Online archive on Papal Visit an internet hit

Hyde Park Vigil - pic ICN

Coverage of the Pope's visit to Britain is proving an internet hit after hundreds of pilgrims were videoed and their interviews placed online. The material was gathered by a video communications company who sent their 'citizen journalists' to talk to Catholics who made the pilgrimage to Twickenham and Hyde Park in London, and Cofton Park in Birmingham.

WinkBall.com reporters asked pilgrims what it really means to be a Catholic and how the Pope has helped them live a Catholic life. The interviews form the biggest online archive of Catholic voices, marking the UK Papal visit.

Amongst the people interviewed was a man called John Paul, named such because he was born only a few months after the last papal visit in 1982.

WinkBall's Managing Director, Dr James Ohene-Djan, said: "We think this shows citizen reporting at its best. The many video walls on WinkBall of hundreds of Catholics and other Christians celebrating their faith demonstrates WinkBall's ability to capture real stories from real people, without media agenda or spin. Our UK-wide reporters spoke to people at the Papal visits from London to Birmingham - and those who couldn't make it there physically can not only really get a feel for the sense of wonder and awe of the occasion via WinkBall, but also they can join in the positive experience by recording their feelings straight to the video walls.

"It really is a great example of WinkBall communicating happiness, and the fact that WinkBall can do that for a diverse a range of people as Catholics to football and music fans to politicians and business entrepreneurs to name but a few shows WinkBall's flexibility to reflect how people really feel in the UK right now.

To discover what pilgrims had to say, visit: www.winkball.com/users/Religious_Reporters/

WinkBall.com is a free, web-based, personal video communication service, which allows anyone to record, send and share videos with friends and family - privately. Users can also create and post content to video blogs and video walls for public viewing on the web.

Messages sent through WinkBall are supported by targeted five-second advertisements, which are played at the end of video messages. WinkBall is safe, simple and fun and makes video the best way to communicate online.