On the News
April 18th, 2008Heather and I were asked to participate in a roundtable discussion with a local news show On the Record with Chris Vanocur. Link to our show is here.
I’d just leave it at that, but there are some issues. The technical issues are that the show runs long enough that the ad reloader on the video page will kill the program. Note to abc4.com devs: On pages with video longer than a few minutes, you might want to kill the force reloader script. It makes it super annoying when you want to watch a long show to have the page do a force reload so that a new ad below the video can be seen. Lame. Also, dayport video player techs, it would be nice to show a progress bar (see every other major video player online) so I can get back to where I was after being nuked by bad ad scripts. Usability, people. Brightcove does a much better job with its player… To be fair, the embed version shows a progress bar, but the player on the story page does not.
Personal notes:
1) I did an extremely short hand history of blogging which will likely be taken to task. I ask the reader to forgive me for not doing a better, more thorough job in 9 seconds of giving credit to those who had blogs before Blogger started in 1999. I am aware that people were doing it well before 1999. I used to read Justin Hall and Dave Winer back in the day.
2) “Best” of Utah blogs is likely shortchanging a boatload of other great sites. I’ll be wrestling Chris Vanocur in a TV time limit, no-holds barred cage match at a future date.
3) My gesturing is problematic.
4) It might be time for voice lessons.
5) This show has a wide range of topics and personalities. It’s not MTV, so cut some slack to the host if he seems newsy. That’s his job. Also, something that still is an issue is that blogging is not something that everybody knows everything about. My comments around being in the beginning are relative to that notion. And relative to your mom.
[video pulled to make life easier and quieter. Dayport, get your business together. NO autostart on embed, you goofs! Brightcove is cleaning your clock and your other areas!]
Be nice in the comments and thanks for coming. o
Tags: abc4, blogging, blurb, dooce, heather, local news, me, nerd pants
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April 18th, 2008 at 2:58 pm
Haven’t watched it yet. My complaint is the media player starts immediately in Firefox. I don’t get to click play, I just have to start hunting through my open tabs until I find the lame ass player that is cluttering up my soundscape with something I didn’t press play on yet.
April 18th, 2008 at 3:08 pm
Do not say one more negative thing about yourself. I watched on Heather’s site first and agreed with her that you were hot. However, since I am probably 20 years older than you and would not want it to get creepy for you…..I will tell you instead……that you were very charming.”
April 18th, 2008 at 3:14 pm
Two and a half years since you quite your job and went full time? Has it really been that long? I have been reading since before you quit. It sure doesn’t seem that long.
April 18th, 2008 at 3:26 pm
re: Joel - the word that comes to my mind is iTalian.
From the nerd side, it’s always funny to hear self-described “luddites” trying to understand blogs. I didn’t realize that it took much understanding.
April 18th, 2008 at 4:11 pm
Great show guys. I didn’t mind the host myself (could have been worse. It could have been Nancy Grace) but you guys rocked. Loved the part where about groping. If I had a dime for every time I was groped by my husband, I could quit my job.
April 18th, 2008 at 4:25 pm
I was a little frighten while listening to this when I got a little turned on.
It’s all the geek talk I think.
You sound like my husband…just change up a few words and make them all about Revit and it all makes sense.
Thanks for the daily enjoyment.
April 18th, 2008 at 4:39 pm
I disagree about the gesturing and the need for voice lessons.
Perhaps there is a corollary to the “camera adds ten pounds adage” - namely, that for tall people, the camera makes the limbs look longer, and thus exaggerates the effects of normal hand gesturing.
There’s no excuse for my run-on sentences, unfortunately.
April 18th, 2008 at 4:55 pm
nobody likes how they look or sound. You sounded great and you looked good.
now, try it with the sound off… the eye contact and gesturing (shoulders flinching up on the Nielson chick) is even more pronouned. trippy….
April 18th, 2008 at 4:58 pm
i could only watch a few minutes. after reading dooce for seven or eight years (something like that) i can’t hear / see you guys without being completely freaked out at how different you sound in my head.
i’m sure you were both brilliant though.
April 18th, 2008 at 5:30 pm
Blurb, you wear the awesomest Nerd-Pants EVER!!
April 18th, 2008 at 5:49 pm
Is it possible to kill the auto-play?
April 18th, 2008 at 5:56 pm
both of you are hot
your hands are not a problem
all the best to both of you
you make my day
April 18th, 2008 at 6:09 pm
It’s not just that ABC. Most ABC stations across the country recently adopted a standard web template. The ad reload f’in up the video issue happens at all of them. Classy. Way to test, no test.
April 18th, 2008 at 6:11 pm
Jon, it may be a back-handed compliment, but your personality is much less stiff than I had imagined — voice, gesturing, etc., is all camera presence that you’ve picked up along the way. Nope, you were bright and charming and I’ve got a man crush on you. Good job.
Going for two-fers here…Thanks for supporting local. It’s easy to bag on this state/city/demographic, and sometimes I wince when you do. Heather gets a laugh without cutting so deeply, and laughs are always in short supply, so balance is sweet. I like living here, and I like visiting blurbomat. And, yes, as citizens of this silly joint we’ve got our work cut out for us.
April 18th, 2008 at 6:14 pm
You guys are great. DO NOT get voice lessons!
April 18th, 2008 at 6:43 pm
Loved seeing this.
I understand Heather wants John Laroquette (sp?) to play you in a movie presumably about your lives. I think a much better choice would be Jon Favreau - minus 50 pounds and with some hair. If he shaped up - he’d be the guy.
One of the things we do where I work is “media train” people out of their gestures. We all have them and yours are not a big deal. We are our own worst critics. You two looked/sounded great!
April 18th, 2008 at 7:28 pm
I watched the whole thing because it’s always a kick to see and hear the people you read. It was great to hear your accents!
The host’s inherent repressive personality and lack of knowledge about blogging…like man, what century is he in and are there really still people out there who haven’t discovered the Internet? (my take on him) was a tad frustrating at times. But then …blogging 101 people. There’s still space for that.
You were pleasant, polite and seemed a little amused by it all. It was great that you brought along some photos.
Did I detect a slight endearing lisp in Jon’s speech?
April 18th, 2008 at 7:44 pm
Great interview! I like the hand gestures!
April 18th, 2008 at 7:49 pm
Oh and thanks for the shoutout to Australia! I know y’all were thinking about me, the poor displaced Texan living in Australia.
And Yes I lost count after 7 hand gestures, but I think it’s endearing, and I think may do the same, though without being on Television I don’t know.
It’s great seeing y’all together on the show!
Very neat, and can’t wait to read Heather’s book!
Like 88 said, I have blog crushes on both Heather and you! Both insanely creative people that love liquor.
April 18th, 2008 at 7:56 pm
who knew jon had a blog. not me. and now i have a way to “waste” 5 more minutes every day. thanks for that
and you two are like the brangelina of the blog. wanna squeeze all 4 of your cheeks.
April 18th, 2008 at 9:17 pm
I don’t think I’ve ever commented, but I’ve been reading you both for several years now. Your voices and gestures are much different in my head!
Two best parts?
The pregnant pause after the mention of the Drudge report and the entirety of the groping part!
April 18th, 2008 at 9:34 pm
You Armstrongs rock!
April 18th, 2008 at 10:39 pm
Seriously, you guys are far too cute. The host was adorable. I loved the interview.
April 18th, 2008 at 11:20 pm
I will ditto that. You were great! It was nice to see an interview that wasn’t just sound bites.
April 19th, 2008 at 1:10 am
That was alot of fun to watch! You both did great in a slightly awkward setting!
4 million page views a month! Jiminy Joseph!!