The easiest way to learn how to do something is often by seeing how it's done. But what can you really teach someone in just six seconds?
Plenty.
Vine, the rising video-sharing network, is full of short tutorial videos that illustrate everything from how Wiz Khalifa sleeps on planes to how to “drive with a death wish,” according to Noah Sebastian. Some viners have adopted Tuesday as the de facto day to post such videos, using the hashtag #HowTuesday.
Much of the advice is hilariously useless, but there are a few gems out there. We'll leave it to you to decide which is which. Here are some fun, strange, and insightful tips offered on Vine. Read more...
YouTube newbies should check out The Small Business Guide to YouTube, a helpful microsite that shows a step-by-step guide for getting started with YouTube marketing. Created by Simply Business, this one-page destination covers everything from creating good content to preventing legal issues.
With so many instructions to read through on YouTube’s help board, this site speeds up the process by briefly summarizing all the FAQs on one page and then making detailed answers easy to find. The page is designed as a flow chart that takes you through a series of “yes” or “no” questions that lead to the answers, which are outlined in a slide show presentation. It starts with the basics — “Do you know how to create a YouTube account?” — and moves into more complicated territory, like the various monetization options and how to measure your success in YouTube analytics. Every time you answer “no,” you’ll see a new slide that’s filled with checklists, videos, and links to articles to fill you in on what you don’t already know. (And who doesn’t love saying no?)
Click image to open interactive version (via Simply Business).
Stepping into social media In this to the point descriptive guide for social media, we will go over the whole process from start to infinity for your approach to social media, making this the perfect guide for someone starting out in social media. However, it is also interesting for those already experienced, as it contains a lot of personal experience and exact methods I use to succeed in the social media game. Laying the foundation with the help of marketing principles We start with prepa
It makes better sense to work at home, than getting a second job in today’s economy. While network marketing may seem intimidating at first, it offers you a great opportunity to be your own boss. In this article, you can learn information that you can use to assist you as you strive towards network marketing success.
Always imagine your success as vividly as possible if you hope to succeed as a network marketer. Particularly in network marketing, it is of great importance to visualize the future because your degree of success is directly related to the scope of your network. Using positive future visualization is an accepted, and widely practiced part of network marketing.
Pencil in some time off to spend with friends and family. This will reduce your stress levels and maintain good relations. Your business will initially require a significant time investment; however, as your success grows, find time to spend with your loved ones.
Be a pioneer when it comes to your network marketing plans. Exercise your creativity and come up with ways to market that no one else is using. This allows you to bring in more potential customers and gain an advantage over your competitors. Don’t copy someone else, try creating your own niche.
You want to have about 9 months of your expenses saved in an account for an emergency. Network marketing can give you that money and much more!
Consider looking in other areas for business professionals whom you can invite to join your network. The business associates who work in selling or whom are commission based know how efforts relate to income, so those professionals are ideal to target. Professionals in business also tend to be more receptive to recruitment.
A tutorial setup is a great structure for your network marketing website. This will increase the amount of traffic to your website and increase the time a visitor will spend looking at your site. These two activities will increase your network membership and your advertising income.
Go outside of the box when writing content that will be written for ebooks, seminars or your own network marketing site. Make sure that all aspects are covered.
The most important tip in network marketing is that you must always think of it as a job. If you expect to work just a few hours a week and earn a lot of money, you will not be successful. To be successful at network marketing, you have to be willing to invest a lot of time and effort into your venture. Make a vow to yourself to consistently work hard and this will put you on the network marketing road to success.
When researching the network marketing company options, choose one with products that are of personal interest to you. This passion that you have for these products will show itself to the customers, which will also cause them to have a greater passion for them.
Whilst network marketing is important for any business, your core aim should always be customer satisfaction. Customer satisfaction should be the objective of any business that wants to succeed. Set a goal to listen for at least 80% of the conversation and talk the other 20% of the time.
A good tool for success in network marketing is neural-linguistic programming. On the other hand, “you” statements are key when trying to sell someone an idea. “
The products you are going to be marketing should be tested by you. You will likely discover things about the products you didn’t know. If you don’t like the products, then chances are your customers won’t either. No matter how much they pay, they won’t be worth it to you if they don’t last very long due to poor quality.
One way to build your network marketing business is to read and share advice on internet forums. These forums can provide valuable tips and information on network marketing, and as a bonus, they are free. Do an Internet search and find a forum that you enjoy, and spend a little time there each day picking up tips from others in the business.
