Vlogging Options
While the world has become familiar with the term "Blogging" and many have somewhat of an understanding as to what blogging and owning a blog site entails, the world is still relatively ignorant about the term "Vlogging" and what it is all about, not to mention, how to make it a viable financial component to or even the "anchor" component of a content creation business. In fact, when I started writing this article I actually had to enter the word "Vlogging" into my online Word dictionary as otherwise it would appear with a red underline every time I wrote the word.
Vlogging in concept is in effect just blogging through the use of videos as opposed to text. And yet, it is so much more on implementation than the conceptual definition implies. Through the use of videos, consumers are not just reading the words that people put on their "Blog" sites to discuss their daily thoughts, passions and interests. Vlogging is about generating full exposure of the person's life that is creating the "Vlog". When you watch a Vlog post, you often are completely pulled into the creator's life. You see how the vlogger looks, their expressions, their house, possibly their car or neighborhood, and even their families. You learn so much more about the person than a 500-1,000 word or so Blog post or article could ever show you.
The other day I was surfing on Social Blade and I happened to go to the section of this site to view who the current top 500 YouTube content producers are. This page allows you to see their results and their latest videos which you can watch. Viewing some of these, I was literally amazed to see how many of these YouTube top producers were Vloggers that were letting you into their lives to show you their kids playing in snowbanks, their pets playing with each other or doing funny things, people in front of the camera providing their perspectives on books or films, on makeup applications, on video games and more. Entertaining was goal number one. Sharing knowledge was goal number two.
These people were sharing themselves just as much as they were sharing knowledge and insights, discussing products, games to play, etc. Some were funny, some were silly, some were authority figures who you felt you could trust, and yet they were all enormously successful online. Their creations were not just getting 100's of views, they were getting 10's of thousands of views and even millions of views.
As my awareness of this medium of expression has increased over this past year, I have begun to notice it being expressed all over the Internet. Vlogs are being embedded in Blog site posts, on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Twitter, in online published articles and in fact, although the term is not a familiar one to most, Vlogs are everywhere on the Internet. The term "Selfies" is another new word I had to add to my Microsoft Word dictionary recently, yet the new world "Mobile Smart Technologies" and related applications for these devices has had everyone sharing self-images and "selfie" videos with their friends and the public easily from wherever they happen to be. You can even post videos you create while walking around, directly into your Blog site without even going home to upload it!
With respect to business application, this is still in the early adopter stage for many companies but it is looking more and more to me as being the next big marketing wave for many corporations. Today, individuals can make some very comfortable click here livings just blogging about their lives online. Tomorrow, I see corporations getting more and more into this medium so their marketing arms need to start learning about how to build strategies centric to this type of medium.
So what is my personal take on this and what are my tips with regard to the Vlogging medium? Learn how to do it and get comfortable with it. As an individual or a blogger wanting to make extra revenue from your home based ventures, get on board with using this medium. You can make money with this. Tips I would share from what I have learned about this medium thus far?
Goal one is to entertain, goal two is to share knowledge, and goal three is to share your life in some manner.
As you create your vlogs, share them and post them to various social media platforms. YouTube now makes this extremely easy and you can distribute your creations everywhere in a quality manner literally at the push of a button.
Don't be afraid to share yourself. You don't have to be a rock star or a movie star to go on camera and share who you are. Viewers are happy to watch everyone. In fact, I think every day, ordinary people living normal lives are proving to be just as interesting on camera as any celebrity. Look at the success on TV with today's reality shows - even people digging through garbage in attics, basements, storage units, etc. are garnering major viewing successes.
The world has a voracious appetite for entertainment these days. Millions of people are looking for content to view on their phones as they go to work, take breaks in their day, or relax at home. Created videos are now being watched on phones, tablets, computers and TV sets. Start creating and people will start watching you as well. Get good at it, and you can earn a living from it - maybe even a great one.