Realistic Tips On Building Links With Facebook

November 30, 2010


If you build links with Facebook, you can get new readers to your blog, valuable traffic, more followers or subscribers and boost your SEO because of its value and added link-juice. There are a variety of ways to use Facebook to build links to your website. Here are just a few:

• We know that in social networking, the more friends that you have the more opportunities you have to get visitors, links and to consummate sales. So, never refuse a “friend” offer from somebody.

• Search for friends by name or email. View the friends of your friends and invite them to be your friend. In other words, grow your network. That’s one of the fastest ways to build your circle of influence—on Facebook or anywhere.

• Create a Fan Page for your business on Facebook and invite your friends to join. Within this Page, have special news, niche related tips, offers, coupons or specials.

• Make sure that your blog is attached to your Facebook page, so your posts will automatically appear on that site as well. You will find that you get a good increase in your blog following, as readers are attracted to your interesting posts.

• Add teasers to articles on your website as a status update on Facebook and encourage your friends to visit to read the entire article. If they like it, hopefully, they’ll link to it.

• Post photos that correlate to articles or blog posts on your Facebook page and link them back to your Website in hopes someone will link to them.

• Have a link to your site in your profile and make sure that it is in a prominent place on your Facebook page. Don’t assume that everybody, even personal friends or colleagues, know what you do and what you can make available. And to take advantage of this quickly, seriously consider taking on someone looking into a virtual assistant program, or even a team looking into a virtual assistant training to develop their new business, to maximise your efforts in a very short span of time, at a surprisingly low price.

• Put your articles on Facebook and invite your friends to link back. But remember, you have to lay good link bait!

• Many family members use Facebook as a great place to keep in touch, so you might be surprised at how many people might link back to you just because of their relationship with you; don’t just assume this is a place for business or friends. As always, don’t be afraid to ask to see what happens.

Building links with Facebook isn’t as easy as some other techniques you might use because Facebook truly is a social site and the majority of people are looking for interaction and fun. However, due to the reach of this amazing new phenomenon, you can still reach a huge number of people, so long as you do it the right way, from a social perspective and not from a salesy view. A possible solution, or perhaps – a perfect solution, is to hire someone looking into virtual assistance as a new business, so you can get them working for you at a great price while they gain experience.

When it comes to Facebook, quality content can vary depending on what your niche is and your target audience. Always make sure that you have original and fresh content so, from as broad a perspective as possible, you extend resources for those who are seeking out what you have available and give information for your website visitors.

Quality content—the kind that encourages others to link to your website—is relevant to your topic, offers value to your visitors and potential customers, fits within the overall industry of the topic of your site (such as related products or services), and provides value to your site visitors.

Michelle Dale is The Managing Director of Virtual Miss Friday, a cutting-edge Executive Virtual Assistant Service which assists organisations and enterprising individuals with every detail of their entrepreneurial aspirations. Do you want to peruse some further information on these incredible online business building success strategies? Contact VMF Now!

If you build links with Facebook, you can get new readers to your blog, valuable traffic, more followers or subscribers and boost your SEO because of its value and added link-juice. There are a variety of ways to use Facebook to build links to your website. Here are just a few: • We know that in [...]

Powerful Thoughts On Generating Profitable Clients From Your Main Interests

November 27, 2010


Virtual Assistants come in many forms. Indeed, you will find a variety of eager people, willing to leap forth and release a host of skills! While this might be a bit of an exaggeration, it’s still true to say that if somebody has a certain passion, whether it be for China Dolls or Gardening, this type of passion can be turned into a virtual assistant niche, which will attract a stream of clients interested in that same niche; this is how…

A — Compile a List of every “BUSINESS” linked to your interest.

Each one of these is a potential client. Let’s use an unusual example for Virtual Assistants — Surfing. (The outdoor variety, not the web version.) What we’re looking for is everything that we could make a profit from, within that particular industry.

