#I could write so many YouTube video essays about this little guy who doesn’t speak my god—

[chibishortdeath]

Haven’t drawn him in his CV1 era design in a while. I think his neck is a little long lol, but otherwise I’m pretty happy with this doodle :3.

[blackradandmad]

why blippi is rotting yr children's brains

preface: i literally expect no one to read this. it is an essay length, strong opinion piece critiquing a niche youtube-based children's show that i don't expect most of y'all to even have knowledge of lol. but like, i promise that even if you know nothing about what i'm talking about, in my incredibly, super humble opinion, it's a good piece of writing and interesting nonetheless. anyway if you read this whole thing for some reason yr really hot and we should kiss.

i thoroughly vet everything my child watches before he watches it, episode by episode. and we rarely watch youtube for entertainment; we usually just look up educational videos when he has a question about something and wants more detail than i can provide him. and that's mainly because children's content on youtube is so fucking troubling and distressing. i don't judge parents who give their children a tablet at a restaurant at all bc i've been there and sometimes it's easier on everyone to just put on a video and avoid a giant scene, but i do judge parents who just leave their children alone with youtube kids on autoplay.

take stevin john, a literal millionaire who got famous from dressing up as a silly character called blippi and going on tours of places like aquariums, zoos, construction sites, etc and posting it on youtube. this has branched into a whole empire of blippi videos, hulu shows and specials, live shows and tours (that he outsources to another character actor), merchandise and so on. this 30-something year old man cites his main influence as being mr. rogers, but i question if he's ever even seen an episode of that program.

mr. rogers had no background in early childhood development or media production, but he revolutionized the world of children's media, because he respected his audience and didn't shy away from real world situations, all while creating a show with an enormous heart. mr. rogers begins his episodes by inviting the viewer in, literally changing his attire to be more comfortable, and talking about/doing things he genuinely cares about. whereas mr. rogers calmly and maturely addresses the viewer, blippi puts on a high pitched, contrived voice, interjecting every other sentence with a forced exclamation such as, "teehee! we're having so much fun!"

i don't find it a coincidence that john (blippi) is a veteran, either. his videos are completely devoid of the absurd, abstract, childlike thinking that makes children's media fun, creative, and entertaining. his thinking and process is methodical, devoid of emotion, and very superficial. this line of thinking clearly shows the kind of creative sterilization and emphasis on sameness and conformity instilled in the military. blippi simply observes things and interacts with them in a stale, matter-of-fact way. "this ball is purple! this ball is pink! anyway... what's over there? teehee! a car! vroom, vroom!" objects are colors, toy cars don't do anything but drive, curiosity is simply not encouraged.

he uses the "it's educational!" excuse to hide the fact that his show lacks everything that makes media a valuable resource for children to consume in the first place. further than identifying colors, numbers, and the occasional letter or shape, there is just this total lack of children's need for social and emotional development. when mr. rogers breaks the fourth wall to address the viewer and let them know they're special, it feels authentic and natural, because we've spent the last half hour building whole worlds with diverse characters and unique stories in a pretend neighborhood, learning about and enjoying different musical instruments, being exposed to and making friends with (even if parasocially, it is still a real bond to children when done properly) children who are similar to us in character regardless of physical or environmental differences, feeding the fish, making art together, and so on. when blippi tells the viewer, "you are very special, and i enjoy spending time with you!" it falls completely flat and feels unearned, because the last half hour was spent running around a soft play center pointing at bright, colorful objects, visiting interesting locations like farms or fruit production factories while failing to acknowledge the humanity of the humans actually working there (everything is machine or product focused; the human workers are simply an extension of the machine), learning "fun facts" about elephants that just list attributes of elephants, not taking the opportunity to inform the viewers of elephants' intelligence, or diet, or matriarchal society. it is a loud, sensory overwhelming display of a man so disconnected from the social and emotional needs and desires of children that he assumes they're stupid, easily entertained idiots who only need some silly dances and fast-moving cartoon graphics to give their attention (meaning time and desire to purchase products meaning $$$). john clearly views his audience as a means to gaming the algorithm and ultimately a paycheck by the hollow way he addresses them.

the show is so narcissistic, so focused on all the fun blippi is supposedly having, but he lacks any of the character traits that make individual children's show hosts memorable, so much so that he was able to have someone else who doesn't even vaguely resemble him dress as blippi and impersonate him and host the show or appear at live shows, and it went unnoticed by most of his toddler and child audience. the show is so formulaic and the character of blippi is so unmemorable that instead of taking the blue's clues route of developing a story of the host leaving for college and his brother now stepping in, or making some sort of believable excuse for the change in actors, they can simply swap him out with some random guy and not acknowledge it at all. although a comedy show for older children, the amanda show in no way could or would try to replicate the show with the same name but swapping out amanda bynes with a random teenage girl who is clearly not amanda bynes. it's weird and nonsensical and shows that his character is so much of a farce put on for a paycheck that not even his dedicated audience is affected or even cares when he is replaced by a random, unknown person.

this is completely garbage content made by an opportunist with no experience with children who saw his nephew watching children's youtube content, took it at complete surface level and still hasn't realized that while children's content only looks and feels so easy, entertaining, and enriching because it is so hard to do well. even with outsourcing his music, that aspect of the show still sucks. famous and successful children's musician, raffi, is known for his song describing the life of a little white whale, called "baby beluga." it opens with a calm strumming of his guitar, followed by the lyrics, "baby beluga in the deep blue sea/swim so wild and you swim so free/heaven above/sea below/and a little white whale on the go." is it silly and kind of pointless? yes, but the point is that he is captivating children and showing them the fun of listening to music, dancing, singing, and appreciating art. the "excavator song" featured in an episode of blippi about construction vehicles opens with what sounds like a default garageband loop and the flatly sung lyrics, "i'm an excavator/i'm an excavator/hey dirt, see you later/i'm an excavator." i don't feel i have to meticulously analyze the aforementioned lyrics; the stark contrast should speak for itself.

i have a million more criticisms about both blippi specifically and youtube children's content as a whole, but this is already so long and i doubt many people will get this far anyway. it's an issue i was completely apathetic towards until i had my own child and had to wean him off these kinds of junk food shows because i realized the fast-paced visuals and bright colors and repetitive songs/lyrics were putting him in this spaced-out, fugue state, and he thought he could demand this show or that show whenever he wanted. the moment he started regularly yelling things like, "watch! cars!" or "no! click it!" i knew i had to be a lot more invested in the things he watched even if just for entertainment or as a soothing message. i showed him an episode of mr. rogers yesterday and feared it would be too slow to hold his attention, but he was mesmerized, greeting and interacting with mr. rogers verbally, asking me, "what's that?" to different objects on the screen. since purging this low-brow children's entertainment, he has had a noticeable increase in attention span and concentration, can focus on a task for longer amounts of times, is more likely to "read"/look through books without me initiating it, and doesn't throw a fit when the tv/my laptop is off.

i just know that for me, growing up with so much unsupervised internet access definitely led me to real-world pain and consequences, and it seems like now children are born with an iphone as an extension of their arm. if my child is going to be consuming videos, i'm definitely supervising every second and am going to be highly critical of the videos and the credentials (or lack thereof) of the creators and team behind it. but i also know, from pure observation admittedly, that parents letting youtube kids autoplay parent their children for hours at a time is not an uncommon occurrence. and it worries me that a generation of children are being raised on videos that rely on being as loud and bright and superficially enjoyable as possible. what's the use of a child knowing their colors and alphabet if they don't know how to treat people with kindness and empathy and respect? there is something wrong for a children's show host to plug the spelling of his name at the end of his videos ("well, that's the end of this video. but if you wanna watch more of my videos, just type in my name! can you spell my name with me? b-l-i-p-p-i!") after essentially rotting his audiences' brains for a half hour. there's something so insidious about the prioritization of naming different parts of construction vehicles over honest depictions of and conversations about dealing with feelings, or why someone with autism may act differently than you, or what to do when you feel lonely, or ways to make art and express yrself creatively. also, not to mention the blatant police propaganda and outright worship is seriously jarring; as a black mother to a visibly non-white child, i cannot sit there and watch blippi show kids how to be a bootlicker for the shittiest profession on earth, but that could be a whole essay in and of itself.

anyway, thanks for reading, if yr looking for quality children's content, i recommend, in no specific order: mr. rogers, sesame street, the electric company, molly of denali, daniel tiger, bluey!, blue's clues, the odd squad, word party, trash truck, puffin rock, uhh... that's definitely not an extensive list but that's just off the dome!!! ok bye y'all <333

[wota-tenebrarum]

I’m always so irked by that old “MCU is military propaganda” take because you don’t even have to watch very closely to see how untrue it is Multiple characters leave the military/quit doing business with them at great personal cost because it doesn’t allow them to actually help anyone, the military getting its hands on certain technology is just about always framed as a bad thing, and the entire US Department of Defense is never portrayed as anything but an obstacle to doing actual good. This precedent was set IN THE FIRST MOVIE, and has continued through to the present. Like, just... Isaiah Bradley, guys. Isaiah Bradley. I think many of these people are just annoyed that there are multiple good characters who were, at one point, soldiers. And that’s not even necessarily on the MCU; the comics are mostly responsible for that. It’s an easy way to explain why a character has combat experience/speaks a different language/has traveled a lot, plus the Golden Age spanned two large-scale US military conflicts so military service was a relatable thing for a lot of readers when several classic characters were created. As for Tony’s vision of a “suit of armor around the world that might impact people’s freedoms”, it’s a huge leap to call that military apologetics or whatever. The context is pretty different, the idea is shown to be full of holes, and his attempt to enact it created ULTRON, of all things, which caused the destruction of a foreign city that the movies often hearken back to as a senseless tragedy. So I wouldn’t say that’s a great endorsement of US “peacekeeping” efforts, either. And no, Thanos does not mean Tony was supposed to be right all along, as it’s plainly obvious no earthly defense system could have stopped him. Tony is speaking out of fear and frustration when he brings the idea up again in Endgame; there’s nothing to suggest it would have helped in the slightest and that’s kind of the entire point of that bit of dialogue. Nobody has any media literacy anymore. I blame the overabundance of video essays, partially. Like, hey guys, guess what, there’s a good chance that early 20-something with an undergraduate finance degree who one day on a whim started making Youtube “deep dives” about 90s cartoons probably doesn’t actually have the skill set to be analyzing things critically with any real depth. It really doesn’t matter if their heart’s in the right place; good intentions aimed the wrong way are useless and just give ammunition to people with bad intentions. And just, idk, not everything is a conspiracy, guys. Oversight is far more common than outright malicious intent. Writing movies is hard. Go focus your efforts on real problems. As far as the MCU goes, it actually needs: - More prominent female characters (the goofy-but-well-intentioned “She’s got help” bit in Endgame required a few too many side characters) - More queer representation - More non-white representation - Less emphasis on America (though it’s not necessarily wrong to center your franchise on a particular region of the world) - Etc And it’s actually getting better at this stuff! Slowly. Far too slowly. But it’s happening and it’s always so exciting when those boundaries expand just a little more. Like, Moon Knight is a Jewish Latino dude and Ms. Marvel stars a Pakistani-American Muslim girl. Even if it was really, really on the nose, that kid asking Scarlet Scarab “are you an Egyptian superhero?” in the last episode of Moon Knight made me smile. And these are series, not just 2.5-ish hour movies! And the movies are getting batter at this, too! It’s all very encouraging. But military recruitment/apologetics?  Not supported by the text. Like, what the fuck?

[seerofmike]

The Writing In Apex Kinda Sucks And Also They Use Ship Bait As A Plot Device I Hate It Here

a stupid essay/rant encouraged by @zombiegloss that originally started as a youtube video script so if its like. weird at points. this was intended to be a verbal rant SNZISKSIA

basically i'm gonna talk abt the caustic-wattson-crypto relationship drama and how i think it was mishandled and how much the writers kind of Suck because i Can

you are free to disagree with me on any of my points and think that this aspect of the story was handled well, this is just my opinion, and i'd love to hear your thoughts and counterpoints !

first, addressing some things:

i know this is a battle royale and not necessarily a story-based game, so i can’t expect it to have masterful witcher-style writing.

but with the direction the game seems to be going; putting quests, evolving interactions, and comics in the game, plus coming out with a lore book and hinting at something bigger in the future, i think it’s fair to criticize it for lackluster writing, especially since what i’m criticizing has been something present since Apex’s story technically began.

secondly, i am not a professional writer. i’m a high schooler who writes as a hobby. i don’t have the decades of experience that some of the apex writers do, and i can’t claim to be a better writer than they are--but i also don’t have to be a five-star chef to realize that something tastes bad. when i critique something and give suggestions, i am not saying i could’ve done it better. i’m just bringing up what i think could have worked.

third, before i upset anyone , when i say a relationship is badly written, i’m not telling you that you can’t ship it or that your ship sucks. i’ll briefly touch on the shipping aspect of this and how it’s a detriment to the story but Ye

okay, so with that out of the way, let us Begin

relationships are often the emotional core of a story, and how strong your reaction is to conflict in these relationships depends on how the story sets them up. if you want the audience to care about these characters and what they go through, you need to develop them and establish the type of relationship they have well. it’s why so many people cried in the last episode of telltale’s the walking dead. you’ve spent roughly 12 hours bonding with clementine and protecting her, and your relationship with her is part of several story beats as well as character beats for lee. 

when these two characters’ relationship reaches its peak at the end of the game, it’s powerful, and it’s emotional. you care. you feel something, and the fact that you have to choose what to do to lee only makes it more gut-wrenching. 

now, the walking dead is entirely story-based and especially character-driven, so it may be unfair to compare it to apex, but i just wanted to lay the groundwork down for what i think is a strong relationship that makes you feel something when conflict arrives, in this case the conflict being lee getting bit and clementine having to decide his fate.

the broken ghost in general is kind of not-good sometimes, tom casiello previously wrote for soap operas and you can really, REALLY tell sometimes.

this story feels like it should’ve taken place a little later, and that we should’ve had a season to actually set up the characters and their relationships, but that’s a story for another day.

to put it bluntly, the set-up for the crypto, wattson, and caustic conflict is done poorly. for caustic and wattson's relationship it’s a little better, but not by much. 

wattson and caustic having a relationship was hinted at in season 2, when her lore indicated that caustic was among one of the Legends who comforted her after her father died. In season four lore materials posted on Twitter, an email from Jacob Young states that Caustic is acting paternal towards Wattson. In season five, interactions get added to the Game, and this is the first time we actually see their relationship in action, as they have unique revive voice lines for each other. in the quests, when wattson is injured, caustic lashes out at loba and attacks her out of what seems to be anger at wattson’s current state.

Side Note this plot point was really stupid and done for cheap drama because she literally wakes up like two chapters later and they don’t even give her anything to say it’s just suddenly oh yeah crypto and wattson are working together. the same exact injury thing happens to octane later but nobody gIVES A SHIT because again, it’s just cheap soap opera drama.

their relationship might seem a little bit sudden for anyone who wasn’t on top of twitter lore drops, but like, it’s okay, i guess. i’ll give it the slightest credit for at least establishing something between the two in terms of voice lines and stuff, even if for some it might seem like it came out of nowhere.

what did come out of nowhere, though, was crypto and wattson’s friendship. in the quests, crypto and wattson are tasked with rebuilding the broken ghost because of their respective skills, and they’re seen talking in chapter six while they work on it. we’re not really given a clear timeline on how long the story in the broken ghost is, but i think it takes about a week, maybe.

unlike wattson and caustic, their relationship has been given absolutely zero material to work with before now, not even a passing glance in the trailers--which is a little weird considering crypto took down the repulsor tower and destroyed wattson’s home, but. Whatever.

tl dr of the chapter: crypto and wattson talk to each other while doing nerd shit, crypto laughs at wattson’s bad pun, and then suddenly they’re BESTIEEEES, until a couple dozen lines later in the same chapter. then they’re Not.

crypto’s drone gets hacked by revenant while everyone was kind of on edge after the reveal of a spy in their midst, he gets framed as the spy by caustic, anddddd wattson gets upset.

before i get into how dumb this storyline is, i’m gonna talk about the set-up to this conflict.

we have been given no reason to believe that these characters have ever talked to each other, and quite frankly, their friendship doesn’t really make sense.

ignoring the fact that crypto destroyed wattson’s home--which she probably doesn’t know about, so that’s forgiven for now--crypto is a paranoid guy. in the lore book he makes people stand on fucking footprints in his house so he can scan them for weapons and listening devices, and he apparently doesn’t stick around much after the games and nobody knows anything about him because he doesn’t talk to them.

a key part of crypto’s story is the fact that he is undercover and afraid of anyone finding out anything about him ever. him becoming friends with wattson kind of comes out of the blue, and we’re not even given a reason as to why they supposedly became close in the first place. i would kind of understand if like, maybe he draws parallels with her and mila in his mind and it makes him open up a little more, but that doesn’t happen. he just laughs at her joke and suddenly they’re friends.

maybe they’re trying to go for this ‘wattson can become friends with anybody’ angle, kind of hinted at with caustic but not really we’ll get into that, but that also? kind of doesn’t make sense since so many of her voice lines straight-up say she doesn’t understand people and electricity is more her thing, but honestly, she also does have those really friendly elements in her voice lines too, so its not as egregious as what they did with crypto.

their sudden out-of-the-blue friendship would’ve been fine if they spent a little more time fleshing it out, and giving us something to work with, but instead, the story immediately tries to rip it apart and frame it as this grand conflict where crypto is framed as the mole, crypto then accuses caustic, and wattson feels betrayed.

except it doesn’t really work, because we don’t give a shit. for several reasons. 

one: crypto and wattson became friends and then ended their friendship in the same exact chapter. they did not speak to each other onscreen until this chapter began, you can read the entire quest on the wiki and see for yourself that their interactions up until that point were nonexistent aside from mentions in the narration that they were building something together.

the reason wattson feels betrayed is kind of stupid too. why does she really care that much if one of them betrayed loba? nobody else really cared about the fact that one of them was a spy, in fact, nobody even seems to like loba that much, and they just found out that loba’s been lying to them this whole time, and wattson was conscious for that conversation and had a speaking line, so she’s fully aware of the situation. 

maybe it’s just like, the idea that one of them lied, but that’s still kind of a weak reason. 

this entire betrayal thing is just dumb, and it gets even worse when you realize that there could have been an actual legitimate reason for wattson to feel betrayed by crypto--even if it still would’ve come across as weak conflict because of their newly established friendship, it would’ve made more sense than this. 

