The Visual Lounge lets you find out about TechSmith behind-the-scenes. Watch screencasts and videos from other customers, meet up with your fellow TechSmith users and staff, and get more tips and tricks!

Episode 19 of the Forge is on its way on May 17th. We're about to wrap up the end of our second season, and we're looking forward to this show. Let's just say it's going to be filled with surprises and announcements.

Brandy Agerbeck (@loosetooth on Twitter), a graphic facilitator and author of the Graphic Facilitator's Guide is going to be talking with us about how visuals can help us problem solve. You can learn more about graphic facilitation and about Brandy on her website: http://loosetooth.com

The show will be live on May 17th at 2:00 PM Eastern. You'll find the stream right here -- we'll put up a new post next week. Of course we'll be recording the show, so if you can't make it, miss it, or otherwise, we'll post it over on the YouTube Channel. We've even created a calendar reminder so you don't forget to watch.

Of course you can always subscribe to the YouTube Channel and never miss a show!

If you have feedback or comments for us - let us know. How can we make the Forge even better for you?

Matt Pierce is the Customer Engagement Manager and host of the Forge. He likes fire, flames, and fusion. Tweet him up @piercemr or put him in a Google+ Circle.

UPDATE: Recording of this episode is below and posted to YouTube. The Twitter hashtag is #tscforge.

Guest post today from Matt Pierce, host of The Forge.

It's almost time for the next episode of the TechSmith's webshow The Forge (episode 18)!

We'll be live at 2 PM ET (April 19) right here on the Visual Lounge blog and we've got two great segments. Can't watch the show?...don't worry, we've got your back, we record every episode and will post the recording here too. You can always subscribe to our YouTube channel and never miss an episode! 

Mentioned in this episode

• Reflection App (Mac) $14.99
  We thought this slightly edged out AirServer. AirServer has a better UI overall, but seemed to lag a little more and didn't offer the framing option, or using airplay with 2 devices.
• AirServer (Mac) $14.99
• Screencast Video Recorder (Android) $3.99
  Requires root and Android 2.2+
• AVerTV HD DVR
  Card shown during show
• Blackmagic Intensity Pro
  Mentioned during the show
• Apple Digital AV Adapter
  Shown during show

What you'll learn in this webcast

Everyone communicates. Teachers, trainers, engineers—we all have to do it. At some point we'll probably even end up in front of a group of people. So do you go the way of a PowerPoint riddled with bullet points—or try something different?

Cliff Atkinson (@CliffAtkinson), author of Beyond Bullet Points (Microsoft Press, 3rd edition May 2011) stopped by our studios to talk about how focusing on the story you want to tell will make every presentation better. Cliff helps attorneys on high-profile, big-stakes civil cases hone their storytelling and persuasion skills to connect with the jury. If you've ever needed to take complex information and make it intelligible and actionable to an audience...this episode is for you!

In addition to talking with Cliff, we are also talking about options for recording iPads, iPhones and Android tablets. We've searched the internets to try to find viable options and have a few to share. If you're interested in learning how to record an application from your mobile device, tune in and we'll save you from making the same mistakes we made. 

Learn more about Cliff Atkinson on his website, www.beyondbulletpoints.com.

If you're interested in learning more about the Forge or just watch a few back episodes, visit our YouTube channel: ChannelTechsmith.

Matt Pierce is the Customer Engagement Manager and host of the Forge. He likes fire, flames, and fusion. Tweet him up @piercemr or put him in a Google+ Circle.

UPDATE: Recording of this episode is below and posted to YouTube.

If you haven't noticed, the watering holes of the web are getting increasingly visual. Facebook timeline, Pinterest, Google+ are all giving more priority to photos and visuals. Infographics are hot.

What does this mean for you as a communicator and content creator? How can you use visuals to engage people and build community?

In the video below we explored these questions and shared some of our own experiences.

Segments for this show

• Build a stronger community with visuals, with special guest Jenn Lin (Get Satisfaction) and Daniel Foster (TechSmith)
• Deck out your Facebook timeline, with Daniel Foster
• Snagit tips you should know, with Mike Curtis (TechSmith)

Related links

• What images are people "pinning" from my website? You might be surprised (replace TechSmith URL with your own)
• What's most visible on my Facebook Timeline? Eyetracking says visuals get seen
• Do visuals really drive more engagement? Heck yes
• How do we tell our brand story through Facebook Timeline? Get ideas
• What are the new features and specs for Facebook brand pages? Let this infographic guide you
• What about that Snagit customer you quoted? Watch Robin's story
• How is TechSmith doing it? See Snagit's Facebook timeline

Special guest bio

Jenn Lin (@jenndox) is the Get Satisfaction Technical Evangelist and Community Manager for the Developers' Community. She was a developer at Microsoft and IBM for 10 years, and managed the community for Live Labs, a Microsoft lab focused on data visualization for web services.

As with every episode of The Forge...if you can't make the live show, we'll miss you! But you can watch the recording later. Just subscribe to our YouTube channel so you know when we post it.

UPDATE: Recording of this episode is below and posted to YouTube.

This month on our live web show, we're bringing you a special focus on education! Video is more popular than ever, as it's being used to deliver content as part of blended learning, flipped classroom, and 1:1 tech initiatives.

We have a sweet lineup for this month:

• Make cooler iBooks with help from TechSmith tools
  Andrea Perry (@andrea_perry), information developer, TechSmith
• Use screencasts to teach better & solve real classroom problems
  Ben Rimes (@techsavvyed) and Jason Valade (@Jay2thaVee), tech coordinator and tech teacher, Mattawan CSD
• Mobile apps ScreenChomp and Coach's Eye for teaching & learning
  Mike Malinak (@MichaelMJ), lead developer, TechSmith

As with every episode of The Forge...if you can't make the live show, we'll miss you! But you can watch the recording later. Just subscribe to our YouTube channel so you know when we post it.

