What Do the YouTube Changes Mean?

YouTube recently kicked a ton of people and companies out of its partner program.  This program was useful if you wanted to monetize your videos, add external links, or taking advantage of other interactivity...

Officially, the changes were made to fight "bad actors."  People who were abusing the YouTube system and monetizing content they didn't own (a well as other problems.  This blog post explains a lot of it.

I got this email today for one of my pages (not one I use often).

As of today, your channel, rhedpixeltv will no longer have access to monetization tools associated with YPP because it doesn’t meet the new threshold of 4,000 hours of watch time within the past 12 months and 1,000 subscribers. If you meet the new threshold at some point in the future, you'll be automatically re-evaluated for YPP. The reviews typically take 1-2 weeks.

The truth is it sounds scarier than it really is.

What's gone

1. The ability to make money from YouTube advertisements.  This doesn't affect me but does others.
2. The ability to link to your own webpage from a video (a major bummer). But YouTube says they will add this ability soon for all users.

What stays

1. Ability to live stream
2. Ability to brand your channel
3. Ability to use cards and annotations

So this really seems to be a block against people making money of they don't reach a certain tier.  I get it... the economy and overall ad revenue coming into YouTube has changed.  They made some switches to be more profitable.  

This video explains it well:

So the short version... Stay Calm and Stream On.

Here are some useful FAQs — https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/72851#FA

Live Webcasting with Facebook Live

While there are many webinar platforms out there, I want to take a moment just to give you a quick overview of Facebook Live. I'm going to show you how to use it right within Facebook,and then talk about some of the other options that you have. When you're ready to go live on Facebook it's as simple as clicking Live Video. 

An overview of Facebook Live from Running a Professional Webinar by Richard Harrington

Social Media Tutorial: What to Post

Watch more at http://www.lynda.com/Facebook-tutoria.... This tutorial explores how to write for social media and provides pointers for posting to social media outlets.

This tutorial is a single movie from the Social Media for Photo and Video Pros course presented by lynda.com author Rich Harrington. The complete course duration is 1 hour and 19 minutes long and shows how to use social media to its full potential and leverage the unique benefits it offers photographers and filmmakers.

Introduction 1. What Is Social Media? 2. The State of the Internet 3. Social Media Growth 4. Becoming an Enlightened Social Media User 5. Posting Strategies 6. Monitoring Your Social Identity Conclusion

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The Rise in Business Use of Social Media

Watch more at http://www.lynda.com/Facebook-tutoria.... This tutorial explains how businesses engage with social media outlets.

This tutorial is a single movie from the Social Media for Photo and Video Pros course presented by lynda.com author Rich Harrington. The complete course duration is 1 hour and 19 minutes long and shows how to use social media to its full potential and leverage the unique benefits it offers photographers and filmmakers.

• Introduction
• 1. What Is Social Media?
• 2. The State of the Internet
• 3. Social Media Growth
• 4. Becoming an Enlightened Social Media User
• 5. Posting Strategies
• 6. Monitoring Your Social Identity
• Conclusion

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Facebook Tutorial: Posting Video on the Go

Watch more at http://www.lynda.com/Facebook-tutoria.... This tutorial demonstrates how to post content generated from a mobile device, such as photos and videos, onto Facebook.

This tutorial is a single movie from the Facebook for Photo and Video Pros course presented by lynda.com author Rich Harrington. The complete course duration is 2 hours and 25 minutes long and shows how to increase your brand and take advantage of the free features in Facebook to communicate and advertise your photography or videos.

• Introduction
• 1. The Evolution of Facebook
• 2. Connecting with Colleagues and Clients
• 3. Creating a Company Page
• 4. Posting Work Samples
• 5. Managing a Client Project
• 6. Advertising Your Services
• 7. Mobile Facebook
• Conclusion

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Prepping Video Files for Social Media

Watch more at http://www.lynda.com/Facebook-tutoria.... This tutorial explains how to prepare video footage for posting on Facebook.

This tutorial is a single movie from the Facebook for Photo and Video Pros course presented by lynda.com author Rich Harrington. The complete course duration is 2 hours and 25 minutes long and shows how to increase your brand and take advantage of the free features in Facebook to communicate and advertise your photography or videos.

• Introduction
• 1. The Evolution of Facebook
• 2. Connecting with Colleagues and Clients
• 3. Creating a Company Page
• 4. Posting Work Samples
• 5. Managing a Client Project
• 6. Advertising Your Services
• 7. Mobile Facebook
• Conclusion

Follow Me on Twitter or Facebook

Get 7 days of free unlimited access to lynda.com.