Crypto destroyed Wattson’s home. He took down the tower and then all the flyers and stuff invaded Kings Canyon and made it their bitch. Not only that, but Wattson considers the Syndicate her family. The Syndicate are the very people who framed Crypto for murder and he’s trying to take them down. 

They could’ve set up actual conflict with these things, and it almost seemed like they would, because Caustic briefly brings up that Crypto could be working with Revenant because he has something against the Syndicate but then that doesn’t really go anywhere and we’re just back to Wattson feeling betrayed because either Crypto or Caustic was a spy and she doesn’t know who.

Weak conflict could’ve been made better by a strong relationship and a weak relationship could’ve still been interesting with strong conflict, but both the relationship between Crypto and Wattson and the conflict that drives them splitting up as friends were really weak and didn’t make much sense. 

It would’ve been ten times more interesting if Wattson found out Crypto ruined her home, the arena she grew up in, and was now participating in the Games to take out the people she regards as her family. That’s where her distrust could’ve manifested and conflict could’ve began, but instead it was the stupid betraying loba thing. why do you care. you just started talking to this guy like 2 hours ago.

also caustic’s whole reason for framing crypto feels stupid as fuck. he didn’t just frame crypto randomly, he framed him specifically because he doesn't want him to influence wattsob because he likes her Big Brain, but this is the FIRST time we have seen those two interact. 

what influence is he talking about? wraith and wattson have been shown to be friendly with each other in the trailers, according to tom’s tweets, and in the story too so why doesn’t he frame her? at this point the audience had slightly more build-up for those two’s relationship than crypto and wattson and a betrayal storyline would’ve felt a little more deserved if still weak.

this is the point where i briefly want to touch upon shipping, and the fact that part of this conflict feels driven by shipbait. 

aside from their relationship coming out of nowhere and the writers trying to make the stakes seem high and deeply emotional to the characters involved (despite this essentially being the first time they’ve ever interacted) tom casiello literally addresses shippers in a tweet regarding chapter seven, and as the story between these characters progresses, it becomes clear to me, at least that the crypto-wattson thing is just bait for shippers, and it’s lazy. 

it’s easy to get away with giving your characters little to no relationship development if you’re just counting on shippers to do the heavy mental lifting for you

why should i put any effort into making this relationship seem believable? people are going to see a young guy and a young girl having bare minimum interaction and assume there’s romantic interest! then i don’t have to do any work, see look, it’s a ready-made relationship wrapped in a bow for me! all that’s left for me to do is give them conflict so i can keep teasing shippers with lines like ‘you never deserved her’!

i think it’s reasonable for me to suspect shipbait, since tom casiello likes doing darksparks shipbait on twitter, and i’m like, eighty percent sure mirage and bloodhound suddenly being childhood friends in the book is shipbait too, because these characters were the number one ship in apex for a long time despite little to no interaction, and then all of a sudden in the lore book they’re childhood friends despite this literally never being mentioned before?

like bloodhound is set up to be mysterious and nobody knows what they look like, or where they’re from, or who their family is--except for mirage Apparently, who played with them when he was a kid on their home planet, and has seen them with their mask off, because bloodhound did not wear a mask when their parents were still alive.

its weird.

i’m pretty sure they’ve said somewhere they were working on this book before apex even came out, so i could just be completely wrong and they always planned for mirage and bloodhound to know each other, but if that’s the case, why did they never mention it like they did octane and lifeline?

i refuse to believe MIRAGE never brought it up either like ‘heeeeyy bloodhound remember when we used to throw eggs at our parents lab haha wanna go do to that to bangalore’s room’ 

[silence]

‘good talk buddy’

ANYWAYS I GOT OFF TOPIC. POINT IS, shipping is a detriment to the story because the writers don’t feel like they actually have to put any work into establishing or developing the relationship between characters when they know the community’s just going to do it for them anyways, and that they can put in shipbait and it’s fine and it makes sense when it really doesn’t.

imagine watching captain america civil war after not seeing a single other marvel movie.

why would you care about the avengers splitting up or tony and steve butting heads or steve’s commitment to bucky? you wouldn’t care, at least not as much as someone who’s seen all the movies and knows the relationship between the characters and why the sokovia accords exist in the first place. you don’t have context and you don’t have any reason to be emotionally invested in these characters’ relationship.

 this feels like that. the writers tried to squeeze this relationship and stuff into a single chapter and we don’t fucking care unless we were already invested in the idea of their relationship (shippers) because we barely spent any time with it.

so to summarize this little section, the set-up of this storyline Kinda Sucks! crypto and wattson barely seem to know each other, because we the audience barely saw them together and the writers are relying on shipbait in place of a relationship.

wattson and caustic are a little better but not great, but the conflict is stupid and it only gets stupider.

moving onto summarizing the rest of the broken ghost, gibraltar and caustic talk, caustic LITERALLY confesses to being the mole and says he framed crypto so he couldn’t corrupt wattson and to appear innocent because his identity was suspected, then that wraps up the season storyline.

season six begins with new voice lines, where wattson has had enough of crypto and caustic’s shit and is all passive-aggressive and going ‘this doesn’t change anything’. she has to decide who to trust, and how to figure out The Truth for herself because she’s not a little girl anymore. crypto and caustic are both trying to convince her they’re innocent and it creates some interesting conflict.

just kidding. it’s terrible conflict. you want to know why?

BECAUSE GIBRALTAR TRIED TO TELL HER THE TRUTH, RIGHT AFTER THE SEASON 5 QUEST HAPPENED, AND SHE LITERALLY REFUSED TO HEAR IT.

LIKE THERE’S A SEASON 6 LOADING SCREEN WHERE HE’S TELLING EVERYONE THE TRUTH ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED, AND WHEN HE GETS TO WATTSON AND IS LIKE HEY I KNOW WHO THE MOLE WAS AND WHY THEY DID IT, SHE JUST GOES i dont wanna hear it. i need to think

IF YOU WANT THE TRUTH WHY ARE YOU REFUSING TO HEAR IT

SHE SPENDS ALMOST TWO ENTIRE SEASONS MAD AT CRYPTO FOR SOMETHING HE DIDN’T DO BECAUSE SHE TOLD GIBRALTAR TO FUCK OFF WHEN HE TRIED TO TELL HER WHAT HAPPENED

ITS SO DUMB

i think it was towards the end of season 6 or the beginning of season 7 where apex posted this picture of wattson asleep at her desk where she has a letter from gibraltar on it that looks like it tells her the truth, so she knows now, she knows what happened, but NOW her issue is the fact that she doesn’t know anything about crypto.

WHAT THE FUCK. WHAT IS YOUR GODDAMN DAMAGE. YOU DON’T KNOW SHIT ABOUT BLOODHOUND EITHER ARE YOU THIS UPSET WITH BLOODHOUND TOO?? HAVE YOU EVER TALKED TO PATHFINDER. DO YOU HATE PATHFINDER TOO

oh but she was friends with crypto and now she’s mad that he lied to her EXCEPT THEIR RELATIONSHIP WASN’T BUILT UP WELL SO IT JUST FEELS STUPID. THEY SPENT LONGER BEING NOT-FRIENDS THAN THEY SPENT BEING FRIENDS. THEY BECAME FRIENDS IN ONE CHAPTER AND THEN IMMEDIATELY AT THE END OF THAT CHAPTER THEIR FRIENDSHIP ENDED AND THEN WATTSON SPENT LIKE 2 SEASONS MAD AT HIM FOR SOMETHING HE DIDN’T DO . 

AND THE WRITERS TRIED TO RECTIFY THIS BY SAYING OH SHE’S NOT MAD ABOUT THE TRAITOR THING SHE’S MAD BECAUSE SHE DOESN’T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT HIM AND IT’S LIKE WHY THE FUCK DID YOU NOT MAKE THAT CLEAR WHY DOES SHE SAY ‘IT DOESN’T CHANGE WHAT YOU DID’ IN HER VOICE LINES WHY DOES SHE CALL HIM A TRAITOR IF HER CONFLICT WAS HER NOT KNOWING MUCH ABOUT HIM . WHAT DID HE DO. 

HE JUST STOOD THERE AND LAUGHED AT HER JOKE AND THEN HE GOT FRAMED AND THEN THAT WAS THE END OF THE CHAPTER AND NOW SHES SUDDENLY LIKE IM ACTUALLY MAD BECAUSE YOURE A LIAR AND I CANT TRUST YOU EVEN THOUGH I NOW KNOW YOU WERE FRAMED I STILL DO NOT LIKE YOU AND HES LIKE YEAH THATS MY FAULT

The Caustic voicelines are stupid too, again his reason for framing Crypto was stupid and a lot of his voicelines just seem to be that shipbait thing again but like from the angle of overprotective dad who doesn’t like the new boyfriend. it’s stupid but not as egeregious as this next part which is

crypto telling wattson his identity.

CRYPTO was framed for MURDER and is paranoid and can’t trust anyone and doesn’t talk to anyone and the last time he did talk to someone he got framed for Another thing and the person he was talking to turned her back on him and actively refused to know the truth for like 2 seasons and then he went This Is Fine I Can Tell Her My Identity

the stupidest update to this storyline was crypto telling wattson the truth

why did they do it on the dropship where there are presumably syndicate members and other legends around.

why didn’t he scan wattson for listening devices like he did for pathfinder in the book.

why is he telling her his identity when he knows she has very close ties to the people that FRAMED HIM for MURDER. Does he trust her that much? WHY? They spoke to each other in a chapter and then spent two seasons not talking to each other beyond passive-aggressive BS. why are you so fucking stupid taejoon

their relationship was so poorly set-up that even if the writers maybe intended for them to come across as close friends who had spent weeks bonding, it really feels like they became friends in a single conversation, had a falling out, and now crypto suddenly trusts her with his identity after an undetermined amount of time because he wants to be friends again. 

that does not make SENSE this conflict feels contrived AS FUCK and the resolution feels even worse and unearned UGGGHHHH

it honestly comes across as crypto feeling desperate for friendship, and maybe this would’ve worked better if that’s the angle they played it as.

he’s been alone for roughly two years, and just wants a friend, and he’s honestly so lonely he just breaks down to the first person who’s really talked to him. it could’ve been an interesting little part of his character, and they could've gone into depth about how much this situation has affected him, but that’s not what they’re doing. he’s still paranoid and anxious and doesn’t trust anyone, except for wattson, because the plot needs him to or else there won’t be any stupid soap opera drama.

and to rub salt in the wound, wattson’s new voice lines with caustic have him telling her that she forgave crypto.

WHAT ARE YOU FORGIVING HIM FOR. ARE YOU FORGIVING HIM FOR BEING FRAMED? WHY DID HE HAVE TO APOLOGIZE TO YOU WHEN YOU WERE THE ONE WHO REFUSED TO HEAR THE TRUTH?

 did the conversation just go hey my real name is taejoon park and something bad happened to me and she went aight i forgive you WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT

Caustic’s new voice lines to Crypto where he’s like ‘what did you tell her’--YOU TOLD GIBRALTAR STRAIGHT-UP YOUR EVIL MASTER PLAN LIKE A SUPERVILLAIN AND NOW YOU’RE SURPRISED WATTSON AND CRYPTO ARE ON GOOD TERMS NOW?!

THAT’S LIKE TELLING SOMEONE YOUR SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER AND THEN BEING SURPRISED WHEN YOU BECOME THE VICTIM OF IDENTITY FRAUD. YOU SET YOURSELF UP FOR THIS WHY ARE YOU ACTING LIKE CRYPTO DID SOMETHING SINISTER OR LIED OR WHATEVER. WHAT THE FUCK. WHY DO YOU HAVE LIKE 3 BRAINCELLS

this is at like ten pages already so i’m going to just try and wrap this up quickly. 

it’s frustrating seeing this storyline play out when there are actually good relationships and storylines written into apex. i’m kind of getting tired of the loba and revenant conflict, but we at least had set-up to it in the form of a few animated shorts and it doesn’t play out as stupidly as this story does. bangalore and loba’s friendship is actually developed well, even if the point between the end of season 5 and season 6 where they suddenly talk like each other feels like it could’ve used a little more. 

where crypto and wattson having an established friendship in the broken ghost failed, lifeline and octane’s established friendship works because we’ve been told since octane’s release they were childhood friends and given lore materials that indicate they’ve known each other for a very long time.

apex wants this storyline between crypto and wattson and caustic to feel dramatic and tense and ultimately rewarding when crypto and wattson did become friends for real and stuff, but instead it just comes across as hollow and empty. 

there’s nothing there. it’s a case of tell, don’t show, and it looks like this stupid conflict is gonna keep going for another couple of seasons at this rate. 

side note: this entire script was written before the new twitter comics

please tell me ur thoughts and feel free to respond with ur own lil essay

also believe it or not this is not the "shipping is a detriment to apex's story" essay i was gonna write this is a completely different essay that has some overlap SKXISOSOW

[womanlalaboy]

A Dose of Spoken Word

** Zuela at DLSU-D

Many people would say that art is not for everyone. I have to disagree. For me, we’re all born artists and art is for all of us. The thing is, others embrace their gift and the rest walk away from it. Regardless of what we choose, we all have our own reasons and we get our fair share of consequences for choosing a path.

I’ve walked away from art more than I could count. I’ve drawn, painted, did clothes, acted, danced, sang, and more. In my case, there were just way too many forms to explore, but nothing to specialize on- something I’ve carried until college and up to now. I still feel that title as a Com Arts graduate- jack of all trades; master of none. But I’ve always thought that writing is my muse, you know? No matter how much I think I suck at it and how many times I try to quit, the words though vague and blurry always find their way to me.

One of the most profound things I’ve learned in college is this aphorism that Mrs. Isolde Valera once told us: one cannot not communicate. There is always this need to express, and words are the closest I can grasp on to convey whatever it is that I want to say. The same goes for many people, especially for those who base their work from words- authors, script writers, poets, researchers, playwrights, etc. Spoken Word artists are a little bit different- mainly because they’re not just literary artists, but also performing artists. And both forms demand intellectual, physical and emotional investment.

** Slac at Intramuros Rising...

With a few of my friends, we were able to interview Slac Cayamada back in 2014 to discuss Spoken Word in the Philippines and Sev’s Café. We visited Sev’s a few weeks after I covered Intramuros Rising where I first saw Slac and the rest of Words Anonymous perform. There were only about 11 of them and at that time, their newest member was Juan Miguel Severo.  Slac said Gege performed “Mga Basang Unan” and “Naniniwala Ako” at Sev’s Café- a café in a basement that always holds an Open Mic. It’s an event where its patrons can perform onstage. It doesn’t have to be Spoken Word, really. Many have danced, sang, rapped, and acted, but most people really do Spoken Word. They’ve invited him to be a part of Words Anonymous and I’m honestly glad that he joined. Because if he hadn’t, I wouldn’t have seen him perform “Ito Na Ang Huling Tulang Isusulat Ko Para Sa’yo“ at Intramuros Rising which have become one of my favorite pieces. From Gege’s regular performances at Sev’s and his stage exposures at huge events, his career has sky rocketed whilst spreading the art of Spoken Word itself.

