Sunday 26 August 2012

How to Make Money From YouTube



YouTube recently announced that its users upload 72 hours of video per minute. Although mind-blowing, such an astronomical number could potentially discourage YouTube fame-seekers.

When you pair that number with the 4 billion hours of video we watch per month, it’s clear that entertaining and valuable content is in high demand. And now that the YouTube Partner Program is open to everyone, monetization is actually more feasible than ever.

 Even if you never reach Justin Bieber status on YouTube, you can join the plenty of people who successfully make a living off the platform. Just know that it requires the right preparation, execution and equipment — but most importantly, patience.

We asked three YouTube stars — Tyler Oakley, Chris Thompson (SupRicky06) and Craig Benzine (WheezyWaiter) — to give advice on how to make a successful YouTube channel. 

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Getting Started
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First, you must set up an account. If you already have a Gmail account, you can log in using the same name and password. However, it’s helpful to keep your email separate, so consider creating a new account strictly dedicated to your channel. (You can always sync your email so YouTube-related messages forward to one address, if you prefer.)

When creating an account, think carefully about your username — the handle will essentially become your brand name, so make sure it’s something you’re really comfortable with. 

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Content Is King 
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Each of the YouTube stars in the above video mention that producing quality content is most important — now, more than ever. YouTube recently updated its video discovery features to focus on watch time versus number views, effectively filtering out videos that get clicked and abandoned.

SEE ALSO: Secret Sauce: What Does It Take to Create a Viral Video?

Before you register an account, outline a plan. Think about the type of content you wish to create. Is it going to be a video blog? Tutorial? Talk show? Sketch comedy?  Or it could be a combination of things. Chris Thompson marries music and comedy, producing a variety of a cappella songs, covers, original sketches and parodies.

Secondly, YouTube requires that you select a category (among many) that describes your topic of interest. Some of the categories include beauty, education, entertainment, cooking, comedy and music. You can browse more categories here.

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Be Original
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The big difference between creating recreational YouTube videos and hosting a channel in the Partner Program is original content. We all know that YouTube is a melting pot of cat videos, remixes, autotunes, etc., but it’s much more of an investment to put a personal stamp on video content.  

YouTube states that to be eligible for monetization, “you must own all the necessary rights to commercially use all visuals and audio, whether they belong to you or a third party.”

Copyrighted videos and playlists of another YouTube user’s videos does not qualify for monetization.  Before opting your content into monetization (by clicking the labeled tab when uploading a video), make sure you have all of the necessary rights to use the content commercially — and that includes the background music.

You can clear rights to use third-party content on YouTube by submitting written permission from the rights holders.

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Patience and Consistency
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 Don’t expect thousands of views right off the bat. To begin earning those precious views, you must be a reliable and professional content creator. Most YouTube filmmakers have plenty of days or weeks where they don’t feel like making a video, but subscribers crave dependability. They expect a video on a fairly regular basis, so don’t expect success if you only post when you feel like it.

Benzine started uploading videos in 2007, but it took two years of delivering regular content to a small audience to get noticed by the YouTube community. He began producing even more consistent content, and in 2010, was able to quit his waiting job and make videos full-time. Today, Benzine has nearly 400,000 subscribers.

In short, this had better be something you’re passionate about, because soon you’ll be talking and thinking about it — all the time.

SEE ALSO: YouTube Fame Requires Hard Work … Or, Dancing in a Turkey Suit [VIDEOS] 

 Tyler Oakley is known for his comical observations, opinions and how-tos. In his most popular video to-date, Oakley lip-syncs to Nicki Minaj. But in one of his first big moments, he was recognized by YouTube for his social commentary on derogatory views of the homosexual community.

 Oakley started on YouTube to keep up with his hometown friends while in college. To his surprise, his charismatic videos garnered the attention of nearly 100,000 subscribers within a couple months. Today, his channel has earned more than 26 million views.

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Promote Yourself
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 Every 24 hours, YouTube’s algorithms rank videos and channels, according to highest views, ratings, comments, favorites and video responses. In other words, even the best content needs some promoting to get featured in the “most popular” category lists.

Connect your channel with Facebook, Twitter and Google+ to automatically post your videos to multiple accounts once you’ve uploaded. Consider promoting on other social platforms, like Pinterest, too. Viewers want to feel engaged with the content you are producing.

