As some of you may know from reading my recent Tweets, I’ve been busy editing our television series, The House Healers (web site is close to being done). Season 2 is set to start airing on the local cable station in a couple of weeks. We’re really excited about this season of the show – it’s not only a massive transformation of a couple of severely outdated homes, we’re also going green – doing our part to minimize waste and make the houses environmentally friendly. I’ve been producing television shows and working in video for the better part of about 20 years now. Back in the old days when I worked at said cable station, I had at any given time 5 to 7 series I was responsible for. All of them required a certain amount of editing. The Golden Days of Tape When I started in this business, and for about the first 10 years, I was editing tape to tape, using an edit controller console like this. This type of linear editing had its limitations, to be sure, but I could control up to four Video Tape Recorder (VTR) machines, and run it through an effects switcher so I could do transitions, titles, etc. Audio was also controlled through a separate console. Linear editing was all about timing. There were no timelines, so everything had to be laid on the tape in sequence. Sure, you could go back and insert a shot or overlay some music, but it was no easy feat to remove or add entire sections of the show without costing yourself literally hours and hours of time. As a result, the way I approached putting together a show was critical to a successful outcome. If I just walked into the edit suite with armfuls of tapes and sat down and started scanning through footage, not only would I be there for days, I’d probably end up with a final piece that was not exactly what I’d intended. Not having a plan going in was a sure fire way to end up with a crappy show. Lazy is as Lazy Does Times have changed a LOT since those days of linear editing. In the years I’ve been working in video, editing, from a technology standpoint, is the one thing that has changed the most. Now, assembling a video piece of any kind is simply a matter of dragging and dropping stuff into a timeline, moving things around at will and tweaking until you’re satisfied. It’s a remarkable change and one that I’ve embraced wholeheartedly. My actual editing time has been reduced probably by half, and the ability for me to apply complex animations, effects, and transitions in an instant still astounds me every day. There is a downside, however….digital, non-linear editing has made people lazy. Did I just call you lazy? Well, I mean no disrespect. Let me clarify. Now that the time it takes to edit a piece is so much less, and the ability to slide things around in a project is so much simpler, it’s really easy to run out, capture everything in sight with your camera, then just sit down with hours and hours of footage and then proceed to hunt and peck out a story, right? Wrong. If it Ain’t Clear, it Just Ain’t Clear Sure, anyone can grab a bunch of shots and throw them in a timeline, slap a voice over and some music on and call it a day. Unfortunately, this happens all too often, and ultimately all too often we see shoddy production, poor writing and unwatchable video. I see many examples of this kind of “hunt and peck” editing every day on the Web. The thing is, it’s an easy fix, and you don’t need to be a professional video producer to fix it. Approaching a video project is like most things. Before you even consider shooting a second of tape, or editing a minute of footage, you need to have the end in mind. Remember that 80/20 rule? Well it applies to video production as much as anything else. 80 percent of your work on a production needs to happen before you even open Final Cut. To be successful, really successful in what you are trying to accomplish, you must first know what you are trying to accomplish. Whether it’s a simple sit down interview at the local Starbucks, or a feature length documentary, it’s essential that you know the focus of your piece first. If you don’t do anything else, you need to do two things. Think hard about your audience. Think hard about the story you want to tell. Then write it all down. Pen and paper works for me. You’ll have plenty of questions, that’s normal. You won’t be able to answer them all right away, but that’s okay. Write them down. It’s going to take you some time. It’s going to be kind of frustrating because you don’t have all the answers. But the end result of all this thinking and writing is that you will know what you are trying to do. You’ll have an idea of the story, and how you want to approach it. Of course, you want people to be able to tell their own story. Of course there are things that you don’t want to control, that you want to just let flow naturally when you get to your shoot. But having a plan is not about having control, it’s about having focus. It’s about making sure that you capture all of the moments you need to capture and leave the irrelevant stuff behind. Focus. Know your story. Keep these things in mind as you go through the process of shooting, logging, scripting, then editing. I guarantee that once you get to the cutting room, you will have shot just what you need, and you’ll spend a lot less time figuring out what you’re trying to do. Technology of all kinds has a tendency to
What Being Tired Teaches You
