Newsletter of the Society for Technical Communication, San Francisco Chapter August/September 2007

July 2007 Meeting -- YouTube, Lifecasting, and You
Presented by Stephanie Bryant and reviewed by Joshua Berman

I've just updated my resume for a great job opportunity. It looks like a perfect fit for me…but wait, thousands of others will be doing the same thing. What can I send them in addition to a well-written document? Of course! I'll send them videos of me as well. The July 2007 meeting of the San Francisco Chapter STC featured Stephanie Bryant, technical writer and author of Videoblogging for Dummies. Stephanie discussed with us "YouTube, Lifecasting, and You." But it's more than just YT; different audiences and resources are involved in making any effective video.

Videoblogging (Stephanie says, "Make that 'vlogging'") is the posting of video to the Internet. It can be updated by users, who only want to change their own product, or by subscribers, who wish to join an online community. ITunes was the first major subscription service; it provided music videos and later, podcasts for producing as well as viewing. RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feeds are the main source for posting both text and graphic advertisement to vlogs. Interactivity helps to maintain the popularity of a video; although comments to posts aren't necessary, they help in the vlog's development. This is where YouTube comes in, with millions of videos each containing thousands of comments, constructive and otherwise. This would be perfect for creating something such as…well, a video resume.

For vlogs to be successful, producers must know their audience. Keeping a simple profile on each user is essential. Information such as profession, educational background, technical knowledge, and most importantly, device preference determines their viewing methods. If the audience uses cell phones, only the 3GP format will work; Flash videos will not show up on small screens. And unless you know your subjects prefer Macs to PCs, you'll run into major problems by running MPEG-4s. Knowing who will watch and where the vlog will be watched proves that a little research goes a long way.

As with virtually all projects, four things are needed:

• Time -- All available resources depend on how much time can be devoted to the project.
   
• Equipment -- Basic needs are a standard video camera, any computer with Windows XP or Mac OS 9, USB cable connections for the camera (a firewire for the Mac), hard drive and microphone (video storage and sound, respectively). Digital cameras and screencast software (such as Camastia) allows for more elaborate productions, budget permitting.
   
• People -- Whether the performers are subject matter experts (SME's) or actors (aspiring or accomplished), there still needs to be a crew. It can consist of several, who carry the lights and do some editing, or, with the help of portable camera accessories, you yourself could be the crew.
   
• Money -- Although money is not a resource in the actual filming of the vlogs, it is used to fill in gaps in the project.

For more information about videoblogging, Stephanie Bryant can be contacted at stephanie@mortaine.com. Her website is www.mortaine.com.

How will my video resume turn out? Stay tuned…

Joshua Berman is Assistant Editor for the San Francisco Chapter STC and Secretary of the Berkeley Chapter STC.

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