Daniel Foster is the "social media guy" for TechSmith. He enjoys iceboating, ice cream socials, and isosceles triangles. Tweet him up @fosteronomo or put him in a Google+ Circle.

Introducing...our 2011 ScreenChamps!

Be sure to watch the full episode of The Forge for in-depth comments from the judges on what they thought worked well and could be improved across each category. There was also some good conversation in the chat room. And you can still view all 15 finalist videos if you haven't seen them yet.

Entertainment Category Winner
Backyard FX FINALE Sword Stab Tutorial

Creator
Garrett Fallin, Grand Island, NY

Audience
Film, TV, and Video editors, creators, and enthusiasts.

Purpose
Teach viewers how to recreate popular digital effects from their favorite movies, TV shows, and videogames.

Tools Used
Quicktime 10 screen capture, Youtube, canon T2i, Rhode Shotgun Mic, After Effects CS5, and Final Cut Pro 7.

Watch on Vimeo

Judges' Comments

• So gross; I loved it.
• Clear audio.
• Mix of live action and screencast content helped me engage with the people and content.
• The how-to showed me exactly what they did.
• The pacing was good for people who know the tools; too fast for those who don't.
• Now I'm gonna go kill people...on video!
• Category advice: consider what's entertaining to the audience

Education Category Winner
Apple Distinguished Educator Application

Creator
Reg Nakoneshny, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

Audience
Educators

Purpose
Application to Apple computers Distinguished Educator program

Watch on Vimeo

Judges' Comments

• Something that other teachers should try to aspire to.
• Really liked technique of framing content within devices
• I want to know how he did some of those effects!
• Category advice: chunk information, title and transcribe for SEO

Industry Category Winner
The new Facebook module on your Jimdo page

Creator
Kerstin Ebert, Hamburg, Germany

Audience
People who use the website building tool "Jimdo"

Purpose
Show users how to integrate and set up the Facebook module on their "Jimdo" website.

Tool used
Camtasia for Mac

Watch on Vimeo

Judges' Comments

• Kept it short, picked great music
• Fun approach made the tool seem accessible
• Worked well as a teaser, which could lead to a more in-depth tutorial
• Category advice: choose & mix music carefully, cut out fluff, use natural-sounding voice

Best in Show Winner
Aussie Football ScreenCast Presentation

Creator
Richard T.Whybrow, Essendon, Victoria, Australia

Audience
Anyone, sport enthusiasts, families

Purpose
Inform people about some of the key skills used to play Australia Football (AFL) and have a bit of fun along the way.

Tools used
Jing, ScreenChomp, Snagit, ScreenCast, iMovie11, Quicktime, PC & Mac

Watch on Vimeo

Congratulations to our four winners, 15 finalists, and a huge thank you to all who submitted videos and voted. This has been a ton of fun for us at TechSmith and, we hope, for screencasters everywhere.

People have asked whether we'll do the ScreenChamp Awards again next year. We'd like to hear your thoughts on that question. Please fill out this 3-question survey with your thoughts, and be entered to win a copy of Camtasia! (Already have Camtasia? You can gift it to someone who might become the next ScreenChamp!)

Daniel Foster is the "social media guy" for TechSmith. He enjoys iceboating, ice cream socials, and isosceles triangles. Tweet him up @fosteronomo or put him in a Google+ Circle.

UPDATE: Recording of the ScreenChamp episode is below and posted to YouTube. A more detailed post will follow soon...

Pull back the curtains and roll out the red carpet...we're going live with the ScreenChamp Awards show at 2pm ET, Thursday, January 19!

Like the Oscars or Golden Globes, a celebrity cast will unveil the winners in each category.

Unlike those big name awards shows, we'll try to deliver some thoughtful analysis of the entries to help you improve your own screencast technique. And we probably won't need to bleep Streep!

This is the first year of the ScreenChamps and we're thrilled with the response from the screencasting community! You sent in 100 entries, 15 finalist videos from 7 different countries, and 3,000 votes from 43 countries for Best in Show. Now it's time to celebrate the champion screencasters!

As with every episode of The Forge...if you can't make the live show, we'll miss you! But you can watch the recording later. Just subscribe to our YouTube channel so you know when we post it.

Our panel of expert judges

Joining us live or via the magic that is Skype are...

Entertainment Judge

Steve Garfield, author of Get Seen, on Twitter @stevegarfield, is a very early and well known vlogger and knows more ways to get video online - more easily - than anyone. He is a stickler for ease of use and loves to experiment. Steve works with traditional media companies as well as other types of companies looking to bring video into their content mix. He's also Jimmy Fallon's new BFF.

Industry Judge

Since 2006, @DemoGirl (a.k.a. Molly McDonald) has been creating custom screencasts that drive website traffic, teach people how to use apps, and help them visualize how a product will be useful to them. Molly is adept at gleaning just the right information from a site or application and packaging it for consumption by the general public.

Education Judge

Karl Gude (@karlgude) has been creating news graphics since the late 70s and is one of the few visual journalists who has worked for newspapers, news magazines and wire services. Up until recently, Karl spent nearly a decade as the Director of Information Graphics at Newsweek magazine and also held that position at the The Associated Press and United Press International wire services. Karl left Newsweek in 2006 after accepting a position at Michigan State University's School of Journalism to create an information graphics program.

Daniel Foster is the "social media guy" for TechSmith. He enjoys iceboating, ice cream socials, and isosceles triangles. Tweet him up @fosteronomo or put him in a Google+ Circle.

It's the red carpet event of screencasting! You can tell by all the tuxedo (shirt)-wearing celebrities who will be on hand.