* Surf Shops
* Surfing Tournaments
* Surfing Instructors
* Surfing Equipment
* Surf Schools
* Surfing Video’s
* Surfing Magazines
* Surfing Professionals
* And so on…

B – Find the “PROBLEMS” within the business.

When you have compiled a list of potential moneymaking segments within your passion, you need to look on the web for the particular issues that organisations and individuals face; as an example…

* The local surf shop wants to start selling their products online, but doesn’t know how.
* In the summer months, surfing tournaments are popular, but they are difficult and time-consuming to organise and assistance is needed.
* Due to the amount of paperwork to be completed, Surfing Instructors find that they do not have enough time to take on additional students.
* A Surfing equipment manufacturer wants more retailers and needs a social media presence to expand their reach.
* Surfing Schools understand how important it is to have an online presence, but they don’t know how.
* It would be great if a Surfing magazine could publish an online edition, but they don’t have any digital publishing knowledge.
* An up-coming surfing pro wants to be discovered, and needs video’s putting up on You Tube.

Forums and blogs are a great way to find out what’s current and what’s happening now. You can locate people’s pain points by how they write, the kind of questions they are asking, and who they are looking to solve them. There is no perfect industry; every business in every industry always has a weak spot. You have to find that in order to turn your passion into a virtual assistance business.

C – Make Your “PITCH”.

When you discover some prospects, get in touch with a particular business and its owners via phone or e-mail and introduce yourself. As you are talking to them, mention that you are a specialist when it comes to Selling Surfing Products Online, Developing a Social Media Presence for Professionals Involved in Surfing — make sure to say something that makes them relate, so that they understand how you appreciate the issues that they come up against on a daily basis and how you can help them (this is assuming that you are in this position, as if you are truly passionate about something you already have a good base of knowledge and ability — if you find that you are running up against a wall here, maybe you are not going after a true passion).

You can also respond to questions on forums and also comment on blogs. Show your face wherever you know that your potential clients from list ‘A’ are.

No matter what your passion is, the people in that industry need virtual assistants – they simply may not know it yet. By being proactive, you can use this to your advantage and be first to offer them a solution, enabling them to see how you can help their business based on your ability and the fact that you are truly passionate. Find out what they want – and deliver!

Virtual Assistants come in many forms. Indeed, you will find a variety of eager people, willing to leap forth and release a host of skills! While this might be a bit of an exaggeration, it’s still true to say that if somebody has a certain passion, whether it be for China Dolls or Gardening, this [...]

Increase Traffic, Subscribers & YouTube Views!

November 26, 2010


The latest edition of Friday’s Fortnightly
has been released today! This fortnights
entertainment is  “Increase Traffic, Subscribers & YouTube Views!”,
and we have a fantastic offer for you.

Please click the link below to be entertained
and then save money! That’s pretty cool huh…!

http://www.virtualmissfriday.co.uk/announcements/increase-traffic-subscribers-youtube-views

This offer is for a limited time only…
You have just 2 weeks to take advantage of this
valuable opportunity before the next
Friday’s Fortnightly appears.

Have a great weekend!!

The latest edition of Friday’s Fortnightly has been released today! This fortnights entertainment is  “Increase Traffic, Subscribers & YouTube Views!”, and we have a fantastic offer for you. Please click the link below to be entertained and then save money! That’s pretty cool huh…! http://www.virtualmissfriday.co.uk/announcements/increase-traffic-subscribers-youtube-views This offer is for a limited time only… You have just 2 weeks to take advantage of this valuable [...]

Inspirational Tips On Surpassing Your Concerns About A Camera

November 25, 2010


By now, you should know that video marketing is one of the biggest buzzes on the Internet right now with regard to online marketing. Using video on your websites, blogs, and sales pages increases conversion rates, ups your likability factor, and engages readers.

This is all well and good, but how can you take advantage of putting video on your site if you are just generally camera shy, not able to string two sentences together very well or are not the most attractive person to look at? Well, I’m here to tell you that you don’t have to be Naomi Watts or Gerard Butler to get in front of the camera and demonstrate your expertise.

