NEWS - A full fledged webshow on the internet!

[Tim]

I just found this site via a February 9, 2005 USA Today story, but I've been producing my own weekly webshow and broadcasting it over the internet for nearly 2 years and 100 episodes now.

So here's the details:

The show is called "Online Video", and can be seen at my site, www.loudmouthtim.com .

Online Video and the site, www.loudmouthtim.com , are based near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The site went live with its first episode on April 1, 2003.

Online Video plays in Windows Media Player 9 and / or 10. No special software or aggregators are otherwise needed. It's all Windows Media 9 .wmv video files. So any halfways decently updated and maintained computer can see the videos. I even have a link on my home page that goes to microsoft so you can get Windows Media Player 9 or 10 if you don't already have it for some inexplicable reason.

Even Mac / Apple computers can see it. Go to microsoft.com and download "Windows for Quicktime", or "Windows for Mac". I forget the exact title. That will be the codec / player you need.

This webshow is not audio only. It is audio and video together.

The website itself, www.loudmouthtim.com , is a hard-coded HTML site with pages for the list of webshows, random photos, a page for My Opinion on any subject I choose, and a Site Information page detailing the chronological history of the site and its development. And a message board also.

Most episodes of Online Video run 4-7 minutes in length. Some longer, some shorter.

Everything on the site is entirely free to download, and there are no pop up ads or other spyware / adware.

Some of the shows:

My video application to Survivor season 11, Episode #90.
My "Formula for Success", Episode #80.
Richard "Agee" Maxwell, a local performer / folk artist, sings his songs in episodes # 39,63,64,15,16,19,69 (listed in my order of preference of the songs).

And many other widely varied subjects!

So come on by and see what you're missing!

And if there are any newspaper or TV reporters here, I'm looking to get stories made public about my site and webshow to spread the word.

Tim - creator and producer of "Online Video".

[Tim]

Well? Doesn't anyone have anything to say about it?

[Insomnia Radio]

No special software or aggregators are otherwise needed.

Ummm...

So it's not a podcast :?

[allthewhile]

the whole fun is the automatic downloading. i'm lazy.

[jimpodcasting]

Hey Tim,

I will check out videos when i'm not at work however
since you are wanting feedback here's my 2 cents.

Podcasting is catching the media and from people on
the net, I believe, because mini mp3 and players are
HOT.

This audio on demand, podcast, can be automatically downloaded
and taken on the run and be listened to whenever the listener chooses.

Also audio is much easier to produce for most anyone without
all the effort to do videos so most anyone can podcast.

Just some thoughts so you know why the craze on podcasting
over video casting.

Jim

[Tim]

Today I uploaded the 100th episode of "Online Video". Go check it out. Along with my thoughts, it has video in it from 2 other people.

I'll be on vacation until my 2 year anniversary, April 1, 2005, at which time I'll return with regular weekly episodes and # 101.


Responses to previous posts:

I don't see what the big deal is about being able to download something and take it with you. That's not something new to iPods. Regular computers have been doing it for YEARS.

A webshow is not a podcast, but they are similar in some ways, and serving the same general purpose. Webshows take a lot more work to make, but then again, you get much more out of them. Audio AND video.

Nothing worth doing is ever easy.

[Tim]

In episode #90 I showed my 3 minute videotape to apply for Survivor 11.

So far CBS hasn't called, and I don't think they will.

I'm not happy about that.

[robulon]

dude, post this in new show announcements, not in general discussion :> :roll:

[yaz]

ha! where's cookiepuss?

[Tim]

In a few days I'll have to come out with episode #101. My vacation time went quickly.

[allthewhile]

A webshow is not a podcast, but they are similar in some ways, and serving the same general purpose. Webshows take a lot more work to make, but then again, you get much more out of them. Audio AND video.

Nothing worth doing is ever easy.

I think you're kinda confused as to what a "podcast" is. If you simply supply your visiters with an rss feed they can subscribe to and auto download your shows, then guess what, that's a podcast! It has nothing to do with quality. There are a lot of high quality podcasts (including videos) and a bunch of low quality ones. Check out

http://www.rocketboom.com/vlog/

It's produced pretty darn well but has an rss feed at the bottom allowing me to just click a single button and download it.

[Tim]

Amanda from rocketboom is a hottie. I'd hit it! And she has some nice boobs too! She mentioned being in New York, so 999 out of 1000 she's trying to become an actress there.

But that show's not going to last. At a new show every day, she's going to quickly get burned out on it. That's why you've got to pace yourself. A new show every week works good for me. And I take a multi-week break every now and then.

And doing all the fancy editing and finding those extra video clips will only take more time each day, adding to the burnout factor.

Even though she's got almost a hundred shows, she's only been on for 6 months. Time will tell.

[allthewhile]

so you decided to put up an rss feed then?

[Tim]

No, I have no interest in rss feeds and REALLY don't see any benefit to it.

On my site, www.loudmouthtim.com , all you need to do is click on an episode and it will download. Just like that. Then you can simply save it and play it whenever you want.

