Online video websites have become one of the hottest things on the Internet. As a result, new online video sites are springing up everyday. If by some chance you don’t know what these online video sites offer; these online video sites allow people to make their own videos, then upload them, so they can be shared with others.  When you take into consideration that there are millions of internet users browsing through online video websites, the chances are very good that you could make a video and have it seen by thousands of people all over the world! There are litarally hundreds of Video Web Sites. The most popular being YouTube, Yahoo video, AOL video and BlipTV.

Since making a video is not something everyone does everyday, some people are not quite sure how to do it or what they should make a video on.  Most of the videos on these video sharing sites are homemade videos so it can basically be on anything you want. However you need to familiarize yourself with the terms posted at the online video site where you want to upload your video. Most online video websites will not allow videos that are pornographic, racist, making threats to someone or anything else that may harmful to someone.

One thing that you may want to consider for your video is to do a comedy skit of some sort, as people always like a good laugh. Funny videos have a way of going viral on the sites, with users passing the video to all their friends. Pretty soon, you have thousands, or even hundreds of thousands of views of your video.

Another popular type of video could be a how-to-video.  You may surprise yourself about what you know how to do, that others may not know.  You should keep your videos short, about 5-10 minutes. For example you could do a video on how to make a certain food dish that’s quick and easy or perhaps how to decorate for a party quickly.  By starting out with a how-to video you’ll find it’s an excellent way to get started making online videos, and you will also be providing the viewers with something to watch that is actually useful to them. 

As we mentioned earlier, a comedy skit could also be a great idea to try for your first online video.  Your comedy skit doesn’t have to be anything elaborate, it could just be you telling some good jokes or performing clown acts. Be sure to follow the rules posted at the website for what’s acceptable and what isn’t or you’re likely to find your video deleted and they will probably ban you as well. Just use good judgement when deciding whether something would be offensive.

Once you have mastered your video making techniques, you may want to move on to other video themes.  You can also often pickup some good subject matter by carrying your camcorder around with you.  You never know what may happen that you could catch on video.  Often the most popular videos found online aren’t really of anything in particular.  These videos were something someone just happened to have witnessed at the right time, at the right place, and had their camcorder with them.

Just remember, ideas for your online video are all around you. Try keeping a notepad handy, and when you see something that might make a good video idea, write it down. Then you will have a growing supply of ideas that might eventually turn out to be a YouTube sensation.

In recent years the Internet has grown had a tremendous rate, and is no longer thought of as just a research tool. Now millions of people use the Internet on a regular basis seeking entertainment. One of the places people go to look for entertainment is Online Video Websites such as YouTube, Google Video, AOL Video,  BlipTV, and many more.

If you’re not familiar with YouTube , it’s an online video website where visitors can view homemade videos and much, much more, but that isn’t all you can do at the YouTube site.  You’re also allowed to create and share your own video as well if you want to.

Making your own video sounds like a fun idea, right?  Well come on down and join the crowd as there are lot of internet users of all different ages, that have decided to create and share their own videos.  A lot of these videos are used to share information with others, or perhaps showcase a favorite scene from a favorite television shows, express their beliefs, or just make a funny video. 

If you want to make your own video you will need to list ideas for your video. Many people create comedy videos or how-to-videos. The first step to making your video will be to decide what video recording device you are going to use.  Generally these choices will include camcorders, webcams, cell phones or maybe even a digital camera if it has a recording option. 

As we mentioned before the video can be just about anything you want, but you need to keep in mind that your video could be seen by thousands of people so make sure your video will be appropriate. You also need to read the rules and restrictions that are posted on most online video sites, so you can be sure you’re not violating any rules. Most will not allow pornographic, hate, terror threats or any other kind of video that may be harmful or offensive to someone.

Once you’re video is ready to be uploaded be sure to read up on how it’s done.  It can vary a bit with each site, but if you’re uploading a video for YouTube, you can relax and worry about other things. You’ll find the YouTube uploading process is probably one of the about the easiest one that you will find of any of the video sharing sites. 

YouTube does have some video size restrictions; so keep this in mind when making your video.  At this time YouTube requires that your video be no longer than 10 minutes in length.  Your videos also must be less than 100MB, in size.  While they do have some other rules in their terms of use agreement, there are no other restrictions and you can create as many videos as you want. 

To post your video on YouTube, you will need to have your video saved in a movie format. This can be done with any movie making software program.  Most computers already have Movie Making Software installed these days, so you don’t have to worry about purchasing software. However, to get your video posted even faster, you’ll want to think about getting a Flash Video encoding software package. Encoding your video to flash before uploading will compress your video and make the file size smaller, while retaining good quality. It will also mean your video won’t need to be encoded to the flash format by YouTube. This saves time and your video should show up almost immediately.

YouTube is a great way to share your videos with the world. So get out there and shoot some video! Here is the link to my video channel on YouTube.

To really use video solutions to their best advantage in your direct sales website, you need to play to the strengths of online video.  Those strengths are:

* Showing, not telling
* Providing an emotional experience to influence sales
* Not overstaying anyone’s welcome

What does this mean in practice?  Imagine two direct sales concepts using online video techniques.  They’re both selling the same product: a lawnmower attachment, we’ll say.  In one concept, the company’s owner sits at a desk and talks to you about the advantages of the attachment in terms of durability, effectiveness, and price.  In another concept, we see a young boy mowing the lawn.  In a series of quick cuts, we see a young man, then an older man, then a senior citizen, then a venerable grandfather–smiling as he watches a young grandchild mow the same lawn, in each case using the product.

It’s just obvious that the second concept is better, but why?

First: it shows rather than tells.  The first concept tries to communicate the idea of durability, effectiveness, and price by giving you sales statistics and slogans.  Fine–but the rest of your direct sales site should do the same, and to give this kind of information in your online video isn’t really playing to the strengths of the medium.  The second concept shows you the same ideas: the product is obviously durable if the same man can use it for his entire life, it’s obviously effective if he never switches products, and it’s obvious (although admittedly less so) that it’s a good deal since it doesn’t seem to require a lot of maintenance or replacement.

Second: it provides an emotional experience.  In the first concept, the owner of the company is trying to convince you to buy a product.  In the second concept, we have images of contentment and family, as well as a meditative sense of reflection about the cycles of life.  It’s much easier to emotionally relate to the second concept: we’ve all been young, we all will be old, and we can all see ourselves in the video.  We’ve also provided the product with some crucial branding indicators without having to waste any time doing so through words or slogans.

Third: it doesn’t overstay it’s welcome.  The first concept would need to be at least two minutes long in order to really touch on all of the advantages of the product.  The second concept, with some careful editing, could make its point in roughly twenty seconds.  When your customer goes to your page, they’re probably going to look at your online video before they look at anything else.    If you make them watch a two minute video, they’re going to get bored and leave your page more often than not.  If you make them watch a twenty second video–and moreover, one that’s engaging and emotionally charged–they’re not only going to stay on your page and buy your product, but they’ll be happy to do so. 

Video is a quick medium: it makes its point and then moves on.  Don’t bore your viewer and lose your sale in the process.  Show them what your product does, get at their emotions, and then don’t waste any of their time: take them immediately to your sales letter and your ordering page.

http://www.crookedcreekproductions.us

No one expects you to hire Brad Pitt to be in your commercial or training video.  That said, though, you don’t want to go as cheaply as possible where actors are concerned.  It just takes one halting delivery, problematic accent, or other flaw to turn your site into the laughing stock of the Internet.  Either use people in-house who you can rely on to represent your product, or consider investing a little bit of time in finding an actor or actress.

This isn’t as expensive as it sounds, especially if you’re near a major city.  Any college town or large urban center will have a population of actors, many with impressive technical training, but few actual production credits as yet. 

If you find a sufficiently young and resume-poor actor or actress through online creative services sites (Craigslist being a classic option) or through other channels, you can often convince them to do a day or two of shooting with you for nothing but the experience of being on camera and a good letter of recommendation to future potential employers.  There’s plenty of talent out there waiting to be discovered, and there’s no reason to let it lie fallow when you could put it to work for you or your project for almost nothing.

If you live in a rural area or just don’t have a good local talent pool, you’ll have to use someone in house.  There are endless books written about the difficulty of casting, but as a general rule, pick someone with a pleasant, friendly face and pick someone who’s easy to understand.  It’ll make your content seem more professional and it’ll provide a more positive emotional branding for your product.

And if you simply don’t have other options, don’t overlook the power of testimonials.  Get some friends of yours who’ve used your product and who like it to let you record them talking about how much they enjoy the product.  In this case, their lack of technical acting training is an asset: it’ll give your production an air of authenticity and make the testimonials that much more convincing.  Plus working with friends is an all-time good deal, since they’ll most likely be excited enough by the prospect of appearing in your “commercials” that they’ll work for friendship, or for free.

http://www.crookedcreekproductions.us