When it comes to stepping in front of the camera, the excuses for why you just can’t do it range from having a Minnie Mouse voice to having a receding hairline. I’ve heard all of these excuses and you don’t need to worry about any of them. I want to go over some of the most pressing reasons why people don’t want to appear on camera and reveal these excuses for exactly what they are, that is just a reason not to engage.

“I’m not attractive enough to be on camera.”

Larry King. Oprah Winfrey. Sally Jesse Raphael. Geraldo. Joan Rivers. David Letterman. Would you say any of these are particular attractive individuals, yet they are highly established celebrities who make a fortune talking on a camera. Whatever you look like, whether you have bad teeth, have an extra few pounds, or are losing your hair or sporting too much plastic surgery — think about these celebrities and believe that you can do it, too.

“I would be too tongue-tied to speak on camera.”

Few people are natural-born orators; most people require quite a bit of practice and refinement before they feel comfortable speaking while being recorded. But a few butterflies in the stomach are no reason to give up on the whole process without giving it a shot!

“The equipment is too expensive.”

This may have been true at one point in time, but not anymore. You probably already have all the equipment you need to get started. And if you don’t, you can get it for less than the cost of a new pair of shoes.

“I have a funny voice” or “I speak too quickly or too slowly.”

I remember as a child listening to my voice on a tape recorder for the first time. I thought that I sounded really strange! Almost all of us think that we sound, if not look, funny but this is not the case as hardly any of us have unpleasant voices. The speed is no problem, either. A little practice will look after that.

“People won’t like me once they see me.”

Any professional OBO who runs a virtual assistant business will say that it’s normal to feel insecure when trying something for the first time and to wonder whether it will be okay. But study after study shows that when an audience gets to know you through video, they like you BETTER. And that’s a fact. If you need some support to get it all done fast, consider hiring virtual assistants, or even a virtual assistance team to get everything going right away!

I know that just telling you that these excuses are silly won’t make them go away completely. But you need to be able to realize that most people have the same worries as you and this should really help to push you to try video marketing for yourself. You can always delete the evidence afterwards if you still feel that you’re really awful!

By now, you should know that video marketing is one of the biggest buzzes on the Internet right now with regard to online marketing. Using video on your websites, blogs, and sales pages increases conversion rates, ups your likability factor, and engages readers. This is all well and good, but how can you take advantage of [...]

Useful Ideas On Improving Your Relaxation Threshold With Online Video

November 25, 2010


Until you get to a position where you feel perfectly natural talking on camera, focus on a few tips to boost your comfort level. Above all, try not to put all the focus on you alone. Try one of these techniques:

1. Interview someone. Set up a tripod or ask someone else to do camera duty, and interview an expert on-screen. Look at this person directly, instead of looking at the camera. Talk naturally and positively interact with your guest and every now and again glance at the camera to keep viewers engaged.

2. Select a good assistant to operate the camera. It is always preferable if you can have a live person operating the camera, rather than putting it on a tripod. It can be much easier to speak to a human instead of staring into the camera lens and trying to act natural.

3. Keep it short. Your earliest attempt should just be a few minutes each. Creating longer videos is much more difficult, so start small. Bonus: Most people would rather watch five, three-minute videos than one, 15-minute video.

4. Pretend you’re being interviewed. Gideon Shalwick (www.rapidvideoblogging.com) suggests this video tip: Instead of staring right at the camera, face slightly sideways, as if you are facing a (non-existent) interviewer. Then answer questions in soundbites. If you have good editing skills, you can add transitional slides in-between your answers that list the question your (invisible) interviewer just asked.

5. Don’t stop. If you mess up, don’t stop, rewind, and re-record. Keep on going. You can trim out any mistakes in the editing phase. It can be very time consuming if you keep stopping and starting and you can really lose the gist of what you were trying to say. If you keep going the chances are that when you look at the finished result the section that you were worried about is not really that bad after all. (They also make great fodder for a gag reel).

