Your Guide to Screencasting

Technology can be a bit scary. Even for generations who were born surfing the internet, it may make you kind of nervous when you are confronted with something new. The first time I had to learn HTML for a job, I was in a cold sweat. No class in high school made me want to pull out my hair more than computer class, with the spreadsheets and the coding and the design layouts. Maybe I was scarred after that, or maybe I was just one of those people, but I knew what I knew and I thought that was enough. But once I started learning new skills, whether because of enjoyment or necessity, I found that learning wasn’t as difficult or as tedious as I remember from high school. And the effort was well worth it. If you’re a regular at 6rounds, you may have wondered about recording your video chats, but never made it past wondering. You may think it’s too complicated or difficult. Well, here’s a guide to help you expand your horizons and show you that it isn’t as hard as you might think.

Video capturing, or screencasting, is becoming increasingly popular both professionally and in recreation. Professors can use it as a teaching tool. And you can use it just for fun. It’s quite simple really. Using Screenr.com, you click on the “create a screencast” button to start. As long as you have all the necessary software installed (like Adobe Flash) and your mic is working, you’ll have no problems. Here’s a quick screencast I made.

Obviously not the most exciting thing in the world, but keep in mind that was the first screencast I had ever made. It took me about a minute to figure it out. It’s free and it’s easy. I just chose to have it record in full screen, pressed the button when I was ready, played around for a bit, and then stopped. If you watched the video all the way through, you’ll notice that it also picked up my voice. Imagine the things you can do with this. You can record your video chats, make tutorials, or record and save DVD’s or movies. If you have a little imagination, you can have a lot of fun with screencasting. Also, you can keep your video for yourself, or publish it for the entire internet to see, like I did.

Screenr.com is easy to use, but it does have it’s drawbacks. It only allows you to record 5 minute videos at a time. That’s not perfect for everyone. Other sites, like screencast-o-matic.com or screencast.com allow you to record for longer. Serious screencasters might be interested in going “pro,” which means paying for software that allows you to record for an extended period of time.

Wasn’t that easy? Technology can look scary from the outside, but once you get the hang of it, it can be simple. So start screencasting your videos. And once you get comfortable with this, check back at 6rounds later this year as we unveil our newest chat features and broadcasting capabilities.

If  you know of any easier methods for screencasting, please share them here: