Online Presentations: The Content Swiss Army Knife

If you only have one tool…

Online Presentations: The Content Swiss Army Knife | KnowledgeVisionWhenever I trek into the backcountry, I always have my Leatherman multi-tool (It’s one of my ten essentials).

We all pretty much know what these are: it’s basically a folding knife with a bunch of other handy little items folded into the housing.

Mine has a serrated knife, a file, screwdrivers, needlenose pliers, a flint, bottle opener, scissors, and the housing itself is a ruler. It includes a leather sheath with a belt-strap, although I tend to carry it in the pack.

It comes in handy in almost any situation, like when I need to cut up some kindling, rig up a bear bag, or repair a torn backpack. I’ve used it for those things and more. All of these tools separately would weigh a ton, but together they weigh less than a pound. It’s a very effective little device.

It got me wondering: Continue reading

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Storytelling: Applying Art To Video Marketing

Storytelling: Applying Art To Video Marketing | KnowledgeVisionDo you study the craft? No, I don’t mean witchcraft. Though sometimes creating an idea can seem just as mysterious as conjuring a spell.

I mean the craft of storytelling.

When we sell an idea, like a product, or show others how to apply a principle through a training course, we resort to telling a story. Some stories are whiz-bang, like a movie with poor dialogue but brilliant special effects.

Other stories are more focused on character development, witty patter and cleverly-devised situations, but not so much on the explosions.

What they all have in common is a craft.

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Online Video Is Trending: Drive Holiday Sales In-Store And Online

Online Video Is Trending: Drive Holiday Sales

Image Courtesy ABC News

As we enter Cyber Week 2012, we know that record numbers of shoppers hit the stores over Thanksgiving weekend. Among the online shopping trends we’ve seen include multi-channel shopping, mobile advertising, and opening times that are earlier than ever.

Social platforms will be a bigger factor than before. 2012 will also be the year that Pinterest really starts to show its worth for driving online purchases, especially with apparel.

Another trend is that stores are pushing for in-store sales, using sales that aren’t available online and by guaranteed price-matching.

But the biggest trend appeared earlier in the year, when 2012 officially became the first year that online clothing purchases, or purchases influenced by the web, surpassed those made in a store. The driving factors in online retail are increased use of mobile devices and tablets, and an increasing emphasis on video. It turns out that 40% of video viewers wind up in the store or on the store’s website.

That’s huge. Do 4 out of ten viewers of television ads drop everything and head for the store? Nope. No way.

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Let’s Talk About Transcripts: With Ed Youngblood and Alisha Magilei

Let's Talk About Transcripts: With Ed Youngblood and Alisha Magilei | KnowledgeVisionOnline video transcripts are all the rage!

Actually, they aren’t, not yet. You may notice you rarely see a transcript with a video, whether you find it on a blog, on YouTube, a social site, or get a link through Twitter or email. I know it usually stops me in my tracks, because I don’t want to make a lot of noise in the office. I’d rather read a transcript to get the idea.

But I just don’t see enough of them. I’ve written about the reasons that businesses should use online transcripts to go with their marketing and training videos. Despite this, a lot of online videos still go without.

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The Olympic Race Between Online Streaming and Broadcast: What NBC Got Right [UPDATED]

The Olympic Race Between Online Streaming and Broadcast: What NBC Got RightThere’s a hush in the arena as the competitors take their position at the line, they crouch into their starting stance, eyes focused on the ground in front of them. For an instant, everything is still. Many paces away, the only movement is the flutter of tape across the finish line. The countdown ticks down to zero, and someone presses ‘Play’.

The great race between online video and broadcast video has begun.

The 2012 Olympic Games being held in London will be the first games available on broadcast channels and streamed online in the US. In fact, while the numbers show that NBC’s Olympic broadcast coverage is at a record high, its live online streaming package may be reaching a far more engaged audience.

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