Protect yourself from Unwanted Viewers

It is important to protect yourself
and your family and still produce good, quality videos
.  Photo by Bromium

This is third in a series of vlogging, which is something I have been meaning to update from the last time I wrote about this topic.  If you had not had a chance to view them, I have written about videos you should be doing to get the most views on your channel if you have on or plan on starting one for 2018.  Today, I want to talk about how to protect you and your family once the viewers start watching your video channel.  I talk about YouTube mainly, but this applies to any platform out there: Facebook Live (and a new feature, Facebook Watch), Instagram and IGTV, Twitter, and many others.

Going Viral

It is important to know when your video is a one-hit wonder or when it goes viral, which I will go into more in just a bit.  Truth be told, not every video you make is going to get to that point, where the moment someone mentions your name, you are elevated to that of a Justin Bieber, a Kardashian, or even a Logan Paul.

Going viral is the newest thing for getting views, but not everyone has what it takes to go there.  When you do, it is a good sensation when a viewer recognizes you, and according to most of the YouTubers I have mentioned in my last post, most viewers are sweet, and they only wanted to thank you for brightening up their day or giving them the information, they needed for a problem that needed to be solved.  Going viral is the video that people talk about at the office (did you see that video where…).  It can be politically charged, cute, or thought-provoking.  It starts with something in the video that is out of the ordinary.  I will get to more on that subject in a different post.  Know this: once you have that video that gets people talking, be prepared to go into protection mode.    

Why give this advice?

My channel has only 158 viewers, so I have not gotten to that point where a viewer recognizes me.  So, why am I giving you this advice?  Perhaps, I may be talking you into creating a channel of your own, or you may want to see what’s out there for you.  I am not in your head, but I could be.  Safety may be one of your concerns, and if that is the case, keep reading.  Call it a preventive measure.

Addressing the situation

One of the most common things between me and popular YouTubers out there is location.  We do not give out our real addresses. We give general locations of where we are, such as a city and state.  Nothing else.  It is for our own protection.  You may have noticed that even in my blog posts, and I mention my city, I say Central Ohio, that’s it.  No city.  It is the same with my videos.  Yes, I am in the phone book, and at one time, I had an unlisted number, until I became a business person.  Now, I have a phone number that rings into the same line as my home phone, and I use my cell phone as well.  I currently do, only because of a couple of things I need it for.  One day, I will switch to just my mobile phone.

The reason I protect myself is I do not want to wake up in the middle of the night and finding someone standing over me or come home to an empty house. 

If you do not mind viewers sending you mail, set up a PO box to receive that mail, especially if you are in the phone book.  The PO box also protects you from having threats sent to your mailbox.  Set your phone number to private if you have a landline phone or do not give out your number at all.

Traveling

I never post pictures, videos, and blog post while on vacation.  (Although I accidentally posted family pictures on my IG (Instagram) account the evening of July 4^th, I did not give the location of what city I was in). Again, for safety reasons, plus this is a good opportunity for being “Off the Grid” for a day or a week to enjoy yourself, and not let your social media accounts dictate how you want to spend your vacation or a shopping trip.  When you go shopping that is for you and only you, enjoy the moment.  Your viewers will understand.

Take the time after your trip to edit, refine, and post as though you are on the trip now.  In videos and posts before your trip, do. not mention when you are going, unless you want a person to visit the same place.  I do not mind, but I also post after the fact too.  Same goes if you do travel videos.

Family

This is tricky because there are some rules that you can set while at the same time, you can also protect your children as well.

Since I do not have children of my own, but I do have nieces and nephews.  One particular situation that comes to mind is the year after I started my YouTube channel.  I did not know what I want to create at the time, but I found my sister’s children doing something very fascinating.  My nephew was 2 and my niece was 1 at the time (they are now 11 and almost 10), and I was making a video of me interacting with them, especially my niece, who had gotten to the point of walking pretty good.  She toddled over to me, and said, “Ta Da”, which was her favorite word to say. (And the only thing I could understand her to say at the time.)

Anyway, after that, I uploaded it, errors and all.  My sister saw the video and was furious with me.  She was screaming to the point of telling me that she did not want their father, her ex-boyfriend, to see the video. I screamed back, “my camera, my channel, and I will post what I want.”  This was in 2009 when YouTube did not give a care in the world about what the guidelines for this sort of stuff, as long as you post it. (Translation: Before Google bought it).