Many people are happy to share their insights into network marketing, and it behooves you to listen to what they say. One great avenue for doing this is listening to network marketing podcasts. You may find something quite worthwhile to you if you just take the time to sample listen to some.
If you want to see more growth from your network marketing efforts, you have to constantly learn new things. Devote time everyday to reading books on the subject of network marketing, business, social networking and related topics for better business success. Webinars are a great way to learn some marketing tips, and a great way to learn from successful marketers. Education is essential to the success of your network marketing campaign.
Big companies utilize network marketing as one method to get to an audience through your business, and the network of contacts you can provide them. Using these tips can help you become a successful independent agent via network marketing.
John Barnett, co-creator of Bright Mango’s Wood Camera app, is a professional travel photographer and cinematographer and a contributor to Getty Images. While some photographers reject photo-sharing sites that are aimed at artsy amateurs, Barnett has embraced Instagram as an artistic and social medium. Since joining the network in 2010, he’s attracted more than 43,000 followers. Here are a few of his best tips.
1. “The biggest thing you can do is post good content.”
“All the principles that have applied to photography for the last one hundred years apply on Instagram,” said Barnett, but the application itself has two notable limitations:
First, because you’ll be using an iPhone or an Android rather than a DSLR camera to take the pictures, you’ll be working with a fixed lens. Barnett advised moving in closer to an object to get a better shot.
Second, because you’re working within a small, square space, it’s hard to capture landscapes in a single shot. Focus on “details that people wouldn’t see in National Geographic,” Barnett said, or “try shooting a “series of images that will tell the story.”
2. Don’t limit yourself to Instagram’s filters.
Apps like Pro HDR “are great because they pull out the color and contrast that the eye doesn’t see,” said Barnett. Slow Shutter is good for capturing streaks of light, fast-moving traffic, or rippling water. “Anywhere there’s movement, you can capture something that the eye doesn’t see,” he said.
Barnett’s own app, Wood Camera, lets you control the sharpness, brightness, contrast, saturation, and hue of your photos. You can also customize your photo’s radius, position, and intensity with tilt-shift and vignette effects. In January, Wood Camera was the #1 paid app in the App Store.
3. “Don’t clutter people’s feeds with 40 images like people do on Facebook.”
When you post an entire album’s worth of photos at once, your followers may only “like” one or two pictures before moving on to something else. Barnett posts one image every few hours instead of several in a row to give each photo a chance to be seen. On days when he’s shooting an event, he’ll save the pictures on his phone and edit them before he puts them on Instagram.
4. “Use appropriate hashtags.”
“If hashtags aren’t applicable to your image, it’s a misuse of the system,” Barnett said. To start, use hashtags related to the location or event where your image was taken.
But hashtags can be fanciful as well. Barnett was taking pictures at a museum when he noticed that many of his photos showed people staring at paintings or sculptures. He started tagging his pictures with the hashtag, #LookingAtArt. Soon, hundreds of people saw the hashtag and used it to inspire their own pictures.
The Instagram team even featured the hashtag on the company blog.
5. Engage people with similar interests.
Many Instagram photographers use the network to share their passion for certain topics, like classic cars or their favorite cities. By following others with similar interests, liking their photos, and leaving positive comments, you can find a niche among people who are more likely to follow you back.
“Instagram is a community where everyone is upbeat,” Barnett said. “It’s a place where you can connect with people, see their world, and show them your world. One thing we all have in common is our love of photography and great images.”
Something old, something new…and nothing borrowed from Pinterest. When brides are using the virtual look book to get inspiration from some of the internet’s best boutiques and magazines, they’re also scoping out the platform to make sure that their weddings are unique, at least within their circle of friends.
Nearly half the brides (46 percent) who participated a recent David’s Bridal survey said they would not use a wedding idea that they found on a friend’s Pinterest board.
Results from the same survey show that brides want control over how their weddings are documented on social media sites: 56 percent of newly married women think wedding guests should practice good social media etiquette.
Among the rules:
61% say bridesmaids should not upload pictures of the bride in her dress before the ceremony
52% say the bride and groom should be the first people to post a picture of their wedding on social media sites
Overall, brides are embracing social media as a planning tool, the survey revealed.
