videos and you are just using them as a virtual hard drive then you need to do some serious work on your site. Sorry, I don't have a clear answer but you really need to put some time and money into it if you want your site to be a hub. You have to give people a reason to come back. Honestly, with the concept of RSS feeds in full effect, I never go to anyone's site anymore. I watch all your videos in my Google reader. The only reason for me to go to your site would be to leave a comment. The problem there is I usually never read the response unless I'm subscribed to the comments via email: like Rupert does on his blog (that helps). For those that want dynamic related posts. I found a WP plugin here: http://mitcho.com/code/yarpp/ It doesn't do thumbnails but it has great options to show related posts (probably the best). I'm currently trying to modify it to show thumbnails. The main issue with thumbnails is that you need to manually attach a thumbnail to your post and specify that this thumbnail is for the video (like is currently done with the vPIP plugin). Still some work there. I'm
[videoblogging] Re: Does the Blog format work for Vlogging anymore?
I have enjoyed the discussion as wellit's interesting to see how things have evolved and continue to evolveand how at the end of the day one truth remains.do what makes you happyI mean we have all these means to communicate now, to share stories, etc...but at the end of the day, you just gotta enjoy what you are doingand one size never fits allwhich is so great, you know. It's what I love about the web and the communities that developI love it and I love having discussions, seeing things from a different perspective Now if I could just find that perfect theme Heath http://heathparks.com --- In videoblogging@yahoogroups.com, Steve Watkins st...@... wrote: Great discussion. It takes me back to several different topics I used to rant on about here. Several projects I always wanted to do but, as usual, never really got started on. I like to think about a CMS that can show its content through a variety of flash front ends. The useful bits of blogging, social networking, community, communication, and decent presentation of videos and other content, but with a much smoother interface and experience than we are typically used to. And no walled garden approach. And no need to be a techie. Easy for me to say, obviously much harder to achieve. Im still up for trying, the fuel I need is people being continually passionate and talkative about such things, so that I keep faith that there is reason to bother trying. Anyway I will avoid going into further detail so this doesnt turn into one of my bloated posts of yesteryear, I'm sure I'll add further thoughts later. Cheers Steve Elbows
[videoblogging] Re: Does the Blog format work for Vlogging anymore?
Great thread. I feel torn. I feel like only using Blip and YouTube and getting rid of a site altogether sometimes. I'm only part time vlogging, but I have the same struggles. The big question for me seems to be what does the new 'TV' look like? for a while now I've got the feeling that embedded video players that move around from site to site with my content on them are really like floating TVs... I have a sense that two big things are happening. 1. Online video is going to be on bigger and bigger TVs. 2. Comments, some text and links, photos, etc. are also expected if your vlogs are 'stories' as in, it's all rich media now, or convergence media. Eventually people will expect all videos to have a comment section, maybe a little text with links to things mentioned, background photos, HD and tiny screen formats. CNN used to be a TV station, New York Times used to be print. Now on the Web, they are text, audio, video and photos - all in a new format with different rules then the campus radio, tv, newspaper, photojournalism, departments. So maybe for the small time, small crew, or one-person shows, it's a question of specializing to fit into a bigger convergence site eventually to make money? i.e. sell your episodes to a bigger outlet. Or focus on a niche, like episodes shot really tight only for mobile screens, then eventually get pulled into a convergence site?? Anyway, I'm more in academia now, where we're watching work, and lingo, like this: Convergence Journalism. See student-run: http://www.amherstwire.com/ The new full time jobs at universites I'm seeing who's sole job it is to re-edit, with branding, videos from around campus's different departments (journalism, film, comm) for the Web site's marketing and recruitment of prospective students, and make a Web page: I like this page's layout with the three areas and inclusive player with all the shows and big thumbs. http://www.hampshire.edu/news/multimedia.htm Also, a few universities I work with are hiring more web 2.0 social technologists to produce videos for their Web site from campus media, do professor profiles, student interviews, and to manage Facebook, Youtube Channels, Linked-in accounts, Twitter, etc. for all the different departments such as alumni, Web, development, sports, admissions, etc, who all need this kind of help, believe it or not!!! They try and use work-study students who know how to it, but they are not full time professionals. We are also setting up blogs for departments who are just getting to that point!
[videoblogging] Re: Does the Blog format work for Vlogging anymore?
The blogging format for video blogging doesn't really work for two reasons. One, the tendency is to do a video blog much like the average boring blog post, which consistently deals with the mundane aspects of our lives. There's nothing wrong with that except that unless your day was more interesting than everyone elses, you won't get that much attention.
[videoblogging] Re: Does the Blog format work for Vlogging anymore?
I agree about the content, and google reader and RSS, etc make things
very easy, but when people do come to my site, after maybe seeing a
video for the first timeI want it to look as visually appealing
as possible and to be able to showcase some of my best stuff and
other things/vlogs I like, etcfor me it's more about the look
of the site.
I do think you are also right in that it's best to showcase video's
on a standalone sight, but then again, how do you get people over
there? Just a header link, an ad on your site, etc...
We spent so much time talking about content, how to make video, how
to set up RSS feeds, how to promote your site, etc...but the layout
and design we just have pretty much accepted what is out there and
made due.let's change that!
Heath
http://heathparks.com
--- In videoblogging@yahoogroups.com, RatbagMedia [EMAIL PROTECTED]
wrote:
The core complication isn't so much video per se but the whole Web
2.0
multimedia explosion. Text is easy to format and showcase -- we've
been laying it out for centuries -- but digital media is a major
complication.
