I finally got around to filming and editing my first ever video blog which is embedded below. Had to do about 30 takes and I still didn’t get the perfect one, but I suppose this will have to do. I have many improvements to make for my next vlog including making sure there is no water dripping in the background (I didn’t even hear that while shooting), and I’m not an actor by any means so I need to learn to get more comfy in front of the camera. I could have also tightened up the editing a bit more as well to cut out some of the “fluff” but overall I’m satisfied. But it’s not about me and what I think, I hope that you the viewer like what I had to say in my very brief introduction to both myself and Spidvid.

All in all I had a good time doing this, and I have lots to build on for my second one. The camera really does add 10 pounds, but I need to lose some of my winter weight as well, and I guess it took doing this video project to realize that. My hat is the icon of UnleashVideo which is my company’s video and film distribution site, custom built for the content coming from the Spidvid community. It was fun to use both green as the background, and to wear an orange shirt to match both Spidvid’s and UnleashVideo’s website colors.

If you have any other recommendations I would love to hear them below, and once again thanks for watching and being part of Spidvid’s community. If you have a comment please take a minute and post one below.

Jeremy Campbell video blog

It’s every video creator’s dream to have his or her video go viral in a short period of time. This means viewers share, spread, and pass along the video to others via email, write a story for their blogs, share it using social media platforms such as Facebook or Twitter, and discuss it offline with their colleagues at work. What an incredible feeling it would be to be walking down the street and have a total stranger reach out and thank you for creating a video that totally made their day more enjoyable.

Before you dream big about becoming an overnight weblebrity (web celebrity) sensation, you must first strategically think about the elements which make videos go viral in the first place.

Here are some of the most common reasons why a video goes viral

• Humor - People love and can’t resist watching funny videos during the work day, or after getting home while relaxing before dinner. One of the growing content niches in this area are parodies which make fun of shows, movies, or music videos. When done right, parodies do very well online because they are typically based on popular stories (such as the movie Avatar) so many of us have a frame of reference to draw from already.

• Remarkable - If you can’t create humorous content then perhaps you should look towards doing something amazing that catches viewers off guard. Individuals who have outstanding personal talent in singing, acting, or dancing can do quite well. Susan Boyle is a classic example of someone who had an incredible voice but the world didn’t know about it until she appeared on American Idol. You don’t need to have a voice like Susan’s for others to take notice, but you should draw from your unique skill set to do something catchy and memorable.

• Controversial – It’s too bad that controversial content usually spreads faster than other more meaningful heartfelt content, but that’s just the way we are now as a society. Viewers love to pass on gossip related videos, and flock to sites like TMZ to watch the new scandal making its rounds. Michael Buckley of What the Buck? is a classic example of a web celebrity whose videos consistently attract a million views. His passion for commenting on various controversial issues (usually involving celebrities) has earned him tons of rabid fans eager to share whatever he creates.

Now that you know some of the common reasons why a video goes viral, it’s time to focus on the tactics

1. Content is King – We’ve all heard this many times but it’s not entirely true. While it is important that the story and content of your video needs to be really strong, sometimes random videos go viral for no apparent reason. Think of a concept that many of us can understand, relate to, appreciate, respect, and easily talk about. If your video isn’t something that will motivate others to discuss, share, and comment on, then you’re not hitting the right cords.

2. Simple – Keep it short and sweet because our attention spans are getting shorter and shorter. An ideal viral video runs between 15-30 seconds. You might wonder how you can squeeze greatness into such a short period of time, so that may be your main challenge. Simply break down long stories into bite-sized clips. Or adopt a sweet kitten that does something like this. It’s cute, short, and perfect for others to remix and share.

3. Metadata - This is likely the least sexy part of putting a video up online but is an extremely important one, especially as hundreds of thousands of new videos get uploaded every day. To have your video discovered you need a catchy title, description, and informative tags because most viewers find content by searching for it. Make your metadata appealing but don’t mislead viewers by using popular names and words if your video doesn’t contain them. There have been many viewer backlashes about false video promises based on the metadata used, so make sure you aren’t the next creator to receive negative and even abusive comments about your content. Accurately describe your video, but be unique in how you position your video in the mind’s of viewers.

