Vlogging is now being taught at Accessf

Vlogging

    The digital age, along with the internet, has brought on a plethora of ways to get messages heard, and stories told, and now the city that experienced the dot com boom and bust is now leading the west coast in teaching new internet media. Accessf, San Francisco's public access channel at 1720 Market Street is teaching
vlogging. http://www.accessf.org/

For the first time an Internet medium is being taught at San Francisco's public access station. 
Jay Dedman, an entrepreneur, in using and teaching new Internet media, is instructing staff, producers and non-producers at Accessf on how to vlog.

Vlogging enables bloggers to post video directly to their blog, and is making it possible for internet users to communicate, with video, to a global audience without ever leaving the home or their favorite WiFi spot.

Vlogging is teaching internet users to post video online, and allows anyone online to see video right on a blog. Blogs, or course, are logs or diaries, posted on the web for users to see and comment on etc...

But there are obstacles...           

Although at least 40% of American households have access to high-speed internet connections, Jay Dedman believes "many people don't do more online than read email and admits that can be a problem." Even though websites such as YouTube and Blip TV are flourishing they're still remains a portion of the public who don't use computers other than for email, but Rod Laughridge, producer of the Newsroom on Accessf- http://www.accessnewsroom.com/ says vlogging is the "IN" thing, and he is eager to learn this new form of internet media.

Public access has always been appealing because community members can create their very own television show and have it aired on cable for free. TV programs can be created in various formats, but Dedman says "Storytelling is the most important" aspect, and admits "vlogging is just about posting stories online."



Please keep in mind there is a learning curve of sorts when it comes to learning new forms of media. Take non-linear editing applications for instance. Adobe Premiere, Final Cut Pro, Imovie, or Avid are not as easy to use as people think. To use them a person needs to learn how to set the preferences, import the video, save the files, view and log, assemble the video, learn about transitions, render the files etc. And putting video on the web is a whole new class-room in itself, users must learn the best compression format, make sure the computer can go online via a high speed internet connection, and have the power to upload large files. Fortunately the majority of Internet users only have attention spans of 3-7 minutes, so file size can be minimal, and videos are usually kept short, but it is a worthwhile way to get stories told and messages heard. Dedman says people are eager to learn, and "public access stations should also teach the art of communication and media literacy."

For more information please call the local public access center in San Francisco at 415 575-4941 or go to their website at wwww.accessf.org.
(Users of Accessf must be San Francisco residents.)

Cable providers quickly rose to the top of the technology ladder, but public access centers get left behind. In the future Accessf hopes to teach and make available to the community several non-linear editing stations with
up-to-date non-linear editing software, and already makes Internet available to all accessf(CH29) users via wired and wireless connections.


About Jay Dedman:
He co-authored a book called "Extreme Tech: Videoblogging" and he also help create the curriculum at the Manhattan Neighborhood Network. More information about him can be found by googling his name.

Crosses in Lafayette

Crosses in Lafayette-Update
Please see pictures on photo page.

In November 2006 the Mount Diablo Peace Center began playing host to a display that has become commonly known as the Crosses in Lafayette. They planted dozens of crosses on a hillside in Lafayette California in response to the deadly Iraq War.
The Crosses in Lafayette are designed as a memorial for the soldiers who have been killed in Iraq.

They have been subjected to vandalism and local government scrutiny, but yet the display continues to grow....

The Crosses in Lafayette are similar to displays in Santa Monica and Santa Barbara.

Names appear on some of the crosses.

One thing for sure, all paths in War lead to lots of death.....

Websites that contain video and more information on the Crosses:
http://thecrossesoflafayette.com/
http://community.vlogmap.org/node/1581
http://lafayettecrosses.blogspot.com/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CrossesOfLafayette/