YouTube Copyright Explained By Puppets

Copyright can be confusing, especially when it comes to YouTube. Most people who post videos use someone else's music, which they usually don't own or pay for, and are later surprised when they're presented with a takedown notice. That's not the end of it though, as copyright has a number of additional aspects to it that attempts to make it easy for all parties to come away satisfied.

Here's a set of copyright rules for YouTube courtesy of reelseo that also has some great links to more detail, if needed. Below that is a movie by Glove And Boots that attempts to simplify the rules with a bit of humor.

Here's the set of rules:

• If you upload original content on YouTube, you're protected by copyright.  If you upload another creator's content, they're protected by copyright.
• If your original content is stolen by someone else, YouTube has a takedown notice policy.  All you have to do is send a copyright infringement notice.
• ContentID is triggered automatically when you upload content that has audio or video that has been claimed by another copyright owner.  So while the video is processing, ContentID is already working on the video to make sure it's completely original content.
• In some cases, the uploader has paid money for the rights to show copyrighted content, and in that case, people can file a dispute.  The process can start straight from your YouTube Video Manager.
• There are two ways a video can be removed or blocked: the takedown notice and the ContentID match.  To see the difference between the two, click here.
• Sometimes, though, the takedown notice is in error, or malicious.  In that case, you can use a counter takedown notice.  Under Fair Use, you are commenting, remixing, or criticizing (and a few other "ings") copyrighted content.

Thanks, Glove & Boots, for making this boring topic fun to watch!

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YouTube Channel Ranking Tips

One thing that you'll see in many posts on this blog, in my social media clinics, and in my Music 3.0 book, is the fact that the description plays a huge part in a video's SEO. Most videos creators supply just the bare essentials when writing the description, if that, and you hardly ever see any links.

Well if you want your videos to get more traction, here are a couple of tips:

1. Write a description of about 200 words

2. Put a link back to your website in the description.

Of course, the same can be said for your YouTube channel, as a description is an important part of the way people find you, as is the title of the channel itself.

Here's a good video from ReelSEO that covers those points very well.

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A Tip To Improve Your YouTube Search Ranking

Here's a quick and easy tip to improve your YouTube video and channel search ranking from Tim Schmoyer's Creator's Tips over on the ReelSEO blog.

The way that most of us point people, artists, bands and brand to their YouTube channels is by providing a simple URL that looks like this:

http://youtube.com/yournamehere

In my case, my YouTube channel is called polymedia (it's a long story why I don't use bobbyowsinski) so my URL looks like this:

http://youtube.com/polymedia

The problem with this is that both YouTube and Google searches actually looks at it like this:

"http://youtube.com/user/yournamehere", or my my case, "http://youtube.com/user/polymedia"

It seems like such a small thing, but if you add the "user" into the URL yourself, Google ranks your channel higher than if you don't use it. Thus for me:

"http://youtube.com/user/polymedia" will rank higher than "http://youtube.com/polymedia"

Reports are that people who have added the "user" to their URL's have jumped in rankings from in the 20's to the top 3. It doesn't look as nice, but if Google likes it better and will rank you higher, that's the way to go.

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Help support this blog. Any purchases made through our Amazon links help support this website with no cost to you.

You should follow me on Twitter for daily news and updates on production and the music business.

Check out my Big Picture blog for discussion on common music, engineering and production tips and tricks.

How To Connect With Video Influencers

It's always about relationships, whether in our every day lives or online. We can't get ahead in life or business unless we cultivate those friendships, and that goes for promotion as well. But how to you pitch someone who has more influence that you without either coming off as needy or as spam?

Here's an interesting video from Tim Schmoyer at reelseo.com that shows you one of the best ways to connect with a video influencer (or any influencer for that matter) to build a relationship.

If you don't have the time to watch it, Tim's 6 tips are simple:

1. Become engaged in other creators blogs and videos
2. Be genuine
3. Start with your niche
4. Collaborate with others at your level
5. Give a glowing review
6. Invest the time.

Watch the video as Tim explains in depth.

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You should follow me on Twitter for daily news and updates on production and the music business.

Check out my Big Picture blog for discussion on common music, engineering and production tips and tricks.

Optimizing Video For Mobile

ReelSEO recently posted a video called "5 Tips For Optimizing Video For Mobile Users" that had a number of good points. I'm going to save you the 6 minutes it takes to watch it by giving you the tips below.

As my recent post about mobile video engagement indicated, viewers watch videos a lot longer than they do on their desktops. In order to maintain their attention, take note of the following:

1. Avoid using tiny text. Make sure any text you use is readable on any screen that the video might be viewed on.

2. Make sure the audio is clear. Great audio is always a plus, but even more so when viewing on a phone. Remember that the speakers are small, so you're not going to hear a lot of bass, but that's okay as long as everything is intelligible. Also remember that there's lots of ambient noise so make sure the audio is able to cut through it.