4. Reach Out – Promoting your video may very well be the important thing you can do for it. Share it with everyone you know, and encourage them to send it along to their followers and fans if they truly think the content is worthwhile. Tweet about it, share it everywhere you can, write a blog post about it, make sure it’s embeddable, reply to viewer comments to help build a community around your content, and reach out to bloggers who write for the niche your video is in. Connecting with other video creators by placing comments on their channel and videos is also a very smart idea, since many of them pay close attention to those conversations. If a creator likes what you had to say they may check out your profile and portfolio, and be interested in collaborating on a future project with you. Bloggers are the biggest source of views for online videos, so treat these individuals very well if you want to have a video of yours embedded on their treasured Web real estate.

A special note: If you have an interesting script in your hand, or just a concept in mind, don’t be shy to make a video no matter what the quality may be. The main thing is that you have some fun and enjoy yourself, because if you do you will find a way to improve the content quality over time. When you need human talent you know where to go to find like-minded individuals who also want to invest their time into creating a potential viral hit too.

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Jonha Guest Post, Lists, resources create, engage, film, film production, filmmaker, how to, online video, produce, resource, share, spidvid, Spidvid.com, susan boyle, tips, TMZ, video, video content, video creator, video production, viral film, viral video, web video, WhattheBuck

So I’ve been thinking for awhile about how much I love writing text posts here and hearing back from the readers of Spidvid’s community, but feel I can do more to connect on a more personal level. Over the past months (and in some cases years) I’ve enjoyed watching video bloggers do their thing because it almost seems like the person is looking right at me, and the impact feels much greater than from any text I can possibly read.

If you haven’t really seen a video blog (vlog) before, or if you are looking for some new content to add to your blog reader, my favorites are listed below.

• Daisy Whitney’s New Media Minute is fantastic because she is a top online video analyst who has a fun and bubbly personality.
• Steve Garfield pioneered the space years ago before the format even had the now standard vlog label. He also recently released the book Get Seen: Online Video Secrets to Building Your Business.
• Chris Brogan is fairly new to creating video blogs, but a long time social media maven.
• Rocketboom is a high quality show discussing Internet culture.
• Last but certainly not least iJustine is one of the very best as she exudes passion, creativity, and consistently creates at a very high level.

The initial plan for the Spidvid vlog is to start out fairly basic (like Chris has done above) creating one video blog per week beginning next week, and hopefully even more over time as I get comfortable with the creation process. I will talk about the story and vision behind Spidvid, questions/feedback/ideas from the community, new projects seeking out talented team members, freshly released videos and films, platform features in development, business challenges, and pretty much anything relevant to the growth and success of Spidvid.

So I look forward to soon appearing on your computer, net book, tablet, mobile screen or wherever you want to have me appear. I will do my best to keep each video very short, roughly 90 seconds in length to respect your limited time and attention.

If you have been vlogging for awhile now and have some beginner advice or tips for me, don’t be shy to reach out on Facebook, or connect with me on Twitter.

Enjoy this post? Stay updated on all our future ones via email or through your favorite blog reader via RSS. Or if you prefer social media, follow us on Twitter, and fan us up on Facebook.

Jeremy Campbell News collaborating, connecting, content, film, internet video, media, new media, online video, video, video blog, video blogging, visual, vlog, web video

This is a guest post by Lorraine Grula. Lorraine writes articles which offer tips and provide information on the new tools related to video production. If you want to improve your video production quality you should follow @LorraineGrula on Twitter.

No other professional task holds a candle to film or video making. After an incredible three decades as a professional video maker, I can say that with total confidence.

I distinctly remember my chief mentor in college, an incredible filmmaker named Bill Crane telling me that. I nodded enthusiastically but of course didn’t really even have a remote clue about what clue I didn’t yet have. Now, after the joys, thrills, chills and spills (and headaches) of being part of the creation of thousands and thousands of videos, I get it a tad bit better.

As a visual storyteller you are allowed the magnificent opportunity to experience life, reach people, and discover the richness of humanity firsthand. Your role as storyteller means you are first in line to speak to those who have a worthy story to tell. I sincerely believe that each and every one of us have an interesting story to tell.

There’s no doubt that the part I love best has been being able to meet so many varied people who have experienced so many diverse challenges. From working to cure cancer, to struggling to overcome schizophrenia, to fighting City Hall, to running City Hall, I got to meet them all and hear all about their personal motivations, desires, ideas and dreams. I was both inspired and encouraged to ask them all every question I could possibly think of.

