My Digital Media Adventure

The Early Days

This blog is going to be about my thoughts throughout my Digital Media experience. Before I jump into my Digital Media experiences, I'm going back even further, back to 1983.  My first experience with AB Tech started with me throwing the school catalog open and picking the first program I saw, Mechanical Engineering.  Yes, I really did not have a clue of "what I wanted to do when I grew up".  After about three years and less than an stellar GPA, I completed the Mechanical Engineering program. That was about the time Top Gun the movie came out and suddenly I got the desire to see the world. Long story short, I joined the Navy, saw the world and ended up retiring 20 years later ( by the way, the Navy was nothing like Top Gun).

Post Navy

I was back to "what do I want to do now that I've grown up". I had worked with electronics in the Navy so I decided to work at getting certified as an electrician. After about two years I decided that being an electrician was not my "cup of tea" and I had the GI bill (money for college). Once again I grabbed a AB Tech catalog and threw it open. I' m kidding, it wasn't quit that degree of a clueless decision (but close). I enjoyed digital photography and making slide shows so the Digital Media program seemed the logical choice. After all, how hard could it be?

The Beginning

My fist class was DME-110 that was completely full, at least for the first week. The class was a brief (very brief) introduction of what was to follow throughout the program. About half way through I started question my choice of majors and the realization started to set in, this was not going to be the "cake walk" I had envisioned. Little did I know at that time that the Digital Media program would be, in my opinion,  significantly harder than the Mechanical Engineering program I had squeaked by 20+ years ago. The program has three tracks that students can focus; Programming, Video and Artistic. Unlike many of the other students I did not have any idea which track I would focus my efforts. My instructor, Jonathan Ross assured me that I would figure it out later.

Half Way There

By the end of the first summer semester I had concluded that the programing track was not "my cup of tea" and the struggles with the animation classes were making me think that the artistic track was not looking promising either. By now I was  thinking that crawling under houses or in attics running wire was not that bad vise sitting in front of computer for long periods, struggling with code or being creative. However, to my surprise I really enjoyed the the DME-140 Introduction to Audio and Video class.  I was staring to think video may be the track for me.

Light at the end of the tunnel

I'm about to finish the spring semester which included the big scary DME 285 Systems Project class. I have a DME 270 Professional Practices and a couple of electives to finish the my degree. Its been very difficult journey, not the "cake walk" I anticipated. There have been some stressful times involving both school and family. I'm sure there were times that my instructors ears were burning when I'm at home struggling with homework.  Looking back I see this program is/was a difficult one to teach and I know my instructor Jonathan Ross had/has a sincere to desire for us the students to succeed in a field that is extremely complicated and competitive.

Conclusion

I'm proud and happy I stuck it out. I commend my fellow students that also stuck with it and will graduate this coming Friday.  Now I look forward to using all the tools that I have been given to hopefully make my mark in the videography business. Its a little scary but I know without any risk, there are no gains. Hopefully I've finally figured out what I want to do now that I'm grown.

CMS Templates

As newbie web designer, its very tempting to find a template that will meet my needs rather than starting from scratch.  In this blog I'll discuss my thoughts about which road I think would be the "path of least resistance". The school project I'm presently working on I'm using Joomla for a content management system and I must say Joomla is a real challenge.  That being said, a template at my present level of experience, looks mighty appealing and will be my angle of attack.

Template Resources

My Google search revealed some pretty good sites for free Joomla templates that would even provide a live demo. The templates I found were pretty attractive and being free, made them even more attractive.  The following web sites were just a few out I found:

• Joomla Shack
• Joomla Shine 
• Best of Joomla
• Site Ground 

However if you feel the need to design your own template, I did find a couple tutorials for designing templates for Joomla. Compass Designs .net  had a good tutorial that explained Joomla's structure in a way that even I could understand. Another excellent site is Joomla's site itself that gave extra incite for Mac users.  Apparently Joomla can have issues with the way Mac OSX handles files and the site explains how to prevent it. One more tutorial worth mentioning is from Net Nuts.  I found this site really easy to follow and it starts with the installation of a local server, WAMP for Windows users and MAMP for Mac users.

Art Space Charter School

As I mentioned earlier, I'm working on a Joomla site for the school above and had to first find a template that would match the the schools desired look and feel.  The  look and feel being a school of fine art rather than day care with kids finger painting.  The site would also serve as information source for parents of kids enrolled and looking to enroll.  The template pictured below was what I envisioned for structure. The imagery and color scheme would be different to match the school's desired theme.

