Savor the Success - Business Network for women entrepreneurs

 Hopefully, you have the chance to watch my very first post by now! (If not, you can watch it here on STS or on Youtube.com or on The WELLalarm Blog.

As I mentioned in my previous post, I learned alot the hard way in doing my first few vlog posts! So during my next two posts I am going to share all of my new found wisdom with you!

1. Whatcha going to say?. How do you approach that very first post? Do not write a script. Keep it short. We live in an ADD culture. No offence, but few people have enough to say to keep anyone interested for 20 minutes at a clip. (Not to mention the size of a 20 minute clip!) Go over your post a few times in your head and practice it out load - Consider outlining the key points on paper as it may be helpful.

2. Figure out what you are going to say in your 20th post. No, I am not joking! Try to really figure it out. It will help you determine early on if you really have enough things to discuss via video and will want to do 20 plus posts therefore allowing you to determine the correct amount of time and money to allocate towards your new initiative. If you are only going to have 4-5 video posts and use them as part of your regular blog you will most likely need a much less sophisticated set-up and will most likely not want to invest the time into learning about video editing. However, if this is something you intend to pursue on a regular basis, you will be better off making the time and economic investments for better equiptment, software and skill sets. No matter what, remember, there is no rule saying you can only use one medium. You can certain mix written blog entries with video entries!

3. You need to actually film them silly! Remember, never forget the obvious. You need to find something to video tape your posts with. You may want multiple video taping options. For now I have settled with using my a FLIP Ultra and my built-in MacBook Pro's ISight camera.

4. I cant hear you! External Microphone. You will need it. Trust me. Investigate the best microphone for you and your set-up. You are going to need a separate microphone to ensure decent audio quality - do not try to get by without it. I have both a high quality wireless mic such as the Revo (that i have actually not yet tried out with my vlogs) and an external usb mic.  There is a great comparison of high quality mics on the knowbrainer site. That said, you can easily find a decent usb mic on Amazon for just under 50 dollars - personally I really like the Blue Snowflakes.  You can use external mics for many other things including voice dictation (im a huge fan and have been for 15 years but that is a whole other story) and skype so no need to look at this as only a blogging expense so if you can, consider going into the high quality catagory - it is worth it.

5. Let there be light. You MUST be sure that you have enough light when taping. If you do not have enough light - you will notice. Not only will everything be dark but it will be grainy.  Go to the lighting store and purchase some lights. It will be worth it.

6. Scout locations! Yes, I know this is not an international movie but you still need to find an area to tape your vlog that has limited amounts of reflections, enough light, non-distracting backgrounds etc.

7. It is the little things that often determine success - so be prepared. Strongly consider what accoutrement you will need, such as a little tripod (this guy works great with the Flip Ultra) or software/programs to increase control of your Isight camera (Hint for all you Mac users -  i am using Iglasses) It is MUCH MUCH better to have these types of things before you need them. Trust me you will feel utterly ridiculous and reach your end points of frustration attempting to prop your video camera and on books and such. The stories I could tell you...

8. Off-Sites. If you think you are going to do posts from multiple locations make sure you plan in advance and have the needed equipment. For example, I shot my first "off-site" vlog post up at Columbia Pres. Hospital during an infusion and I didnt bring my Flip camera or an external mic. That said, I think it worked out fairly well. I taped it on my laptop and it actually taught me that in many circumstances I prefer using my laptop. That said, it still would have been better with an external mic and I would have liked the flexibility to show people other angles without needing to turn my whole computer so be prepared. (I would even consider throwing a Flip camera in your bag everywhere you go incase you want to do spontaneous posts.)

9. Testing, Testing 1, 2, 3.  Test. Retest. Test some more. Test the camera. Test the mic. Test the light. Test to make sure there are no terrible reflections. Test to make sure your head isnt cut off. Use your test clips to practice different clips you are planning) You get the picture...Watch your test clips. (Seriously, you will learn a lot from watching them)

10. Do you look ok? Check! I am not suggesting you get all decked out or put on a lot of make-up and do your hair by any means. (I certainly didn't!) You can do this if your vlog is a one time deal, but  if you are planning to do these multiple times per week it will prove very unrealistic to pay too much attention to your looks. That said, when you watch those test clips, make sure a few simplie tweaks wouldnt cause a vast improvement. (In my case, I quickly realized as I am very pale certain colors clearly made me look like a ghost and my arms look ridiculouiy white on camera when i wore a tank top.)

You should now be all ready to tape your first post! Good Luck!

And don't worry, by the time you have it taped I will have a post up on "The Top Ten Things To Do AFTER you Tape Your First Vlog Post!"