6. The Setting. Some of the most successful video shoots have taken place in a special event setting, on the beach, or maybe in a home office or even on the sofa in the living room. Of course you can control all the elements and any distractions a lot better if you do this indoors, at home. In this case, choose something that has a little bit of visual interest, such as a bookcase in the background, for example. As with your wardrobe, choose a location that resonates with your area of expertise. A personal trainer would be best doing this in a gym environment. A teacher would be more believable in front of a whiteboard. A gardening expert in the backyard — I’m sure you get the idea. Be very careful to make sure that nothing untoward creeps into the background of your shoot without you knowing — nobody wants to see Fluffy in the litter box, for example!

Recording video isn’t like chiseling stone; if you make a mistake, it’s easy to correct. Give yourself permission to be in learning mode, and to get better gradually. You are unlikely to achieve perfection, but just make sure that it gets better as you go. So whether you’re considering virtual assistant training now, or you’re thinking about hiring virtual assistants in future, or even if you’ve already had some sort of virtual assistance experience, drop by for a visit and see for yourself what other like-minded people have to say within the extraordinary field of Virtual Assistance!

The most important thing to consider is that you’ve got to get yourself out there if you want to have the opportunity to really succeed!

Until you get to a position where you feel perfectly natural talking on camera, focus on a few tips to boost your comfort level. Above all, try not to put all the focus on you alone. Try one of these techniques: 1. Interview someone. Set up a tripod or ask someone else to do camera duty, [...]

Critical Points On Using Outsourcing To Construct A Business

November 24, 2010


Every virtual assistant will need to assemble a team at some time in their career. A team increases your business possibilities and opportunities. But, handling all those people will take more than your stellar brain. It is quite a challenge to look after a group of people who have a number of different skills and many different personalities.

Putting the Pieces Together

Come up with a list and make it detailed. Who is the most adept at a certain job? You can approach this in a number of different ways. Let’s say that you want to hire someone to do article writing. You can use that same person for all your article needs across all projects, if they have the right qualifications. Or, you can use a different VA for each specialty that you handle, i.e. someone who is experienced with financial matters works with those clients and someone else who is experienced with website development can work with online businesses development and design.

What you want to do is spread out the work so that deadlines are getting met. Even with one other person, burnout can come quick. Take a good stock of how many people you might need to cover everything.

Getting the Right Mindset

Why mindset? Well, it involves how you will manage your team. Don’t be tempted to micromanage, this is not the answer. That is just a fancy and roundabout way of doing all the work yourself. It is exhausting and not cost effective. You’ll have to let your team of professionals operate on their own with minimal guidance ONCE you are comfortable with their skills.

You have already determined that each person has a different way of doing things. The most important thing is that they get it done. You can give each person a probationary period to evaluate their work. That’s another reason to implement your team approach while the overflow is light. You don’t want to test them under fire.

Tracking Projects

A project management system lets you keep track of not only the projects but the subcontractors as well. Ask them to upload the work that they have done at certain stages, so you can make sure everything is on track and keep in appropriate touch with your client. Any documents that are needed by you and them can be uploaded to the project.

A system such as this is ideal if there are any questions, if you need to put more information in place or need to engage in team discussions. There are several different solutions here. Basecamp is a system that allows you to create client lists, post projects and add users. You can limit the access of each of the virtual assistants which are subcontractors to their own specific area, where they will have their own username and password access.

A similar system is SharePoint. It’s very similar to the other, but this one was created by Microsoft. Here, each client can have access to a sub-site within the main site. When they do so, they can see the work as it progresses and send any questions that they might have either directly to you or to the virtual assistance subcontractor.

Tracking your team is a matter of project management. If you want to rest easy, you need to know who is doing what and whether they are on time.