My webshow is not in a streaming format. It's a pure .wmv file download.

God forbid someone has to click the mouse 1 or 2 more times. If they're that lazy then they won't get to see my show. I've been doing it this way for 2 years now and I see no need to change anything.

[Version3]

I've been doing it this way for 2 years now and I see no need to change anything.

You are likely to get left behind in the podcast movement, and vcast movement that is likely to follow with that kind of mindset. Good luck with your audience growth. I think you will find that despite your definition of lazyness, it really comes down to time and content management, and if you don't offer the same thing that the other content producers offer in terms of delivery, you will lose subsribers the second they get too busy to check your site.

But you won't care, because you've got 2 years of history to prove you know better, right?

[Tim]

I don't have any subscribers on my site. No one has to subscribe, sign up, provide an email address, or register to see my shows. Simply go to the site, click a show, and there it is. It's all free.

[allthewhile]

tim, please, read documentation about podcasts. it really seems as if you don't understand what we mean when we say "subscription". it's a good thing.

yes, you should still provide your content as a simple download, but a subscription via xml allows the user to download all their favorite shows, yours included, with the touch of a button.

heck, if i were you and wanted to increase your viewer base i would totally use rss. for one, it's easier to get yourself into the video feed search sites which will increase the amount of people who see your show. for the people who have one of those fancy mobile video players, they can have your show sync to their player automatically. that's a good thing, right?

it just seems strange to me that you'd come here advertising your show and then later act like you don't want more viewers.

[Tim]

Where might I find this documentation? Got a link to it or a path to find it?

[allthewhile]

just read this:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Podcast

it's all in there

[Tim]

Taken directly from the explanation of RSS:


<<<
Why would I need RSS? What is the advantage?

Remember- the big deal is it allows you be notified when a web site has been updated. Normally, you would have to proactively visit the site or subscribe to get email as updates occur. RSS alerts you without email. RSS prevents you from having to be proactive. You just subscribe and watch the notifications roll into your news aggregator. Also, RSS is unspammable because you control your
subscriptions- the site owner never has your contact info.
>>>



Perhaps I'll look into this RSS thing, and if I can find a way to add RSS to my site that doesn't cost me any money and is REALLY REALLY SIMPLE to set up, I might add it. Then I guess I'd have a little RSS or XML logo on my home page? That's be okay. Is there a REALLY easy way?

But allow me to say again that this RSS things OWN DESCRIPTION confirms what I've been saying all along - if people are too f@#king lazy to visit my site and watch the webshows, then they must not want to see them very badly.

[jeffoest]

Why are we talking about this?

Don't put an XML feed onto your site. If you see no benefit to your listeners or potential listeners I wouldn't add a feed either if I were you. You know best what's right for you. Geez....

[WyethDigital]

But allow me to say again that this RSS things OWN DESCRIPTION confirms what I've been saying all along - if people are too f@#king lazy to visit my site and watch the webshows, then they must not want to see them very badly.

Okay, let me chime in on this. I just think you're kind of missing the point of it all. I produce video, have worked on local TV, and have both a documetary and a pilot pending, as well as a music video in pre-production. As you can see, I'm pretty busy lately (hence my infrequent visits to the forum here). As a fellow video producer, I'm sure you know what of I speak.

I don't want anyone thinking I'm begging for sympathy, I'm not. I'm having a ball! In my off time, or when I'm working on non-audio dependent stuff, I listen to Podcasts. Because of my low amount of time, my web browsing is usually very direct(ed) to places I want to go. The "PodCatchers" (aggregators*)
are a God-send for me because I can find a interesting site through a directory right from within the program, add it to my subscriptions and not think about it again. Sometimes I'll pop on over to look at the show notes, blog, site, etc, but I'm not obligated to. I download overnight and in the morning I have something to listen to. Or in the case of video blogs (VidCasts?), I watch them when I have time in the evening (usually when my wife is watching something like The O.C. or American Idol -- should be "idle").

You don't want the hassle of incorporating an RSS feed? That's your call. I'm sure you'll find other ways to get people to your site, although I doubt it'll be as efficient. What I resent is the notion that listeners/viewers are lazy when they use a tool like RSS aggregators* to search more efficiently for content. What's more lazy? The guy/gal who wants an easy way to sift through thousands (or millions) of sites, or the guy who refuses on principle to make it easy for his viewers to find his video? I say the guy with the video.

And that's my 40¢ worth (2¢ worth, adjusted for inflation and higher prices at the pump)

Eric

* If anyone wants to know why I want to keep calling them Podcasts, just look at the word "aggregator." Tech names are sooo sexy! Not!

[Tim]

Now, after 5-3/4 years and 154 episodes, "Online Video" at www.loudmouthtim.com (http://www.loudmouthtim.com) is still going strong, without any help from the RSS / podcast thing!

Future plans are to create a new show on the site, more of a web series involving several cast members and longer storylines.

I'm moving out to Los Angeles in 3 weeks, that'll put me around people with more talent than the ones I've had to work with on the site so far.