Traveling Videos

This is part 4 in a series of blog that is sort of out of order, and I do apologize.  At first, I thought, I will mention these videos in case writing is not really their thing, and that’s it.  Actually, I am really having fun with this series, and I wanted to continue with it for a while.  I know it has been a month since I wrote the first one, but as usual, life got in the way, and I sort of wanted this series to transition me off of the controversial posts, as I am saying goodbye to them.  Not even Trump’s latest thing with Putin is driving me back to these posts.  Let someone else have them.

So, today, I am tackling the travel video, and the different types of them.  The reason behind writing this as a separate post is this is a broad subject.  You can do all sorts of things with this type of video.  I love watching them, and like my last post, there are some posters I do watch, and I will mention them, although it is not as many as the family videos.  First, a PSA that bears repeating:

Protect yourself.  Post your videos after you come back.  When posting while on vacation, you are giving thieves notice that your home is an open banquet for your goodies.  You know thieves love goodies.  In fact, do not post your address.  Be very careful.

Amusement/fun videos

I love these videos.  These are the “try it before you get there” videos.  They can give you a plethora of information of what at a theme park, popular vacation destination, or this is “what your getaway looks like and this is what you get to do”.  I am going to give you two different perspectives on this type of video and the first one is POV or Point of View.  POV is that, your point of view.  Say you are on a roller coaster, and you want to show the path and which direction the car is going.  Do not point the camera on you.  This is showing your reaction.  Point it on the track.  Be careful to hang on tight to your camera, but make sure that you are securely in your seat.  In either case safety is always best.  For that reason, Universal Studios Orlando do not allow you to film on rides.  The other reason is what I mentioned in an earlier post, they are protecting their IP (intellectual property).  Disney does not have that restriction or at least they do not enforce it. 

The person who I watch the most is Spokesmayne.  He posts a video almost every evening live from either Walt Disney World or Universal Studios Orlando. (in fact, I am waiting on him now).  He gives me my Disney fix until I am able to take a trip (hopefully in 2019), and with the equipment he uses, I feel like I am right there with him and his girlfriend, Jennifer.

Another channel I watch, although not as much is ResortTV1.  They do pretty much what Chris does, but the only thing I do not like about this channel is in the middle, they have to mention sponsorships, and that is sort of a turn off for me.  Yes, when you get as many views as they do, people tend to notice, and want to sponsor you to bring in others to their shop, but I am usually there to see what is in the parks, how long it is going to be there, so I can make plans.

Informational Videos

I have not talked about these videos, but they serve as a purpose as well. Sometimes it is news, showing what is around the parks, food reviews, and general information. 

For these videos, I turn to Dis Unplugged.  They give news on what is going on in the parks, the company (both Disney and Universal Studios), Food reviews of the eating places and resorts, and sometimes legal stuff. (I like what Pete Werner of Dis Unplugged says, “boring legal stuff).  This help me as a 2 unit stock owner of Walt Disney, and as a fan of Disney.  But I mostly listen to them for travel advice.  They also cover the cruise line industry on their other channel, Dreams Unlimited.

A word for the wise on both of these types of videos, I mentioned equipment.  You do not need a fancy camera to start out with.  In the case of Dreams Unlimited and Dis Unplugged, they are professionals, so they feel that they need the equipment to give you the best quality videos.  This is their job.  If you are taking family vacation shots, a simple phone camera or your click and shoot camera will do nicely.

Another warning do not let Google take control over your vacation photos and turn them into a video.  I did when I took my cruise.  I had to edit because there were a couple of unflattering photos that made into the video.  Photos is not the best way to have a video in my opinion.  Photos do not show the whole picture of what you are looking at.  It is best that if you are taking a video, you do the editing.  You can control what in it, the music, and the tone of the video.

One of my "Animals from my cruise
in January 2018 (c) 2018 P.Lynne Designs

Now for some more tips on travel videos. 

1.    Do show the adventure.  If you want to show your child surfboarding for the first time, do it.  If you want to show you eating a strange new food from the Fiji Islands, do it.  If you want to show the tour of your stateroom from a cruise ship, do it.  It shows that you had fun, you have learned from your trip something new and different, and if that the person viewing it may want that same experience.

2.    Do not show all the fun.  If you want to inform about something that happened to you, and you do not want people to have that same mistake, put it in.  In my last trip video, I gave a warning about tour guides in Jamaica and how some tour guides may want to take you to Indian shop owners instead of Jamaican shop owners.  Nothing is wrong with it if that is what you want, but I and my friend wanted to give back to the people who were born on the island vs. an immigrant. Our tour guide took us to the Indians instead of the native shop owner.

3.    Have a clear video.  It does not matter what your camera equipment is if your picture is not clear enough.  Try not to have a grainy video.

