YouTube cc function . . .

If you are posting a video on YouTube, you might want to give a shot at testing out their beta version of closed captioning. 

It utilizes Google's speech recognition programming:

After posting your video, just click on the red cc button in the bottom right of the frame (see arrow in first picture above)

Ok, far from perfect, but it's pretty cool . . . and free . . . and you know it's just going to get better and better in the future.

Man, where are we headed?  I can hardly hold on!  Another example: check out this video about how you can buy national tv ad time on Google TV ads . . . yep, plan a national campaign right from your laptop: http://tinyurl.com/ygopsa3

Are we in the midst of big-time democratization of media, or what.

Here's a link to my YouTube channel: http://tinyurl.com/ybs8ojz

And I invite you to follow me on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/DRMediaSolution

Health Care Reform passes . . . my take

My Outlook . . .

Oh yeah, let's be sure to punish the Democrats come November for doing what they said they would do.  Imagine that, politicians fulfilling a campaign promise.

And let's be sure to criticize President Obama for being too methodical and aloof.  Hmmm, an intellectual at the helm who obviously is a skilled strategist . . .  and who also just happens to be an approachable, nice guy.  What's to become of us?! 

Geez, . . . modeling his presidency after Abraham Lincoln.  What could he possibly be thinking?!

I for one say, "Congratulations, Mr. President . . . and thank you." - David

The promising future of the web? You bet!

Interesting dichotomy on the front page of The Washington Post yesterday:

On the upper right front was dismal economic news for localities.

But on the left side, was an article that offered a completely different outlook for those of us in the media field.

Here's a link to the complete article: http://tinyurl.com/yk9q57f

It talks about the push by the Feds to expand broadband internet both in access and capacity.

I believe the implications for those in the media field are huge -- particularly for a media replication and related multimedia company like Video Labs http://www.videolabs.net/, where I work.

Having broadband will become no different than having electricity or running water in our homes.

Interesting to read in the article as to who might be the potential winners and losers of this.

I took particular note of how there will be a increase demand on fiber.  Hmmm, interesting how just a few years ago, during the tech bust, we saw a glut of fiber on the market.  Prescient people were indeed predicting at the time that we were only at the bottom of the first inning as far as the internet and its impact on the economy and society were concerned.

Ah, the ups and downs of capitalism, I guess.

If history tells us something, we may very well be in a period similar to the railroads in the 1880's, the electric utilities in the 1890's, or the automobile industry in the 1920's.

Let's see . . . hmmm, my teenage daughter does most of her television watching online now.  A NY Times reporter tells how he and his wife were able to disconnect from cable tv: http://tinyurl.com/yec3wx4

I believe we are following a smart strategy at Video Labs.  While we will probably always have one foot in the physical media arena, our expansion into offering multimedia services for web distribution will likely be our growth area.

And we are preparing accordingly.

Stay tuned and hold on.  I think our future is gonna be bright . . . and fun.

Your thoughts?

Check out my "added value" website/blog: http://www.davidryanmediasolutions.com/ . . .

. . . and follow me on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/DRmediasolution

TIP: How many pages are on your website?

The above is a way to see how many pages are on any website.

In the Google search bar you type in "site:http://[url of website] and hit carriage return.

The sample above is for my website: http://www.davidryanmediasolutions.com/

So, as you can see, there are currently 139 pages on that site.

Why might one like to know this?

One reason deals with the realm of SEO “search engine optimization.” In other words, “page quantity” is one factor (there are a number of factors) that determines how high to the top a website appears in any search requests.

And the whole theory is that the higher a site appears in a search result listing, the more traffic results going to the site. And the more traffic to a site means more business for that entity. And more business means . . . well, you get the point.

Here's a great blog from Mary Fletcher Jones of Fletcher Prince about SEO: http://tinyurl.com/yhnkbte

And here's another way I "drive traffic" to my website/blog: http://tinyurl.com/q6uxfh

Feel free to contact me at dcryan7@gmail.com with any questions.

Social Media Marketing presentation at TIVA - pt. 4 of 4

Social Media Marketing presentation at TIVA - pt. 3 of 4

Social Media Marketing presentation at TIVA - pt. 2 of 4

Social Media Marketing presentation at TIVA - pt. 1 of 4

Debbie Phillips tribute

I received the following e-mail from my good friend, Elizabeth Philipps in London, regarding the video tribute to her good friend, Debbie Phillips (fyi, no relation - note different spelling of last name), who passed away recently.

