Let’s get past that moment when a blogger becomes enamored of self-expression. The kid is hooked and now wants to know how to add value to the blogging communities around her.
Motivating Questions
- What constitutes valuable blogging?
- How does one translate that constitution to vodcasting?
Recommended Reading
8 Comments
H.
June 17, 2008 - 11:14 am -Creepy photo – like accidentally seeing the view from some surveillance camera placed behind a bathroom mirror. Want to yell some kind of warning.
Benjamin Baxter
June 17, 2008 - 2:29 pm -It’s like The Truman Show.
Valuable blogging is that which draws people together, is provocative and asks questions.
Interesting blogging adds on elements of conciseness, focus, personality and interaction with the commenters.
s0apy
June 17, 2008 - 3:14 pm -It’s a loop. Valuable blogging has value – it’s a subjective experience, not amenable to definition.
How do you translate subjectivity? You don’t: because you can’t.
If “she” is real, the challenge might be to wean her away from the idea of “adding value”. Better to just do what you do and have done with it.
Benjamin Baxter
June 17, 2008 - 7:36 pm -There are two very basic approaches to the value blogging: Where the simple act of writing provides value to the writer; where the simple act of reading provides value to the reader.
The first can’t be defined broadly because it’s so personal. That means that Dan’s asking for the second.
Benjamin Baxter
June 17, 2008 - 7:41 pm -Specifically, he’s asking for the definition and processes involved with “simple.”
Matt Bardoe
June 17, 2008 - 8:32 pm -Wow! you edited the video down to one frame of you brushing your teeth?!? That is “bloodthirsty editing”. I am not sure what you are trying to get across, but I really appreciate you editing out all the empty space.
Thanks,
Matt
dan
June 20, 2008 - 11:34 am -Obliged to Benjamin for grappling with the question for a moment.
In my video I went for the idea that vodcasting and blogging, for their own sake – which is to say, for your enjoyment of them – is a fine, fluid, and formless thing. Whatever the hell you want it to be.
But that attitude doesn’t translate well into any arena where your audience is captive – a classroom or a conference hall – or whenever you want to bring objective value to an audience.
Which doesn’t say anything about content. As many people as there are surfing the web are there avenues for blog content.
But the form of valuable blogging isn’t difficult to pin down, by which I mean, the mechanics of good writing.
So:
blogging : good writing :: vodcasting : [what exactly?]
Benjamin Baxter
June 20, 2008 - 5:49 pm -The form of good vodcasting is essentially the same as the form of good videography, though different from good cinematography. I’m not sure this is the direction you intend, but I’ll answer, anyway.
Good composition and good editing, i.e. combine proper exposure and the rule of thirds with what my video editing teacher always called “killing the baby.”
That probably deserves an explanation.
Killing the baby: If there’s a clip that you loved shooting, a clip that was your absolute favorite, get rid of it for the sake of overall quality. Chances are, it doesn’t mesh with the rest of the piece, and you’re too distracted by how much you love it, to notice that it just doesn’t work.
That answers your question and explains the answer, as best as I can figure. Let me know if I’m off track.