In closing,  I mentioned earlier Joomla has been a challenge however I'm finding that the more I use it, the more I'm starting to like it. I highly recommend that you buy a book or find tutorials on line or both. As my experience with Joomla increases, designing templates from scratch will not seem so daunting. For now, I'm going to tweak an existing template.

Event Calendars

Event calendars are an extremely useful way for businesses/organizations/whatever to put out the word on upcoming functions, milestones, whatever the need. In my opinion, they are pretty much a must and should be included in a majority of the business web sites on the internet. Presently I'm working with the Content Management System (CMS) Joomla and so we'll look at a few calendars systems available for Jooomla. Picking one over the other was kinda tough but if I had to choose one, it would be GCalendar. I'll explain my decision at the end of this blog but first lets look at three calendar systems I found.

JEvents 

JEvents was the first event calendar to pop in my goggle search and I must say I found it to be a powerful and feature  reach calendar system. Their website is user friendly and full of demo's. One of the big items I was looking for was aesthetics, that being a calendar system that was pleasing to the eye and would look like it was part of Joomla. Some common features I found in all the calendar systems I evaluated were: event manager, multi-calendar support, multi-themes, and search engine to name a few.  Rather me trying to tell you about all the features of JEvents, I recommend you visit  JEvents website. The latest version of the software available for free  download is 1.5.3 unless your a member of the JEvents Club and  its 1.5.4. There are various levels of memberships based on fees paid that of course provide various levels of additional features. The only negative thing I found was the installation to be a little confusing. My recommendation would to be to improve the the installation instructions.

GCalendar

GCalendar is was an appealing option particularly if your already using Google calendar. Obviously this could make your life easier if you don't want to start from scratch entering in events and your happy with Google calendar (if isn't broken, don't fix it).  It has all the features mentioned above and more. The astethics are also very pleasing and it fits in well with that Joomla look. I didn't mention this earlier but all the calendar systems evaluated  have the ability to be viewed in month , week or day.  Google also has great tutorials for using their calendar. I did not find GCalendars website to very user friendly but other than that, no complaints. The installation was pretty straight forward.

JCalPro

JCalPro was another outstanding calendar system with probably more features than most need.  I could not find any free editions of JCalPro to down load so I'm do not know how easy or hard it is to install. In order to get a copy of JCal Pro, you must have a subscription with fee's ranging from $29 to $250 based on what what "bells and whistles" you desire. Some of the bells and whistles being RSVP, sh404SEF - SEO and security for Joomla, and Advanced Search. If money were not and issue or you needed a more advanced calendar system, JCalPro would be the system.


All three of these Joomla calendar systems are outstanding but based on simplicity, features, cost, familiarity, I would choose GCalendar.  However for free calendar systems its very close between JEvents and GCalendar.  I will probably use both calendar systems more and possibly revisit that choice down the road.  JCalPro is diffinitely the most powerful of the three but unless the extras are needed, GCalendar is my choice.

SEO vs. SEM/SEV

I know, enough with the acronyms.  Anyway Search Engine Optimization or commonly known as SEO is one those terms thrown around allot in regards to web design and the accessibility of those designs. I'm guilty as charged as one those throwing that term around, many times incorrectly.

Thinking back when the phone book was the primary media to connect the customers to businesses, smaller businesses would name their company with letters closest to the top of the alphabet in hopes costumers would see their phone listing first, increasing their chances over other businesses listed  further down. Its the first come, first serve principle. Other companies with bigger budgets would post an ad in the yellow pages in hopes catching that costumers eyes first. Check out Electricians in the yellow pages for a good example of this phenomenon.

Now days this same desire carries over to the internet with clients wanting their web site to be at the top of the search engine report page (SERP).  So lets take a look at SEO first and then well discuss other terms that are commonly refereed to as SEO but are actually Search Engine Marketing (SEM) and Search Engine Visibility (SEV).

Search Engine Optimization

Google has a guide called "Google's Search Engine Optimization Starter Guide" that is an excellent source of information about SEO. But in a nut shell the following items will ensure optimum organic (free) search engine results:

• Good content relevant to your product/idea/point.
• Create unique, accurate page titles
• Make use of the "description" meta tag  
• Improve the structure of your URLs
• Make your site easier to navigate

Search Engine Marketing

SEM is a little more complex encompassing SEO, paid inclusion, paid placement, and contextual advertising. Now we're talking money being used to ensure that a website's visibility improves by purchasing  the top of that list (paid inclusion) on the search engines result page (SERP) as seen below:

Paid Placement is very similar to the paid inclusion except the advertisers pay their host every time the ad is clicked vise a fee for the inclusion into their search engine web site.


