The eight women had come ready to spend the day doing just that – making friends with the technology that is permeating the world in which they live, work and play. They left better equipped to begin sharing their thoughts, expertise, photos and videos on their blogs and Facebook fan pages. And they also got to meet other enthusiastic women with whom they can continue to connect and network.

One woman was feeling comfortable enough with her new knowledge to begin updating her travel agency blog, which she had always paid her son to do. Others said they would either begin blogging or update the blogs they started many months ago. The participants grew more excited with each presenter about the possibilities at their fingertips to better navigate Facebook, to create and develop their personal brands and to promote their passions using the Internet.

Denise James (left) makes a point while Marilyn Parker listens during WABW Tech Camp.

“I am ready to take myself out of my comfort zone,” said Karen M. Turner, who teaches broadcast journalism at Temple and is pushing herself to experiment with social media. She recently used her smartphone to make a video of her dog and uploaded it to YouTube.

Her suggestion for the next Tech Camp resonated with the group: how smartphones interact with social media, such as Facebook and Twitter.

The room was chilly at Temple University’s Annenberg Hall in Philadelphia on Nov. 5, but still a lot of learning and sharing prevailed at the  camp – our third - where participants received practical information and hands-on training in a collegial and engaging atmosphere. The camp was sponsored by We Are Black Women (WABW) and Digital Delta Media. WABW is a blog network for women over the age of 40. Digital Delta Media offers ways for companies to connect with their customers through uncomplicated means.

Tech Camp’s small-group setting offers a relaxed place for women to learn about technology, ask questions and get answers. It also gives them a chance to learn from and encourage each other. Women leave the camps empowered to do more than they were able to do before they came.

“I am surprised there’s not a bigger crowd myself … but maybe the next time each of us can invite a colleague or two,” one energized participant said at the end of the last session. “Share the affirmation,” another added.

Along with Akweli, founder of Digital Delta Media, presenters included Lisah Hamilton and Nicole Johnson. Lisah writes a personal development blog called Getting to Zen and a running blog Ten Bulls Running. She guided the participants in creating a free WordPress blog, and explained the difference between paying to host a blog and maintaining a free one.

Lisah Hamilton (left), who conducted the session on blogging, talks with Cheryl Gill.

Nicole, president of the Voorhees (NJ) chapter of Toastmasters International, speaks and writes about a range of technology topics. She generated great interest when she demystified privacy settings on Facebook and showed participants how to set up a Facebook fan page to promote a business or cause. There were plenty of questions, including “how can I de-friend someone?”

Akweli held everyone’s attention as he demonstrated how to shoot photos and video, and upload them to YouTube, blogs and websites. He also offered suggestions on cameras for recording videos, including an affordable Kodak video camera, inexpensive tripods for steady shots, and a range of software choices for editing photos and videos, including the Sony Vegas.

Participants themselves exchanged information that others could employ. “That’s always what is very good about these sessions,” said Sherry Howard, president of WABW. “There is as much learning going on between people you are sitting next to as the presenters are offering, because all of us without realizing it know a lot more than we give ourselves credit for.”

Sherry, a journalist who writes the blog Auction Finds on the WABW site, loves the web, and the freedom and potential it holds. She encourages women to blog about their passions, and to use blogs and Facebook pages to build their businesses.

Kristin Holmes, E.J. Westley and Yvonne Shinhoster Lamb work on their Facebook fan pages at Tech Camp.

“I want people to start thinking that you don’t have to live in this narrow world. The web opens up this whole new world, for black people especially,” she told the group, adding that you don’t have to beg or pay anyone to tell your story. “The universe is open to us, and what I encourage people to do is to step in it.”

During his presentation, Akweli offered a quote from 19th-century German poet Heinrich Heine that when applied today, urges us to be agile in our thinking in this rapidly changing technological world.

‘The weather-cock on the church spire, though made of iron, would soon be broken by the storm-wind if it did not understand the noble art of turning to every wind.”

Below is our photo gallery from this year’s Tech Camp. After you’ve finished the first 20 photos, click out of the show and click Page 2 to see the rest.

And if you want to learn why Tech Camp is so important – and the need to embrace technology so elemental - check out the animation video by Akweli below the gallery.

[nggallery id=3]

Tech Camp is one venue that helps you get a better grasp of computers and the online world, in a friendly atmosphere and at a comfortable pace.

Enjoy the video, and be sure to read this post and let us know if you still have questions!

