TubeBlogger Digital Media

How Much will You Earn from Blogging / Videoblogging?

2012-04-20T11:30:00.000-07:00

This is something you're probably wondering, along with "how much do these bloggers really make?"

In short: If you have something to sell from your blog you'll probably make more than someone who only has advertisements in addition to their articles.
Here on Tubeblogger I'm not selling anything from the blog, I only earn from advertisements (Google Adsense) and occasional product reviews - more about this later.

Click-Through Ratio

The ads over there to the right are automatic. I like Adsense because the ads are usually somewhat related to the article on the page. They give me a small amount whenever someone clicks them. Out of the ten thousand visitors this month, twenty people clicked them. Thats a Click-Through Ratio (CTR) of .20%
From those twenty clicks I'll get about $10.

The CTR goes up and down all the time for me but it stays at around .20%.
It depends on the position of the ad as well as the content of the blog, the former you can experience with a lot (the latter, a bit, I guess).
So as you can see I'll need over a hundred thousand visitors per day to make anything you might call Good Money from ads. A number I'll probably never reach.
Trying to make money with a blog using ads only is a silly idea.

Some sites kinda trick people into clicking the ads. By placing them at the very top, making it look like categories on the blog, etc. This increases the CTR but it's against the terms of service on Adsense

Video Blogging

Similar concepts apply. On Youtube the ads are controlled by adsense so it pays about the same for each click as I described above. A few people who watch your videos are going to click the ads.
Some people report a click through ratio of over 4%, but I think that's extremely rare, it will probably be below 1%.
So once you're getting fifty thousand daily views you're (on your way to) making good money from Youtube.
That is totally possible even for amateurs if you do daily video blogging; so it's a much better plan than trying to make money from a blog with only ads.

Selling Something

...is probably the only way you'll be making good money from a blog. You'll have to calculate your own conversion rate to know how many visitors you'll need to make good money; meaning, how many of your visitors actually buy something - what the percentage is.
The percentage, conversion rate, will probably be higher than CTR of ads.
Once you know the conversion rate you'll know whether it is worth paying for visitors to your site, by using Google AdWords, or paying to advertise on other sites.

But, what to sell?

You can set up (apply for) an Amazon Associates account. Then you can sell any of their [Amazon.com] products from your site.
Many people (including me) do this in the form of product reviews; they review products that they know something about and post an affiliated link to the Amazon page for that product. When someone buys anything after clicking that link they get around 5% or so of the money spent.
Ebay has a similar deal where you can be an associate, and so do many other online shops.

Start by reviewing some products you've owned or tested.
Review any product that you know something about. Someone out there might find your review useful and click your links.

That's it. Leave a comment if you know some tricks to increase CTR or conversion rate.
We would love to hear it!

How to be a Successful Vlogger on YouTube

2012-03-02T17:30:00.000-08:00

Author Bio: Janet L. is a working mother of two and enjoys vlogging in her spare time. Janet is also a car insurance agent and specializes in helping her clients with writing a car insurance claim.

It’s hard to believe that it’s only been seven short years since the worldwide sensation known as YouTube first launched. Since its debut, YouTube has attracted millions upon millions of subscribers, and has been the platform for numerous vloggers to voice their opinions, concerns and talents. You may be wondering what exactly is a vlogger and how does being a vlogger work. A vlog is simply a video blog, recorded with a video camera or a webcam. A vlogger is someone who has created a series of vlogs, and has uploaded them to a website such as YouTube. Because of its popularity, many vloggers have chosen YouTube as the main outlet for their video expressions. If you are thinking about going down this path, there are a few things to consider in order to ensure your success as a vlogger.

1. The Camera

If you are serious about vlogging, it is important that you invest in a good solid camera. This will make sure every video you upload has great quality in both sound and picture. On YouTube, a vlog with a great topic and an entertaining blogger can be ruined by a grainy or fuzzy picture, or horrible sound. Let’s take a look at a few cameras worth checking out.

Sony Bloggie MHS-CM5. This is a wonderful camera for anyone who may not be highly technologically savvy. This lightweight, easy to use camera offers a flip screen which makes recording accurate and fun. It has excellent sound quality, 5X optical zoom and user friendly software making uploading quick and easy.
Sanyo Xacti VPC-HD2. The Sanyo camera is a fan favorite amongst vloggers. Not only does this camera provide amazing high quality videos, but it offers a plug-in for an external microphone, making the audio of each video amazing.
Samsung HMX-Q10 HD. This brilliant camera has multiple features that scream user friendly! Everything from the flip screen, image stabilizer and 10X optical zoom makes vlogging fun, easy and full of quality.

Of course there are tons of cameras out there to choose from. It’s all about doing the research and finding a camera with features that are important to you. The right camera will allow you to make videos that are clear in picture and audio, and provide you with the biggest bang for your buck.

2. The Video

When making the actual vlog, it’s important to pay attention to certain elements so that your video stands out in the crowd. Make note of these particular things:

Choose your topic(s) carefully. Pick something you are passionate about or something that you have extensive knowledge on. If you decide on current events, make sure to do your research and have accurate facts.
Be creative. Your vlog is an expression of who you are, so have fun with it! Use editing tools to add captions, designs or even music to your video. These simple things will help your vlog attract viewers and fans.
Get to the point. Be mindful of how long your vlog is and try not to drag things on as this may bore viewers. You want to capture the viewer before you lose them to their own short attention spans. Make your vlog long enough to get your point across, but short enough to have viewers longing for more.

3. The Promotion

Promoting your vlog is the best way to attract viewers. To be successful on YouTube, you must be able to bring in traffic to your particular vlog. The more viewers you receive, the more popular your vlog will become on the site. Extremely popular vloggers often have their vlogs advertised on the homepage of YouTube, which is a huge honor. Here are a few ideas on how to promote your vlog.

Utilize other social networks. Post the link to your vlog on other popular networks such as Twitter or Facebook. Let your friends know about your vlog and have them check it out. Word of mouth is the best advertisement.
Use a regular blog to promote your vlog. Try a popular blogging website like Tumblr to spread the word. You can even link your vlog to your blog so that readers will be aware of new videos you post.
Subscribe to other vlogs. YouTube has millions of users who vlog on a consistent basis. Watch various videos and subscribe to vloggers who have proven to be a hit on YouTube. Many times a vlogger will suggest new vloggers to their subscribers. This will lead new viewers to your vlog daily.

Being a successful vlogger on YouTube is all about the delivery of each video. It is imperative to be unique and original at all times. Have fun and show the world your personality. Successful vloggers don’t just have a ton of viewers, they have character and charisma. Think outside the box, try new things with each video you record and most of all, be proud, bold and creative.

