Videoblogging (vlogging) with Ryanne Hodson at She’s Geeky

I’m only “half-a-geek” since I live for user-friendly idiot-proof technology (I’m one of those “I hate manuals, can’t you just show me over my shoulder” kinda gals).

The She’s Geeky ‘Unconference’ not only reinforced this is okay, but in fact, preferred. They touted a ‘simple is better’ mantra, reminding us ALL that usability is the hallmark of great engineering and design. Refreshing!

I really liked the way this group of women represented every imaginable realm of digital technology, all with razor-sharp wit and wisdom and approachable, ‘I don’t have to show you how smart I am’ idea-sharing, without the posturing bravado. It created a feeling of universal access, applicable to kids, parents, teens, and geek chic media mavens in ‘anything goes/shoot from the hip’ fluid transfer of knowledge. Exciting!

My first She’s Geeky encounter was with Lynn Langit from Microsoft, a developer/evangelist who was eager to point me in the direction of their DigiGirlzs project for tech goddesses, in order to pay it forward to participants at Girls For A Change. (over 1200 teen passionistas registered for this Tuesday, so far!)

Lynn also posted a great link to futurist Melanie Swan’s presentation of where technology is headed, and has pinged me already about an upcoming mentorship event where girls will align with women in technology. Sharing dreams, schemes, and memes? Ah, what more could a geek ask for?

I promise Shaping Youth’s second generation blog will be a capsulized, Tumblr style visual version…I DO recognize few people have time to read a resource-rich blog with uber-linkage, but I can’t seem to help myself. It’s my fuzzy lil’ brain, percolating with “tmi.”

Many in youth media are goosing me to hurry up and launch a :90 vlog synopsis or interstitial blip.tv show, so they don’t have to wade through all my hefty prose. I’ll admit, I’m torn on that one, as I feel we’re getting to a ‘life as sound bite’ mentality that loses depth and analysis by chopping into chunks for easier digestion…

Like most media, it takes multi-platform engagement at many levels to ‘reach your core audience,’ so once I clone myself via interns gleaned from Girls For A Change, I figure this is doable…so standby…

I may not be ‘geeky enough’ to qualify for a ‘real geek,’ but I DO embrace the tools and technology with a strong will and “let’s make it happen” goal, so bear with me. I’m on training wheels…

Meanwhile, media maven Ryanne Hodson, bridges fun with entertainment/information as a case in point that it’s doable…Ryanne is the queen of the short form video blog (vlog) genre, and has even written a ‘how to’ book for ‘geeky wannabes’ like me. (plus, she’s a very ‘green’ neighbor, right here in my own San Mateo, ‘communi-tea’ go figure!)

Ryanne blogs and vlogs, and shares the impact of youth media on pop culture by simply showing us ‘how it’s done,’ affordably and accessibly.

I initially met Ryanne at Media Center, our local public access tv station, speaking with her co-author/vlogging guru Michael Verdi. She’s a godsend on the user-friendly front and impressed me many times over when she spoke of the KISS concept (keep it simple, stupid) applying to internet accessibility.

Reconnecting at She’s Geeky was a ‘card swap opp’ for an upcoming Shaping Youth interview, for we can ALL benefit from using her practices, like screenshot ‘how-tos’ that are brilliant in their simplicity merging form and function. (see Camstudio (open source, FREE streaming video software) or Camtasia (popular fee-based screen recording software).

In fact, I like Ryanne’s ‘how-to’ techniques so much, I wish we could mandate a ‘Ryanne clip’ for every new piece of software purchased since she distills an entire ‘how-to’ media manual into a blip, a header and a soundbite of sublime simplicity!

My kinda language…extends well to personal, professional, playful, political, nonprofit, cause-marketing, or just plain ol’ youth media video observations…

Here are just a few of her resources: Her how-to-book, her fabulous freevlog step-by-step tutorial (perfect for students, or if you’re a teacher doing media training!) her recommendations for uploads (blip.tv, due to the creative commons use licenses and attributions as opposed to YouTube freeforalls), open source/free music archives, (ccmixster community music site, podsafeaudio, podshow) and more.

Ryanne’s a phenomenal wealth of open-source information, with a very low key, approachable, ‘sharing is caring’ style, much like Beth Kanter and her blog.

Translated? Not the least bit corporate/ad wonk/competitive/dollar-driven or protectionist, much more open-source-collaborative, friendly, at ease…my kinda media gal.