** Sev’s Cafe before it closed

** Slac at Sev’s back stage...

SPOKEN WORD AND PAGE POETRY

For many, the difference between traditional poetry and Spoken Word is simply the act of performing the piece. However, it’s not just the performance that separates Spoken Word from page poetry. You may be familiar with poetry reading or powesiya- it’s the performance side of page poetry. However, in Spoken Word, you don’t simply read the piece; you perform it like doing a theatrical monologue. Most artists memorize their pieces so they can freely move while performing and not having to be bothered by holding something like a script. Though for some, they find it easier to perform with a guide or a copy of their piece. Slac also mentioned that in page poetry, you are limited to certain parameters and distinct rules. In Spoken Word poetry, measurement isn’t a thing. Words don’t even have to rhyme. Artists can choose however they like to write their pieces. It is still a Spoken Word even if you wrote your piece as a prose, essay or free-verse poetry.

Another distinct character of Spoken Word Slac mentioned, Is that the pieces are usually about those who write them. There are many page poetry pieces that are detached from the writer, but in Spoken Word, the piece will always be a part of the writer, not just from the writer. There are honestly lesser creative restrictions in Spoken Word compared to say, theatrical monologue and page poetry. In Spoken Word, you write your own piece, you direct your own performance and you perform your piece yourself. It’s a one-man production that is ever evolving. It is a very progressive form of art that is used and executed in more ways than one.

** Juan Miguel Severo at DLSU-D...

SPOKEN WORD IN FILIPINO SETTING

“Some people would say that there’s no money in art. That’s not true. Everything is art. And we pay for everything,” Slac said. He was a call center agent and he had to quit painting to focus on his job even to a point where he got burnt out. “I felt dumb. I felt like a prisoner of my job… You guys are gonna graduate and you’re gonna feel this when you don’t do art,” he further said. Slac continued to tell us to find a balance in our lives. We can still do our 9-5 jobs without having to quit what we love to do. It may not become a career for most of us, but at least, we do something that makes us happy. “When you do something outside of your work- you write, express your thoughts, you actually sharpen your mind, “ Slac added. And if we hope to really pursue art, we can treat it as a hobby at first then slowly transition to doing it full-time.  

Spoken Word artists express not just their personal experiences, but their views of the society and their opinions on pressing issues affecting them and the ones they care about. Words Anonymous isn’t just a bunch of Spoken Word artists that capitalizes on the novelty of the art form. They challenge the way we see art and artists as a whole. Spoken Word has become an avenue to push movements forward and spread awareness. In the recent Pride Parade, someone performed a Spoken Word. In Intramuros Rising 2, Michelle Manese performed an open letter to catcallers. In Word’s Anonymous’ book called Tuwing Ikatlong Sabado, they talked about their support for women’s fight against patriarchy. Louise Meets has performed pieces about LGBTQIA+ love. Juan Miguel Severo performed a piece about the empowerment of having ownership to our own bodies. Enthusiasts like them are still undermined by many Filipinos. No matter how enigmatic their pieces may be, for some they are sadly still reduced to just hugot kings and queens. We’ve constructed this idea of success and pursuing one through art is often seen with disapproval.

** Trevor William Viloria, Michelle Manese, Louise Meets at Intramuros Rising 2: A December To Remember...

THE SPOKEN WORD EFFECT

Regardless of what it may look like to others, Slac said that he still sees a bright future for Spoken Word and its artists. It affects many people in ways that are just moving. For Slac, Spoken Word is like a therapy.  He has met a lot of introverts through this form who were motivated to pursue their craft. “They see confidence, but we’re rarely confident. We’re like scared as hell on stage. But when they see that [spoken word performance], they get inspired to write something that they can perform in front of a lot of people,” Slac added. Many have been inspired to be vocal about themselves and being able to finally let loose, speak up or express, sounds like healing and empowerment to me.

Slac also mentioned that our youth today don’t read and write anymore. People, he said, have been engrossed in television and film. Though he thinks that they are good art as well, he feels like we should have something for ourselves. “We rely on other people’s art. Why not participate?” Slac further said. Words Anonymous have been doing workshops and do events to push this advocacy, especially to kids.

** Jeziel and I performing “Tanong Na ‘Di Ko Masagot at Sev’s Open Mic...

ART AS A WHOLE

When asked what he could advise those who want to pursue Spoken Word, Slac simply said, “just do it, and do it from the heart.”

Many people would say that art is not for everyone. I have to disagree. For me, we’re all born artists and art is for all of us. We create and we consume art, even if we try to hide it. Success in the industry of art, though, isn’t guaranteed. However, that’s not the point of art, right? And don’t ask me. You already know what the point is.

MORE...

Check out Words Anonymous’ FB page Check out Words Anonymous' Tumblr page Check out Words Anonymous' videos on Youtube Also watch "Mahirap Kalaban si Papa Jesus" by Abby Orbeta Also watch "Human" by Louise Meets Also watch "Ako Naman" by Zuela Herera

[youhave1newmessage]

I hope you’re happy with yourself anon. This ask had ME STRESSED. Have you ever seen those women with a bunch of children around them and even though they only have two arms, it almost appears like they have six?

Yeah. That was ME.

So prepare yourself. You’re in for a one HECK of a response. 

For the sake of everyone that will be seeing this post around their dashboard, or on whatever tag you’re on, I’m putting a “Keep Reading” thing because dear mother of Neptune, this post is LONG.

If what you’re about to read doesn’t satisfy your thirst, we have an about us post! There you’ll see in more detail (and MUCH less writing) just exactly what groups we bias and who we bias.

-  Admin  🍌

Admin  🍌

I love being recognized as, “The one that stans Yongguk” because yaaaasss, that means I’m doing my JOB RIGHT. Now, WHY I bias the man, that’s a legit good question...Why DO I bias Yongguk? I actually used to bias Junhong (I still love the kid though, trust.) I actually used to think the COMPLETE opposite of Yongguk; I literally called him some things I feel horrible about and I would say he was scary looking and how could one ever like him. What I didn’t know was Yongguk was sneaking up on me slowly until he suddenly went on his hiatus. I had done this little tribute thing for him of having him on my phone and I kept telling myself that after his hiatus, I would put my biases back on my wallpaper but it just...never happened? xD I just slowly fell for him and the guy wormed his way into my heart and became my ultimate bias. He’s the guy I always say is the only one I would ever truly marry haha thanks for asking this! I wish we got more questions like this. Maybe we’ll do a text post like this soon! :)

Admin 🔞

Trust me, the noona life chose me…  haha see, I remember the first BTS video I ever saw and my boy was a cop! Yup this is “Dope” we are talking about.  As you can imagine my noona heart could not contain the kookie attraction. I tried really hard to not choose kookie as my bias. In my early days I even switched between Kookie and Jin (it’s become a running joke now, until Kookie was an “adult” I actually had 2 biases and I would average out the ages hahaha) Kookie was always my number 1 though! As I was trying to decide if Kookie was indeed my bias, I came upon a gem on youtube: Jungkook vs Kookie search that up and you’ll see how he finally won my heart. It was his personality! He is so shy and goofy all at once, and he’s so kind and I am just crazy about him! He stole my heart and he will forever be the only maknae that makes my knees weak!

Admin 🦀

It all started many years ago, when a friend of mine showed me a music video of BTS. I believe the first one was Bulletproof and I wasn't into it whatsoever. But then, the next one she showed me was Boy In Luv and I didn't like it much at first, but I was very fascinated by the blond hottie. I later found out his name was Rap Monster (RM now) and it was a downward spiral from there. I watched all of their Bangtan Bombs and looked up Namjoon’s covers and tracks he had released when he was basically a fetus *cough* expensive girl *cough*. I used to be, as some would say, a kpoppin hoe because I was always jumping from bias to bias. But guys, I kid you not, I have stayed loyal to my bias. I can never love no other lol. He’s just a piece of art! His deep voice, his dorkiness, his intellect, the way he speaks english, HIS DIMPLES!  I love that he has such a beautiful heart and that he’s such a great leader. I love everything about him! Even the way he dances lol. Gosh… I’m getting emotional now… Every time I see or hear this man, I literally hyperventilate and cry. The other admins are witnesses. I’m crazy for this man! I would like to say more but I will literally talk nonstop if I don’t pause now. 👋

Admin 🍓

J-Hope hands down. I just admire him so much. He is everything I wish to be as a human being. Funny story is, when I was first introduced to BTS I told a friend of mine “For sure I'm not going to bias him. I have enough hyperactive energy from T.O.P.”  Life is funny that way and now I wouldn't have it any other way. 😘

Admin 🍇 

If I really sit down to think about it, there are many reasons as to why Namjoon is my bias, I mean what isn’t there to love about him?! Firstly, Namjoon is a wonderful leader. He’s able to care for six other boys and able to complete his duties as a leader, while at the same time always taking into account all the other members’ opinions and never making it seem like he’s above them. Namjoon is one of the most intelligent people I have ever come across and he seems like the type of person you can talk to for hours without feeling bored. He has this way of making everything sound interesting and I love how in interviews he always shares way too much information when you ask him about a topic, it’s so adorable. I love that even though he’s extremely busy he manages to make time to appreciate the little things in life (nature) and even draws inspiration from them! All in all Namjoon is far from perfect and that’s what makes me love him so much. It may seem ironic and somewhat contradictory, but it’s true. Throughout his career he has struggled a lot, has had many scandals, and has made many mistakes,  but he has learned from it all and has grown as a person. I love that I've had the opportunity to be a part of this, and I hope to continue to be able to do so!

Admin🍍

Weelllll  at first I was not that into RM because in the Dope MV he looked like a little f-boii but i was completely wrong. His dorky and philosophical self just creeped up into my heart and nestled there for a good while. Now I have discovered MONSTA X and my heart is shaking again. I don't understand this thing i have for weird/dorky rappers with deep voices, but freaking Im Changkyun is creeping up and is neck to neck with RM. Stay tuned to see what happens next!

Admin 🍑 

Wellll if we’re going down memory lane...I’m kind of new to KPOP so when I discovered Got7’s Just Right about a year or two ago I immediately jumped on the Jaebum wagon. I was a goner for I’d say a good month or so. But then Jinyoung happened lol. You see I didn’t pay too much attention to him and I’m not really sure how I didn’t considering the fact that I did think the group was really cute and funny. But when I finally noticed him it was in the Stop it Stop it mv and I just lost it after. I’m pretty sure it was his voice that got to me first almost as if my heart was being tugged at each time I heard him sing so I was practically already in danger. Then all it took was for me to watch If you do and I was done for, completely loving that beautiful human being. I love love his smile like I can’t get enough of it anytime I see him smile I’m just pudding and when he laughs and his eyes crinkle it’s the best thing ever. Like I live for the times that I’m able to see him laugh wholeheartedly. I also love the fact that he loves reading (as I’m a book lover myself). I also can’t help but love that little mischievous side that he brings out when he’s having fun it’s the best thing ever. Oh and one crucial point I..Love..His..Peach, when I tell you that his peach is my top fave I MEAN IT. I’d say more but then it would probably come out to be an essay 😅.

Admin 🐣 

Originally my bias was Hwasa because. She’s. Beautiful. And her voice is amazing. But then my best friend actually showed me one of their music videos and I saw one of the idols (I didn’t know any of their names at the time lol) squish her face against the camera screen at that moment Solar became my bias. 

[writingsofawanderingwonderer]

Katy's Everything Wrong With Bob's "Everything Wrong With CinemaSin's 'Everything Wrong With Sherlock Holmes'"

vvv Read more line here. vvv

Alternate title: Why CinemaSins shouldn't be destroyed.

Another alternate title: That One Controversial Essay That's Finally Going to Lead to Me Getting Eaten Alive by People on Twitter. Maybe.

Okay, so to get you old corks up to speed: Recently, there's been a surge, and absolute pandemic, of YouTube videos cropping up titled something along the lines of, "Everything Wrong With CinemaSin's Everything Wrong With _______", wherein the video nitpicks (their words, not mine) CinemaSins' nitpicks of a film. There have also been a bunch of comments on Twitter and YouTube saying that CinemaSins should pack up their things and hop it. To stop making their videos.

This is where I come in. And you reading this comes in.

It's hard for me to explain why I'm making this essay. Maybe it's because I want to play the Devil's Advocate in a contained, spaced environment. Maybe I want to give everyone reading this a different perspective on the matter; something to mull over and consider and take away before we decide to write something off as "bad" or "useless" or of low quality. Maybe I consider CinemaSins an old friend and I'd like to speak up for them, even though it's hard because I'm not used to voicing an unpopular opinion out loud, and I'm super-nervous about this. Maybe it's because I want to give a meta statement about how you can nitpick a nitpicker who nitpicks another nitpicker, and that continually nitpicking the next nitpicker will either create a wondrous nitpickception that we can all learn from, or spiral out of control into a lesson that nickpicking nitpickers nitpicking is a futile effort...

But for some reason, I've been overcome with a fierce desire to write this.

So, there you go. I'm making this now.

To structure this academic essay, I'm going to use an "Everything Wrong With CinemaSin's Everything Wrong With _______" video to make several counter-arguments. I'll be using Everything Wrong With "Everything Wrong With Sherlock Holmes" by Bobvids. (Thank you, Bobvids, for letting me use your video as an example. You're quite a trooper and a good sport! And I love your editing style!).

To add upon Bobvid's video's goal, this essay's goal is to nitpick a video nitpicking another video.

Nitpickception?

*cricket chirps*

Ahem. This essay's goal is also, like all my essays here, for educational purposes. Albeit, in a roundabout way.

To keep track of things, I'll add timestamps and quotes from Bobvid's video as I comment on them. I will skip over some parts of the video to prevent this essay from being over a hundred years long.

0:49 Bob: Why call them "movie sins"? One of the CinemaSins guys said it was "[...] because it's a more flexible & nebulous definition." But I guess they never realized "sins" has an extremely negative connotation. Of all the words they could've used, "sins" is the least flexible or nebulous.

Me: They're called "sins" because "no movie is without sin," as their slogan goes (the implication being that any film, no matter how beautiful, wonderful, and perfect it is, has flaws and should be discussed and acknowledged on some level. Because that's how future films grow as an art form. By learning from the past's mistakes). The word "sins" is nebulous because we all contain it, no matter how good or bad we are. He sins. You sin a little. They sin a lot. And I'm sinning right now. So it really is a flexible and nebulous definition.

1:14 Bob: Why have a movie sin timer when YouTube tells you exactly how long a video is?

Me: Because it's a reference/homage to the "gate" used in filmmaking. The "gate" is a black border placed around a piece of film or storyboard that lists the time, scene number, and name of the person who submitted the shot. When I'm animating professionally, I'm given a gate that lists these things, and every time I hand in a shot, I have to "check the gate" as the old filmmaker's term puts it, to make sure everything's in order. The gate even times the frame number (like the CinemaSins' timer and unlike YouTube's video timer), which is super important to include, because it makes it easier for a supervisor to give feedback ("Katy, could you please fix the foot-clipping issue that appears on frame 298? Thanks!"). So YouTube actually doesn't tell you exactly how long a video is (which is very, very frustrating if, like me, you like using YouTube videos as animation reference and want to scrub between individual frames without using an app like Reeview.it Player or Anilyzer)

Me: Here's an example of a film gate:

1:24 Bob: Why is the text of what's being said showing up at the bottom of the screen? Not only is it redundant, but YouTube lets you upload subtitles which is easier to do than premiere titles, lets viewers disable it if they don't need it, and also lets you edit text after the video's uploaded.

Me: Because, 1) the average YouTuber genuinely doesn't know all of YouTube's features, including toggling closed captions (seriously, I've seen several YouTube commenters complain that a person in a video was talking too fast, not realising that you can turn on subtitles and/or adjust the speed of the video. Youtube kinda makes it a wee bit tricky to find all its hidden features. Did you know that you can change the sub's font typeface, colour, and size? Did you know you can scrub through video frames using "," and "." but only sometimes? Well, now you know. You're welcome.)

Me: And, 2) Because YouTube's subtitles do not properly time (nor fit) all of its text onto the screen in full sentences if the speaker is talking fast or saying a lot, making the subtitles cut off midsentence. It is this for exact reason why it was so challenging and annoying for me to transcribe what you were saying throughout this video! And why is was MUCH EASIER for me to transcribe CinemaSins' subtitles in comparison (my typing fingers hurt soooo much right now). CinemaSins' method lets the viewer read subtitles in full and complete sentences, taking things in in a easier-to-digest way. They've also used it for gags where they change the font typeface or size midsentence to add emphasis.

Me: First image: Bobvids subtitles for CinemaSins (note how it's cut off midsentence). Second image: CinemaSins' subtitles (see how they're easier to read?).

Me: Also, why the Dickens did you subtitle CinemaSins if their subtitles are already in their part of the video? Isn't that hypocritically-and-ironically-redundant?!

1:37 CinemaSins: This film production logo is so ballsy I straight up have no idea what company it's for. But good job on being ballsy enough to NOT include your name, mystery production company.

Bob: That's Silver Pictures. You may know them from producing Weird Science, Lethal Weapon, Predator, Die Hard, Road House, Demolition Man, and The Matrix. They're allowed to have some balls.

