Black Web 2.0

Vibe Media Group Launches New Print and Online Properties

Posted: 12 May 2009 11:21 AM PDT

While some media companies are avoiding print, Vibe Media Group, parent company of Vibe Magazine, is embracing it. Coming off the heels of Vibe's all-time best-selling cover featuring Chris Brown and Rihanna, Vibe announced today that they will launch a new entertainment and celebrity focused magazine entitled The Most!. The $4.99 magazine, slated to hit news stands July 16th, will be accompanied by a corresponding blog, themostmag.com, debuting two weeks early (June 1st).
The Most! will feature celebrity fashion, lifestyle, red-carpet moments, travel, and news. The site will also review multiculturally-oriented television, DVDs, films, and book properties.

According to the press release:

The Most! will fill a void at the newsstand by reflecting Vibe's commitment to urban style, celebrity, beauty and culture through a more tabloid-themed publication. A purely lifestyle and celebrity magazine featuring some of the most trendsetting stars in the world, The Most! is "urban" with pride and mega style.

"We are excited to launch a fun, innovative media vehicle — both online and on newsstands. We believe there is a sweet spot in the consumer and advertiser marketplace for THE MOST! Advertisers across many categories are anxious to see this debut and we are proud to have leading brands from automotive, telecom, personal grooming and fashion industries in our launch issue," says VIBE Publisher Edgar Hernandez.

"THE MOST! has an adventurous, fun spirit. Our goal with THE MOST! is to give our readers 'the most' of what they crave," says Danyel Smith, Editor-in-Chief of VIBE/Vice President/Editorial Director of VIBE Media Group, and Founder of THE MOST!

3 Ways To Step Into Video Without A Camera

Posted: 12 May 2009 11:19 AM PDT

A while back, we gave you 7 Ways to Start Video Blogging Immediately. Although I gave you the low-down on how simple it is to start posting videos online, I didn't realize that some people might be a little camera shy. This new installment will give you a few ways to create original videos without actually putting your face on the web. You don't even need to own a camera of any kind.

YtDub

Have you ever been watching a YouTube video and thought it would be much more entertaining with a different background track? Well, now you can make your dreams come true with YtDub. It allows you to combine the visuals from one YouTube video with the audio from another. The interface is a littel rough around the edges, but the process is pretty simple and YtDub even provides a search feature to help you find videos to dub.

Once you done, you can share the video with your friends so that they can rate it and comment on it. Check out this video for an example of what's possible.

Animoto

Animoto has been around for quite a while now, but recently caught my eye again when they gave procrastinators a last-minute Mothers's Day gift. It allows you to create a custom slideshow with background music and images of your choosing in just a few minutes. You can upload your own images or import them from another site (Flickr, Facebook, Photobucket, etc.). Once you have the photos you want, you upload your background music or simply pick a track from Animoto's extensive library. At this point, Animoto analyzes your music and creates pretty impressive video from your images.

Creating a 30-second video with Animoto is free, which may be good for most uses. If you want to step your game up, you can purchase a full-length spot for $3 or get an all-access pass for $30 and create an unlimited number of full-length videos for the year. Animoto also makes it easy to post your videos to YouTube or simply download them to share on another service.

Here is a quick demo I did using the service.

Stupeflix

At first, I thought Stupeflix was just another slideshow creation service, but on closer examination, I'm really impressed. It's not as easy to use as Animoto, but there is a much higher level of flexibility, since there is no algorithm putting the video together for you. The real power of Stupeflix is in the XML API. As one example of this power, they created over 1,000 videos from the contents of Wikipedia all in under 59 minutes. If you have no clue what XML is or have no interest in editing XML code, you can simply stick to the graphical editor to make your videos.

Here is a quick example where I took an existing demo created from Wikipedia and added some background music by editing the XML.

Video is a very powerful method of promotion. Whether your just trying to get the word out about your blog, selling a product, or promoting a cause, having a video can make the difference. Using Animoto or Stupeflix makes it that much easier to put a professional-looking video together with minimal effort. Once again, technology lowers the bar for entry into rich media. If you're serious about your success, you now have one less excuse about why you don't do video.

Essence Teams up with CNN and HLN to debut What Matters

Posted: 11 May 2009 03:08 PM PDT

Essence, the leading media and communications company dedicated to African-American women, announced a partnership with CNN and HLN to debut What Matters, a weekly series on issues of importance to the African-American community. The recurring segment, which debuted on CNN on Friday, May 8, will feature topics ranging from 401(k) strategies to elder-care issues to pop culture. What Matters is an extension of the regular news items and features in Essence magazine, as well as the ongoing multicultural programming on CNN and will be developed collaboratively. What Matters will be available both on on-air and online. The online segments will be hosted on CNN by Tony Harris and Don Lemon with contributions from Roland Martin, Fredricka Whitfield and T.J. Holmes.

Online users can view the "What Matters" segments on-demand at CNN.com and on Mondays via CNN.com Live. This online content will be available beginning May 15. In addition, Essence.com will offer users related articles, additional commentary, blog discussions and the opportunity to view the "What Matters" segments.

"Essence is proud to partner with CNN, HLN and CNN.com to launch What Matters as a platform to inform, educate and define the cultural discussion," said Angela Burt-Murray, Editor-in-Chief, Essence. "Last year's collaboration on the Essence/CNN co-production CNN & Essence: Reclaiming the Dream laid the groundwork for What Matters — a project that will combine our reach and expertise to further the development of quality programming for African-Americans."

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