Use these platforms to engage with your viewers or to ask for future video suggestions. These are the people you want to want to entertain, so why not determine what they like throughout the process?

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Equipment
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 You don’t need a studio budget to maintain a successful YouTube channel. Quality cameras are now advanced and affordable — many YouTube users have created compelling content simply by filming with a phone.

 Filmmaker Jeremiah Warren suggests flip cameras, webcams or cameraphones for basic videos, like vlogs. You can also purchase adapters to hook mics into an iPhone.

 For more professional videos, Warren recommends a DSLR camera. You can attach a microphone directly, or if you really want to invest, purchase external recorders, such as the Zoom H4N ($300) to manually adjust and monitor audio.

 Lighting is equally important. You can do basic shooting with natural light, but halogen lights and reflectors run around $14-$20.

Lastly, computer and editing software is important. YouTube has a one-click editing feature, but reserve the tool for quick and simple fixes. Macs and PCs come with default editing programs for basic editing. Otherwise, for professional editing, you’ll need software like Adobe Premiere, Final Cut X or Sony Vegas, depending on your budget.

 Any current Mac or PC laptop with an Internet connection is adequate for editing and uploading content to YouTube. Warren suggests one with at least 2GB RAM and, for bigger projects, $250-worth of HDD space.

 Once you’ve developed a production routine, experiment with content, style and marketing. The advantage of having a new channel is being able to test what works and what doesn’t.

Eventually, you’ll gain subscribers and begin to ponder why you sold yourself short of Justin Bieber.

Image courtesy of Flickr, rbbaird
Author:Christine Erickson
source:http://mashable.com/2012/08/24/how-to-make-money-from-youtube/

Thursday 23 August 2012

Brian Tracy - Performing At Your Best

Super Video by one of my mentors, the great Brian Tracy.



please feel free to share

Saturday 18 August 2012

20 Things The Millionaire Next Door Does NOT Do

Here is an interesting post I came across (taken from the best seller The book The Millionaire Next Door: The Surprising Secrets of America's Wealthy  by Thomas J. Stanley and William D. Danko)




The millionaire next door does a lot to get ahead, but you can be pretty sure the list excludes the following 20 points.

The millionaire next door does NOT:

1-Pay for Lawn Service – You could save $150 a month, get some healthy exercise and maybe even a bit of a tan just by mowing your own yard.

2-Go to a Hair Stylist – Even the cheapest barber shops charge men $15 - $20 for a haircut these days. If you’re a woman, it may cost well over $50 a visit. Dying your hair? You’re broke!

3-Use Time as a Measurement for Success – The millionaire next door measures success based on output quality, the results. The amount of time spent on something means nothing if the results do not meet the expectations.

4-Buy Brand New Cars – Why would anyone pay the full retail price worth half a year’s salary for the fastest depreciating assent on Earth? We are brainwashed!

5-Carry a Monthly Credit Card Balance – Carrying a monthly credit card balance only makes sense if you enjoy poverty. Monthly interest payments can add up to hundreds of dollars over the course of a year. Do not buy “stuff” right now that you cannot afford to pay for in cash right now!

6-Eat Out on a Regular Basis – With the recent price increases in corn, wheat and dairy products, preparing your own food is already expensive enough. If you eat out you will pay triple the price. If done on a regular basis you will waste a few thousand dollars a year.

7-Think He Knows It All – People who think they know it all stop learning and thus become unaware of new opportunities. Once you lose awareness, you lose.

8-Socialize with People Who Waste Money – The people you socialize with influence your habits. It is impossible to save money if you constantly hang around people who blow it all.

9-Desire Instant Gratification – You have to think long-term to attain long-term success. The millionaire next door desires long-term deferred compensation over instant gratification.

10-Pay Retail for Name Brand Clothing – You can easily save hundreds of dollars a year on clothing purchases by waiting for sales or shopping at discount retailers like Marshalls. Better yet, avoid name brand clothing all together.

11-Keep His Money in a Checking Account – If you want to increase your wealth you have to set your money up to make more money. Most checking accounts yield little to nothing in interest. Think long-term (5 years +). Invest in quality stocks, bonds and mutual funds, especially those with high yield dividends and interest. Or buy some land in an area with growth potential.