4.    Have narration.  I like to know what I am looking at when I view a video.  If you do not have narration through the video, at least have an introduction.  This goes back to another reason why you can edit the video when you get home.  You can add in the introduction. At that time, you can say when you were there and what was happening. Also, in the introduction, mention the places you went to and what you did there.  Do not haphazard put up a video.  Give it some order.

An array of pumpkins makes
a great video opportunity
(c) 2014 P. Lynne Designs

5.    Finally, have fun on vacation.  People do not have to see every aspect of your vacation unless it is necessary. Sometimes it is necessary to “unplug” for dinner when there is a security measure involved. For example, both Disney and Universal do not like you to have your camera out while you are walking through their gates.  Once through the gates, you are free to take as many photos and videos as possible, except for the riding rule and Universal, as mentioned earlier.

Takeaway Moment:

The first rule of vacation is to have fun. It is nice to see vacation videos, but have fun just being you. Unplugging helps sometimes.  Remember the POV video and the information video and take care of you and your equipment for safety factors.  Equipment can be replaced, but you cannot. One thing I did not cover is be mindful of others around you.  you are in a public place and there are some people who do not like being photographed or videotaped.  Also, use a panning shot show what is around the area that you are in.  Highlight when you can.  Also remember that these videos are for memories first, public second.  Your child may not remember the moment, but you have it on video, so they can.  Last remember to use good lighting, keep the camera focused, and narrate often.  This ends part 4 of this series. God bless.

Get into These new Videos to Increase Views

Note: In this post, I have links that you can click on to watch the different types of videos, as well as affiliate links.  I receive no credit for the videos I show, but I appreciate it that you give them some love by subscribing to these channels. For the affiliate links, I do get a small percentage of any purchases made.  Thank you.

This picture was taken from the Carnival Dream
By P.Lynne Designs
copyright 2018 

You created a new YouTube channel.  Congratulations.  You have everything set up to upload your first YouTube video.  5 months into your new channel, you run out of ideas, and you are not exactly sure of what is the most

popular video on your subject.  Stay tuned, I am going to show you what types of videos you can make without pulling your hair, and ready to shut down your channel.

ASMR

I just watched an ASMR.  What is an ASMR?  It is a new type of video (at least new to me), where you stimulate the senses.

ASMR stands for Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response. It is supposed to be like pins and needles to your body.  It starts from your scalp and it is supposed to stimulate all the way down your spine through the help of a microphone and simulating that feeling.  Laura Lemurex-ASMR and GentleWhisper (named Maria) are some of the top people who know how to stimulate you in all the right places (If you are into that sort of thing).  The one I just watched was Laura’s and this included stroking, brushing of the makeup brush, and scratching her nails on one of those big microphones you use for voiceovers.  I have also watched (rather listened to) one of Maria’s videos.  I cannot say that I am a fan of this type of video, especially one that involves scratching one’s nails on a microphone that is amplified to heights unknown only to that of a 747 plane, but maybe I will learn to appreciate the effort.  I like the whispering one better, but if this is still a trend when I hit 70, will my old ears be able to hear it, LOL? Do not expect neither one to come to my channel anytime soon.

Other types of popular videos

This has given me some thought into researching other types of videos that has come to the forefront of the YouTube community.  What are the other videos that are out there? They are:

Muckbong

Muckbang, or however you spell it and pronounce it, is the art of buying a bunch of already prepared food and have a smash party with it.  I have watched several, and even attempted one, except I did my version, a single food, but I did not post it.  Why?  Because I have seen several of these videos, and they had several types of food from the same place or one type of food from several different places, and frankly, I do not like mine. I will erase it from the hard drive.  It is basically gluttony at its finest, and they say it is a sin, but I have committed several since the age of 0 days, and the Good Lord God has not struck me down yet, so I am good.  Not sure if my doctor will have the same reaction as God, but I will tape it again with different food, and maybe I will invite someone to share this Muckbong with. Stay tuned.

Cooking

This goes with Muckbong.  If you do not want to buy the food, maybe you can cook some food, and have a Muckbong with it (hmm, a Leftover Muckbong sounds interesting).  No, just kidding.  What I really mean is make your favorite dish on camera.  My favorites are Tasty, Food Wishes and Laura Vitale.  Basically, if you want to make it like that, it is simple:  find a dish (Laura sometimes does her family dishes and American favorites), get your ingredients, prep the ingredients (so people will not have wait while you are slicing and dicing), and make your dish.  You can also show cooking with your 4-year-old.

Reviews

I have a fondness for reviews, rather they are gadget, travel, a restaurant, or shopping.  I love them all.  I love them so much that I make them myself.  I have not made many, but I made enough to know what a person would like to see.  There are usually in the form of sponsored videos, but most are made because the person has bought a new product, and they want to let the world know of their thoughts on said product or service.  Reviews are now used as a means to decide on what brand to buy.  The consumer knows that they want to upgrade their RAM on heir computer for example, and what I went through yesterday, but they are not sure what will give them the best performance.  You do not want to bring a computer back for any reason.

