So, in plain English, here is what the future of video holds for the journalism, education, corporate, and non-profit sectors from the Camera Ready experts.  Columbia University’s Duy Linh Tu predicts newsrooms will no longer silo video, Carmen Scheidel says Mediabistro is  working to get all its students on camera, Happtique’s Ben Chodor expounds on the social element of corporate video and what he calls “the studio in a box”, and Witness’ Chris Michael talks about video curation (and MidEast Youth) in the advocacy world.  Check it out!

Now that I’m almost ready to unleash my multimedia eBook to the masses, I’m realizing that creating the book is just one of many steps. In order for people to actually know that Camera Ready exists, I need to invest in stuff no writer likes to think about — distribution, marketing, outreach, and other initiatives to get the word out in a way other than asking my kids to tell their friends’ parents about “mommy’s enhanced eBook” at recess. That’s why I decided to launch this Kickstarter with a funding goal of $5,000 — to help cover my production costs, but more importantly, to give Camera Ready an even better chance for success.

I really want Camera Ready to be released in a timely manner and at an affordable price for hopefully everyone. The estimated release date is June 12.  With help from Vook it will be available on the iBooks, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble platforms.  I’ve created some nifty Kickstarter rewards that I hope will encourage you to support the project.  I was unable to secure unicorn rides BUT if you back the project at the $10.00 level or above, you’ll get a DRM-free copy.

Your support will also go towards paying some of the talented friends and colleagues I’ve hired (at a considerable discount) to help produce and creatively promote Camera Ready in a way that will give it the best possible chance for being a hit.

Google Plus Opens Up Hangouts On Air Live Streaming For All.
And as www.reelseo.com (an awesome resource) puts it, that’s big video news for all of us:

“It’s bringing video power to virtually everyone. It allows others to watch your hangout live streaming session through Google+, YouTube, or your own website at the click of a button.  The possibilities of this feature could be a revolution in online video: meetings, conventions, events can all be broadcast from several unique perspectives.”

But please, before you fire up the webcam to “hangout” with colleagues, take these 3 steps:

1. Frame yourself close-up.
Unless you are giving a tour of your showroom or demonstrating magic tricks, you will look better and connect with the audience faster if the camera shot is pretty close. Otherwise you run the risk of looking like a pinhead and getting lost in your surroundings.

2. Consider your backdrop.
Some people like to do all their on-camera work in front of screens that have been printed with their company’s name all over it. Personally, I think this looks cheesy. I would much rather see your co-chefs cooking behind you or something that tells us about you, even if it’s just your office. If you are a bond trader, let’s see the mayhem. Just don’t put yourself in front of a blank wall.

3. Use a mic.
Yes, get on the mic, get get on the mic. No one will hang out for long if you sound irritating and incomprehensible. You can even just clip your phone’s headphone microphone to your shirt.

Check out these how-to videos for more…

When you are making a video for your website or creating a YouTube channel for your company, always aim for a conversational and personable tone. Many of my clients are sorry to hear that even just being yourself on camera requires rehearsing. That’s because just being you probably isn’t enough to reach through the lens and grab the audience. As Oprah says, you need to be your “best self.”  I would argue you need to be yourself but BIGGER. My very unscientific work shows that 95 percent of people who first go on camera are too mellow. In person they are engaging members of society, but on video they come across as boring, dull, and oops, I just turned them off. The other 5 percent are such energetic nutcases that they come across great on camera, or maybe slightly manic and need to turn down the volume. Watch Gary Vaynerchuk Wine Library TV or CNN’s Richard Quest to see what I mean.

You probably know whether you tend to be more reserved or extroverted but surprises always happen when the camera turns on. One mild-mannered student of mine morphed into the Muppet, Guy Smiley. He had watched so much bad local television news that he automatically assumed a plastic persona on camera. With some practice, we turned him into a camera-friendly version of himself.

Watch this video to find out who the Camera Ready experts think are awesome on camera in the fields of broadcast journalism, entrepreneurship, e-retail, and non-profits. Who do you think comes across really well on camera?

Bu where can you actually read/watch these multimedia extravaganzas? According to eBook Architects, “Because of limitations in the current formats, devices, and retailers, video and audio are not features that can be added to standard eBook files. Only two of the major retailers currently support media content in eBook files: Apple, and Barnes & Noble.”  So that means you can buy an enhanced eBook on Amazon but you won’t be able to watch/read the fully enhanced version on your Kindle Fire.  Annoying but true for now.  You can read/watch it with Kindle apps.

I’m publishing my eBook CAMERA READY with the Vook publishing platform. When I first heard about Vook I was totally intrigued. As a TV news reporter and producer it seemed like the perfect way to tell a story that needs a combo of visual demonstrations and written instruction. I’m hoping my honest, self-mocking, and somewhat meta style of showing people how to come across well on camera, makes you wanna make a Vook too.

Please go to my VIDEOS page to see some examples of the videos in CAMERA READY…

YouTube is revamping itself in an attempt to emphasize quality in addition to quantity video. I’ve always believed that production quality does matter. Videos like Shit Girls Say would never get so many views if they weren’t beautiful AND funny.

Here are some wise words on quality from my college drinking buddy (Sussex 1993-1994), Josh Spanier, who is now Google’s Head of Media.

“The ubiquity of everyone’s face digitized is a daunting reality for those looking to emerge from the clutter. What are content makers to do, aside from drown in this pixelated sea? But here’s hope: Not all content is created equally. Anyone can opine online; but the massive majority of online content is just chatter. Today, the axiom needs to be updated to “quality content is king.”

That quote comes from the Forward that Josh has generously written for my eBook CAMERA READY. It’s very nice and strange when old friends become terribly important.

Why invest in a new website? Two reasons:

1. I’m launching my multimedia eBook CAMERA READY in June. This will be HQ for people who want to rock on camera.

2. I wanted to learn about design and branding and, frankly, clarify my plans. Creating a new website forced me to focus.

Please let me know if you have any thoughts or suggestions for the site. My husband thinks my name looks intimidating in the logo. I think my crowd is sophisticated and multicultural enough to embrace my multi-syllabic name, non?

Did you know I still am not on Facebook because I have a theory that
people do Facebook because they are afraid of death? Facebook of
Death…”

P.S. Actually found interesting article about Facebook’s policy here from AllFacebook.com