Veldfundi's Bare Bone Basics Guide to YouTube

Veldfundi’sBare Bone Basics

Guide to YouTubeWritten and compiled by:

Alex Volker

About the AuthorAlex Volker is the author andcreator of www.veldfundi.co.zaand www.veldfundi.com . He is anenvironmentalist with a greatpassion for nature and SouthAfrican wildlife. As a career Alexinvestigates commercial crimes inSouth Africa. He contributes toenvironmental awareness in hisspare time.

IntroductionThis compilation is intended to be a concise beginner’sresource to inform you about the benefits of usingYouTube as an educational medium to grip the attentionof your viewers. It also gives step by step instructions onhow to submit videos to YouTube and taking part in theVeldfundi YouTube Direct Challenges. A display of usefulresources is also added for your benefit.

Copyright © http://www.veldfundi.co.za Veldfundi's Bare Bone Basics Guide to YouTube

http://www.veldfundi.co.za/



What is YouTube?The http://www.YouTube.com website title indicates:

“YouTube-Broadcast Yourself.”





http://www.veldfundi.co.za/Veldfundi's-Bare-Bone-Basics-Guide-to-YouTube.php







What is YouTube?When you access the YouTube website by typinghttp://www.YouTube.com you are greeted with the slogan

“Join the largest worldwidevideo-sharing community!”












What is YouTube?http://www.Alexa.com, the internet ranking website’s top500 Global sites, ranks http://www.YouTube.com in thirdplace where the displayed description reads:

“YouTube is a way to get your videos to the people whomatter to you. Upload, tag and share your videosworldwide!”












What is YouTube?

In summary, YouTube is a very popular video sharing site,where You can express yourself by posting videos that canbe viewed across the world by anyone who has access tothe internet.












What is YouTube?

But that is not all…












YouTube is also…

A Search EngineA Video RepositoryA Social Media PlatformA User Generated Content MediumMore comprehensive than any traditional Library orEncyclopedia and growing more popular by the day.Owned by Google












What can You do on YouTube?

Search for contentOpen a Google accountCreate Your own ChannelSubscribe to ChannelsMake friendsSend a friend a videoInteract with video contributorsSend messages













Leave comments and feedback on videosReply to commentsInteract with the video communityLike or Dislike videosBookmark your favourite videosCreate a PlaylistShare a videos on FaceBook or TwitterEmbed a video or playlist on your website or blog













Post your own videosAdd descriptive text to your videoDescribe your videos with relevant tagsAdd subtitles to your videosAdd a location and date to your videoLimit access to your videosLink your posts to your website or blogShare a videos on FaceBook or Twitter













Embed a video or playlist on your website or blogLearn a new skillHost your own videos on YouTubeAdd multimedia to your online web mediumMarket your businessDemonstrate experience and expertiseGather a followingMonitor your video’s views













Analyse your visitor statisticsEstablish demographics of your viewershipEducate and Entertain people from around the worldRecord and share memorable momentsKeep in touchExplore your interestsReport your local newsHave loads of fun












What can You use to make a video?

Digital Camera’s video recording functionWebcamCamcorderCellular Phones with video capture feature.Screen Capture SoftwareMicrosoft PowerPoint presentation (needs software)Slideshow of still photos (needs software)












Why is video so popular?

Suitable for Demonstration and PresentationVisual and auditoryAppealing and engagingStimulate sensesMemorableModernVersatileState of the Art












What’s up with the Apple?

You may be curious why there is a picture of a redapple on every page, especially since the apple is notan emblem of either Veldfundi or YouTube.













Red is an alluring colourRed denotes attraction, danger, health, wellbeing,beauty and new beginnings.Red symbolises more strong emotions than anyother colour, such as, passion, love, desire, angerand rage













Apples are tasty and nutritiousAn Apple can be a meal or a quick snackApples have known health benefitsApples are often given as a gift to impress someoneApples are freely available, wholesome and desirableMost people like Apples













According to some people apples have been aroundsince the days of Adam and Eve.An apple featured in Walt Disney’s fairy tale SnowWhite and the myth of William Tell and even in themovie Goodwill HuntingApples are the product of hundreds of years ofselective breeding to give you the apple you gettoday.












So why the Apple??The picture of the apple is intended to represent what canbe created with the use of video and the internet tocapture the attention and imaginations of your viewers.Similarly something small and unpretentious like an applecan grip and engage people in a way that is difficult toachieve without stimulating all their senses.












YouTube Help Resources

This section is extracted directly from the YouTube website

The following YouTube Help resources are extracteddirectly from the YouTube website as a starter’s guidelinestraight from the horse’s mouth. Please consult theYouTube website for more detailed information

http://www.google.com/support/youtube/bin/topic.py?hl=en-GB&topic=16560









How do I create a video?You'll need to have a device that can capture digitalfilms—this could be a camcorder, digital camera or evenyour mobile phone! You copy the films to your computerand then you can either upload them as-is or edit themwith software, such as iMovie or Windows Movie Maker toadd titles and special effects.











