Vlogging dos and don’ts
| Vlogging dos and don’ts | |
24 June 2005
The major hazards with a vlog can be divided into two headings: technical and legal. Looking at the technical aspects first, keep a close eye on bandwidth and web space. Video movie files, especially if not compressed, are resource-hungry. If your broadband access package is capped or metered, take into account how much bandwidth you will be consuming each month simply by moving files around between your desktop and the remote server. Unless you have free web hosting for your movies, it will also be necessary to monitor how much bandwidth is being used by your viewing audience. While this can be controlled by limiting the number of movie files available at any one time, remember that stored vlog movies take up physical web space and will impact on your web space quota. From the legal standpoint, be circumspect about the type of material you post. Anyone appearing in your vlog movies should first have given their consent. Even if the footage was filmed in a public place, it is better to err on the side of caution. Consider, too, the issue of trademarks. If a logo or other trademark is shown, particularly so if it is in a bad light, there are likely to be repercussions that are best avoided. The same goes for copyright; infringing work for which you do not have the author’s explicit permission to use will land you in hot water and with a bill to pay. Some sites only allow users to post material on condition it is freely available for others to use, but be careful about how you use the work of others, for example, a clip from tv or music. Despite what you read in some quarters, once posted a video blog is not automatically the property of the web. Copyright, licensing and trademarks – the usual rules of engagement – still apply online, in theory if not in practice. Do not be put off; always applying commonsense and good judgement should get you by in most instances. As an old newspaper boss of mine used to say, if in doubt, pull it out. | |