Pedants beware!

Is it wrong to be riled at talk of podcasts when downloads is what is most certainly meant, to choke when blogs are spoken of although they are without a doubt referring to online video? Should there be grace within a realm where the rules are barely - and rarely - written and nuances so easily lost on a novice?

The democratisation of print let the masses publish with concept or cognisance of leading or kerning; unleashed without respect for the dark art of typography. All was not lost but many a retina was scared in the process. Now New Media brings the same accessibility to audio and video production, and with it the chance for the uninitiated to meddle - and muddle - with the terminology, as they grapple with form and functionality.

I should not rant, for I might still be numbered amongst them; those still embracing the new world of new media. Yet in that embrace we can find clarity. And so let each ‘thing’ be called for what it is.

ICE itch and the Scratch-Factor

What are people looking for online? I was talking about this with some Christian leaders the other day. One commented the church should be scratching where people are itching. Now that's nothing I hadn't heard before but the more I've thought about it the more challenging it's become.

It's too easy to think 'how can we add a little scratch-factor to what we're doing?' That misses the point. We should be asking 'where are people itching and how can we scratch that?' Thinking like this seriously challenges how we communicate.

Online video is exploding. Everyone from advertisers to amateur pop stars want to use this platform to catapult themselves into the spot light. It is a new platform, the rules are not defined, the opportunities are huge but online video is not here to bring church platforms into the spotlight. Churches need do discover how to scratch before jumping in and doing their thing.

So what's the itch? From my eighteen months of watching online video I offer this suggestion. ICE: Instruction / Conversation / Entertainment. Now in order of priority that should read ECI but as that's less memorable let's explore the ICE itch.

Instruction:
backstage / behind the scenes / making of / secrets of
diet / fitness / health
explanations / how to's / tutorials
lifestyle
reviews

Conversation:
belonging / community
challenges / discussion / opinion
personal interest
shared values

Entertainment:
celebrity gossip
comedy / fun / humour
comment / controversy / news / opinion
future / gadgets / insight / tech
games / machinima
horror / shock
movie clips / trailers
music
risqué / sex / titillation
sensation / the weird and wonderful
sport
tv shows

ICE should be our starting point if we are serious about scratching. But do we understand how our message is woven through these things? And do we have the confidence to do something new?

How YouTube works - drama edition

This is a 'day in the life' collection of videos that shows the community aspect of YouTube...

Act 1: Enter Oprah, carelessly

[embedding disabled by request] so you'll have to go find it!

Act 2: Renetto responds, passionately



Act 3: Talk talks, cheekily



Act 4: Community collaborates, educationally

Church vs New Media

The differences need to be acknowledged. You can't play the new game by the old rules...and vice versa. But in the new game the rules - to borrow from a screen pirate - 'are more like guidelines', certainly for now.

This is an revision of a video that was hugely popular a few months back. It's a must see for anyone who wants to get their head around Web2.0 and it adresses the need for a new mindset in so much of our communication and interaction very well.