I'm not being paid to promote the Flip. I don't have any back-end deal with the manufacturer, nor do I want one. I just love this ingenious little invention and thought I'd tell you why it's a sure investment for any organization doing social media.
If you work in social media, you should have a Flip with you at all times, or at the very least at your immediate disposal. I compare it to a reporter having their notepad or mini-recorder with them - you never know when a story or situation will present itself and you need to be ready to document it.
The Flip camera is, in my opinion, an almost perfect video camera for social media. I say almost because it's missing one thing - an external mic option. With the success of YouTube, people are used to lower-quality video, but the audio can always be better.
The Flip is unobtrusive. It doesn't scare people the way a larger HD camera does. It's cute, silent, quick and gets the job done. And, while we attempt to treat our Flips with the utmost dignity, sometimes they get a bit tossed around. So far, they're indestructable.
We have a few video cameras at our disposal - a basic Flip, a Flip Ultra, and a Panasonic HD. Which camera we use to shoot depends on the subject matter and who's doing the filming, but the Flip is great for most anything.
We don't use the Flip editing software - we take the extra time to upload it into Windows Movie Maker so that we can sweeten the audio and utilize the additional transitions and title options. Hardly takes any time at all, and allows for more creativity.
One of the best things about the Flip is that due to it's ease of use most anyone can use it, which means that we can give a patient transporter or ICU nurse or lab tech the Flip for a day and get back some really incredible footage. "A day in the life of...". You get the picture (pun intended).
A couple Flip Tips:
- For those longer shoots, stabilize the flip using a tripod. At $15.00, it's totally worth it.
- Playback. Before you pack it up, review a bit of your footage to make sure the audio is usable. If not, try to find a location (if you can) that lets the interviewee be heard.
- Download and delete. Depending on how much you (or others) are using your Flip, download the footage on a regular basis and delete it from the camera.
- Batteries. Keep some spare batteries with you at all times. You never know when they'll go out, and you don't want to be in the field and have your Flip go dark without a backup.
The Flip is a solid investment. If you don't have one and want to up the ante in your social media strategy, it's a great fit.
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