Video May Have Killed the Radio Star…

But it sure did help the bloggers. (That’s how the song goes, right?)

On a rainy June day I was lucky enough to attend the Disney Social Media Moms Conference in NYC. Remember? You saw me geek out and fangirl over the New Amsterdam theater tour.

Blogger Video and Pic tips

Along with the incredible experience of the conference location, there was a lot of information shared at the conference. The speakers were experts, fonts of knowledge; I was able to not only glean valuable nuggets of blogging goodness but now I can share them with you. Win/win!

Let’s talk about pictures and videos. Meet multimedia goddess, Victoria Lim.

Victoria Lim on scootadoot

This was the second time I’ve had the opportunity to hear Victoria speak and each time has been a pleasure. She’s quite dynamic and knows her stuff when it comes to presenting on social media platforms.

We are very visually driven creatures, gravitating toward pictures rather than text alone. Here, check out these stats on the graphic (wink, wink).

Visual info graphic

Personally I feel like I’ve got my finger on the pulse when it comes to pictures, or, at the very least I can handle pictures!

Meanwhile, I’ve been working hard on learning the ropes with different video applications. Victoria had some great suggestions of apps to check out and each offers a unique set of qualities.

For example, for a quick little snippet of fun, Instagram video is a great way to record in real time and then automatically share. Check out this one of Jenn dancing during the 2015 Bolder Boulder.

Jenn has enough pizzazz to make that video up there entertaining on its very own.

However, sometimes we want a little bit more like the ability to incorporate pics, jamming music, and storytelling. And in that case, Magisto might be the editor for you.

Plug in your favorites, pick a theme and lickety split, you’ve got a video! The app does all the work for you.

The only thing that I’m not loving about Magisto is that picture placement is random so they might be a bit out of order. Depending on the story you want to tell, this can potentially work against you. (Although I think this one from the 2014 Disneyland 10k is super cute!)

Also a bit of Magisto fabulousness? Give them access to your photos and videos and they’ll randomly make videos for you. Just as a little treat! How cool is that?

Videolicious is perfect if you’re looking to do a voice-over with video. Put pictures where you want to and then warm up those vocal chords (and uh, make sure you know what you want to say. I was rambling a bit). This was my very first attempt and I don’t think it turned out half bad!

We weathered the storm AND survived a 36 hour power outage.

Videolicious allows you to pick a song to enhance your video; I think the one I picked sounds very Harry Potter-ish.

I’m just learning more about Periscope. As in, I was getting texts from Jenn who was learning about it at FitBloggin’. Anyone have any advice for us there?

One of the things I like so much about video is that it’s a way to really connect with others and show your personality! I know it can be a bit daunting to talk to seemingly no one at the moment or not get immediate response but don’t let that scare you away from video blogging.

As a blog reader I can say that I really enjoy when there are video elements within a blog. I gravitate toward them and find that they can really enhance content.

Generally speaking, there are some good habits to have when you’re shooting either pics or video. Fancy cameras aren’t mandatory but clear shots and shooting with intention should be!

Photo and Video blogging tips

So go forth and get clicky with it! And if you try one of these video apps, I want to see your creation! Tweet me at @scootadoot or find me on Facebook and share, share, share.

The Disney Social Media Moms Celebration was a free event that I was fortunate enough to be invited to. Other than a magical day, no other compensation was given and all opinions are my very own unless stated otherwise. Thanks to Victoria Lim for the invaluable advice!

6 thoughts on “Video May Have Killed the Radio Star…

  1. Great stuff, Meri! I think not having a good and easy video editor is what has kept me from venturing into that realm, but now, you’ve given me some options to play with. And Perisope!!! Or “scoping” as it’s called, is great fun. I can’t wait to see how we can use these awesome tools more on Scoot!

    • I feel you, Jenn. I’ve always been a bit hesitant in moving forward with video because I’m afraid that I sound silly, but I also don’t want a “script” per se. I’ve learned that if I write down a few key speaking points, that helps guide me through a little chatter without going too far off topic or rambling (full disclosure, I didn’t do that with the storm video… and I feel like it shows).

      Two years ago when I heard Victoria speak at the Philly DisneySMMC she said to try and make it like you’re reading a bedtime story to a child with your voice, so it’s dynamic and not “flat”. I really liked that bit of advice!

    • I very much understand where you are coming from – I am much more comfortable writing than being in front of the camera. What’s great about video (especially these days) is that people aren’t necessarily looking to see you in front of the camera. It’s also a way to connect and show the world through your eyes. 🙂

  2. Video seems like a great way to engage people…as long as they’re willing to spend the time to watch!

    This post was beautiful, btw. My eyes loved the graphics. And my everything loves you!

    • You know how I feel about video and jumping down the rabbit hole with that, Jessica. *five hours later…*

      My everything loves YOU too!

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