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16 November 2011

Google Docs Drawing to Blogger in less than a minute



Here is a drawing from Docs. It is included here a a test post.

Want to get an idea across real fast. Use Google Docs Drawing to Blogger in less than a minute. I did not even save the file, see how..

Posted on g+

10 October 2011

Bambuser Night Test with Headset and Foam Microphone Cover

Following some tests with the brilliant Bambuser.com live video broadcast software, see this one in the dark. Look out for the cat near the end. I'm really pleased with the sound as headset with foam cover (in the wind) performed well.

15 September 2011

U_News @ 4 with Sarah Hill Watch Again - Week One from 12 September 2011

Here are the Sarah Hill show to watch again. This is a test post to see how the code performs and embeds. looking good so far. Expand this post for the player...

13 September 2011

U News from Columbia, Missouri launches this week with a UK link: +Mike Downes

Sarah Hill in a News Hangout
Today, will see the launch of a brand new style of News presenting - U News from Columbia, MO. I'm delighted to be invited as one of the regular co-hosts on the show which will link Kenilworth to the USA.

Sara Hill is a News Anchor and eight time Emmy award winner reporter with KOMU-TV in Columbia, Missouri (Central, USA). She has started a brilliant new project using the hangout feature of Google Plus. This allows Sarah to present the news in the normal way, but talk with nine other co-hosts in the video hangout using the laptop at her side.

LIVE SHOW from Missouri 10-11pm and backstage debrief

Sarah Hill recording a promo
To watch a live news TV show and watch the live hangout at the same time is very unusual. What it is, is new and ground breaking. For example, what would it be like to hangout with Fiona Bruce or Huw Edwards from the BBC. My prediction is it will happen when the full force of new media like this is common place.

From my viewpoint (watching on a laptop), I had streaming live cast on one screen, live YouTube and a G+ browser open (for messages and alerts).

02 September 2011

Google Plus has arrived

+Mike at Google Plus
For the last six weeks, I've been developing a +Mike Downes Google Profile. This blog was started in the days when Google offered no such platform.  

If you have not seen what G+ can do, head on over and see what it can do. Google Plus only opened it's doors on 28 June 2011 in a trial stage. The platform now has 25 million users worldwide.

01 September 2011

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13 August 2011

The rise and rise of Sangat TV - what is the technical kit behind the camera?

Sangat TV has risen this week into meteoric stardom. I've heard mutterings from other media types on how impressive their work has been and asking questions like how do they do that

In this post, I want to explore the how we can all produce a TV station if we wanted to here in Warwickshire and Coventry.

24 July 2011

Google + Video Playlist: Eleven to watch that should make learning easy

In my attempt to learn Google +, I came across these videos. So far, it all makes sense. Many people, I have never been a facebook fan.  Many more know, I am a total Google user.

18 July 2011

How Many Global Websites are there? And how many are active?

I often find it hard to answer this question (accurately). Two sources just discovered. 

First, the rather obvious Website page at Wikipedia: In February 2009, Netcraft, an Internet monitoring company that has tracked Web growth since 1995, reported that there were 215,675,903 websites with domain names and content on them in 2009, compared to just 18,000 websites in August 1995.


Netcraft July 2011 Web Server Survey
With a closer inspection at Netcrafrt, we find this brilliant graphic where there seem to be 108 million global active websites in July 2011.



14 July 2011

Newsgathering: Pick n Mix and Hit and Fade

I have a few theories knocking around on news gathering. Pick and Mix is where a council agenda list is published. Newsrooms may take what they like one day, publish, then come back for some more later on - or just pick n mix as they feel fit.

Hit and Fade is when a an item from a council agenda is reported ahead of time (or as soon as possible) and is NOT reported gain. This is certainly the case when using phrases like the council will make a decision next week. So a follow up story would be expected, but may not come.

This can be contrasted to the Nick Davis Ninja Turtle Syndrome where one title runs a storym then another and then another - then WE say, they have it, so MUST we (see Flat Earth News, page 145).

11 July 2011

The Media Standards Trust and BBC College of Journalism debate on the quality of journalism in the UK

The Media Standards Trust and BBC College of Journalism held this lively debate on the quality of journalism in the UK. The motion: This house believes news articles based on press releases should be marked 'advertorial'
For the motion: Chris Atkins (Director of StarSuckers, & Taking Liberties), & James Randerson (Guardian Science/Environment Editor)Against the motion: David Higgerson (Head of Multimedia, Trinity Mirror), & Trevor Morris (former CEO of Chime Communications PR Group; author of 'PR - A Persuasive Industry?') Chaired by: Fiona Fox (Science Media Centre)

04 July 2011

Twitpic v Twitvid - is there a difference? Which one should you use?

I mainly use Twitter from a laptop, upload photos to Google's Picasa and use Google's YouTube for videos. Oh, and I also upload blogged photos to Google's Blogger. Did I just say Google three times - seems that way. Why then, does Google not have a photo uploader that opens within Twitter? Perhaps it does, but I've not found it.