How do I upload a video?Once you've finished editing your video, make sure thatit's less than 15 minutes long, smaller than 2 GB in size andin an acceptable format; then you're ready to upload it.

Click the Upload link at the top of any YouTube page.











How do I upload a video?Click the "Browse" button to browse for the video file thatyou'd like to upload to our site. Select the file that youwant to upload.

Click the 'Upload Video' button to start the uploadingprocess.

As the video file is uploading, enter as much informationabout your video as possible in the relevant fields(including Title, Description, Tags and Category).











How do I upload a video?You're not required to provide specific information, butthe more information that you include, the easier it is forusers to find your video!

Click the 'Save changes' button to save the updates thatyou've made to the video file.











What video file formats can I upload?YouTube accepts a wide range of video file formats. Thevideo files below are all accepted by YouTube. Some videoformats work best and are most compatible with certaincomputers, software or devices.











What video file formats can I upload?

Windows Media Video(.AVI).3GP (mobile phones).WMV (windows).MOV (mac).MP4 (iPod/PSP).MPEG.FLV (Adobe Flash).MKV (h.264)











Veldfundi's YouTube Direct ChallengeCopyright © http://www.veldfundi.co.za

http://www.veldfundi.co.za/Veldfundi's-YouTube-Direct-Challenge/



What is YouTube Direct?

YouTube Direct is an external application that wascreated to work in conjunction with YouTube®, to enablea third party to invite video submissions from the publicthat comply with a given theme or topic. YouTube Directis often employed by the major news agencies to enablecitizen reporting.









How does YouTube Direct work?

YouTube Direct gives a user the opportunity to submit anexisting or new video to YouTube® from a third partywebsite. The video is then uploaded to YouTube wherethe author retains full ownership and control, thewebsite owners, however, has the ability to moderatethe video and add it to a themed playlist, which can thenbe embedded into the web site or blog.











What is the difference?

Any video submitted to YouTube can be embedded into awebsite or blog, provided that the author specified thissharing option. A website owner is able to sourcesuitable videos to embed for the intended purposes;however the YouTube Direct Challenge enables a videoauthor to willingly interact with the required objective.











Veldfundi’s YouTube Direct Challenge?

The http://www.veldfundi.co.za website offers a numberof challenges posted throughout the site. Thesechallenges are of a general environmental nature or morespecifically according to a given task. These challengeswill change from time to time and the results will beposted on the site for public view.










Instructions on how to submit a video

There are a numberof links such asthose circled to theleft that point atVeldfundi'sYouTube DirectChallenge mainpage










The Challenges canbe accessed byclicking one ofthese"enter thechallenge" buttons










The user will beprompted to log intotheir YouTubeaccount










At this point the userwill be asked toallow or deny theapplication's accessto YouTube. Select"Allow Access"










The user will beprompted to eitherupload a new or anexisting video fromtheir YouTubeAccount










A form with requiredfields pertaining tothe uploaded videowill be displayed









What happens then?Behind the scenesan Admin panelallows for thecreation of newAssignments









What happens then?Video submissionscan be reviewed andsubsequentlyapproved orremoved. This doesnot affect the statusof the video onYouTube, whichremains thereponsibility of theauthor








What happens then?

Copyright © http://www.veldfundi.co.za

The videosubmissions can bereviewed based onthe video previewand the descriptionsfilled in by the authorprior to moderation

Veldfundi's YouTube Direct Challenge








What Software to use?There is a magnitude of software titles available bothcommercially and for free that can be used for videocreation and editing that is suitable for upload to YouTube.

The selection of the most appropriate tool for the job is adaunting and intimidating experience not to be takenlightly.






Characteristics of a good videoShort To allow viewers to maintain concentration

and stay interestedLightweight To ensure uninterrupted viewing while video

is bufferingAppealing Make the movie, funny, shocking, original,

cute or different.Trendy Submit videos with contemporary content

relating to news or fashion or trendsUseful The video should fill a demand to be popular









Video FormatsThere are a number video formats that are suitable forupload to YouTube. Similarly there are also file types thatcannot be uploaded to YouTube successfully.

Examples of these are:

Files with the extension .SWF or flash filesPowerPoint Presentations









Video Formats

Windows Media Video(.AVI).3GP (mobile phones).WMV (windows).MOV (mac).MP4 (iPod/PSP).MPEG.FLV (Adobe Flash).MKV (h.264)

The above files that can be uploaded to YouTube eachhave their own characteristics to be considered.