Why You Should Make The Most Of Video Marketing in 2012

2012-02-03T12:30:00.000-08:00

In this article I am going to tell you how you can integrate videos into marketing. First of all, you must understand the fact that video marketing is nothing new to internet marketing strategy. It is being done by thousands of online business successfully over past many years. But recently in 2010 and 2011 we have witnessed a dramatic increase in the popularity of video content on social media sites like YouTube and Facebook. Many international magazines have reported that according to latest surveys people now prefer watching video on websites rather than reading a long 1000 words article. This has happened most probably due to the invention of modern and low cost video cameras that are able to record high quality videos with very little effort and arrangements.
Video marketing, if done properly can become your most lethal weapon of marketing, video marketing has the ability to deliver all kinds of emotions like happiness, love, hope, frustration and satisfaction. Sometimes, people don’t feel like reading a lot of text but still want to get some information, entertainment or communication, videos come in really handy in this situation to deliver you message and engage your visitors.
Your overall SEO can get a great boost if you mix video marketing along with your traditional SEO activities. Videos are a very good way of getting editorial links and increase brand awareness and credibility.
How to Create a Great Video for marketing?
The main idea behind video marketing is to deliver the message of your business in a very user friendly and efficient way, its purpose is to attract attention of your user. The worst you can do is to make your promotional video look like a sales pitch. Make sure your video gives your visitors something valuable, informative, and full of humor and insights. Video tutorials these days are in great trend, they also help you appear as an authority in your relevant field.
Distribution of Your Video
You should not only make a video and put it up on your website. But you should make the most out of every web channel that can be utilized in showcasing your video. Below is a list of sites/services where you can submit your promotional videos to get maximum exposure and traffic.

TubeMogul.com
Google Video
Yell.com
Metacafe
Dailymotion
Viddler

Conclusion
Video marketing can be a great source of online exposure, traffic and SEO boost if done properly. If you are serious about internet marketing, then it will be important that you start using this high potential marketing channel right away.

Author Bio:

Kenny loves to write on everything related to internet marketing where he has been quite successful. He is also a shrewd investor during his spare time. You can have a look at his site on How To Trade Commodities if you are interested in some investment tips.

How to Document Your Latest and Greatest Social Escapades

2012-01-05T12:00:00.000-08:00

An increasing number of people are capturing their parties or social activities in a way that is more dynamic, amusing, or memorable than photographs: by breaking out the video camera. And why wouldn’t you? Becoming an amateur documentarian and uploading the videos to YouTube is a great way to share the memories of a fun night, promote a club or organization, or show people why they should come to the next party. Filming a party can be fun and rewarding; however, there are specific considerations to keep in mind as you break out your camera. Below are some tips for making sure your footage can stay in its best possible form:

Follow audio best practices whenever possible.

Parties are loud, and the sound of people laughing and chatting in the background can ruin a lot of great takes. If you choose to conduct interviews, ask people to step into a room that’s out of the limelight, where you’ll have a better chance of hearing them. You’ll thank yourself for this later, when you go look back over what you filmed and keep usable footage.

Crowd shots are great, but depending on what’s happening, they can make for uninteresting audio; it’s simply a room full of talking without any focal point. Consider using crowd shots as b-roll only, posting them over music, interviews, or other audio.

Remember, parties and social events can get rowdy—take care of your camera!

Just because you’re having fun doesn’t mean you shouldn’t keep track of your camera at all times. Hold onto it all night; setting it down can encourage theft, errant drink-spilling, or other rowdiness.

Keep the reputation of every attendee in mind.

You may or may not choose to be in front of the camera. Whatever your decision, your rule of thumb about reputation should be: don’t post any footage online that could damage the reputation of anyone at your party. It is far too easy for parents, employers, or authority figures to find you online. If you simply must post footage of your friend’s award-winning keg stand, make sure your account is password-protected and only give the password to people you trust.

Don’t be shy.

When you’re behind the camera, especially in a casual social situation, you can feel like you’re intruding. It is often quite difficult to get close enough to the action to take great footage, and asking for interviews can feel uncomfortable. However, remember that most people actually love being on camera and, at the very least, will not mind being asked for a quote or an interview. And if you produce a fun, high-quality film, they’re much more likely to want to be in your next one.

When editing, keep it short.

Just because you took two hours of footage doesn’t mean you should share all two hours. Use your discretion and keep only the best, funniest moments; even the people who attended the party don’t need to see a boring play-by-play. Keep the final product at three punchy minutes or less, and offer an “extended version” to any party-goers who want to see more.

And most of all, just because you’re filming doesn’t mean you can’t have fun. Good luck!

Author Bio: Brandon Morris is a blogger and filmmaking enthusiast who writes for Party Pong Tables

4 Best Professional Grade Video Cameras Under $2500

2012-01-03T09:41:00.000-08:00

Nowadays, even point and click entry-level digital cameras come with the ability to shoot high-definition video. Likewise, the latest smart phones like the iPhone 4S and the most recent Android models give users 720p shooting capability. Professionals and advanced amateurs don't need to take out a second mortgage to get a great, dedicated digital camcorder that captures high-definition video, as there are plenty of models available for under $2500. Here are four of the best examples you can find on the market at the moment. With these great cameras, the pictures for your car insurance claims will be extremely clear and detailed.

Samsung H200 Full HD Camcorder

Though it's the least expensive model on our list, the Samsung H200 is nevertheless one of the most rugged and reliable digital camcorders you'll find anywhere. It has a 37mm wide-angle 20x optical zoom lens and a 1/4.5" CMOS imaging sensor that's capable of 4.7 MP resolution for stills and 1080p high-definition video. It also features a slick 2.7” LCD touchscreen display for a hassle-free menu navigation experience. When it comes to software features and functions, you can't really expect the Samsung H200 to have the same flexibility of a $1500 digital camcorder. But for a camera in its incredibly low price range, it's still packed with tons of functionality. It's surprisingly steady, built-in Optical Image Stabilization allows you to shoot action video with startling clarity. The included IntelliStudio software rounds out the H200 nicely.

Sony HDRCX130 Handycam Camcorder

On the lower end of the price totem pole, the Sony HDRCX130 is a solid hand-held digital camcorder that's more than meets the eye. Despite its humble exterior, the HDRCX130 manages to put together quite the impressive hardware profile. It boasts a 42x Extended Zoom wide-angle G lens, an "Exmor R" CMOS sensor, and a 3.0” touchscreen LCD display for easy menu navigation and configuration. This particular Sony unit shoots crystal clear, full HD 1920 x 1080p video with support for HDMI playback to an external monitor. One area where the Sony HDRCX130 really shines is in low light shooting scenarios. Its built-in LED light assists users in making the most out of challenging situations. With over 90 scene shooting modes preconfigured to deliver the best picture possible, the HDRCX130 is one of the best budget camcorders you can find.

Canon VIXIA HF G10 Full HD Camcorder

As far as camcorder hardware is concerned, the Canon VIXIA lineup provides quite a bit of variety in terms of price and features. The VIXIA HF G10 is at the upper end of the range for both, but you definitely get what you pay for with this camera. It sports a 10x HD lens with an 8-blade Iris and manual focus, the legendary DIGIC DV III image processor, and an internal 32 GB storage drive by default. Aside from the VIXIA's superb components, it features the ability to shoot 12 straight hours of high-definition video and storage space expansion that scales up to 2 TB of on-board memory. It shoots 1920 x 1080 pixel video in a number of different modes, including high-end MXP and FXP. On top of that, Canon's famed Tele Macro function allows you to set minimum distances to subjects for perfect long-range shots. Retailing at less than $1300, it may just be the best overall value in the digital camcorder market when you consider its stellar quality and capabilities.

Panasonic Professional AG-HMC40 AVCHD Camcorder

The Panasonic Pro AG-HMC40 is one versatile piece of digital equipment, packing a slew of features and hardware into a single, compact package. Contained within its rugged exterior are three 1/4.1” Progressive 3MOS Imagers, a 12x Leica Dicomar lens, and a 2.7” touchscreen LCD display. At just 2.16 pounds, the AG-HMC40 is fairly lightweight for a camera of its size. While the default battery is good for three hours, continuous shooting time can be bumped up to seven hours by using the optional 5,800 mAh battery. While the AG-HMC40 is no doubt impressive when it comes to hardware, the included software and features are the real selling points. It's capable of shooting 1920 x 1080 pixel AVCHD video as well as 10.6 MP still photos. In addition, it sports a number of additional shooting features. Specifically, the AG-HMC40 boasts four AVCCAM modes, ranging from PH mode which averages 21 Mbps to HE mode which clocks in at around 6 Mbps. As an added bonus, it also supports PictBridge connectivity for convenient direct printing to compatible machines.

