Scholar Channel

What is Scholar Channel?
Scholar Channel is a web based media network that allows individuals and institutions relating to academia the opportunity to share their activities with their peers and the wider world and also learn about each other through the power of online media. It also gives those outside of academia an insight into academic life.

What can I do at Scholar Channel?
You can:

• Watch videos
• Post videos of your own
• See what is happening in academia with or news service
• Institutions can share their news and events
• Read and share academia related blogs
• Participate in our forums
• Find friends, make connections and create an online social network
• Send & receive messages
• Join Groups
• Learn about the latest news from the world of academia

Do I have to be a scholar or academic to use Scholar Channel?
No, not at all. Scholar Channel is intended to showcase the world of academia to the wider world and videos are available for all to view. However to upload videos we do ask that you are an academic, student or have some kind of affiliation with an academic institution. This is only to ensure that the platform remains authentic and only shows videos relating to the intended area for the benefit of all those with an interest in the network. We feel that the Internet has plenty of general video sharing websites that can accommodate videos of a diverse nature so we would prefer you to 'tube' those there!

Is Scholar Channel affiliated with any particular institution?
No. Scholar Channel is impartially targeted to the global academic community. We hope that by sharing our work with each other we can help increase awareness and share knowledge.

Do I have to join to watch videos?
No. You can watch any video simply by clicking on the thumbnail frame of the video. But if you join, you can enjoy all the other great functions on Scholar Channel.

What are Video Channels?
Just like television channels, Scholar Channel Channels are collections of videos grouped by content, theme or topic.

What are Groups?
Groups are communities of users all interested in a particular topic, issue or organization. By clicking on the "People" tab on the Scholar Channel home page and choosing "Groups", you can browse the various groups that exist. As a Scholar Channel member, you can start or join as many groups as you want, post videos to a group, or watch the videos of a particular group. You can also connect to other group members through the Groups page, and discuss topics related to that group on discussion boards after you register.

What are Partners?
Scholar Channel Partners are official institutions such as universities, school, official societies and groups associated with institutions. Partner channels will only show videos that have been approved by these partners.

Can schools become partner institutions?
Yes. We encourage all types of institutions relating to academia to share their activities on the Scholar Channel.

Why does my institution need the Scholar Channel when it has its own website which can display videos and news?
By placing videos and news only on your website you are only making them accessible to visitors to your specific institution site. The Scholar Channel attracts visitors that have an interest in academia in general and this gives your institution opportunity to share your activities and promote your work to a relevant audience who may previously have little inclination to visit your website specifically.

Is the Scholar Channel the same as YouTube and other general video sharing sites as our institution already places videos on these sites?
Although the Scholar Channel follows some similar principles to these sites such as video sharing functionality it differs largely due to its distinct audience. On generic video sharing sites, users are likely to have an inclination to search for your institution videos specifically as there is little chance of being featured due to the diverse and huge amount of videos on these sites. On the Scholar Channel every video is related to academia or the academic community ensuring visitors are more likely to come across your institution even if it was not their initial intention.

How do I sign up as a Partner?
Partners are approved on an individual basis. If your institution is interested in becoming a partner, please email your request to partners@scholarchannel.com or use our Become a Partner page. Once a partner has been approved login details shall be given to an administrator who has the power to allow further members to that channel. As an example could be faculties within a university or official societies.

We are a university, how do we add one of our faculty channels or affiliated channels to our university group/channel?

1. The affiliated partner/user needs to create an account and be logged in.
2. They need to click 'Partners' link from the top menu.
3. Then select the Partner they wish to join i.e. yourselves.
4. Click either 'Groups' from the top menu or the option on the right bottom for 'Partner's (your institution) groups'.
5. Select the relevant group and from the bottom of the page select 'Join Group'. This will send an approval request to your institution.
6. Now when your institution logs in, there will be a message notifying about new member request.
7. Follow the link and approve the request.

We are a university faculty, how do we get associated with our university on the Scholar Channel?
Please follow the Instructions as above.

How do I watch videos?
Simply click on the thumbnail image of any video or its title to play the video.

What should I do if I can't see the videos?
You need to have Flash 8 or higher in order to be able to view videos on Scholar Channel. You can download Flash 8 by visiting www.Adobe.com.