A Working Definition of Social Media

Watch more at http://www.lynda.com/Facebook-tutoria.... This tutorial defines social media and explores a few social media outlets. This tutorial is a single movie from the Social Media for Photo and Video Pros course presented by lynda.com author Rich Harrington. The complete course duration is 1 hour and 19 minutes long and shows how to use social media to its full potential and leverage the unique benefits it offers photographers and filmmakers.

• Introduction
• 1. What Is Social Media?
• 2. The State of the Internet
• 3. Social Media Growth
• 4. Becoming an Enlightened Social Media User
• 5. Posting Strategies
• 6. Monitoring Your Social Identity
• Conclusion

Follow Me on Twitter or Facebook

Get 7 days of free unlimited access to lynda.com.

Why Linked In Still Matters

I was recently trying to explain LinkedIn to a few family members and friends… in this economy, people are definitely thinking about what comes next or how to protect themselves. But I think this is wrong. Business networking and your professional network can't just be resuscitated when you need it… you need to keep it healthy year round.

I recently came across my business card rolodex book, and I realized what an antique it truly was. Sure I have some pretty cards that are little bastions of miniature design… but they instantly go out of date. Here are ten reasons why I use LinkedIn… the paid version which offers more features.

1. People move around. People are constantly getting new jobs or switching employers. I need to be able to keep track of them. Once we're connected on LinkedIn, I can find them wherever they end up.
2. References matter. People have left some nice references and lots of endorsements on my profile. Nothing goes further than references… people really respond well to thoughtful opinions left about your work and character.
3. Great groups. I belong to several group on LinkedIn. These let me interact with peers in a high-quality forum environment.
4. Two or Three degrees of separation. Whenever I need a connection into a company for business… I can usually find a connection. It may be a connection that knows one of my connections, but this is an easy way to get the inside track and make a proper engagement.
5. Targeted business news. I get some great articles from my network… and why I enjoy Facebook and Twitter… there's very little talking dogs, dancing babies, and spammy ads.
6. A great app. The app of LinkedIn makes it really easy to browse the site and my connections. It also keeps my phone up to date with contact information for my network.
7. Geographic awareness. Whether I am traveling for business and want to connect (check out Here on Biz) or to filter my lists on the site to find crew and freelancers in my network, I use the site all the time to connect with other professionals.
8. It's not just resumes. You'll find videos, articles, slideshows, photos, and posts. The site is as rich as any other social media site, but a clearer focus.
9. Search for jobs or candidates. If you need to look for a job, there's lots of those. If I need to advertise a position, I can go headhunting based on lots of criteria.
10. See who's thinking bout doing business with you. Depending on privacy settings, I can see anything from their full bio to info about industry and location. This is a great way to see what's on some of your colleagues minds or to spot potential business opportunities.

Trust me… Using Linked In and taking the time to post updates and gather references… really makes a difference. Build your professional network so its strong and vibrant when you need it most.

I guess it's working… I got this in the mail today…. looks like LinkedIn just hit 200 million users…

Guy Kawasaki Keynote from TAP2013

We were pleased to host Guy Kawasaki as the opening keynote at the TAP! 2013 Conference. Guy is the author of What the Plus!, Enchantment, and ten other books. Guy is also the co-founder of Alltop.com, an online magazine rack of popular topics on the web. Previously, he was the chief evangelist of Apple.

Guy presented on his new book APE — Author • Publisher • Entrepreneur. He’ll share his vision on how the publishing process has changed – and what opportunities lie ahead.

Here is Guy's inspirational keynote. And it's ready to share, republish, and spread. Help get out message out.

Direct Link — https://soundcloud.com/rich-harrington/guy-kawasaki-tap2013

Start with a Compelling Title

The title of your eBook, app, or web video series needs to instantly capture the attention of your audience. Your title is most likely the first exposure someone will have to your digital content. There truly is something to the saying “You only have one chance to make a good first impression.” Your  title has only a few seconds to attract your target audience, grab their attention, and make them want to read, purchase, or watch.
A good title instantly tells people what your digital content is about.  Avoid “clever” puns that people have to think about. I find that being short and to the point works best. Many websites, online stores, and web video directories have character limits as to how many letters can be displayed.
Get to the point and hammer it in.