Unboxing Videos

And

Haul Videos

I grouped these two together because they are basically the same thing.  You are showing what you got from your favorite store or what the subscription box services sent you.  I do the haul videos, not because I want to show you that I have enough money to buy it, for these are some needs and a few wants.  OK, mostly wants.  If you are in the hunt for the item that I bought, you will know where I got it from. 

Another form of this is called an unboxing video.  This is mainly for those who on the fence about a service, like Blue Apron, Graze, or The Planner Society, which were the subscription box services I used in the past and reviewed on camera.  Loved all three.  On these videos, I am here to point out to you the products in the subscription, price, and coupon code to get a free box to start your own subscription. 

Both the hauls and the unboxing are 100% bought with my own money, which does not make them sponsored videos.  I do it because as I said, I am an influencer, and if I like it, I will tell my viewers.

How-to Videos

Tutorials, or tuts, as I call them.  The “show me how to make this project” videos.  I do “this is what I made” videos because I do not have the right setup to leave the phone on the tripod and use both hands.  I have a tripod to hold my phone, but I have not found the right angle for it to look down over the project.  I have found a DIY video to show me how to make one from PVC pipes that cost under $5, but at this point, by the time I find the time to buy the materials and put it together, a brand new one from Amazon can arrive on my doorstep in under two hours, but I am trying to resist the temptation of buying one.

Basically, it is the same as the cooking videos, you grab the materials, enough to make two, one you made off-camera, and one deconstructed and ready to make on-camera.  Have them ready, at least most of the prep work done, and instruct your audience to make anything from a cabinet to greeting cards to a Dollar Tree-inspired flower arrangement.

Screencast Videos

These are nothing more than “tuts” on your computer.  You are showing your computer screen.  This can also be a gaming video.  You are showing your viewer how to do a step in software or showing viewers how to get through a game like Fortnite.  This is how I learned how to create graphic designs in Photoshop or get game hints from SimCity BuildIt. 

Traveling

I recently made a short video of my cruise in January.  I was not proud of it, it was through Google from my pictures.  I do not recommend this method at all.  There was an unflattering picture of my friend in her swimsuit that I had to take out, and it added a video that was supposed to be a standalone video, but I left it in there because I was too lazy.  Anyway, as I said in my posts back in January I had fun, but I will do my editing in the manner I see fit from now on.

A couple of tips:  only do highlights, unless there is a show or place you want to viewer to see if they go on this same trip and do not upload the video while there, It gives in to unwanted pest (thieves) to your home.  They are always lurking on social media waiting for someone to slip up.  You can edit your video while on vacation, but upload when you get home, plus you do not want roaming charges on a 5-20-minute video in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.

 Whatever, wherever you go on your travels, make it an interesting video.  Show the fun side, scaling back on the serious side of your trip.

Final thoughts and takeaways: 

I am in awe of the many types of videos you can make and have a different one each time you upload.  You can even combine two types into one video, like an ASMR with a Muckbang video or a “come with me” shopping video with a haul attached at the end.  The trick here is to be consistent and make it interesting to the viewer will want to come back.  Marketing your video through your social media also helps.  If a viewer loves your channel, they will bring others.

Other types of videos I missed that are popular are the daily vlog, family vlogs, and “Come With Me” videos.  Daily vlogs are just that, a chronological account where you pick up the camera and talk about your day.  A variant of the daily vlog is a family daily vlog where you show your family daily activities.  “Come with Me” videos are videos where you vlog in a store and show new products.  The trick to this video is to only show the product, record on your phone, not a regular camera where the staff can see it.  Some companies do not like it.  If you do get caught, simply explain what you are doing, and you are not video tapping their customers or their employees, which is a clear violation of a person’s privacy.  I will explain more about these videos in my next post. 

Coming up:  I will talk about the daily, family, and “Come with Me” type videos in more detail.

Until then, be safe, have fun, and God bless.

Welcome, February

Photo by Google images (note:  I do not own the rights
To this photo)

Today is February 1, 2018.  I have a lot of feelings for this month.  Why?  For one, it is Black History month.  Second, it is the month of love, Valentine’s day.  Even though I feel like I am left out of the equation (single person, not currently dating), I look for other ways to get through February 14.  Third, it is my eldest nephew’s birthday, which is February 22.  Ironic this year, he will be 22.  I think it is weird but cute when you turn the same age as the day you were born.  Mine was when I turned 21 on July 21 (I will not give away the year).  Too bad it stops when a month hits 31, and you just so happen to be 31on that day.