Join us Thursday, January 19, at 2pm (ET) for our monthly live web show, The Forge, where we will announce the winners of the 2011 ScreenChamp Awards. (Add to your calendar )

UPDATE: Click here to watch the live show at 2pm ET or view the recording later.

The ScreenChamp Awards recognize screencasting excellence in three categories: industry, education, and entertainment. On the show, our expert judges will announce the winner they chose in each category, and offer some erudite commentary on what they liked best and what could be improved across the submissions.

Plus we'll reveal the Best in Show winner, as selected by YOUR votes during the end of last year!

Will there be drumrolls? We can only hope!

Ridiculously cool trophies? Certainly!

Aforementioned tuxedo shirts? Being screenprinted this week!

See you Thursday right here on the blog...(no need to don your formal wear, though you certainly can if you're looking for an excuse)!

PS - As with every episode of The Forge...if you can't make the live show, we'll miss you! But you can watch the recording later. Just subscribe to the blog or our YouTube channel so you know when we post it.

Prizes for three category winners! Best in Show gets a trophy & MacBook Pro!

Voting is now closed! Please join us January 19 on The Forge to find out who wins the category prizes and best in show! Click here to watch live at 2pm ET or view the recording later.

We have an important job for you: determine which screencaster deserves a brand new MacBook Pro (and a bunch of other goodies).

Voting for our ScreenChamp Awards ends Friday, December 16 at 4:00pm ET (21:00 UTC). You can vote once per day, so depending on when you read this you still have 2-3 votes left!

Right now, the leading videos show how to use social media features of a website creation tool, how to operate a library app, and how to play Aussie football. We've got more than 2,300 votes from 42 different countries...but the top two vote-getters are separated by less than 200 votes...so your vote does matter!

Watch videos & vote for ScreenChamp Best in Show

Your votes will determine the Best in Show winner...and we'll also be announcing three category winners on The Forge January 19. (Save the date )

We've assembled a panel of expert judges to choose the winners in each of the three categories: education, industry, and entertainment. They are...

Our panel of expert judges

Entertainment Judge

Steve Garfield, author of Get Seen, on Twitter @stevegarfield, is a very early and well known vlogger and knows more ways to get video online - more easily - than anyone. He is a stickler for ease of use and loves to experiment. Steve works with traditional media companies as well as other types of companies looking to bring video into their content mix. He's also Jimmy Fallon's new BFF.

Industry Judge

Since 2006, @DemoGirl (a.k.a. Molly McDonald) has been creating custom screencasts that drive website traffic, teach people how to use apps, and help them visualize how a product will be useful to them. Molly is adept at gleaning just the right information from a site or application and packaging it for consumption by the general public.

Education Judge

Karl Gude (@karlgude) has been creating news graphics since the late 70s and is one of the few visual journalists who has worked for newspapers, news magazines and wire services. Up until recently, Karl spent nearly a decade as the Director of Information Graphics at Newsweek magazine and also held that position at the The Associated Press and United Press International wire services. Karl left Newsweek in 2006 after accepting a position at Michigan State University's School of Journalism to create an information graphics program.

Let there be TROPHIES!

Bearded screencaster and renaissance man Dan Nunez (@ListenChump) is hard at work building trophies for the four lucky ScreenChamp Award winners. They're gonna be mantlepiece worthy!

Daniel Foster is the "social media guy" for TechSmith. He enjoys iceboating, ice cream socials, and isosceles triangles. Tweet him up @fosteronomo or put him in a Google+ Circle.

UPDATE: the recorded episode is embedded below and posted on YouTube.

Today is the day! Join us right here on the blog (you might have to refresh your browser at 2pm) for a live episode of The Forge! There will be prizes. Oh, yes! You heard me right! Tune in to win some!

Our lineup includes:

• Tips and tricks for Camtasia for Mac and Camtasia Relay
• Daniel Park, a screencast expert, will share with us about what really matters in screencasting.
• Screencast of the Month
• ScreenChamp preview

Tell us what you think of this episode by leaving a comment below or tweeting with the hashtag #tscforge

You can see past episodes of The Forge here. Thanks for tuning in!

Prizes! Who doesn't like prizes? Tune in on the Visual Lounge Blog (latest post) on Thursday, December 8th at 2:00pm EST to watch this month's episode of The Forge live! You might win some fun swag from TechSmith.

This month's line-up includes:

Tips and tricks for Camtasia for Mac and Camtasia Relay

Daniel Park, a screencast expert, will share with us about what really matters in screencasting.

Screencast of the Month

ScreenChamp preview

New to The Forge? Wonder what it's all about? It's TechSmith's monthly webshow where we talk about screencapture, screencasting, visual communication and more. We share our tips and tricks and chat with interesting guests about a variety of topics to help and inspire you. You never know what will happen on a live show. You can view the archives and past recordings here.

UPDATE: the recorded episode is embedded below and posted on YouTube.

Today is the day! Tune in at 2pm EST on this blog post and watch The Forge live! This month's show is dedicated to all things Snagit. Snagit turns 20 years old this year!

Were you wondering what Snagit looked like way back in 1991? The screenshot below shows Snagit's user interface from version 1.6, the first version of Snagit that was publicly released (Earlier versions were strictly internal to TechSmith). It looked a little different than it does today. :-)

Tell us what you think of this episode by leaving a comment below or tweeting with the hashtag #tscforge

You can see past episodes of The Forge here. Thanks for tuning in!

Think back to 1991. Remember where you were? What were you doing? What did your hair look like (I was rocking some fantastic 90's hair! Hot rollers and hair spray, baby!)?

