How To Add a Link In Your Email To A Popular Video

Whether you are visiting “YouTube.com” or “HuLu.com” or a local media stations, there may be times that you will see a video that you think someone you know would like to see. It is easy to copy that video location and paste it into your email. Here’s how:

If you have just watched a video on Youtube, look up at the address bar. You will see something that looks like this in the “address bar” of the internet browser (Internet Explorer, Chrome or Firefox) that you are u sing.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-6dQvOSYmI

• Highlight the letters in the address bar, by hovering your mouse over the highlighted area and right click.
• When the action list appears, choose “copy”
• If you email account isn’t open it, then by using your Tabbed Browsing, open another Internet connection and open your email account (Hotmail, Gmail, AOL…).
• Add the addressee and subject fields.
• Type your letter. (Something like “I thought you’d enjoy this.”) and once you have written what you’d like, be sure to come down to an empty line, then right click and when the action menu appears, Choose paste.
• The link will now be in your email. Notice it is normally a different color than your regular font because it is an active “hyperlink”
• Click send.
• Now, all the receiver has to do is “click on the link” and they will be taken to the website and see the video.

Converting File Formats - Music & Videos

Making sure files are in the correct format is very important when we are “inserting” them into projects such as videos and music into PowerPoint Presentations, MovieMaker, PicasaMovies and others..

That includes when you want to download a YouTube video for use in either a MovieMaker project or PowerPoint.

This free software/tool does everything you need and much more and also has great additional conversions for all types of applications and is one of my personal favorites… It is a great program “free” to convert music, videos (even YouTube Videos) and much more for use in numerous applications including Movie Maker, PowerPoint presentations etc…

Remember with many of the free & other programs, it is advisable to use the smallest files possible, such as MP3 for music vs. mp4 and this software helps you with all those conversions..

Download from www.dvdvideosoft.com

1. Chooser to install all programs – FREE STUDIO 5.0.4
2. This way you can then do various types of conversions for all types of projects
3. Once installed it will put a great shortcut on your desktop-called Free Studio Manager. This is the complete interface for the suite of programs that are available from dvdvideosoft.com.

Note for Power Point Users: While it is faster to simply link to a YouTube video that will play in your PowerPoint presentation, the down side of this is that you must have a live & fast internet connection for the YouTube video to play.

Here is a link to a youtube video that walks you thru inserting the link directly into the PowerPoint if you have a good internet connection:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RApFAXMtero

When you are unsure about the internet connection where you are going to do your presentation with, you can embed the YouTube video right into your PowerPoint presentation. No internet connection needed.

And also refer to updates & video tutorials which are referenced on our class blog to make this easier.. Using this and other programs simply takes a little practice – so play & enjoy…

Google's How To Videos

One of my favorite Boston based tech support people, Kevin Bachleder, recently shared with us a wonderful website that we should all add to our favorites/bookmarks…

http://www.teachparentstech.org/

This great website, provided by GOOGLE, shares with us their new 54 how-to videos tutorials produced and hosted by their Google employees. Each of the video tutorials runs for just under a minute on a wide variety of topics to help us better understand some of the new (and old) computer technology..

These video tutorials are a wonderful way to reinforce the “how to steps” on a variety of topics that we ask others to help us with each and every day… They cover such basics as "how to attach a file to an email" or "how to copy and paste" through to "how to find cheap flights."

So, like our other favorite Google website: http://www.allmyfaves.com/

This new one is a great addition to our favorites/bookmarks..

And if you’d like to read a little more about the new Google video help site, read the article in December 2010 PC Magazine:

www.pcworld.com/article/213621/send_your_parents_a_care_package_of_howto_videos.html

How to get better digital photos & videos

First ~ be sure you have visited the specific website for your camera – this is the quickest and easiest way to learn all the specific features of your digital camera and all that it can do. Most camera manufacturer’s websites have tutorials that will teach you- via video – all the specific features unique to your camera; once there, save it to your favorites and visit the site often…

Second ~ go to your favorite search engine - Google, Bing, Yahoo, etc.. and search for your digital camera or camcorder model + tutorial, many times tutorials are created by users like yourself, who love their camera and have wonderful tips to create better photos and make the most of your new camera and all that it has to offer.
Third ~ The following are some popular websites to help you improve the quality of the photos and videos that you take and to learn more about “digital photography” from the comfort of your home… explore and enjoy:

• http://www.better-digital-photo-tips.com/
• http://www.dcresource.com/
• http://www.digicamhelp.com/
• http://www.digital-camera-help.com/
• http://www.digital-cameras-help.com/
• http://www.digitalphotography.tipcentral.net/
• http://www.digital-photography-school.com/
• http://www.digital-photography-tips.net/
• http://www.digitalphototipsandmore.com/
• http://www.homephotog.com/
• http://www.photographycourse.net/
• http://www.takegreatpictures.com/

Tutorial for Picasa's many features

There are so many wonderful features to use in Picasa ~ a great free software program from Google, that allows you edit and be creative with your digital photos..

