Change in strategy

Andrew · Apr 3, 2018

Hey all.

So I've been tinkering with my money mental site today and looking at the site stats and have realised that while my blog is getting loads of views and some good interaction the community hub/forum I've set up is getting none. So my new plan is to remove the community forum and set up a money mental youtube channel that links to the blog. Perhaps with blogs and vlogs each week focussing on specific themes/issues. I think this is called a pivot in the blogging world! So I'm going to become a blog vlogger now. Or a vlog blogger? Anyway any hints and tips people have for blogging and using youtube would be greatly appreciated. At the minute I have me, a camcorder and a whole lot of will!

Cheers all

The Reverend · Apr 3, 2018

Andrew said:
Hey all.

So I've been tinkering with my money mental site today and looking at the site stats and have realised that while my blog is getting loads of views and some good interaction the community hub/forum I've set up is getting none. So my new plan is to remove the community forum and set up a money mental youtube channel that links to the blog. Perhaps with blogs and vlogs each week focussing on specific themes/issues. I think this is called a pivot in the blogging world! So I'm going to become a blog vlogger now. Or a vlog blogger? Anyway any hints and tips people have for blogging and using youtube would be greatly appreciated. At the minute I have me, a camcorder and a whole lot of will!

Cheers all

Camcorder? Get with the times, grand dad!

Vlogs won’t earn you any income unless you hit the new targets set by YouTube.

A video also take much longer to edit than a ‘normal’ blog post.

Most phone camera, with good lighting, will be fine for video blogging. Get a couple under your belt and see how you feel about them.

towercity · Apr 3, 2018

Andrew said:
Hey all.

So I've been tinkering with my money mental site today and looking at the site stats and have realised that while my blog is getting loads of views and some good interaction the community hub/forum I've set up is getting none. So my new plan is to remove the community forum and set up a money mental youtube channel that links to the blog. Perhaps with blogs and vlogs each week focussing on specific themes/issues. I think this is called a pivot in the blogging world! So I'm going to become a blog vlogger now. Or a vlog blogger? Anyway any hints and tips people have for blogging and using youtube would be greatly appreciated. At the minute I have me, a camcorder and a whole lot of will!

Cheers all

My wife is a vlogger, she started with a decent samsung phone a year or two ago, which many vloggers still use and is adequate. But now uses a dedicated mic and a sony digital camera (not a camcorder), which gives her better quality and versatility in her creations.
Youtube can be a pain and are being naughty at mo as they keep moving goalposts in terms of monetising but for her it is still worth it for the traffic she can attract to her website.

Hints and tips
Be prepared for long waits as you export and upload the video, she has top of the range comp and still has to hang around.
Be careful with music over top and in background only hating she has ever gotten is "musics too loud I cant hear you".
Learn to enjoy the sound of your own voice as you will be spending many hours listening to yourself, she hated it at first. Spend some time listening out for any irritating quirks you have (ehs, heavy breathing, nervous giggling).
Get a decent lamp or make sure the area is well lit by windows, it will help picture quality and people want to see you.
And warn your husband/wife you are recording loud heavy metal or pop (yuck) in another part of the house will destroy an hours work, and bring on the wrath.
Plus there are tonnes of really helpful videos with tips on youtube any problem can be overcome with the help of other youtubers

Jon · Apr 3, 2018

@Chammy has done a fair bit of youtubing so might have some good advice.

Instagram stories are also VERY popular at the moment..

Andrew · Apr 3, 2018

Jon said:
@Chammy has done a fair bit of youtubing so might have some good advice.

Instagram stories are also VERY popular at the moment..

Just joined insta yesterday. Are the stories like videos?

Andrew · Apr 3, 2018

The Reverend said:
Camcorder? Get with the times, grand dad!

Vlogs won’t earn you any income unless you hit the new targets set by YouTube.

A video also take much longer to edit than a ‘normal’ blog post.

Most phone camera, with good lighting, will be fine for video blogging. Get a couple under your belt and see how you feel about them.

I was surprised that you can still buy camcorders I admit!

ChrisEllgood · Apr 3, 2018

The Reverend said:
Vlogs won’t earn you any income unless you hit the new targets set by YouTube.

Yeah. I believe it's a minimum of 1000 subscribers as well as 4000 hours of your videos watched by visitors before you can earn anything. Achievable but you have to be dedicated.

Andrew · Apr 3, 2018

Well I can say the first thing I've learnt when shooting video is to make sure there's no crumbs in your beard! Off to film take 2 now...