Contextual Advertising is advertising on website that targets a specific individuals visiting the site. The Harley example below targets a specific demographic that would be visiting the site.

Search Engine Visibility

You may have heard the saying "when in doubt, Google out". Well that's a real simple description SEV.  How many times have you been looking for something on the internet and you type a keyword into the search engine in hopes of it getting you in the bark park of your search. That is why its important to research what keywords customers may use to find the web site of interest and write interesting content based on those keywords. Other ways to increase a websites SEV is optimized press releases, E-newsletter, corporate blog, and a RSS feed. The more internet traffic containing interesting content discussing your product/info/idea, the better.

What do clients really want?

Clients may ask for an SEO web site but I think they are really thinking SEV.  Don't get me wrong they do want a site that is Search Engine Optimized but I think they envision perspective customers typing those variety of keywords into the their search engines and their website popping towards the top of the SERP. In addition, most want that without paying any money.

Content Management Systems (CMS) and SEO/SEV/SEM

In spite of their name, Content Management Systems are not always SEO/SEV friendly and some are more friendly than others. That being said, you had better do your research on SEO friendly CMS  programs. Some SEO and CMS issues are:

• Dynamic URLs -URLs with special characters (%&=) are a problem with search engine spiders.
• Bad meta tags - many CMS systems do not allow meta tags to edited.
• Keyword poor URL's - some CMS programs may not use dynamic URLs but do not allow for URL's to include import keywords. 
• Search engine unfriendly design -  the code structure may make the page virtually invisible to search engines.

Although these issues exist for many well known CMS applications,  there are applications out there with embedded software specifically to improve SEO/SEV.  Features included are allowing for editing meta data and even automatically including it if nothing is entered. Another feature is a URL recommendation and validation mechanism. Some CMS systems have an option for a clean URL  and plug-ins designed to specifically improve SEO/SEV. Bottom line is if SEO/SEV is a priority, choose your CMS application carefully.

CMSimple vs. Website Baker: From a newbies point of view

Let me start by saying this blog’s intention is to compare the two CMS tools mentioned above from a perspective of someone who has very little experience with Content Management Systems. I know that as more and more people learn of the control CMS programs provide, the more they are going to ask for them. That being said, I started with two of the more simpler CMS systems to get my feet wet. I found like most things, the more I used the programs the easier they got. Don't get me wrong,  it was initially painful for both programs. I was using XAMPP as my test server on both Mac and Windows, just to step the pain factor up a notch which I'll later discuss.

CMSimple

CMSimple was my first experience with Content Management Systems (CMS's) and I must say it took a little getting used two. Once I understood the file structure, it was not real difficult to use. The installation was pretty straight forward. However, I did run into a problem trying to run the program on my thumb drive using XAMPP Lite and the host computers copy of  XAMPP.  I found it best to use the host computer's XAMPP for a test server. Another thought, I must say I was not very fond of the built-in file editor (seen below) and did most my editing outside the program using Dreamweaver. I know this may not have been the best way to utilize the programs content management tools but I was limited on time. On a positive note, the system has a  pretty good automated back-up that will automatically save dated copies of the content in the content folder. I attempted to find how the backup worked but could not find any detailed documentation on CMSimple's website.  Speaking of CMSimple's website , I did not find it very pleasing to the eye. It had quit a bit of information but it seemed to be a difficult read (very narrow). Overall the program was not real difficult to learn (for even newbie me) and it has some pretty neat add-ons, my favorite being the YouTube add-on.  Its simple as its name implies and I would recommend it for basic websites that may need to be occasionally updated by one or two people.

Website Baker

Website Baker was the second program I took for a test run and had problems from the start.  Initially I started out on a MAC and had issues with permissions of the config.php and other essential files. After a period I switched over to Windows 7 and the permissions issue went away. WB being a database driven website required a database to be created using your server prior to the installation. Once the installation is complete your required to remove the install file. Something to note is I had problem loading the program on my webserver host Fatcow and after some investigation found the issue can be fixed by Fatcow tech support. In order to run WB on using Fatcow web host, Fatcow tech support will have to make some  changes with the way it handles php sessions for your account. Once the installation is complete, your ready to start making pages and adding content which I found to be pretty easy.  WB comes with a better editor than CMSimple  and you can also add others if you desire. I really struggled with CSS side of WB and found it more complex then CMSimple. As far backing up WB its just matter of exporting and importing a copy of the data base. Its not automated as far as I can tell but its not real difficult.  I found WB's website easier to follow in regards to to how-to do things and ease of reading. Also if your porting a design into Baker, they have pretty good example to follow.

