Steal This Video with Story Blender

Story Blender is an online collaborative video production site where you can work together with others to "blend" your, and others media for rich, interactive storytelling. COOL!

Story Blender CEO Hyoung Yong Joon is the original founder of cyworldcom, saycupid.com , kukubox.com, and nplugs.com. Although the site is "beta," Yong's experience shines through - the tutorials, Blend Studio, overall layout, ease of use are all first class. There is really no need to spend time with the tutorials if you already have some (rudimentary) video making experience online.

And to show that he does do what he preaches, here is his own video, the Santa Cons and Salvation Army:





Your challenge, if you feel brave enough to accept it, is to remake this (hint: use the green Remake button) skit into the kind of Christmas story even the real Santa Claus could be proud of. Don't worry, you have a whole year to do it....

Besides the standard (by now) webcam and voice inputs, you can also "blend" in Google Maps overlays and data, which is something I have not seen yet on other sites covered earlier, like Animoto or JibJab.

I fully expect other, useful and fun features in the final 1.0 version, and will report on them as they appear.

Cybercast credit: Story Blender

JibJab the Right Way

All right, after getting instructions from JibJab Tech Support, I could actually star in my first funny clip, with my partner, June: Steve & June & Square Dancing





Do I want your vote? Hmmmm….

Cybercast credit: JibJab

Eat Some BRAINS the JibJab Way

Or do one better - clown around in your own JibJab movie. At least, that's the idea, according to their mission: To give you funny jokes, animated videos, cartoons, flash movies, hilarious clips, parody and such, created by YOU. How is it supposed to work?

1. Sign up
2. Go to your page
3. Head over to "Starring You"
4. Click on the "My Heads," "JibJab Heads," or "Public Heads" tab to upload your photo or choose one
5. Don't wait too long if nothing happens…

which is exactly what I experienced three times in a row. So, until they fix things, here is some brains, cooked sometime previously when the chef seems to have been on duty....




Cybercast credit: JibJab