The Reverend · Apr 3, 2018

Andrew said:
Well I can say the first thing I've learnt when shooting video is to make sure there's no crumbs in your beard! Off to film take 2 now...

Other advice I can give you.

1) Make sure you are well lit
2) Make sure the room is dressed well.
3) Look at the camera
4) Once you’ve started the recording, get yourself into position and count to 3 before you start talking. When you have finished, freeze for 3 seconds. Use these points to help give you a good start / end to the video without it starting with you reaching over to press record.
5) keyboard typing sounds really shit on video
6) Get a tripod - be filmed so you can look direct into the camera without having to look down or up.
7) Check your sound levels - if you are too far away from the camera, a microphone on you or very near you will make a big difference.
8) Check yourself out in the mirror BEFORE you record..and certainly don’t eat while recording!

Andrew · Apr 3, 2018

Thanks - failed on a couple of those but got there in the end (largely!). It's up now First vlog

Chammy · Apr 3, 2018

I can't really add any more than what has been said. YouTube have tightened up on their earning guidelines so I've gone from earning about $20 a year to nothing

Practice practice practice is my advice.

Andrew · Apr 3, 2018

Chammy said:
I can't really add any more than what has been said. YouTube have tightened up on their earning guidelines so I've gone from earning about $20 a year to nothing

Practice practice practice is my advice.

Yeah I suspect YouTube won't earn me a penny through adverts! The new requirements are maaaaad!

JesseEverAfter · Apr 3, 2018

If you decide to add music make sure you're using royalty free - either from YouTube's own audio library or from a website like incompetech.com otherwise you may end up with a silent video

YouTube is good for reaching an audience - get it right and you can potentially build a large and engaged community but it takes time and a lot of effort. However with the new rules around monetisation I imagine it would take a while to get anywhere near the figures needed (it's not just 4,000 hours of watch time - it's 4,000 hours per year - eep!)

The Reverend · Apr 4, 2018

Chammy said:
I can't really add any more than what has been said. YouTube have tightened up on their earning guidelines so I've gone from earning about $20 a year to nothing

Practice practice practice is my advice.

Glad to see it wasn’t only me who was a ‘high earner’ on YouTube!

katykicker · Apr 4, 2018

I'm using YouTube more now, not to try and make ad revenue but brands pay BIG to feature their products in videos so it is more a long time goal towards that for me - plus I'm getting views so that's great!

I use a G7x and don't have any tips to add that haven't been covered.

Andrew · Apr 4, 2018

katykicker said:
I'm using YouTube more now, not to try and make ad revenue but brands pay BIG to feature their products in videos so it is more a long time goal towards that for me - plus I'm getting views so that's great!

I use a G7x and don't have any tips to add that haven't been covered.

I shall have to have a watch of some of your videos!

The Reverend · Apr 5, 2018

Just watched the vids

I’ve got some more suggestions that you are free to ignore!

1) make sure you are completely in shot. You cut the top of your head off!
2) That camera is pretty shocking, have you got a (recent) mobile phone? It will probably be in a higher quality.
3) You need to be lit better. It will improve the feel of your vlog
4) If you can, have a sheet next to the camera with the bullet points of what you want to cover.
5) Load the highest quality (image quality) video to YouTube.
6) keep going - you are doing great!

I’m currently learning that the audio on my GoPro is shit! So there is always room to improve!

Andrew · Apr 5, 2018

The Reverend said:
Just watched the vids

I’ve got some more suggestions that you are free to ignore!

1) make sure you are completely in shot. You cut the top of your head off!
2) That camera is pretty shocking, have you got a (recent) mobile phone? It will probably be in a higher quality.
3) You need to be lit better. It will improve the feel of your vlog
4) If you can, have a sheet next to the camera with the bullet points of what you want to cover.
5) Load the highest quality (image quality) video to YouTube.
6) keep going - you are doing great!

I’m currently learning that the audio on my GoPro is shit! So there is always room to improve!

Thanks. I've ordered s tripod as the use of a pile of books to balance my camera on isn't ideal. I'm going to try my mobile for the next one as the camcorder seems to be pretty rubbish. Thank goodness I didn't spend any money on it!

Andrew · Apr 5, 2018

I'd be interested in hearing if anyone has any recommendations for free video editing software? And also free screen capture software with audio but no watermarks?

Jon · Apr 5, 2018

Andrew said:
I'd be interested in hearing if anyone has any recommendations for free video editing software? And also free screen capture software with audio but no watermarks?

Is video editing software that expensive?

Is it worth spending the money to produce better quality content?

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