VIDEO: Top 5 Reasons to Upgrade Those Rusty Computer Skills (click to play)

Not sure if you should attend Tech Camp? Here are some of the more common questions that get asked about it, along with their answers. If it sounds like the thing for you, simply register here. And please tell a friend!   - The Tech Camp Team

Q: What is Tech Camp?
A: WABW Tech Camp is a one-day workshop built on the idea that computing technology should be a tool available to everyone. Unfortunately, many individuals, particularly women and African Americans, have often had less opportunity to learn and use technology in empowering ways — for reasons of cost, lack of availability or lack of awareness. Tech Camp is one effort at remedying that situation, by making technology training easy, accessible and enjoyable — for everyone.

Q: How do I know if I should sign up?
A: Tech Camp sessions are geared toward people who consider themselves at a basic to intermediate level of computing and online literacy. The key is that no one should feel intimidated.

Q: What if I’m not a minority or a woman?
A: While a goal of Tech Camp is to increase technology literacy among a group that’s traditionally been underserved — mature African-American women — everyone is invited to attend.

Q: What equipment should I bring to the event?
A: If you have a laptop computer, either PC or a Mac, you might find it helpful to bring your laptop with you. There will be internet-connected Macintosh workstations for attendees to use in at least one of the breakout sessions. For rooms without workstations, you might wish to bring a wireless access card from your cellular provider — if you have one. If you don’t have a laptop, a pen and a notepad will serve you just fine!

Q: Should I bring business cards?
A: Yes! One of the most-appreciated aspects of past Tech Camps was the superb networking opportunities they presented. Attendees are encouraged to (and do) swap contact information, talk about their work, hobbies and passions, and bring samples if they happen to be authors, artisans, etc.

Q: How will I benefit from attending?
A: In addition to the great contacts and friends you will make, you’ll pick up valuable skills that help you stay marketable. Whether you’re still in the workforce or you’re retired, working on a cause that has great meaning for you, you will be able to reach and influence more of the people that matter to you once you know how to use the 21st-century communications tools taught at Tech Camp.

Q: My computer skills are *really* rusty — will I be left behind/feel overwhelmed if I attend?
A: Tech Camp breaks down tech topics to their basics. If you feel lost during a session, you’re encouraged to ask a question — nothing is too silly or rudimentary! Your presenters and your fellow Tech Campers work to create an environment that is supportive and encouraging. And remember, often there is someone else in the room with the same question, but who might be too shy to ask — so don’t hold back your curiosity!

Q: I know some people who need this kind of training but who can’t make it to the scheduled event. Are there private or office trainings available?
A: Yes. To talk about a customized Tech Camp training, please contact Sherry Howard at sherry (“at”-symbol) wabwnetwork.com.

A Tech Camp workshop leader can visit your home, office, church or community group and guide you from vague awareness to technical superstar in just a few hours. Our expertise ranges from blogging to social media to online video, so be sure to ask if you’re curious about a specific program or online service you’ve heard about.

Q: Who are the people organizing and running Tech Camp?
A: Tech Camp was developed by Sherry Howard, Yvonne Shinhoster Lamb and Akweli Parker in 2009-2010. As newspaper journalists, they had witnessed how technological trends had the power to create great prosperity and the leverage to effect change — that is, for the people who understood those trends. For everyone else, there was (and remains) the very real risk of being left behind culturally and economically.
The trio built Tech Camp as a way to inspire those who’ve avoided technology up until now, with the empowering message, “I can do this!”

Q: Why does it cost money to attend?
A: In order to provide the best learning experience possible — including catered lunch, resource bags, and some printed material, Tech Camp charges a small fee. Considering that similar trainings charge hundreds of dollars for providing the same information, plus the incalculable return from possessing and using your new skills, we hope that after attending you’ll agree that Tech Camp provides unbeatable value.

Q: What is the $1.97 item labeled “Fee” when I sign up through EventBrite?

A: Tech Camp uses EventBrite because it allows attendees to sign up for events quickly and securely. It alse helps groups like ours to easily and efficiently process payments and know ahead of time how many people to prepare for.

For rendering its service, EventBrite collects a separate service fee (similar to what TicketMaster does).

Synopsis: The hour-long, in-person status update meeting is so 1990s. Here’s a look at how to get with the times and SAVE everyone time, by taking your meetings virtual.

We’ve all been there — imprisoned in meetings that went nowhere, fast.

Or if they did go anywhere, they required an hour to reach conclusions and actionable items that could have been deduced in 10 minutes or less.

