Subscribe to feedThe Dawkins Delusion
October 13th, 2007 by Michael KreidlerThis is one of the cleverest pieces I have heard and seen in a long time.
Brilliant, just brilliant!
Catholic Media Connections
Video: The Life Of Christ
August 7th, 2007 by John LamanskyDwM website visitor Gabrielle sent us this message via the Contact Us form:
Hi! I found your article about Catholic video onlina and just wanted to share the most beautiful and touching online video I have seen about the life of Christ. Here’s the link:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=5crbtwXYc1U
It would be great if you could link it on your website so others can enjoy it too!
God bless,
Gabrielle
This beautiful video is called “The Price of Salvation: The Life of Christ”:
Thanks for the link, Gabrielle!
Do Schools Kill Creativity?
June 5th, 2007 by Michael KreidlerYouTube Catholics: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
May 22nd, 2007 by Michael KreidlerThere is a good article in The National Catholic Register. It discusses the various uses of Catholic media in the Church in the United States. One segment states:
[I]t’s the medium’s advantages that have people such as Atlanta couple Greg and Jennifer Willits excited. They are trying to capitalize on the advantages of online video by using YouTube to evangelize. They hope to catch non-Catholics or lapsed Catholics unawares.
The Willits first began podcasting in 2005. Working with podcasting priest Father Roderick Vonhögen, the Willitses raised $50,000 in order to launch an online video series to teach the faith. The result is the humorous yet reverent “That Catholic Show“. [More…]
“That Catholic Show” is a well-produced video series. I would like to interview the Willits about it in the future for a podcast. They deserve the kudos they are receiving.
I do take exception to a bit of shallow reporting done by Tim Drake. He writes:
The Archdiocese of Philadelphia’s Cardinal Justin Rigali became the first Church leader to make regular use of YouTube. Every week of Lent, Cardinal Rigali presented a weekly two- to four-minute video reflection on the Gospels called “Living Lent.”
“Cardinal Rigali’s first video received 3,000 hits in 24 hours,” said Palmo, a Philadelphia resident. “It was one of the five most-watched videos on YouTube. The archdiocese was stunned by the response.”
The article goes on to site the fact there there have been over 30,000 downloads of the series combined. Pretty good. Right?
Well, on one hand yes, but if you scratch the surface a bit you get a different story. According to YouTube’s own statistics, the first of Archbishop Rigali’s reflections has been viewed a total of 20,849 times. This means the remaining twelve episodes share the remaining 10,000 views. This is an average of just over 833 views per episode. Still, even this paints a rosy picture.
The real story here is how terribly the show is doing. Yes, it is true there have been 30,000 downloads, but let’s take a look at the stats on all of the shows through Lent and up until Good Friday:
1st Sunday Lent 20,849 views
2nd Sunday Lent 4,632
3rd Sunday Lent 1,904
4th Sunday Lent 1,293
5th Sunday Lent 890
Palm Sunday 1048
Holy Week Special 236
Holy Thursday 175
Good Friday 236
You get the idea. The stats for the last two in the series have been in the low double digits.
My point here is not to just bash a well-intentioned video series, but as the question as to why the show has lost 99.9% of its audience (20,849 down to 21) since it’s inception on February 21, 2007?
I look at the numbers and recognize there was definitely a pent-up demand for good Catholic content. I interpret following the numbers as evidence that whatever the viewers were look for, they did not find it with Archbishop Rigali’s video series.
I also note that “That Catholic Show’s” (TCS) week 2 numbers were half those of week 1. I believe it is too early to identify trends with TCS, though it is clear there is a definite one for Archbishop Rigali’s. Frankly, the show is in Hospice, but I would guess, the producers of the show don’t recognize that yet.
This of course begs the question, ‘What is it Catholic viewers are looking for online?’ I don’t have the answer. I’d like to hear your insights.
That Catholic Show
May 2nd, 2007 by Michael KreidlerIf you haven’t seen it yet, give the latest production from SQPN/Rosary Army a look. It’s called ‘That Catholic Show’:
High production values, tight script, and a dash of humor makes this a great show. I look forward to more in the future.
For Your Viewing Pleasure: Mom My Ride
April 12th, 2007 by Michael KreidlerIt’s been pretty busy here at the DwM home office. We have been editing shows, working on promoting some new podcasts, and taking very long lunches. So, it has been hectic.
One of my lackeys sent me this video and I thought you’d enjoy it:
Cardinal Posts Lenten Message on YouTube
March 24th, 2007 by Michael KreidlerPHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania, FEB. 25, 2007 (Zenit.org).- Cardinal Justin Rigali is reaching out to new audiences this Lent by posting weekly Gospel commentaries on the video sharing Web site YouTube. The archbishop of Philadelphia posted his first two-and-a-half-minute video on Ash Wednesday.
In the video entitled “Living Lent: The First Sunday,” the 71-year-old cardinal explains the benefits of fasting, comments on Sunday’s Gospel and then urges his listeners to join a Bible study group.
Donna Farrell, spokeswoman for the archdiocese, told the Philadelphia Inquirer that Cardinal Rigali “knew nothing of YouTube” until his staff proposed he try it.
“He said: ‘Anything we can do to reach people where they are.’ He has repeatedly said to us: ‘We’re in the business of evangelization. Let’s be out there. Let’s be everywhere,’” Farrell told the daily paper.
The spokeswoman said the cardinal plans to continue posting messages throughout Lent.
NFL’s Endrun Results in Fumble
March 21st, 2007 by Michael KreidlerArs Technica has a fun story about how the NFL tried to bully the wrong person:
“It’s no secret that some content owners don’t seem to understand how the DMCA works—that, or they simply don’t care when sending mass takedown notices. This seems to be the case with the recent saga of legal maneuvers between the National Football League (NFL) and Brooklyn Law School professor Wendy Seltzer. The two have been going back and forth with DMCA-related “requests” since early February—with YouTube stuck in between—and in the process, the NFL itself appears to have violated the DMCA.” [More. . ]
GodTube.com
March 19th, 2007 by Michael Kreidler
Fr. Finelli gave me the head’s up on GodTube.com. I’ve spent about 15 minutes or so poking around. I’d be interested in what you think of it.
Master Class: Ira Glass on Storytelling
February 7th, 2007 by Michael KreidlerIra Glass, host of This American Life, provides a ‘master class’ on the planning, construction, production, and delivery of a good podcast utilizing hard-core storytelling.
Part I - Structure: Anectode and Reflection
Part II - Finding a Descent Story, Failure and Compelling/Crap
Part III - Good Taste, Improvement, and Discipline
Part IV - Pitfalls, Problems & Personality