Video blogging, or vblogging, is becoming increasingly popular as a method to supplement more traditional blog content – in some cases, successful video bloggers rely entirely on video content to provide traffic and advertising to their sites. In more artistic, less commercial interests, video blogging can be used as a means of citizen journalism, self-promotion, or even simple personal reasons of expression.

What Do I Need to Start a Vblog, Vblogging?

In terms of hardware, you'll need a computer with an available webcam or compatible digital camera – most can be had for ~50 and nearly all laptops, netbooks, and tablet computers come with one built into the base unit.

After confirming these necessities, you'll need to secure a website that will host your blog content. If you already have an established blog or website that you've been writing content for, very little change is necessary. Otherwise, you will need to create a blog (free through Wordpress or paid through GoDaddy or any number of other providers) and acquire hosting.

If you are running a Windows-based platform, Windows Movie Maker is likely the program that you will want to use to record your vblog. This software is free, included with most versions of Windows, and will provide you with all the tools you need to produce a basic video blog. Remember, keep it simple – no star wipes are necessary, in fact, overproduction may lead to a distracting experience.

Promoting Yourself and Uploading Video to Youtube

There are several video hosting services, though Youtube is by far the most popular and the easiest to use. All you need to do is have a valid account, and use the uploading tool to place your finished, exported movie file online.

While the technicalities may be fairly basic, there are a few strategic points to consider in terms of driving actual traffic to your vblog.

• Keep it short: All blog entries should be under 90 seconds in length, if possible. This is not only easier for you to maintain in terms of providing fresh, daily content but also in consideration of the attention span of the average browser.
• Use strong keywords and SEO: It's important to name your entries in such a way that makes them attractive to general views but also specific enough to be somewhat memorable. Don't be afraid to get involved with hot button issues or entertainment news – the more you promote yourself the more traffic you will attract. Keep it clean, informative, and if you'd like, controversial.
• Promote yourself via social networking: Twitter and Facebook are the most grassroots way to promote your vblog – tell your friends, tell your friends to tell their friends, and so on. The only way that this is going to work is if you have taken the time to make your videos attractive, entertaining, informative, and short. If you have this product ready to go, by promoting it to niche interest hashtags and targeted Facebook groups you can really start to draw some initial interest in your video blog.

By integrating your own built-in software and hardware with free hosting and social networking tools, users can create their own professional looking video blogs for free – the only cost being the amount of time one must put into it to keep the site fresh with engaging content.