Final Thoughts

Your own unique preferences and tastes will weigh heavily on your choice of digital camcorder, but any of the above models will do just fine for most purposes. Whatever your price range, there's a full-featured and high-quality model of digital video camera that's right for you. The aforementioned models prove that shooting professional, studio-quality video doesn't have to cost an arm and a leg at the end of the day.

Author Bio: Emily Jamison is a technology expert and a freelance writer. She enjoys staying on top of the newest technological trends. When she's not researching the newest gadgets, she likes to compare auto insurance online.

Shooting Underwater Video Like a Pro

2011-12-25T13:19:00.000-08:00

Shooting video is a challenging occupation, shooting it underwater even more so! That said however, there are a lot of things that you can do to make your home underwater videos sparkle and you won't need to invest in a high-end digital camera to do it.

First recommendation is to look at a lot of professional work. Notice how the shots are put together, how subject focus is made and maintained! See how dolly shots (swimming shots) are mixed with static shots. Also notice how few if any shots involve zooming ! There is a lesson in that!

Now assuming you're on a dive at a new dive site, you can't plan your shooting too far in advance. But what you can do is maintain some camera discipline as your dive progresses. First, equipment allowing, shoot from the moment you enter the water until you surface. Along the way, stop, refocus on close subjects and hold those shots for 5-10 seconds. Also, while shooting, remember the viewers' plane of reference. This simply means that you don't cross the line of action. An example of this would be shooting a fish swimming toward you from the left side and then the right side. Also, make your shots only as long as you can hold the camera steady! It's OK if the fish sway back and forth in the surge, but not the camera!

There are some stock shots which can work quite well for you and these include the descent shot and ascent shot. I shoot descent shots by starting with a reference to the dive boat from water level or slightly below water level if using a colored filter. I then pan the camera down and descend to the dive site. If you can frame other divers descending, so much the better. Passing through the occasional bubbles can make for a nice effect drawing the viewer into the dive.
The ascent shot typically focuses on something the viewer has seen in the last shot and then trails up and away while keeping the camera focused on that area. For example, if wreck diving you may have a long shot of the anchor line on a part of the wreck, followed by a medium distance shot which then you use as a frame of reference during the ascent. I'll finish the shot with a water eye view of the dive boat or perhaps the divers getting back into the boat from on deck.

Editing

Editing your footage is the next step and where many people throw up their hands. Editing can be done with a camera and consumer deck and nothing more. You simple cut scenes together using jump cuts, but if your camera work is smooth, that may provide you with many scene transitions on it's own. In any event, you need to scrap the out of focus, jittery and boring segments.
A basic format for editing should include a lead in shot, close up if appropriate followed by the next sequence. For example, a long shot toward a coral head in the distance followed by a close up of wildlife on the coral. That is why you shoot five to ten seconds of stationary footage of objects. Let the subject matter move rather than the camera!

Establishing scale can also be a powerful video technique when shooting large wrecks. Is isn't a bad idea when shooting large objects to try and get an above shot with some divers on the wreck to establish scale for the audience. This is one of the reasons I use the descent sequence to let the viewers see just how big things are!

Music can make or break a home video. If you want to make a so so video really jump, then music might save it! For example, several years ago while diving in Palau, I was shooting Oceanic White Tips (Longimanus). Now these fellows have little in common with reef White Tips. First they are phelagic sharks, found only in open ocean and it is the immense depth of the water near the Palauian walls which allows divers to see these 12 foot plus sharks!
On one shot, there was a large fellow swimming directly in line with me but perhaps 25 feet lower. As he approached, I tilted the camera down until the lens axis was vertical and directly aimed at the sharks dorsal fin. I then rotated around, while somehow managing to keep the camera inline and then tilted the camera up as the shark swam away. The effect was fairly spectacular and immediately reminded me of the opening sequence in the first Star Trek movie of the attacking Klignon Battle Cruisers. The music, if you haven't heard it is very distinctive.
When I got back home, I edited about 12 minutes of my shark footage into one sequence and used (without permission) John Williams' stirring Star Trek Music to open and the hand held motion control effect shark sequence. I played the tape a few weeks later at a local dive club meeting and was rewarded with several wows from the audience.

Lighting

Nothing tends to raise a debate like lighting among underwater videographers unless you include editing systems! That said, please consider the following my humble opinions rather than gospel.
Most consumer grade lighting systems fall into the 25-50 Watt range which is sometimes adequate for closeup and macro work. However, underwater, the fall off of light is very pronounced and can be very disconcerting to viewers who watch a basically green-blue scene light up with colors as the camera approaches the object during dolly shots. At that power range you're pretty well limited to lighting objects in the 6 foot or less range. Beyond that, either the lack of light causes problems or water clarity becomes problematic.
There are essentially two ways to overcome this problem, none of which are overly practical. First, is to shoot shallow, with lots of natural light available and a correction filter which is removed before each lighted shot. The second is to confine the entire video to closeups and macro shots. The third is to only shoot video in extremely clear water and the fourth is to live with the color shift!
Another basic problem with several u/w lighting systems is hot spots. A hot spot is an area within the light cone which is visibly brighter than the rest of the field and worse yet, in most cases this spot in dead center of the light. Before buying a video light, I highly suggest testing it against a wall to look for a hot spot.

Author Bio: Samet Bilir writes about technology trends, digital camera reviews, and photography, such as wide angle lenses and telephoto lenses. To read more articles from him visit his website at chi-photography.com.

The Hidden and Not So Hidden Costs of Filmmaking

2011-12-22T11:30:00.000-08:00

So, what does it take to make a billion dollar movie like Titanic or Avatar? Well, a lot! As the viewing public, we only get to see the total amount of money a certain film rakes in, but what is equally fascinating is what goes on behind the scenes.

In this day and age, making a movie can cost millions of dollars, depending on the actors cast and production costs involved. For some, however, it’s possible to produce a movie with only a few thousand dollars. In fact, the 1992 movie El Mariachi, which grossed $2 million, only cost $7,000 to make. You are probably thinking that the movie earned a lot, right? Well, not really, because when Columbia Pictures bought the rights to release the film, they had to spend an additional $200,000 for post-production work. When it was re-made in 1995 as Desperado, the production outfit had to shell out $7 million to finish the film, but it grossed roughly $25 million at the box office. Now that is what filmmakers call a good investment.

The Motion Picture Association of America reveals that in 2000, the cost of producing a Hollywood film averages about $55 million per film. There are several elements that come into play which can affect this cost. The factors that are involved in making a movie are often hard to quantify, as there are a lot of different variables involved. We’ve compiled a list of common ones in an effort to understand just how much money is spent on our favorite flicks.

1.    Production Costs – Perhaps the largest expense for any film, what are referred to as production costs are further divided into above the line and below the line expenses. Above the line expenses are those that cover the fees for the talent, including actors, directors, writers and producers, while below the line expenses are allocated for the crew, sets, costumes, transportation, and fees associated with post production costs such as editing, and cinematic effects. Traditionally, below the line production expenses account for about two-thirds of the entire movie budget. But given the escalating fees of A-list celebrities and directors, above the line expenses can easily tip the scale, especially if you’re hiring the likes of Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt, or Cameron Diaz to star on your film.