68% of brides take their phones into bridal shop dressing rooms to text pictures to family or to post videos
59% say Pinterest, Facebook and blogs are the best places to find inspiration
Social media is even creeping into the ceremony:
49% of brides said they would consider broadcasting the wedding on Skype
They’re also making it “Facebook official”: 59% of brides update their Facebook statuses to “married” or change their user names by the next day.
YouTube is a great source for video entertainment, but it’s also a fantastic place for learning about pretty much anything. Tons of talented creators have uploaded videos teaching viewers about all sorts of subjects and teaching viewers how to do all sorts of things. Back in January, YouTube announced the winners of their Next How-To Gurus competition—fifteen masters of the how-to video genre. We spoke with three of these gurus to glean some tips for making how-to videos.
Below we will briefly meet our three YouTube How-To Gurus, find out what their areas of expertise are, what inspired them to make YouTube videos and what advice they’d offer to someone looking to start making how-to videos on YouTube.
My Cupcake Addiction
The first Youtube How-To Guru that we heard from was Elise Strachan of MyCupcakeAddiction. Elise tells us that she was inspired to start creating how-to videos because, “There were things I wanted to learn, that I couldn’t find online anywhere and the high cost of cupcake and cake decorating classes inspired me to create free, simple, easy to follow mini-classes that the average home-baker could follow when they wanted, where they wanted and refer back to as many times as needed.”
In addition to making YouTube videos, Elise says, “I have an 18 month old who I am a stay at home mum to. I have a busy cupcake and wedding cake business on the Gold Coast and I also have a packaging arm of the business which I design and import cupcake packaging and boxes from offshore to sell to the public. On top of all that, I spend countless hours filming, editing, answering questions and interacting with the YouTube community for our YouTube channel. I wouldn’t say it’s something I do on the side, as I spend over 40 hours a week on the channel, but I am hoping as it grows it will become my sole focus and the other jobs will taper off.”
When asked what advice she’d offer to someone interested in making how-to videos, here’s what Elise had to say:
“Start with something you are truly passionate about, set the standard you want to adhere to and stick to it – don’t compromise on quality because you don’t want to re-shoot a video – and let the YouTube community guide you. Don’t listen to every negative comment (and there can be some nasty ones!) but if the majority like what you do and the negatives are at a minimum keep doing it. If there are many, genuine comments about the same thing, look to fix it to create a more appealing channel. At the end of the day, any How To channel is only as good as its viewers and its content – you’re not going to get a viral ‘Gangnam Style’ hit so you need to make sure ALL your content is appealing so people stumble across you and subscrive, even though they never knew they wanted to learn the skill you teach!”
Meliney Nail Art
Meliney of Meliney Nail Art & Fashion Channel, makes tutorials about nail art. She told us, “I have always wanted to make YouTube videos because I am addicted to watching them. But it took me a long time to think about what kind of videos I could make. Around that time, my cousin came to live with us and she really loved painting her nails, so it really influenced me to try out all the different colors of nail polishes on the market now.”
Meliney says she started looking for videos about nail art on YouTube and, using the knowledge she gleaned on the video site, she came up with a few designs of her own, which she posted to YouTube. “Once the videos were up,” she says, “all the comments and subscription emails started popping up in my inbox. Having that feedback kept me motivated to make more videos and I haven’t stopped since.”
Meliney’s advice for wannabe how-to gurus is as follows:
“Make videos that are packed full of useful information and explain it in a way that people of all skill levels can understand. Close up shots and slow motion shots are also very helpful if it’s something that’s hard to see and understand. Plan what you’re going to include in your video. Structure it so it’s easy to follow. Personality is also important because it distinguishes you from other similar channels. If people like the way you teach, they will want to watch more of your videos.”
Rachel’s English
Rachel was inspired to start making videos about how Americans speak English when she was living in Germany and studying at a language institute with people from around the world. She told us, “Hollywood is a great exporter of American English, and I had one friend in particular, from Turkey, who was curious about understanding how Americans spoke English. We talked about it a bit and it got me curious about how and what we do when speaking…I remember we were talking about the AA as in BAT vowel, and how the tongue should lift in the back, and he made a perfect sound. Then he said, you’re good at this. And a lightbulb went off.”
Rachel made her first set of videos out of her bedroom while living in Germany. “Since then,” she says, “I’ve had many people reach out to me about what a difference the videos are making for them in their pronunciation and their confidence.”
