Window to my Digital Soul

These are the links & tips from my Get Your Geek On show about vlogging last night. @KeepItClassyJen & @TheBudgeBunch joined me to share their vlogging knowledge with us all.

The hardest part of vlogging is getting started. and the best advice is to just do it. I love vlogging because you can see a persons actions and expressions and get to know them better. When I go to a conference, I have an easier time finding vloggers because I’ve seen them in action already.

If you have any other suggestions, please put them in the comments and I will update this post with a link to your website.

Shoot & Share Camcorders

We discussed several options

Kodak Shoot & Share – I have the Zi6 and it is the one I use all the time now. The quality is excellent. The battery does not last very long, but it does take 2 AA so I can easily change the batteries. I need to try the AA batteries that are for electronics and see if that gives me better battery life.

Sony Webbie PM1 – The design of the Sony camcorder is unique. You can have the lense facing you so you can see yourself as you are recording (for personal vlogging) or you can face it away if you are recording others. The quality of the Webbie is not that great though. I find it to be very grainy and washed out.

Flip Mino HD – I am waiting for my Flip to arrive (hopefully today). I have read that the earlier HD Flip camcorders were not the best, but that the newest one is much much better. I will update once I check it out.

Creative Vado – I have not tried this one at all. This is the one I would really like, but costs a bit more than the others so I’m not sure I’m ready to invest in this one.

Digital Camera – If you have a digital camera that takes video already, that is a great way to get started.

Web cam – The web cam for your computer works well to get started vlogging also. It’s just a little harder to move around unless you have a laptop.

Video Editing Software

iMovie for Mac – This comes with all Macs and it is what I use. It is very easy to learn to get started and has a lot of advanced features. Every time I create a new video, I find something new that it does.

Windows Movie Maker – This comes with all Windows computers and is also easy to get started.

Adobe Premiere Elements 8 – Windows Only. This software offers some advanced features.

Final Cut Express 4 – I just purchased this a few weeks ago so I can take my videos to the next level. I’m working on it, but I have not even begin to scratch the surface of what this software can do. I’ll do a full review once I understand it better.

Online Video Tools

Animoto.com – My videos on Animoto – You can create really professional looking videos with music, animation, effects, pictures and your videos here. I just paid to upgrade to the Full Access Pass for $30. I can now create full length videos. You can try it out for free and create short videos. I love the way the videos look after using Animoto. I look like I used a professional service to create my vids.

embedr.com – A tool to add a custom playlist of your videos to your blog. (per Jen Hinton)

mixandmash.tv – another online editing tool to create mashups of your videos.

Masher.com – Mash up your videos and pictures along with their gallery of BBC videos and pictures. My Masher.com post.

A few other I have not tried, but look interesting:

Jaycut

One True Media

Pixorial

Uploading Your Videos

Youtube – The most common one. It’s good to always put your video up here. Easy to add the link to your blog also. ScrappinMichele’s YouTube

MomTV – You definitely want to upload your videos here and earn reward points.

Vimeo – You can upload for free or pay for unlimited use. The interface is much cleaner than youtube. ScrappinMichele’s Vimeo

Viddler – Jen Hinton suggested this site. I do have a profile here, but I have not uploaded any videos. ScrappinMIchele’s Viddler

Facebook – I personally do not use Facebook very often for videos. I will usually upload to youtube and then link to Facebook, but this is an option.

Flickr – Up to 90 sec of video can be uploaded here.

Photobucket -another great option if you like to keep all your pics and videos together.

Live Streaming Video

Jen Hinton discussed several live streaming sites available. Anyone can create their own live stream on any of these sites.

Stickam

Ustream.tv

blogtv

Livestream

Twitter Video

bubbletweet – You can create a video message for your profile page on Twitter with bubbletweet.

vid.ly – Upload video to Twitter.

Video Chatting

tinychat – This is great for having small video conferences or chats. I use this one a lot and it’s very reliable.

tokbox – Another good options for small video conferences and chats. With tokbox, you can watch youtube videos and view documents together .

iPhone 3gs Video Apps

These links will take you directly to the App store in iTunes.

Reel Director – You can now edit video right on the iPhone for $7.99. I’ve tested it and it works really well.

Animoto - You can create short animoto videos using pictures on your iPhone. Free.

Video Memes

Casual Friday - Every Friday, Bantering Blonde does a casual vlog post. You can vlog about anything you want. Be sure to link up too.

Monday Mingles – Every Monday, Eighty MPH Mom has some questions that you can answer in your vlog. Add your vlog post to the MckLinky.

The Budge Bunch 5 Random Facts – Not a weekly meme, but a great way to get started if you do not know what to vlog about.

Other Helpful Links:

Video Blogging from Blogging Tips site

Video Blogging Toolbox

Complete Guide to Video Blogging Mashable

Thank you to @BarryMadden for the next 4 links:

Top 5 Ways to Share Videos on Twitter

Six best video editing applications

400+ Tools for Videobloggers & Podcasters

Youtube annotation tips

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• Tackle It Tuesday – Tackling Video (5minutesformom.com)
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