Remember what tech was like back in 1991? 6 pound 'laptops'. Apple introduced the PowerBook laptop. Remember Compuserve and BBS? Microsoft Releases MS Dos 5.0 and Windows 3.1. You could also run OS/2 and the first version of Linux was released. A 486 PC computer was selling for over $7,000! Lotus 1-2-3, WordPerfect, Harvard Graphics were popular pieces of software. Nintendo released the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. And, Tim Berners-Lee from CERN turned on the Web!

And, something else happened... Snagit was released in 1991. Yes, Snagit! Snagit turns 20 years old this year! Can you believe that? Snagit has been built on your feedback. And, thanks to your support, Snagit is still going strong after 20 years. You can see Snagit's history here

Please join us in celebrating the first 20 years of Snagit live on The Forge this Thursday at 2pm EST. Tune in on the Visual Lounge Blog here. You might have to refresh the page.

Need a reminder? Download a calendar invite for Outlook here (.msg). We'd love for you to watch live and join us in the chat room. We'd be happy to answer your questions and comments. Can't join us live? We'll record it and post for everyone to watch shortly after the show wraps up.

Looking for more tech history in 1991? Zdnet has a great article about the world of Tech in 1991 here.

What will you do to celebrate?

UPDATE: the recorded episode is embedded below and posted on YouTube.

Start counting down the minutes! At 2pm EST, we'll go live with The Forge. I hope you can tune-in live to watch the show. And, feel free to chime in on the chatroom below during the show as well. I'll be hanging out there so feel free to ask lots of questions and share your feedback! I don't want to be lonely so please join us!

We have an all-star line-up including:

• Tom Johnson -Technical Communicator and author of I'd Rather Be Writing (that's Tom pictured on the right)
• Dan Nunez is back... What is the Clipboard?
• Mike 'It's going, going, going, nope, it's a strike' Kujansuu.... And introduction to Coach's Eye.
• Shane Lovellette, the Camtasia Product Manager will share his pick for the Screencast of the month

Tell us what you think of this episode by leaving a comment below or tweeting with the hashtag #tscforge

You can see past episodes of The Forge here. Thanks for tuning in!

It's that time again! Tune in on October 13 at 2pm EST here on the blog to watch the October episode of The Forge live and join our chat room (you may have to refresh your web browser at 2pm).

We have an all-star line-up including:

• Tom Johnson -Technical Communicator and author of I'd Rather Be Writing (that's Tom pictured on the right)
• Dan Nunez is back... What is the Clipboard?
• Mike 'It's going, going, going, nope, it's a strike' Kujansuu.... And introduction to Coach's Eye.
• Shane Lovellette and the Screencast of the month

New to The Forge? Wonder what it's all about? It's TechSmith's monthly webshow where we talk about screencapture, screencasting, visual communication and more. We share our tips and tricks and chat with interesting guests about a variety of topics to help and inspire you. Sometimes we even have prizes. You never know what will happen on a live show. You can view the archives and past recordings here.

Are you like me and need a reminder? You can download a calendar invite for Outlook here (.msg).

See you on Thursday! I'll be hanging out in the studio and in chatroom. Please come keep me company!

UPDATE: the recorded episode is embedded below and posted on YouTube.

Start counting down the minutes! At 2pm EST, we'll go live with The Forge. I hope you can tune-in live to watch the show. And, feel free to chime in on the chatroom below during the show as well. I know the crew would love to hear your questions and feedback.

Our line-up is:

• Mel Aclaro, Professional screencaster - Mel develops online training and video-based social media content using web video and screencasting technologies. Mel will share with us about making great videos.
• Dan Nunez - Dan will give his Ten Commandments of Screencasting.
• Daniel Foster & Matt Pierce: The Screenchamp Awards
• Dave McCollom -TechSmith EDU Evangelist will share his pick for the Screencast of the Month

Daniel will also talk about a class he's helping with at Marketing Profs called "Video Marketing Made Simple" It will be 11 classes with 11 instructors and nearly 12 hours of learning. Class will run from October 13-26, 2011. If you'd like to sign up, use the coupon code TECHSMITH to save $200 on your registration.

Tell us what you think of this episode by leaving a comment below or tweeting on hashtag #tscforge

You can see past episodes of The Forge here. Thanks for tuning in!

UPDATE: to watch The Forge live at 2pm, click here

Have we got a treat for you this week live on The Forge! Tune in on September 08 at 2pm EST here on the blog to watch live and join our chat room (you may have to refresh your web browser at 2pm).

What's on the line-up? Lots of great stuff including:

• Mel Aclaro, Professional screencaster - Mel develops online training and video-based social media content using web video and screencasting technologies. Mel will share with us about making great videos.


• Dan Nunez - Dan will give his Ten Commandments of Screencasting.


• Daniel Foster & Matt Pierce: The Screenchamp Awards


• Dave Mccollom -TechSmith EDU Evangelist will share his pick for the Screencast of the Month

   Add to your calendar!

I'm still on the road in Australia so I won't be joining in due to the time difference (you can see my pics from my trip here). But, I won't have to miss out on all the fun. If you're like me and can't watch live, fear not! We will be recording the show and we will post a link so you can watch it later. Watch the blog for the video or check out TechSmith's YouTube page. We also have our past episodes from Season One posted here.

And, want a little preview about what you'll learn from Dan Nunez? Check out a very very funny video from him below. Like I said... you're in for a treat! Enjoy!

I think I'm still recovering from ScreencastCamp earlier this month! I'll have a round-up for everyone later this week!

During ScreencastCamp, we recorded an episode of The Forge in front of a live studio audience. That was a first and it was a lot of fun! And, just like any live event, we had a few technical snafus in the beginning. Check out the video below.

In this episode of The Forge, we had a ScreencastCamp attendee visiting from the UK, Russell Stannard. Russell is an educator and lecturer for Warwick University in the UK. We also had a "Screencast Champ of Screencast Camp", our screencast camp round up, and the screencast of the month. And, watch for some shenanigans with oversized sporks! Enjoy!

