Stickam

I too enjoyed putting faces to the millions (well... maybe not that many) of YML faithful. But my one-time experience was not all that great. Only seven faces are allowed and when Firefox locked up, I couldn't get back in. Not that I expect Stickham to allow hundreds of little video windows to appear, but a dozen would be nice.

My two cents... keep the change

:)

I make everything look good.

I have to agree with the point the previous poster made, that seven videos is too few to make Stickam anything more than a fun toy to play with. It's certainly cool, and I like having the video stream of the show, but as a listener interaction tool (if that's what it's intended to be) it's very limited.

"as a listener interaction tool (if that's what it's intended to be) it's very limited."

Nope - not intended as that at all. That's just the default configuration in Stickam and I haven't bothered to change it.
--
Shawn King
Host/Executive Producer
Your Mac Life
http://www.yourmaclifeshow.com

What is it intended to be?

Whatever the audience makes it. Like I said, I just haven't changed (or even know if it can be changed) Stickam's default configuration. Right now, it's whatever those six people who can get in there first make it. :)
--
Shawn King
Host/Executive Producer
Your Mac Life
http://www.yourmaclifeshow.com

I like it, but I'm still trying to figure out how to join! can I use my isight? I had problems getting it to work last time I tried.

I got a kick out of trying it out last week. I will definitely play with it again. I don't really understand how it all works. I could see the six people, but I guess some people could see me too. And I'm not sure what's up with the audio. Someone was talking to me, but it seemed like they couldn't hear me talking back.

It will be interesting to see how (if?) this evolves.

It can be confusing. Especially if you start by looking at YML's linked page.

1st you need to make an account at Stickam and then find Shawn (search for either shawn_yml or trashtalkv2) and ask him to befriend you.

2nd, during the show you'll need to click on the video that is playing on his Stickam page which will open a second window. This window includes a text chat area and an area for sidebar video participation madness.

In my case, when that window opens, Flash informs me that it has detected a camera and asks me if I would like to go live. If you're like me and say 'no.' you can later turn on the camera by clicking on the video icon in the black box reserved for your video or right clicking on your name in the chat list and selecting the preferences.

In the black box where your video will go, there will be an icon of a microphone and of a video camera. Make sure your Mic is muted, if not macgenie will hear voices in her head. ;-)

(Well, I'm sure I've gotten many things wrong as I'm going from 3am, 3-sheets memory) The best advice I've found is what kPatrick said and that is to just start clicking on things!

I'll end with a link to Adobe's help page, and to say that when I first went in, Flash wasn't recognising my built-in iSight, so I had to command click on my name to access the prefs and change my camera to USB somethinig or other.

http://www.macromedia.com/support/documentation/en/flashplayer/help/help...

HTH

p.s. if you would like to try it beforehand let me know and we can arrange a session sometime, just search for me in Stickam and leave me a note, I'll message you back with my email, iChat handle, etc and see if we can set something up.

"It will be interesting to see how (if?) this evolves."

I don't know that it will. If it is as it seems (that is, a limited # of people can access the sidebar video), it's usefulness is limited to just the first 6 people who can jump in. I'm not a big fan of that kind of exclusion. Plus, with over 2000 people tuned in live, I don't want to put too much focus on six fellow geeks in a video window the rest of the audience *can't* see. :)

Besides, the last thing I need is one more window/chat room to keep an eye on. My head is on the verge of exploding most show nights as it is. :)
--
Shawn King
Host/Executive Producer
Your Mac Life
http://www.yourmaclifeshow.com

Is that true? It seems to me that while only six people can be side-bared, the viewer can decide which people in the chat with video can be placed. Stickam's help seems to hint at it, but not say outright.

http://www.stickam.com/howto/vchat.do
http://www.stickam.com/howto/chatroom.do

Glad you hate me a little less. Sorry for not sticking around until the end of the show, but my DSL and Phone line Died! And I did not get them back until late Friday night! Another wonderful "feature" of living in paradise.

It was a lot of fun seeing everyone there, chair dancing like the fools we are. :D It think it's great that we who appear in those six little spaces help to give the show a more live and fun interactive experience. But managing multiple chat windows is daunting for me, and I see from Shawn's comments above that he's really taking multitasking to it's limit. GCSTrish and Sly help moderate the two chat rooms, but who moderates the Stickam chat? Where's J when you need him!

