You know, its pretty interesting how quickly life can change.
One moment … it’s a normal day.
And just recently, I experienced how an emergency can arise in an instant. And completely displace everything you had been thinking about just moments before.
OK, just a bit of a warning …
Make sure the kids are tucked away. Make sure no one is listening. And get your crash helmets. This is a little bit of a rant …
But has anyone else noticed no one is communicating anymore? Even in places where the risk of not communicating is literally thousands of dollars of delays, misunderstandings and lost business?
Because the truth is … the reason your vendors are so unresponsive, your JV partners always seem to get it wrong, and your colleagues take so long to respond to you may have absolutely nothing to do with them …
And EVERYTHING to do with you!
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It happens to the best of us.
You are fired up about your topic. You know you have the crucial secrets that are going to transform the lives of your viewers. You have figured out the perfect way to say it. And you feel great about it!
Then you get in front of the camera and … its all gone.
Blank. Nothing. Nada.
Or maybe you just get self-conscious to the point were you can’t even get on camera. The lighting. Your hair. The bags under your eyes.
(The truth is: No one notices these things but you. But they can kill your desire to reap the benefits of online video).
Video stage fright takes many different forms. Fortunately for us, there are powerful and effective ways around it. Here are three of the best:
I felt like I had been hit broadside.
I absolutely did not see this one coming. But it really opened my eyes.
When I tuned into the Winter Olympics opening ceremony last Friday, I was expecting a bit of a letdown.
It wasn’t that I don*t LOVE Canada and my Canadian friends. (I do!) And I know Vancouver is one of the most beautiful cities in the world.
However, after the $300 million dollar (isn’t that staggering!) opening ceremonies in Beijing, what could this one with its $40 million dollar budget offer?
Boy, was I wrong!
And at the core of my come-uppance were some huge a-ha*s on how instrumental video is going to be the future success of each and every one of us.
For the past few weeks, we have been reporting on an extraordinary viral video – The Michael Jackson Medley – produced by a pair of university students that has taken the online video world by storm. The number of views of the performance, featuring Sam Tsui on vocals and Kurt Schneider on Beat Box (as well as the stunning a cappela arrangement) has quadrupled in the last 3 weeks alone.
Tomorrow – Thursday – two more milestones, that show you your viral video dreams really can come true.
First: Sam will appear as a guest on the Bonnie Hunt show, singing a new song.
Second: The video itself will pass one million views. and continues to add viewers at the rate (on YouTube alone) of 50,000 to 100,00 every day.
Looks like this duo may have just bypassed the American Idol machine. And points to the power of YouTube and online video as a future star-making vehicle.
What do you think? Just a lucky glitch? Or a harbinger of many more online video talent breakthroughs?
Yep, I can relate!
This adorable French bulldog seems to have the same problems I have when the alarm goes off. Must … roll … over …
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OK, this is way off topic.
But when you step out of Starbucks and are greeted by a massive, towering wall of smoke you simply can’t ignore it. I knew we had a fire north of the city. But when I arrived at Starbucks that morning for a Saturday business intensive work session, you could just barely see the smoke peeking over the mountains.
But when I left the ‘Bucks later that day … well, you take a look:
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When I first found myself without a camera, I figured I had lost the chance to capture this. But when I remembered the webcam embedded in the monitor of my Mac laptop, I did what any true intrepid reporter would do:
Pointed the laptop at the fire and hoped for the best.
Didn’t turn out too badly.
Fortunately, I was also able to capture some even more jaw dropping and frightening footage when I returned to the apartment. The smoke had grown – skyrocketed really.
So I grabbed my Flip camera and my still camera and did my best.
You guys know I am ALWAYS saying that when it comes to video, its not the equipment, its what you are capturing and the potential for your footage to evoke an emotional response from your audience.
Time to practice what I preach.
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I am often amazed how something very small can make you feel fantastic!
It happened suddenly. But made simply checking my email almost unbearable.
About 3 weeks ago the spam count on two of my most active email accounts literally doubled overnight.
First panic. Then outrage. Then resignation.
I wouldn’t even know where to start to try to get something like this figured out.
Had someone sold my email address? Had a spambot got a hold of it?
Then today … deliverance!
Someone at my web host must have figured it out and applied some kind of filter. Today those nasty uninvited notes are back down to where there were a month ago.
I never knew something so small could feel so good!
Wow, that’s a mouthful. But its true.
For my Mom’s 80th we took her to a terrific restaurant overlooking a marina on the Pacific Ocean. At Sunset. It was spectacular.
But what truly left an impression was the waitress who took our order. Because not only was she a consummate professional (after all, this was a pricey place). But she took me to school with some priceless marketing secrets I will remember forever.
Because when she took our orders, she put on an absolute clinic:
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Ever try to give something to someone … and they either turn you down or don’t acknowledge the gift?
Kinda makes you feel sucky, doesn’t it?
But at a recent speaking engagement I had an experience that really opened my eyes to this giving / receiving thing.
At the gig I made what I thought was a generous gesture. And the folks who were present were perfectly positioned to transform that gift into literally thousands of dollars in extra revenue.
What shocked me was that, amongst a small group, the gift was met with confusion, suspicion … even anger.
Now, I am not a real maven on this Law of Attraction thing. In fact, I am probably a bit of a luddite.
And I am certainly not going to go off on a jag, telling you how to live. But if things haven’t quite been breaking your way lately (or if you want to make them break better), you may want to give a listen:
