I have recently bought a Kodak Zi8 camera. This is an HD video camera about the size of a phone. The Kodak Zi8 has a
built in microphone but unlike many of its competitors, it also has a jack for an external microphone so you can get a better sound quality if required. The Kodak Zi8 has an external SD card – so you can get many hours of video before needing to upload it. A feature I haven’t made use of yet is a connection to a tripod. In theory, I could video myself presenting by connecting the external microphone and setting the camera up on a tripod – I have to admit a preference to being behind the camera though. The camera cost £138 including a 16MB SD card.
But why bother, you may be saying – what is the use of yet another gadget?
I have used the camera to record customer testimonials at the end of a workshop – just 30 second snippets. Returning home, the camera comes with basic editing software and easy upload to YouTube and my business Facebook page. I can then copy the embedded code from YouTube and add them to my website. Tweeting about the videos, including them in an update status in LinkedIn, including them in my newsletter and blog and you can see how many people have the opportunity to see other people talking about my courses. A powerful example of joined up use of social media.