In a world full of bad things happening, it’s important to remember what makes you happy. The way in which we view the world actually affects us both mentally and physically. If I start out the day thinking its going to be crap, then it most probably will be. When I look at some of the most successful people I know, I don’t look at them and see them acting negatively and spreading the gloom. Great leaders know how to inspire and act as an example.
The problem starts when you hit your first obstacle of the day. For me, it’s when I look at the mornings emails. If there is a large amount of stuff directed at me (– things to do) then I start feeling overwhelmed and will probably slow down as a result. I’m an active person at work and if I begin to feel beaten into submission, then the day is all but lost.
There are things that can bring back the optimism in my day, apart from the end of the working day – in fact the art of being happy is just appreciating what you have. Not the material things; they have no life in them. It’s how you use them and enhance your life. A DVD player doesn’t make you happy, but watching a great movie with close friends or family makes it a happy activity.
Another thing is that we don’t laugh enough. Most days (to most people I presume) feel like slog. Working for the weekend is so true in many peoples’ lives. But there is no reason that someone cannot have fun while working. In fact if I was working somewhere that didn’t allow me to vent a giggle now and again – I’d have to leave.
Not much to mull over today, but I hope this has made you think about your perspective on life. If you can’t chuckle at least one thing a day, then life is a waiting room for you. While I am chatting to other people waiting just like you, we are both waiting to go through the brown door. Once we do we can’t come back. (That’s another blog) but when that happens, I won’t have wasted my time watching the clock.
So please, tell someone you care about that you care.
It’ll make you happy.
Until next time,
Snare.
Tuesday, 26 January 2010
Tuesday, 19 January 2010
Merchandise Mania…
Hi guys and girls… its that time again when I get the time on my lunch break to jot down what goes through my head. A couple of thoughts lately that I have been mulling over is the idea of merchandise.
I really need to be careful with this idea. Start small perhaps. I don’t want to just end up having a bunch of stuff with my face on it – that would be a) creepy & b) more painful if no-one bought it… ;)
I’ve had the idea to launch a range of t-shirts to start with. It should be quick to set up an online shop somewhere and maybe use eBay as well. I’ve always thought about making some t-shirts with designs that are appealing for people to wear and more importantly – pay for!
I also thought that I could make some designs to be part of my YouTube ‘empire’. At this point it is not really viable to try and sell t-shirts based on my YouTube presence. Eventually I would really like to have the chance to produce designs based on my YouTube channel, but before I can even think about doing that, I need to sort out a final style for the channel itself - The colours, the shapes, etc. Once I have that down, perhaps I can work on certain designs and work out what looks the best. However, I think as time goes on (and I get closer to the 4-figure subscriptions) I can still spend and evening here, a weekend there, working on those quite frankly life changing designs. ;)
I have no idea when I will get around to launching the designs, but I already have a few ideas and will try to get them in shape before I ‘release’ them onto the unsuspecting public. (Heh heh...)
I hope that one day I get to see someone wearing a t-shirt I’ve created - that would be absolutely amazing. *goes into dream world*
Well, I can live in hope…LOL
So until tonight,
Peace.
Snare.
I really need to be careful with this idea. Start small perhaps. I don’t want to just end up having a bunch of stuff with my face on it – that would be a) creepy & b) more painful if no-one bought it… ;)
I’ve had the idea to launch a range of t-shirts to start with. It should be quick to set up an online shop somewhere and maybe use eBay as well. I’ve always thought about making some t-shirts with designs that are appealing for people to wear and more importantly – pay for!
I also thought that I could make some designs to be part of my YouTube ‘empire’. At this point it is not really viable to try and sell t-shirts based on my YouTube presence. Eventually I would really like to have the chance to produce designs based on my YouTube channel, but before I can even think about doing that, I need to sort out a final style for the channel itself - The colours, the shapes, etc. Once I have that down, perhaps I can work on certain designs and work out what looks the best. However, I think as time goes on (and I get closer to the 4-figure subscriptions) I can still spend and evening here, a weekend there, working on those quite frankly life changing designs. ;)
I have no idea when I will get around to launching the designs, but I already have a few ideas and will try to get them in shape before I ‘release’ them onto the unsuspecting public. (Heh heh...)
I hope that one day I get to see someone wearing a t-shirt I’ve created - that would be absolutely amazing. *goes into dream world*
Well, I can live in hope…LOL
So until tonight,
Peace.
Snare.
