Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Enough Text Already!

Give me pictures! Give me audio! Video would be great too!

Day 26


The task for Day 26 of the 31 Day Comment Challenge is to investigate using multimedia for a richer commenting experience. I decided to follow Kevin's lead and try out Sketchcast. I had bookmarked Sketchcast a few months ago and this seemed like a good time to try it. Here are my reflections on how the 31 Day Challenge has impacted my blogging world (here's the link if your reader doesn't show the embedded Sketchcast below).


I have seen the use of multimedia in the comment section of blogs before.  Some will allow video, like this example from Dean Shareski on using Riffly.  Other folks, like Jeff Utecht, provide for webcam or audio commenting.  I've posted before on video use in blog posts and comments here; basically I find that I enjoy short, get to know the blogger videos.  Otherwise I generally prefer text as I can scan, re-read, and focus in depth on the parts of the message that interest me.  I think that talking head videos do not add a lot to the message; although you do get a better sense of what the blogger is like, which can strengthen your sense of connection with that person.

Why Sketchcast?


I haven't explored Sketchcast that much, but one of its strengths is that it allows you to illustrate your points, not just explain them verbally.

You Have The Final Word...


What do you think about using other media for comments?  Perhaps you'd like to leave your comment as a Sketchcast, or a VoiceThread, or a podcast...  I don't have any fancy media plugins for my comments, but you could do what I did on Kevin's post; I made my Sketchcast, then left a link to it in the comment section of Kevin's post.  I look forward to hearing from you in whatever you see fit!  You could cheat, like I did, and use your comment for the basis of your post for Day 26...

6 comments:

  1. Your sketchcast is excellent and I love how you explain how the Challenge has expanded your blogging community. I'm still working through my review for the Challenge up to Day 24 but meanwhile Technorati has totally spat the dummy with me and am unable to get it to ping my blog :( so my posts on the Comment Challenge aren't displaying in the RSS feed.

    But when I do complete my task for Day 26 I will definitely be talking about Kevin and your sketchcasts.

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  2. @Sue, thanks for checking out my Sketchcast. Once I realized there was a text option, that made it flow a little better (much easier to type my title then scrawl it out in freehand/freemouse!) My condolences on Technorati--why does it still mock you?!

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  3. Claire, your Sketchcast made visual something I believe I first read on David Truss's blog post about metaphors http://pairadimes.davidtruss.com/phosphorescent-posts-metaphor-surfing/
    (sorry, don't know how to put a link in a comment), about the world being not so much flat as woven. As a yet-to-begin blogger, I find the cross-connections of blog reading so fascinating and rich. It's why I have to limit my time spent digging through my aggregator. When I do start to blog this summer, my blog fodder will probably come from the thinking of others, questioned and examined from my point of view. Another phrase your Sketchcast makes me think of is "start somewhere, follow it everywhere". Isn't that what deep learning is about?

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  4. Jan, I really like the quote you mentioned from David Truss's blog, "The world isn’t so much ‘flat’ as it is woven." It is an appealing way of visualizing the links and connections we have with others in the on-line world. The idea of being woven also implies that our connections have meaning and purpose and aren't just random.

    Good luck starting your blogging journey this summer--if you have time once you're up and running drop me a line; I'd really like to read what you post!

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