We decided to take the time recently to improve service performance because we've grown substantially over the past 12 months. We now have more than 600,000 users and a lot of customer requests and features that we want to implement. However, all the bells and whistles in the world would be meaningless if the service can't meet demand. So, that's what we've been focusing on. I hope you appreciate the results.

We were able to also address some of the feedback regarding our resizing feature. The content is now displayed with higher quality when scaled down, and you can dynamically resize the content without interrupting the playback. I think it works great now but yes, we'll be working in the near future on the option to turn it on or off as desired.

We are in constant improvement mode and are still planning on improving viewer stats and analysis (there's a great article that shows you what we offer today), implementing some kind of search option for content owners (and maybe even external viewers depending on feedback we receive), multiple account purchasing and other requested features; so be sure to keep checking back for updates on our future development efforts.

As always, send us some feedback to let us know what's on your mind. I do read all messages I receive and respond personally to as many as I can. But most importantly - Happy Screencasting!

Dirk Frazier
Product Manager
Screencast.com

During the session the group reviewed the design problem in detail then broke into smaller groups to brainstorm and mock up potential solutions. Each team had great ideas to improve the workflow, simplify the concepts and generally make it easier to create, share and view content.

Some pictures of the design ideas from each of the 5 groups can be found here: http://www.screencast.com/t/NspigGSSXC.

Please feel free to add your thoughts or feedback on these ideas or even add your own solution. More details about each solution is in the comments section for each group's design ideas.

Dirk Frazier
Product Manager
Screencast.com

Kelly Mullins posted early the Screencast.com and RSS article a few weeks ago. As a follow-up to that article, here is a video (2:58 minutes) that will walk you through the following:

* What RSS is

* How content owners can use RSS

* How viewers benefit from RSS

* How users can subscribe to content using RSS

You can watch a larger version here: http://www.screencast.com/t/OAems4p9W

I know RSS has been a great tool for me to stay up to date on the blogs and sites that I like to regularly follow, but don't want to have to visit to find out what's new.

If you've never used RSS before, it's super simple to use. If you decide that you no longer the subscription, you can always get rid of it.

You can even subscribe to this blog to make sure you keep up to date on lots of tips, tricks, and news about Screencast.com. Click on the RSS icon to get started.

In order to upload to the iTunes store, you must have:

• The iTunes application installed on your computer.
• An iTunes account.
• Your content approved. All content uploaded to the iTunes Store is evaluated by a moderator. This process takes 2-3 days. During this time, the content is not available for viewing.
• iTunes compatible content in your folders or playlist. Any content in a folder or playlist not iTunes compatible is not sent to the iTunes feed.

There are two parts to uploading to the iTunes store:

1. Enabling the iTunes feed on your folder or playlist within Screencast.com.

2. Submitting the content to the iTunes store using the iTunes application.

We have given you an overview of the iTunes submission process below. For more in-depth instructions, read the iTunes Store Help Center article.

iTunes Store Submission Overview

1. Within your Screencast.com folder or playlist, click the iTunes icon . The RSS Subscription page appears.
2. Within the URL field at the top of the browser window, copy the entire URL (it should end in itunes).
   
3. Open the iTunes application.
4. In the left navigation pane, click on the iTunes Store link. The store appears on the right side.
5. In the iTunes Store group box, click Podcasts. The view of the store will change to reflect your selection.
6. Scroll to the very bottom of the page to the Learn More group box.
7. Click Submit a Podcast. The Submission page appears.
8. Paste the URL into the field provided.
   
9. Click Continue. Follow the prompts through the iTunes wizard. Once your podcast is accepted, it will become available in the iTunes Store.

The MediaRoll will look and behave differently depending on if you are using a folder or playlist. The following short overviews explain the differences.

Playlist MediaRoll Overview

• Use a playlist to share a collection of content gathered from different folders of your library.
• You can add a piece of content to multiple playlists.
• When sharing a playlist, you share all the content in the playlist.
• Embed public and hidden playlists on your own Web page or blog using the Screencast.com MediaRoll.

Folder MediaRoll Overview

Folders act just like folders on your desktop; you place content inside a folder to group files together in one place.

• You can only add a piece of content to one folder at a time.
• When sharing a folder, you share all the content in the folder.
• Embed public folders on your own Web page or blog using the Screencast.com MediaRoll.

For more information, see these Help Center articles: What is the MediaRoll and Create and Share a Playlist

• Screencast.com can generate feeds for any of your public folders and public or hidden playlists. Just point your viewers to the RSS feed on a folder or playlist page, and they can generate the required feed URL by clicking the RSS Feed button.
• Viewers can use Outlook 2007, Google Reader, or any RSS reader of their choice. They just paste the feed URL into their reader.

The iTunes Feed

iTunes is a digital media player application, from Apple Inc. for playing and organizing digital music and video files. On Screencast.com, sharing content via an iTunes feed is a way to quickly distribute your content to a wide number of people using the iTunes application as the delivery mechanism.

