Politics and Christianity: Political Blogging

Showing posts with label Political Blogging. Show all posts

Ripping And Converting Political Video

I spent more than four hours trying to put together a video collage last week. It is a feisty little video about a certain presidential candidate's unusual assortment of "friends." However, the video still isn't posted here. Why? Because I have been trying to learn to convert video formats and am just not getting it. Converting AVI to MPEG really shouldn't be that difficult.

What software to do y'all use for this?

The Blaze Media Pro people share the following information for their product.

BlazeMedia Pro is a powerful all-in-one multimedia application that offers conversion, ripping, editing, recording, burning, playback, and much more. Powerful, yet easy to use audio, video, and data CD/DVD burning are all fully supported. VCD, SVCD, and DVD burning are supported. Other advanced features include video capture, video creation, combining, and extraction, video editing, copying of music CDs, audio and video merge (joining), MusicID audio recognition, lyrics search, audio tag editing, FreeDB support, and more. The audio content of video files can be extracted and saved to sound files, and frames can also be extracted to images files in batch mode. Video files can also be created from still frame images and/or other videos.

Formats supported for audio conversion include CD, MP3, WAV, WMA, OGG, MPEG-4, AIFF, M4A, AAC, AC3, FLAC, and ALAC, and two-way conversions among MPEG-1, MPEG-2, AVI, WMV, ASF, Flash (SWF and FLV), iPod, PSP, 3GP, and MOV are available for video. MPEG options are available for VCD, SVCD, and DVD compliant output. DVD ripping, and audio compression functionality are also present. When converting from audio CD, track information can be dynamically downloaded from the CDDB and used to automatically name saved files.

Video editing is available for AVI (uncompressed and compressed using any available codec), MPEG-1, MPEG-2, WMV, and ASF. Comprehensive video editing operations are provided (delete frame, delete selection, crop, resize, rotate, mirror, flip, trim, text overlay, adjust audio volume, etc.). In addition, an extensive list of over 30 effects and color adjustment operations allow for powerful video enhancement and alternation. Audio files can be inserted into the video or extracted from the video; and image files can be inserted or extracted as well.

Are you familiar with it? Any positive testimonials?

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Start Your Own Political Blog

A big thank you to all of those who swing by here every day to read my thoughts on politics and Christianity. This post will be my 1263 post here at Politics and Christianity.

I want to just take a moment to not only thank you for participating in the discussion here, but also to recommend that you consider doing political blogging yourself. My husband recently joined the Blogivists group of blogs. The use a neat WordPress platform and make it available to you free of charge. Check them out.

And, while you are at it, check out my husband's new blog. But beware! He is even more opinionated than I am.

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Wasted Opportunities

Observation: If you are going to spend the money to purchase exhibit space, on transportation and lodging for your exhibitors, and for all that is involved in preparation and follow-up, then IT IS WORTH SPENDING A FEW DOLLARS for a portable trade show booth. Some very nice ones are available for a reasonable price from the Godfrey Group.

My husband and I were recently at an event in which there were many high profile personalities and as a result it had brought in lots of folk who have the ability to push things forward. This would have been a great time for the exhibitors to get their information into the hands of people who can make things happen. The problem? No one was checking out the exhibit space. People would walk up to the doors, look inside, and then go on to chat with friends or head out to a breakout session. There was nothing in the exhibit space to draw people's attention -- no color, no use of vertical spaces, no motion.

Worse than the wasted time and money, was the wasted opportunity.

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My Dream Job For A Day - PLEASE READ

Alright you guys it's time to take action. No, I'm not forming a Political Action Committee, I just want you to go on over to FutureResume.com and vote for my video. If my dream job video gets enough votes I win my dream job for a day, which is blogging for you guys while laying on the beach in Greece. And, hey, I need to do something special for the hubby after calling him deformed . . .

Okay, here's the YouTube version, BUT YOU STILL HAVE TO GO VOTE FOR ME !