Last year on The Forge, we had a lot of wonderful guests visit. In our second episode ever, Michigan State University's School of Journalism Professor Karl Gude came for a wonderful conversation. Karl Gude is the founding father of MSU's information graphics program. Karl has been creating infographics for the news since the 70s. He has created a variety of material for major newspapers, magazines and wire services such as Newsweek, the New York Daily News and at The Associated Press.

Karl's segment focuses on the importance of communicating visually. Visuals create an easily consumable way for people to understand information, where they may not have gotten it before. The most successful infographics are not just a visual or just text. Don't rely on just one medium of communication. It requires a combination of words, graphics, colors, and implementation of the basic rules of design.

Check out some of his infographics:

Furthermore, Karl notes that everyone is capable of creating infographics: There are so many free sites and there are tons of tutorials. You don't have to be an artist to make a map anymore. You don't have to be a cartographer to do GIS, Geo-Graphic Information System.

When we first uploaded that segment to YouTube, we had to split it into two pieces, due to the length. We've since re-rendered it for easier consumption.

Watch Karl's full segment below. It runs 16:53 minutes.

The Links mentioned in this segment include:

Karl Gude:

• View a collection of Karl's drawings, painting, and infographics here.
• TEDxLansing Presentation, Visual Information (To Put It Mildly)
• Karl's helpful Wiki of free drawing tools.
• Follow Karl Gude on Twitter

You can also watch the full episode of The Forge on the original blog post, also featuring Dave McCollom and Troy Stein. It runs 38:56 minutes.

The Forge is currently on a summer break, but we'll be back in August with new guests and a brand new set! Any ideas for topics you'd like to see in our second season?

Ali White is the Social Media Intern for TechSmith. She studies Professional Writing at Michigan State with a minor in Theater. Follow her tweets at @DesignLightning or check out her Tumblr.

UPDATE: The recording of The Forge is embedded below. It runs just under 40 minutes. Enjoy!

Today is the day! Tune into on this blog post today at 2:00pm EST to watch The Forge, live at 2pm EST! We also have a chatroom where you can ask us questions and chat with other TechSmith friends.

Here is the line-up today:

• Leigh Graves Wolf, a Program Director from Michigan State University's Master's in Educational Technology program will join us in TechSmith's studio live.
• Eric Marcos, a 6th Grade Math Teacher in Santa Monica, California will share how he's using screencasting in the classroom.
• Dan Spencer will share with us about changing education.
• TechSmith's Education evangelist, Dave McCollom will share his pick for the Screencast of the month.

Note: You may need to refresh this blog post to see the live stream and chatroom at 2pm EST. We're using the hashtag #tscforge

You can see past episodes of The Forge here. Thanks for tuning in!

It's that time again! Tune into The Forge, our monthly web show, next week!

When: May 19 at 2:00pm EST.

Where: Tune in here on the Visual Lounge to watch the show live.

We have a great line-up this month!

• Leigh Graves Wolf, a Program Director from Michigan State University's Master's in Educational Technology program will join us in TechSmith's studio live (that's a pic of Leigh (left) and I at SXSW this year!).
• We'll learn from Eric Marcos, a 6th Grade Math Teacher in Santa Monica, California about how he's using screencasting.
• Dan Spencer will share with us about changing education.
• TechSmith's Education evangelist, Dave McCollom will share his pick for the Screencast of the month.

Do you have any questions or topics you'd like us to cover on the show? Please post them in the comments or email me!

You can see past episodes and blog posts about The Forge here.

UPDATE: The recording of The Forge is embedded below. It runs just under 40 minutes. Enjoy!

You're in for a treat - We have a great line-up for The Forge today! Tune in on this blog post today at 2pm EST to see the live stream of The Forge!

• Tom Crawford from the Visualization Network and VizChef, will talk about Visual Communication
• Mike Curtis, Information Developer for Jing, will share his tips for embedding video
• Mark Schall, Software Engineer for Jing, will talk about TechSmith's hackathon
• Adam Marks, lead Snagit developer (Windows), will talk about TechSmith's Makerbot
• And, I'll share my pick for the Screencast of the Month. You can learn about Dave Gray here. Here are Dave's screencasts I showed off on The Forge: Jason Fried on Nature, Jason Fried on Simplicity and Working Smarter with Jay Cross

Note: You may need to refresh this blog post to see the live stream and chat room at 2pm EST. We're using the hashtag #tscforge

You remember Tom Crawford, right? We did a screencast together on a gondola! Tom is our guest on this month's episode of The Forge. Tom is an expert at Visual Communication.

I need your help. What do you want to know from Tom about Visual Communication? Here's your chance to ask him questions that he can answer on The Forge. Leave a question in the comments here on this blog post or email them to us.

Tune into The Forge next week:

• When: April 21 at 2:00pm EST.
• Where: Tune in here on the Visual Lounge to watch the show.

On Facebook? There is an event set-up for this month's The Forge that you can RSVP to here.

Here's more about Tom:

Tom Crawford is the Owner and Principal of VizNetwork, providing education and hands-on experiences for leaders who need to solve problems and communicate more effectively. Before starting the current business, he was CEO of VizThink, an organization dedicated to the creation of a sustainable, global community of people who use any form of the visual arts for learning and communication.

