Now is the Time to Re-Think Television in All of its Manifestations

Older-think "public access" studios are like dinosaurs destined for extinction

What's on my mind this morning, after hearing about Seattle Community Access Network (SCAN) public access TV being eliminated from City of Seattle's 2011 budget,  is our need to "re-think" television, in all of its manifestations...not only "public" television...but also commercial television...and government television ..and for a number of reasons, all having to do with the technological change, economic change, media literacy, consciousness and it's growing  impact on the television marketplace itself.

• Technology change - Public access television saw its birth driven by the explosion of cable television and the fact that cable companies gave up a few public access, education, and government (PEG) channels in exchange for being able to lay cable and access thousands of cable subscribers. More channels also drove the development of analog broadcast/industrial video and teleproduction technology that costed considerably less than professional broadcast technology. Back in the day, as a former broadcast/industrial television systems sales engineer, I used to design and sell public access studios to cable companies working with municipalities, experiencing and taking advantage of the growth.
  
  Then the digital revolution and the Internet hit changing the game from the early 1990s until now. Now the Internet is a much bigger "Internet-work" than cable. Any consumer who accesses YouTube, or Vimeo can create their own "channel" that can be be watched on the Web and new Google TV will even allow consumers to create their own channels that will be able to display on HDTVs without having to "access" an older think public access television channel.. at all. Consumers now even have access to easy to use HD-capable recording capabilities on ultra compact digital camcorders and  mobile devices.
   
• Economic change - What has also radically changed from end-to-end has been the cost of television production and dissemination technology. Fast-forwarding my life a bit,  I was at KCTS Public Television when they brought in and started using first huge experimental hand-built High Definition camera in from NHK in Japan to do gorgeous Over Washington content. The technology then from camera to TV transmitters was extremely cost-prohibitive and broadband access over the Internet was non-existent for consumers and very expensive, affordable by only a handful of corporate users.
  
  Then the broadband explosion and the introduction of YouTube and its phenomenal success has now changed the game...for ALL television... both public and commercial. The price for everything, from cameras came way down as the quality continued to improve. A few years ago, a music video produced by consumer was virally shared by more sets of eyeballs than watch the SuperBowl. Advertisers paid attention, and this changed the commercial television marketplace forever. Now as television moves to the web, advertisers are following and as virally-shared Web 3.0 consumer-authored.... and consumer-recommended  television...will come to dominate even HDTV home television sets...with the advent of new Google TV. With it you can even watch TV and chat on Facebook...picture-in-picture... all at the same time.  (See below).
  
  
• The Development of Media Literacy...and Consciousness - Changes in technology, making it more accessible and easier to buy and to use have also resulted in the development of media literacy..from "critical viewing".... to "critical doing"... Producing television ourselves...and understanding that now we don't have to access tightly controlled...older think "public access television" facilities or commercial stations... or pay for cable advertising... in order to do television....both public... as well as commercial... is what's radically new.
  
  The only thing that's preventing us from taking advantage of this is lack of consciousness and awareness of how people themselves are creating... and driving the development of a new television marketplace that promises to change a whole lot of things - e.g. education, economic development, community development....and over time the world itself. This is is where delivering the mission-critical learning a new world needs can come in. See the new series of  new world television workshops that I am putting together.

....Therefore, my recommendation is for folks to "re-think" how television can now be done...in all of its newer-think manifestations rather than waste a whole lot of time and energy attempting to keep older-think government-controlled public access facilities going....because now in this exciting 21st century world... there are now "way bigger fish to fry".  See my New World Television Channel page and "What is Google TV?" for instance.. at least to get the conversation going. Call me and let's connect if you too are ready to "re-think" television in all of its manifestations. 425-780-6872

Jaycut - Free Online Video Editor will Help Fuel the Google TV Explosion

This morning, still resonating with the Google TV announcement (..see my New World Television Channel page and "What is Google TV?") and just for fun I decided to search Google for free online video editors... and BINGO the search returned JayCut.com, an online application that lets you edit your videos online... for FREE...without even having to pay a cent! All the basic features are there, video layers, transitions, audio, titles and instant rendering, so it's yet another way to do more complex projects than just creating a plain video "mix" with Flipshare software that comes with the Flip. 