Me: In all fairness, I literally haven't seen any of those movies you've mentioned (Weird Science looks interesting, I'll check that one out. I've now added it to my library list.) except for The Matrix, which I didn't really like due to its lack of humour and its tonal issues. So using a nameless logo really doesn't help you get more people to know about your company if they're unfamiliar with it or have forgotten what your logo looks like. So why do it? Pointless! Mad as a hatter!

2:25 CinemaSins: Robert Downey, Jr. is a handsome, fun, charismatic lead actor... who cannot do an English accent to save his life. Is it too much to ask that SHERLOCK HOLMES actually be British?

Me: I think CinemaSins is making note on "cultural appropriation," a prevalent thing in Hollywood (an American actor playing an English character), rather than literally how well an actor can do an accent. I mean, when oh when are we going to see a film where Simon Pegg plays Sherlock Holmes?! We're waiting!

2:58 CinemaSins: I don't know how good at deductive reasoning he is, but he wouldn't have been able to guess that that guy had a floating rib.

Bob: It's easy to guess considering floating ribs are the last two sets of ribs on your rib cage and are a natural part of human anatomy, which Sherlock is proficient in.

Me: It's NOT easy to deduce, considering the GUY IS WEARING CLOTHES, THEREBY COVERING HIS RIBS SO YOU CAN'T TELL IF HE HAS FLOATING RIB SYNDROME. Also, SHERLOCK IS CURRENTLY ENGAGING IN A FIGHT WITH SAID GUY. Have you ever tried to assess the state of a guy's ribs while having a fisticuff with him?

Me: Also, you used like the third Google image result that appears when you search "floating ribs," and I don't know how to feel about that, because I think you should have used the fourth Google image result instead, as that diagram illustrates things more clearly in my opinion (it shows the ribcage from the front, which was how Sherlock was viewing the man, rather than from the back).

3:21 CinemaSins: This guy seems to be late to the ceremony. He also didn't get the memo that they all didn't have to wear the hooded robes.

Bob: It's explained later that this is Lord Coward, who is using a robe to hide his identity.

Me: Yes, but WE, the audience, don't know that at this point in the film. So as we watch this for the first time, we're all thinking to ourselves, "Why aren't all the people wearing dark robes?!" Confusion that's resolved through later context is still confusion.

Me: Also, that joke made me laugh and reminded me of that absolutely ridiculous "robes scene" from the movie Dungeons and Dragons.

Me: And let's address the elephant in the room. No one like to be the one to yell "The Emperor has no clothes!" so please let me be the one to do it for you (and get eaten alive for it). The reason why so many people are jumping on CinemaSins right now in particular is because they did a Wonder Woman video. It doesn't take Sherlock Holmes to see that the timelines add up.

Me: For those people who are like me who don't really watch American superhero films* (because we're too tangled up waiting with baited breath for The Adventures of Tintin sequel, because that's the comic book hero we grew up reading), Wonder Woman was a film that was well-received after what one reviewer described as "a long line of waiting apologies."

*Me: Footnote: I've watched The Incredibles and Batman 66, and I really liked those.

Me: Because Wonder Woman was a film that's popular, CinemaSins got in a lot of trouble because... apparently, people can't handle other people poking fun at something they like.

Me: Really, people. I'm disappointed in you. You're better than this.

Me: I hope I'm wrong about this, and people are just upset over CinemaSins' fact-checking. But one has to wonder why all the nitpick comments/videos started appearing now at the same time.

Me: Maybe I'm just weird, but I love it when people poke fun at stuff I like. Even my own work. I like watch LPs of my game played by others who are making cracks at it. I've been waiting for CinemaSins to do a video on one of my favourite films, The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn, but to no avail. Even CinemaSins pokes fun at itself before other people did. But many people don't seem to be able to handle neither criticism of a work that is near perfect, nor laugh at a joke at the expense of a film they like.

Me: And, not to put too fine a point on it, Bertie, but that's part of a bigger problem.

Me: CinemaSins has a right to exist. Critiquing a video game creator's work is fine, I love getting criticism, in fact. It helps artists grow. But please, stop making posts and videos saying that CinemaSins should die. It isn't decent. And stop making comments like, "CinemaSins doesn't watch the films they cover." They would have to watch the films at some stage to edit the video together.

Me: Now, Bobvid also points out some flaws that are genuinely flaws in CinemaSins' videos (to the best of my knowledge), and that's something that CinemaSins can work on to improve and grow their repertoire. It is not, however, a good reason to have CinemaSins wiped off the face of the Earth.

Me: Just because I don't like something doesn't mean it shouldn't exist. I don't like something doesn't mean it should exist. I don't like strategy games, but I'm happy others enjoy them. I'm happy strategy games are becoming successful again.

Me: And yet, some people think that visual novel games shouldn't exist. Why? Because they don't like them.

4:46 Watson: How did you see that? Sherlock: Because I was looking for it.

CinemaSins: Sherlock doesn't say, "because even though it's clear, it reflects light and is still visible to the naked eye."

Bob: Yes, you and I can see it, but that doesn't mean Watson was able to see it from his perspective. Watson was rushing Blackwood and wasn't paying attention.

Me: Due to the Kuleshov Effect, and because Watson and Sherlock are standing next to each other by the end of the sequence, we can assume that Watson can see what Sherlock sees in this shot. Crumbs, due to the magic of Prevalent Film Language, we conclude to this thought without even registering it on a conscious because of the way the sequence is shot (shot of object, followed by shot of Watson and Sherlock looking offscreen in the same direction = they are looking at said object).

Me: Also, I noticed you labelled Sherlock and Watson as "Sherlock" and "Watson," respectively, in the subtitles. For proper design unity, shouldn't you have labelled them both by their first names (Sherlock and John) or their last names (Holmes and Watson)? I'm nitpicking, but that's the point.

5:44 CinemaSins: Yeah sure. You're totally under arrest, but you can walk around without anyone holding on to you to make sure you don't try to escape.

Bob: This is showing that even police fear Lord Blackwood. Though I guess it could be a setup for one of your sh**ty jokeyjokes too.

Me: *Still sniggering from CinemaSins' gag.* *Pauses.* *Put hands on hips.* What's wrong with jokey jokes?! Even if they're afraid, they're the police. It's their job to apprehend this guy, so it looks ridiculous when they don't. It's reaching Thompson and Thomson-levels of police bumbling in an otherwise darkish action film.

Me: Details add up. If a film has a ton of tiny details that don't work, they can add up and wreck the enjoyment of the film (see videos that analyse shot-for-shot remakes, like Psycho and Beauty and the Beast to see what I mean). I know artists who have worked on Rick and Morty and have talked about meetings discussing the design of a paper cup that a character has to hold. A paper cup.

Me: I've seen Twitter people make the argument that films are not meant to be totally logical, and instead are meant to hit you on a metaphorical level (that's why Disney's Snow White works). And that CinemaSins uses logic and literalisms too much. But (at the risk of explaining a joke, which I don't like doing) remember that we as creators often pose a statement that we don't agree with to make our viewers both laugh and self-reflect on whether we are telling a truth or not. I hope this makes sense.

Me: Also of note: Bob doesn't censor swear words in the audio nor the subtitles of this video. I had to do that myself. Even though CinemaSins censors swear words. And both CinemaSins and myself have stated publicly that we're fine with swearing used in videos. We just censor them in videos/essays respectively out of consideration for others who may not like hearing them.

Me: It's also sometimes important to censor video essays in case someone wants to use the video in an academic environment, such as being shown in a film school class that has strict profanity regulations (for example, Games As Literature's YouTube videos have been known to be showcased in academic courses on Video Game Theory, which is why he tries to exclude any swearing or gore in his videos).

Me: While we're on the subject of nitpick-jokes, I'd like to take a moment here to point out that that bit where CinemaSins points out that in one of the background areas of a two-second scene in Kingsman has a paper towel roll is hung the wrong way is one of the funniest things I've seen in a long time. Seriously, I was howling when that popped up!

Me: Several people on Twitter were asking why CinemaSins was funny. While I'm highly, highly against explaining jokes ("comedy dies quickly under the microscope"), I can try to maybe go point-to-point and explain why their jokes touch the funnybone. I'll bring Powerpoint slides.

8:12 CinemaSins: While I appreciate the way this movie uses boxing to show off Holmes' superior mind, the idea that a reclusive, agoraphobic investigator would regularly participate in chaotic grimy street fights. Is beyond what my suspension of disbelief can bear.

Bob: Holmes' penchant for boxing comes straight out of Arthur Conan Doyle's original stories, so suspend that disbelief because people have been doing it since 1890.

Me: While Sherlock being a skilled boxer is indeed canon in the novels, many Doyle fans (including myself, screenwriter Max Landis, and co-creator of BBC Sherlock, Mark Gatiss) consider this to be a flaw in the Sherlock novels, as it often totally imbalances the foil relationship between Holmes and Watson. Watson is meant to be more of the brawn than Sherlock because Sherlock is more of the brains than Watson. Making Sherlock a skilled fighter makes Watson less useful. Because of this, it's perfectly accepted (and often considered an improvement) among many Sherlock fans to re-write Sherlock as being flawed at fighting (in BBC Sherlock, Sherlock is terrible at using a gun on numerous occasions, and fails miserably at trying to box the Golem in season 1, episode 3.) and even works that are heavily-inspired by Sherlock Holmes use this dynamic (Max Landis is the creator of BBCA's Dirk Gently, where Dirk can be taken down in a fight very quickly and is surrounded by friends who are physically stronger than him; and I am working on The Butler Detective, which has the detective character Mel Ambrose being physically weak in a fight, and Tuski Brown being surprisingly strong from buttle-ing).

Me: The following images are from Max Landis' Twitter account:

9:59 Preacher: You are sentenced to death for the practice of black magic.

CinemaSins: Victorian London was pretty backwards, but not that backwards. Were they? Were they?

Bob: Considering a [demonic ritual abuse] panic of our own happened in the 1980s, it's not that strange at all.

Me: Yes, but Reality is Unrealistic. There have been written accounts of farmers seeing cows spontaneously exploding, but if I had put a scene in my slice of life farming video game (The Journey of Ignorance) where a cow explodes, no one playing the game would say, "That's improbable, but realistic." They'd say it was unbelievable. As the saying goes, "Truth is stranger than fiction, because fiction has to make sense." If you want the audience to believe something that's improbable, you either have to create a fictionalised world where it seems less improbable, or you have to do what Fargo does and write a disclaimer at the beginning saying that the events are based on a true story... Even when that's not true.

Me: Also, ritual panic isn’t strange? What?

10:58 Bob: It's pronounced "sh*t," not "[BEEP]."

Me: -_- And you say CinemaSins does jokeyjokes?

Me: I feel like I need to add a swear counter or something to this video at this point. 0_o

13:27 CinemaSins: Pretty sure there would be a separate woman's jail. Right? Right?

Bob: Up until 1902, men and women were held in the same prisons in London. Quit asking rhetorical questions. And. Do. Research.

Me: What, am I supposed to crack open a bally history book every time I finish watching a bally episode of Jeeves & Wooster?

Me: Look, critiques come in all shapes and sizes. Some write in an academic style (Roger Egbert), some candidly (Jeremy Jahns), some scathingly (Ebert again), some focus on the editing side of things (Folding Ideas), the animation side (AniMat Reviews), and others write like they're a modernised version of a PG Wodehouse character from the 1930s (me).

Me: My point is, some critics, like CinemaSins, critique films as they are, as the film is playing, in the moment.

Me: You know. Like the way an average audience member watches a movie?

Me: Let them. And let CinemaSins. It's a valid method to judge a film. "It takes all sorts to build a world." There's room for critics who review films by how they captured people emotionally, but there's also room for critics who observe films on a more literal level.

Me: I feel bad about critics like who critically assess both good and bad films. They make me laugh the most with their snarky with, yet they get a lot of flak for it. One independent gave development team (we dare not speak its name, unless in hushed whispers by candlelight on a full moon) even went as far as to try and sue several critics for negatively reviewing their games. This attempt to silence the critics all led to... well... Let's just say that the Streisand Effect amuses me to no end.

Me: I know there's this dislike towards negativity and "caustic critics," but it's actually healthy to have a good whinge.

Me: If you honestly can't stand CinemaSins' negative tone, then check out their sibling channel, CinemaWins. It takes good and bad films and points out the good or awesome elements in those films.

13:50 CinemaSins: You might be thinking "Amazing sense of smell doesn't make a good superhero," and I would respond by saying, "Remember Hawkeye? He gets to be a top tier avenger and all he can do is shoot a [BEEP]ing bow and arrow."

Bob: Hawkeye has a hoverbike, f**k you!

Me: Having a hoverboard is not a skill. Shooting with a bow and arrow IS a skill. I actually have to state this? I mean, he could give that hoverbike to anyone with a compatible drivers license and they could fly it in Hawkeye's place.

Me: Or was that another one of your jokeyjokes? *Wiggles eyebrows.*

Me: Also, WHO THE HECK IS HAWKEYE?!

14:23 CinemaSins: Movie repurposes "old-timey" footage from Les Mis and Shanghai Knights.

Bob: Les Mis, Shanghai Knights and Sherloch Holmes all filmed in Greenwich. I guess it's a sin to shoot in the same location. Is this just a sh**ty jokeyjoke or a legit piece of criticism? I honestly can't tell.

Me: It's a reference/homage to Hollywood constantly filming in certain locations to do film shoots (especially Canada, due to its tax differences). You see camera crews filming stuff all the time and even handing out notices that give info on what film/show they're working on and how long they'll be there. I'm probably in the background of 257 different films and television shows simply because I'm Canadian.

Me: Canadians have very, very mixed, passionate feelings about being used to film American movies that are virtually never set in actual Canada, so I'd count this as a movie sin, yes.

14:48 Bob: Why are jokes about ejaculating allowed in these videos but cursing isn't?

Me: For the same reason double entendre jokes were allowed in 1971's "The Two Ronnies," but cursing wasn't: Because double entendre has a layer of subtext that hides its taboo nature from younger audiences (making it often "go above their heads"), but swearing doesn't. Unless you censor it in some way.

Me: The Two Ronnies' comedy sketch "Crossed Lines" literally has every other line a sex-related joke and it's considered to be a masterpiece of English double entendre. Check it out.

17:46: CinemaSins: The three main characters take down all-20-plus henchmen without the slightest injury.

Bob: By "20-plus henchmen" do you really mean six dudes?

Me: Hey, we're all allowed to hyperbole. I've been doing it like 50 times in this essay alone. :D

17:53 Adler: Moriarty. Please don't underestimate him.

CinemaSins: Irene is just saying "and we need a plot for the next movie."

Bob: Would you prefer the sequel to have a villain that comes out of nowhere, or is teased a little bit? Do all those Marvel post-credits scenes with Thanos make you really mad?

Me: I would prefer a film to be restrained enough to not sequel bait and allow itself to be its own, self-contained story.

Me: Also, sequel-baiting is slowly growing to be a hugely frowned-upon trend in films. It can smack of the creators being over-confident that they'll get enough money to warrant a sequel (The Last Airbender film anyone?) and well as manipulating the audience in an underhanded way. People are getting upset over sequel hooks, especially this year (2017) with films like King Arthur: Legend of the Sword (which was revealed to be a setup to six more films. I kid you not.), The Snowman (which was planned on being possibly a franchise. Which is ironic, since the film is literally incomplete but was released anyway), The Dark Tower (which was meant to lead to a television series), and Murder on the Orient Express (which ends with a sequel hook that, if you've read Agatha's Christie's Death on the Nile, creates a staggering plotting issue that I honestly have no idea how the writers will get around if the sequel does get made).

Me: I don't watch Marvel movies, so I don't know if Thanos makes me mad. Would he make me mad? Probably.

18:55 Bob: (Final Tally) Closing remarks: I have never seen someone simultaneously watch and not watch a film before. So thanks for that I guess.

Me: I've never had to type so much nitpicking-related stuff about a nitpicker before. Not since last Tuesday. So thanks for that I guess.

Me: No, really, thanks for that, Bob. This was cathartic. Genuinely.

Me: If people want to nitpick my nitpick of nitpicking and nitpicker who is nitpicking another nitpicker who's nitpicking a movie, please fell free to. Whatever you title it is bound to be hilarious, and I could do with a jolly good laugh.

-Katy

Also, here's Bobvid's YouTube Channel. *cough*Shameless plug he didn't ask for but I'm adding it anyway.*cough*

Bob, you've been a sweetheart. Keep making your videos.

