R.I.P. Flip

One of the best products EVER is the Flip camera. It slips easily into a purse or a briefcase and with the touch of a button, it's ready to record an hour or two of video, depending on the model, and it can even be in high def. Then, the flip-out USB port and self-contained software make it a snap to edit, make a simple movie and instantly post it to the internet to share with friends.
I especially like the battery powered models. If I'm on the road, I don't have to hunt for an electrical outlet and a USB port to recharge; just slip in fresh batteries and I'm good to go.
My coaching clients love the Flip. For private clients who are learning to be comfortable on camera, the Flip is much less threatening than massive TV gear. I can instantly show their progress from the beginning of the session to the end. It's a good ice breaker in group sessions when I have everyone introduce themselves to the Flip camera, and it's a sneaky way for me to record a name and a face for each participant. I've sometimes joked that I could finance entire foreign trips with a suitcase full of Flip cameras. I brought one as a gift to the Maldives and the entire country wanted one! I could have sold lots of them for double the price. Unfortunately, we couldn't get Cisco to ship overseas. I also got the cold shoulder from Cisco when I tried to work out a deal for a mass purchase for my students.
Which brings me to one of the dumbest business decisions EVER. Cisco is plugging the plug on the Flip. Read the press release here: http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/Cisco-Restructures-Consumer-Business-NASDAQ-CSCO-1426209.htm
The irony is that if you go to Cisco's site, there's endless preaching about the importance of online video. Sure, the Flip isn't perfect. The built-in microphone is cheesy and I was really excited when they came out with a model that allows for a port to plug in a real microphone. I bought a brand new Flip Ultra HD in anticipation of the microphones being available. I'm still waiting!
I can't even imagine life without Flip. I bought one for my brother for Christmas, and I can count on getting a video of every time my neice gets a base hit in a softball game. I've used mine to record and share the musical talents of my son and all of his friends. Even stupid pet tricks.
According to Cisco, the Flip can't compete with the video capabilities of smartphones and tablets. So I guess at my next coaching session, I'm supposed to hold up a phone and tell my clients to speak into it? Here's hoping that some company with an understanding of this useful product will take it over and support Flip fans everywhere.

College Daze

Dean Absy, who is wearing a collar due to a neck injury, is doing his best to prepare for the second year of the journalism diploma program. Unfortunately, he hasn't been able to find Maldivians who are willing to teach news writing, video, radio and print journalism for the low pay offered by the Faculty of Arts. So, he's counting on a "foreigner" to come here for most of 2011. This expectation is probably unrealistic. However, my predecessors in the Fulbright specialist program wrote the syllabus for the program and recommended that a qualified teacher be brought in from a foreign country to initiate the practical phase of the curriculum. Understandably, Absy is asking, "When is this guy coming?"
Staffing isn't the only problem. The college has no budget for video, audio or online journalism equipment. At this point the students claim to have one official and one unofficial student newspaper but they weren't able to show me any sample issues. The hope of a student news website or YouTube channel is only a vague dream. In the above picture, Absy is learning how to use a flip camera that I brought from the US, but even if the college were to purchase similar low-cost gear, there are no safeguards in place to make sure it won't be ripped off.
One possible solution would be a partnership with Male's TV and radio stations and print/web outlets, where some of the students are already working. They are required to do internships in the second year and the college could meet with media managers to make sure that the students have an opportunity to do stories that could qualify as college-level assignments. This, however, may also be unrealistic as it would involve some planning and coordination. Unless of course they can "get a foreigner to do it."
I should mention that the US Embassy in Colombo is doing what it can to help. The cultural affairs librarian at the American center is sending civics textbooks for a class that will be taught next year by a Maldivian scholar. Also under consideration is a program for local faculty development so the Maldivians won't be so dependent on foreigners in the future.

Pro-active Public Relations Workshop

Maldives is encouraging a more open exchange of information between government agencies and the public, and the strong turnout for the workshop in Strategic Public Relations reflected the demand for training in this area. The 56 participants represented just about every significant agency and public company in the country, including education, customs, water and power utilities, prisons, pensions, fishing, religion, elections and many more.
The first day focused on stating your message with crisis, conflict and resolution. Reporters love conflict, and public relations practitioners need to resist their natural tendency to avoid it. Instead, they must embrace the issues and provide answers through the media. I used the flip camera to encourage participants to focus on eye contact as they delivered their mission statements. We discussed how dominant "alpha dog" stories affect the public perception of any agency or company, using the example of how climate change has defined the world's image of the Maldives, to the exclusion of any other important issues; virtually every foreign reporter who comes here only wants to do stories about the sinking islands, ignoring other such dramatic stories as the rise of extremism, emerging democracy and the economic difficulties for such industries as fishing and tourism. Customs wanted to change the public perception that they are responsible for rising consumer prices; residents of the man-made island Hulhulmale blame the development corporation for shoddy construction of their flats; and participants eagerly debated the role of the water utility in providing a double standard for tap and bottled water.
The lively debate continued right up until prayer time. Many thanks to the Islamic center for providing the audio visual facilities that made this interactive multimedia workshop possible. Of course, Mr. Hilmy, my co-presenter from the president's press office, made sure to make each discussion point relate to the cultural context of the Maldives. This is a Fulbright workshop funded by the US State Department, and judging from the enthusiasm of the participants, it will have some impact.
I write this as a pounding rain falls outside my hotel window. If the monsoon season doesn't start until June, I can't imagine what next month will bring.