Youtube video blogging

[Rui 'Trovatore' Pires]

voh - there's still a F3 in development? I thought it had been cancelled a long time ago.

[Nightfable]

Also, video blogging? Not my cup of tea, but I've gotta say you've got a charming way with words. Keep it up, a lot of people seem to enjoy it so you've found your audience

Thank you, I appreciate your support, Voh! 

Coffee Lady: Is it your intent to come off as a spokeswoman in your blogs? lol, it seems like in every blog you advertise something... Whether it's bubble bath, curling irons, or terrible movies It doesn't bother me, but it's something I noticed.

That wasn't really my intent, lol! I try to make my blogs interesting and show things that are important to me in my daily life. Isin't it better than getting attention by showing off my boobs? 

[Helm]

biothlebop, great post. I hadn't considered that angle of the matter.

[Nightfable]

I don't want to offend anyone, but I've always thought of life-blogging as very selfish and self-centered. I've never read personal blogs and I hope I never have to. I understand that for some people it acts as a diary and a way to vent, as you said, but I just find the whole culture of self-advertising so self-obsessive and attention-seeking.

Not offended, though I'd provide my viewpoint.
I have much respect for people that are capable of pouring out their unconscious without fear of retaliation.
I could never do personal video blogs that dealt with things I really cared about and placed them on display them for the world, I am still far too self-conscious and rely often in public on my crafted ego-shell which includes things like taste in music, movies etc, which I don't really consider a part of my identity anymore but merely of playing a role.

I'd love to explore the innermost crevices of my mind, and it seems that recording a video of the process of delving into the unconscious, exposing one's center, examining it and picking it apart could be a liberating and enlightening process, but I don't know if I could ever show it to anyone or even dare to watch it myself.

So I mainly do introspection through writing, which requires more thought and conscious effort, and therefore my unconscious mediates through the constructed role-ego-identity and is filtered by it.
This way, I guess my writings do not reveal as much of me as a video would, but it is a less dramatic (and longer) process of bringing together the unconscious and the public identity act.

Personal blogging is IMO a very important thing, a "spiritual" journey, and the good thing with personal blogging is probably that it challenges the observers to begin a journey of self-discovery of their own which they can reject by holding on to their constructed identities and attacking and ridiculing the poster.

Sure, in the beginning, those videos might only show the conscious self that is displayed in public, and seem self-obsessive or attention seeking, but such a process of pouring out one's heart to the world will hopefully lead to connecting the ugly unconscious as a part of the public identity, free the bloggers to be flawed but fuller individuals. Maybe at some point, everything of importance has been said and the blogging stops. Then those people have probably gained satisfactory knowledge of themselves.

All self-expression (art, music, writing) gives glimpses from the unconscious, this just might be the most dramatic option available.

biothlebop, great post. I hadn't considered that angle of the matter.

I couldn't agree more!

[Helm]

Which isn't to say I would ever put videos of myself talking about whatever online. I think you'd get the effect bio is talking about just by watching them back yourself after, perhaps a few select people too. I too find the 'broadcast yourself' mentality of the recent internet age to be a bit of a turn-off.

[Nightfable]

I see it more as a video portfolio of one's self, whatever video you put on your page is like writing on a clean slate, showing who you are and what you are about - even if it's just to add your favorite videos you fell upon. At first I wasn't inclined to make video blogs, I was afraid of criticism and judgement. But after posting a few videos I noticed that it brings me a feeling of satisfaction, pride and accomplishment. I know that in most of my videos, I'm just rambling away about boring everyday stuff but to me it's important and that's why I'm video blogging to start with - I'm doing it for me.

[Helm]

I'm certain it does it for you on some levels you describe for you to keep doing it. I just wouldn't feel well doing it personally because my set of ethics (which I didn't choose but rather adopt and mutate over time naturally) would make me feel bad if I 'broadcasted myself'. So it isn't so much a judgement over what you're doing being bad according to your standards, but just according to mine.

[Nikolas]

...but to me it's important and that's why I'm video blogging to start with - I'm doing it for me.

Yes, but in this case, why make it public?

If it is just for you as you say (which is perfectly resonable and respected, and do remember that I enjoyed your videoblogs), then why post it? Why let others know of this?

