The Internet is truly amazing. As fast as inspiration comes you can find what you are looking for on the World Wide Web. Here’s what I wanted to do: I TiVoed a client’s appearance on Good Evening Arizona, duped it onto a DVD, put said DVD into my Mac Power PC, and launched the video. Great. There’s my client, Home Tenders of America, proficiently explaining how his company helps homeowners who have vacant homes that aren’t selling, save money and incredible expense by letting Home Tenders of America install a tenant/caretaker in the home. In this way the home is safe. The lights are on, it smells good, the temperature is great and it is staged for sale. Homes sell quicker; homeowners don’t have to have to face the horror of stolen or vandalized property, pipes breaking and no one there to know … yikes what a flood. Also, tenants get to pay as little as about $1,000 a month to live in luxury homes, most of which are listed for anywhere from $600,000 to over a million.
Ok what does this have to do with my Internet story? Well, I wanted to find some way to convert the DVD into an Internet friendly format like MP3, QuickTime or Windows Media. As I am a complete neophyte regarding said conversions, I simply Goggled “convert DVD to Mp3” and Mac. A company called Aimersoft offers a DVD Studio Pack Ripper. You can download a trial version for free.
Within minutes I managed to stumble my way through the program by clicking on three buttons, choosing from about 50 different conversion formats, and within minutes the ripper began converting the files. It will take about 35 minutes to complete the conversion, so writing this post while it does.
You know, I’ve been at this PR game for more than 20 years. I remember the old days of sending out press releases snail mail. Printing off hundreds of labels and sticking them on envelopes one by one. Stuffing parties with my staff. Going through bound copies of media lists that became worthless after six months. You know, old school, up hill both ways. Now, within minutes I can perform a task that would have taken weeks maybe five years ago.
Web 2.0 is amazing. For all of its overwhelming information and opportunities – stretching the limits of my patience with LinkedIn, FaceBook, Twitter, Blogging, Posting, Reading Trades, Pitching, days that last 14 hours … I wouldn’t trade it for old school for anything.
The first computer I used is in the Smithsonian Museum of American History. I may be an old-timer (if 44 is old), but I am darned proud of myself that I can figure out how to solve a technical problem in minutes with no prior experience or knowledge, figure it out and deliver for my clients.
This video will now have a home on the Internet with all the promise of maybe being reached by millions.
I’ll be posting the finished video on my website
