Tim at Mumbrella asks whether online vide is journalism’s final frontier? He claims there is no definite rulebook as to what works.
The key question - in fact the only question - that needs to be asked is WHY would someone want to watch a video rather than read a transcript or short article with photo(s)?
1. Is it incredibly funny or astoundingly cute visually for at least several seconds?
2. Is it someone so famous/beautiful/sexy that people want to watch them rather than just read their words?
3. Is there an interaction/reaction that cannot easily or as satisfactorily be transcribed?
4. Is it an astounding, amazing, spectacular moving sight?
5. Is it a beautifully crafted and edited piece of moving, and/or musical, visual art?
6. Is it a phenomenal piece of history?
Another way to look at it is "no one needs to hear a policeman speak". Unless he has no clothes, green skin or matinée idol looks, I don’t wish to watch his verbal statement to media, I’m quite happy to read it.
If photos can convey what your video can convey, then use photos (try a slideshow).
Video is never worth it just for the sake of it.
Saturday, December 15, 2012
Monday, December 10, 2012
4 great graphics apps for business
Get creative while giving your business ultimate visual appeal. These days you don’t need to be a professional photographer or graphic designer to add some colour and visual buzz to your business. These are some apps that are easy and enjoyable to use, and could give extra appeal to your website or social media feed.
Photosynth
Windows Phone, iOS
This brilliant, free app from Microsoft Labs allow you to easily turn digital photos into 3D panoramas. All you need is a camera smartphone and you can quickly create spectacular, useful scenes that can be uploaded and shared from Photosynth.net. Microsoft allows 20GB of storage - even for commercial use. Photosynths are ideal for businesses that need to show off locations, such as the real estate or hospitality industries.
Suggestion: use it when checking out venues or recording the progress of a building development. example
Cinemagram
iOS
Cinemagraphs, also known as "cines", are high quality, animated gifs that looks like moving photos. Created from video, only a selected area of the image is animated, reducing the file size and making it look more like a photo than a movie. They’re easy to create, and a fantastic way to add subtle movement to your site, creating a dynamic quality without the need for Flash. Cinemagram also allows you to upload and share your creations online.
Suggestion: put a cinemagram of your office on your website to create a sense of serenity. example
Diptic
iOS
With Diptic you can combine multiple photos to create a new image. It’s great for sending a quick collage, rather than multiple images. There are a range of templates for between two and five photos, as well as customisable, expandable layouts.
Suggestion: use it to combine several images of people at an event, to convey the busy atmosphere. example
Adobe Photoshop Express
Android, iOS
Adobe PhotoShop Express is a free image editing app for smartphones, with a Flash-based online version too. It allows you to very quickly and easily crop, rotate, straighten and flip your photos, as well as adjust exposure, colour saturation and brightness. There are extra tools you can buy, such as a self-timer, noise reduction, and extra effects.
Suggestion: brush up a quick self-portrait if someone needs you to email a last-minute profile pic. example
Windows Phone, iOS
This brilliant, free app from Microsoft Labs allow you to easily turn digital photos into 3D panoramas. All you need is a camera smartphone and you can quickly create spectacular, useful scenes that can be uploaded and shared from Photosynth.net. Microsoft allows 20GB of storage - even for commercial use. Photosynths are ideal for businesses that need to show off locations, such as the real estate or hospitality industries.
Suggestion: use it when checking out venues or recording the progress of a building development. example
iOS
Cinemagraphs, also known as "cines", are high quality, animated gifs that looks like moving photos. Created from video, only a selected area of the image is animated, reducing the file size and making it look more like a photo than a movie. They’re easy to create, and a fantastic way to add subtle movement to your site, creating a dynamic quality without the need for Flash. Cinemagram also allows you to upload and share your creations online.
Suggestion: put a cinemagram of your office on your website to create a sense of serenity. example
iOS
With Diptic you can combine multiple photos to create a new image. It’s great for sending a quick collage, rather than multiple images. There are a range of templates for between two and five photos, as well as customisable, expandable layouts.
