Common Craft - Explanations In Plain English -

Client Video: LinkedIn Video Length: 2m 29s I've been a member of LinkedIn for years and like many members, I wondered how to get more from my connections. The company came to us to help address this question in video form. Ultimately, it's about uncovering LinkedIn's ability to not just connect, but get things done. Big thanks to Surya and the LinkedIn team - it was a pleasure! They have blogged and uploaded the same video, split into two section here and here. Client Video: LinkedIn

Client Video: Meetup.com Video Length: 2m 42s I've always admired Meetup's goal to use the Internet to get people together in the real world. We were happy to be able to work with them to get that message in front of more people. Douglas Atkin and the rest of the Meetup folks were a pleasure. Did you see the recent article about them in Business Week? This video currently resides on the front page of the newly redesigned Meetup.com, along with a very cool map mashup. Client Video: Meetup.com

Client Video: Meetup.com I've always admired Meetup's goal to use the Internet to get people together in the real world. We were happy to be able to work with them to get that message in front of more people. Douglas Atkin and the rest of the Meetup folks were a pleasure. Did you see the recent article about them in Business Week? This video currently resides on the front page of the newly redesigned Meetup.com, along with a very cool map mashup. Client Video: Meetup.com

Video: Social Media in Plain English This video focuses on basics of social media: new technology that makes everyone a producer and tools that give everyone a chance to have a say. Want to use this video at Work? We also offer downloadable versions that are high resolution and licensed for use in the workplace. View/Buy Licensed Version in The Common Craft Store Want to Share on the Public Web? The video above is free and offered for non-commercial use. You are welcome to share it as long as you attribute ???Common Craft???. The You Tube embed code is below: object width="425" height="355" param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/MpIOClX1jPE /param param name="wmode" value="transparent" /param embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/MpIOClX1jPE /embed /object You can also find it on Blip.tv, dotSUB (subtitles) or Vimeo (in HD!) Details, Details Version: Free via Creative Commons 3.0 Date produced: May 28th, 2008 Length: 3 Minutes 44 Seconds Transcript Video: Social Media in Plain English

Video: Social Media in Plain English This video focuses on basics of social media: new technology that makes everyone a producer and tools that give everyone a chance to have a say. Want to use this video at Work? We also offer downloadable versions that are high resolution and licensed for use in the workplace. View/Buy Licensed Version in The Common Craft Store Want to Share on the Public Web? The video above is free and offered for non-commercial use. You are welcome to share it as long as you attribute “Common Craft”. The You Tube embed code is below: object width="425" height="355" param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/MpIOClX1jPE /param param name="wmode" value="transparent" /param embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/MpIOClX1jPE /embed /object You can also find it on Blip.tv, dotSUB (subtitles) or Vimeo (in HD!) Details, Details Version: Free via Creative Commons 3.0 Date produced: May 28th, 2008 Length: 3 Minutes 44 Seconds Transcript Video: Social Media in Plain English

Apparently, May 1st is RSS Awareness Day! I had no idea such a day existed, but it has it's own site at RSSday.org . Thanks to the nice folks at dailyblogtips.com for making our RSS in Plain English video part of the site - and day for that matter. I agree that RSS is one of those special technologies. It has the potential to positively impact virtually every Internet user at no cost. A big problem is awareness - it's hard for people to see how it could impact them until they give it a try. Hopefully we've been able to turn some people on - but there are still about 94% of Internet users that haven't seen the light. The challenge continues. Here's the improved version of the original video from the Common Craft Store:

Apparently, May 1st is RSS Awareness Day! I had no idea such a day existed, but it has it's own site at RSSday.org. Thanks to the nice folks at dailyblogtips.com for making our RSS in Plain English video part of the site - and day for that matter. I agree that RSS is one of those special technologies. It has the potential to positively impact virtually every Internet user at no cost. A big problem is awareness - it's hard for people to see how it could impact them until they give it a try. Hopefully we've been able to turn some people on - but there are still about 94% of Internet users that haven't seen the light. The challenge continues. Here's the improved version of the original video from the Common Craft Store:

Video: Podcasting in Plain English Despite being around for years, podcasting is often misunderstood. This video is our way of building awareness and hopefully adoption of a technology that any computer user can use. Want to use this video at Work? We also offer downloadable versions that are improved, higher resolution and licensed for use in the workplace. View Licensed Version in The Common Craft Store Want to Share on the Public Web? The video above is free and offered for non-commercial use. You are welcome to share it as long as you attribute ???Common Craft???. The You Tube embed code is below: object width="425" height="355" param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/y-MSL42NV3c /param param name="wmode" value="transparent" /param embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/y-MSL42NV3c /embed /object You can also find it on Blip.tv, dotSUB (subtitles), or TeacherTube Details, Details Version: Free via Creative Commons 3.0 Date produced: April 21, 2008 Length: 3 Minutes 0 Seconds Transcript Video: Podcasting in Plain English

Video: Podcasting in Plain English Despite being around for years, podcasting is often misunderstood. This video is our way of building awareness and hopefully adoption of a technology that any computer user can use. Want to use this video at Work? We also offer downloadable versions that are improved, higher resolution and licensed for use in the workplace. View Licensed Version in The Common Craft Store Want to Share on the Public Web? The video above is free and offered for non-commercial use. You are welcome to share it as long as you attribute “Common Craft”. The You Tube embed code is below: object width="425" height="355" param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/y-MSL42NV3c /param param name="wmode" value="transparent" /param embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/y-MSL42NV3c /embed /object You can also find it on Blip.tv, dotSUB (subtitles), or TeacherTube Details, Details Version: Free via Creative Commons 3.0 Date produced: April 21, 2008 Length: 3 Minutes 0 Seconds Transcript Video: Podcasting in Plain English

A couple of weeks ago, we announced The Common Craft Store. It was a pretty soft roll-out, but was a huge moment for us. Not only did it mark the end of a lot of preparation, but a new business model. So far, so good. Plus, the more-ready-for-prime-time Store will soon be coming to an Internet near you. A big part of preparing to open the Store was making new versions of each video in both Windows (.wmv) and Mac (.mov) formats. This gave us a chance to make improvements across the library - especially to our first few videos, which has sound and color issues. The first example is a major update for the "licensed version" of RSS in Plain English video, which is only available in the Store. We recorded a new voice-over and re-edited it to be more efficient and have improved color. The content is nearly identical to the original, free version. Below is the updated, licensed version: The second example is CFL Light Bulbs in Plain English (formerly New Light Bulbs in Plain English). When we originally published it, it did not contain a warning about mercury and disposing of the bulbs properly. This new version of the video contains a mercury warning. This updated video is now available in both free and licensed versions. Below is the updated, free version: We're so excited about this new direction. We'll be providing all future Common Craft Show videos in free and licensed versions - and the licensed ones will be displayed in full length in the Store.

A couple of weeks ago, we announced The Common Craft Store. It was a pretty soft roll-out, but was a huge moment for us. Not only did it mark the end of a lot of preparation, but a new business model. So far, so good. Plus, the more-ready-for-prime-time Store will soon be coming to an Internet near you. A big part of preparing to open the Store was making new versions of each video in both Windows (.wmv) and Mac (.mov) formats. This gave us a chance to make improvements across the library - especially to our first few videos, which has sound and color issues. The first example is a major update for the "licensed version" of RSS in Plain English video, which is only available in the Store. We recorded a new voice-over and re-edited it to be more efficient and have improved color. The content is nearly identical to the original, free version. Below is the updated, licensed version: The second example is CFL Light Bulbs in Plain English (formerly New Light Bulbs in Plain English). When we originally published it, it did not contain a warning about mercury and disposing of the bulbs properly. This new version of the video contains a mercury warning. This updated video is now available in both free and licensed versions. Below is the updated, free version: We're so excited about this new direction. We'll be providing all future Common Craft Show videos in free and licensed versions - and the licensed ones will be displayed in full length in the Store.

Client Video: Using Google Apps with Salesforce.com Introduction: This video was created to help introduce a collaboration between Google Apps and Salesforce. It's our third client production for Google and focuses on how Google Apps tools like Gmail, Docs, Calendar and Talk are integrated into Salesforce CRM, keeping everything in the sales process on the same track. You can also view the video on Google's You Tube channel and the Google Blog. Client Video: Using Google Apps with Salesforce.comIntroduction:

Client Video: Using Google Apps with Salesforce.com Introduction: This video was created to help introduce a collaboration between Google Apps and Salesforce. It's our third client production for Google and focuses on how Google Apps tools like Gmail, Docs, Calendar and Talk are integrated into Salesforce CRM, keeping everything in the sales process on the same track. You can also view the video on Google's You Tube channel and the Google Blog. Client Video: Using Google Apps with Salesforce.comIntroduction:

Recently I had the pleasure of being interviewed by Nora Young, host of the CBC Radio Show Spark, which is described as "smart and unexpected trendwatching." The show airs tomorrow at 11:30 EST and 4pm EST on CBC Radio One. Nora has been exploring the world of how-to videos and came across Common Craft. We talked about the elements of good explanations, why technology needs them and what's driving the growth of online how-to videos. Plus, she asks for an ad hoc explanation of podcasting (live explanation - yikes). Show notes here. You can download the MP3, subscribe to the podcast, or take a listen below. If you want to skip to my section, it starts about 3 minutes in. Big thanks to Nora and the CBC for a fun interview that I hope turned out well. Enjoy.

Recently I had the pleasure of being interviewed by Nora Young, host of the CBC Radio Show Spark, which is described as "smart and unexpected trendwatching." The show airs tomorrow at 11:30 EST and 4pm EST on CBC Radio One. Nora has been exploring the world of how-to videos and came across Common Craft. We talked about the elements of good explanations, why technology needs them and what's driving the growth of online how-to videos. Plus, she asks for an ad hoc explanation of podcasting (live explanation - yikes). Show notes here. You can download the MP3, subscribe to the podcast, or take a listen below. If you want to skip to my section, it starts about 3 minutes in. Big thanks to Nora and the CBC for a fun interview that I hope turned out well. Enjoy.

Video: Twitter in Plain English This 2.5 minute video is a result of feedback from our fans. We've received a number of requests from people who want their friends to use the micro-blogging service Twitter, but can't seem to explain it well. We hope this video helps. Feel free to share this video by emailing it or using the code below from You Tube. object width="425" height="350" param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/ddO9idmax0o" /param embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/ddO9idmax0o" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="350" /embed /object You can also find the video on dotSUB (subtitled versions in multiple languages) and TeacherTube. If you'd like to follow us on Twitter, we're @leelefever and @sachilefever. Video: Twitter in Plain English

Video: Twitter in Plain English This 2.5 minute video is a result of feedback from our fans. We've received a number of requests from people who want their friends to use the micro-blogging service Twitter, but can't seem to explain it well. We hope this video helps. Feel free to share this video by emailing it or using the code below from You Tube. object width="425" height="350" param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/ddO9idmax0o" /param embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/ddO9idmax0o" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="350" /embed /object You can also find the video on dotSUB (subtitled versions in multiple languages). If you'd like to follow us on Twitter, we're @leelefever and @sachilefever. Video: Twitter in Plain English

