Animoto Tutorial: How to Create a Quick Video with Your Own Pictures

The new Animoto slide/video creation site animoto.com. provides an easy to use platform to create quick and effective videos and market your business online. Animoto allows you to upload photos and your own music or music from their library. The music is by artists who allow their music to be played publicly without a royalty fee.

Here's a quick tutorial I made to walk you through making a quick Animoto video.



Here's a sample of one of those videos.



Then there are many other features as far as what you can do with the video. For instance: uploading it to YouTube, Facebook, MySpace, your website or blog. I recommend this site to anyone looking to enhance their video making skills and especially for internet marketers. I still recommend simple videos that reveal who you are, but this is just another complement to your arsenal of tools to market online.

Blogger Basics and Key Features

Here's a video tutorial I posted on YouTube on the basics and advantages of blogging. Particularly this blog service right here - Blogger.com - A free blog platform that allows you to create multiple blogs, update them as often as you want, and add an array of features and gadgets.



Blog is short for weblog and is a way to keep a journal or log online about your goings on, activities, interest, or business. Blogging is an excellent tool for business promotion and a great way to network with other marketers and potential clients.

Gaining a readership to your blog or a following is no easy task and comes with consistency and offering content that is of value. That content may be of an informational nature or entertainment value. There really is no limit to what can be done with your blog.

Blogging not only is a great form of sharing content on the web, informing others about yourself, and networking; it also can be used to link to your other websites, create valuable backlinks, and get you high page ranking through organic or natural page ranking.

The are many blog services available on the web and most of them are free. Some people choose to host their own blog through their web host or on their own server. This provides even more flexibility and features, although the principles remain the same.

Ezinearticles.com Creator Features James Broadfoot on His Blog

My special thanks to Christopher Knight,CEO and Creator of Ezinearticles.com for giving me an unexpected mention on his site's blog.

Here's the Post




My last entry featured a video tutorial in how to submit an article to Ezinearticles. This video was originally uploaded to YouTube and somehow Chris Knight became aware of it and posted it on the Ezinearticles blog.

It just goes to show that you never know when you're going to receive an unexpected and valuable reward for your efforts; and you never know where it's going to come from.

Article writing has long been a favorite internet activity of mine, not only for creating traffic, but as a form of self expression and discovery. As an advocate of writing articles and contributing good content to the web, I highly recommend exporing this yourself. The potential to reach people in your area of expertise and to interchange ideas is an area I will continue to emphasis.

Here's the Post

Feel free to check out my video and the nice mention I received from Mr. Knight on his blog, as well as delving deeper into the world of article submission. Subscribing to a few of the endless ezines,categories and subjects wouldn't be a bad idea either. There are many article directory sites, but I must say Ezinearticles is one of the best.

Submitting Articles to Ezinearticles:Video Tutorial

Get your articles read, generate free traffic to your website, and create valuable backlinks to your website or blog by posting on the popular article sites. This tutorial teaches you the basics in submitting an article, specifically to ezinearticles.com.




Article writing is just a drop in the bucket of the many free ways to promote your online business or opportunity. Writing and submitting quality articles with good content is a great way to generate traffic to your website. Ezinearticles.com is one of the leading article submission sites.

There are numerous article submission sites and they all vary slightly from site to site, but the basics are very similar in how to submit your article. This is an excellent free method to create valuable content and contribute to the internet marketing community. Interested subscribers will read your content and visit your other opportunities to find out more.

The topics and subjects to write on are limitless. Just find a subject area that you're passionate about and compose an article consisting of four to eight hundred words or about three to seven paragraphs filled with good content and value about your topic. Do a little keyword research and load your article with longtail keywords and keyword rich content so the search engines will spider your article and give you a higher page ranking.

Bloggers may use your articles on their blogs which further increases your web exposure and, of course, it's mandatory for them to include and keep your links in tact. I highly recommend submitting articles to the article directories because of the many advantages to your marketing efforts.

Flip Mino Review or "Endorsement"

My Flip Mino Review is actually a ringing endorsement. Listed below the video are some features and specs. My favorite features are the easy to use touch-sensitive controls, the big red record button, the "handle-ability", the tripod mount, and the ease of use in general. Least favorite features: buttons can be a little too sensitive or not responsive enough when in use and standing on its own while trying to keep frame still during adjustments. Sensitivity to light is at times hard to predict, but overall an excellent and fun to use electronic device. Highly recommended. Well worth the low cost, which may vary from online to standard retailers.

This will be a boon to my business and I can see the value that even a non-techie professional can gain from having a Mino. My special thanks and gratitude go out to Jamie Simmons and Wynn Ahern of Pure Digital Technologies,Inc. for sending me the unit to review.

