Creating Videos for YouTube, #IWSG Blog Hop

IWSG Blog Hop---the first Wednesday of every Month.

Hello and welcome to the Insecure Writer's Support Group Blog Hop! 
Always on the first Wednesday of the month.

What is the Insecure Writer's Support Group?

Founded by author Alex J. Cavanaugh, the Insecure Writer’s Support Group offers support for writers and authors alike. It provides an online database, articles and tips, a monthly blog posting, a Facebook and Instagram group, Twitter, and a monthly newsletter. To find out more, click this link:  Insecure Writer’s Support Group

The purpose of the group is 

* to share and encourage. 

* Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. 

* Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. 

*It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds! 

You're invited to become a member of this supportive group. Click here to sign-up to join.

February 6 question -

Besides writing what other creative outlets do you have?

While I do love to get lost in writing a great scene or brainstorming characters and their personalities, motives, emotions, I have a few other creative projects I love to play with--Photography and Creating Movies for YouTube  

1. Photography is my first love. I'm no pro at using my camera, but I DO love taking pictures with a "real" digital camera. One with an eyepiece and a zoom lens. Composing a fall scene in the lens, catching a goofy shot of my family, memorializing our travels via photo albums or catching that deceptive hummingbird flitting among the red impatiens baskets always give me a thrill. Unlike the good old days of film photography, the best part of picture taking is I can snap as many photos as I want at no expense to me and keep only the best shots.

Lowther Castle in England

2. I am no Steven Spielberg, but I do enjoy creating videos for my YouTube channel using my photography. "Creating" seems like a big word for dabbling in making videos using PowerPoint.

I must admit the process usually results in frustration for me when I can't put the video together as quickly as I had hoped, but I do enjoy sharing our travels with viewers. I like putting together book trailers for my books too. If you'd like to take a peek at some of my videos, please click here to visit my YouTube site. 

3. My latest fun creations, for me anyway, is live streaming via Facebook Live. The first few videos were definitely learning exercises. Bad lighting, sound, stuttering, forgetting to look at the camera. The great thing about FB Live is sharing it on Facebook of course, but also placing it on your YouTube channel so you can share it there and to all your social media outlets.  

VIDEO: Writers Groups--8 Tips for Having a Successful, Productive Meeting


Have you dabbled in creating videos? What program(s) do you use in your movie-making? Do you have any tips on making videos? Share your YouTube URL with us so we can visit. 

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If you want to use free photos without requiring attribution when making your videos,
Click here to visit Pikwizard. It's a new site. Here's what their representative told me--"We have 100,000 completely free images on the site, over 20,000 of those are exclusive to us. We are also adding new images to our library daily and our ultimate goal is to get to more than 1 million images."

Thanks for visiting. Click here to visit more participants in this month's IWSG Blog Hop.

IWSG Blog Hop: My Insecurity, Making Videos, Using Videos in Your Marketing Plan

Hello and welcome to  the IWSG blog hop. 

What is IWSG? Founder of the  Insecure Writer’s Support Group and author Alex J Cavanaugh explains the group's purpose is "to share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!" You're invited to become a member of this supportive group.

The group blogs the first Wednesday of every month.  The list of bloggers is always available so you can hop around to the author blogs filled with humor, advice, and thought-provoking topics on writing and publishing. You can find the list of participants at Alex's IWSG page. 

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Using Videos as a Marketing Tool

Today I am stepping out and facing my insecurity head-on. After listening to marketing gurus expounding about using videos to engage an audience on websites, I decided to dip my toe into the video pond and create one to share here with supportive friends in the IWSG. 

I know there is so much more to learn about lighting, camera, audio, etc., but  I figure if I wait to learn everything, I will never try making a video. So I apologize for the video's weaknesses before you even view my fledgling piece.?\

Why Create a Video on YouTube?
1. Studies show that visitors to your sites will stay longer and peruse what you have to offer if videos are available.

2, YouTube is now the second largest search engine on the Internet which is another reason to share videos on YouTube. Because it is part of the Google family, you are likely to have your site show up on topics users are searching for.

3. A video is wonderful way for people to get to know you and like you. Afterall, the three things you need to build relationships and sell products (books) online are for folks to know, like, and trust you. 

4. Linking the YouTube account to your G+ page gives you more exposure, and you are more likely to rate higher on Google searches since you are part of the Google family.

5. Actually I had fun making the video and laughing at myself. Do I really look and sound like that? LOL..I guess so. 

So, grab the popcorn, settle back in your desk chair, and be ready for my debut!! 

Curtain going up--

Video:

For more information on the IWSG Blog Hop, check out the  IWSG page. 

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Thanks for viewing. 
If you have any suggestions for improvements or if you enjoyed the clip, please leave a comment. Have you used videos in your marketing plan?  If so, what tips can you share with us on creating a video? 

Thank you for stopping in!

Check out the J.Q. Rose YouTube channel and subscribe so you won't miss any of the new videos I plan on sharing! 

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