I am convinced that we are ready for video blogging.

By Steve Moran

Since the early days of Senior Housing Forum I have played with video and podcasting with mixed success. It has looked like this:

  • Animated videos to tell a story — They are both fun and frustrating to build . . . mostly though, they are hugely time consuming to create.  

  • Other people’s videos — Some were professionally produced and slick, while others were decidedly homemade and powerful.

  • I have tried some podcasting — Some have had quite a few listens, yet others hardly any. They require a moderate level of work.

  • I have created some collated interview videos — I was not crazy about the result and that was true with the readers as well.

And yet . . . I am convinced that we are ready for video blogging. It allows you to get a better feel for the person being interviewed. It has the advantage of being able to treat them a little like a mini-podcast, something you could play while driving, making your Senior Housing Forum consumption a little more multitasking friendly.    

Here is What it Means Today as a Reader

From time to time you will see articles that are titled like this:

“Video Blog: Steve Moran Goes Crazy”

Well, maybe not exactly that title, but what you will see is maybe one or two very short paragraphs and a short video clip of about 45 to 90 seconds. That length is very specifically designed to match the time it takes most people to read a traditional text-based article.   

In most cases these videos will be clipped from longer interviews which typically run 8-20 minutes. We know that in some cases readers will want to view the entire thing and often, but not always, the long version will be available at the very end of the article for anyone who wants it.

Though in some rare cases, they will live at Senior Living Leadership Hub, meaning they will only be accessible to SLL Hub members.  

Your Videos

I have looked at dozens, or more likely, hundreds of videos from senior living communities. While there are a couple of exceptions almost all of the best ones are not professionally done . . . meaning an outside videographer. There is probably no one better at this than Silverado Senior Living.

Some have even been shot on iPhones.  

I would really recommend you finding someone in your organization that is a little geeky and would like to take on some video projects.

In case you are interested in what I am using, I have a Canon EOS70D DSLR that shoots great video. I have a moderately priced tripod it lives on and a fairly inexpensive 2 mic wireless microphone set-up that feeds directly into my camera. The total cost for this set-up is under $2,000. In addition I do my own video editing using software from Magix.  

If the editing is not your cup of tea, it is something you can get done for likely a low hundreds price by someone locally or for a pretty modest price using a site like Fiver or freelancer.  

I would appreciate your feedback on our newest video effort.

Future . . . daily leadership tips and audio feeds that will be accessible via iTunes.