"I hated this movie. Hated hated hated hated hated this movie. Hated it. Hated every simpering stupid vacant audience-insulting moment of it. Hated the sensibility that thought anyone would like it. Hated the implied insult to the audience by its belief that anyone would be entertained by it."- From Roger Ebert's review of North (1994)

Gee, I hope I don’t come off as too narky in this essay. This is such a big experiment. I’m so nervous about this ahhhhhhh--

[collegeessayguy]

How to Discuss Challenges in Your College Essay So That It Doesn’t Sound Like a Sob Story

This is a question that came up during last week's live course. And, to be frank, there are many ways to talk about your challenges in your personal statement. But here are three good techniques:

1. WITH A LITTLE POETRY

Here’s a professional writing example:

We wanted more. We knocked the butt ends of our forks against the table, tapped our spoons against our empty bowls; we were hungry. We wanted more volume, more riots. We turned up the knob on the TV until our ears ached with the shouts of angry men. We wanted more music on the radio; we wanted beats, we wanted rock. We wanted muscles on our skinny arms. We had bird bones, hollow and light, and we wanted more density, more weight. We were six snatching hands, six stomping feet; we were brothers, boys, three little kings locked in a feud for more. [...] And when our Paps came home, we got spankings. Our little round butt cheeks were tore up: red, raw, leather-whipped. We knew there was something on the other side of pain, on the other side of the sting. Prickly heat radiated upward from our thighs and backsides, fire consumed our brains, but we knew that there was something more, some place our Paps was taking us with all this. We knew, because he was meticulous, because he was precise, because he took his time. - Excerpt from “Lessons” by Justin Torres. For the rest, click here or “Google Justin Torres Lessons”

Here’s a personal statement example:

I can do this by myself. I held the blade, watched it slide across my flesh. The knife was just like Richard Selzer described: cold, gleaming, silent. Red drops of blood trailed the slightly serrated edge. I let out a long sigh. I was at my most desperate. My friend had died in September of my junior year. Five AP classes, weekly volunteering, and a tutoring job had provided added stress. I needed reprieve. And I found it in the knife. Two months later, my French teacher, Madame Deleuze, discovered my secret. That day in AP French while everyone else drilled vocabulary, she called me out to have a talk. - Excerpt from the "Knife" essay, which may be found in College Essay Essentials

IMPORTANT: This is extremely difficult to do—like walking a high-wire—and, if done poorly, this can fail spectacularly. I’d only recommend this if 1) you have lots of time before your essay is due, 2) you consider yourself a moderately good writer and, 3) you are able to speak about your challenges with distance and objectivity (i.e. - you have mostly or completely come through the challenge(s) you’re describing). If you’re short on time, don’t have a lot of experience writing creative non-fiction, or are still very much “in it,” I’d recommend not choosing this method.

But, if you are interested in doing this, and want to learn more about how, check out my analysis in my book College Essay Essentials. (Not trying to sell a book here, it’s just too much to print here and I wanted you know more where you could learn more. That’s where.)

2. WITH A LITTLE HUMOR

Click here for a movie example, or Google this phrase:

But partying it up with a bunch of munchkins isn’t the only way to bring light to an otherwise pretty dark situation.

Here’s a personal statement example:

When I was fifteen years old I broke up with my mother. We could still be friends, I told her, but I needed my space, and she couldn’t give me that. - Excerpt from the "Breaking Up With Mom" essay found in College Essay Essentials

Note how she uses the (funny, but subtle) cliche of “I needed space” and puts it the context of something that was a pretty big deal for her—cutting her mother off.

Another example:

I’ve desperately attempted to consolidate my opposing opinions of Barbie into a single belief, but I’ve accepted that they’re separate. In one, she has perpetuated physical ideals unrepresentative of how real female bodies are built. Striving to look like Barbie is not only striving for the impossible—the effort is detrimental to women’s psychological and physical health, including my own. In the other, Barbie has inspired me in her breaking of the plastic ceiling. She has dabbled in close to 150 careers, including some I’d love to have: a UNICEF Ambassador, teacher, and business executive. And although it’s not officially listed on her résumé, Barbie served honorably in the War in Afghanistan. - Excerpt from “Barbie vs. Terrorism and the Patriarchy” in College Essay Essentials and in PDF for “How to Write a Personal Statement”

And here’s a request (and challenge) for you, dear reader: I’d love to see more examples of the use of humor to address challenges, as I haven’t seen many great ones.

Request: Can you think of any--either in personal statements or otherwise? If so, please email them to info@collegeessayguy.com. Or:

Challenge: Maybe you write the essay that provides a great example for future students.

3. WITH STRAIGHTFORWARD EFFICIENCY

This is the simplest way, and it can even be the most vulnerable. Why? Because there's nothing dressing it up--no hiding behind poetic language or humor--you're just telling it like it is.

Personal statement example:

At age three, I was separated from my mother. The court gave full custody of both my baby brother and me to my father. Of course, at my young age, I had no clue what was going on. However, it did not take me long to realize that life with my father would not be without its difficulties." - Excerpt from "Raising Anthony" in College Essay Essentials and in PDF for “How to Write a Personal Statement”

IMPORTANT: I mention “efficiency” above because it’s important to do this in the most succinct way possible—probably in the first paragraph or two. But they you need to move on to a) what you did about it and b) what you learned. So just tell it, with simple and plain language.

ALSO: If you're unsure/insecure about adding humor or poetry, I'd recommend starting with the straightforward method. It'll get you started. And, who knows, maybe some humor and poetry will emerge.

Here's one more example of a straightforward, efficient opening to an essay that deals with challenges:

It was Easter and we should’ve been celebrating with our family, but my father had locked us in the house. If he wasn’t going out, neither were my mother and I. My mother came to the U.S. from Mexico to study English. She’d been an exceptional student and had a bright future ahead of her. But she fell in love and eloped with the man that eventually became my father. He loved her in an unhealthy way, and was both physically and verbally abusive. My mother lacked the courage to start over so she stayed with him and slowly let go of her dreams and aspirations. But she wouldn’t allow for the same to happen to me. - Excerpt from “Easter" essay in College Essay Essentials

STILL UNCERTAIN ABOUT HOW TO DO THIS? WANT MORE?

For a complete structural analysis of the “Raising Anthony” essay mentioned above, click here, or Google “College Essay Guy Significant Challenges Essay YouTube” to watch an 18-minute video.

Rock on. With humor, poetry, and (most of all) efficiency.

[leapingtitan]

Nick Talks: Video Making

Alright. This is going to be a little different and a little long, but as you have probably figured, I was originally going to have this question in the AMA. It’s a very good question but there are certain things preventing me from including in, mainly for the slightly long description that I’m about to give in this post. Depending on what format you like to work with, posting something like this can work out good both in text and video/narrative form, but in that video specifically, I felt like it just wouldn’t fit in.

Now, first of all, I feel like it’s mandatory to state that I’m nowhere near professional at editing. In fact, I’ve only been doing this for a little less than two months. That amount of time is nothing compared to people who have done it for a year, maybe two years and not to mention people who do this as a full-time job, on a completely different level at that.

The thing is, if I were to give a full tutorial on how to make videos, it would be better if I just did it in video form. “But why didn’t you just include it in the AMA, then?” Yeah, two reasons. One, I don’t think anyone wants to sit in front of their screen watching me do something for 10 hours (AT LEAST). And two, like I said, I’m pretty amateur at this point.

However, since people are expressing genuine interest and it’s a completely logical question nonetheless, I’ve decided to at least try answering in a fashion that would appeal to people. Personally, I think doing this in text form is okay for now. Like I said, I can’t give a full class on video editing, but I can give you the step-by-step process as well as my two cents on each individual step.

If you are genuinely interested in the process and want to find out more (or just read what I’m writing in general... either is fine), I recommend reading carefully and slowly whilst paying attention because this is going to be slightly longer than my usual posts and I’ll try my best to explain. Let’s do this.

Step 1: The Idea

This may seem obvious to some of you, but this is, and I mean it, the most important part. The idea sets everything else into motion and determines what the final product will be and how it will be received by viewers. Even if your effects and cuts are Hollywood-quality, if the overall concept is bad, people aren’t gonna like it. And this applies to quite literally everything. It doesn’t matter if it’s art, fiction, meta, theories, videos, the idea is the seed of everything that has to do with creativity.

Now, where do ideas come from? From everywhere! For me, it’s mostly just being active in the fandom. As I’ve said in the past, I do a lot of read-through’s while waiting for new chapters, and I always get more and more ideas each time. Another important source is you guys! Tumblr and the people I follow really inspire me. This in it of itself has multiple sources including other theories and meta, and quite commonly answers to asks. Everything combined together becomes the foundation for the idea, before the idea itself actually booms into existence. Lastly, I watch other YouTubers and have seen people make similar content to this. though in different fandoms and different forms. However, this is a big inspiration to me and it’s what got me to make what I’m making right now. The lore of Attack on Titan has different things that one can talk about, and my fellow meta writers are well aware of this already. 

What makes a good idea? Well, this one has a lot of different factors. For me, 98% of the feedback that I’ve gotten these past 2 months has been positive. You can call this luck, but I’ve had a lot of people to look up to and a lot of references and examples to gather experience from. But I swear, I cannot make this more clear: YOU ARE GOING TO SUCK AT THE BEGINNING. This doesn’t always apply, but you need to gather experience from failure before you can achieve something that is remotely good. Past experience can come from anything and can then be adapted and used in different ways. For example, are you a meta writer? It’s possible that your first meta got over 200 notes and was very well received, okay! But you probably already have some kind of idea how to keep your readers entertained and express your thoughts in a beautiful and addicting fashion. Maybe you’re good at writing essays in English? See what I mean? If you’re starting from complete zero in a completely new aspect though... you can read what I wrote above again. Trial and error, experience and patience are the most important aspects. And I already said this, but I’ll say it again: This applies to everything.

Step 2: Time and Motivation

Well, the idea is the most important step. But the hardest step... is this. I swear... This is the reason why Part 2 of The Timeline and History of Attack on Titan came out. Let’s start with time. First of all, I kind of already said this, but I’m not doing this as a full-time job. This is a hobby. A way for me to display what you call meta in a more visual and acoustic format. And for the record, there is school... obviously. I have studies, classes, extra work as well as things which do not involve anything academic whatsoever, like my personal life. So, okay... but it’s not like I’m 24/7 studying... right? Nope, not even close. With that, this brings me to my next aspect.

Motivation. For the record, this applies to everything. Surprise! I could have a whole day all for myself free of any worries and disturbances whatsoever. I can just sit down... and not even edit 4 seconds of video. Motivation comes from a lot of different places, mainly you guys, the community here on Tumblr, as well as my own ideas and plans for the future as to what I like doing and what kind of person I am as a whole. Reflecting really does help, but it’s absolutely vital to say this: Motivation is temporary and can’t be forced. Even if I have all of those things I mentioned, there is absolutely no guarantee that it instantly boosts the chances of me making something good by 80% or above... and that’s even way too much to be completely honest. Then there is the mood I am in. Like everyone else, I have a personal life and there are many different things that affect me. This can be of various magnitudes, but let me tell you, it can definitely prevent me from doing anything even if I do have all of the positive things I just mentioned. You just can’t force it and it has to come naturally. Personal life plays a big part, and I’ll usually take care of whatever is bothering me before having the peace of mind to sit down and get to work... that’s how it is.

Step 3 (Optional): Writing a Script

Alright, we got all of the theoretical and psychological aspects all of the way. Now we get to the actual video... except not. The reason why this step is optional can probably already made out by some of you who are reading this. For The Timeline and History of Attack on Titan video series, I wrote an entire script of everything I wanted to say. Now, back up and let’s be real here: Nobody in their right mind can possibly recite the entire Shingeki no Kyojin lore and backstory off the top of their head without jinxing at least once. For informative videos where you are trying to get your point across in a mannered, organized and appealing fashion, writing a script is the ideal solution. You have time to organize your thoughts, not make mistakes and have the full freedom to correct them at the spot before you present them to the public.

Now, of course, if you’re doing a live reaction or just freestyle/improvising, writing a script is not necessary. I mean, it wouldn’t be called a Live reaction otherwise if you’re preparing it before that... As for thoughts and opinions, this is where you have to make the choice. Do you want to spend maybe an hour (for me at least) writing a script and clearing your thoughts one by one with each word so that it can be easier afterwards? Or do you want the freedom to speak exactly that which comes to your mind at the spot. For me, like I said, it depends on the type of video you are making. Something very lore-ish and very appeal-concentrated like the Timeline series is definitely better to write a script. However, this isn’t to say that it’s mandatory. Some people are good at speaking their thoughts and having an organized mind and get their point across, nice and clean on the spot. For me, it depends. In my case there are a lot of different factors (which most definitely include the first two steps of this guide by the way), but I can’t speak on behalf of everyone reading this, obviously. Do what you are comfortable with and whatever fits your style. And of course, trial and error counts here as well.

Step 4: Recording the Audio

It’s the for the transition in format. Before you begin, here are the things I recommend to everyone: 

If you’re sick, don’t do this. Period.

Get comfortable and clear your throat.

Have a glass of water nearby at all times. You’re gonna see exactly what I mean.

If you’ve written one, bring up your script and read the first few lines or paragraphs to get comfortable and prepared. If you haven’t, clear your thoughts for a few minutes and relax.

And lastly, sit down in/on that chair with the full knowledge and awareness of the fact that you’re probably going to be sitting there for a bit and potentially fuck up. A lot.

After you’ve done that, it’s time to hit record... and after you do... well... that’s pretty much it. Depending on the type of content you are making, the things you’ll be saying and recording will be different. 

This is something I still frequently do, so take my advice: Talk slowly, take deep breaths, don’t worry if you mess up. Stop talking, drink up that water, stand up, roll around in your chair (if your chair can roll that is) and then try again. Talking slow is very important and I never realized that my words were shooting out like a machine gun and no one could recognize them until one of my private viewers pointed it out at the beginning. And for that, I’m grateful. Usually in improvisation videos like my Reviews and Live Reactions I’ll talk like I usually do (still the advice remains helpful forever),though in informative videos where you HAVE to appeal, definitely consider the pace of your speech. 

Now, I’m speaking from my perspective, but I know a lot of you out there don’t have English as a native language. There are accents, ways you pronounce words and overall different ways of talking. For me... I really don’t see it that much. English is like an extension of my senses and I barely think about it, though my hybrid accent definitely stands out at times, I believe it’s not as bad as it used to be a certain period of time ago. Also, for those of you who don’t know (and this is going to surprise a lot of people), English is not my first/native language. It’s my second, and I’ve been learning it since I was about 3 years old, purely out of fascination and interest and the fact that it’s around you everywhere ago. To be even more honest, I can probably speak it better than my native language at this point. This is why I apologize for the fact that I can’t relate with everyone reading this right now, but I am currently struggling with another language which is a completely different story, but trust me... I know what it’s like. Generally, I wouldn’t recommend doing this unless you are comfortable with your speech. This takes time and... overall practice and being surrounded by the language is the best advice I can give. I can’t say anymore though because like I said, it’s different for everyone and I also don’t want to make this a “How to Speak Foreign Languages” class... that’s not my goal here, but I felt like this was important to point out.

Something else to point out is hardware. You do not have to bankrupt yourself and buy the most expensive microphone you find on Amazon. Mine is anything but magic,and my advice is: Set up the microphone properly through your computer’s settings. Volume and microphone boost are important aspects. Too much boost means louder but lots of background noise which, even when removed, can tamper with the voice itself which is why I have mine set to 0 at all times. If it’s too quiet I’ll just amplify it/increase the volume manually. Now, if you do want a more advanced mic, then that’s okay too. I would recommend this for something that’s more professional, but really unless you’re doing something like studio quality music recording or voice acting, it’s not really that important. However, here are two vital things:

Do not use your phone for anything that’s not simple things... or you know, the snk voice meme.

When people watch your video, their ears will be affected a lot quicker than their eyes. Hearing takes subconscious priority to sight and has an even greater impact on whether or not you’re going to keep watching or not. For me, if the first two seconds is full of background noise and bad voice quality, I’ll click 3 minutes further to see if it’s still like that... if it is, immediate click on that “X”.

If your mic doesn’t have one by default, use a pop filter or wind screen. These remove any loud unnecessary pops and noises which you may get while recording, especially if you are close to the microphone. I have both for convenience sake, but just one is okay. (Though in my case, not using the microphone boost requires me to be pretty close to the mic, meaning I go for the wind screen most of the time)

Anyway, those are all of the things you should keep in mind. While recording, you are going to mess up. Again, again... and again. Did something make you laugh? Did you get interrupted by someone walking into the room or calling you on your phone? Did you just fail to say what you were trying to say even though it’s right in your head/right in front of you? All of that happens and it’s completely normal. You can’t get it on the first try flawlessly, even with a script in front of your eyes. Trial and error, like I said. I have a folder full of outtakes/bloopers which is like 100MB of shenanigans at this point which I’m thinking of posting when I get more of those... and oh yes, that’s going to happen. I’ve messed up a lot, and you probably will too. Just remember what I wrote in the first two steps. Trial and error, patience, and with time... experience. It’s not like Kaji Yuuki pulled off Eren’s screaming lines on the first time.