Of course in a simmilar way, I post too much on most forums and let everyone know about myself and my family etc... (which can ge irretating... :p) but still I do it, because exactly I want others to know...

[Nightfable]

You guys are looking way too much into this, lol!

I broadcast my videos because it's a large community and enables me to make friends and communicate with them, as well as express how I'm feeling. I respect that there are some of you out there who don't necessarily agree with what I'm doing... I just want to make it clear that I'm not trying to force video blogging on anyone. 

[Gregjazz]

I think video blogging for some people is like a mirror (except without the natural distortion of a mirror), due to the automaticism of cameras. In essense, making a video of yourself allows "you" to become the "other". That's what mirrors are all about, right? Simulating a view of ourselves from the eyes of another. It all has to do with the disjunct between our mind and our body--who we think we are, and who others perceive us to be.

[Andail]

Yeah, good point, Geoffkhan.

In essence I think many types of communities cater for the same needs. Whether you share your artwork, your photos, your texts or poems etc; what you actually pursue is simply to be a part of a context, a piece of the great puzzle. That's why all those communities are primarily about friends-making and returning favours. People have their own centers/homepages, and it's all about gathering comments and guestbook entries. That's why comments are seldom sincere, elaborate criticism, they are just meant to say "I have seen you. You're now a part of my world. Now you need to head over to my page and see me."
In extension, blogs are just another medium for this, cutting some middle activity; now what you create is the pure you, about you, nothing else than you. The videoblog becomes the prime example of this jigsaw piece. You don't need to produce something any longer, you don't need to come up with something original, it can be only you doing nothing, but it won't matter, people won't be less inclined to comment or give guestbook entries. You've just made life easier for them, for now they don't have to pretend that they actually read all that goth-poetry or appreciated those 32 manga-sketches you published in your gallery, now they can cut to the chase and honestly say: "I've seen you now."

[Vel]

Lol, sorry about that... that was yesterday and I was in one of those moods... Thank God I wasn't listening to Badalamenti while doing the video, I would have been sobbing the whole time. Pregnancy hormones sure are a pain.

I actually meant that as a good thing, I am quite a fan of surrealism and Badalamenti in particular. It wasn't just the sobbing, but the contrast between your sad countenance and the seemingly incoherent things you were talking about/first about a movie you thought was crappy,then about your cat... I kind of lost the connection/.
I played that clip again with the "Fire Walk With Me" theme in the background and it actually turned out rather peculiar.

[shbaz]

I try to make my blogs interesting and show things that are important to me in my daily life. Isin't it better than getting attention by showing off my boobs? 

Depends on how nice your boobs are.

[biothlebop]

Video-blogging (and the process of releasing those for public scrutiny) involves the positives that Geoffkhan and Andail mentioned (gaining verification of one's identity through the acceptance of others), but it stretches onto a larger scale and will hopefully change our societal values toward more humane/loving ones.

I think that this "broadcast yourself" attitude is kind of refreshing.
Normal "boring" people come out and tell their stories and suddenly people realize that we do not have to be Nobel prize winners to be interesting or accepted parts of our societies anymore.

I think it's better than worshipping the images that centered one-way communication  (television, movies, magazines, advertising) sends us.

Regular people become the heroes of their own lives, we don't always have to look up to the stars and celebrities and live our "pathetic" lives envious of P.Diddy who is probably on a yacht enjoying fine caviar, champagne and hundreds of loose young women.

So the "broadcast yourself" thing is an excellent development, if it can change attitudes toward the realization that the life of an ordinary person is worth living; 
That it will contain more than enough of happiness and sorrow for one lifetime.

[Andail]

Just don't forget that many people take too wide steps into this public domain, and may not at first realise what it means to be "official", to spill your guts in front of a thousand anonymous viewers.
To share your life is to hand out portions of it, bits and pieces that may not regain control of. I don't mean that you'll necessarily end up with people stalking you and giving you mysterious phonecalls in the middle of the night, but I do think that it's not always beneficial to release so much of your private life without carefully thinking it over. It will change who you are, and it will radically change the way you regard yourself.

[Shane 'ProgZmax' Stevens]

Unlike Helm, I don't have issues with ethics that would 'make me feel bad' if I wrote a blog, I just simply don't have an interest in it and find existence just fine without broadcasting the doldrums of everyday life to other people.

