Good morning or good afternoon to all of my friends here on Bloggerlens. I trust that all of you had a great weekend. It’s now time to get back to business and see what we can discover together about making a strong hyperlocal blog.
Today I’m going to feature just one of the tools I use on my hyperlocal blog. I use many and they are all important to me. Since I do a lot of videos on my site, I thought I would give a video review of the Kodak Zi6 HD Flip Camera.
I love this camera! Ok, review over….no just kidding there, but this is one of my favorite tools in my hyperlocal arsenal. For a long time, I had a flip camera in my sights and I lusted to own one but which one? I’ll be honest with you, they just looked like they were flat out fun! Now that I own one, they are flat out fun!
As many of you, I started reading reviews and watching video reviews trying to figure out which flip camera would suit my needs the best. It was a little confusing to me but one camera seemed to be taking the lead the more I researched. The Kodak Zi6 seemed to be the overall favorite for so many people. I made the decision to buy the Zi6 and I couldn’t be happier. I have had so much fun with this camera and I never leave home without it. Literally folks, if I drive off and forget it, I turn around and go get it. I bet many of you do the same thing if you forget your cell phone. If you are, or become a hyperlocal blogger, you will feel the same way about your camera. I figure, sure as the world, if I leave home without it, I’ll stumble upon the biggest local story of the year and I will not be able to capture the event because I was too lazy to turn around and go back home. You do not want this to happen to you.
Let’s get on with the review. I could keep blabbing away but why don’t I show you? I would appreciate all of you keep the snickering to a low roar. This is my first attempt at a video review. The review goes into a little depth on the camera and I hope that if you are currently sitting on the fence, that this Kodak Zi6 Review will help you make a decision. If you have any trouble viewing the video below, here is a link to the same video on YouTube. Kodak Zi6 Review.
My video review of the Kodak Zi6 HD Flip Camera
Ok everybody, wake up, the video just stopped. LOL! I hope you are still awake. Here is direct link to the Zi6 on Amazon. It is my affiliate link and if you make a purchase, I’ll make a couple of bucks and it helps to support this site. Kodak Zi6 HD Pocket Video Camera on Amazon
I want to show you an example of when I grabbed my camera just in case I could shoot a video and post it to my hyperlocal blog. A while back, a brand new IKEA Store opened in Charlotte, N.C. I live on the outskirts of Charlotte and for months, the news of this store was all the rage in my area. I’m a guy, I don’t understand these things but that’s ok. I understand taking a club, killing my food and cooking it over fire, that’s it. Shortly after it opened, my wife informed me that I would be accompanying her to the store for a glorious afternoon of hand holding and shopping. Oh please…kill me now I thought.
I went with a smile on my face. I grabbed my trusty little Kodak Zi6 (notice the bold-faced keyword for SEO purposes) and headed for Charlotte. I hate to admit this, but I had a great afternoon of hand holding with my wife and the store was cool as hell. We even ate dinner at the store. The Swedish Meatball Specialty they served were enough for me to break at least 2 commandments. It’s the biggest single store I’ve ever been in. The Swedes make awesome furniture and right now, I’m typing this blog article on a desk that I went back to IKEA and bought. So much for my caveman exterior I try to keep. Check out the video below and see how I turned a shopping trip into an article for my hyperlocal blog.
I shot this video realizing that my target audience would most likely be the ladies. Most guys are not shoppers. I think it’s important when you shoot a hyperlocal video, try to understand who will most likely be watching the video the most. If you notice in the video, I stop talking at one point and try to shoot the tour to give an idea of what you can expect to see when you visit.
Example of hyperlocal video using the Kodak Zi6
The store is located in Charlotte and not necessarily hyperlocal to my community. However, everyone in my community was buzzing about this store for months. Here is a link to the article that appeared on Monroe Scoop. It was a great article and video for my blog. Here is the gravy. In my area, when I type into Google, IKEA Store Charlotte NC I usually find myself on the first or second page. I have been in the #1 spot many times when I check. As I write this article, I’m sitting on #13 in Google in my area. This article and video has sent my blog a lot of traffic and continues to do so.