Whether it’s for your job or some activity outside work, these days such lengthy meetings aren’t just a bore, they border on obscenely wasteful. Multiply each person at a meeting’s hourly rate by they time they sit idle in that meeting, and soon you’re talking very big numbers. Now multiply that by weeks, months and years of said practice, and imagine the potential squandered — not just in dollars, but in the ability to have real impact. It gets even worse if people have to travel in order to get together.

One tool that’s been out there a while that makes life easier in this regard are teleconference phone call services, and more recently on the scene, Web conferencing services. I love being on both the delivering and receiving end of these tools for so many reasons, and you just might, too. Here are just a few:

• rapid, conversational exchange of information with many parties across great distances
• very easy to set up
• save time by not having to travel
• easier on the environment than traveling to the destination
• easy to record and archive for later re-use, review, or even to sell

And yes, there are some down sides to these virtual meeting tools, such as:

• they don’t allow individualized attention
• presenters can’t visually check audience engagement and adjust accordingly (i.e., are people yawning?)
• there’s less chance to bond and network with other attendees compared to in-person
  energy (the kind found at *good* meetings) is lacking
• some services are not affordable for small businesses/entrepreneurs

On that last one, at least, you happen to be in luck. Numerous companies offer free or next-to-free teleconference services. My favorite, FreeConferenceCall.com, recently announced the launch of live Web meeting capability as well. So that multimedia PowerPoint demo you would have delivered live? You can now give it to people across the globe — and it’s free for you and them, minus any long-distance charges for the phone portion (but come on, who pays full price for long distance these days?).

As of this writing, I’ve yet to try FreeConferenceCall.com’s Web meeting tool — but have used the phone conference on many occasions. I was so impressed with it as a listener, that I shortly thereafter signed up when I had to create my own training conference call. The experience was great … and I will add the obligatory disclaimer that your mileage (call quality, ease of use, etc.) may vary.

So next time you have to get several busy people “in the same room” at once, remember it doesn’t have to be a logistical nightmare. By devoting a few minutes on your part to register for an online meeting service, you can share vital information and save our most valuable resource these days — time.

Comparison of online meeting providers: http://www.webconferencing-test.com/en/webconference_home.html
And here’s another: http://conference-call-services-review.toptenreviews.com/

Akweli Parker is founder of Digital Delta Media, a communications consultancy near Philadelphia. He lives, breathes and writes to help people apply technology in ways that improve their lives and communities. You can reach him at aparker (at symbol) digitaldeltamedia.com and on Twitter at @aparkerddm

People whose children receive free school lunches can access the internet for $9.95 a month courtesy of the company that takes a big bite out of my budget for internet access and cable TV. Comcast is also offering a computer for $149.99 plus free internet training.

That’s not a bad deal. The company has been running commercials about its program called Internet Essentials , and I’m sure you’ve heard them: Two kids, both in same class, one has a computer at home, the other has to trek down to the library to wait to use a computer. All kids should have at least one computer at home, or he/she will be seriously left behind. 

To qualify, you must:

- Be located in a Comcast internet service area

- Have at least one child in the free school lunch program

- Have not been a Comcast internet customer in the last 90 days

- Be a customer who does not have an overdue bill or have not returned the company’s equipment

You can apply by calling 1-855-8-INTERNET (1-855-846-8376) for an application. Once you get the application, you must return it with documentation from your child’s school that he/she is in the free lunch program. Comcast says it will notify you in 7-10 days with an update of your application.

If you qualify or know someone who does, hit up the company or pass along the word.

If you use the Web much, you may will notice an annoying uptick in messages nagging you to get a new browser — purportedly so you can enjoy all the latest enhancements available through The Internets.

So, should you upgrade to Microsoft’s Internet Explorer 9 (IE9) Web browser if you’re a Windows user?

Does it matter? (Hey, I know this stuff keeps you up at night.)

But before you answer or click away to see what’s on TMZ.com, here’s a one-word hint: security. As in, “online ne’er-do-wells breaking into your PC via your browser through malicious Web sites,” security. Not to mention those pesky marketers who track your online surfing without you even knowing it (yup, people do that, and sell the data to companies for big bucks).

Yes, I know IE9 has been available to the general public since March. But given the sluggishness with which most people are compelled to switch software (I sit typing this with one hand while raising the other in sheepish confession), now seemed a good opportunity to address this critical computing issue.

Critical? Yes, pretty much. There’s the security matter, which we just went over.