I’ve been exhausted this week. It’s a weird thing for me, to be physically tired. I am usually one of those annoying, boundless energy types. At first I thought it was some kind of virus. There’s a lot of that kind of thing going around. But after a couple of days, I started to rethink what it could be. After all, other than feeling as if I could just curl up and go to sleep at any moment (not really a great thing in the middle of a client meeting), I was feeling fine. My unusual physical state this week got me thinking about some things. I’m pretty lucky. In my life, I have been extremely fortunate to have minimal health problems (knocking on wood). Other than issues with chronic ankle sprains, and the swift removal of a malfunctioning gallbladder about 15 years ago, I’m in very good health overall. So, when something isn’t quite right, as with the sheer exhaustion I’ve been feeling this week, it gets me thinking about how fortunate I’ve been. People go through all sorts of horrific health issues all the time. They suffer immensely, and most of the people I know who are in that position hardly complain at all. So it’s really kind of selfish for me to complain about being kinda tired. It makes me realize I just need to clam up, buck up, and move forward. I’ve got it pretty good, and for that I am thankful every day. Focus on the important stuff. I’ve realized that, right now, for whatever reason, I am running on limited energy supplies. That means, I’d better make sure I get the most important stuff done in the time where my energy is up. This week, for me, that’s been early mornings and mid-evening. I’m not focusing on why that is right now. I’m focusing on what I need to get accomplished in spite of my physical situation. It’s kind of a blessing in disguise, because I haven’t been doing much useless stuff this week. It’s all been pretty productive. Lack of energy has a positive impact on focus. Interesting concept, huh? I need to fix this. I realized last night while out to dinner with friends that I’m my own worst enemy at times like this. When I get to this exhausted state, a few things happen. First, I let my self get over-tired, my brain gets overstimulated, and then suddenly I’m like a 6 month old baby that just won’t go to sleep. So the vicious cycle goes on – I don’t sleep, I get more tired, I try to sleep, can’t, don’t sleep, get more tired. We’ve all been there, I’m sure. It’s not much fun. Second, proper eating habits go down the tubes. I’m just too tired to cook something, so dinner is suddenly a peanut butter sandwich at 8pm. This is really not good. I get into a pattern where I look back and realize suddenly that I have hardly eaten a vegetable in 3 days. No wonder I have no energy! The solution here, of course, is to take a step back from everything, and regroup. I’ve been doing that the past couple of days. Taking a few hours here and there to take care of myself. All this stuff is good. What I’m learning, I’m implementing. It’s working, because I am starting to feel better. I’m actually pretty fortunate that I have this sort of biological response when I’m overdoing things. I’m also pretty glad that after all this time, I’m finally learning to listen to it.
The Story of Information
I have a secret. It’s one of those things I don’t tell people very often. But since we’re all friends here, here goes. I love databases. Yup. Databases. I find them wildly interesting. Why? Perhaps it’s because I’m a bit of an information junkie. OK, a LOT of an information junkie. I read voraciously. I love to learn and absorb. I love to take in all sorts of information, process it, think really hard about it, then spit it back out in a way that makes sense to me. Information excites me in a way that not many other things can. Over the past few weeks, I’ve been helping a company fix up their database (yup, I do that too). I’ve been given the challenge of finding ways to increase the integrity of their existing data, and to make the overall snapshot of the data easier to understand and align with the goals of the company. It’s a clean up exercise, a business process exercise and a functionality exercise all in one. All of this digging around in the bowels of my client’s information and categories and bits and pieces has got me thinking a lot about how people deal with information. The fundamental problem with a database is that it’s only as useful as the information that is contained within it. In other words, you can have the most sophisticated database in the world, but if the information is outdated, or simply not useful to your organization, then your database will fail. Unfortunately, it doesn’t take much for a database to become useless. At times, depending on the data, it can be a matter of days or weeks (or even hours) before the information in it is rendered out of date and therefore useless. What this means is that there needs to be meaningful input to your database at all times. It means that processes have to be put in place to make sure that meaningful input happens. Now, let’s take this outside of the structure of a database. If I look around at all of the information I have coming at me in a given day – hundreds of emails, thousands of blog posts, what can seem like tens of thousands of tweets – I can easily get lost in that. Data in the world of the Web gets old in a matter of minutes sometimes. How can anyone hope to keep up with this kind of turnover? What it comes down to is context. It’s the same thing I’m using to solve my client’s database issues. The best way to define context is to