Utterly false. The amazing Lois Lipman’s wonderful students at the University of Maryland showed us on Wednesday how wrong it is to think that young people, those “digital natives,” know everything about Web video…or even think they do. MiniMatters Teaching about Video & Social Media at U of Md. Our presentation as guest instructors in the Communication through Social Media class consisted of:
  • A presentation on “Harnessing the Power of Web Video.” We talked about the importance of marketing as a key element of successful Web video.
  • A group deconstruction of messaging techniques and the call to action in a sample MiniMatters Web video.
  • A discussion of editing techniques and strategies.
  • A role play exercise designed to demonstrate techniques for securing good interview clips during their future interview project.
  • Responding to technical questions about incorporating video into blogs and uploading video to different online video platforms.
Throughout our presentation the students were engaged and thoughtful; they asked many questions that showed a real understanding of the material and desire to better understand Web video. If there was anything that made it apparent they are “digital natives” it is that they completely understand that the significance of Web video will increase in the future, and they were excited to learn our techniques in service of DIY video. While of course we believe strongly in our role in making video look professional, we love to teach about DIY video and to work with clients that have gained knowledge through that process. (There are even instances where we can create terrific and effective video through a hybrid approach using amateur filmed footage—we’ll have to post about that sometime soon!) We hope we’ll have the opportunity to teach again soon. Of course, we weren’t surprised at how thoughtful and enthusiastic the students were, because we’d checked out their blogs ahead of time. We got a window into life as a waiter, the many ways crowd-sourcing can be used, snowboarding, wedding planning and many others. And Lois Lipman is an award winning documentary producer who has produced a documentary on a school for children with Asperger’s, so we knew she’d primed them for engaging and insightful discussion. If MiniMatters can help you use this tip or serve your other video needs, we’d love to talk with you at 301-339-0339 or via email at [email protected].