Now for the big question, which CMS software would I recommend?  Based on the simplicity and the fewer problems I had, I would have to go with CMSimple. Keep in mind that is coming from a rookie CMS user and given more time to get know both software, that could change.  I do intend to get better acquainted with both because I feel I only scratched the surface of both programs capabilities and available add-on's.

CMSIntro

Essential Content Management System features

Content Management Systems (CMS) have many features that make them appealing to web designers and particularly to small business. The features I fill are the most advantageous are:

• Easier to update web pages – e-commerce sites that are continuously updating their product line would find this feature a “must have”.
• Does not require a web designer for updates – This is a “win win” situation for the both the web designer and business incorporating a web site. The designer can devote more time doing others things then continuously being called to update web sites. Its good business for both sides.
• Access Levels – controlling the level of access or even better, the level of editing prevents the client or different levels of expertise from totally screwing up a web site providing somewhat of a damage control tool.
• Updates can be made from anywhere on the web - When time is of the essences or when you just want correct a misspelled word, updates can be made from anywhere you have access to the web.

Nice to have CMS features

Some other features of CMS that is nice but not really as essential to the ones listed above are:

• CMS software updates – other non-CMS web sites are usually a done deal once incorporated with no other changes to usability or functionality unless a coder is hired to do so. CMS software constantly being improved, debugged and new plug-ins developed. That being said, CMS can potentially save time and money down the road with software improvements and additional capabilities.
• Company/Website Versatility – as mentioned above the plug-in possibilities provide companies the option to expand their web site to their needs as the company grows or develops other needs.
• Changes to the web sites appearance – CMS can use templates to make appearance changes again not requiring a designer/coder.
• Community Support - CMS software usually has a community of  users that can be utilized for questions, themes’,  and additional documentation.

Evaluation of CMS options

Designers will need to educate themselves on the various CMS options and their features available.  Read what others users are saying about the software out there and decide which will meet their customers’ needs. Finally, just get into the software and attempt to make it do what you want.

CMS and Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

CMS and SEO seem to be a bit of gray area based on the many readings I found on the web. Some sites I visited recommended particular CMS software based on its superior SEO capabilities. A web site called CMS Critic declares the top 5 CMS software in regards to being good with SEO. The blog, blog.bridgelinesw.com discusses features of CMS software and ways to improve SEO. Three key methods mentioned are:

1. Ensure page titles and meta data can be edited
2. Link to other pages on your website using accurate words. Say what it is vice “Click here”.
3. Provide new and fresh content on website. This is where the ease and timely updates of CMS will help improve SEO.

Why learn more about CMS

In this day and age websites quickly become obsolete unless they are constantly updated. Static web sites are difficult and expensive to maintain. This being said, CMS software will be a very appealing option becoming more and more utilized. As a designer looking to keep up with the times, not to mention pay the bills, it will be very important to learn CMS software and provide that alternative to the future clients. As mentioned earlier, the only way to do this is read about the different software, pick a couple to learn and as they say, “just do it”.

References:
http://www.cyprich.com/2008/03/25/7-reasons-to-use-a-cms/
http://interscapeinc.com/291.html
http://www.fivecube.com/company/inside_fivecube/approach/cms/
http://blog.bridgelinesw.com/2009/12/seo-strategy-cms-tips/
http://blog.bridgelinesw.com/2009/08/maximize-your-websites-seo-with-your-cms/#more-807
http://www.cmscritic.com/top-5-seo-friendly-content-management-systems/

Tech Report

Digital Video Camera Storage Formats

In this technical report I am going to take a look at the Prosumer to low-end Professional level video camera ($1000 to $4000 range) storage Medias.Storage Medias being the video cameras built-in storage utilized to store High Definition Video. I’ll briefly go over each type of media, discussing their origin, pros, cons, and things to consider prior to choosing a media type.

I know you may be saying that as designer, I really do not need to know about video camcorder media formats and that I’ll let my videographer worry about it. That may be true, but people in the digital media field are wearing more hats, you may find it more cost effective to meet your simple video needs by doing it yourself. If nothing else, this report will provide a basic understanding of media formats available enabling you carry on a more intelligent conversation with your videographer.

