ICE - it's why we're here

My YouTube video about ICE!

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?

Should I, shouldn't I?

Thanks to those nice people at Beet.tv for turning me onto today's hot find. However, I'm in two minds as to whether to confess. I'm only doing so because it got me out of a miser's problem!

Ever tried to download a YouTube video? It's not that straightforward - not if you don't want to pay money. Converters I've found will give you a flash file but then you need a flash player to play it. What if you want to edit it? Then, in my case, I need to convert it to a Windows movie file. A demo version of a ImToo Zune converter will do files under five minutes for free. So I was stuck when I wanted to convert a movie pushing the six minute mark.

Enter idesktop.tv! So I don't quite understand why I want a another interface to consume videos I'd happily watch (probably perfer to watch) on YouTube. However the simple download function, with options for Windows or Mac compatible output is a winner. I've not pushed the limits but my six minute file is now converted. And the best bit...yes, it's free!

Nintendo - not just for kids!

I'll say that the poster caught my eye as I cycled past. That's my shameless attempt to get some zero-carbon emissions kudos. In reality, my wife had the car! But back to the poster.

I've posted before about how technology is for everyone, not just young people. It seems Nintendo are keen to make the same point. Their latest poster campaign in the UK features the likes of Nicole Kidman, Patrick Stewart, Julie Walters, Phillip Schofield, Fern Britton, Zoe Ball, and Johnny Ball playing Brain Training, and other Nintendo titles, on the DS. It caught my eye...and I'm younger than all of them!

Do unto others...

'Do to others as you'd have them do to you' is derived from the second of two great commands Jesus gave. It being the end of National Anti-Bullying week in the UK I was speaking to some oung people along those lines tonight. But then my thoughts drifted to online video - betraying a shameful obsession?

There's a big difference between the videos I like to watch and the videos I like to make. That may explain why many of the videos I watch get far more views than the videos I make! Is it all about the views? No...unless you are serious about communicating a message. If my YouTubing is purely recreational then my hit-and-miss production style is fine. However, if I'm serious about communicating perhaps I should pay more attention to why I like certain video producer and analysis how I apply the disciplines they do.

So what's the difference? Visit my channel and you'll find a selection of random self-indulgence with, perhaps, the odd spark of genius! Visit redstateupdate or MarkDayComedy or PoliticoPlaybook and you'll most likely see the formula that's brought them success.

If they're that stupid...!

'Youngsters Unaware Of Web Vetting' shouts the headline, as if pronouncing some great technological injustice. The reality? It's merely describing a general lapse in common sense. Alongside the myth that the web is anonymous lives the lie that you can delete things! Once published you have commited your thoughts and actions - in word, photo or video - to the collective consciousness, probably for the rest of earth's existence.

This isn't a problem if you've nothing to be ashamed of, but who's really in that position? Sky's article talks of the potential issues this raises for university or job applicants. Those mundane examples have nothing of the allure of 'seeing' Obama's checkered drug history or the moment when Bill did not inhale! As the implications of greater transparency grip society we have to choose: judge as we would not like to be judge or reassess our appeciation of grace, mercy and forgiveness.