Learn How to Videoblog from Spazeboy at spazeboy

Learn How to Videoblog from Spazeboy

June 27th, 2007 by spazeboy

Over the last month, I’ve spent quite a bit of my free time writing a beginner’s guide to videoblogging called “Spazeboy’s Guide to Political Videoblogging.” The good news is that I’ve just published the first version. If you click through to Spazeboy’s Guide to Political Videoblogging you’ll learn what kind of camera equipment and accessories you’ll need to get and what minimum requirements your computer should satisfy. In the guide, I teach you how to film a political event, how to transfer the video onto your computer and edit it in Windows Movie Maker, and how to upload it to the internet.

The great news (for you) is that there’s more on the way.

There are a few reasons why I undertook this project:

Videoblogging is a powerful way to document local government

Take, for example, MattW’s video of a recent Energy Policy Forum featuring State Representative Steve Fontana. Not everyone could attend that meeting, or knew that it was taking place, but because Matt filmed it and published it online, we all benefit.

Videoblogging provides a way to hold our leaders accountable

Look no further than Connecticut Bob’s October 6, 2006 encounter with Senator Lieberman. Bob asked about Lieberman’s use of the words “partisan frenzy” and Lieberman denied it. Not only that, Lieberman went one step further, saying that in fact those were Ned Lamont’s words. All Bob had to do was splice in the 3 seconds of video from the day prior wherein Lieberman says “partisan frenzy” and the case was closed.

There’s a need for this kind of a guide

There are many tutorials and guides on the web that teach you how to do this or that with your video camera or editing software, but I was unable to find any guide that addressed the needs of the political videoblogger from gearing up to uploading.

I’ve licensed Spazeboy’s Guide to Political Videoblogging under Creative Commons Attribution / Non-Commercial / No-Derivatives, which means you are free to share it, print it, pass it around, etc. Depending on the use, I will authorize derivatives–but a printer-friendly version is in the works.

Please read the guide, and become a videoblogger. I want 2008 to be the year of the videoblogger, and I truly believe that almost anyone can do it! And if you find the guide to be a valuable resource, or if you’d like to be notified first of any updates and receive the printer-friendly PDF when it’s available, consider making a contribution of $1 or more. I’ve set up a mailing list that only contributors can subscribe to where I will post updates and relevant information that changes too frequently to include in the guide, such as sweet deals on camera equipment or DV tapes.

Below are links to contribute by PayPal or Amazon. Please use whichever is most convenient for you. Contributions made through Amazon are anonymous, so if you wish to join the mailing list, please forward your confirmation e-mail (minus any personal financial info, if applicable) to spaze at spazeboy dot net, and I will add you. PayPal contributors who do not wish to be added to the mailing list, should please indicate that in the notes field on the payment page.