Using B&H Photo as litmus test for the market, I came to the conclusion that the following formats   were the primary formats to consider (keep in mind the specific market we are exploring):

• Tape
• Memory Cards
• Built-In Hard Drives
• Built-In Solid State Devices

Tape

Tape – MiniDV/MiniHDV

The DV referrers to a digital video format first established in 1995 by leading producers of video cameras. Initially it was designed for use on magnetic tape but later was used with cameras that use optical disc, flash memory, and hard drives.  The “Mini” portion of MiniDV referrers to the packaging of the tape. It was originally intended for the novice but the quality turned out to good enough to be considered professional grade.  According to the CNET reviews the media is “waning in popularity” but it’s “not dead yet”.  Price for the media varies around $10 to $18 for 60 and 80 minutes making it a comparatively cheap and probably, a good reason the media is still around.

Memory Cards

Secure Digital/ Secure Digital High Capacity (SD/SDHC)

This solid state card was first introduced as the SD card around 2000 to compete with Sony’s memory stick.  It wasn’t until 2005 that it gained popularity for use with digital cameras. The SDHC has overcome some limitations such as capacity and write speed to become a very popular, light weight, reliable media for use with digital camcorders. Price of the media varies around $50 to $150 for 16 to 32 GB cards that are class 6 or higher (class 6 being write speeds of 6 MB/s). There seems to be ambiguity for class speeds by the manufactures that claim much higher write speeds by still label the media as class 6. The next version of this card will be SDX that may have capacities of up to 2 TB. After searching the internet I did not find any SD style SDX cards.

Memory Stick Duo Pro

The Memory Stick Duo Pro is many times improved version of Sony’s original Memory Stick introduced in 1998. In 2008 like many of the other media mentioned, its capacity and write speed made it an option for digital camcorders. The card is proprietary for use with Sony cameras and prices range from $14 to $190 storage capacities of 4 to 32 GB.

P2 Card

The P2 memory is Panasonics answer to memory card storage market. It was first introduced in 2004 and presently comes in storage sizes of 16 to 64 GB ranging in price from $400 to $900. This is another proprietary card for use with Panasonic cameras.

Built-In Hard Drives

After a search for camcorders on B&H Photo, only the consumer level cameras had internal hard drives. Prices for cameras that were HD ranged from $500 to $1000 with hard drive capacities of 80 to 120 GB’s.  These large storage capacities make for long record times. However, based on my internet search, internal hard drives do not appear to be the choice for the Prosumer/Professional market.
I did some research as to why that is the case and found inputs posted on CNET’s article” Camcorders: flash drive vs. hard drive” and based on those inputs, came to the conclusion that solid state devices (memory cards) are more robust, less prone to problems , and use less power.

Built-In Solid State Devices

After a search on B&H Photo, I only found cameras that used memory cards and no onboard storage. However, this is probably because onboard solid state storage is a new technology for Professional grade camcorders.  This being said, Sony( http://www.slashgear.com/) announced this month its first professional grade camcorder, the HXR-NX5Uthat will be priced just under $5000.  As the technology improves solid state devices will probably cause the HDD cameras to fade out.

Conclusions

Based on the research discussed above, consider the following things in regards to media types for camcorders:

1. What are my specific needs:
• Do I need to maintain archive copies?
• What kind budget do I have?
• Which format will best serve my work flow?
• Which format is the most reliable?
• Which format will is the most accessible (i.e. can I run to the store and purchase another card)?
2. How risky is the choice in regards to future technology
• Will the format I choose pose a problem when it becomes obsolete?
• Will the state of the art technology I choose become the industry standard or flop?
• Is the media proprietary or open market?

These considerations taken, I’ve narrowed my choices down to two options for the market in question (Prosumer/low-end Professional).If budget is a concern and maintaining archives, I recommend the MiniHDV. It is the cheapest and best quality media for the cost. If budget is not as big of concern, I recommend the SDHC memory due to being either most common among all the cameras, including ones with other proprietary cards. 

References:

• http://reviews.cnet.com/2719-7607_7-266-2.html?tag=page;page
• http://desktopvideo.about.com/od/desktopeditinghardware/bb/dvdcam.htm
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_Betacam
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DV
• http://ezinearticles.com/?Difference-Between-1080i-And-1080p&id=661157 (1080i vs. 1080P)
• http://www.thecamcorderreview.com/flash-camcorders-vs-hard-drive-camcorders/ (Flash vs HDD)
• http://www.slashgear.com/

Images:

• http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?Ntt=Memory+Stick+PRO+Duo&N=0&InitialSearch=yes
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DV
• http://www.slashgear.com/
• http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?ci=1097&N=4294540396+4294955783+4294194739+4294952451