Our Product is Explanation
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Yaay! We have a page on Wikipedia. Now what?
As you may know, Wikipedia pages tend to evolve over time as users contribute new information and we're excited to see the Common Craft page evolve. But first we're hoping to build on a solid foundation - and we need your help. The information that's there is a good start, but it can be better.
As the owners, it's not kosher for us to edit the page, so we'll be adding suggestions to the "talk" section over time (a few are there now). If a... Continue Reading
New Explainer Network Member: 1/29 Explainers
Posted by: leelefever on August 12, 2009- 5:00pm
Categories: business, Explainer Network, Explanation, network, video
We're excited to announce a new member of the Common Craft Explainer Network, 1/29 Explainers. Executive producer Nick Seuser and the 1/29 team have ton of experience in the film and video world.
Our introduction to 1/29 was through the "Behind the Logic" series of videos they did for Pandora. You can watch them on the 1/29 Explainers home page. We were impressed with the entertaining creative way they explain the logic that connects the music that plays via Pandora. Here's an example:
1/29... Continue Reading
Coming Soon: More Videos on Financial Responsibility
Posted by: leelefever on July 19, 2009- 5:00pm
Categories: business, financialbasics, future, money, Money Videos, videos
Here's a question for you: Were you taught about financial responsibility when you were young?
When I ask this question, the vast majority of people respond with a quick "nope." I sure wasn't. In my high school I learned to recite a poem from BeoWulf in Olde English, but never learned about 401ks or compound interest. In light of the current financial crisis, we want to do our part to make sure people understand the important elements of personal finance and being financially responsible.
The... Continue Reading
Yesterday, we posted about a video by a company called rPath with the title "Cloud Computing in Plain English." Read about it here.
The blog post came as a result of our unsuccessful efforts over six months to illustrate to rPath that their video, because of the combination of the "in Plain English" title and use of paper-cut outs on a whiteboard, was a source of confusion for Common Craft customers. Because rPath insisted on using legal means to communicate their stance, we chose to take a... Continue Reading
Updated: The issue described below has been resolved. You can read about it here.
While we are happy to be an inspiration for educators and individuals, sometimes we see examples of commercial organizations that choose to make videos that cause potential confusion. When a video uses paper cut-outs on a whiteboard and "in Plain English" in the title, people may mistake it for part of the Common Craft video series. This confusion compromises the hard work we've put into building the Common Craft... Continue Reading
A few months back, we made re-thinking our web site a top priority. We needed a better way to organize, display and sell our videos. At the same time, we saw an opportunity for our website to feel like a Common Craft video. Today is the official launch of the new CommonCraft.com and we can barely contain ourselves.
A few things:
1. We need your help. As with anything new, bugs, typos, and issues of all sorts are expected. Please contact us, or leave a comment here if you see anything out of... Continue Reading
A few months ago, we spent an afternoon with Jamie Friddle, a writer for Seattle Magazine, who was putting together a story on Common Craft. We were so excited. A few weeks later a photographer came to take pictures.
As Sachi will tell you, the process added a layer of anxiety to her day over the next few months. What would the article say? What photos would they use? I'm happy to report that the anxiety was all for naught. The 4 page feature appears in the May 2009 issue of Seattle Magazine... Continue Reading
We've re-thought our website from the ground up and soon you'll see the all the changes we're making. For now though, I want to highlight a few things that make a big difference.
1. A Focus on the Business. This may be the best way to explain how the focus has changed:
The current Common Craft site says "WE HAVE A BLOG - and we sell videos"
The *new* Common Craft site says "WE SELL VIDEOS - and we have a blog"
It's true - the new site is more closely aligned with the goal of finding, viewing... Continue Reading
I recently wrote about a project called the Common Craft Explainer Network. The big idea is to help connect prospects looking for custom explanatory videos with talented producers.
I'm excited to report that we now have 4 members of the Explainer Network. Our newest member is Splainers - a small company from Issaquah, WA just around the corner from Seattle that specializes in simple presentations that use 3D modeling. Splainers joins great group of talented producers who not only make... Continue Reading
Eleven Common Craft Kindle Books for Your New Kindle
Sometimes we think about our videos not as videos, but little lessons. Whether you watch them in a video, or read the script with visuals, the messaging should be just as effective. This is where we got the idea for our Common Craft Kindle books. If someone has a Kindle wireless reading device and wants to learn about Twitter or the basics of Investing money, they should be able to spend a couple of bucks and get up to speed in a few minutes. More about our Kindle Books here.
As of... Continue Reading