Jing

TechSmith has a great (and free!) online service called Jing for both Windows and Mac that lets you capture images, record video and share instantly via email, instant messaging, or posting on the web.

I got to try out Jing with the software’s developers in Florida last month, and thought it was terrific.  There are many applications that can record your actions on a computer screen, save the video, allow you to add audio, and share the resulting video with others, but none do it as easily as Jing.

Jing works by letting you simply select an area of your screen with your mouse and recording an image or a video, and then immediately share the results.  You don’t have to edit anything, or open additional applications…your presentation is immediately available for anyone else to see as soon as you’re done with your screen capture.

Here at the Help Desk, Jing makes a lot of sense for quickly recording a procedure in a software application.  An analyst can quickly throw together a screencast showing you how to export a GroupWise address book, edit the default Microsoft Office template, or describe how to submit support issues online using Help Desk Self Service.  Likewise, our customers can easily record a video displaying a problem encountered in a particular application, and attach it to an email with a description of the issue, which would allow us to easily identify and rectify the problem.

Other uses for Jing could include specific tutorials for students using Blackboard, training videos for department staff using PeopleSoft, or short guides to using proprietary department applications.

Jing does have some limits.  You can’t exceed 5 minutes of recording time per video, you’re limited to 2 GB of storage and sharing per month, and you can’t edit your presentation after you record it.  Jing is meant to be a one-off screencasting utility.

For more info on Jing, see TechSmith’s website at www.jingproject.com.