Chris Anderson, the author of The Long Tail and editor-in-chief of Wired Magazine, has moved his focus to "Free". His article is the cover story of the latest Wired (Free! Why $0.00 Is the Future of Business) and has a book coming out in 2009. I think he's onto something. A couple of quotes: Once a marketing gimmick, free has emerged as a full-fledged economy. Offering free music proved successful for Radiohead, Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails, and a swarm of other bands on MySpace that grasped the audience-building merits of zero.Technology is giving companies greater flexibility in how broadly they can define their markets, allowing them more freedom to give away products or services to one set of customers while selling to another set. I encourage you to read the article - I think it's a meme that will be around for a while. For now though, I want to talk a bit about how "Free" has impacted Common Craft... Being a small company, we need to keep costs down, and the free economy has been a huge help. Bandwidth: We pay zero bandwidth costs to serve our videos online. The bandwidth is paid for by the hosts, namely Blip.tv and YouTube (though we are "pro" members of blip). These costs could be considerable for a small shop like us. Web hosting: Our web site is essentially free to us thanks to the fine folks at RainCity Studios. It's a sponsor/partner arrangement that's good for both of us. Marketing: We spend little, if anything on traditional marketing. The good people of the web have been better marketers than we could have imagined. Plus, blog posts are always free. The marketing cost comes in terms of our time. Communication/Collaboration: We're heavy users of Google's free business services, like Google Docs, Gmail, etc. (collectively known as Google Apps.) And of course, there's the Twitters, Facebooks, LinkedIns, etc. At the same time, we've oriented our business around freeness. Let's pretend that we started making videos like RSS in Plain English with the purpose of making money from them directly, perhaps by charging for access. Here's what wouldn't have happened: We wouldn't have put the videos on You Tube, Blip.tv, etc. The videos would have never been spread across the Web via bloggers. We would not have a popular blog or videos with lots of views. There would not be demand for our custom services We would not have worked for Google, H Look for markets that will be happy to pay for a custom or specialized version of the free item. Make sure your free products appeal to these markets. Be open and friendly. Talk to people who ask about sharing your free items. What do they want? What do they need? What would help them? Look for opportunities to build paying models around these needs. Look for tiers of freeness. Consider creating free versions and pay versions, with the pay versions offering higher quality, ease of use, special access, etc. Look for ways to collaborate with other organizations for free. Trade time, brand, information or whatever makes a win-win for the parties involved. The bottom line is that there is approximately zero possibility that Common Craft could have been successful without the free economy. I'm with Chris, the future of business is free.

Chris Anderson, the author of The Long Tail and editor-in-chief of Wired Magazine, has moved his focus to "Free". His article is the cover story of the latest Wired (Free! Why $0.00 Is the Future of Business) and has a book coming out in 2009. I think he's onto something. A couple of quotes: Once a marketing gimmick, free has emerged as a full-fledged economy. Offering free music proved successful for Radiohead, Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails, and a swarm of other bands on MySpace that grasped the audience-building merits of zero.Technology is giving companies greater flexibility in how broadly they can define their markets, allowing them more freedom to give away products or services to one set of customers while selling to another set. I encourage you to read the article - I think it's a meme that will be around for a while. For now though, I want to talk a bit about how "Free" has impacted Common Craft... Being a small company, we need to keep costs down, and the free economy has been a huge help. Bandwidth: We pay zero bandwidth costs to serve our videos online. The bandwidth is paid for by the hosts, namely Blip.tv and YouTube (though we are "pro" members of blip). These costs could be considerable for a small shop like us. Web hosting: Our web site is essentially free to us thanks to the fine folks at RainCity Studios. It's a sponsor/partner arrangement that's good for both of us. Marketing: We spend little, if anything on traditional marketing. The good people of the web have been better marketers than we could have imagined. Plus, blog posts are always free. The marketing cost comes in terms of our time. Communication/Collaboration: We're heavy users of Google's free business services, like Google Docs, Gmail, etc. (collectively known as Google Apps.) And of course, there's the Twitters, Facebooks, LinkedIns, etc. At the same time, we've oriented our business around freeness. Let's pretend that we started making videos like RSS in Plain English with the purpose of making money from them directly, perhaps by charging for access. Here's what wouldn't have happened: We wouldn't have put the videos on You Tube, Blip.tv, etc. The videos would have never been spread across the Web via bloggers. We would not have a popular blog or videos with lots of views. There would not be demand for our custom services We would not have worked for Google, H Look for markets that will be happy to pay for a custom or specialized version of the free item. Make sure your free products appeal to these markets. Be open and friendly. Talk to people who ask about sharing your free items. What do they want? What do they need? What would help them? Look for opportunities to build paying models around these needs. Look for tiers of freeness. Consider creating free versions and pay versions, with the pay versions offering higher quality, ease of use, special access, etc. Look for ways to collaborate with other organizations for free. Trade time, brand, information or whatever makes a win-win for the parties involved. The bottom line is that there is approximately zero possibility that Common Craft could have been successful without the free economy. I'm with Chris, the future of business is free.

