So I’ve been considering doing some occasional vlogging, as a way of mixing some stuff up and staying relevant and all that jazz. So, Dear Readers, some questions!
First: Would you be inclined to watch vlogs posted by Yours Truly? (I’m thinking of doing it no more than once or twice a month.)
Second: If you watch vlogs already, is there an ideal length for them? I’m kind of thinking that I should never be more than ten minutes.
Third: If I start vlogging, what manner of content should I mainly provide? Thoughts on writing? Reviews of stuff? Or all of the above, combined with random thoughts on stuff?
Some of the writer-folk I follow online in various places have added vlogging to their content lineup, and I’ve been kicking the idea around for a few months. The “hold-up”, as it were, has been my general sense of existential horror that I experience whenever I hear my own speaking voice. But, I suppose I can get over that, in time. (Or I just won’t listen to myself.)
Thoughts, Readers?
As a vlogger, keeping it under 10 minutes is the rule. I have a tendency to ramble but I try to keep it around there. Some of my Halloween peeps like the Bloodshed Brothers say that the data they get from views says that around 7-8 is optimum. They try to never go over 15 unless they're purposely making one half-hour or longer.
Kinda hard to say what you should talk about, though. That might depend on if you want a overall topic/theme or just crazy ramblings from your brain.
1st: Hellz yeah!
2nd: Under 10 minutes
3rd: Random stuff
I'd like to vlog, too, but I'll can't even be coaxed to Skype or Facetime.
Tayna: I was figuring on ten minutes or shorter. There are a few vlogs I know of that run long, but they tend to be panel-type discussions involving five or six people (at least), and they do things like go through entire movies or play through games or do long "Best of 2015!" lists or that sort of thing. I'm planning to keep mine on the shorter side.
By way of topics, I want to keep my vlogging open to anything. I don't want to be just doing vlog posts about writing, or only reviewing books, or that sort of thing. I might record footage from my hiking excursions, I might discuss a particular book, I might talk about food, and so on…in addition to writing and the like. I'll try to keep each individual vlog entry about a certain thing, so each entry isn't just me randomly talking about a bunch of different stuff for five or ten minutes.
Maybe eventually I might branch out to having guests!
To be honest, I'm a bit old fashioned and prefer reading to watching. Also, what if I don't like your voice, and it puts me off your work? 😉
Eh, I'm more likely to read than watch; I can read more quickly than I can listen, and some of my reading is done in breaks places where listening to sound (don't have earphones) isn't ideal.
I really loathe it when news sites have some Important Story but it's just seven minutes of video (usually with a minute of ads first) and no transcript.
Any vlogging I do will not replace the main blog. I'd probably only do a video entry once or twice a month, owing to time constraints for editing. Plus, I would likely host them at the Official Site and not here.
Well, truth is I tend to listen while I'm working. So podcast would probably be more my speed, though I'd probably watch 10m minutes of YOU twice of month.
DO IT!!! All the cool kids are doing it and you want to be cool right???????????