A smiling elderly lady in a hospital bed grasps onto the hands of two sisters clad in white. The patient seems to draw energy from the two sisters, who smile at her. This is one of the many images of the Daughters of St. Francis of Assisi in Lacon, IL, seen in their new video, “Images of Franciscan Simplicity.”

“This video draws the viewer into a deeper life of meditation and service to God,” said Sr. Adriana, the community’s superior. “I hope that it inspires prayer and commitment to the Franciscan way of simplicity and love.”

The sisters wear a traditional habit and have regular times for Mass, Divine Office and adoration. The video has drawn 30 views already in less than two days. It can bee seen on YouTube. Visit the Sisters’ website at www.LaconFranciscans.com.

The video was produced by www.TreeFrogClick.com, our web promotion company that works with religious communities.

In the movie, 2001: A Space Odyssey, HAL, the spaceship’s computer, says, “Dave, is something wrong?” Dave, in fact is thinking about pulling the plug on the computer, which controls every aspect of the ship, and HAL senses this.

This is what ran through my head while testing the online software of ArticleVideoRobot.com, an ingenious service that brings together text, sound, music and a synthesized voice to make videos. There is something wrong — we need the next generation of the voice synthesizer to make that part of it work well.

The software’s strong point is that video production is very quick and efficient. After playing around with it a bit, I uploaded a short article I had written on website promotion (see the PDF, Seven Proven Ways to Drive Visitors to Your Website) and made a three-minute video in 13 minutes. Much shorter than the 10+ hours it takes me to make a two-minute video. Of course, I would want to edit it too, but that was not allowed with my free two-week trial of the service.

Pulls It Together Quickly

ArticleVideoRobot breaks the article into individual slides, puts in headline text, and you simply add pictures and music. The problem is that the automatic speaking voice sounds stilted. I chose the voice “Brian” over “Dave” because it seemed better technically. There are two women’s voices to choose from as well. Some words don’t work well. The voice “Katherine” did a hatchet job on the pronunciation “Wikipedia.”

In all fairness, I have to say that you can upload your own voice-over, as well as photos. You can choose from their stock photos and background music selection, or you can use your own. There is a lot of flexibility. You can choose one or two pictures per slide, and can play around with which text is displayed. The transitions are chosen for you, and it all fits together nicely. I guess you could spell out the unusual words phonetically to get a good pronunciation.

The software can grab articles you have already published, and it can push the video out to 17+ video sites. A real benefit is that you can also download the video as an AVI or Flash file, something that YouTube does not allow. ArticleRobotVideo packages start at $47 per month for 50 videos, so if you plan to make a lot of videos and can figure out a good voice-over solution, it’s a good deal. It’s clear that we are moving toward more online video, so we need to keep up to speed about it all.

Just a few months ago, a federal court ordered the FDA to lower the age requirement of the potent Plan B birth control pill from 18 to 17. Touted as “emergency contraception,” it is taken in one  or two-pill doses. Unlike the regular birth control pill, Plan B is available without a prescription.

Furthermore, Plan B is 10 times stronger than the average birth control pill. Do you want your 17-year-old daughter to taken this without your knowledge or permission? Hmmm…. Read our article on the WomanCare Services website.

A young couple in the throws of love are lying on a leafy forest floor, gazing upward. “I love the way you laugh,” says the man. “It’s getting harder to laugh nowadays,” says the woman.

Thus begins a very short video on a new angle of birth control that you might not have considered. See our new video, “I’m tired of the Pill.”

Ever feel discouraged at what seems like dismal results of your hard work?

Some 13,000 people at a regional convention in Chicago this past weekend of the financial services company Primerica were treated to a big dose of encouragement.

It seemed more like a rock concert, with music, lights and rousing talks as dozens of some of Primerica’s most successful salespersons trotted up to receive awards.

Primerica, which one consumer advocacy website judges as a “solid, reliable company that stands behind their agents and its products,” is run by people who sell life insurance, mutual funds and other products over kitchen tables and in living rooms.

I was invited to attend the convention by my brother, who has been involved in the company for several months.  There were two main themes behind these short talks by members — work hard, and don’t get discouraged when you don’t see results.

It’s advice that could be taken by any salesperson or non-profit worker who is often discouraged by a lack of results.

“Recruit, recruit, recruit,” said an old pro from Tennessee, who was introduced as having about half the room as recruits in the group’s hierarchical structure. “Here’s my second secret,” he said. “Open your mouth.”

“Every day is a gift of God,” he said several times. The testimonies were sprinkled with references to God that seemed sincere — a refreshing surprise about a topic that isn’t touched on enough in corporate America.

So, persevere with unrelenting dedication - good advice for anyone who wants to do well what they are called to do.

All eyes were on Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor this week during her confirmation hearings, and she showed just how pervasive are online videos. She criticized the way people interpreted her public comment, seen on YouTube, to law students that the court is where “policy is made.”

The tape tells the truth. The exposure of such slips now are no longer dependent on the mainstream media - they can be put up by just about anyone, and then easily viewed by all. Indeed, her 35-second gaff was viewed a quarter of a million times, and this was only one of many copies of the clip showed on YouTube.

The Government Accounting Office is using YouTube to communicate with Congress and the people. Businesses are using online video sharing sites such as YouTube, and even companies such as Xerox are not too stuffy to make a humorous video to get its message across - and the video got 100,000 views in two months. Video cameras are now advertised with the feature, “uploads to YouTube.”

A new two-minute video produced by our company, TreeFrogClick, for the Peoria Franciscan Sisters attracted 300 views in its first four days. It could be that the video went “viral.” No, that’s not a disease, but it means that people told others about it and linked to it in their messages to friends.

We are planning to roll out another similar video in the next few days, and we have more in the works. Give your company or non-profit a visual presence with an online video.

Can it be? The FDA and 27 states have ordered a major pharmaceutical company to take back claims about their birth control pill, making Natural Family Planning seem all the more attractive. Read our story at Couple to Couple League of Chicago.

Yaz pill not what they say.

Think you might be pregnant? The very thought makes one’s heart beat. Read our ten-point checklist of signs that you might be pregnant at The Couple to Couple League of Chicago.

“I first realized my call to God’s service when I was only twelve,” writes Dario, now 16. Dario says he realized he had “a talent for understanding God’s works, a passion for Philosophy and Theology, and a love for the service of God.”

This candid account comes from a young man whose maturity seems well beyond his years. This and similar stories can be found on a new website started in February that comes out of the United Kingdom. The website doesn’t state which country it originates from, but it seems to serve those around the world.

The website, called simply, A Vocation to Be A Priest, says that it is “designed and run by teens who are seriously considering becoming Catholic priests.”

Decked out in greens, reds and browns, the new website of the Visitation Sisters draws the attention of all. We enjoyed making this site and invite you to take a look at it. The Visitation Sisters teach in their own girls’ schools throughout the country.

Sister Anne, of the Georgetown (Washington, DC) Visitation, with whom I have been working on the project, was happy with the outcome. She said, “This is very good — simple, clean, smart-looking and the message is CLEAR.  Good work!”

Thanks, Sister.

Check the site out at Second Federation Visitation.