Web Design for Video Newbies

I titled this week's post "Web Design for Video Newbies" because, even though we read about web design, I think we can use these tactics (or at least these ideas) in our videos.  I use the term "newbies" because in a world where digital technology (including video editing and the like) is constantly changing, we're all newbies all the time (whether we want to admit it to ourselves or not).  Now, on to the actual content of this post.  Like I said, I really think we can use the ideas from the reading this week in our upcoming movie project.  To keep things consistent (and my A.D.D. at bay) I'm going to be focusing on Weinshenk's Neuro Web Design.  This book is such a quick and easy read with lots of really great examples (and pictures to help us visual types).


The thing that got me really excited about taking this information and using it for our video project was the section on p. 81, From a Bucket of Water to a Cash Donation.  If we could come up with something similar to this for our video, we could really make a difference in helping Stephanie to reach her goal and garner more assistance.  The only problem now is how do we incorporate this idea?  In the book, Weinshenk talks about an online trivia game that was used made so that each correct answer by the user garnered a bucket of water for a community in need.  Obviously we can't do something of this nature.  A) we aren't programmers and couldn't possibly fathom creating something of this magnitude.  B) Stephanie needs more than just buckets of water.  And C) to do this, we'd need to already have supporters lined up to give whatever we promise a user will be given (i.e. - the clean water game had to have already set up donors to give the water that the game's players were racking up to send).


So, how do we set up something like this?  How do we make it resonate with the viewers in video form?  We have to go back to the section on p. 75, Want to Cover your Lawn with a Big Ugly Sign? where Weinshenk talks about changing a small part of a person persona so it is easier to change an larger part of a persona.  So maybe our first steps when planning the main video we're creating is to A) show a need and B) show how the viewer can do something small to get them to alter their persona.  Easier said than done, right?  Hopefully not.  Hopefully this is a good jumping off point for ideas to circulate in class on Thursday.