Video Camera Recommendations Wanted – What do you like?

Updated: April 11, 2013, 1024pm PDT

I posted this to Facebook and Twitter earlier, but wanted to include it here on the blog, too.

Camera Rec: Looking for HD cam with external mic input that records to SD Card. High consumer to low prosumer. Any thoughts?

I have some upcoming projects that call for an upgrade in my video camera equipment (and lights and microphones, etc), so I wanted to reach out to all of you to see what recommendations you might have. One of my main needs is some sort of external audio input for lavaliere and shotgun mics.

So far, I have received one recommendation over on Faceboook. I will add others as they come in. Be sure to chime in on the other recommendations if you have some further information or comments.

Many thanks for any help you can offer!

Recommendations so far:

• Canon VIXIA HF R400 HD 53x Image Stabilized Optical Zoom Camcorder and 3.0 Touch LCD
  
• What’s the Best Camcorder for Under $150? from Lockergnome via my friend, Sam

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Filed under: Equipment/Gear, Hardware, New Media, podcasting, Question and Answer, Technology

New Media Questions: If you had a Blog, Podcast or YouTube Channel, what WOULD you say?

Often, when I talk with people about New Media and how they might use it, their first response is…

“I have no idea what I would talk about!” 

The truth is, though, we all have our special interests, hobbies, and topics that cause us to rant at the smallest opportunity. 

New Media holds so many benefits to you, your organization or your company. It seems a shame not to use it. So, hopefully, this question will help to draw out your inherent interests.

In my case, each and every one of my blogs and podcasts grew out of an interest I already had. Whether it was gardening, careers, new media itself or technology, once I recognized my interests, it was easy to create the blog and/or podcast.

Over the next several days, think about — If you had a Blog, Podcast or YouTube Channel, what would you say?

As you go through your day, notice what sparks your interest, what makes you rant, what holds a conversation together. These are exactly the topics you should be creating in New Media.

Leave your ideas, thoughts and comments below! I’d love to hear what you come up with!

Filed under: Blogging, New Media, podcasting, Question and Answer

Video Archive: New Media Answers – Show 011 – All Things Video

From my video archives, here is a video version of the — typically audio — New Media Answers show I produced with Tracy Patton. In this episode we talk about all things video.

Can’t see the video about? Watch “New Media Answers 011 – All Things Video” on YouTube

Download “New Media Answers 011 – All Things Video” – iPod Ready Video

Subscribe to Douglas’ YouTube Channel | Watch the Careers in New Media YouTube Playlist

Subscribe to the Careers in New Media podcast using iTunes

Filed under: New Media, New Media Answers, podcast, Question and Answer, Show, Video, YouTube

Video: WGA “Tout your own horn” New Media Panel

Douglas E. Welch was part of this panel a few weeks ago at the Writers Guild of America West here in Los Angeles. You’ll find his section around the 36 min point as well as during the small group discussions after the panel proper, but the entire panel is worth a watch.

Here is the info from the WGA web site…

“TOOT YOUR OWN HORN: SELF-PROMOTION IN THE DIGITAL AGE”

In these challenging times, it is imperative that writers take control of their own careers. Be proactive, “do it yourself,” especially regarding publicity and marketing. Technology has swiftly changed, providing writers with new avenues to promote themselves and their work. Have you tapped in?

A DIY panel features publicist Henri Bollinger, president of the Entertainment Publicists Professional Society, discussing personal publicity vs. when to bring on a “professional”; screen and TV writer/author/award-winning columnist W. Bruce Cameron (8 Simple Rules, A Dog’s Purpose); Zoanne Clack (Executive Producer – “Grey’s Anatomy” and former Writers’ Program student), Gregg Kilday (film editor at The Hollywood Reporter); psychotherapist Rebecca Roy (TheIndustryTherapist.com) to broach writers’ resistance to self-promotion; and independent new media consultant Douglas Welch (also a Writers’ Program instructor) addressing new media and social marketing platforms.