I personally find all blogs (written, video, audio) boring since I don't know or really care about the people posting this stuff.  Is this harsh?  I don't think so, just honest.  That isn't to say I think it's wrong for people to make blogs or find them flawed in some way, but realistically I don't want to read about how your day went or what happened when you spilled coffee on your dog -- and by you I mean generally, not you personally Coffee Lady.

[Helm]

So the "broadcast yourself" thing is an excellent development, if it can change attitudes toward the realization that the life of an ordinary person is worth living;

But then again it's not innocent. Some people manipulate this desire of people to 'broadcast themselves' and make money and shape culture with that desire.

What you're saying about the everyman becoming more of a rolemodel is correct, and it's been happening for a while. It's the 'loser revenge', the knee-jerk from the high expectations we've been forced to deal with for lots of decades. Get in a great school, get a great job, get a great wife, make great kids, have a great house and all that.

So now the couch potato is fighting back for his right to be unsuccessful, and that's a healthy reaction. But.

The people that benefit from selling things to humans, will just find a different way to sell their things using the shifted paradigm. They will make a coorporation out of human expression, and they'll steer it subtly, perhaps not-so-subtly in the direction they want it to go. The 'nobody revolution' is a sham, because it's politically correct. You can do nothing and be nothing and share that with people in Big Brother, a videoblog, wherever just as long as you don't overstep any bounds. As long as you don't question authority, you don't have any radical views, you don't say anything you shouldn't say. If you do anything you shouldn't do, this process spits you out like the nothing you are. This revolution is televised, and it is controlled.

The great secret here is that they've let the dumb nothings make idols out of each other. Just as long as they remain oblivious to why they're nothings and how they could change that. It's like a little slave-colony where one of the slaves every week gets featured in the media of the colony, and all the other slaves look up to him or what to be him. It increases productivity and keeps everybody occupied. It's a difusion tactic while a few people who are not nothings are persuing their power plan.

[biothlebop]

Helm:
Yes, you are right in this, probably expressed it better than I could.
I still hope that as the mass of nobodies communicating grows, it becomes increasingly difficult for corporations
and governments to monitor and control opinion forming.
Hopefully the internet retains a wild west edge, if not on Youtube, then on hundreds of small servers in basements
spewing out conspiracy theories and revolutionaries onto forums, message boards, other video blogs etc.

I don't think Youtube has much revolutionary capability for anything than the mentioned keeping people happy and living their insignificant lives, but I guess I would be more than satisfied with that (merely being happy and oblivious, living comfortably).
So, I still think it does more good than bad and is a step in the right direction.

An example regarding Andail's post (i.e. bloggers beware):

http://www.somethingawful.com/d/feature-articles/new-media-hell.php

You might be featured on such a site, blogging might even become the next emo-phenomenom, suffer a backlash worse than Vanilla Ice (This is one of the reasons I try not to release much of my personal information to the public). Opening up and recieving positive feedback might be a therapeutic experience, but you might also be picked out at random and follow the Star Wars Kid's footsteps.

[Andail]

Yep, Bio, this is the worst scenario. Then again, we don't need videoblogs to take part of random people's lack of self realization, just switch American Idol and you'll see an introverted teen with some sort of artifically inflated self-esteem make a fool of herself while the respected "norms" of the jury make sure to roll their eyes to the camera and squeeze out every drop of comedy this humiliation can produce.

We probably all remember the jedi-kid who taped himself while he had some make-believe fencing session with an imaginary light-sabre, several years ago.
But why do we remember him? Because back then, they weren't so plenty. They were some unfortunate souls who preceded the huge blog-bubble and thus caught the attention of basically everyone who browsed the web at that time. They were the prenatal victims of the nobody-revolution.
Now people can massacre their dignity much worse without reaching a fraction of that attention. So what I'm saying is basically that if everyone keeps humiliating themselves like this, there will be little room to expose the individual.

[Helm]

It will eventually become acutely apparent that there's a swarm of nobodies humiliating themselves, and that they can do nothing but humiliate themselves because they aren't really interesting for anything else. Will there be a top (or bottom to be more precise) to where this humuliation will lead before the next cultural phenomena occurs and diverts the public attention, or is this really the face of the new culture and new media for the next 50 years? People showing off their new bracers in youtube and somebody lighting their fart?