What could be more stimulating and rewarding than that? Certainly not sitting in a small cubicle all day pushing out papers on tight daily deadlines.

Moving onto today with online video, making video is more popular and higher in demand than ever before. Suddenly, everyone wants to be a video maker. With less expensive and easier-to-use equipment, everyone has the capacity to, so why not?

I say go for it and enjoy the journey.

I started my blog, Video Production Tips, to be the go-to site for credible, comprehensive and detailed information about all aspects of video making. My goal in life at this point is to help folks who wish to experience the joy of being a video maker, or who wish to leverage the power of online video to promote themselves, their business, or their social causes.

I’m writing this post to say hi to the Spidvid community, and let everyone know of the free resources I offer. Whether you (or your clients) want to learn to make simple slide show videos to communicate an idea, or want to learn how to produce videos that show off cooking products, or want to go all out and make documentaries for independent film festivals, you will find information and tutorials on my blog to get you going or further your current skill set.

Video Production Tips is also a place to discuss and promote the concept of using online video for business marketing and promotion. So you’ll also find information to help you navigate the vast and ever-growing world of online video resources. Video sharing sites, different online video platforms, emerging technologies and trends is what I cover on a consistent basis.

There is so much going on in the world of online video creation and distribution that I will never lack things to research and write about. My aim is to provide folks with an interest in online video the information and personal one-on-one assistance they need in order to accomplish their goals.

The blog is a wealth of information and resources that you can access without charge of any kind. I don’t play games and make you sign up for ten email lists in order to get a tidbit of information. Nope, you’ll find over 300 tutorials and it’s all free, so enjoy.

If you are new to online video I say welcome to new beginnings, and good luck with all your future production projects and content you create. Here on Spidvid, there is no doubt that many wonderful video and film projects will come together over time, serving to make the media space a better place to contribute and play in.

Jeremy Campbell Guest Post, Visionary creation tips, film, film production, how to, Lorraine Grula, production tips, resources, video, video production, video production tips, videoproductiontips.com

There are video contest websites out there where creators and filmmakers create video ads for a brand, and the top winning entry (or three) receives a cash prize or in some cases a trip. In return the brand then owns the content and can use it for TV commercials, or however the company chooses.  This is all well and good for many, but not every video creator or filmmaker wants to produce content specifically for brands, especially if there are many ad restrictions on what is “brand safe” and acceptable.

What we are proposing to do is allow video creators and filmmakers to be totally creative, different, and remarkable to create a short piece of entertaining content to win one of three monthly or bi-monthly (every other month) prizes.

The Spidvid prizes will be for:

1. Most collaborative team – Our platform is all about promoting production teams who have talented members in locations from across the world. The ideal skill-sets and experience you need for your next project won’t necessarily be from individuals located in your local city. The team’s perfect editor may be based out of a location that’s thousands of miles away from where you are, so the goal is to connect with that individual to maximize the quality of the video or short film.

2. Most entertaining – As voted on by the viewing community. If there is a ratings tie we will create a poll and use a crowdsourcing strategy to determine the winner.

3. Most views – It’s all about the eyeballs baby.

For the first contest there will be no theme or limitations on what entertaining content can be created. Not sure of the prize amounts just yet but how it will work is every team leader will assign each team member a percentage of what they get for compensation. This is our how process currently works now so nothing really changes, and the team members still get to share the ad revenues and content ownership.

So if a team has 5 members and each individual has a 20% stake in the video, they would each get $60 if the cash prize was $300. They would then also share whatever revenues result from the distribution and monetization process. The prizes early on will be in the hundreds of dollars not in the thousands, so obviously we don’t expect individuals to devote dozens and dozens of hours to each video or film they are part of. It could even just be a group of friends who come together on a Saturday one weekend for the shoot, and then go into post production mode for the next couple days after.

There are some minor details to work out before starting the Spidvid prizes initiative, but outlined here are the main ones. Ideally we would love to have this video/film entertainment contest up and running for April 1st (and that’s no April fool), but May 1st is the more likely target date.

Would you like to create entertaining videos or films to compete for prizes? Let us know in the comment section below, or show your support on Twitter by sending us an @ reply, or write on our Facebook wall.

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Jeremy Campbell News contest, creation contest, film, film contest, new media, next generation, online video, prize, production, production contest, social media, video, video contest, web video, winner