Panel followed by smaller hands-on breakout sessions. Moderated by Bill Taub.

 

Watch “TOOT YOUR OWN HORN: SELF-PROMOTION IN THE DIGITAL AGE” – iPod Ready Video

 

Filed under: Events, New Media, Question and Answer, Show, Video

How do you make a living in New Media?

Re-posted from Careers in New Media…

Listen to the podcast

How do you make a living in New Media? I received this great question a few weeks ago and wanted to answer it publicly in hopes that others may benefit.

Here is the question…

“Hi, Mr. Welch. I’m a mom. My son is going to college majoring in (guess what) new media. As a parent I’m wondering how my son is going to make a living in new media, and not feeling like I knew enough about it, I found your Welchwrite.com site. I watched your speech to the Independent Filmmakers, and I have a clearer understanding of what new media is and the best way to use it, so thanks for that. However my fundamental question remains: how does one make a living in this field? Please help. Thank you.”

..and here is my answer…

There are several ways of building a career based on New Media. Two typical career paths include:

1. Taking the entertainment route and becoming a producer of your own New Media content, such as producing your own audio or video show

2. Using your New Media skills to help others produce their content.

Entertainment Path

Here in Los Angeles, many people are taking the traditional entertainment industry approach and attempting to create their own New Media properties in hopes that they can gather an audience, support themselves and perhaps even rival the success of mainstream entertainment.I find this a harder road to follow, as there is a lot of competition, but there can be great rewards for those who hit upon the right property.

This approach to a New Media career tends to be the preferred method for those working, or hoping to work, in the entertainment industry, such as actors, comedians and musicians, as they already have a talent to showcase and New Media provides them an easy distribution method for their work. They can use New Media to show “what they do and how well they do it” to a large number of people and gather an audience around them. This can then lead to mainstream exposure or, in some cases, provide significant income to support themselves from their New Media shows, along with the income from ancillary products like live shows and merchandise.

It is important to remember that there are levels of success in the entertainment industry, despite its focus on the “star system.” While a New Media personality may not garner the money and attention of a Hollywood star, they may find that they can gather a dedicated audience who see them as a star in their own, smaller world, and also provide enough monetary support to provide them a life which many would see as successful. You shouldn’t get caught in the trap of thinking that you must become the next Madonna or Kevin Smith or Jon Stewart. There are many levels of success and New Media could make you very successful indeed.

Consulting Path

Another approach to a New Media career is to become an employee or consult with those people who want to establish their own New Media presence. Your skills at creating and managing New Media are in demand from a wide variety of companies and clients. This is the direction my own New Media career has taken. While I produce my own shows around my personal interests, my long experience in podcasting and New Media allows me to help others create their own New Media properties as well as speak and instruct on New Media topics.

The major benefit to this type of New Media career is that, much like computer consulting, you can work in a wide variety of companies and industries. You might work creating video promotions for a major retailer or develop in-house video materials for a local manufacturer. You could help a local chef build their profile through an Internet cooking show or teach a non-profit how to better communicate with their supporters. Since New Media crosses all boundaries you can look for ways to combine your New Media knowledge with other expertise you might have.

For example, if you are a paralegal or have other law-related experience, you bring more to the table than just your New Media skills. You are well positioned to work with a law firm or law-related public advocacy group as you have skills and expertise on both sides of the equation. Perhaps your are a musician. You bring specific knowledge to your consulting that other musicians can use. This combination of skills give you many more options when choosing between jobs and can open up significant opportunities.

Whether you choose the entertainment or New Media consulting path through your career, I think you are positioning yourself well for the future. Mainstream entertainment is fragmenting under its own weight and high production costs, so I see New Media as a rising market while mainstream production is a diminishing one. There are simply fewer and fewer opportunities in mainstream production with each passing year, so careers there become more and more difficult. New Media provides the ability to combine your New Media expertise with your other talents and create your own unique career based on your own wants, needs and desires. This flexibility is one of the best features of developing a career using your New Media skills.