So, I have New Twitter on a laptop (sporting win7). Screen is split, we all know that, new tweet comes flying in and the tiny photo thumbnail tells me - a photo is active. Usually this can be via Twitpic, Twitvid, Yfrog and others. Is there a need for me to use, yet another app - I think so, here's why.

When I post, I then tweet it to tell my followers it's new. Photos and Videos are held within the blog post as that's where I'd like the audience to end up. That helps my stats. Then again, as a reader of tweets (not my own), I want the image (or video) to be instant and not open in a new browser. Twitpic and Twitvid do this (Yfrog is supoposed to do it, but seems I can make a sandwich in the time some stuff opens.

Well, we have Twitpic owned by Noah Everett (see the Wiki), launched early 2008 and an Alexa ranking of 97. Odd, no mention on wiki page that twitpic handles videos too - but we all know it can. The widget embeds easily and it loads fast on my whatsinKenilworh site. I've just found the cool head tagging tool - very useful.

Where Twitvid is owned by Twitter (defaults in Tweetdeck), ranks in at 3,980 with Alexa and cannot be found in Wikipedia, odd that, it redirects to Twitter page, then has no mention. The widget, not great - stalled many times at my blog, so now it's gone.

My vote goes to...no surprises, you've guessed it - Twitpic all the way.

27 June 2011

Flat Earth News by Nick Davies

When someone says to you, 'Read Flat Earth News by Nick Davies.' Do it. If you don't have a copy, get one. Sure you don't need me to say how valuable the ideas are, but if you do, then think about how you want your truth served up. Update: Seems first year Politics students at University of Warwick have FEN as required reading - then again, why wouldn't they? 

Links about the book: YouTube when Nick Davies visited CU (not the best video, but he summarises key ideas quite well). Nick Davies at Wikipedia. Google Search: Flat Earth News by Nick Davies.

22 June 2011

Blogger Image Uploader not working, here how to bypass it

Today is the day when new posts to Blogger will not upload images correctly. Here's how to bypass the browser and do it manually. Images will upload, but then will not show inside the post compose editor.

Step 1, UPLOAD IMAGE in normal way, RIGHT CLICK > COPY IMAGE URL > paste in new browser window (or notepad)

Step 2, Open an old post and EDIT HTML and COPY CODE of an existing image.

Step 3,  Substitute old IMAGE URL, with one for NEW IMAGE

Step 4, PREVIEW, it's probably too small, so tweek the sizes using /s1600/ in URL, PREVIEW AGAIN

Step 5, CLICK IMAGE and scale, add caption in normal way.

That's it, sorry about no screen shots with this post, just thought I would post these tips (and not mess about with code).

30 May 2011

How to add in line links in a Comment to a Blogger Post

When adding a comment to a blog post using Blogger, automatically, it is text only. Some websites/blogs allow links to be left using these tags

If you wish to add an in line link (and you are using Blogger). Compose a new draft post, using HTML like this:



viewing on the blog (with the link) as...

I agree with this post and see www.whtasinKenilworth.com for more. HTML looks like this...

Then copy and paste this to Comment box (from the Edit HTML tab) and base of the post you are commenting on. See base of this post. That's it.

31 March 2011

BBC Meet Hyperlocals from the West Midlands

For the 6 June 2011 at BBC Coventry: BBC Coventry and warwickshire, public sector, hyperlocal and social media – an evening.

For the 31 March 2011 at BBC Birmingham, read on..

08 January 2011

We are digital first new...





Digital first New Media - news, shopping, restaurants, jobs, hotels & guest houses, schools, community updates, photos, links and advice

01 January 2011

What Would Google Do? by Jeff Jarvis

There has been no other single piece of information (apart from all the rest) that has influenced me in the last six months than What Would Google Do? by Jeff Jarvis.

I have to be careful when I talk about the book as it clearly states under copy right that I am not allowed to reverse engineer the book in anyway - I take that to mean using all letters in the alphabet, so I am clearly breaking that rule already.

So why is it so good then? It's a Manual for the Future with it's simple ideas that make perfect digital sense. but that comes at a price with depression, anxiety and loss. If you are on the digital side of the net, it could be a party. Jarvis tells us all to create a something, make it pubic and share it. Then Google will find you and it's all clickable, searchable and linkable fun. See my full notes about WWGD? here I am interested to hear from anyone who has read it.

When Sergey and Larry founded Google on 4 September 1998, I qualified as a teacher and began my first post. Twelve years on I struggle to be heard in any school when it comes to technology. Professor Stephen Heppell at Bett 2010 summed it up when he said there is a gap between the schools that are doing pioneering stuff and those simply doing a shiny version of 19th century teaching.

But this post is not about schools or education, it is about the ideas in this book and how they can be applied in real life. In my case, using my eyes and ears by creating something for Google to see and then adding simple value to the immediate community. Google street view launched in 3D on 1st April 2010 (click the logo on the left - you will need some 3D glasses though).

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