Editor, revised

I blogged last month about making a how-to video (paper flowers) based on an assignment at work. Since the column the video accompanied is a monthly feature, I got another opportunity. This time the subject was felt faux food. You can check out some examples at Megan Cooley’s blog (she’s the star of my video).

I learned a few more things I thought I’d pass along:

• Avoid reflective tables when taking stills (doh).
• Recording the audio of the instructions in a separate take is good. But encourage your subject to write out a script. Use short declarative sentences in said script. This will save you lots of audio editing work.
• Be creative with your still/static shots. Like with the sandwich stacking.
• Use titles/text to save time. It’s just as effective as the narrator’s audio instructions.
• Kids make great ambiance.

Ever wonder what goes on below the hood when you generate a Google Map?

White Rock Solutions wants to give you a clue and teach you to do it within your text editor.

I first noted White Rock’s tutorials last month. The early tutorials I reviewed were ideal for people just starting out. In the meantime, White Rock has uploaded several advanced Google API how-tos that will teach you to:

1. Sign up for a Google Maps API
2. Create a custom template
3. Add map controls
4. Add placemarks to a map
5. Add standard info windows
6. Add tabbed info windows

By the fourth volume, you’ll have started from scratch and written code to create this:

If you’re interested simply in creating a custom map on the fly with a WYSIWYG interface, go to Google Maps and dive in or follow the basic tutorials at White Rock or any of the resources Mark Luckie notes at this useful 10,000 Words post.

But if you want to know what all those JavaScript commands in the source code mean, then White Rock’s tutorials will spell it out in plain English. Unless you’d rather dissect the code yourself.

Here’s another great contribution from Erica Smith, the talent behind the indispensable Paper Cuts map of newspaper layoffs.

When I posted about that site, Erica chimed in and steered me toward a tutorial she wrote about creating Google maps from a database without having to know code. I finally took the time to run through it, exporting the data from my earlier effort on Community Walk.

The tutorial is concise and easy to follow. Unfortunately, the instructions for incorporating javascript into a Wordpress post are not, so you must click the image or HERE to see my map.

This is a must-visit for anybody getting their feet wet in the world of mashups. Thanks, Erica.