So, get out there and start building your New Media career today! I think you will be pleasantly surprised at the opportunities that are available to you.

Filed under: Audio, New Media, Opinion, podcast, Question and Answer

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?

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

Question: WordPress — Is it hype?

This post originally appeared in Careers in New Media…

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NMI Founder, Douglas E. Welch, gets a lot of questions every day and here is a one from today…

• Q: Seth Godin uses TypePad. Is WordPress hyped VS a Reg. Website and using Typepad as your blog platform? I like WP but seems like it has to be watched like a hawk for it not to freeze up or slow down. What will this cost me in WP maintenence fees.
• A: Hmmm, is WordPress hyped? I don’t think so. It does what I need it to do. There is certainly some personal choice and preference involved. I don’t use TypePad myself, but many people seem to, so it must have something going for it.

  I find WordPress easy to maintain and manage and the number of plugins available for it make it quite extensible, even for someone like me who really isn’t a programmer, although technology-savvy. I do like having my own install of WordPress on my own web host, as opposed to having my blog hosted elsewhere — at least for my own personal blogs. I do use WordPress.com extensively for other, shared project blogs, though. I even have one blog still hosted at Blogger.com, where I started.

  Speed is more a function of your web host and the number of plugins/features you have installed on your WordPress site. As with anything, installing too much cruft can slow it down. I find that the amount of traffic you have is more a concern than the actual software though. WordPress has caching plugins available to help in high-load environments., though, so that can help if you have a really popular web site.

  I don’t find I have to “watch it like a hawk” to keep it running. In fact, I don’t think I have ever had a problem with WordPress other than those I have caused myself through badly configured plugins or themes. You should be able to maintain WordPress by yourself, as typically it only involves clicking a few buttons and waiting for the upgrade. In fact, I always recommend that bloggers know how to control and maintain their own blogs, rather than relying on someone else — especially if that person is charging by the hour for basic maintenance.

  The new automated upgrade utilities built into WordPress make it almost a plug and play environment. Most web hosts have a one/two-click install for WordPress, making it even easier.

  Overall, I like WordPress, both self-hosted and hosted at WordPress.com. It serves me well and I regularly recommend it to others.
  

Do you have a question? Why not drop me a line? Use the Comments link above, send email to me@douglasewelch.com or call the voice mail line at 818-804-5049

Filed under: Elsewhere, Member, New Media, Opinion, Question and Answer, Software, Wordpress

Question: How do I make automatic backups of my WordPress blog database?

This post originally appeared in Careers in New Media…

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NMI Founder, Douglas E. Welch gets lots of New Media questions every day and here is a one from today…

• Q: How do I easily backup my WordPress database (the file that holds all your posts, comments, etc). Why should you backup your WordPress Database? If not, am I in danger of losing all my blog posts due to hacking, upgrade issues or other technical mistakes?.
• A: Yes, failing to backup your WordPress database could lead to the loss of all your blog content if there is an issue. There are a variety of ways to backup your WordPress database. The usual method is to use the database manager page at your web host’s site to manually run a backup to a text file and then download the text file. Doesn’t sound very easy or fun, does it. When I switched over to WordPress a few years ago I was determined to find an easier, and more automatic way, to do backups.

  Enter WordPress Database Backup, a free WordPress plugin available from austinmatzko.com.

  On each of your self-hosted WordPress blogs, download and install this plugin and then activate it via the WordPress Dashboard. Once installed, you can force an immediate backup that can be downloaded to your local computer or, and I prefer this method, an automatic backup which wakes up and then emails the backup file. I keep a separate Gmail account just for this purpose.

  Now, whenever there is a WordPress upgrade, I check to make sure there was a recent automatic backup and then proceed with the upgrade, secure in the knowledge that all my content is safe.
  

Do you have a question? Why not drop Douglas a line? Use the Comments link above, send email to me@douglasewelch.com or call the voice mail line at 818-804-5049.

Filed under: Elsewhere, Member, New Media, Question and Answer, Real World Example, Wordpress