Suggestion: use it to combine several images of people at an event, to convey the busy atmosphere. example
Android, iOS
Adobe PhotoShop Express is a free image editing app for smartphones, with a Flash-based online version too. It allows you to very quickly and easily crop, rotate, straighten and flip your photos, as well as adjust exposure, colour saturation and brightness. There are extra tools you can buy, such as a self-timer, noise reduction, and extra effects.
Suggestion: brush up a quick self-portrait if someone needs you to email a last-minute profile pic. example
Thursday, September 27, 2012
September 27, 2012 at 09:22PM
Interesting if predictable reversal - Times and Sunday Times to allow limited content to appear on Google http://t.co/DISVdc56
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Convergence Crisis
Technology has wrought huge change in media content, consumption and access. It's changed business models, viewing patterns, and now - in the words of the Australian government - "the NBN will transform the delivery of content in Australia, allowing viewers to access virtually limitless content from all over the world."
And so the government is planning a major review of its media policy, the "Convergence Review". A big challenge with convergence is the increasing irrelevance of national borders and the futility of national governments attempting to regulate and restrict what is now an international - and internationally accessible - media.
Read more here
And so the government is planning a major review of its media policy, the "Convergence Review". A big challenge with convergence is the increasing irrelevance of national borders and the futility of national governments attempting to regulate and restrict what is now an international - and internationally accessible - media.
Read more here
Friday, February 11, 2011
On the Burning Deck
Just a day after writing this blog post about Nokia, it seems Question 5 has finally been answered:
Looks like Nokia plans to do both:
5. Why the OS schizophrenia?
Nokia has been venturing into various different operating systems (MeeGo, Maemo) when Symbian's dominance has long been shrinking. Given Android has clear dominance among Linux-based mobile OSes, why not bring out an Android device? Or even Windows Mobile. Interestingly, new CEO Stephen Elop previously headed Microsoft's business division.
Looks like Nokia plans to do both:
Nokia has joined forces with Microsoft in an attempt to regain ground lost to the iPhone and Android-based devices.
The deal will see Nokia use the Windows phone operating system for its smartphones, the company said.
It means that Nokia's existing operating systems will be sidelined.
[...]
"We reserve the right to introduce tablets using other platforms, including ones we may be working on internally," [Nokia CEO Stephen Elop] said.
Monday, January 3, 2011
Why bricks should lose to clicks
eBay ran a particularly clever campaign this year: "Browse at Westfield, buy on eBay." It's a 180-degree turn from a few years ago, when the internet served more as a catalogue for shopping that actually took place offline.
Retailers predicted a gloomy festive season: they claim one of the key reasons, other than rising interest rates, is a rush by Australian consumers to overseas shopping sites. The strong Australian dollar means that buying items from the US - even when international shipping costs are included - often works out cheaper than buying goods here.
Read more here
Retailers predicted a gloomy festive season: they claim one of the key reasons, other than rising interest rates, is a rush by Australian consumers to overseas shopping sites. The strong Australian dollar means that buying items from the US - even when international shipping costs are included - often works out cheaper than buying goods here.
Read more here
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Wikileaks: Winning the War
What's the point of trying to shut down Wikileaks? If this past week has shown anything, it's that cutting off the hydra's head only results in a hundred more growing in its place.
Thousands of people are now mirroring Wikileaks' content, both officially and unofficially. Tens of thousands are downloading and sharing gigabytes of data from Wikileaks. One file - insurance.aes256 - is a "poison pill" that will automatically be encrypted and released on the djavascript:void(0)isappearance or death of its figurehead, Julian Assange. Not even US authorities have been able to crack it.
Read more
Thousands of people are now mirroring Wikileaks' content, both officially and unofficially. Tens of thousands are downloading and sharing gigabytes of data from Wikileaks. One file - insurance.aes256 - is a "poison pill" that will automatically be encrypted and released on the djavascript:void(0)isappearance or death of its figurehead, Julian Assange. Not even US authorities have been able to crack it.
Read more
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