Videocasting & Screencasting: Is It Really Worth It?

In this latest saga of the podcasting realm, video has come upon the scene allowing podcasters to not only voice their opinions, but show you their stuff too!

Vlogging (video blogging), Videocasting and Screencasting are quickly becoming the next level for podcasters everywhere. With video sharing sites like YouTube, Blip.tv, Viddler and others, videos can be posted and viewed almost instantly, allowing you to get your word out to even more people, faster.

But the question is, is going video really worth it? Well, let’s look at what it takes to creating a video for this new realm of podcasting:

1. You need a camera, webcam, digital video recorder or something similar.
2. You need software like Camtasia (for screencasting) or Visual Communicator (for Vlogging or video creation) and video editing software like Windows Movie Maker or Sony Vegas for the final version creation.
3. A quiet place to record, backdrops or a nice atmosphere for your videos.
4. A topic for your video

Now, this doesn’t seem like much, but producing a video for casting is a lot more time consuming that just a normal audio podcast production. Also, keep in mind, that if you are producing a video with yourself as the main attraction, costumes or the way you dress and act will play an important part in your production.

Screencasting is easier to produce because you only need screencasting software and a mic and video editing capabilites and you can easily make a production about a how-to on using your favorite piece of software or playing your favorite game.

Another thing to keep in mind is, if you intend on posting your video to YouTube, you must keep the video under 100mb in size and under 10 minutes in length. The video should be encoded in Flash (flv or swf) for the best results. Your screencasting software will most likely have this capability built in.

So, is it really worth it? Most video producers will say yes. Those who say no, will likely tell you because of time or cost of equipment. Keep in mind that you don’t have to spend a lot of money to produce your own videos. You may already have the right equipment and just need a little push in the right direction.

Join me on Friday Night, July 4th, 2008 for Podcaster Training and find out more about videocasting, screencasting and vlogging, starting with the basics! Visit http://www.nmpnetwork.com/live at 8:00pm EST.

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