12-Replace What is Not Broken – The millionaire next door fixes things. Fixing something is usually significantly cheaper than buying a brand new replacement, especially if you fix it yourself.

13-Visit the Tanning Bed – $25 a month for skin cancer? Where do I sign up? If you want a tan, move to Florida. For those that live in Florida and still go to the tanning bed… WOW!

14-Impulse Buy – Impulse buying wastes money and leads to a cluttered house full of “stuff” you don’t need or use. If you see something you like at the mall, walk away. Think on it for a day or two. If it still holds value in your mind, maybe it’s worth buying. Never buy something the first time you see it.

15-Waste Time on Senseless Activities – They say time is money. In actuality, time is far more important than money. Time is your life. If you waste it, you will fail.

16-Focus His Attention on Negative Obstacles – If you focus all your attention on negative obstacles, you will lose sight of the finish line. You can’t get there if you can’t see it.

17-Bet The Farm – The millionaire next door takes evenly weighted, calculated risks on long term investments. If you go “all in”, you’re gambling, not investing.

18-Fly First-class – Would you pay $400 to sit in a leather chair for a couple of hours? That’s exactly what you do when you fly first class. Huge waste of money!

19-Rent – The millionaire next door has a long-term mindset. In the long-term, owning something is always more cost effective than renting it. The key is to purchase quality products for long-standing use.

20-Earn Every Dollar He Makes at His Day Job – Two words: Passive Income. You can be sure the millionaire next door invests his money wisely. These investments create a solid passive income stream that grows over time. If your money isn’t making you more money, you’ll never be wealthy.

source: http://www.marcandangel.com/2008/04/23/20-things-the-millionaire-next-door-does-not-do/

Sunday 12 August 2012

7 Ways to Optimize Your Professional Profile

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Companies spend a lot of money every year making sure they are found online. And there are countless articles explaining the ins and outs of online marketing for a corporate brand. But what about your personal brand? How should you optimize your personal brand so you’re easily discovered?

SEE ALSO: 8 Job Search Tips From the Co-Founder of LinkedIn

The great news is that it’s the easiest brand to work with since, for the most part, you get to decide how it’s portrayed. Here are some tips to help you optimize your online profiles like you would a business website.

1. Keep it Up to Date

Change jobs? Post it. Change job title? Post it? Add something on the side? Post it. In other words, post often. Another great way to keep things current is to add new peer recommendations on a consistent basis. This is an excellent way to keep the content on your online profiles fresh. The best way to do it? Aim to get a new recommendation every month. If you get several recommendations at once, spread them out.

2. Refresh Your Keywords and Specialties

What terms are used on job search websites to describe what you do? Find those terms and use them intermittently in the same way any good website does. But be smart about it. Be sure when you add keywords or phrases that you do it organically. Overusing keywords can look bad. Also, it’s important when using keywords or phrases to be specific. The more specific about what type of work you do the more it will help you get found by the right potential employers.

3. Be Everywhere

This isn’t the first time you’ve heard it, but it’s clear search and social media are now officially joined at the hip. That’s why you should create multiple online profiles. Websites like LinkedIn, Twitter, Google+, Facebook, and a personal blog that are all connected via links, help your personal search rankings. Keep your messaging consistent as well since you don’t want to come off as someone with multiple personalities.

Also, remember that keeping social media “social” is still the best way to benefit from it. That means you need to get involved by participating in discussions, commenting on blogs and offering recommendations. In case you’re still wondering if being more social across multiple platforms will help, consider this. In 2011, 89% of companies used social media for recruiting.

4. Get the Recognition You Deserve

Post awards, accolades, and significant accomplishments. It’s OK to brag a little on these platforms as long as you keep it honest. Yes, it’s generally better to have someone else brag about you, but all legitimate recognitions should be included in your profiles no matter who’s pointing them out.

5. Diversify Your Professional and Peer Recommendations

If all of your recommendations are from co-workers at your current job or from college friends, it won’t help you as much with recruiters. You should be seeking recommendations from more than one group for one simple reason: It adds to your credibility.