Monday, 18 January 2010
The Big Vlog – Reflections past Day 17
Hi everybody.
“The Big Vlog” (as it has become known) is going strong with some great new videos added over the weekend. I love it when I get the chance to film something that ends up as polished as episode 16. It was a standard eating challenge but I had great pleasure in editing that masterpiece into something that I now take great pride in showing off to my subscribers.
As it stands, I am nowhere near quitting this project and still have the drive to continue and hopefully gain enough subscribers that I may breach that threshold of 1000. If I manage to complete that, then I will be one happy YouTuber.
I think the key to the project is that I cannot allow myself to rely on webcam uploads to achieve the dizzying heights of 4-figure subscriptions. As always, the mantra from so many successful YouTubers is to ensure you have good quality, original content. Now, of course the original part isn’t a problem, hey, I’ve been rambling at a webcam for about 90% of this years videos! But the good quality is my current stumbling block. I do feel that my current editing set up is holding me back, and the speed at which I can produce polished articles of audio-visual wonderment (go with me here) is greatly reduced.
I’m positive that with the help of a new iMac, the YouTube possibilities would be like a horizon appearing at the top of a steep hill. Suddenly I’ll be able to see what is possible, and hopefully be able to do it in half the time.
One interesting point to mention is that it is the bad workman in me that wants to blame my tools; the quality of my videos is the stuff that will bring people to my channel. The right kind of people.
“Now hold on a minute” I hear you say. “Are you a racist?” you cry. No, I am referring to the kind of subscribers can have a massive effect on your viewing figures, repeat viewings, ratings, comments, basic interaction. Although I have around 350 subs at the moment, not all of them are tuning in everyday. There could be a number of reasons, but I would expect my videos to gain viewings into the 100’s within a few days. Sadly, at the moment the vlogs are not getting the attention I’d like them to get.
Apologies for not entertaining you with the blog today, but I want to use this as thinking pad for my current, year long vlogging experiment.
If you have been reading, thank you.
Til next time,
Snare
“The Big Vlog” (as it has become known) is going strong with some great new videos added over the weekend. I love it when I get the chance to film something that ends up as polished as episode 16. It was a standard eating challenge but I had great pleasure in editing that masterpiece into something that I now take great pride in showing off to my subscribers.
As it stands, I am nowhere near quitting this project and still have the drive to continue and hopefully gain enough subscribers that I may breach that threshold of 1000. If I manage to complete that, then I will be one happy YouTuber.
I think the key to the project is that I cannot allow myself to rely on webcam uploads to achieve the dizzying heights of 4-figure subscriptions. As always, the mantra from so many successful YouTubers is to ensure you have good quality, original content. Now, of course the original part isn’t a problem, hey, I’ve been rambling at a webcam for about 90% of this years videos! But the good quality is my current stumbling block. I do feel that my current editing set up is holding me back, and the speed at which I can produce polished articles of audio-visual wonderment (go with me here) is greatly reduced.
I’m positive that with the help of a new iMac, the YouTube possibilities would be like a horizon appearing at the top of a steep hill. Suddenly I’ll be able to see what is possible, and hopefully be able to do it in half the time.
One interesting point to mention is that it is the bad workman in me that wants to blame my tools; the quality of my videos is the stuff that will bring people to my channel. The right kind of people.
“Now hold on a minute” I hear you say. “Are you a racist?” you cry. No, I am referring to the kind of subscribers can have a massive effect on your viewing figures, repeat viewings, ratings, comments, basic interaction. Although I have around 350 subs at the moment, not all of them are tuning in everyday. There could be a number of reasons, but I would expect my videos to gain viewings into the 100’s within a few days. Sadly, at the moment the vlogs are not getting the attention I’d like them to get.
Apologies for not entertaining you with the blog today, but I want to use this as thinking pad for my current, year long vlogging experiment.
If you have been reading, thank you.
Til next time,
Snare
Sunday, 17 January 2010
Saturday, 16 January 2010
Friday, 15 January 2010
The Big Vlog Continues...
Apologies Guys & Gals.... its been a bit tardy in posting the vids on the ol' blog here.
Here are the last few days videos!