Client Video: H When we were first contacted by H object width="425" height="355" param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/OwCsgJhOXL8 /param param name="wmode" value="transparent" /param embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/OwCsgJhOXL8 /embed /object Client Video: H When we were first contacted by H&R Block we wondered if tax preparation was something that would be a good fit. However, after seeing Tango for the first time, it made sense and we were impressed. The Tango experience is a personal one that's designed around removing the pain of taxes and making it a little fun. We all need more levity, right?

Client Video: H p Tax season. Ugh. I know. When we were first contacted by H R Block we wondered if tax preparation was something that would be a good fit. However, after seeing a href= http://www.hrblock.com/tango/ mce_href= http://www.hrblock.com/tango/ Tango /a for the first time, it made sense and we were impressed. The Tango experience is a personal one that s designed around removing the pain of taxes and making it a little fun. We all need more levity, right? /p You may have noticed the quote in the video: Tango changed the way I feel about doing my taxes It may seem promotional, but we talked to a few customers and that was an actual quote from an interview. The feeling was unanimous. Amy and her team at H object width="425" height="355" param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/OwCsgJhOXL8 /param param name="wmode" value="transparent" /param embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/OwCsgJhOXL8 /embed /object Client Video: H p Tax season. Ugh. I know. When we were first contacted by H R Block we wondered if tax preparation was something that would be a good fit. However, after seeing a href= http://www.hrblock.com/tango/ mce_href= http://www.hrblock.com/tango/ Tango /a for the first time, it made sense and we were impressed. The Tango experience is a personal one that s designed around removing the pain of taxes and making it a little fun. We all need more levity, right? /p

Client Video: Enerjy for Java Development Introduction:Enerjy was our first client production focused on the world of software development tools (its a plug-in for Eclipse.) Enerjy does something unique: it looks at Java code and produces the Enerjy Index - a 1-10 scale of integrity. This helps developers understand what parts of the code are likely to produce bugs - and why. The video will hopefully make this clear: Understanding the Enerjy Index was the goal and we found that it shared some things with human blood pressure: both expose something hidden, use a scale to relate problems and both are fixable. This video uses this real-world example to relate the idea that there are symptoms of problems in software code and if they are identified using the Enerjy Index, they can be fixed before it's too late. We really enjoyed working with Nigel and the team at Enerjy - they tell us that we "pulled it off!" :) You can find this video on YouTube or use the embed code if you'd like to share it: object width="425" height="350" param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/KYmO-20GTyQ" /param embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/KYmO-20GTyQ" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="350" /embed /object Client Video: Enerjy for Java DevelopmentIntroduction:Enerjy was our first client production focused on the world of software development tools (its a plug-in for Eclipse.) Enerjy does something unique: it looks at Java code and produces the Enerjy Index - a 1-10 scale of integrity. This helps developers understand what parts of the code are likely to produce bugs - and why. The video will hopefully make this clear:

Client Video: Enerjy for Java Development Introduction: p a href= http://www.enerjy.com mce_href= http://www.enerjy.com Enerjy /a was our first client production focused on the world of software development tools (its a plug-in for a href= http://www.eclipse.org/ mce_href= http://www.eclipse.org/ Eclipse /a .) Enerjy does something unique: it looks at Java code and produces the Enerjy Index - a 1-10 scale of integrity. This helps developers understand what parts of the code are likely to produce bugs - and why. The video will hopefully make this clear: /p Understanding the Enerjy Index was the goal and we found that it shared some things with human blood pressure: both expose something hidden, use a scale to relate problems and both are fixable. This video uses this real-world example to relate the idea that there are symptoms of problems in software code and if they are identified using the Enerjy Index, they can be fixed before it's too late. We really enjoyed working with Nigel and the team at Enerjy - they tell us that we "pulled it off!" :) You can find this video on YouTube or use the embed code if you'd like to share it: object width="425" height="350" param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/KYmO-20GTyQ" /param embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/KYmO-20GTyQ" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="350" /embed /object Client Video: Enerjy for Java DevelopmentIntroduction: p a href= http://www.enerjy.com mce_href= http://www.enerjy.com Enerjy /a was our first client production focused on the world of software development tools (its a plug-in for a href= http://www.eclipse.org/ mce_href= http://www.eclipse.org/ Eclipse /a .) Enerjy does something unique: it looks at Java code and produces the Enerjy Index - a 1-10 scale of integrity. This helps developers understand what parts of the code are likely to produce bugs - and why. The video will hopefully make this clear: /p