People who subscribe to your iTunes feed are automatically updated (within iTunes) with changes to your content or additions to your folders or playlists. If your content is uploaded to the iTunes Store, it automatically becomes searchable and available to anyone who has iTunes installed on their computer. There are two ways to use Screencast.com's iTunes feed: The basic option that generates the feed URL and the 1 Click option.

To learn more about Screencast.com's RSS and iTunes options, See these Help Center articles:

Subscribe Using RSS Feed

Turn on RSS and iTunes Feeds

Subscribe Using iTunes Feed

Upload Content to iTunes Store

1 Click: Best Way to Subscribe to iTune

Great screencasts are concise, have good audio quality, and move at a pace that is comfortable for the viewer.

To help you create great Screencasts, we've put together an article called Screencasting Best Practices. In this article you'll find plenty of information on setting up your screen before you begin to record, creating and using a script, choosing a microphone, and much more.

Here are just a few:

• If you are recording more than one video, decide on a standard set of options for your organization. For example, will your videos highlight the cursor? Should your videos all be the same size ? Will you record with a caption or system stamp?
• Practice, practice, practice. Overall, how much and how often you practice will be the key to creating professional videos. It takes practice to learn how to correctly move the cursor or open applications so they appear in the recording area. You will need to practice to get the positioning of browser windows and other applications just right.
• Perform several takes, replaying them after production to see ways of improving the video. By viewing glitches and correcting them in succeeding takes, you will eventually come up with a professional-looking video sequence that you can save.
• Be patient. Even a one-minute video can take a while to set up and record. A beginner might need 30 minutes or longer to get it right. Leave plenty of time for extra takes.

Do you have any great screencasting tips to share? If so, let us know!

When you sign in to Screencast.com you are in your library - this is your primary working view.

The library is where you create the folders and playlists that house your content. When you begin to add content, folders, and playlists, you will see several different icons in the library. It is important to become familiar with these icons so you can quickly see how your content is organized and what privacy levels have been applied.

When organizing your content, you have three options: individual files in the library, folders, and playlists.

Individual Content File

Individual content files located in the library are always available to view. Anyone who can find your library can view your content. You cannot secure individual files in the library.

Folder Overview

Folders act just like folders on your desktop; you place content inside a folder to group files together in one place.

• Content placed into folders is easier to manage and secure than individual content files in the library.
• A piece of content can only belong to one folder at a time.
• When sharing a folder, you share all the content in the folder.
• Embed public folders on your own Web page or blog using the Screencast.com MediaRoll.

Playlist Overview

Use a playlist to share a collection of content gathered from different folders of your library.

• You can add a piece of content to multiple playlists.
• When sharing a playlist, you share all the content in the playlist.
• Embed public and hidden playlists on your own Web page or blog using the Screencast.com MediaRoll.

With a Folder or Playlist You Can:

• Embed the content from a folder or playlist on your own webpage or blog using the Screencast.com MediaRoll, an embed widget. Then, any time you add content to your folder or playlist, the MediaRoll automatically updates.
• Use RSS to notify your viewers when you update a folder or playlist; viewers do not need to check the site and you don't need to send email to inform them of content changes. They maintain control of their RSS feeds and can "unsubscribe" at any time.
• Apply privacy: public, password protected, hidden authenticated (requires an invitation to view).

For more in-depth information on the library, read this Help Center article: Get Familiar with the Library.

If the Commenting feature has been turned on for a piece of content, the comments will be still be available.

When the branding is turned off:

• The ability for your viewers to download content and attachments is disabled.

• The Details tab is hidden from view.

• The breadcrumb links leading back to your library are removed.

Note: Branding is turned on or off on a folder basis - individual pieces of content in the library or in a folder cannot have the branding turned on or off.

To turn off branding for a folder:

1. Hover over a folder in the library.
2. Click the Edit icon.The Edit Folders Properties dialog box appears.
3. To hide the branding, click the Viewers see content only option.
   
4. Click Done.
]]> http://blog.screencast.com/2008/12/hide-the-screencastcom-branding.html http://blog.screencast.com/2008/12/hide-the-screencastcom-branding.html Tips and Tricks Mon, 22 Dec 2008 12:16:36 -0500 Of the four Screencast.com privacy levels, the Authenticated level (the highest level of security) is perhaps the most difficult to understand. This might be due to a certain level of complexity involved in setting up and managing the Authenticated folder or playlist. We hope this brief overview will help you better understand Authentication.

Overall, all Authenticated folders/playlists have a privacy level of Hidden applied to them and do not appear for browsing in your library. In order for content in an Authenticated folder/playlist to be viewed:

• A viewer must receive an email from you, sent from Screencast.com, containing a link to the content.
• A viewer must have a Screencast.com account (they can create one for free).
• The viewer's email address used to create a Screencast.com account must match the email address on the invitation they receive.

