Tech Notes

[Moose]

Technical help
Ning Thing 101
Information for Moose Tellers

If you have learned an easy way to post media content and other information on our Ning web pages please share it here with others.

We will be posting Tech notes on the major functions and widgets of our website to help you get the most web presence to promote your Storytelling talent.

Technical Information for Moose Tellers

Help INDEX

Tech Notes: Posting Photos

http://moosetellers.ning.com/notes/Tech_Notes%3A_Photos

Tech Notes: Copy Photos

http://moosetellers.ning.com/notes/Tech_Notes%3A_Copy_Photos

Tech Notes: Posting Music or a Story
http://moosetellers.ning.com/notes/Tech_Notes%3A_Music_%28Story%29

[Moose]

Posting an Event

You can find instructions and help here in this discussion forum or you can just read the Tech Notes located on the bottom left of our Maine Page any time you need to find a reference.

Tech Notes: Events
http://moosetellers.ning.com/notes/Tech_Notes%3A_Events

Events

The Ning event calendar automatically removes your event at the time the event is over. This can be a disadvantage if you want to build trust and create a buzz concerning past performances. For this reason you may want to also list Events in your Blog so folks can get a sense of what you are capable of.

At the quick start click on: Event

A pop up window will appear insert the Name of your event.

Event Image

Below the Name it says Event image and there is a image icon.

You must upload an Image!

If an image is not there it will reject your entry. Some folks get stuck trying to upload Event images without a digital camera. You can go to most images that are public domain (copyright free) and save it for your use.

Here at our Moose Ning site we have a stock image provided by Lynne Cullen to allow our members to post an Event without an image of their own. Check your Ning Photo tab on the top tool bar to see if your administrator has done the same. Most computers will allow you to right click your mouse and click on the Save As option then put it in a file you can find and retrieve it when the Event upload window appears at the image icon.

Description

Add your Description in the box and keep in mind although there is a name and date box the description may be easier for folks to cut and paste from, for fliers and newsletters. So a brief redundancy may help spread the word. (Search other folk’s events to see what looks good to you for a format)

Event Type

The event type is also made into links. The type should be a category description not just another name. If you use groupings of words they may be jumbled and out of order. An Irsh Storytelling Event was described as: seanachie, nights, storytelling for adults But appeared on the web site as: adults for nights storytelling seanachie So to have it make sense we use the underscore _ to tie key words together to make sense: seanachie_,nights, storytelling_for_adults

Start time

Add the correct date, some times you can’t find an event because you marked it wrong. These errors are another reason why the date info is handy in the description box. (Confused folks will tell you if you have two dates.)

Location

It is best to place a venue or well known name of a location here. To add a street address or include a map choose More options or Events from the top tool bar.

Click on Add Event if you are done

More Options (if you choose EVENTS from the top tool bar you will also get this window if it is offered.)

In addition to the above choices you can now add an ending time or date which is great for festivals and workshops. Adding the Street address and a link to map page or the venue’s direction page and a contact phone number will help folks show up at your event. The organized by option will also promote those who promote you. If the event was organized by someone else say so or it will default to who is signed into the Ning network.

Event Button provided by Lynne Cullen

www.lynnecullen.com

This tech note is from the handout Widgets which is included in the workshop "Web Begin Nings"

To book our workshop for your event contact:

Web Begin Nings Co-Presenters

Andrea Lovett [e-mail]
http://andrealovett.blogspot.com

Learnin’ Vernon
c/o Vernon Cox

[e-mail]
www.learninvernon.bravehost.com

[Moose]

Uploading Photos

You can find instructions and help here in this discussion forum or you can just read the Tech Notes located on the bottom left of our Maine Page any time you need to find a reference.
Tech Notes: Photos
http://moosetellers.ning.com/notes/Tech_Notes%3A_Photos

Your photos should tell a story of who you are and how you may interact with your audience. Large Photos can be used by a presenter to help you promote your events. Smaller photos can be e-mailed and placed in website blogs as buttons.

At the quick start click on: Add Photos
A pop up window will appear click on the browse pull down window. Your computer files will appear go to your images and click to upload any photo that is under 10MB in size keep in mind that smaller photos will upload faster. Ning supports photos in the .jpg, .gif and .png file formats.

Under the browser window and above the Add Photo is the statement
“I have the right to upload these photos under the Terms of Service.”
You should read the terms of service first. You are implying you are in agreement when you upload the photo whether you have read it or not, you are still bound to those terms.

After your Photo is uploaded you will be able to post a description and set privacy sharing. You will also be able to tag your photo to be seen on search engines.

If you include contact information in your Photo description then you have just made a business card that can be found anywhere by anyone. When a surfer clicks on the photo it will enlarge with the description and Tags (search links) you included. Very powerful stuff!
Example
MichaelParentTree

Contact Michael Parent:
[e-mail]

www.michaelparent.com
95 Congress St., Portland, ME 04101
Phone [phone]
Rating:
Tags: michael, moose, parent, storyteller
Views:

This tech note is from the handout Widgets which is included in the workshop "Web Begin Nings"

To book our workshop for your event contact:

Web Begin Nings Co-Presenters

Andrea Lovett [e-mail]
http://andrealovett.blogspot.com

Learnin’ Vernon
c/o Vernon Cox

[e-mail]
www.learninvernon.bravehost.com

[Moose]

Uploading Video

Make Photos and Videos the Focus of your storytelling web presence. The two most popular features in terms of usage across the social networks on Ning are photos and videos. Making these at least initially the primary experience has a higher probability of success than any other combinations of features to establish a sticky web presence.



As performing Story tellers it is important to show what we do when we do it. Live performance video with an interactive audience laughing, ahhhing or even crying shows the power of what we do. With that said however our art form is a live performance art and we should let our video viewers know that. We should always try to tie in an Event or venue with the video so viewers will be encouraged to join in as a storytelling participant at their very next opportunity.



EXAMPLE of a Viewers Statement for video content:



“Storytelling is an interactive art form that bridges the gap between entertainment and communication with the performer. From nonverbal and verbal cues to the energy the teller borrows from his/her audience each performance is as unique as the listener that hears the tale and sees it live in their own mind!"


With that said to really appreciate the tellers shown here it is best to experience them LIVE!


Share tales with your family and watch others tell tales to feel

how powerful Live stories can be!


To see upcoming Moose Teller’s Events or view more videos please visit:

http://moosetellers.ning.com


You can create a video player that can be posted on other websites but only needs to be updated at one master website such as Ning or Youtube. When new videos are added to your Ning or YouTube player it will go to all your players at other websites. This enables you to have a large presence with less effort.


Titles, credits, and music can enhance your video but should not detract from your tale. See what others are doing and experiment. Norah Dooley did a great youtube that demonstrated digital storytelling in a new way. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcq_8qEZ7JI&feature=channel_page



At the quick start click on:ADD A VIDEO

A pop up window will appear click on the browse pull down window. Your computer files will appear go to your videos and click to upload any video 100MB or smaller. Ning supports .mov, .mpg, .avi, .3gp and .wmv file formats.


Or you can Paste the Embed code from another website such as Youtube http://www.youtube.com or Dailymotion http://www.dailymotion.com to add a link or a player to your profile page, Blog,or discussion forum.

Below are some links on this social network of example videos to see.

A comic mime about a paranoid air traveler, performed by Antonio Rocha

http://moosetellers.ning.com/video/2216776:Video:227

Learnin' Vernon performs a tall tale for an adult audience.

http://moosetellers.ning.com/video/a-riverwalk

Willey Phinedit performs his Tall Tale "Talk about Fish"

http://moosetellers.ning.com/video/talk-about-fish

This tech note is from the handout Widgets which is included in the workshop "Web Begin Nings"

To book our workshop for your event contact:

Web Begin Nings Co-Presenters


Andrea Lovett [e-mail]

http://andrealovett.blogspot.com

Learnin’ Vernon

c/o Vernon Cox

[e-mail]

www.learninvernon.bravehost.com

[Moose]

Blog Post

A Blog is a shared on-line journal where people can post entries about their experiences. Postings on a blog are usually in chronological order.

At the Quick Start click on: Blog

A pop up window will appear. Add your title and then place content in the entry box. Most computers and browsers will allow cut and paste from your stored document, Mp3 or video.
If you are done just click on Publish Post.

More Options
(If you choose blog from the top tool bar you may also get this window if it is offered.)
On the bottom left, if you click on ‘more options’ you will get an advanced window which will allow you to add tags (brief searchable clues to what one might find in your content), allowing you to choose a posting date in the future. This way, you can manage your time better, and there are privacy settings to moderate who sees your blog.

Advanced Text Boxes
Notice on the advanced Entry box you also have more formatting options at the top.

You can highlight your text then click on Bold, Italic, Underline or Subscript to spice up your text. The Hyper link will allow you to make your text a link that will send the reader to a target of your choosing somewhere on the World Wide Web!

The Add an Image icon will allow you to do just that. You can upload a file. This is handy for long documents you would rather not cut and past.
This advanced box is also offered for other posts such as Discussions, Notes and text on your profile page.

For more on blogs see the Handout by Andrea Lovett