YouTube Video Award Winners March 22, 2008
Posted by khengze in News, Reviews, Web Video, YouTube.1 comment so far
eEmmys? Oscars 2.0? The people have spoken, and viral clips along with Web stalwarts won big in the second annual YouTube Video Awards recognizing the top user-created videos of 2007.
The honors include “bragging rights, a trophy and a special invitation to an event later this year.” YouTube users voted from six nominees in each category: music, sports, comedy, instructional, short film, inspirational, commentary, creative, politics, series, eyewitness and “adorable.”
My Name is Lisa, a drama about a young girl and her mother who has Alzheimer’s, triumphed in the newly added Short Film category.
Honors for top Web Series went to The Guild, whose creator and star Felicia Day is getting lauded left, right and center for her quirky online comedy chronicling the relationships among a fictional team of online fantasy gamers. Here’s a profile of the series.
Chocolate Rain stole the thunder in the Music camp, having already morphed Tay Zonday from an unknown musician to Web superstar.
Stop the Clash of Civilizations by AvaazOrg topped the Politics category.
The Original Human Tetris was Creative video of choice.
Battle at Kruger took Best Eyewitness Video for its astonishing footage of a baby water buffalo surviving an attack by lions and a crocodile in the African prairie.
PBS TV/Web Documentary in Multimedia March 21, 2008
Posted by khengze in Journalism, News, Reviews, Web Video, YouTube.Tags: Bush's War, Documentary, Frontline, Multimedia, PBS
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The journalism of PBS FRONTLINE is recognized every week for in-depth, no-glitz examination of something significant. On Monday March 24, the fifth anniversary of the Iraq invasion, PBS will retrace the path of the war in a two-part documentary that draws on its FRONTLINE reports to examine the legacy of the Bush administration.
Once in a rare moment, a work comes along to reconcile our hopes in the Web as a documentary medium. “Bush’s War” elevates the telling of true stories by weaving facts with technology in innovative ways to illuminate the enduring myths of our culture. Conceived last November, FRONTLINE’s New TV/Web Experience offers the definitive documentary analysis by veteran producer Michael Kirk.
Here’s how PBS describes its political thriller:
Across the entire four-hour Bush’s War series that will be streamed online, FRONTLINE will integrate and embed in its video player an array of related interviews, background material and video that can be viewed with just a click. In addition, more than 100 video clips of key moments and events in the Iraq war will be the centerpiece of an annotated master chronology which FRONTLINE will publish on the Bush’s War site.
The interviews, video and background material are drawn from one of the richest archives in broadcast journalism: FRONTLINE’s 40+ hours of documentaries and 400 interviews done since 9/11 on Iraq and the war on terror, as well as new interviews conducted for Bush’s War.
Data Driving Force in Web Journalism January 2, 2008
Posted by khengze in Journalism, News, Reviews, Trends.add a comment
Rich Gordon at the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University has an interesting post, Data as Journalism, Journalism as Data. He writes that one of the most striking developments in online news has been the rapid proliferation of interesting database applications.
Gannett Co. newspapers have been leaders in this area, driven by the company’s “information center” initiative, which is yielding new organizational structures and approaches to information gathering and presentation. The “data desk” is one of the seven pillars of the company’s new approach to news.
As Gannett realizes, data should be a driving force in online journalism.
“Shock Doctrine” a Viral Tour de Force October 21, 2007
Posted by khengze in News, Reviews, Web Video, YouTube.Tags: Naomi Klein, No Logo, Shock Doctrine
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Here’s a savvy advocacy Website if ever there’s one – the new knockout by ‘No Logo” author, Naomi Klein. The foremost activist of “disaster capitalism” has proven to be a superb online marketer, packing “The Shock Doctrine” site with thinking dynamite and videos.
Klein rejects the smallness in left-wing politics and has been organizing around globalization in a consistently heroic voice that has moved online with marketing savvy. Her video-rich portal is chock full of information including a viral film to promote the book of the same name. The film’s thesis is as provocative as Klein’s arguments are deliberately shocking.
The six minute film written by Klein and director Alfonso Cuoron (Children of Men) is offered freely for anybody to pirate, download, pass it to friends and do whatever they want to do. And it may just spark a revival of the short film – on the Web.