Every virtual assistant will need to assemble a team at some time in their career. A team increases your business possibilities and opportunities. But, handling all those people will take more than your stellar brain. It is quite a challenge to look after a group of people who have a number of different skills and [...]

Helpful Thoughts On The Generally Understood Value Of Link Swaps

November 23, 2010


Have you considered link swaps recently, with everything that has been going on in SEO? Is it worth your while to get involved? Do they contribute anything at all to the value of the site? Will your site be penalized if you have a link to a site that also has a link to yours? What do the people that know say about this?

Indeed, some of the top experts tell us that Google and the major search engines are taking value away from link swaps. This is not too much of a bad thing, in my opinion. After all, if you were to use simple link swapping in order to get higher positions in the search engines, these should not be counted.

But there are worthwhile link swaps to consider. As one writer said, someone who links to their local Chamber of Commerce, for instance, and then becomes a member of the Chamber and receives a link from them should not be penalized because they now have a “link swap.” It’s a fine line in the world of search engine optimization.

One-way links are still more valuable to your SEO efforts, however. And there are plenty of ways to get them, such as submitting articles to other websites, posting in discussion forums, commenting on blogs, publishing a blog, submitting guest blog posts and more.

If you are looking for link swaps for your website, bear these important points in mind:

• Find sites that are highly relevant to your business. Never post a link on your site that has nothing whatsoever to do with the topic of your site.

• Keep the link swaps to a minimum. A few here and there probably won’t harm your rankings, just don’t get carried away.

• Swap only with quality sites. Never swap links with a link farm or post a link to an amateurish, content-irrelevant site on any of your pages.

You can add value to your site with link swaps, but never develop your own type of link farm by needlessly linking to anybody and everybody who might reciprocate, as it just devalues your site. Always make sure that you ask your site visitors to link back, either to your site or to an article within. This will get you a variety of one-way links and you are on the road. And to take advantage of this quickly, seriously consider taking on someone looking into how to be a virtual assistant, or even a team looking into virtual assistance for business, to maximise your efforts in a very short span of time.

A link building process begins and ends with delivering to your website visitors and we know that this is all about providing quality content. It’s the old WIIFM thing… (What’s In It For Me?) If you can answer that question with your website visitor in mind, and create content aimed at that visitor, you’ve just provided quality content. You will probably find that visitors will provide links to your content with no problem. Always keep in mind that someone looking into becoming a virtual assistant can help you with all the details, moving forward.

Build quality content, add new information often, start a blog and publish new posts frequently… in essence, do all the things you can to encourage one-way links to your site and you won’t have to consider link swapping. The idea—regardless of your niche—is to create a site with content that is just a little different, or just a little better than anyone else is offering. What’s the BEST way to build links to your site? That’s right, quality content.

Have you considered link swaps recently, with everything that has been going on in SEO? Is it worth your while to get involved? Do they contribute anything at all to the value of the site? Will your site be penalized if you have a link to a site that also has a link to yours? [...]

Powerful Guidelines On The Domain Of Looking Between The Lines

November 22, 2010


In our entrepreneurial world you need to be able to get on with people really well if you want to get anywhere. If you own or run a business, you need to be able to interact with people of all shapes and sizes, personality types and origins, if you are to do well in the cutthroat business world of today. It’s certainly true that we are seeing a move toward businesses based on the provision of services and that a lot of businesses these days are to be found on the Internet as opposed to in “bricks and mortar” format, but you still have to be able to get on with people productively, if you are to make it all come together.

It’s fairly easy to break down the concept of buying and selling if you think about it, as effectively each party involved has their own agenda to look after. In short, they want to achieve something. The buyer may want to find a bargain, to satisfy his or her requirement at the best price possible. Alternatively, if a particular item is very scarce or has another type of value, the buyer’s objective may be to secure the item at any price. Let’s consider what the seller is looking for. Now the seller is obviously interested in the transaction, but they’re also careful to see that the buyer is satisfied as well if they want to retain that client and their associated, potential lifetime value. We all know how difficult it is to get new clients, so it’s better to look after the ones that you have got.

