Archive for the ‘Start a Video Blog’ Category:
Panasonic Professional AG-HMC40: My First Pro Camcorder
Filed under: Blogging Gadgets, Start a Video Blog | View Comments
You may have noticed in the past few weeks that I have been talking more about video-blogging and the tools that can help you get vlogging done more effectively. The most essential vlogging tool is your camcorder. If you intend to make a professional quality video for your web show, you are going to need a decent cam. The mini camcorders that you see in retail stores do a good job taking videos on the go, but if you intend to conduct interviews with the experts at conferences or professional gatherings, it’s always good to have a pro camcorder.
I have always wanted to own a pro camcorder to not only check it off of my wish-list but also capture better quality videos to share with others. I do have a Zi8, so I am all set for my road trips. But I have never really cared for paying $5000 or more for a pro camcorder. I have never wanted to be a director or professional producer, so spending that much money on a pro camcorder has never made sense for me. Besides, there are a lot of other things you can do with $5000-$10000. Read more »
Start Your Video Blog with Video Flick
Whether you have been watching Gary Vee lately or following the blogging industry trends, you know the present and future belongs to video. Many bloggers have already started posting their videos online. Some use YouTube, Vimeo, and Viddler to share their content with their users. A few others go hardcore and buy expensive video hosting services to start their own web shows. If you have a lot of money to burn, you can always get fancy and buy the latest camcorder on the market and pay someone to design the best vlogging theme for your site. In reality, you don’t have to a millionaire to start a video blog these days. You just need to have a passion and the dedication to work hard and execute your video-blogging strategy.
Video Flick is a very well-designed vlogging Wordpress theme that helps you get your site up and running fast. The theme is SEO-friendly and comes with two color schemes (white/black). VF is designed to make it easy for you to add videos to your Wordpress site fast. It uses WP custom fields to help you embed YouTuve, Vimeo, and … videos.
Customizing Video-Flick is a piece of cake. The back-end settings enable you to change all aspects of your video blog without having to write a line of code. Whether you want to change your logo or just set up your Google Adsense ads, you can do it all in the back-end without having to change your code all by yourself. I also like the fact that Google Analytics is integrated into this theme. It makes things just a bit easier.
Overall, if you are looking for an affordable Wordpress theme that lets you start your own video-blog past and doesn’t require you to be a programming genius to customize it, you should consider VideoFlick.
Start Your Video Blog with Flip Ultra HD
There was a time when you had to spend hundreds of dollars to get your hands on a decent quality camcorder to record your own videos. And let’s not forget that we are talking about those bulky camcorders that weren’t exactly blogger friendly. But times have changed in the past few years. Camcorders such as Flip Video Camera help you take videos on the go and submit them to YouTube and other video sites without too much trouble. Best of all, you won’t have to spend thousands of dollars to get one of these (just a couple of hundred dollars at most!)
Recently, I had the chance to upgrade to a brand new Flip UltraHD camcorder from my old Flip camcorder. It cost me about $200 (with accessories), but I had no doubt it was the right move. I have been using Flip camcorders since they came out. And I can’t be happier with them. When I got my first Flip, I didn’t expect to be able to record high quality videos with it. While the quality of videos that I have taken is not HD, but they are high quality enough to get you started on YouTube.
Flip Ultra HD is more than a shiny gadget. It can help you get started with your video blog and record video interviews and events wherever you are. If you are still skeptical about Flip Ultra, here is why you should get one for your own blog:
- Start your vlog: if you are not putting videos on your blog, you should. You will be surprised how it will transform your blogging career. What’s the worst that can happen?
- Conduct video interviews: have you been wanting to interview an industry legend? What a better way to do it with your Flip camcorder.
- Cover conferences: if you are a conference junkie, why not cover your events with your Flip camcorder.
- Create tutorials: nothing beats video tutorials that involves you demonstration a concept on a white board. A lot of people are doing it already.
- Cover your trips: a lot of folks have started using their flip camcorders to cover their daily trips. It’s similar to having your own vlog but you are covering your daily activities.
- Discover new trends: you can use your Flip Video Camera to observe and innovate. What a better way to observe others and find out about their needs.
- Record unexpected events: these days nothing could go unnoticed. If you have watched videos on YouTube lately, you have seen user-generated videos that cover local events. I remember watching a lady who couldn’t park a car. You do feel bad for the person, but at the same time it shows you just what you can do with your Flip camcorder.
Overall, Flip Camcorder has been the best investment I have made in recent months. It’s more than a shiny device. You actually get a lot of bang for you buck. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in vlogging.
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Getting Started With Video Blogging Fast
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Vlogging is not so much of a novelty these days. Most blogging superstars have jumped on the videoblogging bandwagon. But for a long of folks, starting a videoblog is a challenge. If you have checked videos on YouTube, you have probably seen that for every one great video there are 1000s of worthless crude items out there. A lot of folks don’t know how to work the camera, and some don’t know what to say once they get in front of the camera. These are very real challenges, but videoblogging is not something you can’t master.
Here is what I learned from my experience with videoblogging which I believe will be helpful to a lot of folks who are trying to get started with their video-blog:
- YouTube is only part of the game: a lot of folks buy these books and master YouTube as if YouTube can make you look good on camera. Knowing how to do things on YouTube is great, but it doesn’t make you a good video blogger.
- You’ve got to have a story: you’ve probably seen those boring videos that folks struggle to talk about anything interesting for 10 minutes. That’s what happens when you get in front of the camera with no plan of action. There was a time that I would go to my presentations without preparation, believing that I would ace them due to familiarity with the subject at hand. But proper preparation not only makes you more confident but it can get you out of some hairy situations. The same concept applies to videos. Prepare and have a story to tell or you are doomed.
- You’ve got to be able to tell your story: you know what’s the difference between a salesman and a scientist? A salesman can come up with all kinds of stories to convey things to prospects. Scientists, on the other hand, often struggle to convey what they know with others. Having great videos is not about who’s the smartest in the room but about who can tell their story the best.
- You’ve got to engage your audience: just because you are in front of a camera doesn’t mean folks won’t see you. Your video will be viewed by real folks so you want to pretend there is someone there. Imagine your camera is a living breathing person. That’s key!
- Know what you are getting yourself into: Video-blogging is a more intimate form of blogging. People are going to see you and hear you, and your video can be distributed, downloaded, and shared all over the web (depending on your success). Make sure you behave, and be ready for criticism.
YouTube is a great testing ground for your ideas. Pitch your ideas on YouTube and see if there is an audience. You learn a lot about your video-blog idea from YouTube and other video sites. Take the feedback on the chin, and remember that no one is perfect right out of the gate. The sooner you get started with video, the better off you are. It’s not too late to get started with videoblogging. Not yet!
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