Animoto- Digital Storytelling

Animoto is a form of digital storytelling that has brought a whole new life to posting pictures. Hence how it got its quote “The End of Slideshows.” Animoto is a slideshow but in movement and not just flip the page movement, it can twist and turn, fade, everything. It is also very simple, all you do is choose your own personal photos stored on your computer, upload them, choose a song and Animoto does the rest. And what I mean by Animoto doing the rest is unlike PowerPoint where you have to sit there and listen how long it takes each slide to turn and will it be long enough for the audio I am playing. Animoto simply and automatically sets up your slideshow so the photos follow the song. If it is a long or short song no worries! All Animoto will do is either keep a picture up longer or have the pictures on a fast pace. All videos up to third seconds are free! Anything over that is a cheap monthly fee but having a site that practically throw your digital stories together for you fast and easy, you can’t beat that!

I can use Animoto in the advertising field by creating pictures and videos for upcoming events and it would be a great promotional tool. It will allow viewers to get a great outlook on what they will be experiencing if they attend our events.

I chose the video called “Animoto Promo” because it was one of the tools we used in class and even when class ended I wanted to do more. Animoto is able to document someone’s life experiences and feelings through the use of story and digital media. This video will help you get a glimpse on how you use Animoto.

Podcasting

Podcasting is digital media files that viewers subscribe to and are able to listen to through computers or downloaded on MP3s and Ipods. Digital media files can be audio or video which makes it possible for listeners to subscribe to their favorite radio station, individual, or certain topics. When creating a podcast who have to be aware of the sound quality and background noises when recording (also known as white noise). Tools you would use to make a podcast is a microphone, audio editing software, a website or houst upload your podcast, and an RSS feed. You are then able to record an audio file and edit the mistakes. Additional sounds and effects can then be added on to make your file even more attractable to viewers. In class, we learned about Garbage Band which is an audio program that allows you to upload your files to a blog. Garbage Band offers many great tools such as audio recording, virtual software instruments, editing, and music lessons!

Although i think podcasting is a great idea I personally don't believe it comes in great use for my field of advertising. TV advertisement I find as greater professional aspect that will make our consumers more interested in our products. However, if i were to focus on getting a brief message across on a blog or website I would apply to podcasting. Podcasting is a good way for getting the voice out there about our products we are trying to share information. Especially with it being easy and free I would apply it to very minor advertisements that I present.

At first when I heard about podcasting I was unclear on exactly how you use it. I found a great video called "How to Create a Podcast" on youtube that shows step by step how you would build your very own podcast. It explains to you what you need before getting started and what each button does. Take a look and I am sure you would want to try it out yourself!