Have you ever thought about making and posting an online video?

If so, then I ask...“What’s stopping you?”

Maybe it’s a profound fear of looking like an idiot.

Understandable. But I can tell you from experience, you’re
always going to be far more critical than anyone else. So you
just have to get over it.

When I made my first video I thought I was having a bit of a
bad hair day. But I posted it anyway. Then lo and behold a
friend spontaneously posted a compliment about my hair when she
saw the video. Go figure.

Now, if you’re willing to make a little bit of a fool of
yourself, you can do like Lou Bortone, The Online Video Guy.
His videos are a hoot with crazy costumes and fun
personalities. I love watching them and know his stuff has gone
viral (http://www.loutube.com).

But you don’t have to do anything crazy to make an effective
video. Just offer valuable information in an upbeat manner. And
be authentic. People will love it.

Of course, maybe you’re stuck because you don’t know HOW to
actually record, edit, format and upload video to the Web.

Problem solved!

Below are exactly the steps I take. I’m not an online video
expert by any means. But I’ve had people who saw my videos get
in touch because that got them interested in hiring me. You can
do the same.

So, here’s how to record, edit and post a video online in 9
simple steps...

1) Buy a Flip video camera. They cost about $125 (you don’t
need the fanciest one) and are well worth it—even if you
already own a traditional mini-dv recorder. Some people
recommend getting a Web cam instead. I know they’re
cheaper but they don’t come with all the features of the Flip
you’re gonna need to do this. Plus, you can’t take a Web cam
with you…And that’s half the fun.

2) Set up an account at either YouTube.com or MySpace.com. Or both.

3) Script and/or outline your video and practice it a couple
times. Shorter is better. I shoot for between 30 seconds and 3
minutes. Longer than that and you gotta be talking about
something really interesting or you’ll lose people. Visual aids
are good if you want to hold people’s attention for longer
chunks of time.

4) Spend a few minutes making a couple test videos then record
the real thing. I often simply hold my arm out and aim the
camera back at my face to record my videos. I’ve also put it on
a little tripod and strapped it to a tree. You should note that
while they say it’s got a 12 ft range, I’ve found 6 ft or less
is optimal for decent sound.

5) Once you’ve got a video you like, plug your Flip into your
computer USB port and wait for the software to auto load. Now
you can edit and save your video. And it’s dead easy. If you go
into “create a movie” you can even add basic opener and closer
slides that fade in and out.

6) Once it’s all ready to go, just choose to share your video
online and the software will give you a choice of posting it on
YouTube, MySpace or prepping it for email. Make your pick and
follow the prompts. Once it’s done just click the link
to “return to browser” and you’ll go directly to the login page
of that site.

7) Log in to your account and choose to edit your video. Here
you need to add important bits like title, description and
keywords. Be sure to include your Website URL at the start of
your description with http:// before the www. Change any other
settings you’d like while you’re there as well. I typically
make comments allowed only with approval but always allow
public sharing.

8) Post your video at http://www.tubemogul.com. I learned about
this from Lou Bortone. This little service will repost your
video on tons of other sites automatically. Way cool!

9) Let everyone you know, know. Email about it. Post it—or a
link to it—on your Website and blog. Twitter about it. Stick it
on your facebook page...You get the idea.

I’ll admit, getting your first video out there can feel a
little scary. But I promise once you do one, you’ll see how
easy it really is and start having fun.