Rachel quit her job in October 2011 and has been working full time on Rachel’s English ever since, which includes YouTube videos, as well as an 8-week course based on her videos and supplemental material.
For those looking to get into making how-to videos, Rachel has this advice:
“Make your videos as simple and focused as possible. Reference the bigger picture and make it easy for a user to get the bigger picture with annotations linking to other videos, or by putting together good playlists. Also, get right to the point. When people click on a video to learn how to do something (in contrast to, say, wanting to kill time with entertaining videos), they want to go right to the good stuff. Also ask yourself, why is a video better than a text blog with a bunch of steps? Take advantage of camera angles, zooming in / zooming out, slow motion / speeding through steps, etc. I assume if you’re interested in making How-To videos it’s because you’ve got some expertise on a topic you’re passionate about. Let that passion be obvious in each one of your videos.”
Images via MyCupcakeAddiction
Megan O’Neill is the resident web video expert here at Social Times. Megan covers everything from the latest viral videos to online video news and tips, and has a passion for bizarre, original and revolutionary content and ideas.
Back in the Summer of 2011, YouTube released version one of the YouTube Creator Playbook, a priceless resource for creators that outlined everything you needed to know about how to build a successful YouTube channel. In February of this year, they released an updated version, but a lot has changed on YouTube since February, both in terms of features and YouTube’s own strategy. To meet with these changes, YouTube has just released a brand new updated version of the Creator Playbook.
The Creator Playbook is available to all at YouTube.com/playbook and covers everything from getting started on YouTube to building a cohesive channel, optimizing your videos for discovery, engaging with the YouTube community and more. Like we said—it’s a priceless resource. You get all the tricks, tips and advice, straight from the horse’s mouth.
So what’s new in the latest version of the Creator’s Playbook? Lauren Vilders, Audience Development Coordinator at YouTube writes on the YouTube Creator blog, “This new version provides fresh tips and strategies to help creators grow their audiences. It includes brand new sections to address YouTube’s recent focus on watchtime, such as, how to captivate your audience and how to create the best channel experience for your viewers. The latest edition also highlights new tools like paid promotion, Hangouts on Air, and InVideo programming to help you reach the widest audience possible.”
The new Creator Playbook also introduces a new format. Previously it was displayed in a Powerpoint-like slideshow. Now it’s all on the web and you can easily click through to navigate sections.
The new version of the Playbook is currently only available in English, but YouTube will be rolling it out in other languages in the next week.
In addition to rolling out a new version of the Creator Playbook, YouTube has also rebuilt the YouTube Creator Hub, the resource center for YouTube partners and creators that includes the Creator blog, Playbook and information about the YouTube Creator Spaces, including the one the opened this week in LA.
Megan O’Neill is the resident web video expert here at Social Times. Megan covers everything from the latest viral videos to online video news and tips, and has a passion for bizarre, original and revolutionary content and ideas.
You’ve got a YouTube channel set up and you’ve been uploading videos, but they aren’t getting the views you think they deserve. One explanation could be that your content simply isn’t engaging, interesting or worthwhile, but let’s assume that that’s not the case. If your content is great but you aren’t getting views, a likely reason is that you haven’t put the time into building your audience. continued…
So you’re thinking about making an online video about your brand, eh? As online video viewership continues to boom, more and more companies are jumping on the bandwagon and putting video content online. However, if you’re going to do online video, you want to do it right. Online video advertising and production company Wooshii has put together a great motion graphic with tips on how to get the most from your online video. continued…
YouTube is a great source for video entertainment, but it’s also a fantastic place for learning about pretty much anything. Tons of talented creators have uploaded videos teaching viewers about all sorts of subjects and teaching viewers how to do all sorts of things. Back in January, YouTube announced the 
Megan O’Neill
Back in the Summer of 2011, YouTube 
You’ve got a YouTube channel set up and you’ve been uploading videos, but they aren’t getting the views you think they deserve. One explanation could be that your content simply isn’t engaging, interesting or worthwhile, but let’s assume that that’s not the case. If your content is great but you aren’t getting views, a likely reason is that you haven’t put the time into building your audience.
So you’re thinking about making an online video about your brand, eh? As online video viewership continues to boom, more and more companies are jumping on the bandwagon and putting video content online. However, if you’re going to do online video, you want to do it right. Online video advertising and production company 