I come from audio blogging/podcasting and the rot sets in when you
try
to combine media elements -- in my case: text + audio + digital
presentations ('powerpoints') + slide shows + videos. While this
discussion list no doubt has some QuickTime preferences the unifying
(and contradictory) element on the web is flash media.
That changes the dialogue a lot.
In mindset I'm a total bloggerfile as I know nuthin' else to speak
about so I tend to pursue the glorious quest of trying to get as
much
return as I can from the one blog platform -- in my case , Blogger.
Thats' all I know.
Nonetheless I think the Blip TV channel player is the best media
showcase hardware I've come across on the web. So that guests on my
videoblog too.
Elsewhere I am very eclectic and in other blogs I work on I like to
use Vodpod widgets and the new Vodspot platform.
http://blog.vodpod.com/2008/12/09/announcing-vodspot/
and I cross post like mad --albeit selectively.
While I will subscribe keenly to an audio feed and automatically
download the Mp3 files I won't do that for video, preferring instead
to monitor videoblogging sites by subscribing to their feeds in
Google
reader. I then quickly review their content before deciding to
continue watching. ( I don't however sample audio like that.)
So what the site looks like is neither here nor there as RSS rules.
Nonetheless with site showcasing -- and I do this with audio -- it
is
often useful to divide up your offerings into themes. I currently
offer standalone players for Best of my videos, Videos from
elsewhere and my own all-in channel in the same way that I always
divide up my audio wares and offer them in pop up players.
But the reality is, I fear, that no one knows how to design the best
of all possible web or video sites so there are all these people
working away at the coal face, tweaking as they go -- designing a
better mousetrap
Nonethless,some of the best video feeds I subscribe can emanate from
the most sterile of CSS sites. So let's not get too caught up
in
form over content.
dave riley
http://ratbaggy.blogspot.com/
Re: [videoblogging] Re: Does the Blog format work for Vlogging anymore?
re Ron's link to Community is the new capitalism: Community is More than Dollars and Cents I thought we already were a community - this mail list. when people post links in their sigs others can check them out comment/continue conversations there or reply to email privately. the vlomo type projects seem good too for bursts of sub-communities too though it's hard to maintain focus / be able to post regularly at times. other online communities I've been involved with for years have been via mail lists or forums/msg boards. some post links/videos etc. I don't think the platform / medium really matters though - it's more about the involvement of the people the discussions interactions that keep people coming back. I don't know - maybe people should include their 'featured posts/videos' links in an email sig or do an announcement every now then if they have something special. perhaps some don't like doing 'shameless self promotion' or there's risks of too much spam. for a website with content, personally I find a CMS eg drupal site a better format than a blog-only one as there's multiple ways people can come across posts be presented / organised. but mostly because that's what I've used most often too. and their themes are even better these days for people who want more flexibility (though I haven't updated my sites' themes yet - still using default ones) kath
Re: [videoblogging] Re: Does the Blog format work for Vlogging anymore?
I've been part of many list based 'communities', and I really don't see them as being communities. This list is one of the best I've seen as far as avoiding flame wars and such, but when people are afraid to post links because they don't want to 'spam' the list, is that really a community? peace, Ron On Dec 11, 2008, at 8:44 AM, Kath O'Donnell wrote: re Ron's link to Community is the new capitalism: Community is More than Dollars and Cents I thought we already were a community - this mail list. when people post links in their sigs others can check them out comment/continue conversations there or reply to email privately. the vlomo type projects seem good too for bursts of sub-communities too though it's hard to maintain focus / be able to post regularly at times. other online communities I've been involved with for years have been via mail lists or forums/msg boards. some post links/videos etc. I don't think the platform / medium really matters though - it's more about the involvement of the people the discussions interactions that keep people coming back. I don't know - maybe people should include their 'featured posts/videos' links in an email sig or do an announcement every now then if they have something special. perhaps some don't like doing 'shameless self promotion' or there's risks of too much spam. for a website with content, personally I find a CMS eg drupal site a better format than a blog-only one as there's multiple ways people can come across posts be presented / organised. but mostly because that's what I've used most often too. and their themes are even better these days for people who want more flexibility (though I haven't updated my sites' themes yet - still using default ones) kath [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
[videoblogging] Re: Does the Blog format work for Vlogging anymore?
If someone can watch all your videos on a site like Blip.TV, Vimeo or even Youtube - which probably already has a great viewing experience - Why should they come to your site? what's the compelling reason? I think this is the main question that needs to be answered and thought about before you start redesigning your site. If you can't clearly answer that then your site needs to be more of an About Me page with links to your stuff. On the other hand, if Blip.TV is the only place you have videos and you are just using them as a virtual hard drive then you need to do some serious work on your site. Sorry, I don't have a clear answer but you really need to put some time and money into it if you want your site to be a hub. You have to give people a reason to come back. Honestly, with the concept of RSS feeds in full effect, I never go to anyone's site anymore. I watch all your videos in my Google reader. The only reason for me to go to your site would be to leave a comment. The problem there is I usually never read the response unless I'm subscribed to the comments via email: like Rupert does on his blog (that helps). For those that want dynamic related posts. I found a WP plugin here: http://mitcho.com/code/yarpp/ It doesn't do thumbnails but it has great options to show related posts (probably the best). I'm currently trying to modify it to show thumbnails. The main issue with thumbnails is that you need to manually attach a thumbnail to your post and specify that this thumbnail is for the video (like is currently done with the vPIP plugin). Still some work there. I'm trying to figure out how to get it to find thumbnails automatically, like it is done in the BlipIt plugin: http://www.bravenewcode.com/blipit/ Anyway... more work ahead. Michael Aivaliotis --- In videoblogging@yahoogroups.com, Heath heathpa...@... wrote: I agree about the content, and google reader and RSS, etc make things very easy, but when people do come to my site, after maybe seeing a video for the first timeI want it to look as visually appealing as possible and to be able to showcase some of my best stuff and other things/vlogs I like, etcfor me it's more about the look of the site. I do think you are also right in that it's best to showcase video's on a standalone sight, but then again, how do you get people over there? Just a header link, an ad on your site, etc... We spent so much time talking about content, how to make video, how to set up RSS feeds, how to promote your site, etc...but the layout and design we just have pretty much accepted what is out there and made due.let's change that! Heath http://heathparks.com
[videoblogging] Re: Does the Blog format work for Vlogging anymore?
