social media

Jan 22, 2013

YouTube compilation – winter wonderland

The power of YouTube compilation videos.


YouTube compilationsThe last YouTube compilation I posted was two years when I shared the BBC Wildlife voiceover clip. Since it’s been below freezing for the last week in the UK, and it’s snowing heavily outside right now, I thought I’d add a bit of humour with this YouTube compilation video of pratfalls in the snow and ice.

What’s so special about YouTube compilation videos?

YouTube compilations have the possibility of going viral. The one I’m sharing here only has 1310 views so far but could blossom into an online hit. Which means that you can get some reflected glory from Google by posting it on your blog from YouTube. All you need to do is click on ‘Embed’ under the video, copy the code it gives you and post this into your blog post. (This was a secret shared by one of the top internet marketers in the US!)

So I’m not only sharing something that might make you laugh, wince or stay indoors until the ice goes. I’m also giving you a heads up that sharing a top YouTube compilation video could help your blog get some exposure.

Of course it would be better to produce your own viral YouTube video like Dave Carroll’s brilliant “United Break Guitars”. This video has had almost 3 million hits and propelled its maker into fame and fortune. So much so that he now does the speaking circuit talking about complaint resolution.

So with all the technology available to you it’s not too difficult to get creative and produce something a bit ‘off the wall’ which catches on. Who knows. You could be the next big thing on YouTube!

Warning – some people were hurt in the making of this YouTube compilation!


By Andy Britnell YouTube 9 Comments Tags: , , ,

Jun 2, 2011

WordPress Plugins – the good, the bad and the ugly – part 1

WordPress plugins - the good, the bad and the uglyOne of the great things about a self-hosted WordPress blog is that you get to play with a powerful array of plugins. These are small bits of software that can add functionality, provide a better customer experience for your visitors and give you the technology to generate more traffic to your blog.

If you are a veteran blogger and have some technical ability most of the WordPress plugins available will be easy to use and manage and you should be able to stear clear of any pitfalls.

If you are new to the game you will need to be aware of the essential WordPress plugins to use, the ones to avoid and the more powerful but technically challenging ones that you might need help with.

So what is good about WordPress plugins?

I tend to split this into five different types. For each one I have given a link to the plugins that apply. This is by no means an exhaustive list and there are alternatives which may suit your blog better. These are the ones I tend to use on the blogs I write and manage that work and add value.

Traffic generation WordPress Plugins.

All in One SEO Pack – allows you to optimise posts and pages with keywords and appropriate titles and descriptions.

XML Sitemaps – easy way for you to create and submit site-maps to search engines.

Social Media WordPress Plugins.

Simple Facebook Connect- allows visitors to like your posts and pages and much more.

Xhanch My Twitter – visitors can see your recent tweets and connect with you on Twitter.

ShareThis – allows visitors to add your content to almost all social media sites.

Visitor experience.

Subscribe To Comments Reloaded – allows visitors to subscribe to comments.

CommentLuv – I like this and intend to install it as it rewards other bloggers who comment by giving a link to their latest blog post when they have commented. Share the luv and it might come back to you. It does encourage more contribution from your audience.

Widget Context – you could do a lot of coding to manage where your sidebars with widgets appear on your blog. This allows you to customize your blog layout without coding knowledge.

Assessing blog effectiveness.

Google Analytics for WordPress – allows you to track your blog with Google Analytics – possibly better for someone who wants to up their game. if you are a beginner try Google Analyticator.

Feedburner Feedsmith – allows you to deliver user-friendly RSS feeds via a reader or email, get statistics on subscribers and see what people are reading.

WP Super Cache – speeds up delivery of your blog to visitors (helps with SEO as 9 out of 10 search engines prefer faster loading sites!) You may need a bit of geekery to get this working. I’ve had a bit of trouble getting this one to work myself. Possibly should be under the “Ugly” list as it might be a bit intimidating for the beginner.

Revision Control – how many times do you edit a post? You could have quite a few revisions bloating your database. This keeps your revisions at a manageable limit.

You will need to come back to Part Two for the bad and the ugly. This post expanded more than I thought it would.

What are your favourite WordPress plugins and why?

By Andy Britnell WordPress Plugins 9 Comments Tags: , , , , , ,

May 20, 2011

From Fear to Fun – the Blogging Experience

Sally Shalam's Britain - Testimonials for Andy britnell - See a Man About a BlogIf you’ve been wondering why it’s taken me so long to do a post it’s because I’ve been heavily involved in helping one of my clients to set up a great travel blog. What with my current clients, new ones engaging my services, and delivering blogging and social media workshops, I haven’t quite found the time.

What inspires and motivates me most is getting a great idea launched for someone and for them to feel the process has been fun, productive and motivational. I could blab on for ages about what I do, but there is nothing better than unsolicited feedback from satisfied clients.

This one is from Guardian reviewer Sally Shalam who is delighted with her new blog Sally Shalam’s Britain, an independent and personal view of some of the best accommodation and tourist destinations in Britain. It’s early days but I reckon this is going to be extremely popular with people who want a fair and objective review from an expert who has a good eye for what’s cool and contemporary and knows what the discerning traveller is looking for. This is what Sally has to say about working with me:

“If only I’d known how much fun setting up my blog was going to be. Andy has taken me through a step-by-step process at a pace which I am comfortable with.

Much of the setting up is down to him, but our sessions are always part-tutorial so I came away feeling empowered and inspired to contribute myself from day one.

Now I can tackle the things I need to do – from blog posts to SEO – with confidence and manage the blog myself but I know he is on hand when I am too busy or get stuck.

Social media is such vital part of any business but I needed someone to de-mystify it for me.

Thanks Andy, for professionalism without geek-speak, patience without being patronising, and exactly the blog I want. Don’t struggle to get your own blog up and running, just go and See A Man About A Blog.”

By Andy Britnell Shaggy Blog Stories, Writing a blog 4 Comments Tags: , , , , , , ,

Feb 1, 2011

You’ve got to be joking…

A great friend of mine shared a brilliant video via Twitter the other day. Unfortunately it was from wimp.com which means I can’t share it here apart from a link which is at bottom of this post. Here is a similar one from YouTube:

Which brings me to the subject of this post – how well does humour work on a blog or in social media?

I’ve seen some links to very dubious videos that were quite frankly unwelcome intrusions in my busy day, so now I’m very selective about whose links I click on. You can go off someone very quickly when they post a tasteless link on Twitter.

Also what counts as humourous for one person is not necessarily found funny by another. You run the risk of alienating your audience if you sail a bit close to the edge.

However I find that a funny link can lift my spirits and that laughter can help to put things back into perspective. So sharing a fun piece can have a valuable effect on others. If you do offend someone maybe they are just not your target market.

I think that before posting something you just need to double-check to see if it adds value in some way. If in doubt, leave it out.

What are your thoughts about using humour for social media and blogging?

Many thanks to Louise Billington for the original link to Animal Voice Overs on wimp.com

By Andy Britnell Shaggy Blog Stories 12 Comments Tags: , , , , , ,