Saturday, June 30, 2012

Blogging vs. Vlogging #2

Okay, so I am 200+ days into vlogging and I think that I should give you guys some more tips... just incase you want to come over to the OTHER side. ;)

So, one thing changed since I last wrote about this:  I started editing my videos.  At first I did not want to do this (mainly) because I did not know how to edit.  (Probably because I did not have proper software to edit.)  But then I bought a new Mac.  Editing in IMovie is ridiculously easy...

Admittedly, the first time it took me about 10 hours to edit a video, that would probably take me 1 hour to do now. But now, I am a pro.  Ha!  Just kidding.  But, I am much better than I ever thought I could be at editing.  And the more I do it, the better I get (just like with anything, I suppose - which I guess works the same way ~ in reverse ~ because I haven't blogged in a while and I am finding it very difficult to write this post).

Okay.  Back to the tips.

1.) Don't be too hard on yourself. Practice makes... better.  Even if you feel uncomfortable in front of the camera, know that it *will* get better.  The more you do it, the more you will find your voice.  I watch my videos several times before I upload them and sometimes I will watch old ones to see what I can do to make them better - or (if I thought it was a good one) what I did to make it good.   I am far from perfect, but I do think that my videos are much, much better than they were... 212 days ago!

2.) Don't take stuff personally.  There is a dislike button on your videos.  People are able to hit this button anonymously.  You can turn ratings *off* and it will make it impossible for people to like or dislike your video, but doing this can take away some of your credibility...  Videos do not seem as... trustworthy when the ratings are turned off.  The same goes for comments.  Obviously, if you are a big YouTuber and you turn the ratings off for a few of your videos, your credibility probably won't take much of a hit.  Honestly, you probably won't get very many dislikes on your videos in the beginning, anyway.  But even one or two sting a little.  And unfortunately, there are trolls who like to randomly hit dislike even when there is absolutely nothing wrong with your videos.  One of my favorite YouTubers was recently a victim and she was so upset, she made a video about it.

3.) Make friends!  This is probably the most important tip.  In my small crafty community on YouTube, we feed off of each other's ideas.  Challenge one another.  Encourage one another. It is very supportive.  And it is so easy to make friends on YouTube.  Seeing someone vs. reading their words is so much more intimate.  So, making friends happens a lot quicker...

Okay.  Those are my tips!  Let me know if you have any questions!!

P.S.  Here is my channel, in case you want to follow me!

3 comments:

Libby said...

Imagine my surprise to see your blog post in Google Reader! You've given some great tips. And admittedly, if I had editing software, you probably would see more vlogs out of me. Oh yeah, and I guess if I had my own camera. The one I used for the two real videos was from an HD camera from work. We shall see what the future beholds. I still just want a Mac. That is all. :-)

Nicole Maki said...

These are great tips.

I'm way to embarrassed to film video but I want to try so tonight I filmed a few seconds discussing our evening. It wasn't as bad as I thought.

My 13YO films all his blog tutorials. I marvel at his skill - and the time he has to spare for editing.

Marguerita McManus said...

Great tips! I have learned to love editing video after doing it for a few years, I even started using two cameras, so that I'd be able to switch views while editing - it's fun :)