2.    Financing Expenses – As with any business, making a film also involves a number of financing expenses. On top of the total production costs, you will also have to add an additional 1.5% to cover the fees for general insurance, as well as set aside an additional 10% of the production budget for unforeseen contingency expenses.

3.    Secondary Expenses - Once the film is making money, the theaters themselves need to get a cut, and based on reports from 2000, movie houses in the US took in roughly $7.7 billion. On top of that, portions of the film’s proceeds also go to the talent as bonuses, licensing costs, and other auxiliary expenses.

With the risks that big budget film producers take, and the growing costs of A-level talent, movie making is not for the weak at heart. Following the money trail and production process can be just as exciting as watching the movie itself.

If you want to understand where all the money goes (and maybe even join the film industry…err, not as an actor), consider getting your accounting degree online. You can schedule your accounting master's degree around your life, and be ready to make a huge step in your career.

The Importance of Finding the Correct Location for Your Film Shoot

2011-11-01T13:30:00.000-07:00

Finding the ideal location is in fact one of the most vital requirements of shooting a TV motion picture. The location has to be effortless to access and also close to towns and other amenities. Motion picture employees and additional production accessories will have to be transferred to and from the location successfully. Secure parking is a critical factor in order to provide space for all the various products, cars as well as trailers that will be needed for the duration of the shoot. An idyllic location would provide different areas in which to prepare the equipment. The location would also have to provide various backdrops for shots taking place both indoors and outdoors.

Securing the correct set location is vital to the success of any motion picture. The location sets the tone (as the backdrop) for any and every shot that will form part of your movie, commercial or series. The importance of the set location is a vital component and will prove to be one of the more time consuming operations of your schedule before shooting starts.

Besides the fact that your set location has to cater for all of your equipment, it also has to be as comfortable as possible for your actors and film crew. The basics have to be covered i.e. Stable electrical connections and storage for backup equipment is needed. When securing your location, ensure that these topics are covered within your contract as any delay can prove to be costly. A remote location might work best for a motion picture or commercial (if the budget allows) but for smaller budgets you might have to consider the use of various props or back drops in order to keep your costs down. The alternative could be to make use of a sound stage.

The film industry in South Africa is growing by leaps and bounds. The approval of the R450 million Dreamworld Film City in Cape Town bears testament to the fact. Construction of the multimillion rand film studio took place on the Vergenoegd farm in Faure, approximately 45 minutes outside of Cape Town. The city of Cape Town is a virtual cornucopia of idyllic set locations and, as an added bonus, the accommodation is reasonably priced as well.
In order to encourage international film producers to consider South Africa as a location for their shoots, the South African government has set about offering various incentives to producers. With the aid of these incentives, a number of award winning movies as well as box office hits have been produced here, including District 9, Tsotsi and Blood Diamond to name a few.
As of 2009 this incentive has assisted 81 productions – 44 South African productions, 12 co-productions and 25 foreign productions.

Author Bio: Nathan Johnston is an online marketing guru who enjoys the perks of traveling around and living in cape town accommodation and johannesburg accommodation at the expense of his employers.

Is Your Landing Page Lacking a Video?

2011-10-24T13:00:00.000-07:00

It is surprising that with how easy it is to add video to a landing page that so many people neglect to do it. If you are looking for a powerful marketing tool that is virtually effortless to utilize, video is it! Understand that when people land on this page, they decide whether to stay or not in 10 seconds or less. How are you grabbing and holding their attention?

Video can do what text can’t for some browsers; keep them on the page past the 10 second mark. Once they’ve invested a bit of time watching a video, they’re far more likely to browse around. It doesn’t matter how clean, artistic or informative your landing page is, few people will take the time to read unless something really spectacular draws them in. Think about how many pages an average browser views, you need to do something to stand out from the rest.
In fact, evidence suggests that video is the superior option to use if you have products, services or events that you want highlighted. According to VideoCustomizer, there is up to a 55 percent conversion increase on landing pages that have videos. During their study, they even found the conversion rate on some landing pages more than doubled by adding a simple video.

Video Increases Revenue
Most websites are looking to generate revenue from their visitors. Even non-profit organizations are hoping readers will click that donate button and show their generosity. Now, if you are like most others, you have taken the time to make sure you have a sitemap in place and that SEO is well thought out for search engine purposes but where is the video?
Your readers not only need a reason to stay on your page but also a reason to share it. The more people who visit your page, the better the chance you have at more revenue. If you are not devoting as much attention to video as you do for your text and photos, you are really missing out on a golden opportunity.

Placement is Key
You may get lucky and place the video right the first time and see a jump in your conversion rate or you may need to experiment a little. If you have to move things around a few times, try not to get frustrated. You are not doing anything wrong; your visitors are simply attracted to a specific location first. That being said, make sure you give each location its fair amount of time before you move it.
Video is the answer to your bounce rate! Even if you think your conversion is decent, it can always be better! Video will keep a large percentage of readers on your page longer and they are more likely to trust you, your product or service because they will be connected and invested in you on an increased level.
While emails and telemarketing used to be the way to advertise yourself, thanks to technology, a simply video will get you further ahead than these old methods ever could.

Author Byline: This guest post is provided by Neil Jones head of marketing for eMobileScan. Based all around Europe, they run a host of web stores all dedicated to providing their customers with solutions that will help to cut costs and increase productivity. Included in their product list are units like the Motorola MC75 and the Datalogic Memor

Overcoming Fear of Video Marketing

2011-10-23T12:30:00.000-07:00

I don’t think the impact of video distribution sites like YouTube and Vimeo are lost on anyone these days. When videos like Rebecca Black’s “Friday” or Antoine Dodson’s interview seem to go viral overnight, no one can deny the power of the web and its ability to span the globe instantly.

But what if you, as a local business, could harness the power of online videos as well to gain more exposure for your business? What if you too can create an online presence that allows people in your community to search for you and, in turn, generate more traffic? I know what you’re saying…

“I don’t own a proper video recorder.”“I know nothing about scripts or being in front of the camera.”“I don’t have the resources to shoot high-quality footage.”

The beauty of the Internet and technology during these times is that you don’t have to be a professional to still have major impact in your community. All it takes is a smart phone or flip camera, and you can capture footage that would be ideal for your marketing campaigns.

So maybe you aren’t an expert in shooting and editing videos. Don’t let this fear prevent you from capitalizing on a new medium for reaching more clients. With most things, it’s important to start by just taking one small step. Below, we have outlined several reasons to get your feet wet in the video marketing world. By taking the first step with shooting a video for your company, you can establish another form of credibility for your company, which is relevant to today’s world of Web 2.0.

Some benefits that video marketing will offer your local business:

· Video marketing establishes credibility for you, as a business owner. Consumer demands are different today than they were ten years ago. When people see that businesses have online videos, they will take your business more seriously because it will be apparent to them that you take it seriously, too.
· Video marketing is an extremely low cost way to reach more clients and generate leads. Most people already have smart phones, and a YouTube subscription costs nothing!
· Video marketing reaches a wider spectrum of potential clients. With YouTube subscriptions becoming almost as ubiquitous as Facebook pages; there is a massive market waiting to be tapped when it comes to the online community and video marketing. It’s imperative to take advantage of the visibility you will gain through video distribution.

