At some point, somebody at your org will probably say, "I know what we'll do! We'll make a video!"

It can be a good idea. There's a video revolution going on. Need proof? We've run a video contest with See3 Communications for three years running now, and every year, we've more than doubled the number of entries.

The equipment is cheap. Distribution is free. (Hello YouTube!) Our expectations of what a video has to be -- slick and fancy -- have changed dramatically. That all means a lot more of us are making a lot more video.

But no matter how good your video is, it's the strategy behind it that's going to make it successful. 

This is topic Michael Hoffman will tackle at his NTC session, "You Made a Video: Now What?" I got to talk to him about it (and his love of all things food-related in San Francisco).

If you have some spare time in San Francisco, Michael thinks you should visit Alcatraz. I may join you. Even though I spent most of my life in the Bay Area, I've never been! Oh, and check out Muni. You can get anywhere in San Francisco by bus.

Judging by how many of you opened and read our February newsletter on IT staffing, all things related to jobs -- from hiring to seeking to firing -- are top of mind for you all right now. We were incredibly lucky to have James Weinberg author a chapter in our book Managing Technology to Meet Your Mission with his colleague Cassie Scarano (who wrote an article in that newsletter).

James and Cassie are bringing their long-time experience in the nptech hiring world to the NTC for two sessions. First, they're going to tackle the topic from the perspective of those fortunate enough to be hiring staff right now in "Finding, Keeping, and Developing the Best People". Then, for those who might be looking to reboot careers, they'll present "Advancing Your Career and Earning What You're Worth".

If you're looking for James, but don't see him around the conference hotel, you'll probably find him at the Ferry Building. If you go looking for him there, would you be so kind as to pick me up some of my favorite cheese?

When someone posts a positive comment on your blog, can you use it in your fundraising materials? Can you edit the videos your supporters created for your video contest into something entirely new? How much of the New York Times technology blog can you quote on your own site?

The world of technology is changing so quickly, the laws that govern intellectual property can barely keep up. There's more content than ever before -- and more confusion about how we can use it.

Brian Rowe has put together a great panel at the 2009 NTC, "Fair Use, User Generated Content, Terms of Service and the DMCA Safe Harbor Act". I'll be the first to admit that intellectual property law sounds like it could replace the Tylenol PM in my travel bag. But the bottom line is, if you're working in social media, you can't afford to miss this session.

I talked to Brian about the kinds of practical, hands-on info folks will get out of the session.

For the record, I actually find this stuff fascinating. Brian spent last summer working with Creative Commons, who do some fantastic work on the issue. We use Creative Commons to license all of our reports, etc.  

Brian also recommends that you check out the Internet Archive while you're in San Francisco. I know what you're thinking: There's a real place to go see the old virtual world? Yes, there is. And it's situated in the Presidio, one of the prettiest places in the city.