With an extensive background in technology, 2007 was Tom's 20th year as a professional programmer. However, in 2000, his career began to diverge from enterprise systems design and implementation into corporate education, simulation, and gaming. He spent 6 years at Root Learning starting the e-Learning team. Root's strong use of art and metaphor introduced him to the power of visualization for learning and communication. Through extensive testing with customers such as Blockbuster, Pepsi, and Bank of America, he developed extensive theories on interactivity, engagement, and visualization. In 2006, Tom became Vice President of the Masie Center, an association of learning executives and professionals. Later, he continued a focus on visualization and learning when he was named CEO of VizThink. Through his company VizChef, he also designs all-visual cooking applications for mobile devices, helping people create amazing dishes in the kitchen.

In the past several years, Tom has run workshops on learning, simulations, visualization, and communication all over the world for thousands of people. He is a well-respected and often requested speaker for organizations of all shapes and sizes.

UPDATE: The recording of The Forge is embedded below. It runs just over 40 minutes. Enjoy!

Today is the day! Tune in on this blog post today at 2pm EST to see the live stream of The Forge!

Here's the run down of the show:

• Microsoft OneNote and PowerPoint MVP, Kathy Jacobs, will share how she uses Snagit and Camtasia for her social media trainings, for PowerPoint, for OneNote work, and more.
• Luke "Spork aficionado" Schnoebelen will talk about using a spork and screencasting.
• Nick "I can fix it" Herber from our Tech Support department will talk about transparency in Snagit.
• And, I'll share with you my pick for the Screencast of the Month.

We are also giving away two Forge Shirts and some of our prized titanium TechSmith sporks.

Note: You may need to refresh this blog post to see the live stream and chat room at 2pm EST. We're using the hashtag #tscforge

UPDATE: The recording of The Forge is embedded below. Enjoy!

Today is the day! Tune in on this blog post today at 2pm EST to see the live stream of The Forge!

Here's the run down of the show:

• Professional Screencaster Scott Skibell will talk about incorporating video into screencasts.
• Mike Curtis will have a tutorial about embedding video.
• Dirk Frazier, Screencast.com Product Manager, will talk about the recent updates to Screencast.com.
• Dave McCollom, Education Evangelist, will share his pick for the Screencast of the Month.

Note: You may need to refresh this blog post to see the live stream and chat room at 2pm EST. We're using the hashtag #tscforge

Can't join us live? No worries. We'll be recording the show and sharing it on YouTube shortly. I'll update this blog post when the recording is available.

Any feedback or suggestions for next month's show? Please email us at: theforge@techsmith.com.

Thanks for tuning in!

Mark your calendars for the next live broadcast of The Forge on February 17 at 2pm EST. You're in a for a treat! Professional Screencaster Scott Skibell will be this month's guest. I guarantee you will learn a lot from him. We'll be talking with Scott about incorporating video into screencasts!

What else will you see on The Forge this month? Mike Curtis will have a tutorial about embedding video. Dirk Frazier, Screencast.com Product Manager, will talk about the recent updates to Screencast.com. And, Dave McCollom, Education Evangelist, will share his pick for the Screencast of the Month.

On February 17th at 2pm EST, tune into the latest blog post here on the Visual Lounge to view The Forge live. You may have to refresh your browser to see the live stream and chat room. Can't join us live? We'll post the recording as soon as possible.

Want to know more about Scott Skibell? Scott is a 20-year training industry veteran. He helps individuals and businesses "productize their knowledge" by creating digital products around their expertise. These solutions include videos, e-learning courses, and of course, screencasts! You can learn more about Scott at SkillCasting.com and MacScreencasting.com

You can follow Scott on Twitter here.

UPDATE: The recording of The Forge is embedded below. Enjoy!

Today is the day! You're in the right spot to tune in live for our December episode of The Forge. To watch the show live, just visit this blog post on the Visual Lounge at 2pm EST to join us! Note: you may need to refresh your browser at 2pm.

Here's the line up for today:

• Beyond Bullet Points author, Cliff Atkinson will sharing how he helps people communicate and present more effectively.
• Ryan Eash, Instructional Designer - What to do before you hit the record button when making a screencast
• "Meet a 'Smithie" - Go behind the scenes at TechSmith with UX Designer, Chris Bacheldor
• "Screencast of the Month" award with Betsy Weber (that's me!). UPDATE: I picked Intel's screencast video, "The Chase"




Our hashtag for the show is: #tscforge

Can't join us live? Don't worry. We'll post the recording here on the blog and on our YouTube channel later.

Have suggestions for future shows? Email us at theforge@techsmith.com or leave a comment here on the blog. Thanks for tuning in!

I've had enough! I've wasted too much time sitting through boring presentations. I know you have too. Heck, I've even given some of those boring PowerPoint presentations. It doesn't have to be this way.

You are not going to want to miss our guest on The Forge this week. Cliff Atkinson will be joining us and sharing how he helps people communicate and present effectively. Better presentations make better screencasts.

Also on The Forge, Ryan Eash, Instructional Designer, will share his tips about what to do before you hit the record button when making a screencast. You'll also get to see behind the scenes at TechSmith and "Meet a 'Smithie" - Chris Bacheldor, UX Designer, will share what a typical day is for him at TechSmith. And, I'll show off our "Screencast of the Month".

Join us here on the blog, January 20th at 2pm EST to watch Cliff live (stream and chat room will be embedded in a blog post) on our January edition of The Forge. I'm sure Cliff would be happy to field some questions at the end. I'll also have some copies of his book, Beyond Bullet Points to give away too.

Can't join us live? I'll also post the recording after we've produced it.

Want to know more about Cliff? Cliff Atkinson is an acclaimed writer, popular keynote speaker, and an independent consultant to leading attorneys and Fortune 500 companies. He designed the presentations that helped persuade a jury to award a $253 million verdict to the plaintiff in the nation's first Vioxx trial in 2005, which Fortune magazine called "frighteningly powerful."