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Photographic Troublemaker's

I'm blaming the folk at 42nd Street Photo for my husbands cantankerous nature. Thirty years ago my husband took a photography class and became a photographer for his high school yearbook. On one occasion there was a cake in the Picher High School teacher's lounge. So, my husband took his camera down there and told the janitorial staff who were in the lounge at the time that he needed to take their picture. While he took them to the auditorium to get their picture, one of his cohorts in crime sneaked in and stole the cake.

Having gotten away with it, he became the ornery cuss he is today.

So, how are the folk at 42nd Street Photo to blame for that. Simple -- when he was ready to order his first "professional" camera he ordered a Vivatar 220 SLR from 42nd Street Photo. Post hoc, ergo propter hoc.

Okay, maybe I can't blame them for his lack of sanctification. But, I am impressed that they have been in business for as long as they have in a business that has changed radically since the days of the Vivatar 220 SLR. If interested, you can check them out at their new 42nd street Wordpress blog.

Now, if you will excuse me, I had better go check on my husband who is probably photo "enhancing" pictures of candidates he doesn't like.

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SEO For Political Bloggers

My husband and I just sat through several hours of a sales pitch for a company that markets their online stores to people who are wanting to go into business for themselves. When it comes to the sales pitch these guys were real pros. I am guessing that more than half of the 120 people in the room purchased their services.

As a follow-up to this evening they are offering "free of charge" a training in which they will show you how their $3,600 Pro Package is essential. What is offered in this package? Well, the thing which they emphasized and spent most of their time promoting was Search Engine Marketing.

Their prices were way out of range, but one thing that they did have right was the value of proprietary tools for Search Engine Optimization. Those of you who are wanting to take your political blogging to the next level may very well want to check out what Pepperjam is doing with search engine advertising.

Before this evening I had never heard of the guys with whom I spent the evening listening to their internet sales pitch. However, most bloggers and webmasters will be familiar with Pepperjam. Pepperjam has established a reputation as one of the premier search-engine marketing companies in the world, providing a wide array of services from pay-per-click (PPC) management to search-engine optimization (SEO). Check them out.

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Defending The American Dream Summit

I have enjoyed attending the Defending the American Dream Summit Texas Summit over the last few days. Michael Steele, Michelle Malkin, Samsphere, Michael Williams, Bob Novak, ... what's not to love. I am percolating on all that I have taken in over the last few days and plan on writing a series of related posts over the next week. But, I just wanted to write a quick note to the events sponsors, especially the Sam Adams Alliance. While here I have made many new political blogger friends and I look forward to continuing these relationships.

I encourage anyone who can make it, to attend the National Summit in Washington, D.C. in October. You won't be disappointed.

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Blogging = Money

Political bloggers are playing a bigger and bigger role in formation of public discussion. However, it is still the institutional media that gets the biggest chunk of advertising revenue. Or, at least it has been up until now. Izea has developed SocialSpark to make social networking profitable for bloggers. And, their PayPerPost operation is always looking to grow our network and bring our bloggers more great opportunities to write about.

After noticing my husband had a lot more walking around money due to his blogging for PayPerPost, I decided to give it a try. Not only was I able to discover some new and interesting products and services, I was able to blog about them in the context of my blog. Cool.

How can you not love the folk who make it possible to make a little money while doing what you you love -- blogging? I encourage you to check them out and see what they can do for you through the
blog marketing tools and opportunities they make available.

By the way, if you've been looking for a good excuse to go to Florida, look no further. IZEAFest '08 Invites All Bloggers and Advertiseres to their Annual Social Media Conference. This is the Premier Event for bloggers and it comes to Orlando for three days of education and networking with fellow content creators and marketers.

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Website Promotion

Are you investigating ways to promote your blog, website or e-commerce business? If so, there are plenty of marketers out there that are perfectly willing to take your money and grant you some exposure. However, internet marketing does not work in the same fashion as does the non-virtual world. Exposure isn't branding, clicking isn't buying, and traffic doesn't mean you are seeing potential buyers. And, don't think that just because a web marketer comes with a well-known name that you are getting what you are paying for. When it comes to website promotions there are many players in the game that treat it as if it were a zero sum game.