Step 5: Editing the Audio

The times you messed up in Step 4, the longer this is going to take. For me, there is a lot of cutting and fixing up to do. Most of the time the full track has outtakes (some of which I’ll just extract in the folder I mentioned for future keeping) and fails, which I cut out and put the pieces together to make a clean, constant track of speech. Even if I don’t necessarily “mess up”, a lot of the time I obviously have to catch my breath. My throat will get dry, I’ll have to stand up and do other things and so on. Also, my full raw tracks are like 40% “uhm” “aaaand” “but” “and yeah” “so yeah” or just constant silence with me forgetting my thoughts if I don’t have a script in front of me. Most of the time I’ll just cut that out if I see it as annoying and overall something that no one wants to hear. I’m usually satisfied with the results.

I rarely tamper with the original audio aside from cutting, though there are simple things like filters, noise removal and the chipmunk/high pitch voice I used for Flocke in the Chapter 90 review. Overall though, I prefer to keep the original audio as it is, at least for now.

Step 6: Editing the Video

After you are done with the audio... it’s time for the video. The Idea is the most important part. Time and Motivation is the hardest part. And this... is the long part. Depending on what type of video you’re making and how many different visuals and animations you are going to put in it, this can take a variety of different amounts of time.

One question which I get somewhat frequently is what program I use. The answer is: You can use whatever you want and whatever you feel comfortable with. Personally, I use Sony Vegas 13. There is also Adobe Premiere which the “professional” standard I guess and if you’re using a Mac there is Final Cut. (I haven’t heard too many good things about the newer versions of Final Cut but I know Pro is regarded as a very good editing program. Though I don’t use a Mac myself so I can’t really give a perspective on that). Now, again, you don’t have to bankrupt yourself and buy Adobe Premiere or anything like that... there are different programs out there. Though, if you are looking to make something at least a bit more advanced, you may want to consider something that’s not Windows Movie Maker. I mean, it’s good for general editing but anything else does require a more advanced software. I started with Windows Movie Maker on XP like 11 years ago, now? And that’s basically my foundation for getting the hang of editing software in general.

Back to the editing itself. There are way too many things to mention here, but one that is important is using panels from the manga. In order to avoid copyright, any panel from the manga that I take (usually the official Crunchyroll version) has its dialogue whited out and removed. I literally do this in like 20 seconds in MS Paint by the way, but if you take all of the manga panels that I use in one video, especially The Timeline and History of Attack on Titan and add up the time it takes to remove the text from it, it does stack up to about 15-20 minutes which is like the length of the whole video itself... so... yeah.

For editing you need to be visual and well.. visualize how you want everything to look in your head. I wish I could explain this in more detail but... just like anything else creativity-related, you have to figure it out on your own and learn what you are comfortable with, as well as learn from mistakes and improve over time, of course.

Also, this step includes custom graphics and backgrounds which I make myself. These vary from video to video in both time and overall design.

Step 7: Rendering

I recently found a preset and messed around with it so that the file size of my videos is smaller, though the render time itself is slightly longer which is interesting. Anyways, after you’re done editing and the video is good to go, you render it. Basically exporting it and... yeah, you know what rendering is. With the AMA video it took around half an an hour and the video was 26 minutes long so... I think I like this new preset. Anyways, that’s all about this. While rendering, I also do the next step.

Step 8: Making the Thumbnail

This is probably my favorite and the most fun part in general. I always considered my strong side to be the graphic/photo-manipulative side where I can make something as colorful and eye-candy-ish as I can and place the text in the most convenient places and make it the most convenient size as possible. Personally this is a way for me to relax after finally finishing editing.

In case I need the thumbnail before that, for instance in the end screen in the video, I’ll usually just make it after I’m done editing the audio, so Step 5.5 is appropriate, I guess.

Step 9: Uploading and Finalization

Uploading the video to YouTube is another time consuming part, and knowing my schedule, I usually let this happen at the latest hours of the day because I’ve been trying to get the editing done beforehand. Depending on the size and length of the video, this can take anywhere from 1 to 3 hours. With my old rendering template it took about 2 and a half hours for a ~12 minute video. Now it takes the same time for a 26-minute video, so I’m saving a lot of time with the new template.

Then there is the misc. work like promoting it on here, getting the description and annotations out (I don’t like using End Cards... the 20 second limitation hinders Sawano’s music which I use at the end of my videos) and overall making sure people can watch it as comfortably as possible.

There is also a processing time after uploading (around 10 minutes) before the video can be viewed, and there is around a 5 minute period after that which limits the quality to 240p or 480p for whatever reason... Waiting for a little bit fixes it though.

Step 10: Repeat from Step 1

Conclusion

Well... this is really all I can say and the best advice that I can give you. I find it really interesting to know that people themselves take interest in what actually goes into making these things, though like I said, there are a lot of tutorials out there but from most of the things that I’ve taken interest in, I’ve picked up on them and learned the skill on my own. Again, there are many sources out there that can help you, and I just hope that you are now more informed after reading (if you did) this. I’ll try to answer any other questions as usual, though this pretty much sums up most of the things.

I know I didn’t answer some things like how long it takes to get a video out, but it really varies. On average, counting the whole process, I’d say maybe 8 or 9 hours. Step 1 and Step 2 are the biggest factor in this, as well as the editing step, but... yes, that’s all.

Thank you for reading!

[laurendcameron]

Why You Shouldn’t Start a Podcast or YouTube Channel (Seriously)

You’ve seen it for yourself. These days, there are a gazillion different ways to broadcast your thoughts online.

Blogging, podcasting, YouTube, Instagram, Snapchat — the options are overwhelming. Are you supposed to do all of them? If not, which ones are most important? What if you are talented in one medium and terrible in another?

ARGH! It’s so confusing.

Well, here’s the good news:

In this post, I’ll do my best to answer those questions. Even better, I’ll give you answers that include taking things off your plate, not putting more things on.

In other words, everything is about to get a whole lot simpler. Let’s jump in.

Why Trying to Do Everything at Once Is a Mistake

Some influencers are doing it all. They have a blog, podcast, YouTube channel, a bunch of social media accounts with tons of followers — everything.

From the outside, it’s impressive. You might even think that’s what you have to do if you want to make money online.

But here’s a little secret:

Behind the scenes, most of those influencers are paying entire teams of helpers. In the rare case where they are doing everything themselves, it also leaves them without any time to monetize all that content, so many “social media influencers” are actually broke.

The reason why?

No one gets more than 24 hours in a day. It doesn’t matter how smart, fast, or multi-talented you are — you’ll never be able to do everything well.

You have to choose. The question is… how?

How to Figure out What to Focus on

Thankfully, this one is simple. Just answer one question:

In what medium can you develop a top 1% skillset?

At first glance, this might seem like a strange question, but let’s break it down.

There are three types of media: the written word, audio, and video. Chances are, you’ll be better at one than the others.

For example, writing has always come naturally to me. Even when I was in school, I could write essays 10X better than everyone else and barely exert myself at all.

For you, maybe it’s something different.

Maybe engaging people with your voice and having interesting conversations comes naturally to you. In that case, you should start a podcast.

Or maybe you’re captivating on video. Ever since you were a kid, you’ve been a natural entertainer.

Wherever you shine, that’s the medium you should focus on.

But here’s the caveat:

Don’t just jump in and expect to be successful. Success with any kind of content marketing isn’t about being good. It’s about being among the best.

Here’s what I mean:

The Staggering Difference between Being Good and Being Great

Once upon a time, I was an NFL (American football) junkie, and I was always intrigued by the pay difference between players.

The star of your team might make $20 million a year. The backup to your star, however, might make $2 million or even less.

Was this because the star was 10X better?

Not even close. In a professional sport, even the backup players are among the best in the world. At best, a star might be 50% better than his replacement.

So why do they pay him 10X more?

Because games are a matter of matchups. One player being just a little bit better than his opponent can mean the difference between winning and losing. If you have an entire team of players who are just a tiny bit better, you win the Super Bowl.

You see the same thing in the Olympics. The silver medal runner might be just a fraction of a second behind the gold medal winner.

And content marketing works the same way.

The rewards go to the best of the best. You can be a good writer or podcaster or YouTuber and have mediocre or even terrible results.

In fact, I’ll go out on a limb and say something controversial:

If you’re not prepared to be among the best in your niche, content marketing isn’t going to do anything for you at all. You might as well quit.

Before you get too discouraged though, here’s the other side of the coin:

If you diligently upgrade your skills over time in a medium where you have some natural talent, you can almost always be among the best.

Let me explain…

How I Became One of the Most Popular Writers on the Web

Over the last decade, my work has touched over 200 million people — about 1 out of 8 people in the English-speaking world.

Crazy, right? Obviously, I must have some secret.

But I don’t. I followed the exact method I’m teaching you here.

I recognized I was a naturally talented writer, so then I spent years improving my writing skills to the point of being among the best in the world. It took me about three years to begin to get noticed and another two years after that for people to start thinking of me as “the blogging guy.”

During those years of practice, I wrote 1,000 words every single day. In the first year, I also wrote 100 headlines per day. Added to that, I spent one or two hours per day reading the work of other top bloggers, dissecting why they were popular, and deliberately practicing incorporating their techniques into my own work.

It’s the same process an athlete uses to become an elite player in their sport. Identify natural talent, practice like hell, and then do your best to be in the right place at the right time.

Content marketing is no different. It’s a sport, and there are winners and losers.

The medium doesn’t matter. Blogging, podcasting, YouTube — the vast majority of the rewards go to the people at the top.

The question is, are you willing to put in the work to get there?

It doesn’t always have to take three years as it did for me. I spent a lot of time running in circles because I didn’t have anyone to guide me. With the right coach, you can progress much, much faster.

And that brings me to my most important point.

The Formula for Being an Insanely Successful Person

It’s all about stacking top 1% skills.

Let’s say you have some natural talent as a writer. You invest in some good training, work like hell, and gradually become a top 1% writer.

But that’s not the end of the story.

Now you’re getting lots of traffic, but you’re not making much money, and you realize it’s because your marketing sucks. So again, you invest in some good training, work like hell, and gradually become a top 1% marketer.

Again though, it’s not the end of the story.

Because now, you’re making some pretty good money, but you’re working night and day, and you want to hire someone to help you. Problem is, you’re a terrible manager and leader, but again, you decide to suck it up, invest in some good training, work like hell, and gradually become a top 1% CEO.

The above story isn’t a fairytale, by the way. It’s the story of the last 10 years of my life.

And it’s actually a pretty common story. Regardless of profession, the most successful people in any field get there by stacking 1% skills on top of each other.

So, let’s bring this full circle:

When to Branch out into Podcasting or YouTube

Assuming you’re a blogger, you should wait until you’ve mastered blogging.

Let’s take me as an example.

I’ve spent the last couple of years improving my skills as a CEO. It’s been a painful, gradual process, but I think I’m starting to “get it,” and that’s one of the reasons why the company is now growing faster than it has in years.

Am I among the top 1%? Not quite, but according to these stats, I’m getting pretty close. I think it’s just a matter of time.

So, what’s next?

I’ll pick another media and become the top 1% there. I have some natural talent with podcasting as well, so that’s probably the next skill to stack on top. On the other hand, I don’t think I have much natural talent with video, so the chances of me starting a YouTube channel where I’m the star are pretty slim.

And that’s fine. We don’t have to be great at everything.

The key is to be great at one thing… and then another thing… and then another thing.

If your first “thing” is writing, I’m your man. We have some of the best training there is for writers, and we’re expanding it all the time.

But do me a favor…

Don’t start a podcast or YouTube channel while you’re trying to learn how to write. That’s the equivalent of someone training for an Olympic marathon deciding to become an Olympic swimmer and skier all at the same time.

That’s never going to happen. Not unless you’re inhuman, anyway.

So, pick just one medium. Focus on it. Get really, really, really great at it.

And then enjoy the rewards of being at the top.

About the Author: Jon Morrow is the CEO of Smart Blogger. Check out his new blog Unstoppable and read the launch post that went viral: 7 Life Lessons from a Guy Who Can’t Move Anything but His Face.

The post Why You Shouldn’t Start a Podcast or YouTube Channel (Seriously) appeared first on Smart Blogger.

from Lauren Cameron Updates https://smartblogger.com/start-a-podcast/

[sandranelsonuk]

Why You Shouldn’t Start a Podcast or YouTube Channel (Seriously)

You’ve seen it for yourself. These days, there are a gazillion different ways to broadcast your thoughts online.

Blogging, podcasting, YouTube, Instagram, Snapchat — the options are overwhelming. Are you supposed to do all of them? If not, which ones are most important? What if you are talented in one medium and terrible in another?

ARGH! It’s so confusing.

Well, here’s the good news:

In this post, I’ll do my best to answer those questions. Even better, I’ll give you answers that include taking things off your plate, not putting more things on.

In other words, everything is about to get a whole lot simpler. Let’s jump in.

Why Trying to Do Everything at Once Is a Mistake

Some influencers are doing it all. They have a blog, podcast, YouTube channel, a bunch of social media accounts with tons of followers — everything.

From the outside, it’s impressive. You might even think that’s what you have to do if you want to make money online.

But here’s a little secret:

Behind the scenes, most of those influencers are paying entire teams of helpers. In the rare case where they are doing everything themselves, it also leaves them without any time to monetize all that content, so many “social media influencers” are actually broke.

The reason why?

No one gets more than 24 hours in a day. It doesn’t matter how smart, fast, or multi-talented you are — you’ll never be able to do everything well.

You have to choose. The question is… how?

How to Figure out What to Focus on

Thankfully, this one is simple. Just answer one question:

In what medium can you develop a top 1% skillset?

At first glance, this might seem like a strange question, but let’s break it down.

There are three types of media: the written word, audio, and video. Chances are, you’ll be better at one than the others.

For example, writing has always come naturally to me. Even when I was in school, I could write essays 10X better than everyone else and barely exert myself at all.

For you, maybe it’s something different.

Maybe engaging people with your voice and having interesting conversations comes naturally to you. In that case, you should start a podcast.

Or maybe you’re captivating on video. Ever since you were a kid, you’ve been a natural entertainer.

Wherever you shine, that’s the medium you should focus on.

But here’s the caveat:

Don’t just jump in and expect to be successful. Success with any kind of content marketing isn’t about being good. It’s about being among the best.

Here’s what I mean:

The Staggering Difference between Being Good and Being Great

Once upon a time, I was an NFL (American football) junkie, and I was always intrigued by the pay difference between players.

The star of your team might make $20 million a year. The backup to your star, however, might make $2 million or even less.

Was this because the star was 10X better?

Not even close. In a professional sport, even the backup players are among the best in the world. At best, a star might be 50% better than his replacement.

So why do they pay him 10X more?

Because games are a matter of matchups. One player being just a little bit better than his opponent can mean the difference between winning and losing. If you have an entire team of players who are just a tiny bit better, you win the Super Bowl.

You see the same thing in the Olympics. The silver medal runner might be just a fraction of a second behind the gold medal winner.

And content marketing works the same way.

The rewards go to the best of the best. You can be a good writer or podcaster or YouTuber and have mediocre or even terrible results.

In fact, I’ll go out on a limb and say something controversial:

If you’re not prepared to be among the best in your niche, content marketing isn’t going to do anything for you at all. You might as well quit.

Before you get too discouraged though, here’s the other side of the coin:

If you diligently upgrade your skills over time in a medium where you have some natural talent, you can almost always be among the best.

Let me explain…

How I Became One of the Most Popular Writers on the Web

Over the last decade, my work has touched over 200 million people — about 1 out of 8 people in the English-speaking world.

Crazy, right? Obviously, I must have some secret.

But I don’t. I followed the exact method I’m teaching you here.

I recognized I was a naturally talented writer, so then I spent years improving my writing skills to the point of being among the best in the world. It took me about three years to begin to get noticed and another two years after that for people to start thinking of me as “the blogging guy.”

During those years of practice, I wrote 1,000 words every single day. In the first year, I also wrote 100 headlines per day. Added to that, I spent one or two hours per day reading the work of other top bloggers, dissecting why they were popular, and deliberately practicing incorporating their techniques into my own work.

It’s the same process an athlete uses to become an elite player in their sport. Identify natural talent, practice like hell, and then do your best to be in the right place at the right time.

Content marketing is no different. It’s a sport, and there are winners and losers.

The medium doesn’t matter. Blogging, podcasting, YouTube — the vast majority of the rewards go to the people at the top.

The question is, are you willing to put in the work to get there?

It doesn’t always have to take three years as it did for me. I spent a lot of time running in circles because I didn’t have anyone to guide me. With the right coach, you can progress much, much faster.

And that brings me to my most important point.

The Formula for Being an Insanely Successful Person

It’s all about stacking top 1% skills.

Let’s say you have some natural talent as a writer. You invest in some good training, work like hell, and gradually become a top 1% writer.

But that’s not the end of the story.