I reluctantly took it down, and I thought that it was a missed opportunity for me to get views on it, but not so fast.  Did I get permission?  Just because they were my niece and nephew, that does not give me the right to make a video. They were family, but not my children.  You have to ask these two questions: 1. Do you want/or can your children be in the video/picture? If the answer is no, move on.  Do not ask why and do not beg them to give permission.   2. Can I post this on YouTube/Vimeo/Facebook Live/IGTV with you in it?  If the answer is again, no, edit the scene and take the person out.  Do not blur their face.

Last name protection

A couple of family video channels I watch do not give out their last name for their own safety, but it is easy to find them on Google.  I did a little experiment and looked up their YouTube channel name, and Google had the full information, including the last name.  I will not give the channel name and who I looked up since they do not want it revealed.

When I introduce myself on my channel, I only give my first name, but I do not give out anything else, such as my marital status, age, and as mentioned earlier, my location.  I really do not care if you find out my last name or not.  It is listed as part of me being a business owner, and it is needed for legal purposes.  I am very proud of my last name.

I am not going to tell you one way or another on giving out your last name.  If you want protection, that is for the PO box address. 

Speaking of that, if you do show packages you receive on camera, you may want your address to stay anonymous. Use a sharpie or some other black marker or tape to cover up the address.  It is a good idea to cover up the sender’s address as well.

So, these are the tips I and other YouTubers use in order to be safe when making videos. I hope you keep these tips in mind when you create your first video.  I have sprinkled little takeaway moments throughout the piece, so, there are none in this portion of the post.  Remember, be safe no matter what you do in life.  Do not let anyone stop your dreams or your joy.  You got this. God Bless You and your family.  

More Videos to Increase Viewership

Photo and Title by P.Lynne Designs

In part 1 last month, I covered different types of videos that are popular on YouTube RIGHT NOW.  These videos include The Haul and unboxing shopping videos, food videos (cooking and Muckbong), and ASMR (sound stimulating).  These are the videos that seem to get the most viewership, and allows the creator to see 100, 1000, or even 100,000 viewers and subscribers.  Remember, the more viewers and subs you have, more likely you will see revenue in the form of money, sponsorship, and free product to trying and to review.  If you have not read the post, you can start here.

If you have read it, I will give you the rest of the list. So here we go.

Come with me Videos

By Videezy

These are the “this is what is in “X” store”, the “I came in here to buy “this” product, but here is what else they have”, and the popular, “what’s new in my store” video.  Now, I have a disclaimer to this type of video.  Most store chains do not like videos being shot in their stores by customer, unless you get permission. Let me explain what “getting permission” means to the average employee, “Call our corporate office”.  I am sorry, but when you are planning out a video, calling corporate is the last thing on your mind.  When you are first starting out, the best thing to do is shop in a specific location all the time.  The employees will see you coming, and you can begin talking to them casually and gaining trust.  Eventually, they will come around, and you can explain your business, or do like Romana of Cherish Treasures did and know someone who works for these stores.

Here are some the reasons they do not like them.  For one, they are afraid that you are the competition trying to find out store secrets.  Another is something called IP placement.  IP stands for Intellectual Property.  In other words, our old friend copyright.  I have several posts on this, so I do not have to explain how careful you have to be when roaming around the store with a video camera.  The last thing is the safety of their customers.  My advice to you if you decide to take on the come with me video is go during a time of day when there is less people or during a time when employees are most likely to be busy with another customer.  They also have security roaming around.  Stick to only your purchases.  And lastly, have fun and do not stress about it if an employee ask you to put the camera away.  Also, taping on your phone helps, it makes you look like you are viewing your messages.

Daily videos

By Suspicious Observers  

These are the videos where you can document your day.  Some people do straight talk about what happened during the course of their day while others will show it.  This type of video are for people who start off with their lifestyle video channel (crafts, food, etc…) then when they gain viewers, the creator will launch channel with everyday living.  Sometimes, the creator will start off with daily vlogs, then launch their niche channel, and gain a whole new set of viewers.