P.S. Shawn, you can remove a cam by closing their image, which will make it a blank space again. Then you can click on any Stickam user with the Cam icon. It should bring up a pop-up menu with an option to add the user's cam to the placeholder.

P.P.S. Now if the show was during the day, I could really make you and everyone else hate me by putting my Cam out of my window... ;)

Kevin Patrick - Cyber Media Designs
Webmaster/Designer & Internet/Computer Consultant
http://www.CyberMediaDesigns.com

It sure exposes yml to a whole new audience!

"who moderates the Stickam chat?"

I make Ian Nixon and MacBarcelona Moderators in there.

"you can remove a cam by closing their image, which will make it a blank space again. Then you can click on any Stickam user with the Cam icon. It should bring up a pop-up menu with an option to add the user's cam to the placeholder."

Yeah - that's way too much work to try and do in the middle of a show. :)

--
Shawn King
Host/Executive Producer
Your Mac Life
http://www.yourmaclifeshow.com

SPLURT! ( Dagnabitrifflstrible, Another keyboard! Shawn!?! #@¢#@ )

While Ian holds MY hand while walking ME through Stickam, I don't think he's even old enough to be there. ;-)
And me? I am 'the one who smokes on-cam and should be moderated.'

Seriously though, moderation meaning what? I can copy and paste helpful hints in chat, and turn off Maurice's cooking torture in MY client window, but there's no way for me to see all possible audience vid feeds available to others. (without maybe ghosting accounts, and that'd be like, ooph.)

My idea of moderation would be having more happy shiny YMLers show up in Stickam for a side-bar visit. Everyone knows YMLers don't need no moderating. :-/

.... Maybe when Leopard's iChat's background-changing, perfect-light-detection, teeth-whitening features kick in.......

But in the meantime, I'd invite more listeners to come and visit (even with cams off, just to get the feel of it.) and maybe as an added incentive I could add a little "Did you know...?"

It's kind of common sensey, but, Did you know that you could invite someone in the Stickam chat to a private chat for gloating over FF and Pool standings as well as drilling KPatrick on why, if he lives in the Virgin Islands, does he surf from a cave?

"My idea of moderation would be having more happy shiny YMLers show up in Stickam for a side-bar visit. Everyone knows YMLers don't need no moderating. :-/"

It's the people who are rude and loud and don't shut off their mics and try to get people to show stuff that's not allowed on stickam. There have been many occasions where people have come in the room, loud as all heck, and need to be kicked out for the listening pleasure of the rest of the people in the stickcam room. Plus, I dunno how Shawn has it set up (with muting and all), but it may be distracting to him if he's got someone screaming on one machine and trying to push the right buttons on another.

Moderating the room keeps everyone happy. And besides, without one (and again, Shawn can't run YML, two chat rooms, the phone line, *and* stickam people at the same time), people tend to get crazy. (Not sayin' names :) )

Just my 2¢. :)

--
Ian Nixon
iannixon.com

I agree with you 100% Ian, in regards with the the microphone. And I have _no_ experience of Stickam outside of the YML-realm, but I would hazard a guess that the majority of the people from YML who enter 'hot,' do it out of ignorance, not malice. Stickam's Flashed-based UI could use a tweaking.

Can Shawn auto-mute all who enter the chat room with their options to 'go live'? My first glance a while ago seems to bring memories of all or nothing. Allow audience side-barring or not.

And regardless of global allowing, he could always allow a sidebar chat with anyone inside (or outside?) the room. Which means only he would see it. Heck, he could even enlarge the guest's cam to full screen and stream the video with the interview like in the olden days.

In fact, all participants in the chat can do that. [Except for the broadcating it via YML part.] They can select from room members who gets side-barred, or put full screen or open a private vid/audio chat etc.

My contribution to 'moderating' would be that the Sly Memorial Welcome Message at the Stickam chatroom includes the fact that if you don't want to watch that guy in the audience picking his nose, just close his thumbnail. Ban him if you want even. Oh, and mute your Mic!

p.s. Ian, how does a person enter the chat in Stickam with the camera on, so as to be available to be side-barred by another member while making sure the mic is off? Real slow like, we're old and sometimes don't get it the first time. ;-)