Until tomorrow,
Snare
Monday, 11 January 2010
Reflective thoughts on “The Big Vlog” so far
Well hello my loyal blog followers. What a magnificent 10 days it has been so far. The project I set out to do on January 1st has grown each and every day in ways I had not anticipated. Since I started vlogging every day, mostly about random things I have started to see some interesting activities of my subscribers. I now have a collective known as “The Snared” who follow each vlog and interact on different levels. Some post a comment; others have taken the time out to post a video response – although some are comedy at my expense…LOL
The effort I am putting in has also been rewarded by new subscribers and friends made on YouTube. In fact, since the 1st I’m gaining an average of 2 subscribers a day, which is phenomenal success so early in the process. If this trend continues, then should well be on target to reach my 2010 goal of 1000 subscribers.
Yes. You heard correctly. One thousand.
Of course to reach that goal I have to put the work into my videos, and spend the time uploading good quality content if I want to succeed. I really wish I could have nailed that ethos from day one, instead of meandering around YouTube looking for that one viral video that would rocket me out of obscurity and into…well… obscurity actually.
I realise now that what I want out of YouTube is longevity. I don’t want to ever be yesterday’s news. I want an active, loyal subscriber base that will want to see my videos and also want to get involved with me and my opinions. If my videos are considered funny by some then - brilliant. Outstanding. If not, then I hope they are still entertaining enough to warrant someone returning for the next.
I’ve been bitten by the bug so much now, that I don’t want it to ever end. It sounds premature – even to me, but if the first ten days are anything to go by, then I’m in for a good year. I intend for my subscribers to join me on my ups and downs, good times and bad, but overall I understand my place in YouTube now.
I am a provider. My videos will hopefully become part of someone’s day and I just hope that it ends up being a good bit.
Until tonight,
Snare.
The effort I am putting in has also been rewarded by new subscribers and friends made on YouTube. In fact, since the 1st I’m gaining an average of 2 subscribers a day, which is phenomenal success so early in the process. If this trend continues, then should well be on target to reach my 2010 goal of 1000 subscribers.
Yes. You heard correctly. One thousand.
Of course to reach that goal I have to put the work into my videos, and spend the time uploading good quality content if I want to succeed. I really wish I could have nailed that ethos from day one, instead of meandering around YouTube looking for that one viral video that would rocket me out of obscurity and into…well… obscurity actually.
I realise now that what I want out of YouTube is longevity. I don’t want to ever be yesterday’s news. I want an active, loyal subscriber base that will want to see my videos and also want to get involved with me and my opinions. If my videos are considered funny by some then - brilliant. Outstanding. If not, then I hope they are still entertaining enough to warrant someone returning for the next.
I’ve been bitten by the bug so much now, that I don’t want it to ever end. It sounds premature – even to me, but if the first ten days are anything to go by, then I’m in for a good year. I intend for my subscribers to join me on my ups and downs, good times and bad, but overall I understand my place in YouTube now.
I am a provider. My videos will hopefully become part of someone’s day and I just hope that it ends up being a good bit.
Until tonight,
Snare.
Sunday, 10 January 2010
Saturday, 9 January 2010
The Big Vlog 9/365
Hi guys - Thankfully I managed to pre-empt any problems with YouTube, and get this posted before midnight...
Peace to all who watch it...
Until tomorrow,
Snare
Friday, 8 January 2010
The Big Vlog 7/365
Morning... I had such trouble uploading this - I pulled all my hair out. Don't believe me? here's the proof:
Thursday, 7 January 2010
Horse-play on words...(see what i did?)
Okay – I just HAD to post this blog…
There are times in a mans life when he feels lonely and in need of comfort. The warm touch of a woman (or man if you are so inclined) means the world to you and lifts your spirits enough to get through these cold, wintery months.
Some people find gratification through other means…
Man accused of having sex with a horse and a donkey:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/leicestershire/8444134.stm
Seriously. WTF!!!?!?!?!?
Either this guy is super-endowed or he is just in need of some intense mental treatment and/or prison.
Oh how the reason behind some of the activities of our great nation elude me sometimes.
Until tonight,
Snare.
There are times in a mans life when he feels lonely and in need of comfort. The warm touch of a woman (or man if you are so inclined) means the world to you and lifts your spirits enough to get through these cold, wintery months.
Some people find gratification through other means…
Man accused of having sex with a horse and a donkey:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/leicestershire/8444134.stm
Seriously. WTF!!!?!?!?!?
Either this guy is super-endowed or he is just in need of some intense mental treatment and/or prison.
Oh how the reason behind some of the activities of our great nation elude me sometimes.
Until tonight,
Snare.