So it seems that by having an RSS feed we are actually taking away from the communial side of blogging/vlogging? I mean if there is no reason to ever go to a site because everyone is reading through their reader, than why have a site at all then? As far as having all of your video's on Blip etc, well I know for me, that Blip's Showplayer does not show all of my stuff it only goes back about a year, so you are missing anything older...but that is neither here nor there... So I go back to my first statement and ask, Is RSS in effect part of the problem? Is it so easy now to just watch that we are becoming passive? That we no longer care about the communication or the connections that can develop? Heath http://heathparks.com --- In videoblogging@yahoogroups.com, michaelaivaliotis michaelaivalio...@... wrote: If someone can watch all your videos on a site like Blip.TV, Vimeo or even Youtube - which probably already has a great viewing experience - Why should they come to your site? what's the compelling reason? I think this is the main question that needs to be answered and thought about before you start redesigning your site. If you can't clearly answer that then your site needs to be more of an About Me page with links to your stuff. On the other hand, if Blip.TV is the only place you have videos and you are just using them as a virtual hard drive then you need to do some serious work on your site. Sorry, I don't have a clear answer but you really need to put some time and money into it if you want your site to be a hub. You have to give people a reason to come back. Honestly, with the concept of RSS feeds in full effect, I never go to anyone's site anymore. I watch all your videos in my Google reader. The only reason for me to go to your site would be to leave a comment. The problem there is I usually never read the response unless I'm subscribed to the comments via email: like Rupert does on his blog (that helps). For those that want dynamic related posts. I found a WP plugin here: http://mitcho.com/code/yarpp/ It doesn't do thumbnails but it has great options to show related posts (probably the best). I'm currently trying to modify it to show thumbnails. The main issue with thumbnails is that you need to manually attach a thumbnail to your post and specify that this thumbnail is for the video (like is currently done with the vPIP plugin). Still some work there. I'm trying to figure out how to get it to find thumbnails automatically, like it is done in the BlipIt plugin: http://www.bravenewcode.com/blipit/ Anyway... more work ahead. Michael Aivaliotis --- In videoblogging@yahoogroups.com, Heath heathparks@ wrote: I agree about the content, and google reader and RSS, etc make things very easy, but when people do come to my site, after maybe seeing a video for the first timeI want it to look as visually appealing as possible and to be able to showcase some of my best stuff and other things/vlogs I like, etcfor me it's more about the look of the site. I do think you are also right in that it's best to showcase video's on a standalone sight, but then again, how do you get people over there? Just a header link, an ad on your site, etc... We spent so much time talking about content, how to make video, how to set up RSS feeds, how to promote your site, etc...but the layout and design we just have pretty much accepted what is out there and made due.let's change that! Heath http://heathparks.com
Re: [videoblogging] Re: Does the Blog format work for Vlogging anymore?
So I go back to my first statement and ask, Is RSS in effect part of the problem? Is it so easy now to just watch that we are becoming passive? That we no longer care about the communication or the connections that can develop? I stopped using RSS for a long time. no more feedreaders. too much deluge. I mainly bookmark sites I like. I recently started using LiveBookmarks in Forefox which is cool...though this still take me to the webpage to view content. I now mainly follow links I see people post on twitter or email me. except for the spots I always visit, it's about all I can handle. So RSS is not the problem. Make your site the way YOU want it to be. and then just keep being a nice guy with interesting things to show. Jay -- http://jaydedman.com 917 371 6790
Re: [videoblogging] Re: Does the Blog format work for Vlogging anymore?