Family videos

By Twitter

These videos are a hybrid of the daily videos, only it involves a whole family.  I watch quite a few of these, like Holden It Down, who talks about hair, adopting her kids (she has 2, Elizabeth and Edgar), and family life.   I have mentioned these families before:

• Cullen and Katie Husband and Wife (Cullen and Katie) who has 2 additional channels, Katie on the Flip Side, and a podcast channel, Don’t Tell Mom, and have 2 children, Macey Gaines and Brooks, and dogs, Adabelle and Emma; Cats Whitaker forgot the other cat’s name.
• JK Today, featuring Katie’s Brother-in-law and Sister, Jay and Kelley, and their three kids, Madelyn, Bennett, and Emily, dog Socca, and cat Snuggles.
• GabeBabeTV , Husband and wife (Gabrielle and Chad Sr.) with their children, Ceej (Chad Jr) and Reagan), dog, Oscar,  who have 4 additional channels; The Gabe Fix, Chad Life, Ceej Life, and Let’s Make Out- A Podcast channel.
• Britt’s Space (formally The Nive Nulls)- formerly married mom (Brittany) of 3 (Audrianna, Kiland, and Maddox).
• Samika Vlogs – Husband and wife (Sam and Jennika) with 3 children (Noah, Penelope (PJ), and Ezra).
• LaVigne Life - Husband and wife (Jerry Jr. and Dee) who has 8 additional channels, including 2 channels featuring their kids, Jerry III and Jorden.
• Daily Davidsons Husband and wife (TJ and Tiffany) with 4 children; Jaden, Chance, Carter, and soon to be born baby girl.
• AprilJustinTV - Husband and Wife (April and Justin) with 2 sons, Liam and Jacob (Jake), two other channels; Cooking with April and AprilAthena7
• Naptural85 -  Husband and wife (Whitney and Felipe) with 2 children, Olivia and Theo, cat, Chubs, has 1 other channel, Whitney White.

Yes, I watch them a lot.

Takeaway Moment:

You can have a lot of fun with these videos without making them boring.  Unlike the others, where you can show something new and different each time you put a video.  All of these videos, except a couple have gotten their viewers first, then branched off to their different channels.  For example, Gabe Flower-Rader of GabebabeTV and The Gabe Fix talks about fashion, her favorites products of the month, and recently started talking about her progress with her latest pregnancy and birth of their baby girl, Reagan Elizabeth (her and Chad also have a son named Chad Jr. (Ceej)).  The point is to always to switch it up, so your audience will not get bored, unsub, and move on. One other tip: remember to edit.  Some viewers do not like it when you have an extra long video (the average with all these family videos is around 10-15 minutes in length).  More specialized videos can go a little longer.

I hope you take a look at all these channels and show them some love.  This post is not sponsored by any of these channels and the ones mentioned part 1.  I love watching them and seeing the children grow, which some I have been watching since some of these children were babies, so I feel like I am part of their family.  I have never met any of these families in person.

In my next post, I will talk about how I and these YouTubers protect ourselves from people showing up on their front porch.  Until then, be safe, and God Bless You.

Lost in Transition|| Update on Businss

Hire an Entrepreneur

As she decides on what to do next on her life’s journey, she contemplates on if this is the correct path that she has for herself.  After all, she is an entrepreneur.  She was trained to go beyond the job she spent years working on. 

By P.Lynne Designs

My work story

I was asked like most little girls about marriage and career.  I aspired to be an actress, teacher, nurse, and mommy.  By the time I was 16, the acting bug, as well as the dancing bug was in me, I hated to the sight of blood and guts, and I wanted to teach little children BEFORE Kindergarten.  (although I would have settled for any child who was shorter than my 5’ frame).

I graduated from high school, and even when I wanted to go to UCLA, I settled on going to Ohio State, only to be close to my parents.  I came home every other weekend because I had home tickets and was in the Block O cheering team.  I left Ohio State due to bad grades.

In January of the following year, I transferred to Columbus Technical Institute, now Columbus State Community College, studying Social Work, a major I was not happy with, but I turned that into the major I loved, with was Early Childhood Education, and a few years later, I returned back to Columbus State for a business major.

In between all of that, I learned about finance through a couple of jobs, I was a customer service rep for a computer company (CompuServe), and did more customer service call center calls for Bank One (now Chase), Chase Financial, and a couple of other call centers.  I was never good at it to make a full career out of it.  Finally, I graduated from Franklin University with a bachelor’s degree in Marketing.  Along the way, I also picked up the crafting bug (from years of being creative in music, dance, and drama), and I started making cards, scrapbooks, albums, you name it in the crafting world, which some I held onto and others I let go of.  It was when I was working for a craft store (Archiver’s, a Memories store) that I finally realized that I need to make good of something that makes me happy.

You see, I would never be happy in a government type of job.  Sure, some do pay good money, and I am not against anyone getting a job with the government (state, city, county, or military), I felt that I was meant for more than getting a paycheck, which is what I would be doing.  The truth of the matter is I have tried to apply several times over the years, and never go one single interview.