Suggested uses in business for the Mino:
Impromptu testimonials
Sales presentations
Legal depositions
Mini-commercials for video sites
Real estate walk thrus
Real estate property tapings
Insurance damage
Emergencies
Used for a memory device
Demonstrations of all kinds
Meeting documentation
Get-togethers, celebrations, and award banquets

Here's my video endorsement:




Flip Mino Specifications:
Weight 3.3 oz.
One-touch push button record with 2x digital zoom
Touch-sensitive buttons for instant recording, playback, fast forward, rewind, pause and delete
Built-in software compatible w/PC or Mac:
Instant upload to MySpace, YouTube, and AOL Video
One-click emailing of videos and video
Custom editing, movie mixes, set to your own music
Capture still photos from video
TV connection for instant viewing (cable included)
Tripod mount
Available accessories (sold separately): AC power adapter, tripod, action mount, and pouch
TheFlip.com
Available in black or white: MSRP $179.99.

Article Writing Increases Your Web Traffic: Here are the Basics

Article writing is one of the best ways to generate traffic to your website or blog. It really isn't that difficult once you learn the basics and the results will pay off. You don't have to be an expert to compose an effective article that gets read and creates traffic. The first thing to consider when writing an article is to pick a specific topic. Compose your article beforehand, then just copy and paste it to the article sites and make the necessary adjustments once logged in to that article site.

The best method is to use a conversational approach as if you're talking to a friend. This will ease any pressure you have in composing the piece, as well as, ending up with a more effective final product once it reaches your audience. Do not "pitch" your opportunity in the article directories. In fact, you don't have to mention your opportunity at all.

Write about an area of expertise you know about, then compose four to five short paragraphs about it. Most article sites have a resource box that you can give a short pitch, introduction, or bio that can contain a link or two to your opportunity. The article directories are particular about obvious pitches and I have had a few articles denied because of even mentioning benefits of a program, but there are ways around this. Like I mentioned, write about a related skill and do your "pitching" in the resource box. Or write an "unbiased review" of the opportunity you are promoting.

Some basic topics that just about anybody can write an article about are, "How Online Marketing is a Great Way to Earn Extra Money", "Top 10 Reasons to Start a Home Based Business", "Why Stay-at-Home Moms Are Turning to Home Based Businesses", or "Recession Proof Businesses".

The first paragraph should be an introduction and present a problem. The second paragraph should offer solutions to this problem. For example, the economy is tough, what is a way to make an extra income? An online business. Or, what are the most common Craigslists mistakes? Then go on to explain the solutions. Offer an example or two and a testimonial about how it worked for you or someone you know.

Then simply conclude your article by reinforcing the main points. So you want to be conversational, include examples and ways to overcome obstacles, and increase your credibility with endorsements. These are the basics and will work as a basic guideline until you become more comfortable and develop your own writing style.

Finally, an important but overlooked element, is the call to action. This applies to the spoken word too. A call to action is simply directing or asking the reader what action to take. Whether subtle or direct, do not omit this step. Whether it is to buy, sign up or support something, be sure to include instructions as to what you want them to do in the first place. On article sites be subtle and save this for the resource box.

If these bases are covered, your article will do the job. Why does this work and How does this help you? Well, article sites have subscribers, so when you submit and get an article accepted it automatically gets read by that subsciber base in the related subject. This increases your web presence and credibility. Also, your article will get picked up by other sites who use these sites for fresh content on their own sites with your links in tact. Lastly, and best of all, the search engines can pick up the content within your article and give you free and organic page ranking. It also creates backlinks to your site, which further helps your page ranking.

Here are some things to remember when submitting an article:

1. Don't pitch or sell.

2. Write articles in advance and change the title and a few sentences around when submitting to different article sites to avoid duplicate content.

3. Have a premade paragraph saved to use in your "resource box". Here is an example, John Q. Public lives in Pine View, Kansas with his family and has found out how to make an income from home. Visit Here (LINK) to see his latest opportunity or visit his blog HERE(LINK)to learn more.

To create a clickable link on these sites, just VIEW THIS VIDEO as I cannot create an example without it creating a link. This is about the only HTML you need to know if you don't already know HTML.



Find more videos like this on zero2riches


Click Here or What you want link to say

The http:// is where you want it to go, and the CLICK HERE between the >< will show up as a clickable blue link.

4. Abide by the Terms and Conditions. Most of them are the same and allow no more than two links in resource box. You can put links in the body but the rules get complex.

5. The first 3 words of the article title are the most important-make them count.

Some Article Sites I submit to regularly:

ezinearticles.com
amazines.com (you create your "resource box" as your last paragraph in the body)
articlebiz.com
articlecube.com
articlecity.com
articledashboard.com
goarticles.com

If you absolutely do not want to write articles, there are services that will help you with this. I would highly recommend having at least a few articles out there, as they will increase your web presence and credibility.

[Election 08] , Who knew?

Here's something pretty wild. Although I have no political aspirations I still thought this was worth posting.

Explorer vs. Firefox?

