Tag Archives: social networks

June 20, 2013 · 1:56 pm

Video on Instagram… Vinekiller?

video for instagram

Well, well, well. Bless their little monopolistic hearts, facebook has just blown up Vine with video for instagram. And as much as I want to say it sucks… I can’t.

Quick run-through:

  • iOS and Android – Good move but I personally don’t care. But it is huge.
  • 15 seconds vs 6 – Don’t care that much, this is like bar mitzvah videos to me, sometimes less is more. Brands will love it. Little 15 second spots all over town… great opp.
  • Editing – This is big. Not sure why it is not in their bullet screen above; this is a big feature. The Vine purists will say that capturing it in one take is the artform – it keeps it fresh, it keeps it real. I get that, but really? Bullshit, everyone likes to edit.
  • 13 custom filters – Yum and they had to do it. And filters by frame can be beautiful, or really tacky depending whose hands they are in like anything else. I admit I love filters but as an artist I am in that crowd that wears the #nofilter hashtag proudly whenever I can. Because, you know, ‘I went to art school, yo.” (and yes, I am way to old too say ‘yo’)
  • Cover frame – lovely, I like that I can pick the frame for the feed. And brands… this is huge for you.
  • Cinema – OMG, I actually can’t say anything bad about stabilization. (Seriously, who doesn’t aspire to stability? What? That is not what it means?) There is no need to take a Dramamine when watching these vids, they are crisp and beautiful (with only a moderate amount of drinking while shooting, I am assuming).

I am still a huge fan of looping and think it is what makes Vine so cool when used correctly, so I am not sure not including it was wise. But I am not sure if Vine will survive this. On the other hand, Vine is the new frontier and the younguns’ are getting sick of the facebook clutter.

What are your thoughts?

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Filed under carry a camera, communities, current events, design, facebook, home video, photography, product reviews, technology

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June 24, 2008 · 1:35 pm

The Thread (vol 1)

i know many of you out there have ‘a thread’ or two that you participate in. but this… THIS is is the mother of all threads. (threadnocentric, am I?)

this sucker is populated with all sorts of people that would not otherwise find themselves in a social network. certainly not all together. most do not fit the profile of online community members. and yet, we find ourselves there and we cherish it as if we are a family. the thing that ties us together is that we all went to the same college. we live all over the country, have drastically different lives, come from varied backgrounds and yet we all relate to each other. some of these people were friends of friends and i first met them on the thread. now that i think of it, i have never met some of them in person!

this is another place where i have laughed so hard i could not breathe, gotten infuriated with a post as if these were my blood relatives and sadly cried like a baby at the loss of one of our own – way too young (this one is for you, Janie B, up in that big blogfest of the cosmos, oh how you would love this).

the picture in this post was taken at a party one year after the thread started. one of our more creative members saved a list of what people said throughout the year and then wrote the top comments on pool noodles, throwing them in the pool when she arrived. (yes, she is a genius).

our conversations range from family, business, art, politics, current events, sports, music, nonsense/jokes and everything else you can imagine. sometimes the banter is so great i will feel the need to post some excerpts here. some of this stuff is really priceless.

a few weeks back this came from one of my favorite members (thanks DN, you rock):

Gay Marriage – Why do “anti-gay marriage” people believe they have the moral high ground? The newspapers of every city are full of stories about heterosexual couples physically, emotionally, sexually abusing and even killing each other or their children. Not that gay couples don’t do that, too… I just don’t know of any that do.

Right to Choose – If men got pregnant, abortion would be a sacrament

Euthanasia – It is amazing that people who are in terrible pain and knowing they are going to die in a few months can’t take their own life with dignity. It doesn’t surprise me that religious (I use that loosely) people want to make sure everyone gets as much suffering as possible.

Am I kicked off the thread yet?

of course he was not kicked off. we wanted more! it is not that we all always agree, but there is always something said that makes you think.

and thinking is something we ALWAYS have time for.

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June 10, 2008 · 2:30 pm

Chairman of the Basement

Those who know me are fully aware of my subterranean life. I work in a home office in the basement. I click the mouse, pick the colors and bang the keyboard for way too many hours a day.

It has its advantages. Let’s see, I am not distracted by windows or changes in weather. I can stay focused. There is no real time, I can simulate night or day at my own whim.

There are times when I think, ‘please G-d get me out of here’. But mostly I am happy with the set-up. Sometimes towards the end of a weekend I get a little heady from being above ground too long. Too much daylight and fresh air maybe. I do occasionally worry that this controlled environment makes me, what I like to refer to as a ‘social recluse’. Don’t get me wrong, I love people, I just prefer extended periods of time with my dog during the week.

This could be why I love this blogging thing. I guess you could say that the social recluse branches out without upsetting the agoraphobic apple cart. (there could also be a good chance that I am certifiably insane, but we will talk about my mental health at a later date).

During a conversation with the First Thursdays (you will hear about them soon) about working women, we got on the topic of breaking the glass ceiling. There is no glass ceiling in the basement (rather dangerous, no?) The conversation went around the table about achievements of women, famous and those we know personally. At times like those I sometimes feel a slight regret about where my career could have gone if I did not have a family.

But then I realize that I may not have climbed the ladder and broken that ceiling (which sounds quite painful, actually), but I have created a balance that enabled me to do what I do (whatever that is), make a good living, feel a sense of professional fulfillment and still be, not only the Chairman of the Basement, but also the kind of mom I needed to be to my kids. (And of course if I carry dog biscuits at board meetings I can get the dog to vote my way).

Net of it all for me? I can always turn up the steam and work my butt off, but I can’t get back my little kids. Or my tweens. Or my teenagers (yes, I happen to love having teenagers. perhaps because they get my sophomoric humor best). 

Don’t get me wrong, I do not preach that women cannot have it all. They can. AND SHOULD. It just needs to be the all that THEY choose. Hey, some of best friends carry the windex up there! (a glass ceiling should always be clean).

I will end this ramble with a plea to all women (and men for that matter). Can we stop being our own worst enemies. Working moms criticizing stay-at-homes for giving up their lives; stay-at-homes criticizing working for not being there enough.

Everyone has their own ride. Let’s support each other for our choices and be cool about it. 

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