You don’t have to produce an award-winning piece. Something short and precise can be just as effective as a professionally produced video. Just be sure that you convey the mission of your company and that from a consumer standpoint you are providing relevant information.

Author Bio: Chris Marentis founded and is the CEO Surefire Social who supplies local marketing services and internet marketing for local business

Creating Videos as Part of Everyday Local Business Operations

2011-10-18T18:05:00.000-07:00

Per Hub Spot, according to a new white paper from comScore, an average of 179 million Americans watched online videos each month in 2010. In addition, Americans spent approximately 12% more hours viewing online video in 2010 compared to 2009 due to more video ad streams and increased content consumption.

Stats like these indicate that online video content is a viable way for which to market a business, but many companies find it difficult to capture video for their organization, or they believe it’s costly and takes a lot of time to do so. However, this isn’t the case. In fact, when done right, video is cost-effective way to:

· Market a business for increased leads and sales.
· Create brand awareness and loyalty. · Boost local search engine rankings
· Create recent and current tips and newsworthy content valuable to consumers
· Generate customer and employee involvement.· Present an individual or business as an expert in their field.

The key to utilizing online video efficiently for optimal results is to incorporate the creation of videos into the everyday operations of a business by making it as easy, fun, and worthwhile as possible. To encourage the creation of videos for your business, consider the following:

· Provide a flip camera or office camera for employees to use to capture several different types of videos at their disposal, including:o Interviews.o Before and after on-the-job videos.
Client testimonials.o Employees working on-the-job.o How-to tips and information.o Events.
· Create a video schedule, and assign a video to a different employee each week to keep the content current and frequent.
· Make it fun by creating employee incentives for the best video of the month, the video with the most hits, etc.
· Provide a script for your employees and customers to make the filming go as smoothly as possible.
· Repurpose current content, such as presentations, blogs and articles, and use it to create a new video.

Once you have your videos created, you want to post and repost them throughout the Internet to create inbound links and promotions. YouTube is the most popular social online video site, so start there. When you post on YouTube, be sure to include GEO modifiers to boost your local search engine rankings starting with your location address and business name at a minimum. You can then take your YouTube link and repost it on Facebook, your business blog, your company website, Twitter, etc.

By doing so, you will be creating a viable process to boost search engine optimization and search engine rankings to drive more traffic to your business. And more traffic = more leads = more conversions. So start yesterday and create a fun, easy and efficient process to build a video library to effectively promote and market your business!

Author Bio: Chris Marentis is an experienced marketer with over 25 starting and growing successful businesses. He is currently CEO at local internet marketing company, SureFire Social, involved in local web marketing.

Building a Video Production Studio?

2011-10-08T19:24:00.000-07:00

How to set up a personal or business production suite

What you'll need:

A Camera
A Computer
Editing Program
Connections/Friends

Optionals:

A Greenscreen. Lighting Equipment. Sound Equipment. Internet Connection. Lots of Space (virtual and real).

Choosing the Right Camera

Unless your planning on doing only post-production (video/sound editing) you'll need a camera.

For shooting home videos any camera will do, but almost everything both online and offline is in HD now, so go for a camera with a video quality of at least 720p (HD). Many small sized cameras that can take both pictures and videos come in HD quality.

I've personally tested and recommend the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX5V , a small sized affordable camera with amazing quality and some cool features.
For bigger projects where super high quality and having many features is important you can check out the popular Panasonic Pro AG/DVCPRO camera. It uses P2 Cards for storing full HD quality images. Smaller cameras use compressions to 'imitate' HD so they're not usually viable for film or broadcasting. It's pretty expensive and is a highly sought-after camera by film makers. Many people rent out this camera or get hired for bringing it on the set, so owning one puts you right in the game!

Choosing the Right Computer and Editing Program

The higher quality your raw footage is, the more powerful computer you'll need.
All editing programs have a pretty high learning curve for creating awesome looking effects, and most of them are available for both Windows and Mac computers.

Here are some of my system recommendations for editing footage.
From your smaller cameras
(the ones under 1000 bucks):
It should have at least 1gb of ram and a dual core processor. 2GB of ram is recommended, and an Intel Core i5 or i7 (dual core) processor would be great. As you'll see, nearly all of These Newer Laptops have what it takes to edit your footage. And I recommend Intel Processors for video editing.

For the bigger cameras
(RED, P2 cards (panasonic) etc. - over a thousand bucks.):
You might consider getting a stationary computer instead of a laptop. And a quad core (4 processors) or more, instead of a dual core.
The Mac Pro is a good choice. I recommend using Macintosh computers for video editing because you'll be able to install Final Cut Pro for video editing, and for some other workflow and stability related reasons. FCP is a somewhat simple to learn program and extremely powerful.
I also recommend 4GB of Ram or more and lots of storage space (1 terabyte or more) because these raw files will be very big.

Final Cut Pro X.
Final Cut Pro X is somewhat easy to learn since you can find tutorials for everything you're trying to create, on the web. And for a $50 add on you can get Motion 5 to do some special effects editing.

If you're getting a Windows computer you can get the cheaper alternative Windows Movie Maker. I haven't tried it in a while but supposedly it's getting somewhat advanced (can edit HD files, add some cool effects etc.)

Adobe Premiere Adobe Premiere is a popular video editing program that is included in the Adobe Production Premium package, available for both Mac and Windows. If you buy the whole package you'll get pretty much all the powerful tools you need for video and graphics editing: Adobe After Effects, one of the most powerful animation programs; Photoshop, the best image editing program, and Adobe Premiere, the editing program. And some other goodies.

Connections and Friends
Producing videos can hardly be done by yourself. To make high quality videos you'll probably need actors, a sound editor to do the sound., and maybe outsourcing your video editing and animation if you're in charge of the filming/producing only and spend most of your time doing that.

Work on your social media networks to build an audience and gain some followers. Read my guide on Social Media for Independend Artists, here on Tubeblogger.

To find people who can help do some work you can go on freelancing sites such as Elance.com, where you'll find Editors, Actors, Camera Technicians, etc. available for hire.

Leave a comment or contact me with any question about building a production studio or producing videos. I'll help out the best I can =)

Is Film School Worth the Price?

2011-09-26T14:58:00.000-07:00

In the Journey to Becoming a Filmmaker, is Film School Worth the Price?

At various points in their filmmaking career, whether it’s in the middle of a first film or after several, almost every budding filmmaker asks him- or herself the following: “Should I go to film school?”

It’s a complicated question, and there isn’t one correct answer. However, the answer you arrive at will mostly likely depend on the following factors: your financial circumstances, and your ability to learn, work, and network independently.

As you consider the question, take a brief survey of filmmakers you admire: what was their path to becoming a writer, director, or editor? Did they go to film school, or did they do it themselves? Did their career after film school warrant the cost of film school? No two paths to becoming a filmmaker are the same, and it can be not just informative but downright inspiring to learn about the spectrum of ways people can get their foot in the door in the film industry.

Next, assess your own skills. Are you good at learning independently and intuitively, or do you need more structure? Almost any filmmaker will tell you that the best form of learning is to simply undergo the process of making a short film on your own: securing your crew, working out your camera and lighting angles, communicating to your actors what you need from them, or testing out your editing software. If you have the discipline to do this by yourself, you may not need to pay the cost of film school.

Similarly, one of the major reasons people attend film school is for the networking opportunities. In film school, you’re instantly connected to like-minded individuals, strong mentors, and powerful alumni who work in the film industry. Through collaboration and mutual understanding, classmates at film school create bonds and professional connections that can last long after film school, sometimes even throughout their careers. However, if you’re an outgoing spirit who is unafraid of asking for informational interviews, seeking out mentors, and making friends at film festivals, you can network without the help of film school.

