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INTRO TO SOCIAL MEDIA: VIDEO BLOGGING

Basic Information about Videoblogs

Video blogs (vlogs) are blogs that mainly feature short videos instead of text. They
are easy to maintain and don’t require HTML knowledge to create.
Video bloggers (vloggers) are people who regularly post videos on the Internet,
creating shows for anyone who wants to watch.
There are many types of vlogs – some are cooking shows; others are mini-
documentaries; some are mock news programs; others are art films. Most of them
are simply records of ordinary life.
Through vlogging, anyone can create media and easily distribute it, bypassing TV and
mainstream media.
Most vlogs allow their viewers to comment, which creates an open conversation
between the creator and their audience.
Bloggers and vloggers are shifting the way the media works, because they are often
the first to “break” a news story, which mainstream media then begins to cover.

To Vlog You Need

A Broadband connection (DSL, cable modem, T1, etc…). A dial-up connection is too
slow to accommodate vlogging.
Updated Software & Plug-ins (Windows XP Service Pack 2; Mac OS X 10.4 or later)
Web browser (Mozilla’s Firefox, Internet Explorer, Safari)
Video Players:
–Quicktime for both PC & MAC
www.apple.com/quicktime
–Flash for both PC & MAC
http://www.adobe.com/support/flashplayer/downloads.html
–Windows Media for PC
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows/downloads/windows-media-
player
–VLC Open Source Media Player for both PC & MAC
http://www.videolan.org/vlc/

Drawing Traffic
One way to keep readers coming back is to use the Really Simple Syndication
(RSS) allowing readers to subscribe to your site and be notified with a headline and a
link every time you post. Check out this video to see video that explains RSS feeds:
http://www.commoncraft.com/rss_plain_english
Blogging software automatically generates an RSS feed (Real Simple Syndication) so
subscribers can get regular updates.
If a lot of people start visiting your blog, you may put ad placements from Google
AdSense (www.google.com/adsense/) or BlogAds.com. With AdSense, each time a
reader clicks on an ad placed on your site, you get a sliver of revenue. BlogAds, on
the other hand, generate revenue based on the number of visits to your blog. BlogAds
says that you can earn $50 to $750 a month with about 100,000 visits.

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Exploring Vlogs

URL Description
http://briccommunitymedia.wordpress.com/ This is the vlog for BRIC Community Media,
showcasing BIT shows.
http://blunty.tv/ A technology vlog about cameras and
production equipment.
www.buckhollywood.com A humorous entertainment show focusing on
the goings-on in Hollywood
epic.fu/blog This vlog looks at contemporary “geek” culture.
www.illdoctrine.com This blog is hosted by Jay Smith, the founder of
WBAI’s hip hop radio show, Underground
Railroad.
http://www.stuffyoushouldknow.com/video/ A vlog about interesting facts that people
category/clips/ should know.
www.crashtestkitchen.com This vlog has tutorials on how to cook a variety
of dishes.
joshleo.tumblr.com This is an example of a more personal blog,
often having to do with travel and art.
www.pouringdown.tv This video blog contains different examples of
the host’s “visual poems”.
http://www.ryanedit.blogspot.com/ Another example of a personal blog.
http://www.geekentertainment.tv/ A look at people who are passionate about a lot
of different things.
http://29fragiledays.blogspot.com/ This vlog feature mini-documentaries.

Resources for Vlogging

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NN2I1p This is a short animated piece that explains the
WXjXI basics of what a blog is.
www.etsy.com/storque/search/title/getting- This is a series of tutorials, including on how to
started-in-video edit and light your videos, how to showcase
your art in a video, and more.
www.blip.tv/file/883927 This short video has a few tips on making
videos for the internet.
freevlog.blip.tv This is another series of tutorials that show you
how to compress movies for vlogs, how to tell a
story, how to take a screen shot to use as a
thumbnail, and many other helpful things.