If you don't already have Picasa on your computer, just go to their website and download the free software - it's easy and only takes a minute... you may be pleasantly surprised by all the photos it finds on your computer that you knew you had but couldn't find!!

www.Picasa.com

For those of you who do have Picasa and are confused or not sure how to use some of the many features - such as their new picnic editing; name tags which recognizes faces; creating a movie; using web albums to share entire photo folders, geotagging and much much more - Google has a great tutorial website that will work with you on all these wonderful features... This is definitely a website that should be in your favorites...

www.picasatutorials.com

So if you are bored on these cold winter days... experiment with your digital photos and videos and you'll be amazed at all you can do and how easy it is...

Tutorials for Windows Movie Maker 2.6

Windows Movie Maker 2.6 (which is an older version than the new Windows Live Movie Maker) but is more enjoyable to use. Movie Maker 2.6 allows you to be more creative has more options to work with your digital photos, music and video when "creating" your new movie...

There are many websites you can go to to download Windows Movie Maker 2.6, but this one is quick & easy and much less confusing - it only takes a few moments to download it and you will then find it in your start menu and/or in your Program Listing...

Windows Movie Maker 2.6 free software download
http://en.kioskea.net/download/download-124-windows-movie-maker

The following websites at Microsoft will help you when you forget what you've learned in class... Check out each of these websites and save them to your favorites for future reference..

Let Movie Maker create a movie for you
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/moviemaker/getstarted/movies.mspx

AutoMovie, a feature of Movie Maker, automatically creates a movie for you using a theme, title, and background music of your choosing. AutoMovie is the best way to quickly see what Movie Maker can do. This article shows you how to use AutoMovie to create an exciting movie in just a few minutes.

Create and trim video clips
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/moviemaker/getstarted/clips.mspx

Movie Maker can automatically split your home movies, which might be an hour long on a single tape, into smaller clips that are easier to edit. You can also manually trim your video clips to show just the most interesting moments. This article shows you how to use Movie Maker to automatically split movies into short clips and then how to manually divide those clips.

Work with Movie Maker Collections
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/moviemaker/create/collections.mspx

Movie Maker organizes your video, music, and pictures into collections. You can then drag items in your collections to your storyboard to make a movie. This article shows you how to add items to your collections, edit items, and add them to your storyboard.

Use special features to polish your movie
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/moviemaker/create/polish.mspx

Once you add video clips to your storyboard, you can make your movie more fun and professional-looking by adding transitions, special effects, background music, narration, titles, and credits. This video and series of articles show you how.

Save your movie in different formats
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/moviemaker/create/formats.mspx

Once your movie is polished, find out how to save it and share it with your friends.

50 Best Websites 2010

Every year, TIME (Time magazine) publishes a list of what they feel are the top 50 websites – according to their promo, the list ranges from the helpful to the distracting, the big hitters to the unknowns..

So when you have some time to relax and explore, check out their website which makes it easy by sorting their list into ten (10) primary categories…

• Music & Video
• Sports
• News & Info
• Financial & Productivity
• Shopping & Travel
• Health & Fitness
• Social Media
• Games
• Education
• Family & Kids

Hope you enjoy… here's the link:

www.time.com/time/specials/packages/completelist/0,29569,2012721,00.html

Difference between Webcasts & Podcasts

Difference between webcasts & podcasts

Webcasts and Podcasts have a few things in common, but they are very different.

Both are different ways of getting information, via audio and or video "streaming" to a lot of people anywhere in the world using the Internet. The words themselves, like so many other new words being added every year to our vocabulary & dictionaries for computer lingo, are fairly new:

• Webcast became popular in the mid 1990’s
• Podcast became a popular term in 2001 because of the Apple iPod…

A basic difference is that Webcasts are sent in "real time," meaning that they are "live" (even though some Webcasts are saved and then viewed later) and they are watched on a computer... So many companies and organizations use webcasts today versus holding “in person” large conventions or seminars (often referred to as webinars-another great new word)

Podcasts end up being archived and can be viewed at a later date and they can be saved and played back on your iPod or many smartphones today, and if they are audio only then you can play them back on your portable music player, like your mp3 player.. Many Podcasts are “pre-recorded” and then published on their site as files you can open at your convenience – fast-forwarding, starting & stopping and rewinding – whatever you want.

Most of us find that Webcasts can't be copied and shared as easily as a Podcast can

CARING FOR YOUR CD’S & DVDS..

So much information comes to us today on CD's & DVD's - so it's important to take care of them properly...

• Handle only at the hub or outer edge. Don't touch the shiny surface with your fingers
• Store in a protective case when not in use
• Don't bend the disc when taking it out of the case
• Be careful not to scratch the disc when placing it in the case or in the player tray
• Make certain the disc is properly seated in the player tray before you close it
• Keep discs away from radiators, heaters, hot equipment surfaces, direct sunlight (near a window or in a car during hot weather) and other destructive forces
• DVD specs recommend discs be stored at a temps between 50 °-90 °F with less than 27 °F variation per hour, at relative humidity of 5 to 90 percent
• Artificial light and indirect sunlight have no effect on replicated DVDs, BUT
• Exposure to bright sunlight may affect recordable DVDs, specifically write-once DVDs (DVD-R and DVD+R) that use light-sensitive dyes
• Magnetic fields have no effect on DVDs, so it's OK to leave them sitting on your speakers

Enjoy this music video

I hope you will enjoy this ~ One of your fellow students shared this “hyperlink” with me and I thought you might enjoy it…. It is amazing what technology can do today and with the Internet we all get to enjoy so many interesting things…

This “hyperlink” is a video of street singers from around the world being recorded, overlayed and mixed with one another while singing the song "Stand By Me".

It is a marvel to listen to and watch. They all deserve to be heard.

The finished product is tremendous! So click below where it instructs you to "click" and enjoy what some think is an incredible piece of sound engineering
,
So enjoy - turn up your speaker volume and [Click Here]

When it opens the website - you can begin by left clicking on the "play arrow" on the bottom left corner of the screen - and remember to use your F11 key to get the "full screen" impact

Media Player for audio & video - VLC

For years, most of us have been using “Windows Media Player” because it is built into our computer operating systems.. But what's included isn't always the best choice..

Most tech guru’s feel that the best free media player to use, whether you have Windows XP, Windows Vista or the new Windows 7 Operating Systems is: “VLC”

VLC is a highly recommended media player which plays lots of audio and video formats and be used for streaming protocols. It is easy to use; it's a very small program that doesn’t take up much disk space; doesn’t slow down your computer in anyway and of course it’s free… to download go to:

http://www.videolan.org/vlc/

Organize Files & Folders on your Computer

WINDOWS EXPLORER shows you where all your files are on your computer – an easy way to access this is to hold down the Windows Flag key + Tap “E” on your keyboard using the same “folder system” you would in a “filing cabinet”. Folders and sub-folders are "containers" to store files (documents, picutres, videos, movies, music etc). Every item named on a computer is a file and files are sorted into foldder, sub-folders and sub-sub-folders, which you create and name.

Some of the standard folders/drawers that Windows creates are: My Documents, My Music, My Pictures & My Videos. In Windows Vista & Windows 7, the word “My” has been dropped….They get their names from the fact that you use them as follows:

• My Documents: Use this folder to store other types of documents you save, such as typed text or spreadsheets
• My Music: Use this folder to store music you copy to your computers
• My Pictures: Use this folder to store pictures, such as those you get from a camera or scanner, or from the Internet
• My Videos: Use this folder to store videos, such as those you get from a video camera, emails or from the Internet

WINDOW EXPLORER BASICS:

• Windows Explorer Is The Computers “Filing Cabinet” Allowing You To Quickly & Easily Move And Or Copy Item (S) From One Folder And Or Drive To Another
• The Windows Explorer Screen Is Divided Into Two Sections/Panes: Left & Right And Divided With Separator Bar
• Windows Explorer for Windows 95 thru XP Uses Plus (+) And Minus (-) Signs To Display Or Close What Is In A Folder; Windows Vista & Windows 7 use the common Arrow signs
• Whatever Is Highlighted On The Left Pane Is What You Are Looking At On The Right Side Of The Screen

What's an MP3 vs iPod, iPod Shuffle etc?

It's obvious the holidays are fast approaching. I've received quite a few emails asking about iPods and MP3 Players so thought it was a topic to address immediately... I hope this helps explain the differences - and once again let your budget be your guide..

MP3 Player ~ Is a small electronic device that allows users to carry video, pictures or even thousands of songs in your pocket - can cost as little as $15 and supplied by numerous manufacturers

iPod ~ was introduced in 2001 by Apple was originally a simple pocket-sized device used to play music files butt continues to evolve and there are various types to meet various needs and budgets from $50 for the iPod Shuffle to $399 for the 64GB iPod Touch

iPod Shuffle ~ Apples least expensive and they claim worlds smallest music player. It comes in colors, it talks to your telling you the song title & artist and more Available in 2GB or 4GB ($55+)

iPod Nano ~ Apples Step-up from the iPod Shuffle, is a portable media player with a video camera and FM tuner Available in 8GB or 16GB ($150+)

iPod Classic ~ Apples top of the line iPod With 160GB of storage, iPod classic is the take-everything-everywhere iPod, with space for up to 40000 songs, 200 hours of video, or 25000 photos and 2.5 in viewing screen (about $250)

iPod Touch ~ Apples new touch screen model for music, watch movies, play games, and more in the palm of your hand. Available in 8GB, 32GB, and 64GB($199-399)