I trust you will appreciate this as much as I did:

============================

"Dear Family and friends:

Last month, a very good friend, Debbie Phillips died of cervical cancer, aged only 48. A few hours before Debbie died, her 16-year-old daughter Sarah went into her bedroom and recorded a song onto her mobile phone with no music.  A few days later, a friend added an accompaniment.

Sarah’s song, with its film tribute can now be seen on You Tube.  This is the link: http://tinyurl.com/y8677t9

Debbie’s family has set up the Debbie Phillips Cervical Cancer Research Fund under the UCL Cancer Research Trust.  In terms of research, cervical is the “poor relation” to many other cancers, and the trust wants to change that.  The more people who listen to Sarah’s song, the more likely that the trust will receive some money from YouTube.  With that in mind Please, please, forward the link to all your friends, workmates and colleagues wherever they may be.  We are looking for millions of hits here, so help!  There is also a link enabling people to make donations directly from Sarah’s page, if you want to do that.

Thanks for taking the time to read this. - Elizabeth"

==================================


(Note: Elizabeth and her husband Richard will be visiting us here in the States in two weeks.  They hosted Susanne and me when we got married in London in 1988. They also hosted me before that when I was on a 4-month exchange at the BBC in London.  I first met Elizabeth when she was on a one-year study abroad program at The College of William & Mary back in our student days.)

Googley & Helga animation

Check out Googley and Helga animation on DavidRyanMediaSolutions.com's YouTube channel: 

Just like our parents?

"I will not be like my parents, I will not be like my parents . . ."

So the generational chant goes.  And in many ways we succeed, but then in others, forget it.

When I was young, each month my mother would bring out the newly arrived Readers' Digest at the dinner table.  It was a ritual to which I rolled my eyes.

She would then proceed to test me on the 20 word vocabulary list that was in each issue.

Any words I didn't know, got put up on a chalkboard next to my bathroom sink.  She would feature each of the unknown words throughout the month.

Flash forward 40 years.

My daughter has been studying Spanish in school for the past five years or so.  Her teacher gives the class a Spanish vocabulary list that she tests them on every two weeks or so.  I've regularly been helping my daughter study for the tests.

As you may know, I enjoy speaking and writing Spanish, and it remains my goal to become totally fluent antes me muerto (before I die.)  I'm maybe 70% fluent at this point.  One weakness is my vocabulary.  So I as well have been enjoying learning the Spanish words that my daughter has been studying.

Maybe it's the age, but my daughter memorizes the vocabulary A LOT faster than I do.  So, what am I doing?  You guessed it, I make photocopies of the study list . . .

and post them on my bathroom mirror.

Hope you're watching and smiling, Mom.  Ciao.

I invite you to also check out my "added value: website/blog: http://www.davidryanmediasolutions.com/

Also follow me on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/DRMediaSolution donde frecuente hay descuentos en espanol para los servicios de replicacion de media.


   

Are things getting better? Hmmm, let's check out Coffee News . . .

One admittedly unscientific way that I have been monitoring the economy over the past 18+ months is to count the number of sold ads published in the local version of Coffee News http://www.coffeenewsusa.com/whatis.html

Coffee News is a weekly standard-templated "news sheet" that is distributed free to restaurants, libraries and other local entities where there is high public traffic.

Here's how it works:  The national Coffee News company provides the local publisher/editor with most of the content, leaving a bit of room for some localization.  Keep in mind, this is not heavy journalism.  It is meant to be a nice light reading diversion, often with a humorous twist.

The business model works like most any distributed free periodical.  The local publisher/editor sells advertising and then entices locations around the region to host a Coffee News rack for free, with the idea that it would add value to their business.

I have to admit, given the way folks are glued to their smartphones these days, I have wondered whether a print vehicle like Coffee News is still relevant.  Hmmm, I'll see if I can get the local publisher/editor listed above, Pat Huber, to comment on that. 

Anyway, throughout the economic tsunami, I have been counting the number of ads sold in each issue I come across.  To my count, the Coffe News template allows for 32 available ad spaces in each issue (8 spaces down along the left and right on both the front and back.) 

This weekend, in the version I picked up at the diner we frequent, I counted 18 of the 32 being sold ads. (Unsold spaces are filled in with free PSA-type spots and written promos urging readers to consider advertisiing with Coffee News, etc.) At one point over the past 18 monts, I counted just 12 of 32 sold ads.

So, does that mean we are on the road back economically speaking -- or is Pat becoming a more savvy seller in these challenging times?

Let me know your thoughts in the comments section below.

I invite you to check out my "added value" website/blog for my work activities http://www.davidryanmediasolutions.com/ where I cover a lot of media tech and marketing topics for my network of clients and contacts.

I also invite you to follow me on Twitter at www.Twitter.com/DRMediaSolution