Video Blogging Tools
In my opinion, one of the tools that will help to revolutionize the internet as we know it today, is going to be the handheld video camera. These cameras can be purchased for anywhere between $100-$200 and will literally slip into your shirt pocket. Some of these cameras will even record videos in high-definition. If you are interested, I have recommended one camera brand that I am especially fond of on my personal blog, you can find that post here…
Most of these cameras that are on the market today have a USB plug built into them, or at least come equipped with a USB cable that allows them to connect to your computer system quickly and easily to transfer the videos to your hard drive or onto many of the online video sharing websites such as YouTube or Vimeo.
My home church, The Church Alive, recently purchased one of these cameras and has used it countless times to record messages about upcoming events, youth functions, or pastoral video blogs. These videos, once uploaded to these video sharing websites can be added to your website in just a matter of seconds once they are uploaded.
Here’s an example of a video shot on one of our Men’s Retreats..
Streaming Video Solutions
If your ministry has considered adding live streaming video of your services on your website, there are two services that you should know about. Both services are web-based solutions that allow you to stream your services online and embed this video onto your website. These services are Mogulus and Ustream.
The only equipment required on your end to get started is a video camera that will stream via USB, and of course a computer system that can connect to the internet. An internet connection with at least 700kbps of upstream is almost a neccessity.
My home church, The Church Alive, has opted to go with Ustream to do our online streaming and we have been extremely satisfied with the end result. Visitors to the website have the ability to watch the services and interact in an optional chat room that is moderated by our volunteers.
Streaming video from either of these services can be embedded into your website with just a few clicks of the mouse. If this is something you are interested in learning more about, please feel free to contact us and we will be glad to talk with you in detail about your project.
