A great way to start adding video to your site is by doing some lifecasting. It can also be called video blogging or vlogging. A lifecaster specifically records things that happen in their life. After all, you are the only expert on your life. Moms have the potential to be awesome lifecasters!
Things that you do every day are new to your readers. Maybe your pet has an interesting habit or your child always sings while getting dressed. Maybe you pass something interesting on your way to the grocery store or a relative has an interesting hobby. Think about things that you would take a picture of and try to video it instead. The ideas are endless. Nobody else is exactly like you.
Short & Sweet
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The video does not have to be long at all. 30 seconds is not too short, but 6 minutes is too long. Yes, your child is adorable, but I don’t have time to watch for 6 minutes because my child is hanging on me.
Equipment
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For lifecasting it is good to have a hand-held camera and not just a webcam. You might have video capabilities in your still camera or phone if you don’t have a pocket camcorder. A last resort is a laptop that can be carried around. The editing and video hosting can be done for free.
Think Ahead
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It does requires a little planning. If you know you are going to stop by the park put your camera in your bag so you can capture shots of your kids playing. If you are making your specialty dish for supper set up the tripod to capture it. When you are heading out to visit your relatives record your children’s excitement and what they want to pack.
As you capture your daily life to share with family and friends you are learning the skills for video blogging. You will become more comfortable with using your camera, getting the video into your computer, and uploading to a video host. You’ll become more comfortable talking to the camera and hearing your voice. You will not have to be on camera the whole time you are lifecasting so you’ll grow more accepting of the way you look. By the way – there is nothing wrong with the way you look.
Pretty soon you will have one of the most important skills to make videos for your business - confidence.
Jendi looked for ways to improve her vlogging when she started making videos for online in 2008. There were many sites with complicated information, but none with simple tips for those just starting. She launched simplevloggingtips.com to help fill the gap and to encourage other moms to push record and just vlog it. Follow her on twitter @jendisjournal.
7 Responses to “Moms, You Can Be A Great Lifecast Blogger!”
Mary Lutz
4 months ago
I’ve had this kind of idea in the back of my head for quite some time, but wasn’t sure if it was a good one or not. I live in a crazy house…LOL…there’s craziness going on all the time! My son playing his bass guitar and singing, my daughter singing and playing guitar, although she’d probably stop if she saw me coming with the camera. Does that mean I’d have to clean house and put makeup on all the time though? That would probably be a good thing actually! LOL
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Alaina Frederick
4 months ago
LOL – Jendi what do you think about that? It would make it more “real life” if you taped as you are!
Jendi
4 months ago
Just remember that what you put online is out there forever. You probably don’t want to embarrass your children.
Again, it’s a comfort issue. I’ve seen moms comfortable with filming while they are in a bathrobe or have their hair in a towel. Other moms will not even consider it without being all fixed up. I personally fall somewhere in the middle. I think of it as public time with friends. I don’t want to look like I’m perfect in all my videos because that is not how I live; I want to be real & true to life. I do have bad days though when I stay away from the camera.
I have found that I fix my hair more since I like to vlog which is a good thing, but I’ll just shove the house mess aside or go outside. They only see what’s in the frame.
Jendi´s last blog ..Do You Vlog In Public?
Christina
4 months ago
Great article! I’m so bad with taking pictures let alone taking video but I can see how fun it would be. But if you’re vlogging about life (family, kids, etc) do you have any safety concerns with your kids being on video?
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Jendi
4 months ago
Christina – great question that a lot of mothers worry about. If you put your children’s pictures on your site it probably doesn’t matter. I know many mothers that video their kids. I personally try to not have my children’s full faces in the video. It really depends on your level of comfort. There are lots of ways around it. It also depends if you’re vlogging in an area that is easily recognizable or if it’s just inside your house. If it worries you – don’t do it!
Jendi´s last blog ..Do You Vlog In Public?
Debbie from Make a Collage
4 months ago
I think you have to give yourself permission to make bad videos, but do them anyway. I saw Gary Vaynerchuk say that when he started, his goal was to put a video online, not a perfect video. And sometimes the sound was bad, or the lighting, but what’s important is the message.
Eren Mckay
4 months ago
Hi Jendi,
These are some great tips here. I’ve taken some videos but my recorder requires 2 different softwares to transform the files into something that can be uploaded to Youtube. The only thing that really stops me is the technical aspect of it. I think that sharing with other moms what we’ve learned in real life can really help others and encourage them.
All the best,
Eren