Get Your Vlog On!

Online video, video blogs, vlogs or vodcasts are all different names for the same basic concept: Using the Internet to broadcast a video message.  As an advertising and promotion tool, online video is exploding in popularity.  Putting video on your Web site or blog is a low-cost way to get in on the Online Video Revolution.  There are several ways you can use your own "TV channel" on the web:

• Tape a personal introduction or welcome message for your website
• Publicize or highlight a special product offer or company promotion
• Share company news, updates or executive briefings with your customers
• Use your video for product demos or training
• Videotape customer testimonials to generate new business

Shooting
Of course, before you can jump into Online Video, you have to have a video!  Fortunately, this has never been easier.  What you use to shoot your video depends on your goals, budget and available equipment.  Since your video is headed to the web, quality is less of an issue than if the final product was for TV.  Web video can be shot with a standard consumer camcorder or, you can even capture your video using an inexpensive webcam. Remember, your final product is only going to be as good as your raw footage, so shoot footage more than you think you'll need and get several different takes and angles.

Digitizing
Next, you've got to get your footage into your computer in order to format it for uploading to the Internet.  In most cases, you can just connect your camcorder directly to your computer and transfer the footage right into your editing program.  Then, get your video Internet-ready with the editing/movie software that came with your computer, such as iMovie on the Mac and Windows Movie Maker for the PC.  For a more professional product, you could upgrade to Final Cut Pro for the Mac or Adobe Premiere for the PC.  Once the footage is "digitized" in your editing system, you can optimize it by saving the file as a QuickTime movie or an MPEG-4 video file.  (Some systems will give you additional options, such as saving as a Flash file).

Vlogging
Although you can post your video on free video hosting sites, you'll need to set up a blog account if you want to create your very own video blog.  You can set up a free blog very easily at Blogger.com.  Other blog platforms include Movable Type, TypePad and WordPress.  Once you've got your blog platform, you'll be able to create posts - including video.

Bringing it home (to your website!)
Most online video hosting sites also allow you to copy the HTML code and "embed" the video into your own blog or web page.  Take the video you've posted on YouTube or Blip.tv, for example, and just cut and paste the HTML code they provide for your video right into your blog's HTML editor. There are more advanced methods, but using "embed" codes is fast and free!   

To see how some "veteran" video bloggers do it, visit www.rocketboom.com , or the vlog I produce at www.gurubbq.com .  Then just experiment by posting your own video online and you'll see how easy it can be.  I look forward to seeing you online!