Vlog Accounts
 You can create a YouTube channel, which can serve as a very simple vlog. To do that
you will need an account at http://www.youtube.com/
 You can also create a blog and then embed your videos from YouTube. You can
customize a blog much more easily than you can customize a YouTube channel. For
our blog page, we will use http://blogger.com
 Blogger and YouTube are both owned by Google, so your user name and password will
be the same for both websites.
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Email associated with YouTube

Password for YouTube

URL of your YouTube Channel

**In order to upload videos to YouTube, each one should be less than 15 minutes
long and under 2 GB. Accepted file formats include: .mpeg4, .mov, .avi, .wmv, and .flv.
Upload videos that are as close to their original file format as possible.

 Go to http://www.youtube.com/
 If you already have a Google account (either a gmail account or a blogger account
with another email address), click Sign In in the top right hand corner and enter your
username and password.
 If you don’t have an account with Google, click Create Account.
 Once you have created your account, spend some time customizing your account
settings. To do this, click on your account name at the top right of the screen and
then click Settings.

o Click Profile Setup on the menu on the left hand side of the page to add a
picture as your Profile picture and share more information (or not) about
yourself including your website, companies you are involved with, interests
etc.
o Click Playback Setup on the menu on the left hand side of the page to
change how you view videos in YouTube.
o Click Email Options to customize when you receive emails from YouTube.
We would recommend getting emails when someone comments on your videos
at the very least. That way you have a chance to delete the new comment if
you want.
o Click Privacy to customize your privacy settings, including whether you want
to give YouTube the right to use your account information to target particular
advertisements to you.
o Click on Manage Account to see if you are in “good standing”, to close your
account, or to opt out of having advertisements placed before your videos.
 Now it’s time to upload a video. To do this, click Upload in the top right corner of
your account.
o When the Video File Upload window appears, click Upload Video.
o Navigate to where the video you want to upload lives on the computer. Click
Open.
o YouTube will show you the progress of your video uploading. While it is
uploading, you can add some information to your video, including a title,
description, tags (which will help people find your video when they search for
certain keywords), privacy settings, and type of license. When you are done
adding or changing this information, be sure to click Save Changes. You can
change any of this once your video is uploaded if you want.
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o When your video has successfully uploaded, click on the url it gives you. This
will take you directly to that particular upload, so you can view it.

 To change any of the information on a particular video once it has already been
uploaded, click on your account name at the top right of the screen & then Videos.

o Click on Edit under the video for which you want to change information.
o You can choose a different thumbnail that will be displayed for your video from
the three that YouTube generates here.
o You can also go deeper into broadcast & privacy options for each video here,
including setting comments so you have to approve them before they go live
on your YouTube page. Note that you can make videos private here!

 You can also have a Channel on YouTube where you can customize the look of the
page a little bit. This can function somewhat like a vlog. Check out BIT’s YouTube
Channel as an example: http://www.youtube.com/bkindependenttv To go to your
channel, click on your account name at the top right of the screen & then click
Channel.

o At the top of your channel’s page, click on Settings to give your channel a
title or to add tags to your channel.
o At the top of your channel’s page, click on Themes and Colors to change
your background color.
o You can also choose to upload a particular image to use as your
background. To do this, under Themes and Colors, click on Show
Advanced Options. Click on the Browse button where it says
Background Image and find the image you want to use.
o If you have Photoshop, you can use this video to help you create a
professional looking YouTube Channel background:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6P0PF8T9J3w&feature=related
o At the top of your channel’s page, click on Modules to change what is visible
on your channel.
o At the top of your channel’s page, click on Videos and Playlists to change
what type of uploaded content is visible on your page.

 If someone posts a comment that you don’t like to your YouTube channel, click on
Remove next to their comment.

