The history of weblogs

 When the idea of weblogs was first introduce online, it was an instant phenomenon. Suddenly just about everyone feels the need to create their own space online by writing their thoughts. Then podcasting was introduced -- blogging in audio form. Just like its predecessor, it was an immediate hit. Today, the latest craze is video blogging.

Just what is a video blog you ask? A video blog or what is commonly referred to as vblog or vlog, can be defined as the posting of a series of videos in a certain website where comments from the audience are encouraged. Although this latest form of web communication is still in its early stages, videobloggers are enthusiastically taken with the idea of posting their video series online.

So why do people use vblogs? Well, most vbloggers take advantage of video blogging in order to make their own mini-programs. With the use of an RSS feed, they can send their new episodes to a wide audience automatically. Meanwhile, others simply enjoy experimenting with the new technology.

You might wonder, why bother with video blogs when you can already express your thoughts with just a regular blog. Well here's another way to look at it. When you're writing a blog, especially when it's about a topic you feel so strongly about, haven't you ever wished that your readers could see your expressions so that they could fully comprehend your feelings? Well, that's what vblog offers that regular blogs cannot. It gives you the chance to fully communicate with your audience, since they can see your facial expressions and hear the tone of your voice.

Moreover, since video blogs are more advanced than any other types of blogs it makes a great tool to deliver exciting content like sports, events, television and the list goes on. With vblogs you can easily share your enthusiasm for your content.

Vblogs also offers its users, particularly those who live away from home, the rare chance of keeping in touch with their friends and family. Think of it as a great new way to share the baby's first steps with his or her grandparents. As for those who dreams about being the next big thing on TV, well this is your chance to shine!

So, how do you start your own video blog? Well, be warned that video blogs are not as simple and easy as regular blogging wherein all you do is type. Since, vblogging is more advance, the process is more complicated. Here you will need a computer that is powerful enough to work with movie programs and of course, a camera that is capable of taking videos and snap shots.

Step one is the easiest, make your digital video on your camera or camcorder. There are various ways you can put your vblog together and since you are not working on a studio you can throw the rules out the window. You are absolutely in control! After you complete your video the next thing you do is to download it to your computer and prepare it for formatting and compressing.

In vblogging, you will be working with different movie programs. The most commonly used programs include iMovie for Mac users and Movie Maker for PC users. Other vbloggers also uses Final Cut Pro and Avid Free DV. Choose one that you are comfortable with. After you have downloaded your movie you can use these programs to make any changes on your video clips such as inserting a new film, creating titles or subtitles, and add background music.

After editing your video, the next step is to compress it. This is the tricky part. You want the movie compressed as much as possible so that the audience can download it quickly. However, if you compress your movie too much then its quality will be less sharp. The key here is balance. Make your video small enough for quick download but make sure it has enough resolution left. You wouldn't want your audience squinting just to figure out what those grainy square-pixilated images are.

Once you are done compressing your video, then you are ready to upload it online. If it is a compressed Quicktime movie, then you can simply place it on your website with a link directly to it (this is very similar as to when you are working on a regular web page). It might also be a good idea to participate in a video blogging community. Just keep in mind that each community have its own set of rules regarding video uploads, so make sure you read this carefully before uploading.

Remember also to read the users agreement carefully. There might be some video blogging sites that have certain restrictions regarding the kind of content you can put up. It is important to know what your chosen video blogging community appreciates and what they frown upon.

Another good tip is once you are done posting your video blog, download it and watch it. Doing so will allow you to see for yourself whether the downloading process is quick enough or still too slow. You can also judge the quality of your own video as well as have the chance to see if there is anything that you might want to change.

Now if you are happy with what you saw then its time to promote it! Set up a link in your email signature line, or post links to it on forums that you usually visited. Creating a video blog is only half of the work; the other one is getting someone to watch it!

There are other things that might help your video blogs gain popularity. For instance to ensure that your vblog will not be lost in the shuffle, it might be a good idea to create some text around it. Moreover, search engines only search text and not video. So if your vblog do not have text then search engines will ignore it. Another great tip is to take advantage of RSS feed. This will allow people to subscribe to your video blog and have it download to their electronic device automatically.

That's about it! You are now on the limelight!


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