g through their reader, than why have a site at all then? As far as having all of your video's on Blip etc, well I know for me, that Blip's Showplayer does not show all of my stuff it only goes back about a year, so you are missing anything older...but that is neither here nor there... Nobody but you guys are viewing through your reader. Nobody is going to mefeedia. The feed services like feedburner and mefeedia are awesome for giving a large footprint, but for the masses they are not destinations. The only people who go there and use feed readers are geeks. Regular people don't know what an RSS feed is let alone how to use and manage one. If FF did not automagically parse them they'd think it was a broken link. I use RSS feeds to push my vids out there and to get them exposure so I can get hits on search engines. Mefeedia and Feedburner are great for creating a large footprint. They are for the people on this list. But there are very few people who view stuff on RSS feeds. Just the busy geeks like yourselves. I exempt myself from this statement, as I don't use feeds, although I probably would if I had the bandwidth available to watch videos. I gobble up my 5 GB shuffling files around the sites that I am developing. So I go back to my first statement and ask, Is RSS in effect part of the problem? Is it so easy now to just watch that we are becoming passive? That we no longer care about the communication or the connections that can develop? Yes, they are part of the problem. The people on this list are busy, busy, and we live in our own little world. If I don't follow a link from a post here, I don't see it. There needs to be a gathering place with an application that can make the people on this list happy AND reach the public. Hasn't happened yet. We need to start trying to put things together as a group if we're going to get any kind of serious visibility. Hasn't happened yet. peace, Ron Watson http://k9disc.blip.tv http://k9disc.com http://discdogradio.com http://pawsitivevybe.com On Dec 11, 2008, at 3:46 PM, Heath wrote: So it seems that by having an RSS feed we are actually taking away from the communial side of blogging/vlogging? I mean if there is no reason to ever go to a site because everyone is reading through their reader, than why have a site at all then? As far as having all of your video's on Blip etc, well I know for me, that Blip's Showplayer does not show all of my stuff it only goes back about a year, so you are missing anything older...but that is neither here nor there... So I go back to my first statement and ask, Is RSS in effect part of the problem? Is it so easy now to just watch that we are becoming passive? That we no longer care about the communication or the connections that can develop? Heath http://heathparks.com --- In videoblogging@yahoogroups.com, michaelaivaliotis michaelaivalio...@... wrote: If someone can watch all your videos on a site like Blip.TV, Vimeo or even Youtube - which probably already has a great viewing experience - Why should they come to your site? what's the compelling reason? I think this is the main question that needs to be answered and thought about before you start redesigning your site. If you can't clearly answer that then your site needs to be more of an About Me page with links to your stuff. On the other hand, if Blip.TV is the only place you have videos and you are just using them as a virtual hard drive then you need to do some serious work on your site. Sorry, I don't have a clear answer but you really need to put some time and money into it if you want your site to be a hub. You have to give people a reason to come back. Honestly, with the concept of RSS feeds in full effect, I never go to anyone's site anymore. I watch all your videos in my Google reader. The only reason for me to go to your site would be to leave a comment. The problem there is I usually never read the response unless I'm subscribed to the comments via email: like Rupert does on his blog (that helps). For those that want dynamic related posts. I found a WP plugin here: http://mitcho.com/code/yarpp/ It doesn't do thumbnails but it has great options to show related posts (probably the best). I'm currently trying to modify it to show thumbnails. The main issue with thumbnails is that you need to manually attach a thumbnail to your post and specify that this thumbnail is for the video (like is currently done with the vPIP plugin). Still some work there. I'm trying to figure out how to get it to find thumbnails automatically, like it is done in the BlipIt plugin: http://www.bravenewcode.com/blipit/ Anyway... more work ahead. Michael Aivaliotis --- In videoblogging@yahoogroups.com, Heath heathparks@ wrote: I agree about the content, and google reader and RSS, etc make things very easy, but when people do come
[videoblogging] Re: Does the Blog format work for Vlogging anymore?
Great discussion. It takes me back to several different topics I used to rant on about here. Several projects I always wanted to do but, as usual, never really got started on. I like to think about a CMS that can show its content through a variety of flash front ends. The useful bits of blogging, social networking, community, communication, and decent presentation of videos and other content, but with a much smoother interface and experience than we are typically used to. And no walled garden approach. And no need to be a techie. Easy for me to say, obviously much harder to achieve. Im still up for trying, the fuel I need is people being continually passionate and talkative about such things, so that I keep faith that there is reason to bother trying. Anyway I will avoid going into further detail so this doesnt turn into one of my bloated posts of yesteryear, I'm sure I'll add further thoughts later. Cheers Steve Elbows
[videoblogging] Re: Does the Blog format work for Vlogging anymore?
--- In videoblogging@yahoogroups.com, Heath heathpa...@... wrote: So I go back to my first statement and ask, Is RSS in effect part of the problem? Is it so easy now to just watch that we are becoming passive? That we no longer care about the communication or the connections that can develop? I think it has to be horses for courses and you have to package content a number of ways to cater to individual preferences. People approach the web differently and no one size fits all. As for connections and the community feel you have to go with the flow...You cannot demand that people hang out the way you'd prefer them to as, I guess, that's has as much to do with your own personality and video-ing attitude as anything else. The hardware -- the feed, the site -- are surely secondary to that. I think discussion lists can make -- potentially at least -- great communities -- but not all discussion lists are going to foster ongoing interactions in the sense of identification and 'loyalty'. I'm on 'x' number of elists and monitor 'y' number of blogs but I choose to interact actively in very few of them. It's like there's this Holy Grail on the web that presumes that if you do 'a' and 'b' you get yourself a bona fide web neighborhood. I don't think it works lineally like that.People do not have that capacity unless they are obsessive. However, the very nature of videoblogging -- because it can often be so intimate and exposing -- tends to push the engagement onto the visitor in a way that other media may not. This is why, in part I believe, video deployment on the web has exploded in the way that audio has not.Its' very: me. So in one sense there's all these TV channels being created whose precept is that they are not like console television but something else that is still as yet an unknown. An contrary example I think is the Miro/Democracy Player which tries to foster a counter media network driven by RSS feeds. Surely that's one community model that relies on an aggregation broader than individual stall holders. Then there is YouTube which is -- to be frank -- a video jungle. But you are going to get many layers and variations and it would be presumptuous to think that one broadcast model will rule them all. This is the web afterall which is premised on anarchy and a good deal of chaos. This is partly why its so hard to make money off the web I guess because in a universe of that size and of such creativity (an extraordinary explosion of creativity the likes of which we humans have never seen before) it's so very easy to be fickle. MySpace one year/Facebook the next. So when you create your own share of it -- your site --you are creating a decorated portal or cabinet where you display your personal wares -- customized just so to reflect on its owner. If that's not your preference then you may as well simply stick with the feed option and forget all about the branding thing with its little decorative nuances and written up additions. Therss' nothing wrong with that. dave riley
[videoblogging] Re: Does the Blog format work for Vlogging anymore?