So, if you are considering website promotions you will want to check out networksolutions.com. They are a one-stop website promotion solution for small businesses; researching keywords, analyzing your website, creating ad copy, purchasing keywords and reporting on your campaign.

They have organized their business to help businesses choose the plan that works best for them. You can choose from two affordable, fully-managed PPC advertising plans, with options that include customized landing pages and local business ads. They have provided a chart to help you identify which features are important for you and to make your choice of plans. Check them out.

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Software Information On The Cheap

Former U.S. Vice President Thomas R. Marshall is said to have remarked to a U.S. Senate clerk, “What this country needs is a good five-cent cigar.” There is no such thing as a good five-cent cigar. And, there is no such thing as cheap software. Or, is there? Whether you need to purchase Microsoft Office 2007 pro, or hundreds of other products, one of your first steps should be to check out the Software Supply software blog. You don't have to know everything about computing, or software, or the current marketplace if you know the right place to go to get the information you need. Check them out. (But, I don't think they review cigars.)

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Democratization of Political Blogging

A few decades ago it was possible for a few elite persons to control what information was made available to the public about political candidates. That is not true any more. There has been a democratization of political and public policy information like no one could have foreseen. I am talking about political blogging. Bloggers have "found their voice" and people are listening. Some bloggers have as large, or larger, an audience that does the mass media. And the influence of political bloggers is great enough that the various political parties are now extending full media credentials to bloggers.

Many of you who read Politics & Christianity do a great job of sharing your thoughts in the comment threads here. I encourage you to extend the influence of your "commentary" by beginning your own Blog. There are a variety of blogging platforms that are cheap and easy to learn. One such provider is Thoughts.com. At Thoughts.com you can create a free blog or personal online journal where you can upload photos, videos, and podcasts, or chat in the community forums and bookmark the latest news. Thoughts.com allows you to decide for each blog post if you want it to be public, private, or only viewable by your friends and family. And, there is unlimited free bandwidth for those of you with lots and lots of ideas to share.

If you start your own blog, or already have one, drop me a note so I can check it out.

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Backing Up What You Say

Our family watches Monk religiously. On one of the episodes he is in a morgue and accidentally erases all the coroner's files. It's funny watching it on television, but it also makes me uneasy.

I admit it. I would be more comfortable with a #2 pencil and a pad of paper than I am with the computer on which I am now typing. I have to get my nine-year old son to assist me with much of what I do on the computer.

So it should be no surprise to you that I could easily mistake the IDrive - Online Backup for Mac for that sound that a big rig semi-truck makes when it is backing up . . . beep, beep, beep. Okay, I'm not quite that bad. But when, like me, you struggle with all things computer, you make lots of mistakes along the way and you need to be 100% sure that your computer is backed up all the time. And, it needs to be simple.

That is where the iDrive - Online Backup for Mac comes in. It's easy, it's fast, it's secure, and with it all my computer data is safe even if I hit the wrong key or Monk comes for a visit. I don't have to be a computing genius to know that is a good thing.

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Politics & Christianity Road Show

We're taking our show on the road -- or at least hope to very soon. Help us select from the variety trade show displays one that is eye catching, easily transported, and will fit into a variety of settings, -- that means it can't be completely gaudy.

The link above will take you to the Godfrey Group which provides a broad range of trade show booths, as well as accessories for trade shows, corporate information centers, showrooms, retail environments, and promotional events. So, help us pick our presentation, and then invite us to come to your show. Hope to see you soon.

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I Don't Understand, But I Know I Need It

I love to hear my father-in-law tell the story of his conversion to Christianity which took place more than sixty years ago.

He grew up in the Ozark Mountains and never went to school; not even grade school. At the age others were learning their ABCs he was driving a team of mules dragging logs to a sawmill.

He received just about as little religious education as he did education in reading, writing, and 'rithmatic. However, when he married my mother-in-law she would help him to get both. She taught him to read, herself. And, her tears helped bring him to church where he first really heard the gospel.