Klein’s tree-based THE SHOCK DOCTRINE explodes the myth that the global free market triumphed democratically and argues that governments introduce repressive legislation at times of national and international crisis.
These policies, imposed by disciples of laissez-faire economist Milton Friedman, caused hardship for millions while letting multinationals buy up a country’s most valuable assets cheaply.
As one who claims to be critical of market-based economics, Klein uses publishers, marketing gimmicks and book launches with the same elan of Friedman himself.
The narration, as in the book’s account of ‘disaster capitalism,’ is delivered with “a perfectly distilled anger, channelled through hard fact.” Instead of ads for her book, Klein and filmmaker Cuaron created a trailer based on proposals from advertising companies and filmmakers who had pitched for the project.
State of Online Journalism July 27, 2007
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Online Journalism’s Paul Bradshaw has listed a dozen must-read blog posts on the subject. The list is reproduced below. What do you think? Please add yours to the list.
1. Overview of forms and possibilities of online journalism: Jonathan Dube’s Online Storytelling Forms
2. Incisive insights into journalistic potential of IT: Adrian Holovaty: A fundamental way newspaper sites need to change
3. Reflection on how online news environment changes journalism: Dan Gillmor’s The End of Objectivity (Version 0.91)
4. Reflection on journalism ethics in era of MySpace/Facebook/UGC: Robin Hamman’s posts virginia tech bloggers: approach and confirm or link and disclaim? and his coverage of a debate on virginia tech coverage
5. Sliding scale of ideas on involving audience: Steve Outing’s The 11 Layers of Citizen Journalism
6. Succinct explanation of moving from TV mindset to online video: Andy Dickinson: Moving from TV to Online
7. Tips when moving into video: Newslab’s Tips for Photographers
8. Possibilities of Flash for interactive storytelling, and experiences of its use: Mindy McAdams’ Flash journalism: Professional practice today
9. How to treat a story in multimedia: Mindy McAdams’ Journalism stories: A multimedia approach Parts 1, 2 and 3.
10. Conceptual exploration of interactive storytelling: The Elements of Digital Storytelling
11. For an overview of how wikis function What makes wikis work
12. To explore if blogging/wikis/databases/broccoli etc. is journalism: G. Stuart Adam’s Notes Towards a Definition of Journalism
CNN.com Relaunch Emphasizes Video July 1, 2007
Posted by khengze in Convergence, Journalism, News, Reviews, Web Video.1 comment so far
Video features heavily in the new CNN.com which relaunches today after an overhaul of several weeks. The enhanced multimedia site now has widescreen clips and live news video feeds packed with web 2.0 features like recommendations and user generated content. Google and Yahoo are CNN’s search providers.
CNN has abandoned its subscription-based video service, Pipeline, in favour of a free ad-supported video news archive. The Microsoft media format has been replaced with Flash video, which is more accessible across browsers and allows more options for interactive multimedia features.
Nick Wrenn, CNN International’s managing editor for Europe, the Middle East and Africa said demand for online video clips had increased over the last three years. “The changes we’re making will allow people to watch more video in a bigger screen,” he said. Using a blog, the redesign team explained elements of the new design and sought feedback from users.
“We’re encouraging the journalists to think very creatively about how people are “consuming the story.” Do they necessarily need to write 800 words when we’ve got some really compelling video which loads straight into the page and really tells that story? Or is there a really good blog that they can link to?” added Wrenn.
CNN describes its new design as “story centric”, allowing the user to choose to access each story using text, video or multimedia slideshow formats from a set of tabs on each story page. In the previous “flat” site, users had to open pop-up windows to see videos on text-dominated pages. Each story will also include posts obtained by the Sphere blog search engine.
The revamped site features local content based on US postal codes. On the CNN International section, localization is at the level of countries or key cities. An automated categorization system lets users find related content about people, places and topics. It will also be used to promote popular topics to the site’s top-level navigation.
Take a tour of the new site
The idea of meta-writing, which encompasses design in its widest sense, is going to drive the new journalism. While good writing is key, the ability to produce images, create video, design layout and manage communities around audience-created content are emerging skills.
With the convergence of platforms and craft, video is the new vernacular and will be at the heart of multimedia journalism on the Web. These changes are deep, they’re not just about technology or producing and consuming media, but about the way societies come to know and converse with the world.
.
