Category Archives: Digital tools and tips

tools, apps and tips for multimedia story production, distribution and presentation

How to embed video and photo in a Google interactive map

You can add photo and video to a Google Maps Engine custom map using two free tools: Flickr and Youtube. This is a useful feature for multimedia reporting, marketing or just personal use.

Posted in Digital tools and tips | 26 Comments

Free online course, Audio Photo Slideshow Storytelling, to start Feb. 10

A free 5-week online course in audio photo slideshow storytelling that teaches participants how to make a slideshow, which is two skills in one: create an audio slideshow, and tell a story using visual narrative techniques.

Posted in Digital tools and tips, Social media marketing | 3 Comments

How to embed customized video playlists in online training

If you are an online instructor or trainer and need to show multiple videos in a blog post, an online course lecture page, or a tutorial page, I recommend a free web service, tubesnack.com, which allows you to create, customize … Continue reading

Posted in Digital tools and tips | Leave a comment

Storyplanet review: A promising multimedia storytelling tool for digital journalists

Storyplanet, a digital reporting platform still in its beta, provides a quick and easy way for a digital reporter to put together a package that contains text, photo, video and audio, which can then be shared on the web or … Continue reading

Posted in Digital tools and tips, Industry observation | 9 Comments

Embed video and images in Google maps: A beginner’s guide for multimedia news reporting

Using Flickr and Youtube to host your photos and video, you can add multimedia contents to an interactive Google map. Free and easy. ALERT: Please check out an updated post for how to embed video and photo in Google maps. … Continue reading

Posted in Digital tools and tips | 6 Comments

We need a digital reporting tool and Storyplanet shows promise

A digital reporting or storytelling tool can provide a one-stop solution for presenting multimedia contents. Storyplanet, a new web-based tool, shows promise of becoming such a digital reporting platform.

Posted in Digital tools and tips, Industry observation | Leave a comment

“Digital storytelling” and “digital reporting” are not interchangeable

News reporting: indirectly told by reporters; due to space limits, only a small amount of subject materials are selected based on “news values.” Digital storytelling: directly told by subjects involved; a fuller range of subject materials are included.

Posted in Digital tools and tips | Leave a comment

Storify as teaching tool: tips on sequence video shooting techniques

Storify, the popular content curation tool, is also a useful tool for teaching multimedia production. See below for a comparison of two approaches to the discussion of “sequence video shooting techniques”: one approach is a “text + screenshots” style that … Continue reading

Posted in Digital tools and tips | Leave a comment

Comparing two free tools for online multimedia story presentation – without having to learn web design and flash

Tent City in Lakewood, New Jersey has been a temporary, makeshift settlement for many homeless people. It also poses a touchy issue for city officials. The reason I chose to work o this story is it’s close to where I work, and a few of my students have volunteered there. Continue reading

Posted in Digital tools and tips | 6 Comments

Use Storify as a teaching tool in video and multimedia production classes

Sorify, a popular content curation tool that pools together relevant web and social media contents on a topic, also lends itself to presenting multimedia materials for a lecture in journalism production courses. I have started converting some of my PowerPoint … Continue reading

Posted in Digital tools and tips | 1 Comment