video portal

A video portal is a website offering user created or professionally created video content.

Online video

Online video is video content distributed by the Internet. Recently, several different studies have shown that, at least in the United States, online video reaches a majority of the population.
This is due in part to the penetration of broadband internet, and also to the emergence of highly successful video portals. These portals offer user created or professionally created content.
The majority of online videos are shorter than 5 minutes in duration, a length generally preferred by users who view such content on computers or portable equipment, like cellphones, MP3 players or video game consoles.
Some portals offer videos in the 320x240 pixel resolution, while others opt for a larger format, such as 480x360 pixels (for a typical display) and 640x360 (for a widescreen 16:9 display).
Many portals use Adobe Flash Player for their videos, the player which is becoming a de facto industry standard. Others use Windows Media Player, QuickTime, DivX Web Player or RealPlayer.
Devices like Apple TV or Netgear's Digital Entertainer, capable of transferring video files from the Internet to the television screen, will cause an increase in the length of the size of videos, both in definition and duration.
Most video portals generate their revenue through advertising. There are currently many advertising formats related to online video, such as preroll (commercials like those on television and played before the video) and branded channels.

internet forum

An internet forum is an online discussion site where people can communicate in the form of posted messages. It is a system that allows users to send, read and reply to messages on a particular subject in real time.

Social Networking

What is Social Networking?

 A social networking service is an online service, platform, or site that focuses on facilitating the building of social networks or social relations among people who, for example, share interests, activities, backgrounds, or real-life connections. A social network service consists of a representation of each user (often a profile), his/her social links, and a variety of additional services. Most social network services are web-based and provide means for users to interact over the Internet, such as e-mail and instant messaging. Online community services are sometimes considered as a social network service, though in a broader sense, social network service usually means an individual-centered service whereas online community services are group-centered. Social networking sites allow users to share ideas, activities, events, and interests within their individual networks.

Social Networking Explained

Social Networking has become very popular during the past few years, but it can still be very difficult to understand for someone new to social networking. The open-ended nature of social networks add to this. Once signed onto a social network, having answered a few basic profile questions, it is easy to sit back and wonder what you are supposed to do next.
The easiest way to understand social networking is to think of it like high school. You had friends in school, and you knew quite a few people even if you weren't friends with all of them, but it's likely that you didn't know everyone.
If you ever moved to a new school -- or if you can imagine moving to a new school -- you start out with no friends. After attending classes, you start meeting people, and as you meet them, you begin associating with those that have similar interests.
Getting started with social networking is much the same as starting at a new school. At first, you don't have any friends. But as you join groups, you begin to meet people, and you build a friends list of those with similar interests.

Social Networking Architecture

Social networking is based on a certain structure that allow people to both express their individuality and meet people with similar interests. This structure includes having profiles, friends, blog posts, widgets, and usually something unique to that particular social networking website -- such as the ability to 'poke' people on Facebook or high-five someone on Hi5.
Profile. This is where you tell the world about yourself. Profiles contain basic information, like where you live and how old you are, and personality questions, like who's your favorite actor and what's your favorite book. Social networks dedicated to a special theme like music or movies might ask questions related to that theme.
Friends. Friends are trusted members of the site that are allowed to post comments on your profile or send you private messages. You can also keep tabs on how your friends are using social networking, such as when they post a new picture or update their profile. Friends are the heart and soul of social networking. It should be noted that not all social networks refer to them as 'friends' -- LinkedIn refers to them as 'connections -- but all social networks have a way to designate members as trusted.
Groups. Most social networks use groups to help you find people with similar interests or engage in discussions on certain topics. A group can be anything from "Johnson High Class of '98" to "People Who Like Books" to "Doors Fans". They are both a way to connect with like-minded people and a way to identify your interests. Sometimes, groups are called by other names, such as the 'networks' on Facebook.
Discussions. A primary focus of groups is to create interaction between users in the form of discussions. Most social networking websites support discussion boards for the groups, and many also allow members of the group to post pictures, music, video clips, and other tidbits related to the group.
Blogs. Another feature of some social networks is the ability to create your own blog entries. While not as feature-rich as blog hosts like Wordpress or Blogger, blogging through a social network is perfect for keeping people informed on what you are up to.
Widgets. A popular way of letting your personality shine through is by gracing your social networking profile with web widgets. Many social networks allow a variety of widgets, and you can usually find interesting widgets located on widget galleries.

Why Start Social Networking?