I have a project coming up where I can have my clients use this if they need to.. even though I didn't have budget for editing software. Nice!... and right on time too! I also intend to watch the folks from Jaycut.com closely. They really are software application designers and developers who even have a free API that even let's you host their application in custom developed web applications, and I wouldn't be surprised if this video editing software "engine" didn't also go mobile at some point in time. 

Of course its not a Final Cut on a Mac or an Adobe Premiere Pro type editor (on a PC) but the higher cost of these local installable applications have been barriers to a larger, explosive new marketplace that is rapidly becoming more and more television literate. Adobe Premiere Elements 8 also is a great choice but it will set you back for about $130 and you'll have to upgrade your laptop's memory to get it work right  

Wow is this television... revolution something... Already YouTubers can create their own playlist and web television channels, and new Google TV..released first via the DISH Network as on option, will put your television channel even on HDTV screens. See my blog about it. 

Wow, is it great to continue to grow with new developments in television.. in our now 21st century world. I have been in television systems and programming before some of my younger clients were even born. It's nice to have the long view and to be able to seize the new television in a strategic way. Call me if you'd like to know more about how you can use it too to phenomenally grow your business - 425-780-6872

Thumbtack.com is a nice high-tech business referral service...that's now generating new business

This morning I was thinking about the subject of this morning's blog and where the next opportunity would be coming from...and BINGO!, my Gmail inbox has a nice referral waiting for me from Thumbtack.com a new nation-wide high-tech professional services listing service out of San Francisco that makes its money by connecting people in need of local small business professional services with small business people who need them.

What a cool service Thumbtack.com is. Their listings are free you get rated if you supply them with information that makes your more credible in the eyes of people shopping for your services. One very cool feature is that you can post your Thumbtack ad on Craigslist for free and its already formatted with your avatar. After your Craiglist. ad runs for a week, then they automatically send you another e-mail to run the ad again. This morning's website development referral was only $2 which was well worth it... nice!

Call me if you need to know more about powerful new ways to promote your business. Doing new website with web television channel and webinar capability can really make a difference. Call me and let's connect 425-780-6872.

NWC Offers New Google TV Workshop Series...Create your own Content...Create your own Channel... Create your own Empire

With most of the pieces Google TV (See "What is GoogleTV?" on my New World Television page)  already here and in place... and with the home television piece about to be released, it's time to get the jump by ramping up quick... to reach multiple television audiences...on the web, on mobile devices, on YouTube, and on HD television screens... with your own CONTENT, with your own CHANNEL, and building your own television-based EMPIRE. Here's the workshop series we have just put together to help you move forward:

• Workshop One - What is Google TV? - This 90-minute session provides a more in-depth overview of the new Google TV and its implications, for the smallest micro-business, to retail businesses, to government, to large business, to non-profit groups, and NGOs, and the largest nation-states and developing countries.
  
  
• Workshop Two - Planning and Producing Your Own Content - This 3-hour session provides a hands-on crash course on planning and producing your own Google TV content, complete with hardware/software choices and approaches. You will learn how to plan, shoot, and edit complete programs withs special with insider tips for doing quality audio voice-overs, etc,. and how to render and upload to the web.
  
  
• Workshop Three - Creating and Programming Your Own Television Channel - This 3-hour session covers Google TV channel creation from A to Z from targeting your audiences and learning about their needs through virtual focus groups to creating your channel on your website... and on large screen HDTV displays in homes and in businesses for point-of-sale and training applications.
  
  
• Workshop Four - Distributing Your Own Television Content - This 3-hour session covers exciting new ways to reach multiple audiences via the web, via mobile devices, via home and business television, in your blog and across Facebook and Twitter. Special time-saving "insider" tips will be shared. We' also cover how your Google TV content can be used in e-meetings, and webinars...and even in multi-day virtual conferences and virtual trade shows...for phenomenal advantage.
  
  
• Workshop Five - Business Models for Television in a 21st Century World - This lively 3-hour session will briefly cover the history of television and the impact of new technology and a more media-literate, empowered viewing audience ...and doing audience...that is now capable of authoring its own high quality television content on business... challenge-wise...and new opportunity-wise... even for the smallest micro-business. We will also focus on not-for-profit economic development, community development, and educational reform applications for the new television. 

