Video Editing: Where Google Proves It Is Your Friend

So, this week was make-your-own video-PSA week on the assignment board, and I needed to consult my good friend, Google, to help get me to the finish line.

As expected, it was a whirlwind of working through unit materials, downloading new programs, learning the new programs, and drafting assignment materials in collaboration with my assigment partner in another time zone, and submit the assignment (in media I’ve never seen before) by midnight Friday.

As expected, it was a little nuts. What's more, Google Hangouts turned into Google Glitch, and though we fostered successful collaboration, my assignment partner and I didn't always see eye to eye on the most effective way to present each of the elements in our 40-second video.

Nonetheless, we learned from and taught one another as we went, and ultimately produced a 40-second PSA on cyberbullying, using content licensed through Creative Commons. Picasa photo editing, Windows Movie Maker, Google Hangouts, Google Drive, Dropbox, audio, music, video, and narration all factored into the process.

Whew! As we reached the point of "Done is better than perfect," we had to agree that we learned a lot in the process, and we may revisit this collection of media for our final project.

"Cut!" (and post.)

And here it is: Say NO to cyberbullying.

Whetting My Appetite for Apps

This week's assignment was to build an informational app on any topic. In my my other life, I've been immersed in business and activity for a swim club that I'm affiliated with this week, so I've created an informational app for the Athabasca Rapids Swim Club, called "Rapids Swim Updater" through the Appy Pie app-builder tool.

In so doing, I've gotten a rapid-fire introduction to the world of apps, which is a bit of an unknown for me, as I'm not a smartphone or tablet user. I can see how this tool may be useful, but I soon discovered that the option to edit an app, which will be critical for an app that is intended to update users with information about upcoming swim events, is only available through a paid app subscription. Nonetheless, the exercise has opened up a new digital world for me, with new possibilities.

Though I'm unlikely to keep the app live under these circumstances, it's available for preview (for now) at http://apps.appypie.com/marketplace/iphone-android/rapids-swim-updater. With more time and opportunity, this could become a useful tool. At present, however, it's more of a trial run.  

Elevator Pitch: "And What Do You Do?"

 

This week's task was to develop a personal brand statement, to use as part of one's "Elevator pitch." So, how did I go about this?

First, I Googled "personal brand statement," since this concept wasn't covered in this week's course materials. Jörgen Sundberg of the UndercoverRecruiter indicates that a personal brand statement consists of "1-2 sentences answering what you are the best at (value), who you serve (audience) and how you do it uniquely." She indicates that it should be "memorable, punchy and solution oriented."

• VALUE

• AUDIENCE

• UNIQUE CONTRIBUTION

True to form, I started with a functional and specific statement that addressed an audience, a measure of value, and a unique contribution. Once composed, however, I quickly determined that my statement, though functional and specific to my current employment, lacked any punch and left a "snore" impression. (I credit this to spending too much time spent in academia.) Draft 1 read like this:

 Florene keeps distance education students on track by anticipating their needs and ensuring clarity and functionality in their course materials.

YAWN.

Upon second reading, I also recognized that while this statement was accurate, it limited my skills to an unnecessarily specific purpose and population, so I strove to broaden the potential interest group and to strive for less "academic" language. Meanwhile, as a rural Albertan (who likes it that way), I also wanted to integrate my preferred surroundings and my geographical client base into my statement. So, I referred to my current Twitter description, which incorporates geography and philosophy with my skill set as follows:

Florene is a professional communicator living a simple life in rural Alberta.

While this broadens my interest group and reflects who I am, it doesn't suggest unique value, nor does it target the needs of a rural audience. What's more, it doesn't have an action orientation.

It needs more punch.

My third run represents a statement that can dip in many directions, while using plain language to indicate that I'm a communicator that writes to meet the needs of rural Albertans (primarily). This statement can change and grow, but it's a good start, I think.

So, if I meet you on an elevator, and you ask me what I do, I might tell you something like this (and hope you ask for details):

Florene draws the attention of audiences in rural Alberta and beyond through clear, engaging written communication that anticipates the readers' needs and tells them what they need to know.

 Much better. :)

 

Information Overload: Developing Filters

Since the advent of the printing press, people have had access to more information than they can process. However, in today’s networked world, almost anyone can publish and distribute information the click of a mouse, taking the challenges of information overload to new heights.

In our networked environment, it has become necessary to filter vast amounts of information from Web-based information sources, simply to cope. While information is typically touted as a good thing, not all information is created equal. There’s good, bad, and downright ugly, and the quality control filters that we relied on in traditional publishing media no longer work in a Web 2.0 world (Shirky, 2008).

Furthermore, in spite of information volume, the personalization of information generated via algorithms and marketing mechanisms frequently functions to limit the diversity of views that people are exposed to. Also, social pressures and the tendency to lean towards social filtering in the face of information overload—seeking or following information through social networks such as Facebook or Twitter—can spread misinformation or limit information intake to views that already resonate emotionally.

Basically, each person must determine what stories are important and must find ways to control information consumption. Instead of thinking critically about individual pieces of information, we need to start thinking critically about our information sources and about types of information. Clay Johnson (2010) presents the analogy of an “information diet,” in which we need to consciously choose from information sources that are good for us and seek balance. Johnson suggests that two types of information to cut out of our "diet" are advertising and information with which we automatically agree.

To manage incoming volume, digital tools such as email filters, and folders can help users process information on their own terms, while databases can be used to process, access, and organize large volumes of data.

According to Clay Shirky (2008), today’s information challenge requires a mental shift. Instead of thinking about information volume as a problem, we need to acknowledge that it’s simply the new normal. In a personalized, Web 3.0 world where abundant, tailored-for-me information will be at our fingertips, learning to filter information in ways that help us thrive will become a critical life skill.

References

Johnson, C. (2010). Clay Johnson: A software toolkit for your information diet. Big Think. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W2Ea3gtbEyI.

Shirky, C. (2008). Web 2.0 Expo NY: Clay Shirky (shirky.com) It's not information overload. It's filter failure. O'Reilly Media. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LabqeJEOQyI