Rocketboom!

All week I have been attempting to keep up with Rocketboom. This shouldn't be so hard because they only post once a day, but I am still trying to figure out this whole RSS thing. Over the past seven days, while attempting to begin my adventures in vlogging, I have surprised myself. I always thought of myself as a tech-savvy person, a child of the so-called Dot Com Generation. It looks like I have some catching up to do, which is why I am glad that I am taking this class. I would hate to show up at a generation reunion, or for my first class as a teacher, and realize that everyone knows more than I do. That would be embarrassing.

Back to the matter at hand ... Rocketboom. It is a highly entertaining, visually and mentally stimulating, daily vlog. Hosted by former MTV Europe VJ Joanne Colan, Rocketboom is presented as a three minute news broadcast, only it is so much more. It is the type of news broadcast that your buddy forwards to you in an attempt to brighten an otherwise gloomy work day. It is the type of news broadcast that makes you laugh and then makes you do a Google search because you want to know if it is true or not. It is the type of news broadcast that just kicks butt.

Each episode starts with the vlog's theme song, Zoom a Little Zoom, played over a modge-podge of pictures and video clips. The colors, shapes, and sound, which are all constantly changing, caught my attention right away. The show then continues with its assortment of daily news. The short yet captivating segments, and unique focus, is perfect for a someone with a short attention span, like me.

My favorite segment today was about a website devoted entirely to the longest stuff in the world. Abbreviations, CD Title, Cell Phone Throw, Traffic Jam, if it was long it was on the list. I could whittle away many a rainy afternoon on this website, filling my brain with trivial information about length, including the longest domain name which just happens to be: The Longest List of the Longest Stuff at the Longest Domain Name at Long Last Dot Com. It took my clumsy fingers a couple of tries to type the exact URL into my web browser. To save you the time and frustration, I have linked to it here.

This has been one of my frustrations with vlogs. It is hard to embed a link within a video. And I, being an only slightly motivated vlogger, find it somewhat annoying to have to type in the URL of a site that I might learn about from a vlog. It is much easier to simply follow a link that is provided for me. However, this will not stop me from enjoying Rocketboom.

Rocketboom is a highly professional looking vlog. Producer/director Andrew Baron and his crew must spend a lot of time and thought putting it together each day. I imagine that their time is well spent. Rocketboom is geared towards those who are at least somewhat tuned in to the World Wide Web. I imagine that it attracts a wide variety of viewers spanning generations and from around the globe. Indeed it seems to have an international flavor. The uniqueness of each episode must be what keeps the customer satisfied. At least that is what worked with this customer. Check it out for yourself and you will see what I am talking about.