Now you’re getting lots of traffic, but you’re not making much money, and you realize it’s because your marketing sucks. So again, you invest in some good training, work like hell, and gradually become a top 1% marketer.

Again though, it’s not the end of the story.

Because now, you’re making some pretty good money, but you’re working night and day, and you want to hire someone to help you. Problem is, you’re a terrible manager and leader, but again, you decide to suck it up, invest in some good training, work like hell, and gradually become a top 1% CEO.

The above story isn’t a fairytale, by the way. It’s the story of the last 10 years of my life.

And it’s actually a pretty common story. Regardless of profession, the most successful people in any field get there by stacking 1% skills on top of each other.

So, let’s bring this full circle:

When to Branch out into Podcasting or YouTube

Assuming you’re a blogger, you should wait until you’ve mastered blogging.

Let’s take me as an example.

I’ve spent the last couple of years improving my skills as a CEO. It’s been a painful, gradual process, but I think I’m starting to “get it,” and that’s one of the reasons why the company is now growing faster than it has in years.

Am I among the top 1%? Not quite, but according to these stats, I’m getting pretty close. I think it’s just a matter of time.

So, what’s next?

I’ll pick another media and become the top 1% there. I have some natural talent with podcasting as well, so that’s probably the next skill to stack on top. On the other hand, I don’t think I have much natural talent with video, so the chances of me starting a YouTube channel where I’m the star are pretty slim.

And that’s fine. We don’t have to be great at everything.

The key is to be great at one thing… and then another thing… and then another thing.

If your first “thing” is writing, I’m your man. We have some of the best training there is for writers, and we’re expanding it all the time.

But do me a favor…

Don’t start a podcast or YouTube channel while you’re trying to learn how to write. That’s the equivalent of someone training for an Olympic marathon deciding to become an Olympic swimmer and skier all at the same time.

That’s never going to happen. Not unless you’re inhuman, anyway.

So, pick just one medium. Focus on it. Get really, really, really great at it.

And then enjoy the rewards of being at the top.

About the Author: Jon Morrow is the CEO of Smart Blogger. Check out his new blog Unstoppable and read the launch post that went viral: 7 Life Lessons from a Guy Who Can’t Move Anything but His Face.

The post Why You Shouldn’t Start a Podcast or YouTube Channel (Seriously) appeared first on Smart Blogger.

from Julia Garza Social Media Tips https://smartblogger.com/start-a-podcast/

[lindabodecom]

Why You Shouldn’t Start a Podcast or YouTube Channel (Seriously)

You’ve seen it for yourself. These days, there are a gazillion different ways to broadcast your thoughts online.

Blogging, podcasting, YouTube, Instagram, Snapchat — the options are overwhelming. Are you supposed to do all of them? If not, which ones are most important? What if you are talented in one medium and terrible in another?

ARGH! It’s so confusing.

Well, here’s the good news:

In this post, I’ll do my best to answer those questions. Even better, I’ll give you answers that include taking things off your plate, not putting more things on.

In other words, everything is about to get a whole lot simpler. Let’s jump in.

Why Trying to Do Everything at Once Is a Mistake

Some influencers are doing it all. They have a blog, podcast, YouTube channel, a bunch of social media accounts with tons of followers — everything.

From the outside, it’s impressive. You might even think that’s what you have to do if you want to make money online.

But here’s a little secret:

Behind the scenes, most of those influencers are paying entire teams of helpers. In the rare case where they are doing everything themselves, it also leaves them without any time to monetize all that content, so many “social media influencers” are actually broke.

The reason why?

No one gets more than 24 hours in a day. It doesn’t matter how smart, fast, or multi-talented you are — you’ll never be able to do everything well.

You have to choose. The question is… how?

How to Figure out What to Focus on

Thankfully, this one is simple. Just answer one question:

In what medium can you develop a top 1% skillset?

At first glance, this might seem like a strange question, but let’s break it down.

There are three types of media: the written word, audio, and video. Chances are, you’ll be better at one than the others.

For example, writing has always come naturally to me. Even when I was in school, I could write essays 10X better than everyone else and barely exert myself at all.

For you, maybe it’s something different.

Maybe engaging people with your voice and having interesting conversations comes naturally to you. In that case, you should start a podcast.

Or maybe you’re captivating on video. Ever since you were a kid, you’ve been a natural entertainer.

Wherever you shine, that’s the medium you should focus on.

But here’s the caveat:

Don’t just jump in and expect to be successful. Success with any kind of content marketing isn’t about being good. It’s about being among the best.

Here’s what I mean:

The Staggering Difference between Being Good and Being Great

Once upon a time, I was an NFL (American football) junkie, and I was always intrigued by the pay difference between players.

The star of your team might make $20 million a year. The backup to your star, however, might make $2 million or even less.

Was this because the star was 10X better?

Not even close. In a professional sport, even the backup players are among the best in the world. At best, a star might be 50% better than his replacement.

So why do they pay him 10X more?

Because games are a matter of matchups. One player being just a little bit better than his opponent can mean the difference between winning and losing. If you have an entire team of players who are just a tiny bit better, you win the Super Bowl.

You see the same thing in the Olympics. The silver medal runner might be just a fraction of a second behind the gold medal winner.

And content marketing works the same way.

The rewards go to the best of the best. You can be a good writer or podcaster or YouTuber and have mediocre or even terrible results.

In fact, I’ll go out on a limb and say something controversial:

If you’re not prepared to be among the best in your niche, content marketing isn’t going to do anything for you at all. You might as well quit.

Before you get too discouraged though, here’s the other side of the coin:

If you diligently upgrade your skills over time in a medium where you have some natural talent, you can almost always be among the best.

Let me explain…

How I Became One of the Most Popular Writers on the Web

Over the last decade, my work has touched over 200 million people — about 1 out of 8 people in the English-speaking world.

Crazy, right? Obviously, I must have some secret.

But I don’t. I followed the exact method I’m teaching you here.

I recognized I was a naturally talented writer, so then I spent years improving my writing skills to the point of being among the best in the world. It took me about three years to begin to get noticed and another two years after that for people to start thinking of me as “the blogging guy.”

During those years of practice, I wrote 1,000 words every single day. In the first year, I also wrote 100 headlines per day. Added to that, I spent one or two hours per day reading the work of other top bloggers, dissecting why they were popular, and deliberately practicing incorporating their techniques into my own work.

It’s the same process an athlete uses to become an elite player in their sport. Identify natural talent, practice like hell, and then do your best to be in the right place at the right time.

Content marketing is no different. It’s a sport, and there are winners and losers.

The medium doesn’t matter. Blogging, podcasting, YouTube — the vast majority of the rewards go to the people at the top.

The question is, are you willing to put in the work to get there?

It doesn’t always have to take three years as it did for me. I spent a lot of time running in circles because I didn’t have anyone to guide me. With the right coach, you can progress much, much faster.

And that brings me to my most important point.

The Formula for Being an Insanely Successful Person

It’s all about stacking top 1% skills.

Let’s say you have some natural talent as a writer. You invest in some good training, work like hell, and gradually become a top 1% writer.

But that’s not the end of the story.

Now you’re getting lots of traffic, but you’re not making much money, and you realize it’s because your marketing sucks. So again, you invest in some good training, work like hell, and gradually become a top 1% marketer.

Again though, it’s not the end of the story.

Because now, you’re making some pretty good money, but you’re working night and day, and you want to hire someone to help you. Problem is, you’re a terrible manager and leader, but again, you decide to suck it up, invest in some good training, work like hell, and gradually become a top 1% CEO.

The above story isn’t a fairytale, by the way. It’s the story of the last 10 years of my life.

And it’s actually a pretty common story. Regardless of profession, the most successful people in any field get there by stacking 1% skills on top of each other.

So, let’s bring this full circle:

When to Branch out into Podcasting or YouTube

Assuming you’re a blogger, you should wait until you’ve mastered blogging.

Let’s take me as an example.

I’ve spent the last couple of years improving my skills as a CEO. It’s been a painful, gradual process, but I think I’m starting to “get it,” and that’s one of the reasons why the company is now growing faster than it has in years.

Am I among the top 1%? Not quite, but according to these stats, I’m getting pretty close. I think it’s just a matter of time.

So, what’s next?

I’ll pick another media and become the top 1% there. I have some natural talent with podcasting as well, so that’s probably the next skill to stack on top. On the other hand, I don’t think I have much natural talent with video, so the chances of me starting a YouTube channel where I’m the star are pretty slim.

And that’s fine. We don’t have to be great at everything.

The key is to be great at one thing… and then another thing… and then another thing.

If your first “thing” is writing, I’m your man. We have some of the best training there is for writers, and we’re expanding it all the time.

But do me a favor…

Don’t start a podcast or YouTube channel while you’re trying to learn how to write. That’s the equivalent of someone training for an Olympic marathon deciding to become an Olympic swimmer and skier all at the same time.

That’s never going to happen. Not unless you’re inhuman, anyway.

So, pick just one medium. Focus on it. Get really, really, really great at it.

And then enjoy the rewards of being at the top.

About the Author: Jon Morrow is the CEO of Smart Blogger. Check out his new blog Unstoppable and read the launch post that went viral: 7 Life Lessons from a Guy Who Can’t Move Anything but His Face.

The post Why You Shouldn’t Start a Podcast or YouTube Channel (Seriously) appeared first on Smart Blogger.

source https://smartblogger.com/start-a-podcast/

[alanajacksontx]

Why You Shouldn’t Start a Podcast or YouTube Channel (Seriously)

You’ve seen it for yourself. These days, there are a gazillion different ways to broadcast your thoughts online.

Blogging, podcasting, YouTube, Instagram, Snapchat — the options are overwhelming. Are you supposed to do all of them? If not, which ones are most important? What if you are talented in one medium and terrible in another?

ARGH! It’s so confusing.

Well, here’s the good news:

In this post, I’ll do my best to answer those questions. Even better, I’ll give you answers that include taking things off your plate, not putting more things on.

In other words, everything is about to get a whole lot simpler. Let’s jump in.

Why Trying to Do Everything at Once Is a Mistake

Some influencers are doing it all. They have a blog, podcast, YouTube channel, a bunch of social media accounts with tons of followers — everything.

From the outside, it’s impressive. You might even think that’s what you have to do if you want to make money online.

But here’s a little secret:

Behind the scenes, most of those influencers are paying entire teams of helpers. In the rare case where they are doing everything themselves, it also leaves them without any time to monetize all that content, so many “social media influencers” are actually broke.

The reason why?

No one gets more than 24 hours in a day. It doesn’t matter how smart, fast, or multi-talented you are — you’ll never be able to do everything well.

You have to choose. The question is… how?

How to Figure out What to Focus on

Thankfully, this one is simple. Just answer one question:

In what medium can you develop a top 1% skillset?

At first glance, this might seem like a strange question, but let’s break it down.

There are three types of media: the written word, audio, and video. Chances are, you’ll be better at one than the others.

For example, writing has always come naturally to me. Even when I was in school, I could write essays 10X better than everyone else and barely exert myself at all.

For you, maybe it’s something different.

Maybe engaging people with your voice and having interesting conversations comes naturally to you. In that case, you should start a podcast.

Or maybe you’re captivating on video. Ever since you were a kid, you’ve been a natural entertainer.

Wherever you shine, that’s the medium you should focus on.

But here’s the caveat:

Don’t just jump in and expect to be successful. Success with any kind of content marketing isn’t about being good. It’s about being among the best.

Here’s what I mean:

The Staggering Difference between Being Good and Being Great

Once upon a time, I was an NFL (American football) junkie, and I was always intrigued by the pay difference between players.

The star of your team might make $20 million a year. The backup to your star, however, might make $2 million or even less.

Was this because the star was 10X better?

Not even close. In a professional sport, even the backup players are among the best in the world. At best, a star might be 50% better than his replacement.

So why do they pay him 10X more?

Because games are a matter of matchups. One player being just a little bit better than his opponent can mean the difference between winning and losing. If you have an entire team of players who are just a tiny bit better, you win the Super Bowl.

You see the same thing in the Olympics. The silver medal runner might be just a fraction of a second behind the gold medal winner.

And content marketing works the same way.

The rewards go to the best of the best. You can be a good writer or podcaster or YouTuber and have mediocre or even terrible results.

In fact, I’ll go out on a limb and say something controversial:

If you’re not prepared to be among the best in your niche, content marketing isn’t going to do anything for you at all. You might as well quit.

Before you get too discouraged though, here’s the other side of the coin:

If you diligently upgrade your skills over time in a medium where you have some natural talent, you can almost always be among the best.

Let me explain…

How I Became One of the Most Popular Writers on the Web

Over the last decade, my work has touched over 200 million people — about 1 out of 8 people in the English-speaking world.

Crazy, right? Obviously, I must have some secret.

But I don’t. I followed the exact method I’m teaching you here.

I recognized I was a naturally talented writer, so then I spent years improving my writing skills to the point of being among the best in the world. It took me about three years to begin to get noticed and another two years after that for people to start thinking of me as “the blogging guy.”

During those years of practice, I wrote 1,000 words every single day. In the first year, I also wrote 100 headlines per day. Added to that, I spent one or two hours per day reading the work of other top bloggers, dissecting why they were popular, and deliberately practicing incorporating their techniques into my own work.

It’s the same process an athlete uses to become an elite player in their sport. Identify natural talent, practice like hell, and then do your best to be in the right place at the right time.

Content marketing is no different. It’s a sport, and there are winners and losers.

The medium doesn’t matter. Blogging, podcasting, YouTube — the vast majority of the rewards go to the people at the top.

The question is, are you willing to put in the work to get there?

It doesn’t always have to take three years as it did for me. I spent a lot of time running in circles because I didn’t have anyone to guide me. With the right coach, you can progress much, much faster.

And that brings me to my most important point.

The Formula for Being an Insanely Successful Person

It’s all about stacking top 1% skills.

Let’s say you have some natural talent as a writer. You invest in some good training, work like hell, and gradually become a top 1% writer.

But that’s not the end of the story.

Now you’re getting lots of traffic, but you’re not making much money, and you realize it’s because your marketing sucks. So again, you invest in some good training, work like hell, and gradually become a top 1% marketer.

Again though, it’s not the end of the story.

Because now, you’re making some pretty good money, but you’re working night and day, and you want to hire someone to help you. Problem is, you’re a terrible manager and leader, but again, you decide to suck it up, invest in some good training, work like hell, and gradually become a top 1% CEO.

The above story isn’t a fairytale, by the way. It’s the story of the last 10 years of my life.

And it’s actually a pretty common story. Regardless of profession, the most successful people in any field get there by stacking 1% skills on top of each other.

So, let’s bring this full circle:

When to Branch out into Podcasting or YouTube

Assuming you’re a blogger, you should wait until you’ve mastered blogging.

Let’s take me as an example.

I’ve spent the last couple of years improving my skills as a CEO. It’s been a painful, gradual process, but I think I’m starting to “get it,” and that’s one of the reasons why the company is now growing faster than it has in years.

Am I among the top 1%? Not quite, but according to these stats, I’m getting pretty close. I think it’s just a matter of time.

So, what’s next?

I’ll pick another media and become the top 1% there. I have some natural talent with podcasting as well, so that’s probably the next skill to stack on top. On the other hand, I don’t think I have much natural talent with video, so the chances of me starting a YouTube channel where I’m the star are pretty slim.

And that’s fine. We don’t have to be great at everything.

The key is to be great at one thing… and then another thing… and then another thing.

If your first “thing” is writing, I’m your man. We have some of the best training there is for writers, and we’re expanding it all the time.

But do me a favor…

Don’t start a podcast or YouTube channel while you’re trying to learn how to write. That’s the equivalent of someone training for an Olympic marathon deciding to become an Olympic swimmer and skier all at the same time.

That’s never going to happen. Not unless you’re inhuman, anyway.

So, pick just one medium. Focus on it. Get really, really, really great at it.

And then enjoy the rewards of being at the top.

About the Author: Jon Morrow is the CEO of Smart Blogger. Check out his new blog Unstoppable and read the launch post that went viral: 7 Life Lessons from a Guy Who Can’t Move Anything but His Face.

The post Why You Shouldn’t Start a Podcast or YouTube Channel (Seriously) appeared first on Smart Blogger.

from Internet Marketing Tips https://smartblogger.com/start-a-podcast/

[cherylxsmith]

Why You Shouldn’t Start a Podcast or YouTube Channel (Seriously)

You’ve seen it for yourself. These days, there are a gazillion different ways to broadcast your thoughts online.

Blogging, podcasting, YouTube, Instagram, Snapchat — the options are overwhelming. Are you supposed to do all of them? If not, which ones are most important? What if you are talented in one medium and terrible in another?

ARGH! It’s so confusing.

Well, here’s the good news:

In this post, I’ll do my best to answer those questions. Even better, I’ll give you answers that include taking things off your plate, not putting more things on.

In other words, everything is about to get a whole lot simpler. Let’s jump in.