Our official recommendation lies in the happy medium: online schools like New York Video School provide the structure, professional instruction, and even the social network of a standard film school, but the learning comes at just a fraction of the cost of film school. Depending on their skills and interests, students can choose from hundreds of tutorials, including storytelling, lighting, audio, and editing. Members can also join groups, seek out collaborative partners, and attend special events.

In short, just as there’s no right way to tell a story, there’s also no instruction manual for becoming a filmmaker. But by asking yourself some important questions, you’ll arrive at the solution that’s best for you.

Author Bio: Abby Price is a freelance writer and filmmaking enthusiast. She has made several documentaries, and no, she has never been to film school.

Promoting Your Video - Text is Key

2011-09-25T09:40:00.000-07:00

Is your video getting little views? Here are some tips to help boost your visibility.
Post a story and include your video, here on Tubeblogger =)

Whether you have a video on Youtube, Metacafe, or any other videosharing site, you'll need text descriptions for people to find it online. Most people will probably find it through searching or through related videos, which is mostly controlled by text; keywords that the videos have in common.

Subtitles, Annotations, and Comments count as text that will help your video be found.
Bla-bla around the web that includes a link to your video counts as text, in fact, that's probably the best promotion you can get.

Descriptions and Keywords

categorized

Keyword Density

Captioning And Annotations
Twitter/Social Networks

Don't use the exact same sentence you've used before anywhere else

Duplicate Content

Blogs/Sites

Read More about using Twitter as an independent artist here:
tubeblogger.net/social-media...

Automatically Tweet your Youtube Activity:
tubeblogger.net//how-to-auto-tweet-your...

P.S: This is very much the same way you would promote anything around the web. High ranked sites/people talking about your stuff = win.

A social media strategy for independent artists

2011-09-17T15:30:00.000-07:00

Pt. 1 - Twitter

Independent artists in almost every niche need perhaps more networking skills than anything else.

Twitter is full of artists eager to interact, that's usually the reason people join twitter in the first place - to communicate.
Twitter is also a great audience multiplier. You can share your links to all your friends/followers, and they can 'retweet' it to thousands of their friends, who in turn retweets it to thousands of theirs.

Start an audience on Twitter by asking your friends to 'follow' your Twitter account.

Share your links, thoughts, and pictures.

Use your twitter around the web, to comment on sites, Tweet links, and increase your visibility.

connect your twitter account

Follow/Support people with similar interests

By following and sharing content by people with similar interests, they are very likely to follow back and REtweet your content, etc. This is the most common way to build an audience of likeminded people on Twitter. If you need to you can manage who you follow, who follows back, etc. with some of the 'twitter tools' (section below). You can write comments on many websites by logging in with your twitter account in the comment section, to link back to your Twitter.

Make your Twitter account the 'number one hub' for your kind of art, your 'niche', then link back to it anywhere you can.

Some more tips about Twitter basics: Check out this infographic on How to use Twitter, by Twiends.

Tools for the job:

Klout - Measuring your influence

When we talked about gaining points in the twitterverse earlier I was referring to things like your Klout score. Klout measures your influence by keeping track of how many followers you have, how many retweets and mentions you get, as well as other factors. Most importantly it gives you a score from 1-100, which grows or shrinks over time. This is important because many people will be looking at your Klout score to determine if they'll follow you or not.
And when you have a high score you'll be getting more followers every day.
The strategy explained in this post should help increase your Klout score.

Formulist
Make intuitive lists of the people you are following. You can use this to see who doesn't follow back, as well as many other things.

Followfriday.
I use this for the recommendation feature. Under the MyFF tab there's a list of people who have been recommended by people I'm already following. There I can easily click to follow new people and mention their name + the names of those who recommended them, on Twitter. This gets their attention and they usually follow back =)

Click Recommend to see how to recommend someone on Twitter. A popup window will open with the right info to post.
It includes #Hashtags to reach more people, @Tubeblogr (my Twitter name), and a link.

Use these tools the right way and you'll reach lots of people. Don't use Twitter to spam or flood links (posting a lot in short amount of time)

Buffer App
Buffer is a tool to queue your tweets, spreading them out over time instead of posting them all at once.

Let us know in the comments how your experience has been with networking on Twitter, and which tools you find useful.

Do you know all the differences between audio or video files?

2011-09-04T13:00:00.000-07:00

Many people think that audio and video files share the same format or platform. Yes, they both store data in: audio, video or audio and video format but that is where most of the similarities end. Audio and video files do use similar formats and compression methods for storage but they differ in size and function. This difference in size and function, limits the type and amount of data they can store and it also determines their storage methods.
It is not hard to understand the difference between audio and video files. First one must understand the differences between: the codecs they use, how they store data and the formats used to store data. One of the main ways to know the difference is to find out what is the difference between mp3 and mp4 files. The answer will show the main differences between audio and video files.

Audio and video files use different codecs

Audio codecs encode for sound in an audio file. It is sometimes not necessary to play an audio file but it makes the file clearer. Video codecs encode for sound, video and any other relevant information stored within a video file. Almost all computers need codecs to play video because they have so much more information stored than an audio file.

Audio files are limited with the type of data they can store while video files can store varying types of data.

The aim of audio files such as MP3 files is compression and storage of sound/audio files on a computer. These files are small and take up little space on a hard drive disk. The aim of video files such as MP4 files is to store large amounts of audio, video and other files. Video files take up a lot of space on a hard drive disk because they often come with files for: subtitles, video and audio. While these files also compress they will never be as small as audio files. It is important also to note that the MP3 and MP4 files are not related, MP3 is for audio and MP4 for video and audio.

Video files can convert to audio with ease while audio files often do not convert to video.

This is evident by the conversion of MP4 to MP3 files. There are many converter programs that do this with ease. The MP4 file is safely converted into MP3 format and still intact. MP3 to MP4 is a bit trickier. The MP3 file is way more compressed than the MP4 file thus making conversion impossible or completely unnecessary.

Many more differences between audio and video files exist. It is very surprising how two files that seem to relate to each other differ. They differ in terms of how they store data, how they compress it and how large that data is. These files also work with different supplemental programs to perform better and thus give different performances.

Reese Weller provides an assortment of article services pertaining to mp4 to mp3 and what is the difference between mp3 and mp4.

The Advantages of Using Lynda.com

2011-09-03T15:00:00.000-07:00

Lynda.com is an online library of various tutorials, and is recognized as one of the leaders on the internet in software training. If you are brand new to things like, HTML, CSS, and Javascript then Lynda can give you the fundamental knowledge of web development you need in order to launch your first website. Lynda offers something for everyone with advance practices of theory taught, or essential basic knowledge in order to create a foundation for new knowledge. However, Lynda is not limited to just web design. They offer fresh resources pertaining to business, audio, animation, photography, and much more. Lynda has a grand total of 1,116 courses, and maybe the best part is how they teach you.

Unlike reading from dry boring textbooks, Lynda offers video analysis of step by step processes to help learn in the subject you are viewing. While you may find similar videos on youtube or around the internet, they are usually not done in sequential course structures, and you also cannot be sure that these are done professionally. With Lynda you have the guarantee that you will have a professional working with you, and the structure of the videos will be set up to ensure step by step learning. Short of a live class with an experienced professor, this is your best option.

