Tech Tips for Catholics

www.youtube.com/grfilmschool

Below are some related links to this topic:

• YouTube “Alternatives”
• i-Confess & WYD Video Contests
• Using formspring to Evangelize

The Season of Lent is a great time of reflection, prayer, and growing in our relationship with Christ and with others. Our Eastern Orthodox brothers are doing a great job of helping Christians grow in their faith with an online resource; it’s called OrthodoxSermons.org.

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You and your school could each win up to $25,000 for education!

Get out your camcorders and let your creativity shine. The Diocese of Brooklyn is sponsoring a video contest about having “an active life of Confession.” For more details, check out www.i-confess.com
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And, as if that isn’t enough, there is also a video contest for World Youth Day!  For more details, visit www.envideomadrid.org
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Dear Brothers and Sisters,

On the occasion of the 45th World Day of Social Communications, I would like to share some reflections that are motivated by a phenomenon characteristic of our age: the emergence of the internet as a network for communication. It is an ever more commonly held opinion that, just as the Industrial Revolution in its day brought about a profound transformation in society by the modifications it introduced into the cycles of production and the lives of workers, so today the radical changes taking place in communications are guiding significant cultural and social developments. The new technologies are not only changing the way we communicate, but communication itself, so much so that it could be said that we are living through a period of vast cultural transformation. This means of spreading information and knowledge is giving birth to a new way of learning and thinking, with unprecedented opportunities for establishing relationships and building fellowship.
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Here is a great monologue about some of the opportunities of being a priest today. At about the 3:05 marker, Fr. Barron gives our young (and old) priests the advice of using new media technology to spread Christ’s Message! “…This is a great time to be a priest.”

Fr. Barron comments on The Vatican and The New Media

Fr. Barron on The Web:

• Visit the Official Word On Fire Website
• Subscribe to e ChannFr. Barron’s YouTubel
• Follow Fr. Barron on Twitter
• Become a Facebook Fan of The Catholicism Project

Over at UniversityParent.com, there is a terrific article entitled Social Media Do’s and Don’ts for College Students.  The facts and ideas presented in this column are important to review with your children of any age who may be using Social Media.  Around our house, my kids are constantly reminded that their Facebook pages are their “online resumes” — future college choices, employers, and even their own parents will be closely watching their online activities and judging their characters as a result.

The information in this article is also pertinent to adults of any age who are active online.  Think twice before you type, post a photo or video, or hit “send”.

This post is courtesy of the Productivity @ Home Blog.

I just posted a comment over at ChurchCrunch on a post titled “Vatican Goes YouTube – A Digital “95 Theses” Expected?” The author brings up some good points.  Read the article and previous comments before you read my (Joshua’s) following response.

There are many Churches who are using YouTube.  I think you do bring up some really great points though.  Should a Vatican channel allow comments, video responses, and the such?  This is something that needs to be discussed prior to going live.

I think people tend to see the Catholic Church as “old fashion” or say that she needs to “get with the times.”  These same people don’t understand, let alone respect liturgy.  These same people want to live their lives according to the world’s standards and the only way to rationalize it is to try and change the Church.

John Paul II spoke often of a “New Evangelization.”  Should Christians use the tools of today to spread the Gospel message?  Of course!  Should the Church replace the sacred liturgy with videos, skits, and the latest style of music?  Most certainly NOT!  This would be a cheapening of the mass.  I would not expect non-liturgical Christians to understand this, nor am I blaming them for their ignorance.

G.K. Chesterton wrote that “the New Religions are suited to the new world; and this is their most damning defect.”  He also wrote, “The Catholic Church is the only thing which saves a man from the degrading slavery of being a child of his age… The New Religions are in many ways suited to the new conditions; but they are only suited to the new conditions… If the [Catholic] Faith has all the freshness of a new religion, it has all the richness of an old religion.”  Now even though Chesterton was a writer of the early 20th century — prior to the internet age — his words are quite relevant today.  God Bless †

I would encourage any and all Catholic geeks to post your thoughts over at ChurchCrunch.  You might have your own unique opinions to add to this discussion.

Below are some related links to this topic:

• Proposed Vatican YouTube channel
• Will The Pope’s YouTube Channel Be A Hit?

Upload, Share, Connect, and Explore, all in HD!

I found out about Vimeo a few weeks ago from a techy, Orthodox Christian.  He recently posted some videos of a Fr. Daniel’s ordination into the Orthodox priesthood.  This was the first time I’ve seen an Orthodox ordination so it is kind of neat to see.  And if you have not been to a Catholic ordination, I would encourage you to attend one.  They are quite beautiful, and it is good to support & pray for our newly ordained priests.

Catholic Christians have a lot in common with our Orthodox brothers and sisters in Christ.  Keep praying for further unity among the East and the West!

Okay, back to Vimeo!  : )  Vimeo has been a family-safe alternative to YouTube since 2004.  The name “Vimeo” is a mix between the words “video” and “movie.” (I knew you were wondering : )  Vimeo has a simple interface, an easy uploader, and the option to let viewers download your original file (up to 500MB).  With Vimeo, there is a 500MB weekly, upload limit, but you can spread that out between videos.  They do offer Vimeo Plus+ for those who need 2GB per week.

Just last month Vimeo reached 100,000 HD video uploads, making Vimeo the largest repository of high definition video anywhere in the world!

Below are some related links to online video sharing:

• Vimeo 101: The Basics
• YouTube “Alternatives”
• How to add a YouTube Video in StBlogs

Also, check out Vimeo Toys in your free time!

In this tutorial I will show you how to embed a YouTube video into a StBlogs post.

Step 1: Make sure the Viper Video Plugin is enabled.  To do this, login as the administrator and click on the “Plugins” tab at the top righthand of the page.  If the Viper Video Plugin is not already activated then go ahead and activate it by clicking the “activate” link under the “Action” column.

Step 2: Find the YouTube code of your video.

Step 3: When you go to “write” a new blogpost, simply add the following script you see below where you want the video to appear.  Remember to replace the center text with the code you found on YouTube.

Step 4: Test it!

Click Here for more StBlogs Tips or Here to search PickAFig

As Rebecca of the Catholic in Film School blog mentioned, Real Catholic TV launched yesterday (September 1, 2008). Real Catholic TV is a fully online Catholic TV Network.

Shows include:

• Catholic News Roundup with Vic Faust
• The Vortex with Michael Voris (think Andy Rooney meets Bill O’Reilly)
• Today’s Saint featuring stories of various saints.
  
• Today’s History explores certain historical events in the church.
• The Preview Channel shows some of the programming you could receive if you upgrade to the Premium subscription.

Check out www.realcatholictv.com and let them know what you think.