Using Videos in Email the Microsoft Way

First came the Pony Express. Then there was the US Postal Service. Next was telegrams and faxes. Then the internet took over and email became king. Today people can communicate instantaneously through text and even face to face video conferencing on their smartphones! Not to mention the popularity (and power) of video sharing sites like YouTube. But email doesn’t have to go the way of snail mail. In order to keep your online correspondences fresh and interesting, consider using video in your emails. It is a great alternative to the standard mass email update. Take Microsoft’s recent email about their famed Office products. Instead of a text based message to remind us all that, yes, Microsoft Office is still important, they went with short (1:50 – 2:30) videos showing what the process could have been like if Office products were used in creating some of history’s most memorable events.

The Declaration of Independence made in Word

Apollo 11’s moon trip analyzed in Excel

The first flight presented in PowerPoint

 Inventing the lightbulb with the help of One Note

Now that is an email worth forwarding. Eureka!

Humor Has a Place in Videos: If Obama Can Poke Fun at Himself in Online Videos So Can You

Professional videos don’t have to be serious to be taken seriously. President Obama used online videos during his campaign and he even used You Tube to make the official announcement that he was running for re-election. However, unlike former politicians and a lot of professional online videos, Obama has had a bit of fun with his online clips. Check out the video from the 2011 Online Correspondents' Dinner. The fact that this clip has received more than 8 million views should prove the power of a little humor in your videos. So how do you create humor in your video while retaining your professionalism and getting your message across? Here are some tips: • Consider taking acting lessons, a comedy class or ask a professional who has produced or directed funny pieces in the past for some tips. • What are you going to wear in your clip? Pull together some costumes or props. • Write a short and funny script or have one created. Run the jokes by colleagues and see if they deem them both funny and appropriate for the work environment. • Keep your first video under five minutes. • Stats show that you only have 10 seconds to capture the viewers attention, so get a joke in quickly to entice them to watch further. • Stuck on ideas? Try brainstorming with some of your funniest friends. • Don’t offend anyone with your jokes. Avoid ‘jokes’ with a racial or gender slant. • Upload your video onto your computer, and then online. Through sites such as YouTube, millions of people will have viewing access to your funny video. Alternatively, you can post your video on social networking sites like Facebook (www.facebook.com). The bottom line is if a politician can make a funny video, so can you. Don’t assume that all professional videos should be dry. If you add in some humor, there is a better chance people will watch and circulate your video.

IVS Wins Two Silver Davey Awards for Loeb & Loeb and Vita Coco Videos

Click below to see our Press Announcement

When Your Phone Becomes Your Prime Camera

Fun article in the WSJ today about some new photo apps that allow you to edit your images while still on your phone. The five discussed are: Picpls, Instagram, Hipstamatic, Path and Camera Fun Pro. To read the complete article and see a video that shows some of the functionality you can click here.

Leading the Pack – Intelligent Video Solutions® and Citrin Cooperman Create First Mobile Tag Advertising Campaign for Accounting Firm That Leads Directly to Video

Intelligent Video Solutions and Citrin Cooperman Print Push-to-Video Advertisements, a First for Professional Services Firms.

Click Image below to view the Video Embedded Press Release