 Note that the URL for your Channel will always be the same, while the URL for each
particular video will be different.
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Email associated with Blogger

Password for Blogger

URL of your blog .blogspot.com

 Go to http://blogger.com
 Sign in with your gmail account or other Google account (like the one you used for
YouTube) in the box on the right side.
 If you don’t have a gmail account or another Google account, click on “Get Started”
under the question “Don’t have a Google Account?” Follow the necessary steps to
create an account.
 Once you are into your new blogger account, click “Create A Blog”.
 Fill in the necessary information. Read the Terms of Service before you click the box to
accept them. Then click the big orange arrow to continue.
 Select your blog title. You can easily change your blog title, so you don’t have to be
positive this title is the one you want. It will be displayed at the top of your blog.
 Select your blog address (or url). Remember, you can’t change this, so type an
address you plan to keep.
 Choose a template you like.
 After your blog has been created, make a practice post. Your blog won’t actually exist
until you create your first post.
 Remember to write down your vlog’s user name & password so you won’t forget

 Set your blog up so you can moderate the comments people post. This is not
necessary, but is a good idea if you want to be able to control what people post on
your blog.

o Click on the in the top left corner of your blog to access the Dashboard.

o Click on the Settings icon to the right of the orange box.

o Click on the Comments Tab.
o Under Who Can Comment, click Anyone.
o Under Comment Moderation, click Always.
o Under Show Word Verification for Comments, click Yes.
o Put the email address you use the most under Notification Email.

 If you want to add an RSS feed to your blog

o Click on the Settings icon to the right of the orange box.
o Click on the Layout tab along the left-hand side of the page (under “Earnings”)
o Either on the top or the side, depending on where you want your RSS feed,
click on Add a Gadget.
o Scroll down and select Subscription Links.
o Accept the “Subscribe to” title by clicking Save.

 If you want to allow people to receive emails when you post new things to your blog
o Click on the Settings icon to the right of the orange box.
o Click on the Layout tab along the left-hand side of the page (under “Earnings”)
o Either on the top or the side, depending on where you want your RSS feed,
click on Add a Gadget.
o Scroll down and select Follow by Email.
o Accept the “Follow by email” title by clicking Save.
o FYI – Feedburner is another service that Google offers that tracks the number
of email subscribers and daily views those subscriptions bring. You would
have to log into a Feedburner account to access that information.
 If you want to add a link to another website like your Facebook page
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o Download a Facebook icon or another photograph you want to display on your

page which people will click to go to your desired site. (I recommend resizing
FB icons – not necessarily photos – to 50x50 pixels so they are not huge on
your site.)
o Click on the Settings icon to the right of the orange box.
o Click on the Layout tab along the left-hand side of the page (under “Earnings”)
o Either on the top or the side, depending on where you want your RSS feed,
click on Add a Gadget.
o Scroll down and select Picture.
o Add a Title if you want. (This will be displayed above the icon/photo.)
o Add a Caption if you want. (This will be displayed below the icon/photo.)
o Copy the url of site you want to send viewers to & paste it into the Link box.
o Browse to find the icon or photo that you want to add as your Image. I
recommend using Paint or Photoshop to resize the photo to 200 pixels wide
and unclicking the “Shrink to Fit” box so your icon/photo is not huge.

 To delete a post from you blog,

o Click on the Dashboard icon (the orange B in the top left corner).
o Under the blog that holds the post you want to delete, click on Edit Posts.
o Find the post you want to delete. Click Delete on the far right side of that
post.
o Click OK when it asks if you are sure you want to delete.

 How to add YouTube posts to your blog

o Click on the in the top left corner of your blog to access the Dashboard.

o Click on the pencil icon to create a new post.

o Type a subject for your VBlog in the subject field.

o Click on the Insert Movie icon.

o Click on My YouTube Videos.

o All of your videos on YouTube will show up here. Choose the video you’d like
to embed in your Blog and click Select.
o Click Publish Post.
o Click on View Blog to see your handiwork!

 To customize the look of your blog,

o Click on the Settings icon to the right of the orange box.
o Click on the Template tab along the left-hand side of the page (under
“Layout”).
o Click on the orange Customize button. When you make any of these changes,
don’t forget to click on Apply Changes before navigating!
o Click on Templates to choose a different template.
o Click on Background to add your own background image.
o Click on Adjust Widths to change the width of the columns on your blog.
o Click on Layout to change the way your blog is laid out.
o Click on Advanced to change the font, size, & color of a variety of parts of
your blog.