The only issue and it's not really an issue is that you have to manually define the related video's with Charles's plugin. It would be nice if it just randomly selected related video's and have the option to select one's yourself. And while I do like SIAB, there are still some drawbacks that I think are stil mainly related to the whole blog structure. I have been mulling over how I would like my ideal theme and once I have that, I will start a thread on SIAB but I am interested to hear what others think as well, what do people like, dislike, etc...I mean let's really look at how this is all done, I'd really like to see some kick butt inovations out there related to video themes...among other things Heath http://heathparks.com --- In videoblogging@yahoogroups.com, Jay dedman [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: However, now.I am not so sure. I mean every time you make a video and post, that video moves down the list and soon it's off your homepage in some cases, never to be seen again. Now for some, maybe that is no big deal, but.I think some of us all make a few videos that we are especially proud of, and in the current blog/vlog format, there is no easy way (I know we can sticky but if you sticky more than a couple no one will ever see your new content on your site) to show off those posts. It seems to me that there is a huge lack in the number of themes that take advatage of vlogging. I mean with the explosion of online video, you would think we would have more, but I only know of a small handful and most of those you have to pay for. Agreed. this was the thinking behind http://showinabox.tv. just trying to kickstart the awareness that a blog platform like Wordpress has a lot of room to expand when it comes to videoblogging. I think there are actually a lot more plugins being built these days for video. But yes, the videocentric themes are the missing link. It's a lot of work to build a theme. Cheryl Colan built this theme for us: http://ryanishungry.com it does a lot of the things you're talking about when we used it with the plugins that Charles built. lots of thumbnails and searchable text. when you click on a video...older, related videos pop up so our archive stays fresh. I think the biggest challenge is just imagining the perfect theme for you. Draw it out on a piece of paper. Then find a themer willing to build it (and be willing to pay them!) what does your perfect videoblog look like? Jay -- http://jaydedman.com 917 371 6790
[videoblogging] Re: Does the Blog format work for Vlogging anymore?
Yeah, Rupert it was your video that got me to thinking about all this even more than I currently was. Again I go back to there are some things I like, I think you can create a community with the blog format and it's easy...I think for me, it's more the layout than anything and I just want easier ways for people to connect with my older stuff. I have some other ideas as well, but I want to flesh them about a bit first... And also, it's knowing what you want to do...I mean I like the personal aspect of vlogging, I like Rupert, Jay, Ryanne, Michael, Robert, Croma, David Meade, Bekah, Cheryl, Clintus, etc etc...I like watching those guys and gals, so I would never want that personal side to go away...I do wish we could figure out how to be more communal with our approach and sitesI mean that was the whole thing behind my Vids I Like tab on my sitebut does anyone ever check out that? How do I also show the things and stuff I like from other people on my front page, where most of the action happens?... Great thoughts so far from everyoneI love it!! Heath http://heathparks.com --- In videoblogging@yahoogroups.com, Rupert [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I did a video rant about this a couple of weeks ago. I've been thinking about different layouts and ways of presenting things since then. Great thoughts, Ron - particularly what you note how we're comfortable with line-by-line communication in a vertical format, but how it's limited the success of the traditional videoblog - and how daunting it is for a viewer to face a bunch of videos in a line down the page. I've seen this problem when watching people go to my videoblog. It's not just a problem for the viewer, it's a problem for the producer. Reading your post made me realise how much I've forced myself to like the blog format because that's what everyone uses - even though initially I thought it sucked. But when we started out, it was the easiest way to do publishing and podcasting. Now I've totally fallen out of love with the blog format. So much so that I can't seem to drum up the motivation to put any energy into making videos until I can feel good about how I publish them. I've been thinking about the successful shows you mentioned - FU, Ninja, Rocketboom. Wreck Salvage and LoFi St Louis have good new designs, too - which encourage people to browse more freely and don't force the reader to deal with this heirarchy of freshness/relevance. For me, I think there may be an element of needing more interlinked networking between producers - to allow people to browse outside of your own videos. Jesus, that sounds like a web-ring. But isn't that the best thing about YouTube? That you can choose to see more videos by the same person or jump to something related but made by someone totally different? I don't know. I'm stuck. But it's good to read your thoughts on it. Rupert http://twittervlog.tv On 10-Dec-08, at 10:05 AM, Ron Watson wrote: Great topic, Heath! I've been doing online video since 1998, and I was very excited with the explosion of digital video in 2005. It was awesome! I dabbled with wordpress and the blog format for a while, but it was obvious to me rather quickly that the long vertical videoblog (and blog, for that matter) was a dead end in terms of viability. It's daunting to scroll down a page and see an hour of video. It makes the small, short flicks and turns them into a day long endeavor. I think the traditional blog format is great for RSS feeds and for archival purposes, but as far as presentation of content, it's not good for holding people's attention. If you're content is very special or totally rock solid, you can hold an audience, but you are fighting against a faulty design. There are 2 ways in which the traditional blog layout fails for video blogging. Story telling and Community. --- Story Telling --- I took a critical look at a person from this list's new project, and that's what I found to be the critical fault in the presentation of content. He had all this great content, a really sweet, honest and appealing vibe, beautiful theming, but it all went out the window when I scrolled down the page and saw 15 5 minute videos all presented as a running commentary - essentially a very long monologue. I have no doubt that the content was personally appealing (although I couldn't watch it because of bandwidth constraints - :-( ) but when I saw that scrolling list, it just seemed like a Herculean task to go through it. I really was intrigued by the vibe set up by the site and my personal belief system, but when I saw the layout of the content, I was turned off. I didn't want to watch that much on one topic. When you post 30 things on one page, it devalues all of them. It triggers the idea of a lack of quality - like this thing couldn't stand on
Re: [videoblogging] Re: Does the Blog format work for Vlogging anymore?