6. Request Personal and Professional Recommendations

This article is a great primer for recommendations. The two major lessons you’ll learn: Ask for specific recommendations, and say thank you. Good recommendations can be tough to secure, but they’re worth it. And being appreciative can get you a lot more than you realize.

7. Get Involved in Groups on LinkedIn and Other Job Forums

Find the groups that relate to your career focus or community and get involved. Alumni and professional groups on LinkedIn are a great place to start. As you get involved, you’ll notice that it’s an excellent forum for networking with company executives and even recruiters.

What other tips have you found that work for optimizing your professional profile? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Image courtesy of iStockphoto, franckreporter
source: http://mashable.com/2012/07/17/optimize-online-professional-profile/
author: Jesse Gant

Monday 6 August 2012

12 Essential Social Media Cheat Sheets

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Getting around a social media site is not always easy. For some users, it’s a matter of getting used to social media. For others, the issue is keeping up with constant updates and changes to features, privacy settings, and account specifications. This, of course, is why social media cheat sheets exist.

Cheat sheets are basically infographics that can give a user a simple rundown of various features and how to use them. Here’s a roundup of great cheat sheets for the most popular social networking sites.
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Google+
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1. Google+ Cheat Sheet by Simon Laustsen

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This is a nice little cheat sheet that covers what most users are probably going to need. For example, you’ll know how to create circles, add content, and tag items. It also gives you a couple of hot keys to use, such as the ‘J’ key for scrolling down posts, and ‘Q’ to bring up the chat window.


2. Photostream Cheat Sheet




This sheet is more descriptive. It shows you how to share, edit, tag, and adjust the settings for photos, while giving you a few facts as you go along. It isn’t complete, but it is a nice look at how to share updates and navigate Google+.

3. Complete Google+ Cheat Sheet

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If you want a more complete list of the basic functions of Google+ this one gives you all the hot keys, basic tagging, and more. It also covers things like chat features and how to make the site more intuitive for easier browsing.
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Facebook
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4. Facebook Sizes and Dimensions Cheat Sheet

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With Timeline as the standard layout for Facebook accounts, it is more important than ever to know the different size and dimension requirements for customizing a page. This sheet covers all of the vitals.

5. Facebook for Newbies Cheat Sheet




If you know so little about Facebook that you continuously write status updates on other people’s walls, then this is a must-read sheet. It’s a great step-by-step guide for anyone who feels clueless.

6. Facebook Shortcuts Cheat Sheet




We have touched on the fact that many cheat sheets have hot key codes for you to use. But you might be wondering what this actually means. These are just shortcuts that have been programmed by the site to allow you to press a couple of keys to bring up commands. For example, if you have IE as a browser you can hit ALT and the number three to bring up your friend request page. This sheet offers a rundown of all of those command codes.

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Twitter
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7. Complete Twitter Cheat Sheet

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This excellent document shows the different Twitter hot keys, whether you want to learn the basics or get into the more complicated examples.


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This cheat sheet will be especially valuable for newbies who don’t know how to reply, private message, or re-tweet.



You have probably noticed that there is a specific kind of etiquette on Twitter. But figuring it out takes time. This infographic shows you the different ways of making sure that you follow proper etiquette, especially when using this social networking site for professional purposes.

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General Social Media Cheat Sheets
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A lot of people fail to understand how blocking on social media works. This will show you what putting in a standard block will do on each of the three main sites we just covered.



This one outlines most of the official rules of conduct on Twitter, Facebook, Google+, LinkedIn, Quora, and Reddit. Keep it handy next time you plan a campaign on social media to make sure you are in line with the official TOS.


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If you are keeping up with all three social networks mentioned in this list, then keeping track of all those keyboard tricks isn’t easy. Luckily, this is a great cheat sheet of the most important ones.

source:http://mashable.com/2012/07/09/social-media-cheatsheets/
author: Ann Smarty

Sunday 5 August 2012

LinkedIn ReDesign – Taking A Closer Look



LinkedIn, the social media site that’s dedicated to professional networking, is introducing a series of landmark changes in 2012. The LinkedIn redesign is in response to heated competition for user attention in the ever-changing social media arena currently dominated by Facebook, Twitter and the newcomer Pinterest.

With more than 160 million users worldwide, LinkedIn has become the leading social media platform for professional networking. If you’re a social media marketer or blogger who’s interested in growing your online personal brand, you need to consider how to leverage these changes to your advantage.