Social Networking is a nice form of entertainment, great for meeting people with similar interests, and can be a very effective business technique for entrepreneurs, writers, actors, musicians or artists.
Most of us have hobbies, or things that we are keenly interested in such as books, television, video games or movies. Social networks allow us to reach out to others that have the same interests.
For example, if you like movies, Flixster can help you decide if you might like a new movie just out at the theaters. If you like music, Last.FM can help you find new artists that are similar to your favorite bands.

Am I Too Old To Start Social Networking?

You are never too old to get involved in social networking! There are plenty of social networks to choose from including niche social networks that focus on a specific theme like TakePart, a network for social activism, and 43 Things, a social network dedicated to goal setting.

PODCAST

Definition of PODCAST

:  a program (as of music or talk) made available in digital format for automatic download over the Internet

A podcast (or netcast) is a digital medium consisting of an episodic series of audio, video, PDF, or ePub files subscribed to and downloaded through web syndication or streamed online to a computer or mobile device. The word is a neologism and portmanteau derived from "broadcast" and "pod" from the success of the iPod, as audio podcasts are often listened to on portable media players.
Merriam Webster defines Podcast: a program (as of music or talk) made available in digital format for automatic download over the Internet^[1]
A list of all the audio or video files associated with a given series is maintained centrally on the distributor's server as a web feed, and the listener or viewer employs special client application software, known as a podcatcher, that can access this web feed, check it for updates, and download any new files in the series. This process can be automated so that new files are downloaded automatically, which may seem to the user as if the content is being broadcast or "pushed" to them. Files are stored locally on the user's computer or other device ready for offline use, giving simple and convenient access to the content.^[2][3] Podcasting contrasts with webcasting (Internet streaming), which generally isn't designed for offline listening to user-selected content.

Definition

user-generated content (UGC)

User-generated content (UGC) is published information that an unpaid contributor has provided to a web site.  The information might be a photo, video, blog or discussion forum post, poll response or comment made through a social media web site.
Commercial media's growing reliance on user-generated content has led to some controversy in the publishing world. Some organizations monitor user-generated content carefully for profanities, lies and attacks on other contributors. Others let users self-police their content.
Critics point out that the content quality of amateur contributors can be inconsistent, but the user-generated content movement has also been praised for allowing website visitors to lend their voices to news coverage.  In contrast to a traditional one-to-many media arrangement, some media organizations are basing their entire business models upon UGC, encouraging unpaid contributors to provide content that the media organization can republish, promote and profit from.

User generated content (UGC) is material on websites, and occasionally other media sources, that is produced by the users of the website. This is different than, for example, a website designed by a company that puts forth material produced by professionals. In UGC, it is the amateur, in most cases, who contributes the content.

Content created by users has become tremendously popular, and some of the most frequently visited sites on the Internet are primarily user generated. This is the case with sites like Wikipedia, where anyone can write an article with sufficient expertise. Other users may evaluate the content, suggest changes, or even make changes. Some material on the site carries warnings that an author is now espousing opinion, or that certain statements are not verifiable or have been called into question by other users.

No author is paid for contributions to Wikipedia, which makes this type of user generated content distinct from other types. For example, blog sites, where users can blog about any topic they want to, may carry ads, which if clicked on, mean a share of profits for the bloggers. The percentage of profits varies from site to site.

Ad

Other times, bloggers may simply be paid a percentage of the profit for having ads on their site, and are paid by the number of people visiting the site. So there is particular impetus to have blogs that will be read by others. This often translates to better blogs being read by a high number of people. Excellence in writing can have its rewards.

Similar to Wikipedia is the popular YouTube, which has thousands and thousands of examples of user generated content. It should be stated that not all content on YouTube is user generated, however, since it may infringe on copyrights by using songs or video clips that are protected by copyright laws. It may use previously recorded professional material, as with scoring, or in video remixes. Some professionally-produced content is also created and distributed through the site.

Occasionally, a company will authorize the use of its images or music for use on UGC sites, but other companies do not authorize this. When content that contains unapproved music or images is uploaded, it is usually found and removed from the site.

One of the challenges with user generated content is that it may be inaccurate or espouse opinions or beliefs that others find offensive. People who rely on UCG sites for information might get the wrong answers and not think to confirm the information since often the printed, or uploaded, word is treated as true simply because it is written. Writers can presume authority or expertise where they have none, and the reader may not always be able to discern the false from the true.

At least for the purpose of research, UGC should be double-checked against more recognized sources, such as encyclopedias or dictionaries. This can help eliminate perpetuating untrue material. Often, however, the users themselves are quick to make corrections when material is incorrect.