JOANNE TEOH KHENG YAU
Journalist/Filmmaker, Channel NewsAsia, Singapore
In these days of multi-platform mayhem, do not ignore the basics. Accuracy, speed and persistence, combined with an ability to listen and learn, are the best platform, no matter how many gadgets your story appears on.
After that, get technical. Apart from a few select people, the days when you’d focus only on print, TV or radio are gone. So, if it’s second nature for you to record fantastic pictures on your phone, write and record a track, edit it all together and bang it up on your website in the time it takes to replenish the morning coffee.
NICK WRENN
Managing Editor, CNN International EMEA
CNN’s revamp underscores the key ideas that are driving Web 2.0 which I have been writing about here – the ability to search content, a return to the gift economy and video as the new vernacular. The converged media landscape means communicating appropriately for any medium.
Writing a headline, editing a sound-bite or crafting a precis remain core skills, but audio and video reporting skills are increasingly important. And content cannot be corralled when you want more eyeballs on more platforms.
iPhone is iConic and Cultic but … June 30, 2007
Posted by khengze in Convergence, Journalism, News, Reviews, Trends.add a comment
What? No video? The new lingua franca of the Web?
The wait for the wizardry is over. The brew is bewitching. The masterful buzz orchestrated around the machine and its rollout on Fifth Avenue in New York has finally put the Apple iPhone in the possession of a privileged few.
When a gorgeous piece of technology does so many things so well so nicely, you forgive its foibles. The 4.8-ounce device is pricey. An 8GB (surely you wouldn’t take the 4GB for US$500?) weighs in at $600. The reviews have been mostly breathless, superlative. It certainly scores in the cool department. But as a toolkit, I want more.
iPhone is set to become one of those iconic and cultic devices that brings new meaning to convergence culture. Dubbed the “Jesus Phone” by bloggers, it’s the subject of 11,000 articles, and 70 million hits so far on Google.
Fun and full of eye candy, iPhone is cellphone, wide-screen iPod, and Internet communications device all in one. This slab of a computer with touch-sensitive glass lives up to its pre-launch hysteria with SMS, e-mail, Web browsing, Wifi, Google Maps and more.
Its fast, menu-free and simple to run software is touted as its biggest achievement. The Home page has icons for 16 functions. David Pogue on the New York Times says the thing lives up to its hype for music playing, emailing and video but falls short as a phone.
To make a call takes 6 steps: wake the phone, unlock its buttons, summon the Home screen, open the Phone program, view Recent Calls or speed-dial list, then select a name. When you’re a journalist juggling way too many deadlines, that’s way too convoluted.
Journalists need a lot more than eye candy to do the job on the road. Thanks to Ezra Shapiro who listed them in Poynter Online, here’s a wish list for the missing features on iPhone that would have made it the perfect journo toolkit:
Bluetooth profiles for keyboards, printers, or file transfer.
Video recording
Audio memos
Call recording
Slot for a data card
Internal memory for data
Notes application that syncs to computer
Java and FlashComputer-style IM.RSS
iPhone will be launched in Europe late 2007 and Asia in 2008. It will catalyze the concept of multimedia devices embedded with media player, a phone and a mini computer and will help drive sales of a new breed of ‘multimedia smartphone’ among Asia’s gadget-hungry young consumers.
Just get ready to pledge a lifetime commitment to the iPhone as your only cellphone. Its music-playing function is limited by a factory-installed software for copy protection. Which means you will always have to buy Apple stuff because iPhone will not work with any other hardware.
The term for this copy-protection software is the euphemism: Digital Rights Management. Here’s how it works: when you buy songs at the iTunes Music Store, you can play them on only the iPod or iPhone. And when you buy an iPod or iPhone, you can play copy-protected songs bought from only the iTunes Music Store.
Related articles:
Often-asked iPhone questions
Tour of the iPhone
iPhone Matches Most of its Hype
iPhone draws long lines, bullish forecasts
Accessory makers ready for iPhone launch
A Closer Look at the iPhone – CBS clip on YouTube
According to Asia, the iPhone sucks – CNN clip on YouTube
Apple’s website has videos and tutorials on the iPhone.
Joost “Now for Friends” Edition May 11, 2007
Posted by khengze in Reviews, Web Video.2 comments
Here’s an update from the Joost blog. Beta testers can now invite as many friends as they like to Joost. When testers visit the “Invite Friends” widget, they’ll be able to share Joost with an unlimited number of friends, family, colleagues or anyone else.