ask relevant questions. Once you have answers to these questions you can start to put things in a logical order that makes sense and allows for processes that can be maintained. In the case of my client’s database, I had to forget about fields and categories for a minute, step back and look at what they are really trying to accomplish with this information. If I can see the big picture, define the actual goals, I can then figure out how to structure the data. I give it context. I get it to tell a story. Once that story is there, people can begin to use the information in a meaningful way. And suddenly, maintaining the integrity of the data is easy, because everyone knows the story that we are trying to tell, and only contributes that information that is relevant to the story. So…what does this have to do with your information? All of these inputs we have coming at us – blogs, news, tweets, videos, emails – they are just a mish-mash of data until we are able to give it context. Giving it context means we have to figure out the stories that we are trying to tell. Think about the things in your life that are important to you. For me, in a nutshell, and in no particular order, it’s family, business, music, and friends. All of the information I take in corresponds to one of those areas, most of the time. If I just bring in unfiltered information all the time, I have no context, and at the end of the day, I can’t make sense of any of it. Therefore, the information is essentially useless to me. And I’m missing out on the story. However, if I start to figure out what kind of story I want that information to tell, then the picture starts to become more clear. Suddenly, I can understand and process and actually absorb some of what is coming at me. I can put it into categories, and continuously update my knowledge base. My data suddenly takes on a new level of integrity, and as I filter in the new information, it seamlessly adds to what’s already there. My data is suddenly incredibly valuable and useful. Data is exciting because inside of this vast online maze of disparate information lies a story waiting to be told. How do you define the story your information is trying to tell?
Going with Gut
Ever wondered about the difference between someone who is successful and fulfilled in their life and someone who isn’t? I have. A lot. This is a really interesting time in my life. I’m accomplishing more in a 24 hour span than ever before, and somehow, I’m surviving to tell about it. I’m working really hard, but I don’t always feel like I’m working. I have what seems like a million projects, and all of them are exciting. Yet I still get to spend time with my family and my friends and have meaningful relationships. It’s entirely possible that I’ve finally found that elusive balance in my life. It hasn’t all been sunshine and roses. I’ve had times in the past where I’ve not had this kind of balance, and it’s had devastating results, including an entire year of fairly serious illnesses, the breakdown of relationships, and one big burn-out. I’ve spent some time this week analyzing what has changed, and what is now allowing me to accomplish so much without fear of crashing and burning. What I’ve discovered is, the solution has a lot to do with my gut. Instinct. It’s not just for breakfast anymore. We are all born with instincts. When we’re little, these instincts factor pretty strong into our lives. Our instincts show us when we’re hungry, when we’re tired, when we’re uncomfortable. Unfortunately, what happens when we get older is we start to ignore our instincts. We’re tired, but we continue to stay up late and get poor quality sleep. We’re hungry, but we eat sporadically and usually all the wrong foods. We’re uncomfortable, yet we remain in the very situation that is making us that way. Ignoring our instincts does more harm than good in the end. What do you think would change if you started listening to your instincts a little more? Listening to that voice. No, not that one. Yah. That one. We all have two sets of voices in our heads. There’s the one that tells us “You’ll never amount to anything.”, “It’s too much work.”, “It’s too risky.”. That’s the one most of us tend to listen to. Then there’s the other voice. This is the gut. When I actually focus on listening to my gut, it tells me all sorts of interesting things. My gut tells me when to leave a party, and when to stay. It told me to go out on that second date with the guy I ended up marrying. It tells me when to reach out to someone if I think I have something to offer. It tells me when to pick up the phone and call a friend who needs help. It tells me when to drop a client, or pick up a new one. It tells me when to dive in to starting a company with both feet, even though I don’t know where the bottom is. The thing with your gut is that it’s often much more difficult to listen to what your gut is telling you. Because going with the gut often results in having to make a more difficult decision, or take a bigger risk. But the real thing with your gut is that if you learn to listen to it on a regular basis, it can actually help you succeed. Learning to trust my instincts and my gut has probably been the single most important lesson I’ve learned in my 30’s (besides finally learning to play an “F” on my guitar). It’s changed every aspect of my life in a positive way. The next time you aren’t sure of what direction you should take….I strongly suggest you just go with your gut.