Additionally:

• Authentication can only be applied to a folder or playlist - not individual content files in the library.
• You can only send up to 15 email invitations at one time.
• Email invitations sent from within Screencast.com can be revoked at any time rendering the link in an email invalid.
• Email invitations automatically prompt the viewer to create a Free account in order to view the content.

To apply Authentication to a folder or playlist:

1. Hover over a folder or playlist in the library. From the popup menu, click Edit.
2. In the Privacy group box, click Change.
   
3. The Edit Folder Properties or Edit Playlist Properties dialog box appears.
   
4. Choose the Authentication option.
5. Click Save.

For complete instructions on creating, sharing, and managing an Authenitcated folder or playlist, see the Help Center article entitled Share an Authenticated Folder.

]]> http://blog.screencast.com/2008/12/public-versus-private-content-2.html http://blog.screencast.com/2008/12/public-versus-private-content-2.html Fri, 19 Dec 2008 15:35:11 -0500 When it comes to sharing your content with others, the more organized you are, the better. Overall, content placed into folders is easier to manage and secure than individual content files in the library.

You will need to set up your library to help facilitate the sharing process. When setting up your library, keep these questions in mind:

• Who should be able to view my content? Will all of my content be available to everyone or will I need to assign privacy levels?
• What will be viewed? A video, document or image? What will the file formats be? What about file size?
• Where will my content be viewed? On Screecast.com, a webpage, or blog?
• When do I want someone to see my content? When I invite them via an email or link? Or, when they go to a blog or webpage?
• Why am I sharing this content - what is my overall goal? To educate, inform, or sell? Should I enable Commenting to facilitate discussion? Should my videos be available for download? Should I include attachments like forms or slides?
To help you get organized, we've created a snapshot view of the privacy level properties including the method for sharing each type.



For more practical information on how to get organized, read the Screencast.com Example Case Study.

]]> http://blog.screencast.com/2008/12/public-versus-private-content-1.html http://blog.screencast.com/2008/12/public-versus-private-content-1.html Wed, 17 Dec 2008 15:00:39 -0500 There are four levels of privacy or security that may be applied to folders: Public, Hidden, Password, and Authenticated. These four levels are intended to give flexible sharing options while making sure that content is not seen by prying eyes.

The library page and individual content files in the library are always public information. This means, anyone who can find your library can view your library page and any content files that are not in folders. Folders or playlists that have been assigned to the Public privacy level may also be viewed.

To assign a more secure level of privacy, content must be put into a folder or playlist.

• The Hidden privacy level ensures the content will not be seen when others view your library - it is completely hidden from view.
• The Password level of privacy requires viewers to enter the password in order to view the content. The actual folder or playlist in the library will not be seen when others view your library.
• The Authenticated account is the highest level of privacy. In order to view the content, the recipient receives an email containing a link to the content. To view the content, the recipient must have a Screencast.com account (they can create one for free). The email address used to create an account must match the email address on the invitation. Additionally, an invitation can be revoked at any time rendering the link in that email invalid.

For more information, see these Help Center articles:

• Apply Privacy to a Folder or Playlist
• Screencast.com Example Case Study

 


]]> http://blog.screencast.com/2008/12/public-versus-private-content.html http://blog.screencast.com/2008/12/public-versus-private-content.html Mon, 15 Dec 2008 13:37:23 -0500 Want to view a video or other type of content file on your own web page?

You can by using your content file's Embed code located in the Share dialog box.

Embedding content can happen in two different ways:

1. Embedding a single piece of content on your website or blog allows that content to play or display within your page without launching an external player or a new browser window.
2. Embedding a folder or playlist on your website or blog causes a thumbnail representation of each piece of content to display in the Screencast.com MediaRoll. When a viewer clicks a piece of content in the MediaRoll, they are taken to Screencast.com to view the content.

Click here to learn more about embedded video, audio, and image file formats.

]]> http://blog.screencast.com/2008/12/view-your-video-on-your-web-page.html http://blog.screencast.com/2008/12/view-your-video-on-your-web-page.html Wed, 10 Dec 2008 13:56:24 -0500 One of the most frequently asked questions we get here at Screencast.com is "Can I see how many times my video has been viewed?". The answer is a resounding "Yes, you can!".
And, it's quite simple to do - just toggle the view from Tile to Details while in a folder. The Tile and Detail icons are located in the upper right corner of the screen.

When in Details view, you can also see the:

• Last modified date for a content file in a folder or playlist
• Privacy level assigned to a piece of content.
• Number of files in a folder or playlist
• Total size of all the content in a folder or playlist

This Help Center article tells you more about viewing your content statistics in a folder or playlist.

]]> http://blog.screencast.com/2008/12/how-many-times-has-my-video-be.html http://blog.screencast.com/2008/12/how-many-times-has-my-video-be.html Tips and Tricks Tue, 09 Dec 2008 11:11:30 -0500