He says that when the preacher finished his sermon and gave the invitation he went forward and kneeled at the altar praying, "Lord, I don't understand all that preacher said, but I do know this, if what he said is true, I know I need it."

I love that prayer.

Those words describe not only the way someone comes to Christ, but how we must approach many things in life. For instance, "I don't really understand webhosting but I know I need it."

Because I don't understand web hosting I appreciate sites like WebHostingChoice.com which can help me analyze the pros and cons of the many web hosting companies that are out there. Not only do they provide informational articles, and ratings for the various web hosting companies, but their advanced search function allows me to key in exactly what I am looking for in a web host and then it will generate possible matches. I'm glad they are there for those like me who don't understand web hosting, but know that they need it.

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Everything You Always Wanted To Know About Web Hosting, But Didn't Know To Ask

Imagine someone who is hosting a fundraiser for a political candidate. If he is doing his job right, he is largely invisible. He does not draw attention to himself for his whole function is to make sure the candidate is allowed to shine.

This is similar to the purpose of a web host. His function is to make his customer's website stand out and make an impression. Every day there is a large number of entrepreneurs either starting a business or finally succumbing to the increased pressure to have a visible online presence. Business owners are quickly realizing that to have no website is the equivalent to a storefront with no signage, no lights, and the shades pulled down.

Unfortunately, many of these same entrepreneurs are finding that they are putting the future of their business into the hands of inexperienced web hosts who are drawing attention to themselves via numerous glitches instead of allowing the business to shine on what is expected to be a professional looking website. In fact, most web hosting providers are run by technical-dummies that are the business people who are just riding the internet wave to make some extra money, and this has produced a huge influx of terrible web hosting companies.

Before allowing your company's future customers and profits to slip into a cyberspace black hole, check out the web hosting articles available at http://webhostingrating.com/articles/ . The world of web hosting is tricky, and it is hard to tell how reliable a host can be. An expensive host is not necessarily better and there are definite do's and don'ts to look for when shopping around to determine if a cheap web host is reliable. After all, a good web host you can depend on shouldn't break the company budget.

Other important topics available for you to study at the Web Hosting Rating website include Ecommerce, Colocation Hosting, Multiple Domain Hosting, Shared Hosting, Front page Hosting, Linux Hosting, Windows Hosting, Scripting, Security Issues and much more.

While I am speaking in terms of profit making businesses, we naturally want reliable web hosts for our personal sites and other organizations as well. Whatever your needs the articles at Web Host Rating should be of assistance to you as you plan for success.

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Disclosure Policy

This policy is valid from 20 May 2008

This blog is a personal blog written and edited by Susan Stilley. This blog accepts forms of cash advertising, sponsorship, paid insertions or other forms of compensation.

The compensation received may influence the advertising content, topics or posts made in this blog. That content, advertising space or post may not always be identified as paid or sponsored content.

The owner(s) of this blog is compensated to provide opinion on products, services, websites and various other topics. Even though the owner(s) of this blog receives compensation for our posts or advertisements, we always give our honest opinions, findings, beliefs, or experiences on those topics or products. The views and opinions expressed on this blog are purely the bloggers' own. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer, provider or party in question.

To get your own policy, go to http://www.disclosurepolicy.org

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P&C Announcement: Bids Being Accepted

Bids are now being accepted from web developers for a new look for the Politics & Christianity website. If you would like to submit a bid, please send to editor@politicsandchristianity.com.

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Saudi Blogger Arrested

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Conservative Political Websites of 2007

Wow, some big surprises in the Intellectual Conservative's Who's Who of Conservative Political Websites of 2007. (HT: Reformed Chicks) You will probably have some reservations about some of these sites being considered "Conservative." Go on over to Intellectual Conservative to learn how these made the list and leave any comments you might have.

Drudge Report – 951

Fox News - 599

Wall Street Journal – 1,043

New York Post – 1,778

WorldNetDaily – 4,605

NewsMax – 5,334

Boston Herald – 6,684

Free Republic – 7,114

Town Hall – 7,915

U.S. News and World Report - 8,694

Jeff Rense Program – 10,492

National Review Online – 10,502