The 150 or so of you I've added in the past couple of days may have noticed that the comments weren't working right for you. They're working for everyone now.
Moo! Your pal, Bessie
Posted by: Eric T. Bliss on Mar 28, 2007 at 6:28:58 am
I got this lovely letter from Dave Gorrie about an article in the current issue of The Creative COW magazine by John Woody, about the cutting-edge lab at James Madison University. Dave graduated in 2000 and clearly did his homework! He cut over 1500 promos at The Discovery Channel, and has since started his own production business...
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Hello Bessie!
Thank you for publishing the article about the School of Media Arts and Design at James Madison University. I'm glad there are outlets like Creative Cow that help give insight into the challenges of industry educators and professionals alike. Articles like the one written about the SMAD program can only help inform and inspire others along their path to create up-to-date facilities. It's my hope that other media publications can spotlight more and more success stories to help ease other institutions conversion to newer technologies.
I can easily give credit to resources like the greater Cow community, and my college education from John Woody (and a host of other great professors in the SMAD program) for my advancement in the video production field. The best thing is that I know I'm not alone, there are dozens, maybe even hundreds of others that can claim the same thing. I can't imagine where I would be today if my curriculum hadn't included the latest applications, tools, and techniques. I know the applications and techniques are only a brick in the overall foundation, but it's these principles that led me to stand strong and have a successful career in the production/post production industry. Anything you can do to help promote cutting edge learning environments is greatly appreciated.
So Bessie, tell everyone in the herd thanks...and keep up the good work!
I'm thrilled by how many of you want to join 'ol Bessie at The COWBlogs. The initial stampede came faster than my hooves could send the approvals, but by now, everybody should be all set. New accounts should also be getting approved much more quickly now.
If yours hasn't been approved yet, it's probably because you didn't use your real name when creating your account. I've tried to notify everyone in that situation, and will be activating those accounts as soon as you reply.
Any more questions? Swing by the COWBlog Help forum, and we'll get things all sorted out.
Thanks again for your enthusiasm!
Moo!
Your pal,
Bessie
Posted by: Eric T. Bliss on Mar 26, 2007 at 1:14:03 pm
What’s a blog? "Blog” is short for web log, and it’s just that: a journal of what you find anywhere in the the world: online, at work, even (oh no!) in your life. Think of blogs as a cross between a website and a forum. They’re easier to build than a website, and they have a built-in way for people to respond to what you write.
Blogs aren’t just popular. They’re exploding: 70 million of them as 2007 begins, and 100 million expected by the end of they year.
While hundreds of COWs already have their own blogs, there’s never been a community of blogs created by video and film professionals.
Until now.
Why does The COW have blogs? One of reasons why The COW is so successful is that we match the tool to the task. We don’t do many tutorials in the magazine, because tutorials work better online. We don’t make half-hour video podcasts, because long tutorials work better on DVDs. And so on.
Well, there are some aspects of community building that work better in blogs than they do in forums.
Conversations are nonlinear. Discussions in The COW forums are linear: specific tasks, specific toolsets. That’s not how conversations work. They might start out on one topic, but they naturally include others as well. That’s where blogs come in. A single blog entry can cover multiple topics, which doesn’t work as well in a forum thread.
There’s more to talk about than problems. We’re geeks. We keep our eyes peeled for new technology. And not just work-related technology. Sometimes we have strong feelings about what we see, and other times we have questions. In any case, we’re ready to talk.
To use one early-2007 example, there’s not a forum to talk about Apple TV….even though it’s something that we’re all talking about privately.
And yes, there are already blog entries about Apple TV at the COWBlogs. In fact, we blogged that Apple TVs were shipping before Apple announced it.
Communities are made of individuals. Forums let you be an individual, of course, but blogs are an even better way to express yourself as individual. Talk about what you want to talk about, including things that have nothing to do with technology at all.
These are jus a few of the reasons why blogs are the best tool for The COW to take the next step in community building.
I, Bessie, love the music of the cowbell as I graze. I also love the sounds of The Grassroots, The Animals, The Crickets, and The Beatles. I know that many of you COWs love music while you graze as well.
That's why we started the Now Playing podcast: to talk about music with producers, performers, and more. You'll see that the first episode has already been posted, with more on the way.
That's also why I wanted to start the Now Playing forum at The Creative COW. It's still new, but you'll see some conversations underway, especially talking about the music people are listening to and discovering right now. (As in Now Playing.)
Both the podcast and the forum will also take in TV and movies, snuggle up in your jammies to join the fun.
Posted by: Eric T. Bliss on Mar 14, 2007 at 11:58:51 am
From: "Adams, Scott Civ, AFN South" Subject: Thanks Creative Cow!
I have been an avid reader and user of Creative Cow for about four years now and wanted to take a moment to say "Thank-You!" I have been a broadcast designer and 3d animator for about 7 years. I worked for the Golf Channel for 6 years and then a year ago I started working for American Foces Radio and TV, supporting American servicemen and thier families in Europe.
In the past I have always had great bosses and co-workers to learn from and collaborate with. Here in my new network I am working with many less experienced designers and have to look for other ways to stay abreast of what's happening and to learn new techniques. Creative Cow has been essential support in my work here. I also work with many new Avid editors and have them registering on the Avid forums for outside help.
One thing in particular that I wanted to mention is the After Effects tutorials. I find all the tutorials pertinent and helpful, but the tutorials done by Aharon Rabinowitz and Andrew Kramer are the absolute best. I can't tell you how many times I have needed to learn something for a new project and have turned to those tutorials for fresh methods. Fresh donuts for those guys.
A great big thank you to you and your staff!
Sincerely,
Scott Adams Broadcast Designer AFN South Vicenza, Italy
Posted by: Eric T. Bliss on Mar 12, 2007 at 5:40:43 pm
