Of course, before you push your video out to Twitter, you can review your recording and add a description. Sending videos to Twitter is optional, though for a lot of users, this will be the main reason to use Screenr. The integration with Twitter also goes one step further, as you can re-tweet a screencast right from within the application and when you leave a comment, you can also choose to send it to Twitter as an @reply to the author.

Once the recording is finished, you can watch your video on the Screenr site or embed it in a blog post. You can also upload it directly to YouTube, or download it to your desktop for further editing. By default, all the videos on Screenr are public and there are no privacy settings.

The video quality is very high and thanks to the fact that the embedded player comes with an HD mode, these videos also look very good in full-screen mode.

We should also note that Screenr offers a very nice mobile interface for the iPhone, so even Twitter users on a mobile client will be able to watch your videos.

Of course, Screenr goes up against a number of established online tools like ScreenToaster and Jing, one of the most popular desktop tools for taking screenshots and creating screencasts (Update: as our commenters point out below, Screenjelly is also quite similar to Screenr). All of these tools offer a similar range of features, though Screenr stands out because of how incredibly easy it is to record a screencast and share it with your friends on Twitter.

Today, with the launch of Jing 2.1, both Jing and Jing Pro users are getting a bevy of new features which makes the little app we can't live without just that much better.

Although I'm proudly running the $14.95 version of Jing Pro (well worth the money), all Jing users will receive some of today's upgrades.

First on the list is a minor tweak to Jing's aspect ratio feature which will now let you hold down either the Ctrl or Shift key to select the appropriate aspect ratio for standard or widescreen images and videos, respectively.

If you often do more advanced editing using other TechSmith tools like Snagit or Camtasia Studio, you'll be pleased to find that you can now shoot your saved captures and recordings directly to these programs straight from Jing.

Also new today, when uploading to Screencast.com, you'll now be able to specify which folder - great for keeping all your recordings organized. To use this option, you simply create buttons for each of the folders you want to make available from Jing. (Jing supports up to 8 buttons). You can then choose enable commenting on those Screencast.com videos via Jing, providing a more social element to the sharing service.

However, the best feature to arrive in this latest version is one available only to the Pro users - and possibly one that will tempt a few standard users to upgrade their copy. In the new Jing 2.1, Pro users finally have access to their webcam from within the program. No longer limited to screen recordings alone, you can now use Jing to record your very own self, perfect for doing video intros or other webcam recordings.

If you're already running Jing, you can check for the update by going to Settings and then clicking on Help (the question mark button). Then click "Check for Update." New users can download the latest version of Jing from here.

Finally: ScreenToaster Records Audio

One of the major drawbacks of the first version was ScreenToaster's inability to simultaneously record video and audio. To add your soundtrack, you had to go back later and record your voice-over separately. The new version of ScreenToaster has done away with this limitation, while also adding the ability to embed your webcam into your videos.

In addition, the new version now lets you slow down and accelerate your videos, which is great for speed painting videos, for example. You do, however, have to decide on the speed of your video when you start the recording and you can't change it later on.

Next: YouTube Uploads, Flash and AVI Downloads

The developers promise that you will be able to export your videos directly to YouTube very soon (you need to pay for the Pro version of Jing to do this). Once this has been enabled, you will also be able to download your screencasts as Flash and AVI videos. It is not clear if these will be premium features, or if they will be available to all users.

Verdict

With this new version, ScreenToaster is clearly taking on Jing, which just released its paid 'Pro' version last week. Jing, however, is a bit more flexible and offers more than just screencasting.

ScreenToaster, of course, can't rival professional tools like Camtasia or ScreenFlow, but if you are looking for an easy to use screencasting tool to record a quick demo or tutorial, ScreenToaster is definitely a contender for being one of the best and easiest to use tools available.