Then there’s also the fact that many programs, including ones you might use, piggyback off of Internet Explorer to “render” content from the Web. That’s exactly what it sounds like — other programs use a part of IE to render, or bring to you, images, text, or entire pages, without you having to leave those programs. Older versions of IE might not have the ability to cooperate like this with newer software you install.

This post won’t get mired in debating whether IE9 is the most competent Web browser out there (fans of Google Chrome, Safari and Firefox might all argue the superiority of those Web viewers … scratch that, they will argue the superiority of those browsers, perhaps even to the death — so be careful what you say and to whom).

This post will, however, advise you that if you already use some earlier version of Internet Explorer — IE8, 7, or heaven forbid, IE6 (seriously, clutch the pearls if that last one is the case) — go ahead and download IE9, resources permitting. The bad news is that it’s a space hog — you’ll need a minimum of 1GB RAM (working memory) and 16GB of available hard disk space; and it’s a pain in the asterisk waiting for it to download and install. In all fairness, it is a quicker install this time around than with past versions.

Microsoft says super-fast loading times and smooth rendering of graphics and video are two major pluses of Internet Explorer 9.

Some folks have complained too that it’s hard to find familiar functions, since the toolbar at the top defaults to an uncluttered, minimalist design. I actually like the less-is-more design, as it provides more real estate for Web page content; that means less screen and scroll fatigue for you, dear Tech Camp reader.

One more important factoid: IE9, as of the time of this writing, was only available for the Windows Vista and Windows 7 operating systems (and Windows Server 2008 for you enterprise folks). If you have Windows XP, the most commonly used Microsoft operating system, you’re out of luck (or perhaps in luck, if you’re among the people who consider IE9 a software turkey).

From what I can tell, the world divides into two camps concerning IE9: those comp sci wizards for whom nanoseconds of load-time difference and other computer esoterica matters; and everyone else — normal folks with ordinary set-ups, who just need a decent browser compatible with as many online sites as possible.

On balance, I’m going to say the benefits of installing IE9 outweigh the drawbacks. If you’ve been using a previous version of IE, consider this: you’ll have to upgrade sooner or later anyway. You may know firsthand what I mean if you’re unfortunate enough to still be running IE6 (some Web sites refuse to render for IE6 users, with condescending messages such as, “oh dear, it appears you’re using an outdated, unsupported browser … please upgrade to …”).

But just in case you need a little additional incentive, here’s a quick list of ways in which IE9 spanks its predecessors:

• much, much faster — Microsoft claims, and I will mostly agree, that with multimedia sites it’s like running programs as if they were on your machine locally
• improved privacy — you can better prevent nosy Web sites from tracking your moves online
• unobtrusive “Notification Bar” at the bottom of the screen replaces rude pop-up alerts
• auto-complete of Web addresses, and the URL area doubles as a search bar — no need to flit over to your favorite search engine in a separate Web page
• optimized for HTML5, which is the new “It” programming standard for the Web; this is actually a pretty big deal and will become more so as time passes
• it’s FREE

Convinced already? Download IE9 here.

Not convinced? Or have you had issues with IE9? For instance, does installing it crash your system, slow you down or otherwise interfere with your ability to be a productive citizen? Sound off in the comments section, below!

Akweli Parker is founder of Digital Delta Media, a communications consultancy near Philadelphia. He lives, breathes and writes to help people apply technology in ways that improve their lives and communities. You can reach him at aparker (at symbol) digitaldeltamedia.com

The Root

In other words, where are the black Mark Zuckerbergs, Jack Dorseys, and Esther Dysons? It’s a question, quite frankly, that rankled and roused us here at Tech Camp  to get started on the Tech Camp concept nearly two years ago. In attending events such as PodCamp, WordCamp, and other conferences with high geek concentrations, we found it remarkable (and lamentable) that we could count the number of African Americans (and Latinos) on one hand, amidst a sea of hundreds of white and Asia-American attendees and presenters. Why aren’t more black people learning, teaching, and creating in this thriving space?

Black Enterprise also took notice of the phenomenon and concluded, as you might imagine, that it’s not an encouraging trend. People who aren’t black need to be concerned, too. Diversity isn’t just a nice corporate catchphrase, it’s a key competitive advantage in innovation — which is what we’ll need in abundance, across industries, in order to reverse the economic malaise of the past several years. Web technology just happens to be an industry where it’s much easier to get in and create products and services of value.

Statistically speaking, blacks are very high consumers of technology, but are notably underrepresented in creating it — especially in Silicon Valley, a U.S. hotbed of venture capital-backed, Web-based tech firms. I’m with BE columnist Hajj Flemings who writes:

“I can go on a rant about there not being enough tech startups founded by African Americans or there not being enough African American speakers at the social/digital media conferences, but I’d rather challenge our community to create a pipeline of qualified people and companies that demand the attention of the tech community and provide access and opportunities to close the digital divide.”

The dearth of African Americans in founder/management roles at tech startups is so pervasive that heaps of attention have been lavished recently on one initiative established to start remedying it, the New Me Accelerator.  Bankrolled by heavy hitters including Google, Pepsico, and a bevy of venture capitalists, New Me describes itself as an “accelerator” for minority led start-ups that will house a handful of visiting start-ups during the summer of 2011 in Silicon Valley.

The Root article, borrowing from The Washington Post, notes that access to investors and to existing, successful tech leaders are the keys to success for any up-and-coming minority-led tech firms. It makes perfect sense — it’s well known that we are a reflection of our reference groups. (You may have heard the old formula: take your five-closest friends, look at their income, their weight, their level of educational attainment, their career status, and yours will be an average of them all.)

Of course that’s not an ironclad rule, but it is fairly accurate. And it applies just as well to business start-ups — if you wish to succeed, hang out with people who’ve already made it. Pick their brains, become friends with their friends, and get their results.

So in answer to the question, “where are the black Internet entrepreneurs?” my answer would be that they’re out there, with worthwhile ideas in various stages of development. It will take outreach efforts from investors in the manner of New Me Accelerator. And it will require proactive curiosity from minority  techpreneurs themselves to “poke the box” (to borrow a phrase from marketer Seth Godin) and figure out the funding and connections puzzle that turns big ideas into implemented reality.

Akweli Parker is a co-founder of WABW Tech Camp and runs Digital Delta Media, a digital marketing consultancy. Have questions about how best to use the Web to grow your number of customers, members, or online followers? Visit www.digitaldeltamedia.com to read informative articles, download free guides, and request a free consultation.

Accuracy:
Never post information you know is wrong or questionable. If you are unsure, check your facts. Use Google, make a phone call. You can do a lot of harm with bad information. Don’t pass along gossip. If it doesn’t check out, resist the temptation to write it. 

Honesty & Truthfulness:
Don’t take other people’s comments, words or thoughts as your own. That’s plagiarism. If you post something that’s wrong, say so. Do it quickly. There’s nothing wrong with admitting that you messed up. When someone calls you on it, don’t get defensive.

Avoid conflicts of interest:
Don’t write glowingly about a company that’s paying you to do so. Use common sense in dealings like this. If you’re connected in any way to something you’re writing about, reveal it.

Children and minors:
Be careful in writing about (and posting pictures) children under 18, especially if the information is not complimentary. Information you get from a parent or a school should be OK, as long as you have their permission. It’s a good idea to be careful with your own children.

Libel & Defamation:
This is very important not only to avoid lawsuits but to avoid damaging someone’s reputation. Don’t libel or defame anyone. To defame someone is to write a false statement about them that is harmful to their reputation and is written with malice. Don’t write anything negative to “get back” at someone. So, don’t post that photo of a co-worker sleeping on the job or your friend sloppy drunk at a night club,

Privacy:
Be respectful of the privacy of nonpublic officials such as your family members, friends, acquaintances and anyone else. Don’t divulge personal information about people without their permission. If they have not made their private life public, neither should you.

Public/elected figures: You have more leeway here. A public person must show that you wrote the information knowing that it was not true or you showed a reckless disregard for the truth. You can complain about and criticize elected officials. But don’t accuse them of a crime that you know they didn’t commit or you heard about from someone else who heard it from someone else. 

Links to other sites: You are not liable if someone else has wrong info on their site that you’ve linked to. But if you know the information is questionable, don’t link. And be careful about repeating something you’ve heard that you can’t verify.

 Here’s a link for more information about legal issues on the web.

She didn’t need to say anymore. Every woman in the room knew what she was talking about. She had walked into the WABW Tech Camp that morning not knowing what exactly to expect of the camp or of herself. But she left with self-confidence along with her own blog and more.

Presenter Lisah Hamilton oversees the work of two participants during the blogging session at WABW Tech Camp. Photos by Sirron Carrector.

Her name is Beverly, and she had come to learn how to maintain an online black-cinema business that she had inherited from her husband. She joined a small but energetic group of women for this year’s hands-on camp, with each participant creating her own wordpress.com blog and Facebook account, and learning the wherewithal to shoot and upload photos and videos to the web.