Cliff's bestselling book Beyond Bullet Points (Microsoft Press, 2007) was named a Best Book of 2007 by the editors of Amazon.com, and it expands on a communications approach he has taught at many of the country's top law firms, government agencies, business schools and corporations, including Sony, Toyota, Nestlé, Nokia, Nationwide, Deloitte, Amgen, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Intel, Microsoft and the United Nations International Criminal Tribunal.

Cliff's latest book is The Backchannel: How Audiences are Using Twitter and Social Media and Changing Presentations Forever (New Riders, 2009).

'Tis the season for giving! As you may have heard on The Forge earlier today, Digital Juice has an exclusive digital gift for Camtasia users to celebrate the holidays!

Digital Juice is giving you 70 High Impact SoundFX and 3 Full-length MusicBOX songs.

What do you have to do? Just sign up here and they will email you download instructions.

The promotion will expire on 12/9/10. So, signup for this offer quickly!

I have a favor to ask of you. If you like the music, please let Digital Juice know and leave a comment here as a thank you for this nice digital gift.

Today is the day! You're in the right spot to tune in live for our December episode of The Forge. To watch the show live, just visit this blog post on the Visual Lounge at 2pm EST to join us! Note: you may need to refresh your browser at 2pm.

What will we be talking about on The Forge today? Mostly music! You'll learn where you can find music that you can use for free and legally in your screencast. Snagit Product Manager, Tiffany Wood, will show you how to build a digital card. We'll look at gifts you can get for screencasters. And, Kevin McAuliffe from Digital Juice will share some music tips with us. We'll also have a few surprises too!

Update: Digital Juice has an exclusive offer for Camtasia users. They're offering 70 High Impact SoundFX and 3 Full-length MusicBOX songs for free! See more details here.

Missed the live show? The recording is below. It runs about 40 minutes.

Our hashtag for the show is: #tscforge

Can't join us live? Don't worry. We'll post the recording here on the blog and on our YouTube channel later.

♫♪ Jingle bells, Jing bells... ♪♫

Adding music to your video can get viewers in just the right mood. But it can also get you in hot water with your legal department or get your video banned from YouTube.

Fortunately, there's a growing number of royalty-free and creative commons music sites. You won't get the rights to "We Are the Champions" but you also won't wind up singing "I'm a loser, baby."

For the December episode of The Forge ( add to calendar), we want to share some of the screencasting community's favorite sites for inexpensive, legal music soundtracks. We need your help to build that list!

If you have a favorite source for music for your videos, please share it at our Google Moderator page or vote up others' contributions.

It's that time again. Tune in to the next Forge live on December 2 at 2pm EST here on the Visual Lounge Blog. The theme will be all about music and fun! We'll explore places to find music you can use for free and legally, how to built a digital card, how to use music well in your videos and look at gifts for screencasters.

In the interim, enjoy this video with expert screencaster Ian Oszwald that Matt Pierce recently made. Ian Oszwald is the co-founder of ShowMeDo. ShowMeDo has 50-70k monthly visits from people who learn through screencasts! Ian is an professional screencaster who has also authored the Screencasting Handbook..

Highlights from the interview include:

• How did Ian get started in screencasting
• Suggestions for getting started in creating professional screencasting
• Why using stories in screencasting is important and helpful
• What are key things to include in screencasts
• Ian's process from start to finish for creating screencasts
• Information about The Screencasting Handbook, written by Ian.

You can see past episodes and information about The Forge here. What would you like to see us cover on The Forge?

Update: The recording of The Forge is now available! See below and enjoy!

Join us live today for Episode 3 of The Forge at 2pm EST! We have a great line-up...

We'll be talking with Daniel Park from dappertext will be talking about all things screencasting, Justin Carpenter from Tech Support will give us a Jing tech support tip, Conan Heiselt will give 10 tips for Camtasia for Mac in 10 minutes, and we'll a special guest appearance by one of our software developers, Larry LaHaie.

Check out the recording below. It runs close to 40 minutes and is separated into four segments.

You can download the template files for your website to allow Jing to decode Jing Pro videos in Flash that Justin Carpenter referenced in his segment here.

Any ideas for future topics for The Forge?

It's that time again! Episode 3 of The Forge is coming up next Thursday, November 4 at 2pm EST. We'll have a very special guest joining us, Daniel Park from dappertext. He wrote the book about Camtasia Studio and has trained people to screencast around the world.

To tide you over until the next show, check out this interview that Matt Pierce, our Customer Engagement Manager (and The Forge host) did with Ellen de Vries from Brighton, UK. Ellen runs The Copy House, and is a copywriter and brand language consultant. Matt sat down with Ellen at the Skiff (see pics here), a co-working office that Ellen works in.

Ellen talks about her process for creating scripts and how she works with clients. Ellen also talks about some of the challenges that she's faced creating elearning projects. She also shares here tips on storyboarding and scripting for screencasts. The video runs 6:52 minutes.

Tune in here on the blog, November 4 at 2pm EST to watch Daniel live (stream and chat room will be embedded in a blog post) on our November edition of The Forge. I'm sure Daniel would be happy to field some questions at the end. Can't join us live? We'll also post the recording.

Join us live today for Episode 2 of The Forge! We have a great line-up...

We'll be talking with Dave McCollom, Education Evangelist for TechSmith about input devices that can be used in creating interesting screencasts. Specifically we'll be showing how you can use a tablet PC, a Wacom Bamboo, an iPad, and a few other options.

Troy Stein will be showing how interactive white boards can be used in screencasting.

Finally we'll be chatting live with Karl Gude about using visualizations to improve communication.

Check out the recording below. It runs 38:56 minutes.