Video: Online Photo Sharing in Plain English Photos are more fun when they are shared. Thankfully, online photo sharing services make it easy to back-up your photos and share them with the world. If you want to encourage your friends or family to start sharing photos online, point them here. To share this video, copy the code below into your blog, or send a link via email. We only ask that you don't sell it, alter it and do attribute "Common Craft". object width="425" height="355" param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/vPU4awtuTsk /param param name="wmode" value="transparent" /param embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/vPU4awtuTsk /embed /object You can... see the Translated Versions on dotSUB, find a Transcript or Download the Quicktime file. Length: 2:50. You can also find the video on YouTube, Blip.tv, TeacherTube and dotSUB. We used Flickr, Webshots and Photobucket as (unpaid) examples, but there are a lot more. The photos in the video are all in this Flickr set, if you're interested. We'd also like to thanks the folks at ShouldDoThis.com for the encouragement. Find similar videos on the Common Craft Show or our custom client videos at Common Craft Productions. Video: Online Photo Sharing in Plain English

Video: Online Photo Sharing in Plain English Photos are more fun when they are shared. Thankfully, online photo sharing services make it easy to back-up your photos and share them with the world. If you want to encourage your friends or family to start sharing photos online, point them here. To share this video, copy the code below into your blog, or send a link via email. We only ask that you don't sell it, alter it and do attribute "Common Craft". object width="425" height="355" param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/vPU4awtuTsk /param param name="wmode" value="transparent" /param embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/vPU4awtuTsk /embed /object You can... see the Translated Versions on dotSUB, find a Transcript or Download the Quicktime file. Length: 2:50. You can also find the video on YouTube, Blip.tv, TeacherTube and dotSUB. We used Flickr, Webshots and Photobucket as (unpaid) examples, but there are a lot more. The photos in the video are all in this Flickr set, if you're interested. We'd also like to thanks the folks at ShouldDoThis.com for the encouragement. Find similar videos on the Common Craft Show or our custom client videos at Common Craft Productions. Video: Online Photo Sharing in Plain English

Client Video: Buying a Home with Redfin Introduction:Redfin is disrupting an industry that really needs disruption: real estate. A local Seattle company, they came to us because people often misunderstand what it means to use an "online real estate brokerage." See if this video makes it clear for you. (RSS readers - go here) Our challenge was to make clear how Redfin works, but more importantly, create a sense of confidence in the company's model. As their CEO Glenn Kelman put it in our first meeting, Redfin is "all about the love" and we designed this video to relate that sense of emotion too. As a side note, Glenn is a great example of a CEO blogger - check out his recent post about his appearance on the Today Show. You can see the video in action on this Redfin page and on YouTube. If you'd like to share the video, use the embed code below or email a link to a friend. object width="425" height="350" param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/LDY-3VSdMXg" /param embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/LDY-3VSdMXg" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="350" /embed /object Client Video: Buying a Home with RedfinIntroduction:Redfin is disrupting an industry that really needs disruption: real estate. A local Seattle company, they came to us because people often misunderstand what it means to use an "online real estate brokerage." See if this video makes it clear for you. (RSS readers - go here)