Wednesday, 6 January 2010
The Big Vlog 6/365
Hi people - I just spent the last few minutes uploading this beauty...
See you tomorrow folks...
Until then,
Snare.
Let It Snow...
Wow. Snow is quite an amazing thing. Here in England, all it takes is a few flakes to fall on the ground, and the country halts.
Well where I live in the south, we almost can guarantee to never get snow. Any that falls will melt on contact with…er…anything, or instantly transforms into brown sludge. It’s that post code oxymoron that you live in England where the weather is mostly shit, but you end up living in a place where the weather never gets to extremes. I feel sorry for most people around here, as the public are hideous at preparing for adverse conditions. If it’s a bit cold; if it’s a bit windy; if the porch door won’t close properly – as a collective we all panic. Its madness.
Why don’t we all learn from these episodes of snow drifts, floods and hurricanes that a few simple steps can make most peoples’ lives much easier?
I’m no survival expert, but I’ve only just googled snow spikes for shoes (I’m fed up with hearing that people are scared of slipping and therefore don’t come to work) and for a few quid, you walk hobble about in non-slippy wonderment.
If you drive, always keep a shovel and torch in the car as well as some water and rations of food. You never know when weather like this will happen again, and it’s better to be prepared!
…I’m still waiting for the world to crack in half and the new ice age to rise with dawn over the British Isles. Oooo… wont that be fun?
Well I’m leaving work early today which means I may have enough time to edit a decent vlog for tonight. If you are reading this, then thank you. Please don’t forget to subscribe to regular videos at www.youtube.com/snarevandamm if you fancy it!!!
Until tomorrow / tonight
Snare.
Well where I live in the south, we almost can guarantee to never get snow. Any that falls will melt on contact with…er…anything, or instantly transforms into brown sludge. It’s that post code oxymoron that you live in England where the weather is mostly shit, but you end up living in a place where the weather never gets to extremes. I feel sorry for most people around here, as the public are hideous at preparing for adverse conditions. If it’s a bit cold; if it’s a bit windy; if the porch door won’t close properly – as a collective we all panic. Its madness.
Why don’t we all learn from these episodes of snow drifts, floods and hurricanes that a few simple steps can make most peoples’ lives much easier?
I’m no survival expert, but I’ve only just googled snow spikes for shoes (I’m fed up with hearing that people are scared of slipping and therefore don’t come to work) and for a few quid, you walk hobble about in non-slippy wonderment.
If you drive, always keep a shovel and torch in the car as well as some water and rations of food. You never know when weather like this will happen again, and it’s better to be prepared!
…I’m still waiting for the world to crack in half and the new ice age to rise with dawn over the British Isles. Oooo… wont that be fun?
Well I’m leaving work early today which means I may have enough time to edit a decent vlog for tonight. If you are reading this, then thank you. Please don’t forget to subscribe to regular videos at www.youtube.com/snarevandamm if you fancy it!!!
Until tomorrow / tonight
Snare.
Tuesday, 5 January 2010
The Big Vlog 5/365
Hey everyone. I saw this and thought of you:
Happy January 5th!
Until tomorrow,
Snare.
Monday, 4 January 2010
The Big Vlog 4/365
Enjoy my pretties. Lap up your daily dose of your favourite YouTube legend... ;)
Until tomorrow,
Snare.
The Big Vlog 2010 - Explained (sort of)
Hi All...
Well I guess I had better explain myself. Over the last few days you have been flooded with pseudo-blog entries devoid of much written word and I hope you have missed it. :P 2010 has been begun now, with a mammoth project that I intend to make a reality.
I decided at the end of last year to record a video for YouTube everyday during 2010. So far I’ve been successful – but hey, it’s only the 4th of Jan… Nevertheless, I have the bug back for making videos and I have realised what has been holding me back all this time. To start with I thought it was simply inspiration. I was constantly looking for that topic of discussion. For that video that would go viral. Needless to say, I haven’t found that magical meme.
My blog a few weeks ago talked about my digital presence, and I had some food for thought posted back on the comments which was great, but in order to honour that interaction I am required to do something about it.
Making a video every day this year sounds daunting, but when I realise that I can post a sound byte via a webcam should the worst happen I feel like I’m supplied with a safety net. Where ever I am in the world, whatever my health is at the time, I know I can speak to my subscribers on YouTube and keep my promise.
A few things have been said by my friends on YouTube that I need to be careful of two things:
1) Burnout.
2) Saturation.