High Quality Video and Direct YouTube Uploads

For just about $15 a year, the Pro version is quite a bargain. Thanks to using the H.264/MPEG-4-AVC video codec, Jing now not only makes it easy to capture high-quality video (including online videos), but also to take those videos to other editors like iMovie, or to video sites like Vimeo or Viddler. The free version of Jing records videos in the SWF format, and TechSmith's Camtasia Studio is one of the few programs that can actually edit those Jing-produced videos.

The Pro version also lets you upload videos directly to YouTube. As with the free version of Jing, you can also use TechSmith's own Screencast.com to host your videos.

In this new version, Jing fixed the one issue that had always annoyed us when we tried to embed videos captured with the software: resizing the height and width of embedded videos now finally works.

New Help Center

Besides updating its desktop software, Jing also released a new 'Help Center,' with lots of tutorials and tips for getting the most out of Jing.

Screenshots and Screencasting

We mostly use Jing to take screenshots every day, and with this update and a subscription to the Pro version, Jing has also become an even more flexible and useful screencasting tool than ever before.

Features

In some respects, ScreenToaster is very similar to Jing, one of our screencasting tools. Just like Jing (and most other screencasting tools), ScreenToaster allows you to choose which parts of your screen you want to record, add subtitles, and then host those videos online. ScreenToaster, of course, also allows you to embed these videos anywhere you want to.

Using ScreenToaster is very easy. Once started, you simply start and stop the recording with a keyboard shortcut and easily add voice-over recordings and subtitles afterwards.

One issue with ScreenToaster that might be a showstopper for some is that it can't record audio while you are recording your screencast. Instead, you have to record your narration afterwards and ScreenToaster will not record any audio that is playing on your computer while you are recording your video. The reason for this is probably technical - ScreenToaster relies on Java for the video recording, but uses Flash for the voice-over. We prefer to record the narration while doing a screencast, as it makes timing your tutorials and demos a lot easier.

Also, as of now, your videos are only available on ScreenToaster itself and you can't download them to your desktop or convert them to any other file format.

Verdict

The developers are planning to add a lot of the missing features to ScreenToaster in the future. For now, if you just need a simple solution for recording a quick screencast, ScreenToaster performs exactly as advertised and is definitely worth a try.

In this post we look at the work of four of our favorite screen casting freelancers. We think you'll enjoy their work and we hope that you can point us to some still undiscovered people making this kind of magic.

Jon Udel, who used to work at Infoworld and is now at Microsoft, is widely considered the granddaddy of the screen cast. Another strong old schooler is Don from Screencasts Online, a site that has free and subscription tutorials about how to use a Mac. Don uses ScreenFlow, a wonderful Mac app you can buy for $100. We've been using Screenflow lately to make some screencasts ourselves.

The first freelance screencaster available for hire that we discovered was Molly McDonald, whose work at DemoGirl has made her the go-to screen caster for hire for many startup companies of late.

Here's a sample of her work, a screencast demo of mixtape site 8tracks.

The Up and Comer

Colin Sproule at InternetJogging has been making a number of great screencasts lately, most of them about using the Mac single app browser Fluid. We discovered his work when he made a great video about Muxtape in Fluid.

Here's another one he made about using Fluid and Threadless together.

You Just Missed Him

Michael Pick was one of the inspirations for this post, but now that we take a look we find that he's no longer available for freelance work! Pick's been hired full time by Automattic, the makers of WordPress. While we are happy for him, we are dissapointed that we won't be able to see his work around the web about apps in general. His departure from freelancing leaves a big hole in the market.

The Champs

The reigning champs of freelance screen casting have to be Common Craft. This Seattle consultancy found a hit formula in stop-motion line drawn illustrations telling stories about web apps. Their first, RSS in Plain English, is still the best way to explain RSS that we've seen yet. The production value is downright quaint compared to the more professional work they are doing now.

Common Craft's charming storytelling skills have lead to jobs from a list of companies, including Google and Twitter.

Here's Our Best Effort So Far

We just bought ScreenFlow ourselves and it's so much fun to use! Here's one video we made for a post this week. We're just starting to learn how to do this, but ScreenFlow makes it really easy.

There's Huge Demand

Proficient screen cast producers should be cleaning up right now. There is so much untapped demand for this kind of service. Who else do you know that offers this kind of service?

Want to be that person? Check out Beth Kanter's fantastic screen cast tutorial wiki. (See this awesome screen cast of Beth's, in fact.) The future of screen casting is wide open, but we sure are glad there's some great examples already for all of us to take inspiration from.

• Peepcode - Peepcode offers a collection of professionally-produced Rails programming screencasts that sell for $9 a piece. These are some of the best reviewed screencasts in the Rails community.
• Railscasts - Ryan Bates, one of the most prolific screencasters in the Rails community, has put out over 100 free screencasts over the past 14 months. He has a great voice, reminiscent of Bob Ross, and a background in video that makes for excellent production values.
• Ruby Plus - Over 75 Rails screencasts since last December? Bala Paranj is trying to give Mr. Bates a run for his money! (Then again, screencasts on both sites are free.)
• Pragmatic Programmer - Coders have long loved the Pragmatic Programmer's line of web dev books, and this month the company added screencasts hosted by well known personalities in the development community.
• ShowMeDo - A collection of screencasts from around the web (including some from sites mentioned on this list) focused on free and open source software. Ruby, Python, and Java have the most tutorials on the site, but there are also screencasts covering graphics and productivity software.
• TechScreencast - Like ShowMeDo, this site aggregates technology screencasts from across the web on programming, web development, database, graphics, security, and other topics.
• DimeCasts.NET - A new site offering .NET screencasts that are under 10 minutes each.
• ScreenCastsOnline - One of the most well-known screencast sites offering tutorials for how to use OS X, Mac software, and the iPhone/iPod. 140+ tutorials for $49 per 6 months -- also available on DVD.
• ScreencastCentral - Over 400 software learning screencasts, as well as over 1000 more aggregated from video sharing sites like YouTube. $7.95/month.
• The Screencast Blog - Screencasts on a wide variety of technical topics. Unfortunately, not updated very often these days.
• Demo Girl - Molly McDonald, aka Demo Girl, has created hundreds of screencasts over the past 2 years, mainly demoing web apps. She also does custom work for anyone looking to have a pro create a screencast for their app. Demo Girl absorbed Screeniac in March.
• Screencasters - Inkscape (an open source Photoshop alternative) screencasts can be had at this site.
• Video Professor - You may have seen their late night infomercials offering screencast DVDs for free. Video Professor sells DVD and online screencasts for popular Windows software.
• Screencast-o-matic - A web app for creating screencasts, this site also has a gallery of screencasts created using their application.
• FreeScreencast.com - Like Screencast-o-matic, this site offers free software for making screencasts and provides public hosting once they're recorded.

We know this list isn't complete, so please share your favorite places to find good screencasts in the comments below. If you want to try your hand at making one, Spread Firefox is holding a screencast contest right now.

That's all well and good but when does the rubber hit the road? Where's the beef and what are we waiting for?

I'm really impressed. The past week may have been more talk and hype than anything else - but talk plays an important roll in building pressure for change. Major vendors have come to the table, now advocates of change everywhere have one more useful tool in this video to make sure that the public doesn't forget about the conversation that's begun.

Though it appears that Data Portability has a long road ahead of it and that major vendors are unlikely to open up access to their users' data, in fact openness has some important competitive advantages. The open and integrated vendor has far greater network effect and scale of access to data for their own purposes than the data hording vendor. The biggest challenge may be building a new social contract to protect customer privacy and control in this exciting new era of portability and personalization. You can join that conversation at DataPortability.org and elsewhere.

Michael Pick has chosen the easy-on-the eyes player from Vimeo to embed his video, the code to repost the video elsewhere is available with just a click or two from inside the player here.