I'm in the process of rethinking/redesigning my whole approach to online video and videblogging. The one thought that is solid now: decoupling the concept of RSS/Subscribe-ability from presentation. The blog format is a convenient means of providing updates to the small subset of my viewers that uses feed readers and whatnot via rss, but that doesn't mean a blog has to be the the format in which the material itself is viewed. Don't know where its going but I'm certainly following the discussion here with great interest. I do think a blog is still a viable format for a highly conceptual or series-based project. Brook On Wed, Dec 10, 2008 at 12:22 PM, Heath [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Yeah, Rupert it was your video that got me to thinking about all this even more than I currently was. Again I go back to there are some things I like, I think you can create a community with the blog format and it's easy...I think for me, it's more the layout than anything and I just want easier ways for people to connect with my older stuff. I have some other ideas as well, but I want to flesh them about a bit first... And also, it's knowing what you want to do...I mean I like the personal aspect of vlogging, I like Rupert, Jay, Ryanne, Michael, Robert, Croma, David Meade, Bekah, Cheryl, Clintus, etc etc...I like watching those guys and gals, so I would never want that personal side to go away...I do wish we could figure out how to be more communal with our approach and sitesI mean that was the whole thing behind my Vids I Like tab on my sitebut does anyone ever check out that? How do I also show the things and stuff I like from other people on my front page, where most of the action happens?... Great thoughts so far from everyoneI love it!! Heath http://heathparks.com --- In videoblogging@yahoogroups.com videoblogging%40yahoogroups.com, Rupert [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I did a video rant about this a couple of weeks ago. I've been thinking about different layouts and ways of presenting things since then. Great thoughts, Ron - particularly what you note how we're comfortable with line-by-line communication in a vertical format, but how it's limited the success of the traditional videoblog - and how daunting it is for a viewer to face a bunch of videos in a line down the page. I've seen this problem when watching people go to my videoblog. It's not just a problem for the viewer, it's a problem for the producer. Reading your post made me realise how much I've forced myself to like the blog format because that's what everyone uses - even though initially I thought it sucked. But when we started out, it was the easiest way to do publishing and podcasting. Now I've totally fallen out of love with the blog format. So much so that I can't seem to drum up the motivation to put any energy into making videos until I can feel good about how I publish them. I've been thinking about the successful shows you mentioned - FU, Ninja, Rocketboom. Wreck Salvage and LoFi St Louis have good new designs, too - which encourage people to browse more freely and don't force the reader to deal with this heirarchy of freshness/relevance. For me, I think there may be an element of needing more interlinked networking between producers - to allow people to browse outside of your own videos. Jesus, that sounds like a web-ring. But isn't that the best thing about YouTube? That you can choose to see more videos by the same person or jump to something related but made by someone totally different? I don't know. I'm stuck. But it's good to read your thoughts on it. Rupert http://twittervlog.tv On 10-Dec-08, at 10:05 AM, Ron Watson wrote: Great topic, Heath! I've been doing online video since 1998, and I was very excited with the explosion of digital video in 2005. It was awesome! I dabbled with wordpress and the blog format for a while, but it was obvious to me rather quickly that the long vertical videoblog (and blog, for that matter) was a dead end in terms of viability. It's daunting to scroll down a page and see an hour of video. It makes the small, short flicks and turns them into a day long endeavor. I think the traditional blog format is great for RSS feeds and for archival purposes, but as far as presentation of content, it's not good for holding people's attention. If you're content is very special or totally rock solid, you can hold an audience, but you are fighting against a faulty design. There are 2 ways in which the traditional blog layout fails for video blogging. Story telling and Community. --- Story Telling --- I took a critical look at a person from this list's new project, and that's what I found to be the critical fault in the presentation of content. He had all this great content, a really sweet, honest and appealing vibe,
Re: [videoblogging] Re: Does the Blog format work for Vlogging anymore?
On Wed, Dec 10, 2008 at 3:37 PM, Brook Hinton [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I'm in the process of rethinking/redesigning my whole approach to online video and videblogging. The one thought that is solid now: decoupling the concept of RSS/Subscribe-ability from presentation. The blog format is a convenient means of providing updates to the small subset of my viewers that uses feed readers and whatnot via rss, but that doesn't mean a blog has to be the the format in which the material itself is viewed. Don't know where its going but I'm certainly following the discussion here with great interest. I do think a blog is still a viable format for a highly conceptual or series-based project. Im glad Heath started this thread. Maybe we need to identify what people don't like. When someone says i dont like the blog...is it just the nature of posts from Recent to old? When I first thought about posting video online, Peter Van Djick showed me how to blog because i didnt know how to code html. he recognized that it would be too difficult for me to code a website everytime I wanted to post a new video. That's why the blog as a CMS was so smart. Youtube is a CMS. all these videos sites we use are content management systems. I also have wanted more control of how things looked on my blog. I wish I could just drag and drop different elements on my blog in real time. I wish i wasnt hampered by this is the sidebar...this is the headerthis is the footer... and to change any of this stuff, I have to go into the code to change it. I would love to have a CMS where I can overlap things, and rearrange content everyday just by dragging it around. Jay -- http://jaydedman.com 917 371 6790
Re: [videoblogging] Re: Does the Blog format work for Vlogging anymore?
