Hello there.
I want to do something special for you today.
(Those who read through this post will get a special free gift.)
What you see below is my first nervous step into the world of online video.
This “production” is a project inspired by my participation in the online Quick Start Challenge for 2014.
When you watch the video you’ll hear me ask for your input and suggestions about the kinds of information you’d like to see on a blog like this.
Now for those who have gotten this far, I have a special treat: A free online utility you can use to strip out ads, related videos, and other extra stuff you don’t want but that YouTube includes in your uploads.
Just go to my friend Shane Melaugh’s site and use his free online tool “Better Online Embeds by IM Impact.” All you need to do is copy and past your YouTube URL into the utility and preview your improved video.
I’ll be sharing a lot more useful tips and free information in the coming weeks, so bookmark this site and drop by again to see what else I have for you.
I’d like to know how you’re doing online. Please leave a comment and let me know.
–Phil
Hey Phil, Nice video. You did a good job and I like the little treat you shared. Super thanks!
Thank you for the encouragement, Scott. I truly appreciate it. Glad you liked the treat.
Hi Philip,
Well done. You don’t sound nervous or amateurish at all.
cheers,
Boon
Thank you for your kind words, Boon. I actually realized that I had fun making this video — after it was over! Each of these assignments feels like opening a door and seeing new possibilities. Glad that you’re one of the people with me on this journey.
Hey ….
Great job on the video. You can breathe now. ๐
I know videos are really going to be very uncomfortable
for some. I truly hope they can follow your lead and
just “do it”.
I’m still waiting on new video equipment to arrive. If it
gets down to crunch time and hasn’t arrived, guess I’ll have
to borrow my neighbors iPad and just do one off the cuff.
Again, KUDOS for “getting it done”.
Art
Thank goodness you came by, Art. I hadn’t started breathing again after making that video until I read your kind comment. :^) I just had a fun and informative visit to your blog and loved what I saw there. I’m still laughing about the things you learned growing up in the South, and I learned a lot of things I didn’t know about posting to forums.
Hey … thanks for making a trip over my way.
Greatly appreciated.
Art
Hi Phil,
Thanks for sharing the tool.
You are definitely not alone. I think we all let things get in the way from time to time. The most important thing is that we get back into focus.
Lubano, thank you for taking time to post a comment. I’m glad you like the video tool. You are so right about the need to get back into focus. Thank you, too, for reminding me that we’re not alone. Very best wishes to you.
Great video and great start Phillip.
The challenge I faced was networking and thinking of how and what would I talk to different people who I have never met and then later I understood that if I keep that behaviour, I will be far from success.
There can be many hurdles in one’s life and one’s career but all can overcome it, provided one take action to with the correct mindset.
Thank you so much for stopping by and leaving such a thoughtful, helpful, and encouraging comment. It’s a real privilege to be part of your tribe, Keyur.
Hey Phillip great video and post. The challenge is amazing here is to your success. Thanks for the gift will def check it out ๐
Kirsten, so happy to see that you visited and shared a comment. Thank you for your kind words. I think you’ll like the YouTube utility as it helps keep people on your page by removing extraneous stuff in your YouTube-hosted videos. Very best to you. -Phil
Good looking site and well done on your video. Thanks for sharing the gift. I will get to it soon. frank
Frank, I so much appreciate your taking the time to visit and leave a comment. Your encouragement means a lot to me. I’m sending supportive thoughts your way, too!
Hi again, Phil.
When I watched this video, the first thought that came to my mind was, “I wonder if he used to be a radio broadcaster?” You have the sort of vocal quality and delivery. Then, my second thought was “he really should really consider doing podcasts in addition to videos.”
I don’t know if you have done podcasts, or have an interest in doing them, but it’s really something to consider. (I also don’t know if you dislike when people say “you should” as much as I dislike it, but since it was the first thing that popped into my head, I just went with it.)
Bottom line: nice video. Keep at it, I think you’ll do well.
Hi Teri, your comment really made my day. Haven’t done any podcasts yet, but with encouragement like yours, I’m willing to broaden my horizons.
As always, thank you for your support and encouragement.
Hi Phil great first video man and yea things I would find useful in my online business would be how to bring on target traffic to my website that would be awesome anyways thnx for your free gift man ๐
Thank you for visiting, Jairson. I really appreciate your kind comment.