Video FormatsWindows Media Video (.AVI) files display high qualityvideos, yet have a large file size, which can hindercontinuous viewing while the movie buffers on YouTube.

.MP4 files, to mention one example, display good qualityvideo whilst featuring relatively small file sizes, suitable fortransmission over the internet.









Software RecommendationsMany free and professional resources are on display onthe http://www.veldfundi.co.za website. These includevideo creation and editing tools, sound clips and software,images, useful tools and access to various free trials forpremium software titles.









Software RecommendationsThe resources listed at the http://www.veldfundi.co.zawebsite are not restricted to tools that are capable ofcreating products for YouTube.

These software titles were specifically selected for theirquality and ability to engage viewers with the use of anumber of proven strategies on the internet.









WondersharePPT2DVD Pro(Click image for more info)

PowerPoint 2 DVD is an excellent tool toconvert PowerPoint presentations to video orDVD for movie playback. This program retainsthe PowerPoint transitions and effects andcreates high quality videos ideal for YouTubeor playback on DVD


http://www.veldfundi.co.za/Wondershare-PPT2DVD-Pro-Full.php















WondersharePPT2Video Pro(Click image for more info)

PowerPoint 2 Video Pro is an excellent tool toconvert PowerPoint presentations to video.This program retains the PowerPointtransitions and effects and creates high qualityvideos ideal for YouTube.


http://www.veldfundi.co.za/Wondershare-PPT2Video-Full.php















http://www.veldfundi.co.za/Wondershare-PPT2Video-Pro-Trial.php

Wondershare DemoCreator(Click image for more info)

Wondershare Demo Creator is a high quality screenrecorder with built presentation functionality,which enables the user to create PowerPoint likepresentations with any screen activity added. Thisis a powerful tool suited to creating tutorials andvideos suitable for YouTube.


http://www.veldfundi.co.za/Wondershare-DVD-Slideshow-Builder-Standard-Full.php















http://www.veldfundi.co.za/Wondershare-DemoCreator-Trial.php

Wondershare DVDSlideshow BuilderDeluxe(Click image for more info)

Wondershare Slideshow Builder Deluxe is anexcellent tool to convert your raw images andvideos into a flowing slideshow with effectstransition, sounds and music. Subtitles can beadded with ease to create a stunning slideshow forplayback on DVD or on video suitable for YouTube.


http://www.veldfundi.co.za/Wondershare-DVD-Slideshow-Builder-Deluxe-Buy.php












http://www.veldfundi.co.za/Wondershare-DVD-Slideshow-Builder-Deluxe-Trial.php

Wondershare VideoConverter Ultimate(Click image for more info)

Wondershare Video Converter Ultimate is a multi-functional video editing .tool that is ideal to convertvideos to and from various formats, includingdecryption and copying of the latest DVDs. Alsoideal to extract audio and movie clips from yourfavourite movies for upload to YouTube.


http://www.veldfundi.co.za/Wondershare-Video-Converter-Ultimate-Full.php
















Wondershare VideoStudio Express(Click image for more info)

Wondershare Video Studio Express is a greatlightweight tool for editing and pasting videos.Video and sound clips can be sliced and transitionsapplied between clips. The timeline view makesadding sounds and music a breeze. Ideal forfinishing a video off for upload to YouTube.


http://www.veldfundi.co.za/Wondershare-Video-Studio-Express.php











PDF to PowerPoint(Click image for more info)

AnyBizSoft PDF to PowerPoint is a very convenienttool to convert a .pdf file into a PowerPointpresentation. The output retains the hyperlinks andfonts from the original file.


http://www.veldfundi.co.za/AnyBizSoft-PDF-to-PowerPoint-Converter-Buy.php















http://www.veldfundi.co.za/AnyBizSoft-PDF-to-PowerPoint-Converter-Trial.php

Nitro ProfessionalPdf(Click image for more info)

Nito Pdf Professional is an excellent alternativeto Adobe Acrobat for the purpose of creatingand converting .pdf files from sources such asWord or Excel. Also featuring Optical CharacterRecognition (OCR) capacity to extract textfrom images.









http://www.veldfundi.co.za/Nitro-Pdf-Professional-with-OCR.php

http://www.veldfundi.co.za/Nitro-Pdf-Professional-with-OCR.php

Final thoughtsI hope you found this document to be an interesting and easy toread narrative that demonstrates YouTube’s potential to reachand engage an audience.

Hopefully with the instructions laid out here you will be able tocreate stunning videos and take part in Veldfundi’s YouTubeDirect Challenge.

Feel free to share this compilation with anybody who you feelmay benefit from it and any feedback is welcome.

Veldfundi's Bare Bone Basics Guide to YouTube

Self Improvement

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