As of this morning, roughly three days after its release, a music video based on Obama's much publicized New Hampshire primary speech has had about two and a half million views, 1,454 blog posts and 11,864 comments, according to tracker Viral Video. Some of those blog posts make much of the political implications -- Buzz Machine (rhetorical element of campaign), for one -- notes Yoni Greenbaum in Editor on the Verge.
Pepsi's Super Bowl ad is already making the e-rounds. This time, the "talk" factor is that there is no talking: it's a video of a conversation in sign language with screen subtitles. Take a look. Does it cross a line or is it an interesting way to disseminate a worthy message?
Ever wonder how many steps it is from Stauffer Hall to Lot 59? One of the intrepid reporters from last year's class set out to see, accompanied by an equally intrepid videographer. In three videos and a Soundslide, the Fall 2007 class tackled relevant issues concerning the parking situation here at ASU's Tempe site.
Landon Pigg's "Falling in love at the coffee shop" is the wildly popular song behind the equally popular DeBeers diamond video ad now making the rounds. Spinner, a blog that focuses on music, has some of the background here.
Those of you who are want to know how to embed videos -- it's easy, especially if you're getting them from YouTube. At the end of the video or in a box near the video there are "boxes" where the embed code is displayed. You can cut/copy and paste that code into the message box of this blog. Save and publish. But here's a further refinement: If you want to reduce the size of the embedded video and still keep everything proportional, you have to change a couple of things in the code. The dimensions for width and height are in that code. This video started out at 425 for the width and 373 for the height. I've replaced those numbers with 275 and 200, thereby reducing the size. If you go to YouTube to look at it, it will be larger.
Professor Schwalbe reports: "Two videos that Advanced Online Media students submitted for the YouTube/CNN Republican debate tonight appeared in a washingtonpost.com article. Check out the second and third entries at http://blog.washingtonpost.com/channel-08/2007/11/preview_cnnyoutube_gop_debate3.html (The “nameless poster” is Tiffany Tcheng, whose name appears at the beginning of the video.)For a while, Alex Dowd’s video was one of the “Featured Videos selected by YouTube Editors” in the News & Politics section." I didn't catch the whole show. Any of your videos make it?
The Mesa owner of Big Sticks Cigars posted this security video on You Tube after one of the men captured on the tape apparently walked out of the store with a Seiko watch for which he hadn't paid. ABC15.com carried the story and a still photograph from the video, but did not link to the video or embed it. There's a $1,000 reward for information leading to the man's arrest. More than the cost of the watch. Is YouTubing this video dangerous or smart? Journalistic in nature or vigilantism? The same as posting a flier on a street post? This info accompanied the video: "Suspect was driving white 1976-1978 Chevy/GMC Van. License Plate # 329-NFD." Too far? Appropriate?
This is the Illinois State horror film we saw Monday. Following are some of the other examples I found on YouTube. Please add more if you have them (consider this part of our new-age lit review).
At Columbia University, looking for parking 2:18
Parking Services: The Movie The heartwarming story of Richard, a Parking Services employee, as he learns the value of spreading good instead of evil (parking tickets). University of Georgia
5:49
Parallel parking device Senior capstone project, University of Toledo
Parking problems at San Jose State University 2:24 (audio problems, but some interview ideas)
You suck at parking, Part 3
Parking Services, University of Toledo 42 seconds
Getting the boot at University of Kentucky(newspaper video; see who comes to the rescue)
CSUN parking problems (money machine won't take money) 44 seconds
DPS at Iowa State(problems getting it to run) 2:20 Poking fun.
Myanmar, the former Burma, has been in the top news for months now -- but how many of us know why, much less the context? Part of that I'd chalk up to infoglut (too much information bombarding us all the time; too little prioritization of incoming facts). But a large part is due to a lack of what beginning reporters used to learn early in their careers: localization. Multimedia offers journalists new ways to connect with people. Video's forte is visual interest and emotional connections. In this video, Roanoke.com takes a local connection -- a family of Burmese refugees -- and lets the "experts" do the talking. The result: greater awareness of the world around us and our place in it. This is the kind of "hyperlocal" I'd be proud to produce.
