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The video is of-course supplement to an answer. The link will be in the comments. The actual answer will be written during the video itself.

Motivations

There is a user named sehe on SO, who sometimes records his answer finding process, which helps the author deliver more thoughts and techniques, and in some sense inspires other people.

My motivations:

  • For fun. I got tired of just writing code.

  • More context.

    An answer usually gets edited multiple times during the process. Sometimes it transforms to something different completely. Some of the parts might feel like out of context. I believe that video will solve this.

  • Encourage new users to be more active.

    When people see how it is done, and realize there is no magic involved, they usually get more active. I certainly had some problems with confidence in my early posts.

  • Encourage other users to start their channel.

    I'm sure quite a lot of users would be interested to see the review process of their idols.

  • Even less formal environment to have discussion.

    Although Code Review's facilities are already good as is, some of the stuff might be inappropriate. YouTube comments are a good solution for this, in my opinion.

  • I'd like to show my approach to review and get feedback

    Although there is no definitive approach, I believe there are some general guidelines that are good enough.

  • Draw more people in.

    Search engines and the YouTube algorithm itself might increase CR’s visibility.

Questions

  • Is it ethically appropriate?

  • Where can I get help on making it legally appropriate?

  • Did somebody try this? Is it a fun experience?


Other ideas

Twitch? People might be reviewing a review during the review! Although people won't get reputation, I generally noticed that few people care. In fact, after the issue getting fixed, people usually remove their comments. Twitch might be a good place to "team-up" on a review.


## Edit:

There is insane storm in my city at the moment. The wind is blowing so strong that it overthrows my voice (the whistling from the windows). It doesn't seem like it is gonna be ending soon, so I guess I have to postpone this for some time. There are people flying, so I can't really get to a better place at the moment. Though I found a post I'm comfortable reviewing live, and now I'm preparing the software for screencasting and recording my comments.

Storm is more or less over.


Discovered problems:

  • Very hard to speak fluently and smoothly.

    As a non-native Engish speaker it is rather hard to keep talking at consistent rate. I tend to stop somewhere in between of my thought, which makes it very hard to comperehend.

  • Hardware

    I'm not sure if this is hardware problem, but the sound is full of background noise, which is very annoying. I don't really know how to setup everything correctly.

  • Software

    Simple google search brought me to some software, but none of those were simple click and run. The sound is also a problem, because sometimes it just doesn't recognize the mic.

  • Overhead

    I found it relatively easy to just write a post, as setting things up for the video can be complicated if different user for the ubuntu machine is not configured.

Overall, I feel less enthusiastic about it, but I'm still inclined towards making a test shot, though it seems like it will take quite a bit longer than I expected. I'll probably write up a script beforehand for the first one.

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    \$\begingroup\$ As an answer? That would be a link-only answer, and treated as such. As a supplement to an answer? Absolutely! Why not! Heck, that could become a quite interesting YT channel to subscribe to, and increase CR visibility! \$\endgroup\$ Commented Jan 9, 2018 at 21:56
  • \$\begingroup\$ @Mat'sMug, thanks, edited to include that it will be a supplement. I'm just worried about ethical and legal stuff. \$\endgroup\$ Commented Jan 9, 2018 at 21:58
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    \$\begingroup\$ Everything on Stack Exchange is licensed under CC-by-SA, so I'd be inclined to think putting a link to the CR question in the YT video description, with proper attribution to the original author, would be more than enough to CYA ;-) - "This week on Incomputable Reviews, we're reviewing a FizzBuzz implementation in LOLCODE posted by Mat's Mug, you'll find the link in the video info" I can totally see that happening! \$\endgroup\$ Commented Jan 9, 2018 at 21:59
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    \$\begingroup\$ please post link to said YT channel! \$\endgroup\$ Commented Jan 10, 2018 at 2:06
  • \$\begingroup\$ @Iwrestledabearonce., sehe seems to have his own video playback site. The idea in the post is not implemented yet. \$\endgroup\$ Commented Jan 10, 2018 at 2:55
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    \$\begingroup\$ Keep in mind editing an answer after finding a mistake is easy. Editing a video after finding a similar mistake can be quite something else. \$\endgroup\$
    – Mast Mod
    Commented Jan 10, 2018 at 8:54
  • \$\begingroup\$ I have no idea what this question is asking. It seems to have no relation to record[ing] the review process and upload[ing] it to YouTube. By review process I assume you mean the reviewing of new posts and such on this SE site. Even if I ignore the question title, I cannot make sense of this question. \$\endgroup\$
    – Myridium
    Commented Jan 18, 2018 at 23:20
  • \$\begingroup\$ about background noise - yeah, you need a really good microphone to be able to record at a decent sound quality. Headsets won't do. Your room also needs to be soundproof to eliminate any echos and resound. \$\endgroup\$
    – t3chb0t
    Commented Jan 20, 2018 at 13:57

1 Answer 1

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I think it's a brilliant idea! Done right, it can very well:

  • Increase CR visibility
  • Increase CR voting
  • Increase CR activity as a whole

My recommendations:

  • Start with an introductory video that presents Code Review to your viewers; then you can start each actual review video with something like "If you don't know what CR is, check out [this quick introduction video] that describes the basics, make yourself an account, and go learn stuff - and don't forget to vote!"
  • Absolutely do link to the CR question being reviewed, in the YT video description; tell your watchers where to find the link, too. Optionally, include a brief clickable link in the video itself, e.g. "Click here for the Code Review post being discussed" or similar. Proper attribution is key to being "legal" as far as licensing is concerned.
  • Include a link to the YT video in the answer, as a supplement - again, a link-only answer on CR would be promptly flagged, downvoted, and removed. But as additional material, is perfectly fine.
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  • \$\begingroup\$ IMHO, saying "yes, it is ok" contradicts the fact we close questions which code is hosted on GitHub \$\endgroup\$ Commented Jan 16, 2018 at 10:58
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    \$\begingroup\$ Read the last bullet again. \$\endgroup\$ Commented Jan 16, 2018 at 11:26
  • \$\begingroup\$ Fair enough, thanks. \$\endgroup\$ Commented Jan 16, 2018 at 11:35

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