Never miss an opportunity to post a hyperlocal video or article. Sometimes when you least expect it, an opportunity presents itself. Make sure you add some sort of video camera to your tool kit. Take it everywhere you go. Please tell me how you use video on your hyperlocal blog. I am very interested in hearing about it and I’m sure you would be helping the readers of Bloggerlens.
Here is a free download of the song I used in the IKEA video. “Shopping” by Bare Naked Ladies. Be my guest to download and put it in your own hyperlocal video if you get an opportunity. Review a local store and drop it in your video.
If you are considering starting a hyperlocal blog in your area, don’t forget my free offer to help you get set up and going. It’s never too soon to start.
Copyright 2009 bloggerlens.com Hyperlocal Blogs & Citizen Journalism
Check out these awesome articles while you are here:
- Tools Of The Hyperlocal Blogger
- The Kodak Zi8 HD Flip Cameras Are Sold Out Everywhere. Best Buy Stores Have Dumb Policies
- Tools For The Hyperlocal Blogger | My Review Of The Audio Technica Pro 88W Wireless Microphone System
- Become A Hyperlocal Rock Star In Your Town With Video Reviews
- Planting Seeds In The Garden Of Your Hyperlocal Blog
cool camera. I use a Mac also. Have you ever edited in iMovie? Just curious how you thought iMovie performed as an editor.
@medic When I started using a Mac, it came installed with iMovie. That’s actually one of the many reasons I went to a Mac. However, I quickly discovered that iMovie had awful audio controls. Like I said in an earlier post, you really need to have decent audio. I made the jump to Final Cut Express almost immediately and was willing to suffer a learning curve if I could have complete control over my audio. Fading in, fading out, cutting clips etc…not to mention graphics.
iMovie is very good and it will serve the purpose of most people and their editing needs. However, I would recommend that instead of learning iMovie if you haven’t already, drop $200 and buy Final Cut Express. You will be happier in the long run and you will be able to do some professional edits and graphics that you may have the opportunity to be paid for.
sorry for the thousand questions, but I have two quick ones.
What theme are you using for bloggerlens? Monroe Scoop?
thanks.
[...] PS– many emails come to me wanting to know the camera set up I use. Check it out here: Kodak Zi6 Review [...]
@Medic. The theme I use for the Monroe Scoop is a custom theme called “Fresh News” from Woo Themes. Here is my link to Woo Themes. Magazine Themes
The theme that I use here on Bloggerlens you can find here at this link. This is a free theme. http://wordpress.bytesforall.com/?page_id=40
Steve,
Zi6 question. Is there a trick you use so you know your upper body, especially your head, is in properly placed in the video like you do in your intro to the post? Part of the reason I bought it was so I could do EMS training and I’d like for the students to at least be able to see me occasionally without looking at my head right in the screen, lol.
I tend to be doing a lot of headless shots unless I stick my head very close while you are set 2-3 feet away. Other than that, I’ve been playing around with this thing to get the hang of it and this camera simply rocks!
Just for those who decide to purchase don’t be surprised when you playback the video. It sounds distant when you play it back, but once it is on the computer, it sounds good.
@Medic When you have the lens pointed toward you, it’s hard to tell if you are in the frame. What you do is to look at the round button that pops out the USB plug. Being silver, it’s reflective and you can see your image in the button. That’s what I do when I’m holding the Zi6 my hand. The other times, I use a tripod and shoot a test shot before doing my recording.
All of my intro shots are shot with a tripod and I set up and position myself and shoot a test recording first.
I’ve had the Zi6 for about three months now, and I am very impressed with the camera’s performance. The picture quality is quite good for a point-and-shoot video camera, and the ability to use off the shelf replaceable batteries and SDHC cards puts it way ahead of the competition IMHO.