( CNN ) -- Behold the power of the teeny , tiny camcorder . With the push of a button , we 've got real-time recordings of clashes with riot police in Egypt , chaotic protest scenes in Libya , totally adorable kitties and rambling , real-life mumblecore scenes of everybody sipping Tecate and listening to that new YACHT album on Spencer 's porch . That 's right , documenting life on video is easier than ever , and rolling cameras are preserving moments that otherwise would have been lost . Recently , a young acquaintance passed away , and her friends scoured their hard drives , sending her parents iPhone and Flip cam clips of her goofing around or vacationing or just hanging with friends . Those vids captured moments snapshots never could -- movement , gestures , body language , voice . Would her clique have had so many clips to choose from 20 years ago , when personal video recording involved bulky cameras and tapes ? Certainly not . Thank you , Digital Age . YouTube , the original platform for anyone with Internet service and a penchant for hitting the record button , recently hit 3 billion daily views , proof positive of our need to film and screen . `` Watching the Watchers , '' an awesome article in the current issue ( that 's print , not online ) of Wired , notes the ubiquity of cameras . It said roving cameras have turned citizens -- the ones whom ol ' Orwell worried would be constantly in Big Brother 's view -- into watchdogs who capture and bring to light shadowy instances of police brutality , for example . But the writer , Clive Thompson , also admits that when he wore an ear-mounted camera for a day , he unnerved the crap out of everyone he encountered . So , two takeaways here : One , become that wannabe videographer who uses the video function on her phone/tablet/etc . because videos shared over social networks have power , either for nostalgic or citizen journalism purposes . And two , when filming your friends in particular , do n't be a complete jerk about it . Here are a few things to keep in mind before pressing the big red record button . Be transparent . Raise your hand if this has ever happened to you : You 're mugging in front of what you assume is a still camera for something like 30 seconds , wondering why the cameraman has n't pressed the shutter , only to learn the device is on video and you 've been captured posing like a fool and intermittently hissing `` Did you take it ? '' through your teeth . Do n't be sneaky . Announce you 're taking a video , let everyone get their awkward hand waves out of the way , and then keep rolling as the gang relaxes and the action unfolds . Announce your intentions for the vid -- and stick with them . Are you going to post this to Facebook unedited ? E-mail it to the present parties only ? Capture a few hours and then edit it into a five-minute review of the trip to be shared with friends and family ? Whatever you decide , give everyone the heads-up from the get-go so that people can muzzle their potty mouths , hide the booze or toss cover-ups over their two-pieces accordingly . Or , you know , rearrange the magazines on their coffee table so they 're heavier on the so-hip 'zines and lighter on the embarrassing weight-loss glossies . Remember , anything posted online can ( and probably will ) come back to haunt you . Stand still and let people come into the frame . This is a technical tip as well as a social one . Nothing screams amateurish ( not to mention nauseating ) like a camera whipping around from subject to subject at breakneck speed . Pointing your camera one way and letting subjects step into the spotlight gives them a bit more control and prevents the results from looking like they were shot by a caffeinated monkey with spontaneous arm spasms . After all , popping some Dramamine should n't be a prerequisite to watching your posted masterpiece .
Thanks to smartphones and Flip cameras , shooting ( and posting ) video is easier than ever . Be thoughtful and give everyone the heads-up before you start filming . Comment: