Microblogging and Twitter

This week I had to research microblogging and the very prominent web 2.0 application that features it, Twitter. I had to start a twitter account and "Follow" the teacher. Before do that though I took a look at mashable guide to Twitter. The Mashable guides always have really helpful information for everyone from rookies to seasoned pro's. With that being said, Twitter's integrated start up guide is great and teaches you how to use Twitter in less than five minutes. What's great about it is that it let's try each step as you go along. For example, when it tells you how to follow people it lets you use the "follow" button right then and get together a group of people to follow. By the time I was set up I had a pretty good idea of how to use Twitter and its different features. 

One of the best commentaries I found on microblogging was 7 Things You Should Know About Microblogging. It answers seven critical questions about micro blogging. What is it? Who’s doing it? How does it work? Why is significant? What are the downsides? Where is going? What are the implications for teaching and learning? 

That link is here: http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ELI7051.pdf. 

On the class wiki I also talked about how there are web 2.0 appilications besides Twitter that feature micro blogging. Here is a link to a great article how ten microblogging sites that quite informative: http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/10_micro-blogging_tools_compared.php. 

For me Twitter is what it is. Some people love it, and some people hate it. I don't think I'll get into using it constantly, but that's not to say that other people shouldn't use and enjoy it.  

My experience in vlogging

So this week we have to post a vlog as our final product. A vlog is what you get when you combine a video and a blog. After doing some research on vlogs I found that although you may post a solo video as a blog, most Vloggers post in a combination of videos, text, and even pictures. The content of vlogs is diverse, and can range from professional content to a travel log to share with family. While searching for information about vlogs I found these instructions on making a one on about.com. 

Step 1. Get a microphone.

To record a video, you need to have a microphone that is compatible with your computer.

Step 2. Get a webcam.

Once you have a microphone, you need to get a webcam that allows you to record video and save it on your computer's hard drive.

Step 3. Prepare your vlog content.

Take some time to think about what you're going to say or do during your vlog.

Step 4. Record your vlog.

Turn on your microphone, start your webcam and begin recording. Save the file when you're done.

Step 5. Upload your vlog file to YouTube or Google Video.

Upload your vlog file to a site like YouTube or Google Video where you can store it online.

Note: See the Tips below to learn an alternate method to insert your video into a blog post.

Step 6. Get the embedding code of your uploaded vlog file.

Once you upload your vlog file to YouTube or Google Video, copy the embedding code and keep it handy.

Step 7. Create a new blog post.

Open your blogging application and create a new blog post. Give it a title and add any text you'd like to introduce your vlog.

Step 8. Paste the embedding code for your vlog file into your new blog post.

Using the embedding code you copied earlier for your uploaded vlog file, paste that information into the code of your new blog post.

Step 9. Publish your new blog post.

Select the publish button in your blogging application to send your new blog post with your vlog in it live online.

Step 10. Test your vlog.

Open your new live blog post and view your vlog entry to ensure it's working correctly.

I decided to cut out steps 1 and 2 and use the camera on my android. I was then able to my phones mobile upload feature to upload my video to youtube. As it turns out a lot of people use mobile uploads to keep their fans up to date while on the move.

One more thing to remember is that when you post the embed link you have to switch the HTML view option to interpret the code instead of show it. 

I've enjoyed vlogging and blogging so far this term. I"m considering starting a blog with integrated videos as way to journal my experiences and share them with my family and what not. I like the idea of posting vlogs more than posting to Facebook. If anyone reads my blog it's because they go and view it. On Facebook I feel like updates are shoved in my face, or else I'm shoving updates in someone else's face. I conclude that blogs and vlogs are definitively cooler than facebook. 

Video Blog!!! (vlog)

Since a vlog can pretty much be whatever you want, I decided to post some random videos I took of random occurrences. I think by capturing clips of everyday life and posting them with annotations is a great way to journal. If you keep it up for a while you could end up with something cool to look back on.

In this video I was with some friends getting ready to play a game of Ninja in the dark when everybody just randomly broke out humming that one nokia ring tone. Those ring tones always get in your head ya know?



Hope you enjoyed it.

Facebook

It's been another exciting week in CIS 135W. This week I learned more about Facebook, and I have to say that I'm surprised how much I learned and how much there still is too learn. When I started into the mashable Facebook, I thought I pretty much knew everything there is know about it. Oh how wrong I was. Besides the many features that Facebook provides for you to tweak your account for enhanced personal use, there are also tons of applications for web developers to work with and for business owners to think about using. The mashable guide to Facebook is great place for anyone to start learning more advanced uses of Facebook. Here is the link: http://mashable.com/guidebook/facebook/. I've found Facebook isn't just for making dumb posts and looking at pictures. You can use it as a company news room, build your fan following, bring more people into your business, and even play games. There is a lot more to Facebook than you see at first glance.

Using wikispaces!

So this week we had the opportunity to learn about working with wikis. Wikipedia defines a wiki as "a website that allows the creation and editing of any number of interlinked web pages via a web browser using a simplified markup language or a WYSIWYG text editor. Wikis are typically powered by wiki software and are often used collaboratively by multiple users." I'm not going to waste more time explaining what a wiki is because you all are well aware about wikis yourselves now. 
I have been using wikis for years now. Or perhaps I should say I've used Wikipedia for years now. Although I've been an avid reader of Wikipedia, I've only edited articles a few times. That's why I'm excited that we'll be working on making our own wiki this term. 
My opinion on wikis goes unchanged. Wiki are amazing. To me they are the holy grail when it comes to finding information and making it available to the world. 
Figuring out how to edit and work with our wiki wasn't too hard. I'd say after a few minutes of playing around with one just about anybody could get the hang of it. The reality that technology so powerful and yet so simple is in our hands is remarkable to me. I'm looking forward building our wiki throughout the term.