So, what does that have to do with the title?

Good question.  Just joking.  Seriously, I wanted to give you a little hint of my background in what I think is a great little company, P. Lynne Designs I am building.  I have explained in a previous post (in fact several posts) of what my company is about.  First, it is a paper crafting company, specializing in cards, scrapbooks, and mini books.  I have an Etsy shop and a blog.  A shop is forthcoming by Autumn. 

Next, P. Lynne Designs is a stationery company, specializing in invitations, cards (yes, I meant to say that twice), and business products (business cards, resumes, and letterheads).  They are being designed in Photoshop and Illustrator (I finished a background of old paper 5 minutes ago).

Last, there’s freelancing in both graphic design and writing.  The graphic designs are the stationery and specialized products, while in writing, I also do some ghostwriting and guest writing for blog posts and research articles, as well as SEO writing.  I also do Virtual Assistance and social media for short and long-term projects.  My specializations in software are Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator and Microsoft Office.  If there is a program you have, but you want me to work with that program, let me know ahead of time so I can prepare.  I also work with Paypal, Square, Wix, Webbly, YouTube,

and many others.

So, you see, I have quite a list of tasks I can help you within both personal and business. 

Takeaway moments

Do not be afraid to ask for someone to hire you.  After all, you need the work.  Preparing to make that happen takes work, and to some family members, like mine, it takes guts to tell a person to back off. It is no disrespect to that person and you may feel rotten about speaking up, but at the end of the day, you have to live with yourself.

Not Sure How this is Going to Work

Today, I am endeavoring something new on my blog, make that every one of the three of my websites (My Ambiance Life, At Home with Tricia's Baskets, and P. Lynne Designs). It is a hazard that I will take. All things considered, they are my sites, however, there are additional standards of leadership in the blogging scene. One of those principles is about copyright, and yes, and I am going to endeavor a copyright encroachment…. On myself. First off, let’s look at copyright.

What is copyright

I do not have to fully explain what copyright is, but in its simplest of forms, it is basically copying another person’s work, style, everything that is on a picture, a document, piece of music, dance routine, THAT IS PUBLISHED.  This is the key element, it has to be published.  So, when you see a court case by an unknown who files a complaint on Billy Joel because his music, Uptown Girl, sounds similar to this unknown’s music, Girl from Upstate New York, that is a case of a possible copyright infringement.  The music may have the same beginning but sounds totally different towards the end of the two songs in question.  The most recent famous case of this was Marvin Gay’s family filing a lawsuit against Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams for Blurred Lines (2015).  I do not have to explain the verdict in this case, but the family won.

So, What does This have to do with Blogs

Everything, but what is being able to use this information that another person without letting them know that you are using it.  When this happens, and it is a written piece, it called plagiarism.  Teachers warn you about it from the moment you start writing a research paper that needs a reference point in it.  In the U.S., that is around the 2^nd grade (for me it was in the 4^th grade, kids are so much advanced now than I was, LOL). If you get information from Google, Bing, Alexa, Siri, or Safari to name a few, you better back that information up, or you will get dinged by your teacher.  The same thing for any written piece of work that you do not have an expertise in.  Even if you are an expert on the subject, you need to have documentation on where you based your theory from. 

So, What does that have to do with my Three Blogs?

Look, Google is no dummy.  It does treat my three blogs as if three Patricia L. Logans have written the blogs.  So, they would want me to cite that I got it from my own website.  Now there probably will not be too many times when two of my posts will refer to each other.  For now, it is just this post.   I am still trying to figure out what style I want to go with the other websites.  This is the part where I am copying myself.  I want you to know where you can find the information you need to do, act on, and share my information so you will not get confused. 

The Real Reason Behind this Blog Post

Before I get to that, I want to let you know that the blog links will be cited at the top of the page of each blog.  For right now, let me introduce to you where you will find all the goodies.  I know, I might be rehashing what I said in a blog post a couple posts ago, but this is in more detail:

My Ambiance Life

Page from My Ambiance
Life.

This blog will continue with writing tips, blog tip, and how to posts on how to increase traffic on social media (including the blogs), as well as inspirational messages.  What is gone for good are the current events, celebrity bad person/good person posts, and other controversial posts (I will be doing a sweep of old posts and deleting them).  Why?  The world is negative enough without me adding to it.  There are enough people who talk about the Donald Trumps and the Bill Cosbys of the world without me adding to it.  I want to promote peace within all my posts and blogs.  Does that mean that there will not be any situations that I am just dying to write about?  Sure, but I should not add to their misery.  It is no longer relevant to this blog (or any of my other blogs for that matter). If you see a post that you are not happy with, please let me know in the comments section or email me. I will address the issue and make it right.  I am here to give you a pleasant experience and to make you smile.