Today, I also want to continue talking about me getting serious with my social media.  I decided to work on my Twitter page first.  Funny how this is the most misuse platform used by our current administration, yet I want to improve my account.  I really do not go on this account much except it is linked to my Facebook account.  So, anything that I say on the account comes directly to the Twitter account, and anything said on Twitter goes to the Facebook account.

I did not like Twitter at first.  Why?  It was not about what I said on Twitter, it was just I had in 120 characters.  Then Twitter got the idea and raised it…. 140 characters.  Gee, thanks, Twitter for the love.  This year, they do not count any links at the end of the post as part of the count.  OK, I can live with that.  I still think they should raise it to 200 characters or switch the social media to word count. (I know, it does not work out for Millennials).

Fast forward to the present day….

February 5, 2018

So, how was the Superbowl for you?  I did not watch, except for the halftime show.  It was good.  I like JT (Justin Timberlake for those who do not know).  For a white guy, his music is the most soulful.  Two things I do want to address about halftime (well three, but I will address the last point at another time).  To me, the best thing for JT to do in regards to the whole “Nipplegate” incident, was to let Janet Jackson appear briefly on stage with him in this year’s show.  With the whole sex scandal blowing up all over “Hollyweird” and the Jackson family still have not forgiven him for it, a written apology is not enough these days.  A statement is not enough.  This is coming from me, who is both a Janet fan and a JT fan (It sucks when stuff like this is coming from two of your favorite singers).  It was a mistake, but JT never said it was.  Janet is the only person who suffered from it.  She was blackballed from performing, and JT was given a slap on the wrist for behaving badly.  He should have been blackballed too.  Performance #3 should never have been offered.   It was as if CBS and the NFL said, “Good job for being a man, now we do not have to deal with her (Janet).” (I should have a blog in 2004, I would have ripped that halftime to sheds).

The next “boo-boo” had Prince Fans all up in a roar.   Prince said in a statement in 1998, that holograms were “demonic”, and he did not want to be part of it.  He also mentioned that if he was meant to live in Duke Ellington’s time to sing with him, he would have been born to do it.  Not his exact quote, but you get the picture. It will be two years Prince died this year, and this is the thanks he gets from JT, a projection of him singing with Prince.  To his fans, it is the same thing.  JT even promised Sheila E, Prince’s closest friend that he will not have a hologram of the singer.  Well, I guess the money spoke louder than the fans.  A nice tribute would have been just JT, a piano, and his Tennessee band singing a Prince song.  That how it was done in other tributes the late, great Purple One.  Again, as a JT fan and a Prince Fan, I would have been happy.

Video planning

Now, I can fully give advice to those who want to start their own videos on YouTube.  I have gotten over my fear of being in front of the camera.  Now, my fear is running out of subjects.  Before I give you advice on how to become a beginner vlogger, these are the videos I am planning to create in the next few days or weeks (subject to change):

1.      Unboxing my Erin Condren planner.  I was in the middle of making this video when I realized that I ordered the wrong layout.  No worries.  I called customer service to see how the process could be done, and sending it back is not a good option for me.  So, I am ordering the correct layout, and using the incorrect version to plan out videos, blog posts, and projects. I will shoot a video on the two when I get the other one.  Problem solved.

2.      January Favs.  If you watch these, I am doing my first one.  I am doing it in two parts:  a favs video, and a not so favs video.  Within each of these videos, I am going to cover, crafts, home, travel, and personal for both.  I believe and giving you the full coverage of what works and what is not working for me.

3.      2017 Craft favs.  This is different from the January in that it only covers crafts that may or may not be in the January one.  It is a year-end video.

4.      Talking videos.  What are those?  They are chat video where I sit a chat with you.  I have lots on my mind.  Some advice, no political firestorm stuff.  I deal with enough of that on the evening news and CNN.  My thoughts are my own, lol. It is really to help me get used to talking in front of the camera more.  I have seen some things in the editing, and frankly, I do not like them.  Lots of umms and awkward silent moments that I need to correct, and that comes with practice.

5.      Swap videos.  Those have been well received and I have another one coming in a few days when I get my swap package from Tmika, AKA Scrapdaworld, and I reveal what I made for the coming swap I am currently in. 

6.      Haul Videos, these are ongoing, as I shop at the different places I go to.  This month, I will try to sneak in a come with me video.  I will not do one for Tuesday Morning because I accidentally asked about how they felt about people videotaping their shopping trips, and the manager (who was working the register at the time) did not like them and prefers that no one does a video in here. So, I set myself up for that answer

I hope that is enough to get people to subscribe to my channel.  As of the 20^th, I will not be able to monetize my account and channel, due to the new requirements.  I must have 1000 subs (I have 125) and over 4,000 views in the last 12 months.  There are other ways of doing it, but so far, I have not found them.  In fact, some have higher counts.  I wish these companies and sites would give a small Youtuber a break.  PLEASE!!!!

Comment below any ideas you would like to see me write or vlog about.  It helps out a lot.