"The Medium is the Message" and the message is Video

In Marshal McLuhan's Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man, published in 1964, his famous quotation raised awareness of the effects of the media itself on the content it carries. He went even further in saying that the media itself "is the message." Television was the emerging media at the time and McLuhan compared and contrasted TV's cultural impact to that of print and film. He rated media in degrees of hot vs cool, depending upon the amount of sensual interaction and the depth of envelopment each provided.

Then, something new and perhaps unexpected happened. Media started to blend, signaled some say by the e-mergence of MTV, where music and film intermarried with TV. Now, in the technologically enhanced electronic world of Web 2.0, where "power to the people" should be revived as the mantra of the moment, everyone has the opportunity to produce, publish and watch each others' videos.

If you are reading this blog, I am sure you are already watching YouTube videos. When will you start creating your own? "Who me?" Yes, you... it's not "if," it's "when..." you begin to create and publish your own video content.

Here's a collection of tools and tips on video DIY:

Dave Kaminski at Web Video University says, "Because the Internet has become so over-saturated with “amateur” and “homemade” videos (it’s estimated that 100,000 new videos are added to YouTube every day), consumers have become 'quick to pull the trigger' on videos that don’t immediately grab and hold their attention."

He has a 4-week course that will teach you to the tricks of making professional videos for a reasonable fee, and his weekly free blog tips are worth watching. Here's one of his latest, a Video Interview with Thom McFadden, all about how to present yourself on camera. Thom is an acting coach and creative consultant in Hollywood.

You don't need to spend a fortune on equipment to get started, but be sure to enter at the HD level... shooting high def is soon to be standard. There are some very nice pocket-sized cams with plenty of memory for $150 - $200. Weighing only 3.3 ounces, the Flip Video MinoHD Camcorder is one of the most popular and highly rated. Watch for the new Creative Labs Vado HD 720p Pocket Video Camcorder (pictured left) with 8 GB Video Storage and 2x Digital Zoom, which might be even better... coming out next week.

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