P. Lynne Designs

P. Lynne Designs

My main focus is for all the crafters who do papercrafting.  I am still developing what I want to bring to you, which is the crafting tutorials, how to organize your craft room, and how I do things in my crafting world.  This is actually the first blog that I started in 2009, and things have been halted for over a year due to some things in my life that happened. 

I do not need to continue to explain this.  Sometimes in your life, you need to take care of things that matter, not that my audience mattered, and I know that those who have been patient with me understand while others have moved on.  It is a fact of life.

At Home with Tricia's Baskets

Changed for this Year to At Home With
Tricia's Baskets 

Is this a new blog?  No, it is not in sorts.  It is a combination of Tricia’s Baskets, Traveling to the Mouse’s House, and Simply Organized Crafts.  So, in a nutshell, it is new.  I have explained a couple of times what happened to Traveling to the Mouse’s House and Simply Organized Crafts and what happened to me and Longaberger over a year and a couple weeks ago.  No use beating this into the ground.  It is what it is, and I have moved on.   I have deleted old posts that refer to Longaberger products, except the first post and the last post before the switch over. 

What will you find on this blog?  How to decorate and organize with anything including Longaberger products.  This will not be exclusively Longaberger products anymore, except also mentioning that if you have a similar product from ANY store, it will do very nicely.  As of Saturday, June 30, 2018, I will not be a consultant.   I am technically not due to the company shut down, but if they do come back, it is a “no” for me. (as Simon Cowell says).  Will I buy?  Of course, I still love the products and I will also report to you how I organized with a basket or pottery piece.  They just cannot be part of my income earning any more.

You will also find family and traveling posts.  So, yes, I will reference my travels often and what you find in those places.  I will be doing it from a single person’s point of view as well as when traveling with family.  No longer will the blog posts be just Disney or the Orlando, Florida area, but you may find cruising information, ports of call, and even ship information (I am overdue of what I think of my first cruise on this blog).  You will even see some reviews of things to do in the Central Ohio Area, where I live.

Finally, you will find a single person and family stuff.  I am ironing out details of that as well.  This will be a wonderful blog as well.  These will include things such as adoption, nieces and nephews, and other singlehood stuff.  For O. Gs, this may sound familiar because it was on My Ambiance Life. I simply moved it.

If you have to be a reader of any of my blogs for a while, I have removed pages that are or will not be relevant to my blogs anymore, and as I find them, I will keep on removing or revamping these pages.  I will be adding new ones that are relevant to that page.  I am still learning how to increase my blogging, vlogging, and social media views and being more consistent.  Like you, I also wonder too, sometimes, what has happened to my regularly scheduled reading (or watching) blogs and YouTube channels.  I promise you that by Fall (or Autumn if you do not live Stateside (U. S./North American Region)), you will see a change in schedule and how I process all of this.  For next series, I will continue to address how I changed this blog for the better, as well as the other blogs.  This series includes, how to know when to change your blog, how to know when to let go, deciding on your subject and what to keep and what to let go.   This is just a taste.

OK, I have overstayed my welcome, and yes this is a long post.  Probably too long.  I will address why as part of my updating your blog series.  No takeaways today, sorry, just an update.

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 a 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 a 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 so 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.

How to Grow Your Personal Brand

Today starts an on again, off again series called Branding.  This is not only for branding yourself, but for your business as well, if you have one, or want to start one.  According to the article in Entrepreneur Magazine, “7 ways to grow your personal brand in less than a week”, I need to grow this brand called Patricia L. Logan.  The reasons for improving my brand are:

Photo by PicMonkey.com

               

  1)      I do not want anyone to get the wrong idea about me or my company, P. Lynne Designs.  I want to be a truthful and authentic as possible.  If I did it, I need to own up to it and stay true to myself.  I have nothing to hide nor to prove to anyone how that comes off but to me and me alone.

2)      I want customers. 

3)      I want to connect.   

4)      I want to sell my craft/skills.  We all have them, even if it is nothing more than to be a good leader or a good-hearted person.  I want to say to a person, “you have a problem, I have a solution, and I want to help you solve your problem with skills that God has given me.”

