This letter appeared in the Christadelphian Magazine for October... Videos on the Internet We now find ourselves living in a digital media focused world; Laptops, Tablets, Mobile phones, Smart TV’s are everywhere. While we can be divided as to the usefulness of all this technology, it does raise some important issues for us as growing numbers in our community have chosen to use it, both personally and ecclesially. Many in our community have embraced this technology to great effect, producing some wonderful videos of talks that otherwise would not be seen by Christadelphians, many in isolation. Historically, the outlet for this material has generally been limited to the ecclesial or Bible school website of the body that produced the material. Increasingly, more Christadelphian YouTube channels are being created to host videos recorded at their own meeting places. These can range from Gospel addresses, Bible class studies, Exhortations, fraternal gatherings and even baptisms, all shown to the world at large. Many ecclesias have taken to live stream their exhortation in real time, allowing anyone in the world to watch the whole service as it happens. While for some this may not present a problem, we have found for an increasing number of others, it is. Many speakers have been shocked to find out that an address they gave in confidence to a Christadelphian audience has found its way onto YouTube. On the few occasions so far, where the need has arisen, removing this content from YouTube has proven extremely difficult due to the way that YouTube operates. It is essential, that all ecclesias and Bible schools be aware that if they post any video material on line, on any website, then they are inviting it to be downloaded and redistributed across the internet without restriction. Once the material is out there it becomes virtually impossible to police. Our advice, below, to ecclesias, individuals and Bible schools is to better police material produced by the brotherhood and that prevention is far better than cure. 1: Only upload your video if everyone involved, i.e. Speaker, president, if shown, is happy for it to be shown worldwide. 2: If the video is meant only for Christadelphians, then there is a way to show your material on line on YouTube but only to Christadelphians. Contact the undersigned for more information on this and on our hosting channel for videos produced by Christadelphians with the option of having your own playlist ( with ecclesial name), within the site. 3: Be aware that uploading to a secure password protected site is not always a guarantee the video will not be pirated. 4: Some Christadelphian sites have very good security, but always be aware that screen capture is increasingly a concern, popular, due to the development and increase of HD video. 5: Ensure videos showing our young members are not uploaded if permission from the parent(s) has not been sought. The internet is a parallel of the world that we live in with both good and bad residing on it. If we choose to try and harness it to do good, then we must do so with our eyes open to the possible abuse and problems that come with it. For further information on Video production and hosting contact [email protected]
Posted on: Tue, 14 Oct 2014 12:07:05 +0000
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