Women are learning that they cannot dodge technology any more but have to embrace it. They’re also realizing that the learning can be fun and not formidable (one participant did describe the Facebook session as ”enlightening and frightening”). Tech Camp is designed to help guide them through the thicket, with someone holding their hands along the way.

The same enthusiasm and air of camaraderie that permeated last year’s camp was just as evident this year. Held at Temple University’s Annenberg Hall in Philadelphia, the camp was an all-day affair with the sessions based on topics chosen in survey conducted by We Are Black Women, which co-sponsored the camp with Digital Delta Media LLC. 

The camp was started after conversations with women who told of handing their cell phones to their children to make them work. Hidden beneath their uncertainty was a desire to master their phones, but they were a little skittish and afraid of doing so. Interestingly, one of the main recommendations for a subsequent session was on effective cell-phone use.

Bea Joyner prepares to create a blog at the WABW Tech Camp.

Although the camp’s main purpose was technology, networking was a byproduct. The kinds of things that happen when women get together: asking for help and getting it, making contacts, sharing ideas among each other.

Like Matrie from Take a Sistah to Lunch, who’s working with a local elementary school that hasn’t had a library in two years. Several women offered to donate books and other services. Or Bea of Busy As A Bea Productions who started providing training to parents and their teens after realizing that not everyone knew how to parent. Several women bought copies of her book and CD. Or Marilyn who makes beautiful jewelry as evidenced by the necklace that she wore. Most of the women would probably have bought pieces had she brought them.

Tech Camp gave the women a place to feel comfortable enough to ask their questions, take their time absorbing the lessons and walk among others like themselves.

Participants listen attentively during a session of WABW Tech Camp.

Here’s what some of them had to say about the experience:

On how to create and maintain a blog, and keep it compelling, conducted by Lisah Hamilton, founder of Coconut Web Studio who writes the Getting to Zen blog:

“I loved this workshop.”

“Lisah’s insight was so helpful toward helping me overcome my fear of the blogosphere.”

On how to shoot photos and videos, and upload them to the web, conducted by Akweli Parker, founder of Digital Delta Media LLC.

“Akweli de-mystified photos and web and videos.”

“Akweli, great!! great!! With his insight, I can now feel comfortable venturing into this new area of the technological universe.”

On how to use Facebook as an effective marketing tool, conducted by Nicole Newman, owner of Newman Network.

“Perfect for me the new Facebook user.”

“The info was extremely helpful. This area feels to be my most challenging, but I’m confident over time I’ll make progress.”

Other general comments:

“Please continue to repeat this event.”

“I actually liked the size of the camp. It allowed more individual attention.”

Presenter Akweli Parker sets up a tripod for his session at the WABW Tech Camp.

One of the things I often notice holding people back from getting started with online video is that they think it’s too expensive. There’s also a persistent notion that it’s overly complicated.

While these ideas were once firmly rooted in reality, they really don’t hold up any more. Because of advances in technology, anybody can shoot near-professional quality video and distribute it to a wide audience, with very little up-front investment of money.

We can partially credit the current state of affairs to the late, great Flip video camera (R.I.P.), which almost single-handedly created the space for inexpensive, at-your-fingertips, consumer video cameras (and opened that market for a flood of imitators).

In the video below, I list the five simple, low-cost steps to putting yourself on YouTube or similar online Web video platforms, using  simple equipment, along with software you probably already have.

The reasons you’d want to do this are way too numerous to list here. Suffice for now to say that video content is the ultimate way to connect with people online. If you could use more:

• Friends
• fans
• prospects
• clients
• members
• credibility
• sales

… then you must embrace video. The search engines love it, plus people value being able to see a living, breathing person attached to the messages they’re absorbing while online. Video helps you build relationships and trust in a way that text will never match — and you’re reading that from a guy who is absolutely passionate about the written word.

OK, sermon over :) Check out the video and see just how easy and affordable it is to get started!

(CLICK IMAGE TO VIEW THE VIDEO)

Note: I’ll be giving a hands-on workshop on photo and video editing and uploading, at the second-ever WABW Tech Camp, Saturday May 21 at Temple University. Bring a camera and laptop (if you want) and get ready to become a Web video ninja!
Akweli Parker is the founder of Digital Delta Media LLC. He helps individuals and organizations use the power of communication to achieve their business objectives. Find out more at www.digitaldeltamedia.com.