If you haven’t been checking out the Smithville Review webpage in the past couple of weeks then you’re missing out on some good stuff, namely video taken around the community at various events, focusing on folks you know.

Granted, the website may have been a bit blasé before but, since I'm now here on a more regular basis, I plan to make it must-see programming, especially when it comes to the area of video coverage. Now, if you haven't watched the videos that are up right now, let me point out this isn't some raw video I've thrown up there to eat bandwidth. These are stories in video, all post-produced and professionally edited.

So, what gives Sherrill? You think you’re a television station now? Actually, video is something I enjoy doing. They got me into it a few years ago when I was working over in Warren County and, once I learned the ropes, it became fun to do. At one point we were doing 15-20 videos a week, some of them being video commercials – keep that in mind if you’re looking for a novel way to advertise. Actually, you can put your logo on any video we do up here or have your own video commercial shot.

Along with enjoying video journalism, there is also another reason I like video – it helps me keep notes because I can’t read my own handwriting. That’s right, I have chicken scratching in place of penmanship. There are many occasions when I’ll jot down a name and not have the slightest of how to read it once I get to where I can write the story. Therefore, I’ve given in and carry a recorder with me. I also often carry the video camera for that reason, since I can kill two birds with one stone. I can do a video to go with the story and I can also watch the video to get my notes. It works out for everybody.

As for the videos themselves, I optimize them so you can watch them on your handheld device or on your home computer. I tend to keep them short, two to three minutes unless it is something that just needs to be broadcast at length. This is because folks don’t want to watch a long video. They want the highlights.

Anyone can watch the videos, even without a subscription. All you have to do is go to www.smithvillereview.com and scroll down. Or, you can hit the multimedia tab and it will take you to all of them on the site. In the near future I plan to start putting out alerts on our Facebook page when I put a new one so you can connect directly from there to our site. And, while I’m talking about the website, anyone who subscribes to the print edition of the Smithville Review is automatically qualified to get free use of our website. You only need to call us to get a username and password. However, once again, videos are free to the general public and often include web exclusive content so don’t miss out.

Contact Duane Sherrill at          
news@smithvillereview.com