New Media Interchange

October 21, 2010 • 9:06 am 0

Question: Video podcasting file formats and more via Twitter

I had this excellent discussion regarding video formats and more for podcasting today. There is some good info here and I wanted to share it with all of you.

If you have New Media questions, feel free to ask them via Twitter, Email, Facebook or whatever other method you prefer.

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douglaswelch @braindouche What video podcasting shop do you need talked? 🙂 Just saw your Tweet now

braindouche @douglaswelch distribution formats and codecs! What the heck sort of file final file should I be distributing for maximum compatibility?

douglaswelch @braindouche I find m4v/mp4 and 1-touch FLV players to cover most viewers. They can also be used as source for YouTube, etc.

braindouche @douglaswelch what’s the difference between an m4v and and mp4?

douglaswelch @braindouche Both are MPEG4, but m4v defaults to opening in iTunes. I believe you can use either extension without any issues

braindouche @douglaswelch and those come out of the business end of quicktiime, right?

douglaswelch @braindouche Most/All video editors have the ability to output these files. I use iMovie or Final Cut Express to produce my videos

douglaswelch @braindouche Flip cameras now record in mp4 format now, too.

braindouche @douglaswelch I’m using Windows Movie Maker and some archive.org footage #grins

douglaswelch @braindouche I find WinMOvMaker to be singularly horrible, unfortunatly. Only outputs AVI/WMV, I believe, BUT….

douglaswelch @braindouche …MPEG Streamclip can convert to/from most anything and does a good job, so you can still make MP4 vid for final release.

douglaswelch @braindouche MPEG Streamclip (Win/Mac) – http://bit.ly/dsemYK. I use it for final conversion on almost everything I do.

braindouche @douglaswelch oh, it’s totally terrible, but the tackiness and ubiquity really serves my purposes. Also? I’m a cheapskate.

douglaswelch @braindouche I understand being “Cheap”. As you grow, look into Adobe Premiere as a step up in capabilities.

douglaswelch @braindouche Adobe Premiere Elements ~$90 – http://amzn.to/a1LRGj [Amazon Link]

braindouche @douglaswelch Oh cool, I’ll try streamclip. should I go stable or beta?

douglaswelch @braindouche Stable is best. No need to burden yourself with a Beta

braindouche @douglaswelch never hurts to ask. thanks!

braindouche @douglaswelch so you’re saying I have no choice but to be completely hooked to video production now that I’ve started dabbling.

douglaswelch @braindouche Nah, just offering you a “step up” should you decide to take things further. I do mainly audio myself, with occasional video

braindouche @douglaswelch aww. i was sort of looking forward to the inevitable collapse into madness and … demuxing. #noideawhatiamtalkingabout

douglaswelch @braindouche Well, you are already a podcaster, so the decent in madness has already begun/completed! (LAUGH)

Filed under: Chat, Question and Answer

October 12, 2010 • 8:10 pm 2

Ignore ALL New Media advice — maybe even this

From Careers in New Media with Douglas E. Welch

After 6 years of podcasting and a deep immersion into the New Media world I find myself wondering if we all need to stop listening to New Media pundits and just GET ON WITH IT!

As with any new trend, meme, idea, service, product, whatever — there will always be those who think themselves experts in exactly how it should be done. You must post 1.4 Twitter messages each day, each being only 120 characters (to allow for Retweets and blog 2, 500-word blog posts each day, each with a call to action and comments specifically written to your target niche., etc, etc, etc.

Talk about sucking the life out of something!

My own advice, which you are — of course — free to ignore, is to “DO” New Media in whatever way seems fit, in whatever method seems fun or useful, on whatever time frame fits your schedule, directed at whatever audience you care to address. JUST DO IT!

Following too much advice can be more damaging than following too little. Each new pundit, each new expert hones and grinds New Media in their image. They take all that was new and exciting about New Media and turn it into yet another widget that can be commoditized and sold. They reduce the power of these new tools down to a lowest common denominator that seeks to serve everyone, but only seeks to serve them with mediocrity.

What good is it if you simply get better and better and doing what everyone else is doing? If you use New Media tools like everyone else in the crowd you become just one more anonymous figure within that crowd. New Media gives us the ability to stand out from the crowd, find our audience and make a difference in the world. Why squander it being the same as everyone else?

Every new idea goes through this phase? Goth was cool and edgy, now it can be bought in the mall. Punk music was loud and downright dangerous, now its commoditized just like Top 40 pop. Blogging used to be cool and cutting edge, now many do it with the same energy and excitement as a burned out accountant might bring.

Start with yourself when you develop your New Media projects. Sure, you can find some interesting ideas among the pundits, but when the advice starts to make everything look the same you would do better to think about how you can make your work different. Different is where new things happen. Different is where big success lies. Different is what keeps you from being swallowed by the big ocean of mediocrity.

What do YOU want out of New Media? How are YOU going to achieve it? What are YOU going to do? After all, if you are just going to do the same as everyone else — why do it at all?

Filed under: Elsewhere, Member, New Media, Opinion, Tips

October 4, 2010 • 1:23 pm 0

Elsewhere Online: WGA Awards Adds Two New Media Categories

Good to see New Media folks garnering some recognition. I expect more award possibilities in the future, too. — Douglas

WGA Awards Adds Two New Media Categories
by Joshua Cohen on October 3rd, 2010

In 2009, the WGA East started getting serious about digital media. The then 58-year-old labor union representing writers in motion pictures, television, cable, and broadcast news, began acquiring new media signatories in order to bring web content creators into the fold. By the first half of 2010, the WGA East welcomed at least 43 individuals or companies creating online entertainment into its organization.

Read the entire article