People spend thousands of dollars learning various subjects like web design, audio engineering, or accounting and finance. Maybe you will have a poor professor, maybe the classes will interfere with your life, or maybe you just simply cannot afford to do that. Lynda takes care of all of those problems. Lynda offers video lesson plans from professionals who want to teach, and live their subject. You can view the courses by viewing each video one by one, or viewing videos in groups, and even place bookmarks to remember where you left off. The best part is, you can do this when it is most convenient for you, as to not interfere with your life. As far as payment goes, you will definitely save a bundle. By opting out of traditional outdated classes, you can easily access the benefits of Lynda for only $25 dollars a month. Twenty-five dollars gives you access to the entire site. You really cannot beat this offer. The reality of education is that it can easily be accomplished on the internet for a fraction of the price. This is something that tech schools and colleges don't want you to know.

There is still more that Lynda can do for you. Lynda offers discounts for groups or business, and you may even upgrade to a premium monthly plan that includes exercise files for better training. Many tutorials even offer disks that can be shipped to your house if you wish to watch them on a larger TV screen, or you do not have access to a computer at the time. Cancel anytime you wish, no contracts needed. Once you try Lynda for a little while you might just be hooked, so a year long subscription is offered to save you money in the long run.

If you are still skeptical, you can even preview some of the courses by watching selected videos inside of them. This may be just the proof you need to sign up for Lynda. Lynda just simply does not disappoint. With 1,1116 courses, for a grand total of 65,000 videos, you have so much to learn. Where else can you get all of this access for only $25 dollars? You can't. Lynda has helped me learn essential rules and creative processes in web design, graphic design, and audio engineering. The best 25$ I have spent on education thus far in my life.

This article was written by Ben Anderson. Ben works as a professional online, and specifically works with www.acencetre.com providing the latest acne treatments.

3 Winning Tips That Will Make Your Video Resume Get Noticed

2011-09-01T16:00:00.000-07:00

Every time you send a resume, you should expect tough competition. Currently there are millions of unemployed people in the US alone, and all of them are hoping to get an interview through their resumes.

A video CV can mean the difference between having the opportunity to show your potential and remaining as an unemployment statistic for years.

Resumes today have to be customized; you must think out of the box, and really give the recruiter a reason to want to meet you.

Even though a CV in video is already highly original, it is not enough. Here we give you 3 unbeatable tips that will make any recruiter really pay attention to your video resume:

Employ keywords
- You should study the wording utilized in the job opening and make good use of the special keywords employed by the recruiter.

- These words must be relevant to the position and industry you are applying for, and you must use them recurrently on your CV. Just make sure the text flows in a natural way and that the keywords fit in effortlessly. This will make your CV relevant and eye catching.

Employ marketing and advertising tactics
- Nowadays you have to be very creative to get a job. Do ample research on the company you are interested in and think of some ideas on how to reach them in a special way.

- Once, a man held up a sign with his name, skills description, and phone number while walking from side to side in front of the building where the company he wanted to work for was… he got the interview.

- Video allows you to do a lot through animation, use of color, and textures; and… think about this… you can play it anywhere. Nothing is out of bounds as long as it applies to the industry and company you have your eye on.

Make your copy be outstanding
- Besides making sure there are no grammar and spelling mistakes in your copy, you must give a lot of thought to the text and words you are going to employ.

- A clever play on words can really grab someone’s attention and incite them to hire you, because it shows what a candidate is capable of doing.

- It is a good idea to read what you write out loud, since you will be able to see your writing from a different angle, and you will be compelled to think about the impact your choice of words has.

- Think of using different fonts to make your keywords stand out in the video; this is a subtle and elegant way of drawing the viewer’s attention to them.

- If you are not a very skilled writer, consider hiring professional resume writing services to ensure your CV is at the top in quality and effectiveness. Never underestimate the impact a word can have!

Mark Doyle writes articles for cv writing service

Video Bloggers affected by the "10 strikes" Bill

2011-08-17T19:51:00.000-07:00

The Bill S. 978 or "10 strikes" bill makes it illegal to stream any copyrighted content in the background of your videos. In fact, if you are caught doing it more than 10 times you will be charged with a felony. The bill is somewhat vague and apparently says you can't be playing music in the background while videoblogging, or make videos with soda in the background, or you'll go to prison!

Many online communities, and even big networks like Machinima are affected by this decision.
Youtubers make movies and shows using game footage, and I don't think the game creators usually mind. It all brings exposure to their games and companies.
And there are literally millions of indie and upcoming singers on Youtube creating cover songs, using beats/instrumentals that might be copyrighted.

Youtube has recently set it up so that these videos have a link to the original musicians channels, and sometimes a purchasable iTunes or Amazon download, so I don't think the owners of the original tunes complained much either.

Videobloggers are urged to oppose this bill! Write your congressmen, or Watch this video/Demand Progress to help.

Subscribe to the Video Game Category from TubeBlogger! You'll get the latest stories by RSS, meaning the latest posts tagged "Video Games", by email or in your favorite RSS reader.

How to edit HD videos for Youtube

2011-07-31T05:03:00.000-07:00

How to make HD Youtube videos.

Thought I'd share some tips on editing and uploading High Definition videos to Youtube. A lot of people have HD cameras on their phone etc. but lose a lot of the quality upon uploading onto Youtube.

This could be because the original file was so big that they went with a lower quality version, or they did something during editing so that the final clip was no longer in HD format.

I'll share some tips for how to avoid this while editing, and how to create smaller files ready to upload to youtube.

I use Final Cut Pro on a Mac for editing, and usually Quick Time for conversions.
Conversion is when you take the original file (clip from you phone or camera) and turn it into another type of file, one that is smaller or bigger in size, or better or (usually) worse in quality.
You'll need to do a conversion if the file is too big for youtube, over 200 megabytes for a 5 minute clip might be too much, depending on your internet connection.

1. So first step would be to get the file off your camera and onto the computer.

2. Then you note the file size and information included in the file. (Cmd i to get info, or right click - Get Information.)
It will say which codec the file has on it , and the dimensions (size of the screen e.g 1080x720), this is important to keep in mind so that after you have edited your clip, you can save the final clip fill in the same format it came in, which saves a lot of conversion time and saves you from potential quality loss.

So if your camera makes good compact files that work great for Youtube, we want to use the same Codec and dimensions for the finished clip (after editing). You could test this with a raw file upload to youtube (make it private?).

3. When you've finished editing a clip - in your editing program go to Save As, select a video format (your file will get the prefix .Avi or .Mov or .Mpeg) then go to Options or Settings (if available) where you select 'Same as Source' under codec, or where available; and make sure the dimensions are the same as your original file (see step 2).

If we are unable to save the file in the same codec or proportions it came in, or if those settings aren't suitable for web streaming; then we are going to have to do some conversion after editing.
In your editing program this will probably come up when you've finished editing your project and you're ready to make the final video file (called exporting the clip) and upload it.

Your editing program might have a way to "export for web" or "export for ipod" etc.
These are premade settings that will convert your clip into a compact file that still plays in HD (hopefully). These premades usually use a codec called H.264 .
This is a really good one, see if your editing program has any presets "save for web streaming" or "H.264 codec" then give your file a name and it should be ready to export (make the video file) and upload to Youtube.