Links mentioned in the show:

Dave McCollom:

• Mathtrain Student Math Tutorials
• Bob's Video on Circumference
• Examples from Jon Bergmann and Aaron Sams (Woodland Park High School)
• Tablet PC's Manufacturer Websites: HP, Toshiba, Lenovo, Fujitsu, Dell
• Wacom
• iPad
• Airsketch on iPad ($5.99)

Karl Gude:

• You can view a collection of Karl's drawings, painting, and infographics here.
• TEDxLansing Presentation, Visual Information (To Put It Mildly)

Any ideas for future topics for The Forge?

What makes a great visual? How can visuals help you explain complex topics? Would you like to know how to make more effective graphics and visuals? I think we all would!

I thought you would want to know more about our guest tomorrow on The Forge. One of the nice things about TechSmith being so close in proximity to Michigan State University is that we get to be close to really smart people like Karl Gude! And, we're honored to have Karl be our guest on The Forge.

Karl has been creating infographics for the news since the 70s. He's worked for newspapers, magazines and wire services like Newsweek, the New York Daily News and at The Associated Press. Karl has joined Michigan State University's School of Journalism to create an information graphics program.

To give you a little preview of Karl, check out this quick video from his presentation, "Visual Information (to Put it Mildly)" at TEDxLansing. I love Karl's insight, visuals, energy and passion! There's a reason why college students line up to take his classes! And you're not going to believe what he does with a fire hose!

You can also view a collection of Karl's drawings, painting, and infographics here.

Tune in here on the blog tomorrow, October 7 at 2pm EST to watch Karl live (stream and chat room will be embedded in a blog post) on our October edition of The Forge. I'm sure Karl would be happy to field some questions at the end. Can't join us live? We'll also post the recording.

Mark your calendars! We're getting ready for episode 2 of The Forge on October 7 at 2pm! We will have a very special guest, Karl Gude from Michigan State University who will share his expert insight about visual communication. Stay tuned for more information soon.

In the meantime, while we prep for the show, enjoy this interview with Eric Marcos, a 6th Grade Math Teacher in Santa Monica, California. Eric shares about how he got his kids to start screencasting and what some of the challenges are.

Check out Matt's interview with Eric Marcos below. It runs 14:00 minutes long.

Equipment used:

A Canon T2i camera was used. For the intro audio, we used a sennihieser microphone. For the recording inside the TechSmith audio booth, we used Shure wireless microphones.

The audio was run through Adobe Audition to remove background noise.

All video editing was done in Camtasia for Mac.

Write this day down in history... Today we shot the first episode of The Forge!

In this episode, Matt Pierce talked with Jon Udell all about screencasting. One of the things they discussed was the history of the name "Screencast". You can see a list of all the names suggested for this genre of videos here. Chris McQueen also reviewed the Blue Yeti microphone and I talked with Matt about who is screencasting and what makes a great screencast. The screencasts I referenced were: "Again & Again" music video by the Bird and the Bee, the Lab Rats, Coding by the Sea from Red Gate Software and Google's "Parisian Love" screencast.

The video runs (35:38).

If you tuned in to watch us shoot the show live, you will have noticed that the live stream was choppy. My apologies to anyone who tried to tune in. We're researching and running some tests to fix this for the next show. Stay tuned.

You can also view The Forge on our YouTube channel here.

We want to make this show to be a useful resource for you. Let us know what you want and need. What would you like to see on future episodes of The Forge? Topics? Guests? Themes?

We've been counting down the days... Tomorrow, September 2nd is the big day! We're going to be live with TechSmith's new web show, The Forge. We've been calling it... "The Forge Day"!

We're hoping that tomorrows episode will provide you with great information all about screencasting. Specifically we're going to be talking with Jon Udell. Did you know that Jon has been screencasting for a long time. He created a now famous screencast (and one of my favorites) about the Heavy Metal Umlaut?

One of our instructional designers, Chris McQueen, is also going to be reviewing the Blue Yeti microphone. You remember Chris, right? He put together this video with his tips for getting great audio for voiceovers. Blue Microphone was kind enough to loan us a Yeti for the review.

Matt Pierce and I are also going to be talking about some things that make for great screencasts, and show a few examples from screencasts that we like.

This will be a live show. Tune in here to watch us live on September 2nd, 2010 at 2:00 PM Eastern, 1:00 PM Central. And, since this is a live show, Matt, Kelly (our marketing video producer) and I will hang around and answer some questions and chat with the audience. We'll also be listening to tweets throughout the show (we'll be using #tscForge on Twitter).

Oh, you can't watch The Forge live tomorrow? Really? That's too bad! Don't worry we're recording it and will make it available on the TechSmith YouTube Channel for everyone to watch on their own time.

So wish us luck... we're excited and nervous (well, Matt is nervous. OK, maybe I am too.). ;-) Oh, and have a great 'Forge Day' tomorrow!

You're invited to TechSmith's new web show, The Forge! What can you expect to see on The Forge? Well, we'll be talking about screencapture and screencasting. You'll also meet interesting screencasters, get tips and tricks, learn about various tools to help with screen capture and screencasting and more...

We'll be talking with Jon Udell - Microsoft Evangelist, long-time screencaster, all around nice guy and he helped coin the term screencasting. We'll also see ways screencasting is used in different organizations. Plus we will be reviewing the Blue Yeti, a new microphone from Blue Microphones.

Here's a little promo video about The Forge with Matt Pierce, our Manager of Customer Engagement and also the host of The Forge.

Tune in here to watch us live on September 2nd, 2010 at 2:00 PM Eastern, 1:00 PM Central. Can't join us live? We'll record it and I'll post a link on the blog where you can view it.

Oh, and why the name, "The Forge"? Well, it is based on our name, TechSmith. The name TechSmith comes from the idea about a blacksmith. Instead of creating objects out of iron or steel, we're hammering and forging bits, bytes and tech... :-)

What would you like to see us cover on The Forge?