What I Learned From VEDA/Vlogust

Last month, I decided to try my hands at doing VEDA (Vlog Everyday in August)/Vlogust.  As much as it would give me great joy to say that I did indeed vlog everyday last month, alas that is not the case.  However, my first attempt at VEDA/Vlogust was not in vain.  Here's what I learned to help me improve as a vlogger and to be successful at VEDA/Vlogust next year.

Build A Video Stockpile:

Three days into VEDA/Vlogust, I noticed that it was taking forever for my videos to upload to YouTube.  That was mostly due to the fact that everybody and their mama and their grandmama does VEDA/Vlogust.  So, essentially there's more than double the amount of videos being uploaded to YouTube than normal and that causes the uploader to slow down. 

By Day 4, I was getting an error message saying my files were corrupted.  Eventually, I got my Day 4 video to upload.  Day 8, I hit a wall when after two days of trying to upload my Day 8 video it wouldn't upload.  First, I kept getting the same error message about my files being corrupted.  Then, the video kept getting stuck in processing.  Later I heard from several more seasoned vloggers in my YouTube Mommy Meetup Facebook group that it's best to a pre-film videos several days and even weeks in advance to schedule to post to YouTube.

This way, you will have all the kinks worked out and back up videos already uploaded to YouTube that are ready to go in case you go through what I went through.  So, I'm already working on a list of general vlog prompts that I want to talk about next year and I'll definitely get started filming in June and July 2015 and schedule them out for August.  Of course, I will still do a few same day vlogs here and there so that all my vlogs won't be pre-filmed.

Have A Reliable Computer:

My poor little Dell Inspirion Mini is on it's last leg.  Seriously, I have the charger taped in because the battery no longer charges or holds a charge.  Also, if you move the charger the wrong way the whole thing shuts down in the middle of whatever it is you're doing.  This was so frustrating because I was in the process of uploading videos to YouTube that I couldn't upload to my Windows Movie Maker and my computer cut off.

The bad news doesn't end there.  I had already erased them from my memory card!  Needless to say I quit VEDA/Vlogust all together on Day 12 after that happened.  What I should have done was used the Mr's laptop or went to the library and used one of their desktops.  Don't ask me why I didn't do that.  I live and I learn.  But definitely make sure your computer is somewhat reliable or at the very least make sure you don't have little kids crawling about who will accidentally yank out your charger with their feet.

Also, I've been researching video editing apps for my phone because I've seen some pretty awesome vlogs shot using iPhones and Galaxys!

Collaborate:

Collaborations are a great way to bond with other vloggers.  Also, it's a great way to grow your subscribers because your collaboration video will not only be posted on your channel, but your co-collaborator's channel as well.  So, you're getting double the exposure.  I do wish that I had reached out to some vloggers to maybe do a live Hangout or to a specific topic video.

We would have filmed and edited clips and then we would have put the clips together to make one video and uploaded it to our channels.  I did get to do a live a Hangout for the YouTube Mommy Meetup Anniversary Celebration.   That was fun and it was nice getting my feet wet with that.  Since my computer was acting nuts, I hungout via my phone which was not difficult at all.  

You just download the Google Hangout app and go.  I am currently in the process of making a list of vloggers that I would like to collab with in the future.  And no, all of them are not moms.

Variety Is Key:

So, I don't do daily vlogs because I'm not ready to put my kids on YouTube.  The YouTube crowd can be pretty rough and brutal.  I get very defensive when people talk about my kids.  I don't have time to be going She-Hulk crazy on some cyber bully because they came up out their keyboard wrong about my kids.  Talk about me all you want because I can handle that.

However, I do realize that I need to add a little variety to my videos.  I tried to do that by switching up where I vlog from.  For my shopping haul and beauty videos, I usually film in the bathroom because it makes sense.  For other videos, I'm filming in front of the pantry in my kitchen because I love the lighting in there.  Also, it has glossy white paint on the walls which helps the light to bounce better.  

I would film in the bedroom, but there isn't any ceiling light and our lamps aren't bright enough.  Plus, the wall paint has a matte finish and doesn't reflect the light as well.  I have the same problem for the dining room.  I have been looking at lighting kits though and trying to film during the day (I currently film only at night) to give me more flexibility with my filming locations.  

Also, I'll be trying to film when I'm out and about.  Tons of vloggers film when their shopping trips or even film from their cars or outside.  I'm toying with the idea of doing random street interviews.  Those might be rare at the moment since I'll have to do those on a day the Mr is off.

Promote, Promote & Promote Again:

I suck at self-promotion.  I can promote the heck out of others, but I tend to feel selfish when I promote myself or my work on social media.  Coming off as self-obsessed is a big fear for me because it can turn people off to you.  However, if I don't promote more, I'll never be able to turn people on to me and work.

My goal for the rest of this year is make sure that I promote all of my work, especially my vlogs on a daily basis.  

Although, I failed at VEDA/Vlogust this year, I still had fun and enjoyed the overall experience.  I learned a ton, gained some vlogger friends and subscribers and came out of my introvert shell a little bit more.  Be sure to check out my YouTube channel.  I'm still vlogging and today I finally got that dang Day 8 video to upload!  Better late than never, right?

What kind vlog videos or topics would you enjoy seeing on my channel in the future?