Realizing that there is an agenda, whenever you are looking at buying a business, you need to be able to read between those lines. Recognizing the motivators, the hidden agenda in many cases, may well be crucial as you navigate your way through this often complicated process. You have to understand that everybody involved in the process has their own agenda as we just discussed and your objective is to try and unravel the true meaning of what they say and what they do, as things progress.

While you will be very unlucky if you happen to come across any really fraudulent activity with a business for sale, you should nevertheless realize that there’s almost always something hidden in the closet. Those hidden items on the agenda may or may not be deal killers and may have little bearing on potential success after you buy business assets, but you need to be able to reveal them, nevertheless.

Expect the seller to have a vibrant personality to match their position as a successful business person. You need to be on your guard against whitewashing and take everything that is said with a certain pinch of salt. The process of due diligence will help you to read between the lines, but be sharp during the preliminary processes and you will be amazed at what you will pick up.

When you’re getting ready to buy a business a lot of behind the scenes investigation will take place. The seller is not going to reveal all the cards until he or she knows that you are really serious. Be tenacious and dogged in your determination to find out as much as you can, as early as possible.

Richard Parker is the President and founder of the prestigious Diomo Corporation – The Business Buyer Resource Center. His celebrated materials, seminars and consulting have encouraged thousands of aspiring business buyers from around the World to pursue their dream to buy a business.

In our entrepreneurial world you need to be able to get on with people really well if you want to get anywhere. If you own or run a business, you need to be able to interact with people of all shapes and sizes, personality types and origins, if you are to do well in the [...]

Stimulating Points On Maximizing Your VA Business Now

November 22, 2010


Key ideas on Business Development from Michelle Dale, at VMF!

1. Do You Think You Are Proud or Stubborn?

As I am a real Taurean, I know that I have a big tendency to be stubborn. This resulted in me leaving school at the young age of 16 and moving away from home, even though people told me that I wouldn’t be able to look after myself being so young and that I wouldn’t be able to make a go of it in the world as I had quit on my education and so this just made me more determined to prove myself and show them how wrong they were. I readily admit that I have a lot of pride in what I do and what I achieve and this keeps me going through the ups and downs, so that if I say I am going to do something, I always come through.

After I told everybody that I know that I had decided to move to Egypt to start my business, then guess what, come what may I was doing just that and not looking back.

If you have a “Failure is not an option” attitude, then you have a good chance of succeeding.

2. How Would You Describe Your Work Ethic?

The Internet now is riddled with home-based business opportunities — work 10 minutes a day and earn $4000 a week, or buy my instant cash cow product and you’ll be driving a Ferrari by the end of next month. If you read between the lines you will see that many of these people who are touting these schemes are actually struggling for money themselves, have no idea how it all works, or whatever they are trying to sell you and are simply catering to the dream that many of us have to grab a lot of money; remember that Virtual Assistance may well be a home-based business and might well allow you to change your life so much that you can travel and be quite successful, together with a nice sized income on a monthly basis, but you have to realise that it is NOT the type of business where you can work a little and play a lot. And to take advantage of this quickly, seriously consider taking on someone looking into virtual assistant training, or even a team of virtual assistants, to maximise your efforts in a very small period of time.

Remember that you only get out what you put into any kind of venture and if you agree with this sentiment then you are perfectly positioned to become a fantastic Virtual Assistant. Don’t forget, someone looking into virtual assistance can help you with all the details, at a great price, simply because they’re still “learning the ropes.”

If you are prepared to work hard, you will always succeed. My great motivator is the fact that I absolutely love what I do and I’m proud of the business that I created and so if you really focus on looking after your business with tender care, it will repay you in spades.

3. Do You Feel an Insane Amount of Excitement?

You need to have a passionate love affair with your goal of being a Virtual Assistant, be really excited to go through the doors that will open up in front of you and take advantage of the lifestyle that you will undoubtedly come across in due course.

