Do you own a flip camera? I’m adding this to my wish list!

So here’s a thought when thinking about a blog entry describing a different use of streaming media (not emulating a television or radio show):  Utilizing streaming media as a blog platform, also known as “vlogging”.

With the popularity of reality shows rising, it’s not a surprise that we (society) also flock to user generated sites that contain video content, like YouTube.  But if you try to think about another way of using streaming media, why not a blog entry in video form?  Here are some different ideas for streaming media blogging and reasons why it wouldn’t be so shabby…

Food Journal

Forget the Food Network!  These guys get paid to eat and review restaurants.  Why not put the power to the people?  I’m a huge fan of Yelp and having user generated food journals would be interesting.  People can upload videos of restaurants to capture a holistic experience like sound, idiosyncrasy of waitstaff, etc.  While text reviews and blogs are fun, video blogs might cater a different attraction.

Idiot’s Guide

A classmate of mine recently started a video blog about How to Use a Flip Video.  YouTube is already a semi-mecca for how to:  play the guitar, ride a bike, etc.  Professionals can use streaming media blogging to create buzz.  A yoga instructor can use streaming media blogging to show different yoga positions.  Or a bartender providing different drink recipes and ways to make them.  The possibilities are endless!

Personal Journal

Many people have privacy issues regarding their online identities, but there are also a lot of people who crave to attract attention online.  If there are those who blog about their life (and other interests) online, I’m sure some would be willing to give streaming media blogging a try.  This also might work for families who are juggling long distance relationships, for those who want to create a professional profile and presence online, or for those who just want to keep a journal record of themselves.  Whatever rhyme or reason, streaming media blogging is just another outlet for the human mind.

Check out the latest flip video camera to create your first vlog.

New Year’s Resolutions aside, there are exciting trends to look forward to in 2010.
…totally late, but better late than never

1. Mobile
   Advanced hardware coupled with the increase of applications, the mobile space is expected to grow exponentially in 2010. Gone are the days of Palm, because smartphones are taking over our daily lives.
2. On Demand
   Netflix and XBOX Live paved the way for on demand entertainment in a progressing way. Nintendo Wii has recently jumped on the bandwagon, and other digital consoles and formats will soon follow. Cable better look out, because 2010 will be the breakthrough year for streaming media.
3. Collaboration Tools
   If you haven’t checked out Office Online, you might want to take it for a spin. It is an easy way to collaborate on documents with your partners when working on a project. Other collaboration tools are making segue into the way we work together, making our work lives efficient and scalable.
4. Video and Rich Media
   Thanks to YouTube, watching a video has become our favorite past time, and it has made its way into advertising.  As technology is normalized, advertisers are getting comfortable in their digital skin and trying out new creative tactics.
5. Real Time Social Media
   Social networking is so last year. We love ‘em, we hate ‘em, and can’t live without ‘em. Why? Because they are one of our primary sources for real time content. This year, the amount of content sharing will only rise, and we will rely on them for the latest news and information sharing.

This picture has nothing to do with this post. But it sure does differentiate between studious and sexy.

Let’s just get the cat out of the bag:  Windows Media Player (WMP) is old school.  It’s a grandfathered media player that needs to be phased out or revamped.  And, it’s definitely not sexy.

Sexy aside, everything has a purpose–and WMP gets the job done.  It doesn’t use as much bandwidth as Quicktime, because most websites that need to stream at high quality do not rely on WMP.  Forbes.com doesn’t seem to mind Windows Media Player’s simplistic nature, because it gets the job done.  News, compared to websites that use plenty of rich media graphics, does not need much bandwidth to stream their content.  In the news industry, speed trumps quality to help break the news–but not to say quality is completely neglected.

News sites like Forbes.com opt to use Windows Media Player because their main focus is not to deliver a rich media experience.  Most of their content is ‘live’ coverage, or ‘on site’ coverage–both of which do not provide a seamless experience anyway.  Their purpose is the get the news out faster than the competition.  With news stream at high speed and low quality, it is cost effective solution for streaming media on news websites.

Personally, I’m not a huge fan of WMP, because I like to watch videos online for the rich media experience.  When I visit news sites, I read the articles 99% of the time, because I can skim and only read the sections I want.  I feel that watching videos on news sites are time suckers, because you waste a lot of your time suffering through bad advertisements and news reporters anyway.

[After taking a streaming media class], I will stand up for WMP because quality doesn’t always have to have sex appeal.  If you’re in the video industry, it doesn’t hurt to know both technologies.

On another note, this is a really good movie. Proof that Joaquin & Reese have talent, really.

Who doesn’t love Johnny Cash?
More importantly, who doesn’t love QuickTime?

The movie, ‘Walk the Line’ has an official website to promote their DVDs. As you enter the site, QuickTime is immediately integrated into the homepage using various clips from the movie. I enjoy this particular feature because it is visually appealing–and websites that promote media such as movies, televison shows, and concerts are best delivered with smooth, uninterrupted, and flashy streaming media rather than extremely detailed text. If I could change one feature, I would not use an unlimited loop for the background video– it’s efficient to catch the user’s initial attention, but it becomes distracting after one or two loops.

Quicktime was probably the most attractive video format for ’Walk the Line’ because it allows seemless execution of streaming media on their website while integrating flash. Most websites with a sole purpose to promote film (movie premiere, television shows, major networks) use QuickTime because it takes little time to buffer and the streaming time is seemless to the end user. It allows websites to deliver their message in creative form–while incorporating a simple and inclusive message to the audience.

I’m a fan of QuickTime. It’s no wonder why many in the digital media, music, and film industry prefer it too.