I have created a "draft" of a YouTube video to promote our site (see also What should a YouTube video to promote LLSE contain?). It is an instructional video consisting of a screencast. No other editing (title card, copyright/licence) has been done since it is only a draft to give you the opportunity to comment. The video is at https://youtu.be/Gmf-rAyhP4k and currently "unlisted", so only people who have the link can find it. I will later replace it with the final version - based on your comments.
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After watching the video, I quite like it. It goes from covering the basic StackExchange model to the specifics of our site, and I think it will have success in drawing in new users by posting it on various language learning communities around the Internet.– fi12Aug 8, 2017 at 21:49
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One suggestion I do have is to create captions for the video to make it more accessible for non-native speakers of English.– fi12Aug 8, 2017 at 21:49
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@fi12 When the video is ready for public release I will add both captions (aka subtitles for the Deaf and hard of hearing) and subtitles in German and Dutch. (From an accessibility point of view, captions and subtitles are very different things.)– Tsundoku ModAug 9, 2017 at 9:58
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Did you have any further progress on this? I think I will have some spare time during the holidays, and the Ukrainian Language desperately needs a promo, too. So we can work together to share the effort, e.g. make a "standard" screenplay, make each promo video in several base languages, etc.– Be Brave Be Like UkraineDec 24, 2017 at 2:28
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@bytebuster I haven't created a new version yet. I need a good microphone and at the moment I only have the one that comes with a headset. I'll have access to a proper microphone again starting 4 January.– Tsundoku ModDec 24, 2017 at 17:52
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@ChristopheStrobbe, if your time permits, could we focus on screenplay then? I can also scan sister SE sites to find any references to their promo videos. Maybe we can learn some ideas about how they do it.– Be Brave Be Like UkraineDec 25, 2017 at 2:03
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2 Answers
Good job, thanks for sharing it! This video really looks helpful.
I have several thoughts when watching it; it may or may not be sound, totally up to your consideration:
- This video is mostly about the SE engine, not about the LL.SE; it would be fine if it were one of a series, but this video alone may not be self-sustainable enough for a newbie;
IMO, this video can be improved by focusing on the direct user's needs. Imagine a language learner who randomly found this video on YouTube. This person has their own problems while learning. It may be a good idea not to focus on SE engine, reputation etc., but instead follow a "user story", something like:
John is a {L1} speaker who learns {specific L2}. During the course of their study, John faces the problem of [...].
John goes to a search engine and finds a link to LL.SE where a similar question was asked {now show up the question, rep points, etc}.
Then, John navigates the site to find for a better match for their needs {show navigation controls}
John then sees that the existing question does not completely satisfy John's needs. {now show how to ask a new question}
etc.The above is also important from the point of searchability, e.g. the more precisely it matches the possible users' searches on Google the more hits will it receive.
Please turn on some "smooth scrolling" in your browser; I didn't always follow when it scrolled fast :-)
Having a written script would make the video more compact and dynamic; I'd say one can easily save 20% of screen time without losing any content.
answered Aug 9, 2017 at 12:28
Good job, I like it!
In addition to @bytebuster's comments, I'd like to mention a few tips for screencasts:
In Google Chrome, you can create a new profile for temporary use (or use guest mode) and that will hide your bookmarks and extensions. This will remove potential distractions. (If advertisements show, you can still enable adblock or whatnot, but just right-click on the icon and select "Hide in Chrome menu".)
Since this video is intended to be promotional (at least in part), consider shortening it a little. 6:52 is a little on the long side; for promotional videos (e.g. trailers) 3-4 minutes is usually the max. Try adding stimulating/interesting questions or a story (like bytebuster suggested).
See:
[How long should a promotional video be?[(http://bullhornmedia.tv/how-long-should-a-promotional-video-be/)(dead link, verified on 26.12.2020);- What’s the Ideal Length for a YouTube Marketing Video? A look into Video Duration vs. Social Sharing by Greg Jarboe, 5 November 2012;
- Hook them with your channel trailer on YouTube Creator Academy.
On the other hand, if this video is not intended to be promotional, but rather instructional, I think the length is probably fine, but make sure to cover how one asks and answers a question as well.
