To see an ONLINE VIDEO version of this article, please visit: http://tinyurl.com/3jj5f7
I lived and worked in Hollywood for many years, right in the shadow of the famous HOLLYWOOD sign. Los Angeles is the undisputed entertainment capital of the world… or is it?
With the proliferation of video hosting sites like YouTube, and live video streaming sites like UStream.tv, these days anyone with a webcam and an idea could be the next online video sensation! You could become an Internet superstar right from your own home or office…
If you’d like a shot at web TV stardom, or if you’re just looking for new ways to promote your business, then you should be taking advantage of new web resources that make it easy to shoot and upload your own video to the web.
YouTube has delivered online video to the masses, but now there are even ways to “broadcast” live from the web. One of the more popular web streaming sites is UStream.tv.
Ustream makes it easy to do a live broadcast right from your computer. Just sign up for a free account, fire up your webcam and click the “broadcast now” icon. Then, boom! You’re “on the air,” instantly, streaming live over the web!
Once you’ve got your own channel on UStream, you’ve got to drive viewers to your show. You can do that by sending out an e-mail with the URL to your list, or by posting your show’s unique URL on Facebook and Twitter.
The great thing about UStream is that it’s interactive – your viewers can ask you questions or make comments in real time using the chat function. This makes UStream a great way to host live teleseminars or Q & A sessions with your clients and “fans.”
In addition, you can record your UStream show so that your customers can watch it later. In fact, you can submit your “saved” show to Technorati, Digg and StumbleUpon. Of course, you can also upload it to the usual video hosting sites like YouTube.
One final tip to increase the viral nature of your show: Sign up for a free account at TubeMogul.com. When you upload your video to TubeMogul, they will then blast it out to bunch of other video sites like Blip.tv, AOL Video, Revver, MySpace and several other video sites.
Last, but not least, remember to take the “embed” code provided by YouTube or the other video sites and copy and paste it into your own blog. That way, you’ll get extra mileage out of your video by including it and promoting it in your blog.
Take the plunge into the world of online video and live streaming video, and you’ll be hooked! You’ll improve your search engine rankings, publicize your business, and maybe even become a web TV star!
Lou Bortone is an award-winning writer and video producer with over 20 years experience in marketing, branding and promotion. As an online video expert, Lou helps entrepreneurs create video for the web at www.TheOnlineVideoGuy.com. In addition, Lou works as a freelance writer and professional ghostwriter, with a ghostwriting site at www.GhostwriteForYou.com and a blog at www.GhostwriteGuru.com.