LinkedIn Redesign Of Homepage




LinkedIn rolled out a major homepage redesign in July. According to a post on the LinkedIn Blog, the goal of the redesign is to make it easier to navigate the page’s features and to provide quick access to news and updates. Navigation is improved with a permanent menu bar displayed at the top of the page. The “LinkedIn Today” news feed appears below the menu bar; this personalized feed contains items that are selected based on your industry and connections.

The “Homepage All Updates” stream has undergone a facelift (or should we say “Facebook lift?”) that includes enhanced visuals and the ability to like, comment on and share update items. A one-click “Connect” button makes it easier to add users who appear in your update stream to your list of contacts. When an update from one of your connections appears in the stream, you can send a message with one click.

The “Who’s Viewed Your Profile” sidebar widget on the Homepage shows at a glance the number of visitors to your profile page in the past 90 days. This is a great way to measure the effectiveness of your LinkedIn profile. The widget also allows you to connect with one click to people who have visited your profile page.

So far, the new LinkedIn look is restricted to the homepage. The next area for improvement could be the profile page. A new video function allows users to promote their personal brand by adding video to their profile. Future changes could include a career timeline similar to Facebook’s personal timeline.

LinkedIn App

LinkedIn went mobile in April with the introduction of its iPhone and iPad app and Android app. Now you can view and save jobs, and follow the latest news in your industry from your smart phone or tablet. The mobile app makes it easier to update your profile and network with millions of LinkedIn users from any location. Providing a mobile interface encourages LinkedIn users to update their status as frequently as they tweet or post on Facebook.

LinkedIn & Twitter Part Ways

In July, LinkedIn discontinued a partnership with Twitter that had allowed users to automatically feed their tweets to their LinkedIn status. This could be a smart move on LinkedIn’s part since you will now need to go directly to the LinkedIn website to share updates. Many LinkedIn users will welcome this change because it has the potential of freeing the LinkedIn network from an overwhelming amount of personal chatter.

LinkedIn Future Changes

We can expect to see more changes at LinkedIn over the next few months. The company spent about $4 million dollars for software patents from Digg, including the patent for Digg’s “vote up a story” interface. How this technology will be put to use on the LinkedIn site remains to be seen.

LinkedIn has also purchased the technology behind CardMunch, a mobile application that lets you scan business cards and convert the scanned data into contact information. It’s not hard to imagine how LinkedIn could use this technology to enhance their mobile presence.

source: http://onlineincometeacher.com/tips/linkedin-redesign/
author: Jeffrey Roe 

Thursday 2 August 2012

Tweets That Will Get You Kicked Off Twitter

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Independent journalist Guy Adams tweeted his outrage about NBC coverage of the Olympics and found his Twitter account suspended. (Update: Twitter later reactivated his account and apologized.)

But it wasn’t his criticism that caused trouble, it was his inclusion of an NBC executive’s email address in the tweet, which violated Twitter’s terms of service.

Most of us check a box that says we agree with a company’s terms of service. But how many of us read them? Here’s a checklist of things to avoid if you want to keep using Twitter.

Don’t post a private email address, street address or telephone number without permission from the individual associated with the information. Posting social security and credit card numbers are also grounds for suspension.

You may not post direct, specific threats of violence against others. That’s what got Olympic Swiss soccer player Michel Morganella in trouble. No illegal activities, pornography or copyright infringement will be tolerated, either.

Twitter also has rules that kick in when a member follows 2,000 other accounts. At that point, you’ll have to have gain additional followers before you can follow more people. Not letting the following/follower ratio too far out of balance is how Twitter combats spammers.

Unlike other social media networks including Facebook and Tumblr, Twitter’s terms of service do not cover hate speech.

However, according to a June report in the Financial Times, Twitter is wrestling with minimizing hateful comments, while preserving free speech.

Dick Costolo, Twitter’s chief executive, said he was frustrated by tackling the problem of “horrifying” abuse while maintaining the company’s mantra that “tweets must flow.”

Image courtesy of iStockphoto, SimmiSimons
source:http://mashable.com/2012/08/01/kicked-off-twitter/
author:Leslie Meredith for TechNewsDaily