Traffic is the big elephant in the room. I agree with you that talking about ways if bringing traffic to our web sites would be a discussion worth having.
I’ll do my best to include information here about developing and implementing traffic sources.
Very best regards to you.
Congratulations on completing week 2’s task Phillip! May I know what brand of headset you used in this video?
Hi Naidy. I just had the very great pleasure of visiting your highly professional web site, http://www.naidyphoon.com/. Very, very impressive. I loved the post about joining CPA networks.
I’d be happy to tell you about the headset. It’s made by Plantronics. The model name is “Net2Phone.” I got it quite a few years ago, so I’m not sure if that model is still available.
I like using a headset because I see so many videos where the sound level goes up and down as the presenter moves toward or away from the mike. With a headset’s stationary mike, this problem is eliminated.
Also allows me to attend webinars without disturbing other people in the house!
I like your video. It is short, honest and to the point. Congrats for completing this week challenge!
My biggest challenge is time. I know Dean talked about time management in week #1. I have been struggling with it, but I have not given up yet.
Stay in touch. See you on your next video.
Your kind words have provided me with my daily dose of encouragement, Sovanna. Thank you for taking the time to visit and share your thoughts.
I’m with you as far as finding time management to be a real challenge. I felt overwhelmed and pressed for time in the face of all the tasks I need to accomplish.
What I found was that I’ve had to mark out specific blocks of time to do the Quick Start Challenge tasks on my Google calender. Seeing the blocks of color for each task reserved on the calendar grid like a doctor’s appointment or a business meeting has been giving me that extra little bit of motivation to order my life.
Maybe this idea will also be helpful to you.
Very best wishes for your success.
Phil
Great Stuff …:-) Look forward to see your next videos:-)…all the best
Thanks for stopping by, Miguel. Looking forward to seeing you here again.
Hi Phil, I watched your video and when I read the comments I was surprised to see that others were thinking the same thing I was while watching. You’ve got a great radio voice! Very soothing tone. I was feeling very relaxed by the end of the video which is always a good thing for me ๐ Thanks and keep it up!
Bryan
Hey, Bryan, so great that you stopped by. Thank you for your kind comment about my voice. Yes, over the years people have said things like this about the way I talk. You wouldn’t know who I should speak with about turning this characteristic into a gig, would you?
Hello Phil, your website is so professional and your voice is too! Great video! I also loved your post with all the info aboutFog creek and You Tube, and appreciate all the value you have delivered.
TIME, TRAFFIC AND TECHNICAL are my biggest hurdles… oops, maybe you just wanted one. I appreciate what you have delivered… very helpful!
I just noticed the RSS feeds for entries and comments. I don’t think I have that… don’t have a clue how to get it. Maybe you could let me know. Many thanks!
Abigail, it’s great to have your feedback, and thank you for stopping by and sharing your thoughts.
I’m glad you liked the information about Trello. I couldn’t get by without it. I’m going to be posting soon about another app that is a must-have: Evernote. These two applications help me keep my sanity.
You’ve hit 3 of the the 4 T’s as hurdles. The fourth is The Money. Take time to learn the technical aspects or hire them out. I’ll be presenting more information about getting traffic. It’s one of my major focuses, and I’m sure yours as well.
I’ll post about RSS feeds also. Thank you for the great topic suggestions. -Phil
Hi Phil
Thank you for your kind words of encouragement on my blog and compliments of what I have achieved so far with it.
I wanted to leave a comment on here for you to read to also compliment you on getting your first video done.
It is normal to be nervous, even the Big Guns and Experts are nervous at times when they record a Video or even do presenting from the Stage.
I have trained other Speakers and Business Owners many times on how to speak from Stage or even in front of a Camera, my passion is to help others with sharing my knowledge about Communication and Presenting.
Here is a tip for you, next time when you speak to the Camera just imagine that you speaking to your best Friend that does not judge you but is open minded wanting to hear from you and what you have to share.
As soon as you do that I am certain of it that you won’t be Nervous any longer, try it out and see for yourself if that works for you.
I like your honest way of speaking to the Camera and being yourself, so keep it up.
My biggest challenge so far is getting quality traffic that converts into online Sales, so I hope that with what I learn from QSC, that this will change.
Till next time.
Dario
Hello Phil,
I have to admit I spent a few years in radio many moons ago, and I wish I would have had that voice then.
Thank you for all that you have offered and shared.
Since starting the challenge, I have crossed paths with many amazing people with whom I hope to forge long-lasting friendships and eventually business partnerships.
Best of luck as you continue your journey. I’ll be following as many people as possible.
To your success. . .
Hey Phil, I happen to be a very sensitive person in a way that I can immediately tell when people is being genuine or not (I guess we all have this skill btw).
And you were definitely genuine here but you also have something that not many of us have and that is you portray a lot of trust man.
I’m not sure if it’s your relaxed way of talking, your chosen words or your tonality but it definitely made me pay attention through the entire video and I truly enjoyed it!
If I told you all the things I have tried and all the things that have failed I would never end but I’ll tell you what, as long as you have something that other people have and are willing to pay for it, you’re golden.
You just need to find a way to position yourself in order to sell that, be it a service or a product and then market and advertise, that’s it.
If you want some advice you can use right now, then do more videos and use them as your anchor because I think you’re a natural on video!
All the best man.
Sergio Felix.
Nice utility to know about. The power of having a community we can share with!
Glad you like the video utility, Darryl.
I hope to have more content that you can benefit from, soon.
Thank you Dario, for that great tip on how to be more relaxed when making an online video. I’m going to put it to use with my next video.
I really appreciate that you stopped by to offer your suggestion, leave a message, and share the challenges you, too, are facing.
I hope to address some of the issues you brought up in future blog posts.
I hope you won’t mind me staying in touch to have you as an authority from whom I can learn.
Very best to you,
Phil
Hey Phil,
Great video! look like an old hand at video marketing! love your blog will follow your progress! great stuff so far!
Shane
Thank you for stopping by and taking time to share your thoughts, Shane.
Your kind words help to keep me going.
Best to you,
Phil
Hi Phil,
You just keep on delivering so much helpful information! The Better Embeds source is a jewel… THANK YOU!
I appreciate your awesome comments on my graphics. I did do them myself, and I used Instant Header Presence (http://app.instantheaderpresence.com). They have several apps that have been very helpful.
So nice to have you stop by and share your opinion on Better Embeds, Abigail. Thank you for sharing some of your web dev and graphics tools with me, too.
Best to you,
Phil
Hi Phil,
Thank you very much for dropping by my blog, I really appreciate your comments. From what you said, I assume you have also endured the madness of the corporate world!
You have a fantastic blog, so much information and I really like the WP Theme. I’ve bookmarked the YouTube & Trello tools and will be using them.
Your video came across as quite natural & confident. As all of us on QSC are on a learning curve, all of our presentation styles will evolve until we find the one we are most comfortable with. Comments from visitors & subscribers to our blogs will help in that regard – it certainly has for me.
All the best to you,
Mike
Hello Phil:
Great job with your video… I like your site… Hope to stop from time to time to see your progress
To our success,
Gloria
Great job on the site and this video. Thanks for the free gift, I will check it out in a second. Keep up the good work!
Hi Phil,
I love your voice! It’s a great natural tone which is really soothing. You’re going to do really well online with video…
Fabulous first video,
Aneeta
You have said some really kind things, Aneeta. Thank you.
Getting the video online was the result of not overthinking it, not dwelling on it too long, not doing too many takes, and not being overly concerned with the outcome. It was more important to me to get the video on the site and out there rather than having it be “perfect.”
This has made the lessons learned from this video exercise applicable to just about everything in my life! A really life-changing experience for me.
I will take your encouraging words to heart and do more videos!
Very best to you,
Phil
Hello Phil: It’s amazing that people doing their videos are such harsh critics of themselves. Yours was fine. I appreciate all the information that you are sharing and have taken notes so I can return to use them. Thank you. The spirit of giving, support and encouragement in this QSC group is amazing, isn’t it? Let’s rise together. The best to you. Anne
Greatly appreciate that you paid us a visit. I will take your comment to heart about the quality of the video, thanks. I’m with you Anne about fostering the spirit of giving, support, and encouragement. Wishing you the best as well, Phil.