Michael P. Falco

Today’s message is simple: producing quality media no longer requires expensive programs; high-priced cameras and microphones; or an expensive web technician (or really a web technician at all). This is the Web 2.0 world and, in this world, all you need is a little creativity, a computer, access to the Internet and ideas you want to share.

There are services emerging daily intended to make it easier for one-person shows and small non-profits to produce their own media — at no cost. As a longtime believer that the instruments of media producing should be ubiquitous, here are 10 sites that have helped me produce media, all for less than $175:

First, you need the devices and programs to record video and audio:

1. Flip Camera to record video.

OK, so, I know what you are thinking: Flip cameras are not free. Sadly, you are right. Yet, for less than $150 you can have one of the most powerful and easy-to-use cameras on the market. The flip camera is compact, requires pushing a single button to record and has a built in USB drive for easy loading on to your computer. Producing digital-quality videos does not get easier than this.

2. drop.io to record audio.
This site is brilliant. Although it has a number of features for sharing documents, the real gem is the audio recording feature. When you set up your account, you are given a digital voicemail recorder that you can call free. What does the digital voicemail recorder do? Only the coolest, simplest thing ever: automatically upload an mp3 to your computer seconds after you hang up the phone.

If the audio is good enough to distribute as-is, the site offers one-click distribution to your blog, Facebook or Twitter. If you want to do a podcast and have three or four people on a call, drop.io automatically sets up a conference call number – just have your interviewees join the conference number and then call the voicemail, conferencing the lines together.

3. Creative Commons to get free images.

I spent a good 15 minutes attempting to paraphrase what Creative Commons is all about. But, as it sometimes goes, the clearest definition of Creative Commons is from the Web site. In my words, this service is making it absurdly easy to share and use others’ images, with a range of licensing agreements. Here it is in Creative Commons’ words:

“Creative Commons is a nonprofit corporation dedicated to making it easier for people to share and build upon the work of others, consistent with the rules of copyright. We provide free licenses and other legal tools to mark creative work with the freedom the creator wants it to carry, so others can share, remix, use commercially, or any combination thereof.”

4. Blogtalk Radio to start a radio station.

If you’re anything like me, you have long imagined running your own radio station, with your own guests. Well, Blogtalk Radio makes that a reality for any individual or organization. The free account option allows you to set up a radio station, host live, call-in shows and then archive that audio and share it as a Podcast.

Now, you need the tools to edit and improve that audio:

5. Audacity to edit audio.

OK, so you have recorded your audio, either through your computer’s built-in mic or the drop.io service mentioned earlier. But, maybe you want to get rid of ambient news, edit a clip or splice it with other audio clips you have. If you are lucky, your computer came with a program like Garage Band that would allow you to edit your audio. If not, I would go with Audacity.

This program is tremendously user-friendly. It allows you to clean up audio, cut out awkward pauses and so much more. Once you have the audio clip together, just export the file as an mp3 and it is ready to be uploaded to wherever.

6. JahShaka (and others) to edit video.

Just two weeks ago, I would have recommended Jumpcut to edit video. It was an easy online program that allowed you to mix, match and cut video, while adding cool effects. Unfortunately, Yahoo! recently announced they are closing down the Web site… Still, Jumpcut’s demise is no reason to run and spend $850 for Final Cut Pro.

JahShaka has some cool features and options you would only find with more expensive video-editing software. The program has not been upgraded in a while, but it is still top notch (not as intuitive as Jumpcut, but so it goes).

Of course, Apple owners can always stick with (iMovie) and PC owners with (Windows Movie Maker). These programs came free with your computer and they allow you to do an array of effects and edit video with relative ease. They lack Final Cut Pro’s bells and whistles, but you can still put together great-looking videos that showcase your work.

Lastly, you need to distribute the media you have produced.

7. TubeMogul to share video.

There are a lot of services out there where you can share your video. Sure, everybody knows YouTube, but what if I said you have the power to upload your video to a dozen other video services (including YouTube), monitor the reach of your video, and see how many people have viewed your video across all platforms? TubeMogul does that all!

8. Posterous to share easily.

This is by far the easiest blogging service out there. Posterous allows you to post to your blog a number of different ways, but the easiest is through your email. The subject line becomes the headline and the body is your blog post’s text. What’s more, if you attach photos or a video to the email, it automatically formats the attachment and imbeds it to the blog entry. (On top of all of this, subject line is automatically sent to Twitter and Facebook, photos to flickr and much more!)

9. Tumblr to share everything.

If Posterous is the easiest-to-use blogging service, than Tumblr is a close second. While it is not as user-friendly as Posterous (as if anything is) you can personalize your blog and add a range of cool features, not available through Posterous (yet). Tumblr allows you to design your own unique and professional-looking blog that is easy to upload.

10. Drupal to create your own social networks.

The possibilities with Drupal are limitless. This software package makes it possible to easily publish and create an almost limitless variety of content. There are e-commerce packages, social networking options, podcasting modules and so much more. This is the easiest program to launch and build an interactive Web site that does everything you need in today’s Web 2.0 world.