Joost has also announced more than 30 top brands from around the world as advertising partners. Ads from some of these advertising launch partners have begun to play on Joost.
Joost is also adding new programming from five content owners – Turner Broadcasting System, Sony Pictures Television, Hasbro, the NHL and SI.
Now showing are programs like “Aqua Teen Hunger Force,” “The Transformers,” “G.I. Joe,” “Starsky & Hutch,” “Charlie’s Angels” and “NewsRadio.”
Later in May, it’ll post video shorts and interviews from SI’s Swimsuit magazine photo shoots, with behind-the-scenes footage and full-length videos following.
For hockey fans out there, the NHL is coming to Joost, beginnig with Vintage games this month; full-game replays and highlights will follow soon.
The Joost team have also made changes to the widgets in the My Joost area of the user interface. They’ve added the CNN RSS feed to the Joost “News Ticker.”
Primetime with Joost beta April 14, 2007
Posted by khengze in Reviews, Web Video.4 comments
Joost has invited me to be a beta tester. Since my post about Joost, the latest 0.9.2 beta version is out and about among approved testers on a Mac. Yay!
As one who cheers the convergence of TV and the Net, I didn’t wait. Joost is supported by advertisements so it’s free. For free TV, there’s little not to like. It took me just three minutes to download Joost on my Powerbook G4, in between burning iPhotos of my Chamonix trip to a CD and updating a post on this blog.
Joost behaved real nicely, never crashing. After installation, I helped myself to the goodie emblems for this blog. Browsing the graphic user interface, I felt like a kid encountering TV for the first time, like back when I watched the first flickering black and white pictures with my dad.
The new beta offers an improved interface with redesigned controls to exploit OS X’s support for translucence.

Screen shot of prototype Joost main control panel
The full-screen interface is just like TV and nothing like YouTube. The idea with Joost is you start it up and watch. You can compress the screen in a window to watch the shows while doing other things on your computer.
There’s buffering time delay. One way to get around this is to play a show, pause, let it buffer while you do something else, then return to watch.
The videos stutter, but that’s because of my connection speed. Joost is peer-to-peer based, so instead of pulling videos from a central server, videos can be pulled from Joost locations near you. This speeds up the download.
The video quality is unlike the grainy clips I have endured on most Web 2.0 sites. Joost video quality is definitely better than most Internet video but can’t beat full screen TV – yet.
So far there are a few ads, but certainly fewer than old TV programming. That’s acceptable. Would you rather have Joost free with ads or pay to watch it?
There’s a range of channels but few big names. The channels like Green Day, Indy Car and Gaming are specific to the content. You can search shows by name or type, or simply flip channels.
They’ve done a good job with entertainment programming, especially for young users. Most of the channels listed aren’t working yet. Check out the TERRA videos I wrote about in this post.
Comedy Central
MTV
GameStar TV
IndieFlix Premier Hits
The Soccer Channel
PokerHeaven TV
Bite TV
Off the Fence Docs
Saturday Morning TV
Live @ Much
Guiness World Records TV
LX.TV
Lime
TERRA: The Nature of Our World
Braindead
JumpTV Arabia
Fifth Gear Shortcuts
Havoc Action Sports TV
What’s Popular
Warner Bros. Records
IndyCar Series
Lazy TV
National Geographic
Joost Suggests
There’s a simple chat interface through which you can access and IM your Google talk or Jabber contacts. Joost has integrated its own chat program so viewers can talk with others watching the same show. Should be fun. This social aspect of Joost will set it apart from other online video sources once out of beta.

Screenshot of prototype Joost pluggins
To really compete with TV, Joost needs plugins with its applications. Right now, the pluggins called widgets aren’t too thrilling. Clock, feed reader, notice board, ratings system and instant messaging are nice to have, but not critical. In any case, the Joost team are busy fine-tuning things. Stay tuned.
The Joost team are also behind the market disrupting platforms Kazaa and Skype. When the bugs are ironed out, this platform for TV on the Web will be just as disruptive. Joost is not expanding the beta test phase beyond a controlled number as user name and login are required for the client.
Before I sign off, here’s a bit of evangelising: check out a snapshot of the Joost screenshots. Watch the promo.