Why I Love Social Media People
This morning I’ll be heading to Toronto for a weekend of connecting, sharing, learning and of course, fun at Podcamp. It’s been a long time since I’ve been really excited about attending an event. Perhaps it’s because I don’t get to go to many events. Perhaps it’s because I’m getting the chance to meet up with some people I haven’t seen in a while, and actually meet some people I’ve only known online until now. The whole thing has me thinking about this online social community that I’m privileged to be part of. I’ve been fortunate throughout my life to live in many different cities, be exposed to many different cultures, and work in many different industries. As a result, I have friends from just about every walk of life you can imagine. It’s terrific. Some I am very close with. With others I’m more of a good acquaintance. Each of them are special to me in their own way. But there’s something about this relatively new group of friends I’ve discovered in the past couple of years. For some reason, even though I haven’t known these people for that long, and even though I don’t see them every day, or have even met some of them face to face, I feel very close to them. And today, it occurred to me why the Web allows for these close relationships to happen, in spite of the lack of geographical or physical connection. You see, when you meet someone the traditional way – at work, through a mutual friend, or even by chance – the connection is very one on one. The relationship is built through a series of individual conversations. Often you only get a certain perspective on a person at first. You get to know them only in the context of your own interaction with them. But in the world of social media, we’re many. Talking to many. So, not only are you getting the one on one stuff, and connecting on that level – you are also seeing many other dimensions of the person at the same time. You see their creative expression on their blog. You see their business side through their business-type profiles (think LinkedIn). And perhaps, most importantly, you are privvy to their conversations with others. You see how they interact, many different facets of their personality appear at once, depending upon who they are talking to. The result? You get to know the person a lot better, a lot faster than you normally would. And this, I think, is the primary reason why my online friends mean so much to me. Because I see all of them. And they see all of me. And that, is why I love this place, and why I love these friends. Looking forward to seeing you again, meeting you finally, and getting to know you if you’re new. Love, Suze.
I'm Not Here
I’m over here today – at David Henderson’s blog. More later.
How To Make the Most of Podcamp Toronto
Podcamp Toronto is less than a week away and I have to say I’m pretty excited about it. I’m excited about the trip there with this guy and this gal. I’m super excited about finally meeting good friends like Kathyrn and Danny and Keith and (I just found out!!!) Amber face to face. I’m excited about the wonderful sessions that are planned and about how much I’m going to learn and contribute. I had so much fun at this event 2 years ago. It was a really special weekend for me. It was my first real foray into social media and I was a complete newbie, but thanks to the kindness and openness of extraordinary people like Mark, Chris, Bob, Chris, and Jay, I came away from the weekend with a whole new outlook on the Web, and some really amazing friends to boot. Now here I am, two years later, and I am highly active in the new media world. (Heck, I’m even teaching the stuff now!) I have made lifelong friends with people that I may never have gotten a chance to know otherwise. I’ve had amazing opportunities to collaborate and do business with a bunch of remarkable people. Simply put, it’s been life-altering. I mean that. And I owe it all to you, the people who have been with me on this journey as I learn and experiment and expand and explore. This year’s event is likely to have a much different dynamic than a couple of years ago. Instead of a hundred or so people, it’s now going to be at least 500. This changes the interaction some, and it’s something that I’ve been very conscious of as I’ve prepared for the event. Some people look at the larger numbers as a bad thing – it might be too crowded, I might not be able to talk to all the people I want to talk to, I might not have a chance to ask my questions…those are just a few of the rumblings I’ve heard. I have a different perspective on this. I actually think it’s a good thing that so many people are going. And I think there are some great opportunities to really make the most of it. Here’s how: Embrace Interaction One thing about social media people…they are very social. In other words, you will be hard pressed to have a moment when you are standing in a room by yourself with nobody to talk to. If you are a shy sort, rest assured that it won’t