Get the jump! Call us now about these sessions...for you, for your staff and possibly for your customers: These sessions will be offered on both a group basis as well as on a one-on-one consultative basis. The new Google TV... is a huge opportunity for multiple stakeholders.  For more information, contact me at 425-780-6872.

Catching that Perfect Wave and Reflections About Riding Out the Economy.

This morning, still resonating from the What is Google TV? experience...what I am feeling... and flowing now...is that feeling of what it most be like to catch, be inside of and ride that perfect wave...after paddling out and waiting for such a long time, for the currents to shift and for the energy to build...and crest...as I do my own part to go with it, over and over again, and getting better and better at each time... in between the wipe outs!.

Waves, surfing, and "Surfing the Waves" are great metaphors that my good friends and coaches consultants Matthew Ferry and Thach Nguyen help me get in touch with, in coping with life and dealing with the ebb and flow of it...and  riding out the economy.

In thinking of water, flow... and this economy, two phenomena come to mind, "Recession" and "Tsunami" helping me gain greater understanding of forces at work. Here's what I mean. Right before a Tsunami, all the water "recedes". It doesn't go away, it just seems like that. What is really happening  is that new energy is building... gathering up phenomenal force and power. Then it comes roaring back, taking people and things in its path not already on higher ground and positioned to withstand the force....so positioning is really important.

Sometimes the perfect place to be is right "inside" the curl... yet at other times it's way safer to be on higher ground...or to run like hell.

Interestingly the animals... especially elephants... wise old creatures with wrinkled skins sense the low frequency energy and danger and head for the hills before humans even know what's going on. Then after chaos, life returns to normal again... at least until the earth moves again. The lessons here really are multi-fold, paddle out and catch those waves, getting better, and better at it...balance-wise.. as you ride. That's what I am doing, paddling out to catch this new Google TV wave.  The other part I will leave to the animal kingdom and the Universe to pay attention to and take cues from. I welcome your own thoughts. Let's connect 425.780-6872.

Google TV...The Experience is Almost Like Having an Epiphany

Today is an afternoon publish ... after allowing more time... to have powerful ideas come tumbling forth as an outcome of deep contemplation of the phenomenal implications of the new Google TV.

Here's a nice little exercise and experiment to try. Watch this little well-crafted two minute and 21 second video ... What is Google TV?.. with nice female voice...on my New World Television Channel page... and then try to go about business as usual.. Then watch what comes tumbling forth to the foreground of your consciousness... in a few days.

For me personally, the experience because of my television systems and programming background...is close to having an epiphany ...close to my intellectual and spiritual core... as a communicator... as a educator... and most importantly as a living breathing 21st century... human being. Google's bringing Web to TV and TV to the Web...in such an elegantly simple way...completely changes "The Game" ...for me in my ability to serve multiple audiences from the smallest micro-business... to the largest nation-state.

And shared with other, minds, and hearts...and souls...it can positively change the world...in a marvelously powerful and joyous way. That's all I can say about this experience for now. What, after viewing this video.. comes forward for you... in a few days after trying this little experiment? Call me and let's connect. The entire world has already changed for me personally...resonating positively...thinking about... and now working with this stuff. 425-780-6872.

Peace

Let's Lift Every Voice and Sing... and Celebrate Where The New Learning Will Have to Come From

See Lift Every Voice and Sing on YouTube

This morning I am writing in deep reverence and awe after thinking more about the upcoming film "Waiting for Superman" and about where the new learning will have to come from.... from us... from progressive educators ourselves... willing to fight for social change.. and rising to the occasion ...because that's what's needed... I have been thinking.

With that thought and feeling resonating through me, that's when stuff miraculously started to happen...like me just happening to see a post in my Facebook stream about James Weldon Johnson's Lift Every Voice and Sing...written in 1899. Wow!. Even then, in James Weldon Johnson's life and in his song, he already celebrates where the new learning has to come from... from a proud people ...capable of raising the bar educationally, socially, and morally... liberating all. See more about James Weldon Johnson on Wikipedia

Wow, is it great and reassuring to know that "super people" have historically been and continue to be among us. So let's just leverage that, standing on the shoulders of those who came before us, and rising to greatness ourselves in service to humanity... and we don't have to "wait" for them... we just need to be them. Call me and let's continue to connect about delivering the mission-critical learning.. a new world needs. 425-780-6872.