I like to consider myself somewhat in the loop as far as internet trends and technology go, but I guess I've been a little stubborn when it comes to switching to Firefox exclusively. Of course I'm referring to the internet browser offered by Mozilla that most internet users are either already using are switching from Explore to anyway.

I don't know if this is a huge debate or issue, since it does not after all, require a total commitment to switch from Microsoft's standby. You can indeed use one, or the other, both, or even both at the same time. Just lately, however, it has really become an issue.

I heard ramblings a year or so ago about how even Bill Gates himself admits that the platforms and applications on today's internet are not compatible or supported by Explorer. Still, I just ho-hummed all this and went on with my business.

My question is why not? Why would the very anchor of internet accessibility not be on or ahead of the curve. Who knows? Anyway, lately I have gradually started using my Firefox, even though it's been on my desktop for some time now. Mostly out of frustration with Explorer. The results have been quite favorable, even though, it takes a little getting used to change. But online, of course, that is the name of the game.

There are also a whole host of other browser services too, but that is the subject of another entry. I just know I ignored what I had heard and stubbornly clung to my familiar Explorer and will more than likely say goodbye all together if it is not updated.

I don't know why it has gotten so difficult for Explorer to perform lately. It has seemed to work fine, then slow, then slower, than really squirrely, then fine again. I just thought it may be my computer or something. The bottom line is Firefox has saved me on many occasion lately and I guess that can't be a coincidence.

I still don't know the what or why or what Microsoft intends to do, if anything. All I know is I'll still have Explorer on my desktop and Firefox as the primary vehicle for my work. Please leave a comment and let me know your thoughts or just enlighten me as to what your experiences have been related to this issue.

Keywords Tip : Long Tail Keywords Improve Your Ad Copy

Keywords are the foundation to any copy or text you have on the internet. Since that is the case it is important to know exactly what they are and the function they perform. What's the big deal aren't they just words? Well yes and no. Keywords are the specific words you expand the rest of your copy around so that when people are searching for specific subject they are presented with results related to what they are looking for.

This sounds easy enough but the truth of the matter is certain words are very profitable and as a result very competitive. This can deter the inexperienced from entering the game all together. Some incredibly competitive categories are 'making money online', 'auto insurance', 'home loans', 'lawyer', and 'mesothelioma'. Meso what? That is or has been the number one and most competitive keyword for some time now, based on the million dollar court settlements related to this disease. Big law firms vie for top ranking with this keyword every day. The point is certain words and phrases are competitive for a reason. Money.

It is important to grasp this concept early on in you internet marketing journey to avoid a lot of wasted time and money. There are experts who do nothing but target these top profitable keywords making it seem impossible for the novice to carve out their position. You can do one of two things. You can learn the strategies and become an expert yourself or you can find ways to attract the overflow of people who are searching for related topics, but just not the exact keyword.

What I'm referring to specifically is 'long tail keywords'. There are tools that allow you to create these long tail keywords that have many people searching for them but little competition. That is the key and I'll repeat it. Heavily searched words and phrases with little competition. Let say you're offering vitamins and natural supplements on your website or you have an affiliate link to such a site, you might be ready to promote it. When composing your page copy or ad; find ways to use the lesser used word combination. For example, the word "vitamins" is very competitive, as well as the word "health", so find a phrase like "new homeopathic remedies" or "family health solution", or discount vitamins in Dallas, Texas".

Finding just the right combination won't happen instantly but once you find it run with it. This is what the top internet earners do. It takes experimentation and split testing but the results of the extra time spent is quite rewarding. A well written ad will bring in more traffic and well written copy will call the reader to action. It is also more likely that that copy will be crawled and appear in the result and rank higher natural when people are searching for that phrase. This is referred to as ranking organically.

Some more steps to take when composing an ad for a pay per click campaign are to make sure your keywords appear in your ad title and somewhere in your two-line description. Google will bold the keyword wherever it appears, so the more often you include it in your ad, the more your ad stands out. Google will also consider your ad more relevant to the keyword which can translate into a lower cost per click for you. Plus, your ad will appear more relevant to the person who typed in that keyword, so they’ll be more likely to click on your ad.

Another important tip regarding Google Adwords which is the main pay per click service is to set a daily budget and to use the adwords tool to set your bid for those words. Bidding of cours determines how often your ad will appear in the results. This is why it's best to look for those combinations that only cost around .05 versus $15 or $20 on up per click. Set your budget options to the standard delivery method so your ads show evenly over time. Then set the ad serving option to “rotate” so your ads are displayed more evenly. These settings will give you the best variety of searchers.

Keep all of this information in mind when composing page copy or ad campaigns. It will make the difference in how far your ad dollar goes. It will also make the difference in being organically ranked which is better than paid traffic to begin with. Just remember to use long tail keywords instead of the competive expensive words and to try a variety of combinations.