The idea of what being a Virtual Assistant can mean for you should make you very excited indeed, truly motivated, ready to do what it takes, under any circumstances. This amount of motivation is very important and will certainly be enough to get you going, but you will need a lot more of this excitement if you are going to elevate yourself to the very top.

Always focus on this excitement and remember that you have to STAY motivated in this way, even when the chips are down as they will be from time to time, because this excitement is what will ultimately keep you going forward… I have a FREE gift for you to help you on the path of sticking to your Virtual Assistant Business — no matter what, and you can download this absolutely free gift, right here: Thirty Seven.

Key ideas on Business Development from Michelle Dale, at VMF! 1. Do You Think You Are Proud or Stubborn? As I am a real Taurean, I know that I have a big tendency to be stubborn. This resulted in me leaving school at the young age of 16 and moving away from home, even though people told [...]

Valuable Considerations On Editing Videos For Quality

November 19, 2010


You could easily spend your life educating yourself on the finer points of video editing. This is something that people go to college for, for a long period of time to master. I’m assuming that you don’t have that kind of time to dedicate, so let’s cut right to the chase. You don’t need to be a master video editor to do a passable job and can get by with basic skills. Here’s what you need to consider when you are ready to edit videos:

(Note: These suggestions are assuming you have access to a basic editing program such as iMovie or Windows Movie Maker.) A possible solution, or perhaps – a perfect solution, is to hire a virtual assistant if you’re still having difficulty after this explanation.

1. The Audio. If you were recording straight audio, you’d be a little more picky about what you kept and what you edited out. But don’t let this tempt you to over-edit. Review your video and only get rid of the worst stumbles or tongue-tied sentences.

2. The Start and Finish. If you are filming yourself, you may have a moment at the beginning and end of your video when you are reaching forward to turn the camera on and off. One very simple edit is to just cut out these few seconds of video. Suddenly, you’ve gone from Blair Witch Project to Citizen Kane! Good for you!

3. The Intro and the Extro. Think of your favorite sitcom or TV show. Whether it’s “Howdy Doody” or “CSI: Las Vegas,” as soon as you hear that music, you know what’s coming! (Just for the record, I can still hum the “CHiPS” theme song). You certainly don’t need a professional to create a jingle for you, but an introductory slide, your website and your topic will set it all up for your audience, nicely. If you want a good example of an intro slide, look at that interview with Lynn Terry that Nicole Dean completed. You don’t really need music!

There are definitely some things that you need to avoid when video editing. Here are a few of the basics:

• Don’t over-edit. By trying to eliminate every pregnant pause, the video will end up looking very choppy and poorly made. Only take out a particularly bad slipup, or a section where you make a real mess of it.

• Keep your mouth shut. That may sound funny, but a trick to video editing is to cut the video frame when your mouth is shut so you don’t end up with that wide-eyed, yawning, Big Mouth Billy Bass look.

• Leave it a little rough. People want to know you’re a real person, not an over-processed corporate drone, especially when putting video on the internet. It has to be natural. If it is overly slick, it will scare away your viewers.

As mentioned above, video editing is a specialized field in and of itself, and it can easily become another procrastination technique if you let it. Remind yourself that you’re after passable, not perfection, and move on! If you want to get it done, and get it done fast, hire some virtual assistants or a well known virtual assistance company sometime soon!

One final word of warning, be sure that you have a particular “feel” in mind before you start the project. Find other videos online that you like and want to emulate, and try to isolate what the common threads are between them. Are female presenters preferable? Are indoor or outdoor shoots better? Are they humorous? Make a list so you can convey these points. It will be a lot easier for you to produce something that you are happy with, if you know what you want before you start.

You could easily spend your life educating yourself on the finer points of video editing. This is something that people go to college for, for a long period of time to master. I’m assuming that you don’t have that kind of time to dedicate, so let’s cut right to the chase. You don’t need to [...]

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