be long before you are scooped up into a conversation with plenty of interesting people. The whole idea of this event is to get in there and get your hands dirty. And that means seeking out people to talk to, and making connections. So whatever you do, don’t stand in the corner. If you are stuck for someone to talk to, just come find me. Can’t find me? Send me a message on Twitter and I’ll find you. The Energy of the Crowd There’s something about a crowd of happy, engaged, excited people that is irresistible. It is nearly impossible to be in a bad mood at a Podcamp. Why? Because people are so excited to be there. And that excitement wears off on you. The energy surrounds everyone, and whether you are immersed in a session or conversing in the halls, the momentum of so many people sharing so many ideas truly energizing. Don’t plan on getting a lot of sleep – and not just because of the parties – but because your head will be spinning with all of the positive energy this event creates. It can be a little overwhelming, to be sure. But just remember to roll with it, have fun, and see where the energy takes you. Seek Out Your Own Opportunities Jay just posted a great article talking about food at Podcamp. This feeding ourselves thing can be tricky. Lunch and dinner are undoubtedly two of the most social times at Podcamp. This year, due to the sheer volume of people, things have to be done a bit differently. It’s just not feasible to think that we’ll be able to go out in groups of 40 or 50 to eat (nor would I want to do that). Jay’s suggestion of breaking into smaller groups of 6 or 8 seems ideal. The challenge is to still be inclusive in this scenario. Inevitably someone might get left out. That person might even be you. But if everyone takes it upon themselves to create their own opportunities to socialize in smaller groups, then that is less likely to occur. My suggestion is to use your tools, like Twitter, and your blog, to communicate your mealtime plans to people. Point them to those sources for updates and changes to the plans. But most importantly, don’t feel left out or disappointed if you don’t get to connect with the people you want to over dinner. Just find yourself another group. Who knows, maybe you’ll have even more fun! And, we’ll all see each other at the party later, anyway! The most important thing to remember about next weekend’s event is we are all there for the same reasons – to have fun, to engage, connect, and contribute. You are going to have some amazing experiences, meet a whole whack of new people, and come away with lots of great memories and new ideas. So relax, breathe, and dive in to the experience. Enjoy each moment as it comes and we will all have a good time. See you next weekend!
Huge Hearts in Social Media and Beyond.
The following is a guest post by my friend, Keith Burtis. Below, Keith talks about the immense generosity he finds within the social media community. Keith himself sets an outstanding example of the generosity and kindness that he talks about here. Check him out on his blog at www.keithburtis.com. Big Hearts Today, after coming home from a few errands I was struck by the thought of the amazing hearts that we have in not only social media, but across the world. Just a day ago a plane crashed just 2 miles from my home and 3/4 of a mile from where I was at the moment of impact. This plane crashed and landed on a home in the township of Clarence just outside of Buffalo. Minutes after, I tweeted about it using hashtag #ClarencePlaneCrash and I was once again embraced by the Huge Hearts of Social media. Currently, I am running a charity fund raiser for the family that lost their home and their father on my blog. I thank one of the biggest hearts I know, Susan Murphy. for allowing me to share my thoughts with her community here on her blog. Two Years of Wow! I have been involved in the social media space for two years, and I am wow’ed! almost daily by the actions that I see in the social media space. We have a pool here of some of the smartest, forward thinking, and giving people I have ever come across. Some of the amazing things I have seen are: The Frozen Pea Friday Meme that went to help raise needed funds for Breast Cancer. Gradon Tripps initiative of Social Media for Social Change (SM4SC). Earth Day 2008! as well as the new Earth Day 2009 coming soon. 12for12k, using social media to raise $12,000 a month throughout 2009. Twestival that took place Feb 12th 2009 to help struggling countries find clean water. Dave Fleet’s effort in social media. Tying his Boston Marathon efforts to Charity. There are many, many more instances of huge hearts in the social media space and I encourage you to share them here in the comments. As a sort of Valentines Day theme I wanted to get these thoughts out and share some the amazing things that I have seen over the past couple years. Have an amazing day, and keep opening your hearts. It’s amazing what you get back in satisfaction and love. Keith.