If your editing program does not have any good settings we're going to need QuickTime (Pro), or some other video program with conversion tools (realplayer).
What I usually do, after editing a clip from my phone camera (in Final Cut Pro), is go to File - Export - Quick Time Movie . Then under settings I leave is as Current Settings (doesn't compress or convert the format), then save the file. I then open this file in Quick Time and go to Save As, and use the "save for web streaming" settings in quicktime; this will be the final clip, and it usually works great for Youtube. QuickTime does a great job of converting, I tend to prefer it even over Final Cut Pro's inbuilt conversion tools.

You can try a couple different codecs (instead of going with the presets) and see which ones takes longer to convert, or which one makes the best video files. Try not to resize the dimensions of the clip, it's probably in the right format already,
Unless it's huge, then it can probably be resized with one of the premade packages we talked about earlier, 'save for web' usually adds a codec and squeezes the screen dimensions down to a web friendly size.

Hope these tips helped familiarize the process, you'll probably find one codec, or a premade setting that works great for the video clips you're working with. Leave a comment if you have any questions and I'll try to help.
Good luck with your videomaking!

Get Free Media from Youtube Creative Commons Videos !

2011-06-05T22:48:00.000-07:00

Image via CrunchBaseNow you can choose from a huge selection of videos to use for your editing projects!

Over 10,000 videos are already available to be used for free in the Creative Commons Library accessible through the Youtube Video Editor!
Just log into Youtube go to the Youtube Editor and click the CC tab to browse or search through the selection of free videos to edit into your projects.

Youtube Users like yourself can now mark your videos with a Creative Commons Attributions license which makes it possible for others to reuse your content, as long as they give you credit (which is added automatically under the video they make).

Youtube recently announced that they're working with several production, news stock footage companies etc. to get more content!

"We’re working with organizations like C-SPAN, Public.Resource.org, Voice of America, Al Jazeera"
To get started, visit youtube.com/editor and select the CC tab:

Get more Youtube Videomaking tips here at TubeBlogger by clicking the Youtube Tips (picture) Link to the right.

Good luck with your videomaking!

Convert Youtube to MP3 - Edit Videos & More...

2011-05-27T23:18:00.000-07:00

Some tools were recently added to Tubeblogger.net Now you can covert videos to mp3 and more on our Youtube Tools page. ↗
Links directly to VideoDroid, and TubeChop, more tools coming soon! Bookmark the page now for future reference

YouTube Creator's Corner — Lectures With Guest professors

2011-05-25T00:24:00.000-07:00

YouTube Creator Institute is in session — with live streamed guest professors: "Three months ago, Youtube launched the YouTube Creator Institute with two institutions to provide aspiring content creators the fundamental skills to be successful on YouTube. The classes for the programs at the USC School of Cinematic Arts and Columbia College Chicago begin this month, and include guest lectures from acclaimed directors, producers, comedians, musicians and industry leaders.

We’d like to share the Creator Institute experience, so we invite you to ask questions for live streamed classes with some of these special guests throughout the summer. Here’s a rundown:

May 25: Jon Landau, Academy Award-winning Producer of Avatar and Titanic
Submit a question | Watch Live May 25 @ 7pm PT

May 31: Melissa Rosenberg, Acclaimed Writer and Producer of the Twilight Saga, Dexter and many others
Submit a question | Watch Live May 31 @ 7pm PT

June 1: SuzAnn Brantner, Head of Alternative Distribution and Marketing for Music, Film and Books at William Morris Endeavor
Submit a question | Watch Recorded Lecture from June 1

June 2: MysteryGuitarMan and FreddieW, YouTube Partners with millions of subscribers and views
Submit a question | Watch Live June 2 @ 7pm PT

June 14: McG, Director of Terminator Salvation and Charlie’s Angels, and Executive Producer of Supernatural, The OC and many others
Submit a question | Watch Live June 14 @ 7pm PT

July 7: Barely Political, one of YouTube’s most subscribed channels and creators of Obama Girl, Key of Awesome and Autotune the News
Submit a question | Watch Live July 7 @ 4pm PT

This program, in addition to YouTube NextUp, are part of the YouTube Next mission to supercharge creator development and accelerate Partner growth and success. Each program has a uniquely-created curriculum, featuring the skills of each university to provide YouTubers with storytelling and production techniques, as well as new media skills to be successful in today’s media.

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How to Auto Tweet your Youtube Activity

2011-05-13T13:33:00.000-07:00

How to share your Youtube Activity to Twitter, automatically.

In this quick guide I'm going to show you the new simple way to connect your Youtube account in 3 simple steps.

Step 1: You need to be logged in to both your Youtube and the Twitter account you wish to connect.

2: Go to your Youtube "account" settings and click "Activity Sharing"

3: Click link to connect to Twitter and Authorize Youtube (Google.com) to access your Twitter account.

If you need more tips, or an easier guide, see this quick video tutorial which shows you how to do it.

Some tips for getting more views on Youtube

2010-08-05T02:06:00.000-07:00

So you've filmed all your stuff and edited together a masterpiece, you upload it to youtube and nothing happens, no views besides you and a few crickets.

This is likely to happen with your first few videos and you're gonna need some help from the community and maybe some strategies of your own to get going.

No matter what tricks you use, nothing beats having great content. Youtube has a system in place for ranking your video by looking at how much of the video people watch (Attention), viewer participation (comments and votes) as well as standard SEO (keywords and search engine rankings). With the latter being the least important. Views doesn't rank very high there either when it comes to having long term success on Youtube.

The value of real Subscribers and friends

Having lots of friends and subscribers on Youtube will assure you lots of views, but they have to be following you by will, joining Sub4Sub groups etc. is generally bad for your overall ranking.
And here's why:
None of the link beggars (let's just call it that from now) who subscribed to you will watch your whole video (Attention) or participate in anyway (rarely comments or votes) so from what we learned earlier about how Google looks at things Google will not consider these valuable views, so it won't increase your popularity.
If you still want to exchange view for view try the ViewtubeTrain. At least they make you watch the whole video, so the people who watch yours will too.

Sharing with friends is the best way to give it that early boost that it needs.

You can share your story here on Tubeblogger
Share in the forum/chat, post a comment here on this post and add your video to it
or write us an article!
By participating we might feature you as a "Channel of the day" .

Most common ways of sharing online videos

Adding videos as an update on Facebook, so people can "like"it
Embed the video on your own blog or website and write a story with it.
Add a link anywhere you can

When your video gets a group of views and activity in a short period of time, a "spike, it is considered a trending topic and you're likely to get even more views and subscribers.
If your video gets 20 thumbs down in an hour it is considered a trending topic as well.
Again, it's the activity that matters the most.

Subscribing to a bunch of people just to get subscriptions in return is just going to limit your potential in the Youtube Community
For one, it's better to have your homepage filled with videos you actually want to watch, so you can leave useful and realistic comments, and keep up with the REAL Youtube community.
Other reasons is that I'm pretty sure link farming and flooding yourself with random friends and subs gives your videos nothing but bad rep on Google.

Remember to use social networking sites like Twitter to share your videos. You can connect your Twitter account to Youtube to automatically tweet your latest videos (and subscription updates as well if you wish). This can generate lots and lots of views and often new followers on Twitter as well.

Use annotations to link between your Videos. If you want the viewers to go to a next video after watching, you can remind them with an annotation. Also use these to politely ask your viewers to subscribe.

Something I did recently on one of my videos was activate "open annotations"; so anyone can comment with those little talk bubbles in the video (can also share links). This gave the video a slight boost but mostly just from returning viewers who came to see more of the annotations. It also clutters up the video a bit, and leaves some viewers confused.

See more tips in our Video Making Tips category here on Tubeblogger

Tags: youtube, seo, traffic