About VLOG

Video blog

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A video blog or video log, usually shortened to vlog^[1] /ˈvlɒɡ/, is a form of blog for which the medium is video,^[2] and is a form of web television. Vlog entries often combine embedded video (or a video link) with supporting text, images, and other metadata. Entries can be recorded in one take or cut into multiple parts. The vlog category is popular onYouTube.

Video logs (vlogs) also often take advantage of web syndication to allow for the distribution of video over the Internet using either the RSS or Atom syndication formats, for automatic aggregation and playback on mobile devices and personal computers (See video podcast)

History

See also: History of blogging

On January 2, 2000, Adam Kontras posted a video alongside a blog entry aimed at informing his friends and family of his cross-country move to Los Angeles in pursuit of show business, marking the first post on what would later become the longest-running video blog in history.^[3][4][5] In November of that year, Adrian Miles posted a video of changing text on a still image, coining the term vog to refer to his video blog.^[6][7] In 2004, Steve Garfield launched his own video blog and declared that year "the year of the video blog".^[8][9]

Many open source content management systems have enabled the inclusion of video content, allowing bloggers to host and administer their own video blogging sites. In addition, the convergence of mobile phones with digital cameras allows publishing of video content to the Web almost as it is recorded.^[13] Radio and television stations may use video blogging as a way to help interact more with listeners and viewersVlogging saw a strong increase in popularity beginning in 2005. The Yahoo! Videoblogging Group saw its membership increase dramatically in 2005.^[10][11] The most popular video sharing site to date, YouTube, was founded in February 2005. By July 2006, it had become the 5th most popular web destination, with 100 million videos viewed daily and 65,000 new uploads per day.^[12]

A vlog (or video blog) is a blog that contains video content. The small, but growing, segment of the blogosphere devoted to vlogs is sometimes referred to as the vlogosphere.

Some bloggers have included video content for years. However, vlogging is becoming more common as equipment becomes cheaper and supporting software and hosting and aggregation sites become more prevalent. Both Yahoo and Google feature video sections and many MP3 players, such as the hugely popular iPod , support video.

Anyone with access to a video-capable camera and a relatively recent computer with a high-speed connection can create a vlog and publish and distribute it online. Here's how:

1. Make your video and save it as a file on your computer. You can use easily available software, such as Windows Movie Maker, QuickTime or iMovie (for Apple systems).
2. Compress your video file. Movie Maker, iMovie, Avid Free DV and Final Cut Pro are among the programs you can use to do this.
3. Set up a blog. Feedburner and Blogger.com are popular blog hosting sites.
4. Make a screen capture of an image from your video to display in your blog.
5. Get your actual video content published online. Internet Archive, BlipTV and OurMedia are free hosting services.
6. Create your blog entry. Add the image and link to your video.
7. Get an RSS feed with enclosures and publish your blog at Feedburner or a similar site.

The vlogosphere is a very democratic arena. Unlike mainstream media, such as television or commercial Web sites, vlogs are not, for the most part, created to make money. As a result, vloggers are free to make their content about whatever they desire, no matter how controversial or esoteric the topic. Vlogging gives average citizens an audience and a chance to make their voices heard.

In a BBC News article called "The year of the digital citizen," Jo Twist discusses the potential of vlogging and podcasting to provide a venue for public discourse: "The changing nature of news offers a diversity of voices, sources, and choice... and lets anyone join in global and local conversations."