Vlogging
Vodcasting
Vlogging is short for video blogging, also known as vodcasting. When Apple enabled iTunes to subscribe to Podcasts, they opened the door to "syndicated" feeds. Almost all blogs provide syndicated feeds--through RSS, Atom, and the like--and some feeds provide "enclosures." It is within the enclosures that the audio portion of any given podcast is provided. But enclosures aren't limited to audio. They can contain video, too. Vlogging is the practice of attaching video to RSS and Atom enclosures.

In this article:

  • Creating a Video
  • Posting a Video
  • Syndicating a Video
  • Informing iTunes
  • Subscribing to a Feed
  • Feeding a Feed
  • Where to Go from Here

    • Rumors abound that Apple is working on a Movie Store to go along with their highly successful Music Store. Whether or not the rumors are true doesn't matter, since there's already a way for you to download and watch video using iTunes. But the bonus is that you can create a video channel within iTunes to distribute your own videos. After you've created it, your friends, colleagues, and rabid fans can subscribe to it and automatically download your latest episodes.

    Creating a Video

    To get started, you'll need a video file. You can create one using your favorite video editing tool or, if you have a webcam and the Pro version of QuickTime 7, you can simply record a quick video. To record a video using QuickTime 7:

    1. Launch QuickTime Player.
    2. Select "File -> New Video Recording."
    3. Click the red Record button*.
    4. Make a fool of yourself.
    5. Click the black Stop button*.
    * Record and Stop are really the same button.
    figure 1 Recording a video using QuickTime Pro

    The content isn't really important right now. However, if you plan to distribute your video, your viewers will feel otherwise. Caveat Downloader.

    Whichever approach you take, editing tool or uncut video, make sure you compress your video for distribution on the net. What constitutes "compressed for the net" is debatable (and boy do people debate it), but for the sake of argument--and brevity--you can select one of the presets QuickTime provides.

    When recording directly using QuickTime Pro, select either the Good or Better preset for your recording quality. To do so, open QuickTime's Preferences and select the Recording tab. Then, make your selection from the Quality pop-up.

    If your editing tool is QuickTime-enabled, then you should be able to export directly from it; you can also export from within QuickTime. To export a compressed video from your editing tool or QuickTime Player, select File->Export and then "QuickTime to QuickTime Movie" from the Export pop-up at the bottom of the Export dialog window. Then, select "Broadband - Medium" from the Use pop-up menu.

    figure 2 Exporting a QuickTime video

    QuickTime will apply a set of presets to your video for export, so all you have to do is click the Save button and wait for QuickTime to do its thing.

    Posting a Video

    Once you have your video prepared for distribution, you'll need to post it online. There are a variety of ways to do this, and how you accomplish it completely depends on what tools you have at your disposal. If you have your own server, well, put it there. If not, don't fret. You still have options.

    Uploading to iDisk

    If you have a .Mac account, you can upload your video to your iDisk. Inside your iDisk is a Sites folder, which is where .Mac allows for you to host files for web distribution. One method for enabling the download of your video is to create a Video directory inside your Sites directory. By doing so you can easily link to your video. For example, if you've uploaded a video named "MyVideo.mov" to your newly created Video directory, then you'll be able to download it from: http://homepage.mac.com/yourname/Video/MyVideo.mov. (This link will be important later in the process.)

    figure 3 Uploading a video to an iDisk

    Uploading to OurMedia

    If you don't have a .Mac account, you can still get your video out to the world. OurMedia allows you to upload your files, where they are hosted for free. Additionally, they provide both web-based and desktop-based tools to make the process as painless as possible. You'll need an account to upload files, but if you have previously signed up for an Internet Archive account, you've already got one on OurMedia.

    figure 4 Uploading a video using OurMedia's website

    Note: OurMedia is still undergoing tests, so your experience may not be 100 percent to your expectations.

    After uploading to OurMedia, you will be provided a URL to link to your video file. Hold on to it.

    Digital Video Hacks

    Related Reading

    Digital Video Hacks
    Tips & Tools for Shooting, Editing, and Sharing
    By Josh Paul

    Pages: 1, 2, 3

    Next Pagearrow