I can sit here and pontificate what the likelihood is that these will occur or I can start to work on way to ensure they do not happen.
“Fail to Plan is to Plan to Fail”
I am approaching this project as committed as I can be, which helps when you have an addictive personality like I do. However, with this committal, I cannot ignore the need to be fluid, the need for dynamic thinking and the drive to ensure those daily vlogs are made.
Burnout is a concern, whether it be a lack of topic or getting plain sick of vlogging…! There may be times when I just don’t feel like talking to a camera. All of these scenarios need to be overcome if I am to achieve a full 365 videos this year.
A bigger concern for me is Saturation, but not for the obvious reason. If my content is good enough, then I think it should be possible to post everyday and not cause people to lose interest.
Aims for 2010
So…If you have read this blog, you will be aware that I have a desire to succeed in the digital space. I’ve had tastes of success which of course have helped with the work involved on YouTube, but there are many other avenues that I’m considering and will be announced once final plans have been made.
Although I will be posting a video everyday, (usually via a webcam upload) my goal is to have a daily vlog and on occasions I will have the time to post something more edited and ‘polished’. It’s important that I showcase what I can do as a comedy video as well as maintaining a relationship with the YouTube audience and most importantly, my subscribers.
Apologies for making this sound a bit like a mission statement, but I wanted something I could look back on and reflect when necessary.
This year will be fun but hard work. I need all the support I can get.
Til tomorrow,
Snare.
Well I guess I had better explain myself. Over the last few days you have been flooded with pseudo-blog entries devoid of much written word and I hope you have missed it. :P 2010 has been begun now, with a mammoth project that I intend to make a reality.
I decided at the end of last year to record a video for YouTube everyday during 2010. So far I’ve been successful – but hey, it’s only the 4th of Jan… Nevertheless, I have the bug back for making videos and I have realised what has been holding me back all this time. To start with I thought it was simply inspiration. I was constantly looking for that topic of discussion. For that video that would go viral. Needless to say, I haven’t found that magical meme.
My blog a few weeks ago talked about my digital presence, and I had some food for thought posted back on the comments which was great, but in order to honour that interaction I am required to do something about it.
Making a video every day this year sounds daunting, but when I realise that I can post a sound byte via a webcam should the worst happen I feel like I’m supplied with a safety net. Where ever I am in the world, whatever my health is at the time, I know I can speak to my subscribers on YouTube and keep my promise.
A few things have been said by my friends on YouTube that I need to be careful of two things:
1) Burnout.
2) Saturation.
I can sit here and pontificate what the likelihood is that these will occur or I can start to work on way to ensure they do not happen.
“Fail to Plan is to Plan to Fail”
I am approaching this project as committed as I can be, which helps when you have an addictive personality like I do. However, with this committal, I cannot ignore the need to be fluid, the need for dynamic thinking and the drive to ensure those daily vlogs are made.
Burnout is a concern, whether it be a lack of topic or getting plain sick of vlogging…! There may be times when I just don’t feel like talking to a camera. All of these scenarios need to be overcome if I am to achieve a full 365 videos this year.
A bigger concern for me is Saturation, but not for the obvious reason. If my content is good enough, then I think it should be possible to post everyday and not cause people to lose interest.
Aims for 2010
So…If you have read this blog, you will be aware that I have a desire to succeed in the digital space. I’ve had tastes of success which of course have helped with the work involved on YouTube, but there are many other avenues that I’m considering and will be announced once final plans have been made.
Although I will be posting a video everyday, (usually via a webcam upload) my goal is to have a daily vlog and on occasions I will have the time to post something more edited and ‘polished’. It’s important that I showcase what I can do as a comedy video as well as maintaining a relationship with the YouTube audience and most importantly, my subscribers.
Apologies for making this sound a bit like a mission statement, but I wanted something I could look back on and reflect when necessary.
This year will be fun but hard work. I need all the support I can get.
Til tomorrow,
Snare.
Sunday, 3 January 2010
3/365 - The Journey Continues...
Wow - YouTube took FOREVER to upload this. I hope you enjoy and I promise some written blog is coming soon...
Until then,
Enjoy.
Snare.
Saturday, 2 January 2010
Friday, 1 January 2010
365 days = 1 project
Hey there blog readers. I've decided to embark on a legendary amount of videoing for 2010... Everyday I will post a video. Who know what it will be. What will be said.
However, I hope you can help spread the word...
That's all for now,
Snare
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