3. Make sure to include links in the video description. A video without links to your site is an opportunity wasted. You want them to continue as a fan, so be sure it's easy for them by including a link.


4. Use lots of close-ups. Close-up shots work great on small screens - wide shots don't.

5. Test the video on your own phone before you upload it. What good is it if it doesn't get the point across? The only way that you'll know for sure is if you test it.

Good tips to keep in mind the next time you make a video. Remember that it's more than likely that a great number of your viewers will be watching on their phone. You can watch the entire clip on ReelSEO.

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Check out my Big Picture blog for discussion on common music, engineering and production tips and tricks.

Does a Video Really Have To Be Viral?

We'd all like to have the next big viral video with several million views overnight, but the likelihood of that happening is almost as remote as winning the lottery. That said, perhaps a viral video isn't the key to promotion after all. As you can see from the infographic below, sometimes a clever promotional video that isn't viral in the slightest can be just as effective (or even more so) in getting the word out.

Although the focus is on a hygienic product, it could just as well be about your next single, album, tour or merchandise. In the article where this came on ReelSEO, three premises are stated:

“Screw Viral Videos” Reason 1: Focus on Distribution

“Screw Viral Videos” Reason 2: Not Social Enough

"Screw Viral Videos" Reason 3: Make the Videos that YOU Want to See

I think the sooner that you get the idea that a video must go viral to be successful, the sooner you begin to make a video that's more effective for your promotion.

You can read the entire article here.  Below the infographic, you'll find the video that cause the stir.

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The 3 Secrets To Online Video Contests

Here's an excerpt from a great post over at ReelSeo.com about how to run a successful online video contest. It's actually based on a white paper from Launchpad6, a site that specializes in conducting this kinds of contests. Whether you use them or not, the following 3 tips are worth considering.
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"The team over at Launchpad6 has created a 3-step success formula that should help you come up with a great contest idea, offer the right prizes and choose the right promotional mix to help ensure your contest is a success.

1. The Premise

Premise refers to the contest idea and is the most important part of a successful video contest. By asking yourself the following questions, you should be able to determine if your contest idea will be successful:

• Is content readily available or easily created?
• Is the content itself interesting?
• Is the content shareable?
• Is there enough passion for the idea?
• Is there an element of voyeurism involved?
• Are you harnessing group mentalities?

2. The Prize

While big cash prizes can bring your contest a lot of attention and help you gain reach, it is often more niche prizes that get better results as they appeal to your target market and drive sales. Here are some thoughts to ponder:

• Does the prize appeal to my target market?
• Is it unique and attractive?
• Is the prize valuable to my target market?
• How can I offer supplementary or bonus prizes?

3. The Promotion

Video Contests have a natural self-promotion mechanism as uploaders tell their friends vote on their video. However, it is essential to promote your contest and get as many initial entrants as possible. Consider these promotional ideas:

• Create a contest video and seed around the web
• List your contest in directory sites
• Utilize product packaging
• Harness your social channels
• Consider partnering with an industry publication

As the weeks go by and the series progresses, we will elaborate on these points and give you more ideas and information to help make your video contest a success. Either stay tuned for the next post, or download the whitepaper from Launchpad6."

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4 Steps For Creating A Video Blog Post

I saw this great article on ReelSEO.com by Nick Stamoulis called "4 Tips For Creating A Video Blog Post," which outlined a number of things to think about when adding a video to your blog post (or any other post for that matter). While you can read the entire article for yourself, I thought I'd use his 4 Tips and fill in my own explanation.

1, Write A Unique Title And Video Summary - It's vitally important that you have not only a descriptive title for the post, but also a summary of what's in it. Just because you have a video in your post, that may not be enough for someone to click on it to find out if it's something they might be interested in. A short summary (even just a line or two) explains why they should take the chance.


2. Embed The Video - Why have a link that takes people away from your blog or site when you can easily keep them there in the first place? With YouTube, it's so simple to embed a video these days. Just click on the Share button, then the Embed button, copy the code and paste it into the html of your blog. It's easy and almost no hassle, since you don't have to worry about uploading video or bandwidth limitations.


3. Promote It Like A Regular Blog Post - After all, for all intents and purposes, it is a regular blog post. It should get no less promotion than any other post. Share the link on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, or any other network that you might be a part of.

4. Create A Video Blog Post Archive - I admit that I haven't done this yet myself, but I'm going to because it's such a great idea. First of all, search engines love site maps like this, but so will your readers if it makes it easier for them to look at other video blog posts. The spiders of the search engines can read video, but they can read descriptions and links, so this is a great way to up your page ranking.

You can read the ReelSEO article here.

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Help support this blog. Any purchases made through our Amazon links help support this website with no cost to you.

You should follow me on Twitter for daily news and updates on production and the music business.

Check out my Big Picture blog for discussion on common music, engineering and production tips and tricks.