What video formats should I use when uploading videos?
We accept 3gp, mp4, mov, asf, flv, mpg, avi and wmv. Here is a list of free programs to encode your videos:

• Windows Media Encoder 9
• Mplayer / Mencoder (Advanced Users)

How do I upload a video from DVD?
You have to 'rip' a video from DVD and convert it to one of the formats accepted by Scholar Channel. You can find information on how to do it here:

• http://lifehacker.com/380702/five-best-dvd-ripping-tools
• http://elliottback.com/wp/archives/2005/12/26/how-to-rip-a-dvd-a-tutorial/

Keep in mind that there is Scholar Channel's 100MB file size limit when setting the output encoding quality; 5-7MB per minute of clip's duration should work fine.

How do I split large video files?
You can use one of the following programs:

• http://www.geovid.com/VidSplitter/
• http://www.doeasier.org/splitter/
• http://www.musclesoft.de/combatman/sindex.html

Can I download videos from Scholar Channel?
At this time, we do NOT support downloading videos from the Scholar Channel site.

How can I send a link of a video to someone?
Click the "Send To A Friend" section under the video player. Then copy and paste the video URL into an email or instant message, or use our messaging function.

How do you monitor video content?
Scholar Channel has strict policy of only allowing videos that are decent and not likely to be deemed offensive. We have a team of moderators that view all video and will remove any videos that are deemed inappropriate. Viewers also have the opportunity to flag videos if they feel they are inappropriate. In addition Partner videos are likely to have less risk of inappropriate content as an institution will be directly associated with the videos they allow to be uploaded on their channel.

How do I upload a video to Scholar Channel?

1. Log in or register with Scholar Channel.
2. In the top left corner, click the "Upload Videos" button.
3. Fill in the appropriate fields to name the video, choose keywords, and select at least one channels where you video should reside. Then press "Continue."
4. On the second screen, click the "Browse" button, then select the video file on your computer that you want to upload.
5. Click "Upload." Uploading your video make take some time depending on the file size and your bandwidth. You can keep track of the upload status with the status bar on the page. Your video will be pre-approved and then made available on your personal page.

You can also use our "Upload from YouTube" function.

What stance does Scholar Channel take regarding copyright issues?
We endeavor to maintain the integrity of Scholar Channel in keeping with our own Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. If you believe you are the copyright holder of a video that has been posted to ScholarChannel.com by one of our users, please notify us immediately at copyright@scholarchannel.com. We will take all the appropriate steps to remedy the situation provided by law according to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998.

What if I don't receive my verification email?
First, check both your email inbox and your junk mail folder for our confirmation email. If you can't find it, send us an email at support@scholarchannel.com. Make sure you spell your email address correctly to receive our reply, and make sure you add support@scholarchannel.com to your address book so our email won't be sent to your junk mail folder.

How do I update My Info on my Profile Page?
To update your info, click on the Your Profile link in the top right corner. Change the information in the appropriate field, then scroll down and click the "Update" button.

How do I add friends?
You can find and add friends in a number of different ways. You can:

• Search for a particular users using the search field available on each page
• Watch a video, then click on the user name who uploaded it
• Find a person through a Scholar Channel Group

In each instance, once you are on the user's page, click the "Add to Friends" button on the right and wait for the user's approval.

How do I invite friends to Scholar Channel?
Log in, then go to your "Friends" page (the link in the top right corner). Click the "Share your videos with friends!" link on the right. Then fill in your friends' email addresses in the appropriate field. Be sure to type the email addresses correctly! Each address should be separated by a comma. If there are errors, your friends will not receive emails. Then click "Invite."

How do I add a photo/avatar or a banner to my profile?
To add or change the image on your profile, click "My Profile" in the top right corner. Scroll down to the "Image/Banner" area, and browse for the photo or image you would like to use by clicking "Browse." Once you've selected your image, scroll down to the bottom of the page and click "Update."

How do I read messages that have been sent to me?
Once you log in, you can see a My Inbox area in the top right corner telling you how many new messages have been sent to you, as well as how many Friend Requests you've received. To view your messages, just click on the number, even if it's "0." This will take you to your Inbox. Then click on a message subject to view the message.

How do I add videos to My Favorites?
First, log in. Then, when watching a video you like, click on the "Add to Favorites" button below the video.

How do I join a Group?
You can join any group by clicking on the People tab at the top of the page, choosing a Groups section, and then selecting a Group that you like. Once you're on that Group page, click "Join Group". If the group is protected, you have to wait for the group's owner's approval. You can go back to the same page and click "Leave this Group" at any time.