Thing 5 - Podcasts and Video

The IS&T desk helping one of the first adopters of the book. 

You are probably already familiar with YouTube. Silly teenagers pouring their hearts out in dramatic fashion, crazy dance moves, and cats falling into fish tanks.  There are some useful videos on YouTube.  Yes.  Useful. 

You can now register a username and password on YouTube and create your own channel (personal YouTube page).  Choose your favorite videos or favorite channels to add to your account.  Want to keep up with your favorite band? Your favorite hockey fights? Your favorite pee cup?  You can on YouTube.   

The following video is an artistic and interesting look at Web 2.0.




YouTube has always been the industry standard for video.  It is accessible to the public.  It's free.  It's well-known.  Today, watching video on the Internet is not exclusive to YouTube. 

Watching TV
TV?  What's that?  No, we're not quite there yet, but TV isn't as "must have" as it was a generation ago.  People are now able to watch TV online.  You may have to wait a day or a month, but you'll get to see it. 

Netflix
You may get DVDs through Netflix.  The online version of the video rental store - remember those?  TV shows are available on Netflix.  To get free TV shows (included with your Netflix subscription), you often have to wait until the next season has started, but hey, you're busy, what's one year?  I have saved money by not subscribing to cable and getting my DVDs or streaming video through Netflix/Internet.  Apparently, I'm not the only one.  Netflix also allows you to stream videos through various game consoles (not free). 

Boxee
TV?  There's an app for that.  Check out the introductory video about Boxee (top of page).  Some videos are currently free, but Boxee, like Hulu, is moving toward a paid subscription.

Hulu
You've probably seen commercials for Hulu.  You can watch TV shows and movies.  For most TV shows, only the latest 5 episodes are available.  In the future, Hulu will add a fee service and offer "premium" features - more shows.


Assignment - Video
1.  Read this article from the technology blog, Mashable, about Hulu vs. YouTube.

2. Search YouTube for an example of a hospital or scientific organization using YouTube. Explore the organization's YouTube "Channel".  (hint: the organization you work for has one.)  Create a username and password in YouTube to save your favorite channels/videos.

3. Find a video (any topic of interest) and post the URL to your blog. YouTube will give you a URL to copy and paste into your blog. Use the "link" feature in Blogger.  Blog about why you chose the video.

4. To see the video in the blog, copy the Embed code to the right of the video and paste it in the "Edit Html" tab where you compose your blog posts.

Podcasts

Podcasts are audio or video files that can be downloaded onto portable devices or personal computers.  You can add podcasts to your feed reader!  If you need more information on RSS feeds (or a refresher) check out Thing 3. 

Where do you find podcasts?
There are several directories, but I find that it is easier to take podcasts from sites you really like to visit. National Public Radio and Minnesota Public Radio have a ton of podcasts to choose from. One librarian favorite is the book review segment from Nancy Pearl. News sites in general use podcasts consistently. Last summer, I listened to a weekly gardening podcast through the StarTribune. Using Google to search for your topic with the word "podcast" after it can lead to some hits.

Read this blog entry from LifeHacker (a technology blog) to get a list of podcast directories.

Of course, iTunes, is the mother of all podcast sites. This is Apple's music site that people use to download music or other podcasts to their iPods. If you have an iPod, give it a try (you probably have already).

Assignment - Podcasts

1. For more information on podcasts, view this CommonCraft video.

2. Several medical journals are now offering podcasts. Try adding one to your feed reader. An example is New England Journal of Medicine podcasts. Right click on the podcast title, click 'copy shortcut' and paste it into the 'Add' part of your feed reader. (If you have an MP3 player or iPod and have registered with iTunes, click on the iTunes button next to the podcast you are interested in.)
Here are other journals with podcasts:
Annals of Internal Medicine
JAMA
Johns Hopkins podcasts

3. Look for other podcasts either from medical journals or personal interests. Can you find a podcast to add to your feed reader?  Check out Thing 3 - RSS to create your own feed reader.  It's easy - follow the steps on Bloglines or Google Reader.



Address the following questions in your blog.

Why did you choose your video to post on your blog? Is it helpful, funny, strange?

Have you streamed any TV shows or movies on your computer?  Do you think Hulu, Netflix, and Boxee spell the end of the cable companies?

Did you successfully add a podcast to your feed reader? What did you choose? Do you find the journal issue summaries and other podcasts offered by medical journals useful?

Why did you choose this Thing?

Record the time it took to complete this Thing.


**Extra Challenge**
Who loves evidence-based medicine?  A better question might be who DOESN'T love evidence-based medicine?  If you are hooked on the evidence, try listening to (and subscribing to) the Cochrane Library Podcasts! 

The Cochrane Library database is available through the library's Intranet site within the HealthPartners computer network.