Making Space in my Brain
I’m not blogging much. It’s not because I don’t want to, it’s because I’ve discovered that my brain, though very capable at multitasking most things in my life, is only good at so many things at once. For the next 6 weeks or so, I’m going to be working on a part time contract that’s going to be taking up a few extra hours in my week. Combine this with my regular job of co-running a busy production company, and my other part time job as a college professor, and I’ve realized that something’s gotta give. You may see me around here a bit less for the next few weeks. I haven’t forgotten about you! It’s just that all the spare parts of my brain are being eaten up by my extra projects, and the part of my brain that is the writing I do on this blog is getting crammed in the corner a bit. At first I was a bit stressed about it. I mean, after all, I LOVE writing here. It opens up my mind to new concepts, helps me clarify things in my head, and of course, lets me have great conversations with you. Then I realized, if I’m not going to be giving it 100%, and writing stuff I truly care about…if I’m only going to be writing because I think I HAVE to…then it’s not going to be worthwhile for me or for you. So, forgive me if I’m not around as much. I’ll still be hanging around on Twitter, and of course I’m always available via email or Skype, or IM. Just drop a line and say hi. Things will pick up here again shortly. I’ll probably blog my brains out in a couple of weeks at Podcamp Toronto. And I’m sure my muse will be by for its 3am visit at some point too. Keep creating, sharing, and being brilliant, and I’ll see you soon! (BTW – I wrote this post partly because the last time I didn’t blog for a week, my Mom called me in a panic because she thought something had happened to me. So, Mom – I’m okay! Just busy. Love you!) xoxoxo Suze
Are You a Leader? It's Okay to Follow.
My middle-of-the-night musings last night revolved around leading and following. Even though deep down I’m kind of a shy person, I’ve always been somewhat of a leader. Perhaps it’s my way of compensating for my fears, but for some reason, I feel more comfortable spending time at the front of a group than at the back. I lead in a whole bunch of areas of my life. I spend a lot of my time leading my staff and my video crews. I spend a lot of the time at the front of a classroom, leading my students through the mysterious ways of the Internetz. I even spend a certain amount of time leading among my friends – making plans, organizing events, or showing them the inner workings of the latest geeky thing I’ve found online. I really enjoy the leadership role. The fact that I’ve been around the block a few times professionally and personally has given me a certain confidence in leading others. I find it very satisfying to watch people take whatever it is I’ve led them to and make it successful. But I do sometimes get a bit burnt out from it. It can be exhausting to always be the person that people look to for guidance and answers. It can be hard to keep smiling as your inbox, voicemail and IM chats fill up. That’s why it’s important to remember that you don’t HAVE to be a leader all the time. I’ll Follow You Into the Dark. Lately I’ve been working with a few of my good friends who have an interest in learning more social media. I’ve been helping them to navigate these online waters, getting their blogs up and running, introducing them to people on Twitter, and taking them to meetups and Podcamps. It’s wonderful to watch someone get their new media legs. And what I’m finding is that the more they get out there in this world, the more I’m learning from them. They are finding new and innovative ways to interact, and helping me to break out of some of the bubbles I’ve created for myself. Look at what the people you are leading have to offer you. Follow them back. It’s the full circle of leader/follower and the mutual rewards that makes these relationships really work. Every Leader is Also a Follower. Sometimes, as a leader, you feel a lot of pressure to always have new and interesting information to offer, new teachings, an answer to every question, and advice for all occasions. Sometimes it gets to the point where the well simply dries up. You feel like you don’t have much left to offer. It’s important to remember that even though people are looking to you for answers and advice, that you too, have resources you can draw on. No matter how high up on the chain of leadership you are, there is always going to be someone with more (life or professional) experience than you. Call them mentors, call them inspirations, whatever – these are your leaders. Talk to them. Ask them questions. Read their books. Don’t forget that you don’t have to be a leader all the time. It’s okay, and highly advisable, to follow too. Ultimately, the best leaders are those who also know how to be good followers. They are the ones who know when to turn to others for advice. They are the ones who know that oftentimes their followers are really the ones with all the wisdom and experience. In the end, it’s about finding out what kind of leader you want to be. So who are you going to follow now?