Publishing Tools: Digital Storytelling - Video and Audio blogs for Development
From Web2forDev
Prince - Video Blogging
Adding to Anna's wisdom
What is video blogging - vlogging? Making video, embedding it in a text-based blog, and posting it on the internet. You need a digital camera or a camcorder or a mobile phone with camera facility, a PC with video software, an internet connection, and a blogging space.
Starting point - a story that you want to share. Be creative. After downloading your video rushes, you need to carefully edit your work. Relevant software includes Imovie, final cut, Windows movie maker, Kino, cinelerra.
After editing you need to upload your video to a video hosting space - google video, You-tube, www.blip.tv.
Provide a transcription of the video and add that to your blog and link it to the video.
After uploading the video, linking it from your blog, you need to announce your posting.
Videos can present a more accessible and simpler to interpret version of your story, than a text version.
Vlogging is cheap, simple and accessible. But it does need creativity and an understanding of your audience.
No specialist expertise required
Connectivity is a big challenge - especially at the level of the rural poor.
We need to look at how we can bring the advantages of story telling and sharing to these groups too. 'Questions and comments' How can we make sure that the regulatory standards which govern the professional film industry, get applied by vloggers?
Vlogging is a different ball game from professional film making - take this one to an open space session for more discussion.
Jayanta Chaterjee - Audio Blogs
THe Kisan project was interested in horizontal networks - field to the lab loops. Looking for solutions to networking with non-literate and non-english speaking rural poor. Audio was the solution. Project was looking at better bconnecting farmers and scientists, and returning to oral traditions of communication. Focus on open source technologies
Farmers go to local labs to record their questions which get posted on the blog. Other farmers and experts then respond.
There are 23,000 questions and answers online at the moment.
Moderation is in place to check for authenticity etc...
Now exploring wikipedia style self-monitoring.
Local delivery of local knowledge - all in local languages.
content is carefully categorised and organised to make it easier to locate areas of interest.
Clearly labelled questions and answers.
authentication designed to be usable by non-literate people - users can use symbols instead of letters to log in.
Provision for poor/no internet connection - there is offline recording facilities for delayed upload.
Aims to exploit the high penetration of mobile phones by using them as recording, upload and download devices.
Next challenge - robust, stable and easily deployable search facilities for audio content.
In India downloading songs on your mobile phone is very popular, so dealindia attempts to package social development audio postings in the same way (same size etc...)
'comments and questions' How did you get awareness about the system out to farmers?
Participation in local (human) forums.
How do you quality control the answers providers by contributors?
Answers are checked by site editors at the knowledge centre scientists. They take responsibility in their area to check answers for being appropriate.
Now with new funding from the world bank to role this initiative out across India, they are looking to have a social editing process.
Are the expert scientists paid, or are they volunteers?
The scientists are paid by the government to answer farmers' questions. Each scientist also gets given their own web page to post their thoughts and raise their profile
How do you get the farmers to share their questions? Farmers' desire to be recognised is driving participation
How do you manage the meta data issue? Farmers are not troubled with meta data issues. Agricultural PhD students are working on agrovoc on the backend to take care of the meta data.
