Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Digital Storytelling: Video Section Goals

My goals for this upcoming video section don't really have to do with anything technical; as a film major, I'm familiar with audio/video equipment as well as editing software such as Final Cut. I also work at the Instructional Support Services (ISS) on campus, where we rent out equipment to other students. As part of my job, we must know how to troubleshoot everything in case a patron needs help.

Instead, my goals for this section are to challenge myself to create compelling and creative content. I'd like to create something unique and interesting; videos that have something to say. Overall I guess, I'd like to come up with videos that tell good stories.

I don't necessarily mean a cut-and-dry storytelling formula. I'd like to experiment with the form, whether they be skits or shorts or a documentary or something entirely different. I don't really have a specific story idea in mind yet, but I have an idea of what I'm looking for.

But since I don't really have to worry about the technical side I want to use this opportunity to focus on creating really good content.

Daily Create: Draw a Picture of a New Invention

Trampoline Floors


Monday, January 28, 2013

Weekly Summary - Digital Storytelling

This week in class we discussed the future of education with regard to technology. I posted about Apple's iBooks and also did a couple daily creates. Then I read a few articles about online branding for advertisers and social media use, and posted a response to it. Also, I've been checking out the Michigan Radio website, and I posted about that as well.

Textbooks of the Future?
Daily Create: A Subject Silhouetted
Daily Create: Describe Your Breakfast
Branding in the Digital Age/Personal Media Strategy response
Michigan Radio

Sunday, January 27, 2013

Michigan Radio



The Michigan Radio website is a great source for news, both local and nationwide. The site is run by the University of Michigan and broadcasts over several FM channels located in Ann Arbor, Flint, and over in Western Michigan. However, you can also listen to the broadcast here. Throughout the day they broadcast several original news segments as well as NPR and BBC news.

On their website they post in article form the news that is discussed over the radio. Articles on the home page seem to be sorted by both most recent and most popular, but visitors to the site can also view articles by category. They also provide links to their Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube pages.

Branding in the Digital Age/Personal Media Strategy response

The thing that I found most interesting about the article "Branding in the Digital Age: You're Spending Your Money in All the Wrong Places"is the statistic that stated that fewer than 1 in 10 shoppers visited the manufacturer's websites of the product they were interested in buying. Here are companies that are spending tons of money making sure these websites are up and running, and filled with information, and the research shows that most people don't ever visit these sights.

The article goes on to explain that people use websites such as Amazon to find products and to do their research, and that as a result companies started providing links back to their site. I know that for me, when I am interested in buying something, I usually will go on Amazon in order to compare prices and see reviews. It's an easy way to help narrow down your options, especially since today it seems like there are so many options.

For example, I went on Amazon just before Christmas to look for a record player. The search results gave me some of the top picks, which I could sort by rating or price, both of which are important to me. And from this, I was able to narrow it down to a record player that I wanted to buy. It seems to me, then, that the strategy for companies here should be to make sure that their products receive top results on sites such as Amazon, and that comes down to having a product that warrants good reviews, and having a customer base that cares enough about the product to take time out of their day to write about it.

This idea of building a customer base that cares ties into the other article, "What's Your Personal Social Media Strategy?" For businesses, social media's role should be not just about giving people exposure to products, but it should be about generating a dialogue with consumers and building a relationship with buyers, both potential and existing. I think Taco Bell (@TacoBell) does a really good job of this on Twitter, as evidenced by these responses that Buzzfeed collected.

Dang, now I really want Taco Bell.

They reached out to their audience in a funny way; I think it's really important to show that they have a sense of humor, because it makes them seem like more than just a huge chain. They're raising awareness about their fast food restaurants, but they're also reaching out to people on a more personal level, and this could only help sales.


Daily Create: Describe Your Breakfast

This delectable selection of choice meats combined together and cooked to perfection is served on our homemade bun and topped with as many condiments as you can handle; it's customizable!


Photo courtesy of dinnercraft, via Flickr’s Creative Commons