On Wed, Dec 10, 2008 at 2:57 PM, Heath [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: The only issue and it's not really an issue is that you have to manually define the related video's with Charles's plugin. It would be nice if it just randomly selected related video's and have the option to select one's yourself. And while I do like SIAB, there are still some drawbacks that I think are stil mainly related to the whole blog structure. yeah...showinabox.tv/forum was really just a way to start a new conversation about using video and Worpress since WP seemed to be the preferred blogging platform. SIAB is by no means a technical solution. the experience has taught us just how much development/design work it takes to make new themes and plugins. Plus the maintenance of these things you build as well. by the way, the wordpress community has about 100 video plugins: http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/search.php/page/7?q=video Jay -- http://jaydedman.com 917 371 6790
[videoblogging] Re: Does the Blog format work for Vlogging anymore?
Actually there is a nice drupal/WP template out there that does exactly that. I am trying to remember the name, but can't... I remember the basic theme was blue, 3 columns, with an old-mac feel to the module styling Cheers, MFM --- In videoblogging@yahoogroups.com, Jay dedman [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: On Wed, Dec 10, 2008 at 3:37 PM, Brook Hinton [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I'm in the process of rethinking/redesigning my whole approach to online video and videblogging. The one thought that is solid now: decoupling the concept of RSS/Subscribe-ability from presentation. The blog format is a convenient means of providing updates to the small subset of my viewers that uses feed readers and whatnot via rss, but that doesn't mean a blog has to be the the format in which the material itself is viewed. Don't know where its going but I'm certainly following the discussion here with great interest. I do think a blog is still a viable format for a highly conceptual or series-based project. Im glad Heath started this thread. Maybe we need to identify what people don't like. When someone says i dont like the blog...is it just the nature of posts from Recent to old? When I first thought about posting video online, Peter Van Djick showed me how to blog because i didnt know how to code html. he recognized that it would be too difficult for me to code a website everytime I wanted to post a new video. That's why the blog as a CMS was so smart. Youtube is a CMS. all these videos sites we use are content management systems. I also have wanted more control of how things looked on my blog. I wish I could just drag and drop different elements on my blog in real time. I wish i wasnt hampered by this is the sidebar...this is the headerthis is the footer... and to change any of this stuff, I have to go into the code to change it. I would love to have a CMS where I can overlap things, and rearrange content everyday just by dragging it around. Jay -- http://jaydedman.com 917 371 6790
Re: [videoblogging] Re: Does the Blog format work for Vlogging anymore?
Have you seen this? It's pretty sweet! http://mochaui.com/demo/ Peace, Ron Watson http://k9disc.blip.tv http://k9disc.com http://discdogradio.com http://pawsitivevybe.com On Dec 10, 2008, at 5:40 PM, Jay dedman wrote: On Wed, Dec 10, 2008 at 3:37 PM, Brook Hinton [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I'm in the process of rethinking/redesigning my whole approach to online video and videblogging. The one thought that is solid now: decoupling the concept of RSS/Subscribe-ability from presentation. The blog format is a convenient means of providing updates to the small subset of my viewers that uses feed readers and whatnot via rss, but that doesn't mean a blog has to be the the format in which the material itself is viewed. Don't know where its going but I'm certainly following the discussion here with great interest. I do think a blog is still a viable format for a highly conceptual or series-based project. Im glad Heath started this thread. Maybe we need to identify what people don't like. When someone says i dont like the blog...is it just the nature of posts from Recent to old? When I first thought about posting video online, Peter Van Djick showed me how to blog because i didnt know how to code html. he recognized that it would be too difficult for me to code a website everytime I wanted to post a new video. That's why the blog as a CMS was so smart. Youtube is a CMS. all these videos sites we use are content management systems. I also have wanted more control of how things looked on my blog. I wish I could just drag and drop different elements on my blog in real time. I wish i wasnt hampered by this is the sidebar...this is the headerthis is the footer... and to change any of this stuff, I have to go into the code to change it. I would love to have a CMS where I can overlap things, and rearrange content everyday just by dragging it around. Jay -- http://jaydedman.com 917 371 6790 [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: [videoblogging] Re: Does the Blog format work for Vlogging anymore?
Just drag and drop the folder onto your server and it's good to go. Crazy stuff, man! peace, Ron Watson http://k9disc.blip.tv http://k9disc.com http://discdogradio.com http://pawsitivevybe.com On Dec 10, 2008, at 6:11 PM, Ron Watson wrote: Have you seen this? It's pretty sweet! http://mochaui.com/demo/ Peace, Ron Watson http://k9disc.blip.tv http://k9disc.com http://discdogradio.com http://pawsitivevybe.com On Dec 10, 2008, at 5:40 PM, Jay dedman wrote: On Wed, Dec 10, 2008 at 3:37 PM, Brook Hinton [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I'm in the process of rethinking/redesigning my whole approach to online video and videblogging. The one thought that is solid now: decoupling the concept of RSS/Subscribe-ability from presentation. The blog format is a convenient means of providing updates to the small subset of my viewers that uses feed readers and whatnot via rss, but that doesn't mean a blog has to be the the format in which the material itself is viewed. Don't know where its going but I'm certainly following the discussion here with great interest. I do think a blog is still a viable format for a highly conceptual or series-based project. Im glad Heath started this thread. Maybe we need to identify what people don't like. When someone says i dont like the blog...is it just the nature of posts from Recent to old? When I first thought about posting video online, Peter Van Djick showed me how to blog because i didnt know how to code html. he recognized that it would be too difficult for me to code a website everytime I wanted to post a new video. That's why the blog as a CMS was so smart. Youtube is a CMS. all these videos sites we use are content management systems. I also have wanted more control of how things looked on my blog. I wish I could just drag and drop different elements on my blog in real time. I wish i wasnt hampered by this is the sidebar...this is the headerthis is the footer... and to change any of this stuff, I have to go into the code to change it. I would love to have a CMS where I can overlap things, and rearrange content everyday just by dragging it around. Jay -- http://jaydedman.com 917 371 6790 [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
[videoblogging] Re: Does the Blog format work for Vlogging anymore?