5)      I want to influence people to think about new things, see new things, and find what is beyond their world of scope.

I am not getting anywhere, anymore, and I think, in fact, I know that it has to do with the way I have been marketing myself through my brand lately.

I want you to think back to something you tried for the first time. A product perhaps.  What was your initial reaction to it?  How was the advertising?  What happened when you tried it a second or third time?  Was it different than the first time you tried the product?   This is what I go through every time I look at my brand.  I want people to have a positive feeling about the brand of Patricia L. Logan and P. Lynne Designs.  You may not need me all the time, but each time you come to me for help, I want it to be the best experience I can possibly give to you.

What skills you need from me?

In a nutshell, I am a stationery designer.  This is an all-over-throw-around way of saying I make cards, invitations, scrapbooks, mini-books, graphic designer, and freelance writer, rolled up in an itty-bitty package (I’m 5’ so it cutely fits).  I am also an influencer.  I can mix in a little web design, but I would much rather send you to a true web designer if that is all you want.  Same with blog design. I will do it for my clients if it is part of a package I currently offer, but only if they ask.  I will also advise on what social media platforms they should get on.  (here is a hint:  you only need 2-3 that you get on all the time.)

So here are the recommendations for building your brand:

1. Research yourself:  Sound simple enough, right? Um, no.  To only see what Google says about you only hits the surface.  You have to dig deep.  I looked on PeopleLooker (not sponsored, By the way), and for $18 or so, you can pull up the report you need for yourself, but do not agree to this amount because you can hit the back button, and they will send it to you for $1. (PDF’s are $2.99), so for $3.99, you can see your incriminating bits on yourself.  So far, they have 3 addresses that I have not lived at (such as Naples, FL), an alias name I have never said I was (Who is this Patricia Cole person?) and they spot on with the criminal records, arrest records, judgements, and liens to which I have none.  For any type of credit report, I recommend Credit Karma or Credit Sesame to see where your credit is. I use Credit Karma.  Both services provide a free report.  While you at it, set up a Google alert on your name, so you are aware of any and all reports.
2. Get a website.  I may also add to this article’s recommendation and say a blog site as well.  Both are great and do allow you to set up an “about me” page.  An about me page allows you talk about you, but I have also read recently that does not mean to make it all about you and what you do.  You want to also say what you can do for your potential customer.  In other words, answer the question they have when they first come to your website or blog.  Example: “I need a good, funny Father’s Day Card”. Answer: “I provide cards for all occasions, including humorous holiday cards for Christmas, Easter, Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, and Father’s Day.  There you go, you have solved a problem, and they do not have to email you to ask that question.  Use photos on the website and blog that are high-resolution.  Also, engage in your audience.  Have an inviting website or blog.
3. Think about your audience.  Who do you want to attract?  Moms, who skydive?  Dog lovers who live in China?  Disney Vacation Club fans?  Define them now.  What do you have to offer them?  People love to get giveaways.
4. Network, Network, Network.  The more people you meet the better.  More chances of talking about your brand.  Go to local events that cover your topic.  You might reach some influencers.
5. Be you.  This is what I mentioned earlier when I talked about improving my brand.  The more people who see the real you, the true you, and what your morals stand for, the more readers and buyers, repeat readers and buyers you will have.
6. Capture information.  Not sure what this article really means to this statement, but I think what it means is when you build your relationship with a client, customer, or reader, the better that person feels about joining your mailing list and bringing in other people.  They need to trust you that you are not going to scam them out of their money, or use it in other ways, besides what their information was intended for (such as informing them of new products or a cause you are campaigning for).
7. Make Friends with influential people online.  Did you know that in addition to making homemade products, I also am an influencer?  The only thing is I am only a small influencer.  What is an influencer?  An influencer is a person who influences or convince others to buy a product, put money towards a cause, or champion for someone who needs it and gets people to buy into what they are talking about. In order to get more likes, tweets, etc, having an influencer who has a bigger audience can help your business or personal brand.  Do not get any influencer, though.  Get one who knows your industry, and what you are trying to teach to the masses. You will get more viewers to your website. This is why networking is so important.

Takeaway moment: 

If you follow these steps in building your brand, you will have more sales and more people who can be in your corner to help your brand. 

Again, I got this article from Entrepreneur Magazine because I am also build up my brand. I found this information helpful when makes me an influencer.  I want you to succeed in whatever business you desire to be in. When placed in the right position, your personal and business brand will grow and draw in new people every day.