Client Video: Buying a Home with Redfin Introduction: p a href= http://www.redfin.com mce_href= http://www.redfin.com Redfin /a is disrupting an industry that really needs disruption: real estate. A local Seattle company, they came to us because people often misunderstand what it means to use an online real estate brokerage. See if this video makes it clear for you. (RSS readers - a href= /redfin mce_href= /redfin go here /a ) /p Our challenge was to make clear how Redfin works, but more importantly, create a sense of confidence in the company's model. As their CEO Glenn Kelman put it in our first meeting, Redfin is "all about the love" and we designed this video to relate that sense of emotion too. As a side note, Glenn is a great example of a CEO blogger - check out his recent post about his appearance on the Today Show. You can see the video in action on this Redfin page and on YouTube. If you'd like to share the video, use the embed code below or email a link to a friend. object width="425" height="350" param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/LDY-3VSdMXg" /param embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/LDY-3VSdMXg" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="350" /embed /object Client Video: Buying a Home with RedfinIntroduction: p a href= http://www.redfin.com mce_href= http://www.redfin.com Redfin /a is disrupting an industry that really needs disruption: real estate. A local Seattle company, they came to us because people often misunderstand what it means to use an online real estate brokerage. See if this video makes it clear for you. (RSS readers - a href= /redfin mce_href= /redfin go here /a ) /p

Client Video: Google's My Location for Mobile Maps Introduction:We love making videos that explain truly innovative products. Such was the case for the video we produced for the Google Maps for Mobile team. The video explains a new feature of a href= http://www.google.com/gmm mce_href= http://www.google.com/gmm Google Maps for Mobile /a called My Location that makes using a mobile map much more efficient by establishing your location without GPS. br The challenge was to create a short video that helps educate people on the feature, but also on how cell phones and towers can be used to establish an approximate location on a mobile map. Again, Google impressed us with their efficiency and focus. This video is currently displayed on the Google Maps My Location page. You can find the video on the Google's YouTube Channel or on Blip.tv. The video we produced for the Google Docs team is here. Client Video: Google's My Location for Mobile MapsIntroduction:We love making videos that explain truly innovative products. Such was the case for the video we produced for the Google Maps for Mobile team. The video explains a new feature of a href= http://www.google.com/gmm mce_href= http://www.google.com/gmm Google Maps for Mobile /a called My Location that makes using a mobile map much more efficient by establishing your location without GPS. br

Client Video: Vancouver's I-Move (In A Minute) Introduction: p Vancouver BC, like most cities, has traffic problems. To help solve this problem, a href= http://www.translink.bc.ca/ mce_href= http://www.translink.bc.ca/ TransLink /a , the Greater Vancouver (BC) Transporation Authority created a new website designed to help citizens plan around traffic problems. The site is called a href= http://www.i-move.ca mce_href= http://www.i-move.ca I-Move .ca /a and here is a b one minute introduction. /b /p The "In a Minute" format is a new one for us and we really enjoyed its lightweight nature. Plus, we got to invent a new special effect - flying! We worked with TransLink through the great folks at Cogeny. You can expect more soon. You can also find this video on YouTube . If you'd like to embed it on your site using the YouTube player, just copy the code below. object width="425" height="350" param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/R9CLJkiP8r8" /param embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/R9CLJkiP8r8" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="350" /embed /object Client Video: Vancouver's I-Move (In A Minute)Introduction: p Vancouver BC, like most cities, has traffic problems. To help solve this problem, a href= http://www.translink.bc.ca/ mce_href= http://www.translink.bc.ca/ TransLink /a , the Greater Vancouver (BC) Transporation Authority created a new website designed to help citizens plan around traffic problems. The site is called a href= http://www.i-move.ca mce_href= http://www.i-move.ca I-Move .ca /a and here is a b one minute introduction. /b /p

Video: Blogs in Plain English We made this 3 minute video for people who wonder why blogs are such a big deal. If you're a blogger who wants people to understand why you have a blog and how it works, this video is for you. Want to share? Use the code below to share the video (from YouTube) on your blog or email a link to a friend. object width="425" height="355" param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/NN2I1pWXjXI /param param name="wmode" value="transparent" /param embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/NN2I1pWXjXI /embed /object If you'd like to download the original file, you can do that here. We only ask that you attribute "Common Craft" and don't sell or alter the video.There is a transcript here and also international (subtitled) versions on DotSub.com. You can also find the video on Blip.tv, Facebook, 5min and TeacherTube. Happy blogging! Video: Blogs in Plain English