Producing Your Own Vidcast for Video Sharing
Part One - Planning
With the explosion of the Podcast comes a new way of video sharing: vidcasting. In this first of three parts, we'll look at how you, too, can now be a broadcaster and launch your own vidcast.
Perhaps 10 years ago you had a techno-savvy friend who asked you for your email address; chagrined, you admitted you didn't have one yet. Five years ago, you still hadn't gotten around to putting up a personal Web page. And now your e-trendy friend is cajoling you to start video sharing, showcasing all the cool stuff you do.
Whether you call them vidcasts, video podcasts, vlogs, video sharing or something else, episodic video shows are quickly becoming an important form of content delivery. And while they are not quite as ubiquitous as personal Web sites, individuals and small businesses have found that video sharing can help them to develop a dedicated community of viewers by providing specialized content.
In this and the next two issues, we are going to review everything you need to know to plan, produce, edit, and distribution for video sharing. In this first article we'll tackle the critically important planning phase, covering five key areas: assessment, format, quality, frequency and length, and cost. In each of these areas we'll prompt you to ask yourself important questions, so have a pen and paper handy (yes, a computer works too) to jot down your answers. At the end of this three-part series, you should have a working outline for your video sharing/ vidcast endevours.
Video Sharing Assessment: Is a Vidcast Right for You?
If you simply have a few thoughts you'd like to share with the world, then just set up a webcam, don a silly hat, and fire off a soliloquy or two and be done with it. If, on the other hand, you have special skills, products or information that would be best delivered in small chunks over the course of many weeks, months or even years, then maybe a vidcast is best for video sharing. Do you have a hobby, sport or interest that you have trained your camcorder on that warrants methodic unveiling? Are you an educator who would like to share your knowledge with a wider audience? Do you think there is a group of people who are interested in what you have to offer? And how important is it for you to develop a community of regular viewers?
Ask yourself these questions and don't be daunted by thinking small. In fact, you should. Developing and distributing niche content is precisely what video sharing can do for you better than just about any other form of content distribution. Unless you're banking on an early retirement from selling lots of advertising, you don't necessarily need thousands of people to make your video sharing successful.
So is a video sharing right for you? Well, if there's even a little "maybe" in your response, then read on!
Video Sharing Format
Your audience, delivery environment and content largely determine the format of your video sharing.
Who is your audience? Will they be about your age or will they be much younger or older? Do they have or are they aspiring to acquire the same level of knowledge you have about your subject? You may not know right away, but you should have in mind a very particular audience. This awareness is critical to shaping the look and feel of your video sharing subject matter.
If you've poked around the net much, you've no doubt noticed that the general look of most video sharing is markedly less formal than the 6:00 news. In fact, they can be everything from pseudo-slick to downright grungy. And don't think grunge can't work. Diggnation has been one of the most popular video sharing entities to date with little more than a dumpy couch in a living room and clothes that have never seen an iron...and perhaps even a washing machine. This underscores how having compelling information presented by knowledgeable and witty talent can overcome even the most pedestrian settings.
How will you prepare your content for video sharing? Will you be providing mostly information or will there be a dash of entertainment? Will it require research or are you already able to talk for a sustained period of time on your topic? Will you memorize, refer to notes on paper, or use a Teleprompter? While not really a classic Teleprompter that allows you to look directly into the lens, software such as that used by Adobe's recently acquired Vlog It allows users a very intuitive and reasonably priced method of reading a scrolling script.
How will you deliver your message? Will you do this through the classic "talking head" or will you also use demonstrations, additional video and still images or even illustrations? Will you be the host or will there be others to serve as "on-camera talent?" What about interviews on your set, in the field, or over the phone?
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