Right, WP does have a lot of video plugins, and I do like WP as a way to have my site, but on the video plugin front it seems most are just a way to collect random video's from YT, etc. Now I will admit I have not looked at all the video plugins but in this whole process of re-doing my sites, I looked at a lot of plugins...There are plugins to display your video, podpress, flash players, Vodpod and a couple of others but none really address the look of the site and to be honest the Blip player is starting to look really, really good. So then we are to embed and there are a few that help with that, but again, some are hinky, some won't work with the latest wordpress and some are just bad. Then you have all your recent posts or ramdom postsmost don't take advantage of the Video format or even the photo format to be honest...there are a few that I have seen but again, they are a bit hinky, I mean if I have to go into code, or read a freakin novel to figure out how a plugin is to work.that doesn't appeal to me...I am a creatorI am not a programer, I mean I have learned stuff, but it makes my head hurt and then once I figure something out on the code side the creative part of me is beat and I don't feel like making the very thing I wanted to make in the first place.. That for me is one of my biggest struggles, balancing the look of my site and just creating the stuffI admire those who do both I am glad to see so much conversation going on though, it's good to just talk about all this and who knows maybe we can find/make a better way... ;) Heath http://heathparks.com --- In videoblogging@yahoogroups.com, Jay dedman [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: On Wed, Dec 10, 2008 at 2:57 PM, Heath [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: The only issue and it's not really an issue is that you have to manually define the related video's with Charles's plugin. It would be nice if it just randomly selected related video's and have the option to select one's yourself. And while I do like SIAB, there are still some drawbacks that I think are stil mainly related to the whole blog structure. yeah...showinabox.tv/forum was really just a way to start a new conversation about using video and Worpress since WP seemed to be the preferred blogging platform. SIAB is by no means a technical solution. the experience has taught us just how much development/design work it takes to make new themes and plugins. Plus the maintenance of these things you build as well. by the way, the wordpress community has about 100 video plugins: http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/search.php/page/7?q=video Jay -- http://jaydedman.com 917 371 6790
Re: [videoblogging] Re: Does the Blog format work for Vlogging anymore?
Then you have all your recent posts or ramdom postsmost don't take advantage of the Video format or even the photo format to be honest...there are a few that I have seen but again, they are a bit hinky, I mean if I have to go into code, or read a freakin novel to figure out how a plugin is to work.that doesn't appeal to me...I am a creatorI am not a programer, I mean I have learned stuff, but it makes my head hurt and then once I figure something out on the code side the creative part of me is beat and I don't feel like making the very thing I wanted to make in the first place.. That for me is one of my biggest struggles, balancing the look of my site and just creating the stuffI admire those who do both totally agreed. as a video creator, i get stuck on how much PHP or CSS i need to learn to build my site. This is why I wish I could have a Blog (content management system), but I could manipulate he look like my desktop. I just drag around the elements to where I want them. I dont want sidebar, header, footer...i want anything to be where I want it by just manipulating with my cursor. jay -- http://jaydedman.com 917 371 6790
[videoblogging] Re: Does the Blog format work for Vlogging anymore?
The core complication isn't so much video per se but the whole Web 2.0
multimedia explosion. Text is easy to format and showcase -- we've
been laying it out for centuries -- but digital media is a major
complication.
I come from audio blogging/podcasting and the rot sets in when you try
to combine media elements -- in my case: text + audio + digital
presentations ('powerpoints') + slide shows + videos. While this
discussion list no doubt has some QuickTime preferences the unifying
(and contradictory) element on the web is flash media.
That changes the dialogue a lot.
In mindset I'm a total bloggerfile as I know nuthin' else to speak
about so I tend to pursue the glorious quest of trying to get as much
return as I can from the one blog platform -- in my case , Blogger.
Thats' all I know.
Nonetheless I think the Blip TV channel player is the best media
showcase hardware I've come across on the web. So that guests on my
videoblog too.
Elsewhere I am very eclectic and in other blogs I work on I like to
use Vodpod widgets and the new Vodspot platform.
http://blog.vodpod.com/2008/12/09/announcing-vodspot/
and I cross post like mad --albeit selectively.
While I will subscribe keenly to an audio feed and automatically
download the Mp3 files I won't do that for video, preferring instead
to monitor videoblogging sites by subscribing to their feeds in Google
reader. I then quickly review their content before deciding to
continue watching. ( I don't however sample audio like that.)
So what the site looks like is neither here nor there as RSS rules.
Nonetheless with site showcasing -- and I do this with audio -- it is
often useful to divide up your offerings into themes. I currently
offer standalone players for Best of my videos, Videos from
elsewhere and my own all-in channel in the same way that I always
divide up my audio wares and offer them in pop up players.
But the reality is, I fear, that no one knows how to design the best
of all possible web or video sites so there are all these people
working away at the coal face, tweaking as they go -- designing a
better mousetrap
Nonethless,some of the best video feeds I subscribe can emanate from
the most sterile of CSS sites. So let's not get too caught up in
form over content.
dave riley
http://ratbaggy.blogspot.com/
