I quoted the entire post and in fact added a video just below from Bicycle-Sidewalk so you can gain some perspective on how Nathan uses his blog while you're reading the post. I recommend right clicking on the video link and opening it in a new window so it can load and you can watch it while reading the post.
"82nd Post"
Watch movie (Quicktime, 7.9 min, 42.5 MB)
Original post, from Bicycle Sidewalk
From: evilutionary virtual log » Blog Archive » Why why why why why why why?.
Vlogonomics…well, not really just my story…
Great stuff here!
I have been thinking a lot about my last six months, I feel I have been involved in the vlogging community…I went from zero hits on my site to over 1500 a day in less then 6 months…
If I try to think about the how and the why…I just got lost, and I find it better to just make something…
I do my best to keep my production time under an hour or so, however I often go over this…I also have no desire to make a show, however these days I have come to realize that I am the one and only host of Bicycle Sidewalk…and if I was to try and explain the essence of my little thing, honestly I would fall on my face…
A little history, last summer I was working in a Japanese government office, getting ready for the arrival of 40 American high school students…the paperwork, me visiting the schools the students would attend while they did 10 days abroad in Saga Japan, …well, long story cut short - I mentioned to my boss that by putting a bit of video on the net, the students in America would be able to get a feel for what they were in for…that is when I came across Freevlog…well my boss listened to my idea…however, turned it down because we didn’t have net connection at the office…urgh, anyhow, the American students came and went and that job came to end, it was a temporary gig…anyhow I am glad I found Freevlog that hot summer afternoon…
Now, pick it up six months later, present day…(Jan 2006) I am glued my iMac…I have lost all interest in Japanese TV, I watch vlogs, I tell Japanese folks about this great thing happening across the world…It has consumed me.
Come this spring I may be starting a new teaching job at a top notch high school…not sure what will come of Bicycle Sidewalk, however there is no doubt I will continue to post, yet not as frequently…
Is there money to made? I have no idea. Perhaps yes, and honestly, I am leaning toward yes. I work as medical technician in a cardiology lab, my boss watches my vlog and has been pushing me to do a handful of videos for the hospital…and of course post the stuff to BS…money to be made…perhaps I will be able to pull a bit more yen from the hospital, who knows…and medical videos are great educational tools…
I guess you could say I caught the video bug about three years ago. About my fourth year as an expat in Japan, I thought it was about time to show my folks what kinda place I live in…I went to the electronic store (there plenty in Japan) and bought a nice Panasonic 3CCD camera, have always been a Mac user…got my hands on a copy of FCP…studied up…and started making short video things, for lack of a better word…I was proud of them…I would burn em to CD’s and send via snail mail to my folks and friends. At that time I was clueless regarding file transfer via the net, actually I am still rather clueless…anyhow, pick this story up to present day…
After my summer job at the government office, I followed all the Freevlog steps…Thanks Verdi and Ryanne and everyone else involved in the project. I got a blogger site up, hated it and decided to forked out a bit of cash…invested in a Dreamhost account…love it. Started posting…as for my style, me in the corner…
The idea hit me from a far, narrate my everyday little videos in a way that is a bit different from the camera in your face…I went to the Japanese version of Walmart and bought a blue sheet for 1000 yen, (about $10) turned one of the rooms in my house into a tiny studio…I bought a long pole and hung the sheet there…turned on the lights and walla…it was rather painless, however at that time I was on a first generation 1Ghz Powerbook G4 and the render time was hmmm…I had plenty of time to wash my dishes, take the trash out, shower, shave…and even catch a few zzz’s…a 5 to 7 minute piece would sometimes take over 60 to 80 minutes to render…urgh…so I bought a faster machine…vlogging is a rather expensive hobby…however I was planning on buying a new machine regardless…yet in my case I came across vlogging with all my tools already lined up…
I have mentioned vlogging as a hobby…just my opinion…I do work…ahhh…I am running out of time, actually I do have to go that place called ‘work’ in 20 minutes…
I am not sure if I got anywhere with this post, however I felt today would be a good day to share my story…with that said, Sayonara!…Best regards to all the vloggers out there, and Chuck good luck, it’s gonna be a tough question to answer, why DO you VLOG?
So! Why do you video blog?
Micheal,
ReplyDeleteThanks for posting that!
I just got up and have to head out the door...looking forward to checking out some of your older post!