Why Trying to Do Everything at Once Is a Mistake

Some influencers are doing it all. They have a blog, podcast, YouTube channel, a bunch of social media accounts with tons of followers — everything.

From the outside, it’s impressive. You might even think that’s what you have to do if you want to make money online.

But here’s a little secret:

Behind the scenes, most of those influencers are paying entire teams of helpers. In the rare case where they are doing everything themselves, it also leaves them without any time to monetize all that content, so many “social media influencers” are actually broke.

The reason why?

No one gets more than 24 hours in a day. It doesn’t matter how smart, fast, or multi-talented you are — you’ll never be able to do everything well.

You have to choose. The question is… how?

How to Figure out What to Focus on

Thankfully, this one is simple. Just answer one question:

In what medium can you develop a top 1% skillset?

At first glance, this might seem like a strange question, but let’s break it down.

There are three types of media: the written word, audio, and video. Chances are, you’ll be better at one than the others.

For example, writing has always come naturally to me. Even when I was in school, I could write essays 10X better than everyone else and barely exert myself at all.

For you, maybe it’s something different.

Maybe engaging people with your voice and having interesting conversations comes naturally to you. In that case, you should start a podcast.

Or maybe you’re captivating on video. Ever since you were a kid, you’ve been a natural entertainer.

Wherever you shine, that’s the medium you should focus on.

But here’s the caveat:

Don’t just jump in and expect to be successful. Success with any kind of content marketing isn’t about being good. It’s about being among the best.

Here’s what I mean:

The Staggering Difference between Being Good and Being Great

Once upon a time, I was an NFL (American football) junkie, and I was always intrigued by the pay difference between players.

The star of your team might make $20 million a year. The backup to your star, however, might make $2 million or even less.

Was this because the star was 10X better?

Not even close. In a professional sport, even the backup players are among the best in the world. At best, a star might be 50% better than his replacement.

So why do they pay him 10X more?

Because games are a matter of matchups. One player being just a little bit better than his opponent can mean the difference between winning and losing. If you have an entire team of players who are just a tiny bit better, you win the Super Bowl.

You see the same thing in the Olympics. The silver medal runner might be just a fraction of a second behind the gold medal winner.

And content marketing works the same way.

The rewards go to the best of the best. You can be a good writer or podcaster or YouTuber and have mediocre or even terrible results.

In fact, I’ll go out on a limb and say something controversial:

If you’re not prepared to be among the best in your niche, content marketing isn’t going to do anything for you at all. You might as well quit.

Before you get too discouraged though, here’s the other side of the coin:

If you diligently upgrade your skills over time in a medium where you have some natural talent, you can almost always be among the best.

Let me explain…

How I Became One of the Most Popular Writers on the Web

Over the last decade, my work has touched over 200 million people — about 1 out of 8 people in the English-speaking world.

Crazy, right? Obviously, I must have some secret.

But I don’t. I followed the exact method I’m teaching you here.

I recognized I was a naturally talented writer, so then I spent years improving my writing skills to the point of being among the best in the world. It took me about three years to begin to get noticed and another two years after that for people to start thinking of me as “the blogging guy.”

During those years of practice, I wrote 1,000 words every single day. In the first year, I also wrote 100 headlines per day. Added to that, I spent one or two hours per day reading the work of other top bloggers, dissecting why they were popular, and deliberately practicing incorporating their techniques into my own work.

It’s the same process an athlete uses to become an elite player in their sport. Identify natural talent, practice like hell, and then do your best to be in the right place at the right time.

Content marketing is no different. It’s a sport, and there are winners and losers.

The medium doesn’t matter. Blogging, podcasting, YouTube — the vast majority of the rewards go to the people at the top.

The question is, are you willing to put in the work to get there?

It doesn’t always have to take three years as it did for me. I spent a lot of time running in circles because I didn’t have anyone to guide me. With the right coach, you can progress much, much faster.

And that brings me to my most important point.

The Formula for Being an Insanely Successful Person

It’s all about stacking top 1% skills.

Let’s say you have some natural talent as a writer. You invest in some good training, work like hell, and gradually become a top 1% writer.

But that’s not the end of the story.

Now you’re getting lots of traffic, but you’re not making much money, and you realize it’s because your marketing sucks. So again, you invest in some good training, work like hell, and gradually become a top 1% marketer.

Again though, it’s not the end of the story.

Because now, you’re making some pretty good money, but you’re working night and day, and you want to hire someone to help you. Problem is, you’re a terrible manager and leader, but again, you decide to suck it up, invest in some good training, work like hell, and gradually become a top 1% CEO.

The above story isn’t a fairytale, by the way. It’s the story of the last 10 years of my life.

And it’s actually a pretty common story. Regardless of profession, the most successful people in any field get there by stacking 1% skills on top of each other.

So, let’s bring this full circle:

When to Branch out into Podcasting or YouTube

Assuming you’re a blogger, you should wait until you’ve mastered blogging.

Let’s take me as an example.

I’ve spent the last couple of years improving my skills as a CEO. It’s been a painful, gradual process, but I think I’m starting to “get it,” and that’s one of the reasons why the company is now growing faster than it has in years.

Am I among the top 1%? Not quite, but according to these stats, I’m getting pretty close. I think it’s just a matter of time.

So, what’s next?

I’ll pick another media and become the top 1% there. I have some natural talent with podcasting as well, so that’s probably the next skill to stack on top. On the other hand, I don’t think I have much natural talent with video, so the chances of me starting a YouTube channel where I’m the star are pretty slim.

And that’s fine. We don’t have to be great at everything.

The key is to be great at one thing… and then another thing… and then another thing.

If your first “thing” is writing, I’m your man. We have some of the best training there is for writers, and we’re expanding it all the time.

But do me a favor…

Don’t start a podcast or YouTube channel while you’re trying to learn how to write. That’s the equivalent of someone training for an Olympic marathon deciding to become an Olympic swimmer and skier all at the same time.

That’s never going to happen. Not unless you’re inhuman, anyway.

So, pick just one medium. Focus on it. Get really, really, really great at it.

And then enjoy the rewards of being at the top.

About the Author: Jon Morrow is the CEO of Smart Blogger. Check out his new blog Unstoppable and read the launch post that went viral: 7 Life Lessons from a Guy Who Can’t Move Anything but His Face.

The post Why You Shouldn’t Start a Podcast or YouTube Channel (Seriously) appeared first on Smart Blogger.

from SEO and SM Tips https://smartblogger.com/start-a-podcast/

[simonegaleanaus]

Why You Shouldn’t Start a Podcast or YouTube Channel (Seriously)

You’ve seen it for yourself. These days, there are a gazillion different ways to broadcast your thoughts online.

Blogging, podcasting, YouTube, Instagram, Snapchat — the options are overwhelming. Are you supposed to do all of them? If not, which ones are most important? What if you are talented in one medium and terrible in another?

ARGH! It’s so confusing.

Well, here’s the good news:

In this post, I’ll do my best to answer those questions. Even better, I’ll give you answers that include taking things off your plate, not putting more things on.

In other words, everything is about to get a whole lot simpler. Let’s jump in.

Why Trying to Do Everything at Once Is a Mistake

Some influencers are doing it all. They have a blog, podcast, YouTube channel, a bunch of social media accounts with tons of followers — everything.

From the outside, it’s impressive. You might even think that’s what you have to do if you want to make money online.

But here’s a little secret:

Behind the scenes, most of those influencers are paying entire teams of helpers. In the rare case where they are doing everything themselves, it also leaves them without any time to monetize all that content, so many “social media influencers” are actually broke.

The reason why?

No one gets more than 24 hours in a day. It doesn’t matter how smart, fast, or multi-talented you are — you’ll never be able to do everything well.

You have to choose. The question is… how?

How to Figure out What to Focus on

Thankfully, this one is simple. Just answer one question:

In what medium can you develop a top 1% skillset?

At first glance, this might seem like a strange question, but let’s break it down.

There are three types of media: the written word, audio, and video. Chances are, you’ll be better at one than the others.

For example, writing has always come naturally to me. Even when I was in school, I could write essays 10X better than everyone else and barely exert myself at all.

For you, maybe it’s something different.

Maybe engaging people with your voice and having interesting conversations comes naturally to you. In that case, you should start a podcast.

Or maybe you’re captivating on video. Ever since you were a kid, you’ve been a natural entertainer.

Wherever you shine, that’s the medium you should focus on.

But here’s the caveat:

Don’t just jump in and expect to be successful. Success with any kind of content marketing isn’t about being good. It’s about being among the best.

Here’s what I mean:

The Staggering Difference between Being Good and Being Great

Once upon a time, I was an NFL (American football) junkie, and I was always intrigued by the pay difference between players.

The star of your team might make $20 million a year. The backup to your star, however, might make $2 million or even less.

Was this because the star was 10X better?

Not even close. In a professional sport, even the backup players are among the best in the world. At best, a star might be 50% better than his replacement.

So why do they pay him 10X more?

Because games are a matter of matchups. One player being just a little bit better than his opponent can mean the difference between winning and losing. If you have an entire team of players who are just a tiny bit better, you win the Super Bowl.

You see the same thing in the Olympics. The silver medal runner might be just a fraction of a second behind the gold medal winner.

And content marketing works the same way.

The rewards go to the best of the best. You can be a good writer or podcaster or YouTuber and have mediocre or even terrible results.

In fact, I’ll go out on a limb and say something controversial:

If you’re not prepared to be among the best in your niche, content marketing isn’t going to do anything for you at all. You might as well quit.

Before you get too discouraged though, here’s the other side of the coin:

If you diligently upgrade your skills over time in a medium where you have some natural talent, you can almost always be among the best.

Let me explain…

How I Became One of the Most Popular Writers on the Web

Over the last decade, my work has touched over 200 million people — about 1 out of 8 people in the English-speaking world.

Crazy, right? Obviously, I must have some secret.

But I don’t. I followed the exact method I’m teaching you here.

I recognized I was a naturally talented writer, so then I spent years improving my writing skills to the point of being among the best in the world. It took me about three years to begin to get noticed and another two years after that for people to start thinking of me as “the blogging guy.”

During those years of practice, I wrote 1,000 words every single day. In the first year, I also wrote 100 headlines per day. Added to that, I spent one or two hours per day reading the work of other top bloggers, dissecting why they were popular, and deliberately practicing incorporating their techniques into my own work.

It’s the same process an athlete uses to become an elite player in their sport. Identify natural talent, practice like hell, and then do your best to be in the right place at the right time.

Content marketing is no different. It’s a sport, and there are winners and losers.

The medium doesn’t matter. Blogging, podcasting, YouTube — the vast majority of the rewards go to the people at the top.

The question is, are you willing to put in the work to get there?

It doesn’t always have to take three years as it did for me. I spent a lot of time running in circles because I didn’t have anyone to guide me. With the right coach, you can progress much, much faster.

And that brings me to my most important point.

The Formula for Being an Insanely Successful Person

It’s all about stacking top 1% skills.

Let’s say you have some natural talent as a writer. You invest in some good training, work like hell, and gradually become a top 1% writer.

But that’s not the end of the story.

Now you’re getting lots of traffic, but you’re not making much money, and you realize it’s because your marketing sucks. So again, you invest in some good training, work like hell, and gradually become a top 1% marketer.

Again though, it’s not the end of the story.

Because now, you’re making some pretty good money, but you’re working night and day, and you want to hire someone to help you. Problem is, you’re a terrible manager and leader, but again, you decide to suck it up, invest in some good training, work like hell, and gradually become a top 1% CEO.

The above story isn’t a fairytale, by the way. It’s the story of the last 10 years of my life.

And it’s actually a pretty common story. Regardless of profession, the most successful people in any field get there by stacking 1% skills on top of each other.

So, let’s bring this full circle:

When to Branch out into Podcasting or YouTube

Assuming you’re a blogger, you should wait until you’ve mastered blogging.

Let’s take me as an example.

I’ve spent the last couple of years improving my skills as a CEO. It’s been a painful, gradual process, but I think I’m starting to “get it,” and that’s one of the reasons why the company is now growing faster than it has in years.

Am I among the top 1%? Not quite, but according to these stats, I’m getting pretty close. I think it’s just a matter of time.

So, what’s next?

I’ll pick another media and become the top 1% there. I have some natural talent with podcasting as well, so that’s probably the next skill to stack on top. On the other hand, I don’t think I have much natural talent with video, so the chances of me starting a YouTube channel where I’m the star are pretty slim.

And that’s fine. We don’t have to be great at everything.

The key is to be great at one thing… and then another thing… and then another thing.

If your first “thing” is writing, I’m your man. We have some of the best training there is for writers, and we’re expanding it all the time.

But do me a favor…

Don’t start a podcast or YouTube channel while you’re trying to learn how to write. That’s the equivalent of someone training for an Olympic marathon deciding to become an Olympic swimmer and skier all at the same time.

That’s never going to happen. Not unless you’re inhuman, anyway.

So, pick just one medium. Focus on it. Get really, really, really great at it.

And then enjoy the rewards of being at the top.

About the Author: Jon Morrow is the CEO of Smart Blogger. Check out his new blog Unstoppable and read the launch post that went viral: 7 Life Lessons from a Guy Who Can’t Move Anything but His Face.

The post Why You Shouldn’t Start a Podcast or YouTube Channel (Seriously) appeared first on Smart Blogger.

from SEO and SM Tips https://smartblogger.com/start-a-podcast/

[ronaldsmcrae86]

Why You Shouldn’t Start a Podcast or YouTube Channel (Seriously)

You’ve seen it for yourself. These days, there are a gazillion different ways to broadcast your thoughts online.

Blogging, podcasting, YouTube, Instagram, Snapchat — the options are overwhelming. Are you supposed to do all of them? If not, which ones are most important? What if you are talented in one medium and terrible in another?

ARGH! It’s so confusing.

Well, here’s the good news:

In this post, I’ll do my best to answer those questions. Even better, I’ll give you answers that include taking things off your plate, not putting more things on.

In other words, everything is about to get a whole lot simpler. Let’s jump in.

Why Trying to Do Everything at Once Is a Mistake

Some influencers are doing it all. They have a blog, podcast, YouTube channel, a bunch of social media accounts with tons of followers — everything.

From the outside, it’s impressive. You might even think that’s what you have to do if you want to make money online.

But here’s a little secret:

Behind the scenes, most of those influencers are paying entire teams of helpers. In the rare case where they are doing everything themselves, it also leaves them without any time to monetize all that content, so many “social media influencers” are actually broke.

The reason why?

No one gets more than 24 hours in a day. It doesn’t matter how smart, fast, or multi-talented you are — you’ll never be able to do everything well.

You have to choose. The question is… how?

How to Figure out What to Focus on

Thankfully, this one is simple. Just answer one question:

In what medium can you develop a top 1% skillset?

At first glance, this might seem like a strange question, but let’s break it down.

There are three types of media: the written word, audio, and video. Chances are, you’ll be better at one than the others.

For example, writing has always come naturally to me. Even when I was in school, I could write essays 10X better than everyone else and barely exert myself at all.

For you, maybe it’s something different.

Maybe engaging people with your voice and having interesting conversations comes naturally to you. In that case, you should start a podcast.

Or maybe you’re captivating on video. Ever since you were a kid, you’ve been a natural entertainer.

Wherever you shine, that’s the medium you should focus on.

But here’s the caveat:

Don’t just jump in and expect to be successful. Success with any kind of content marketing isn’t about being good. It’s about being among the best.

Here’s what I mean:

The Staggering Difference between Being Good and Being Great

Once upon a time, I was an NFL (American football) junkie, and I was always intrigued by the pay difference between players.

The star of your team might make $20 million a year. The backup to your star, however, might make $2 million or even less.

Was this because the star was 10X better?

Not even close. In a professional sport, even the backup players are among the best in the world. At best, a star might be 50% better than his replacement.

So why do they pay him 10X more?

Because games are a matter of matchups. One player being just a little bit better than his opponent can mean the difference between winning and losing. If you have an entire team of players who are just a tiny bit better, you win the Super Bowl.

You see the same thing in the Olympics. The silver medal runner might be just a fraction of a second behind the gold medal winner.

And content marketing works the same way.

The rewards go to the best of the best. You can be a good writer or podcaster or YouTuber and have mediocre or even terrible results.

In fact, I’ll go out on a limb and say something controversial:

If you’re not prepared to be among the best in your niche, content marketing isn’t going to do anything for you at all. You might as well quit.

Before you get too discouraged though, here’s the other side of the coin:

If you diligently upgrade your skills over time in a medium where you have some natural talent, you can almost always be among the best.

Let me explain…

How I Became One of the Most Popular Writers on the Web

Over the last decade, my work has touched over 200 million people — about 1 out of 8 people in the English-speaking world.

Crazy, right? Obviously, I must have some secret.

But I don’t. I followed the exact method I’m teaching you here.

I recognized I was a naturally talented writer, so then I spent years improving my writing skills to the point of being among the best in the world. It took me about three years to begin to get noticed and another two years after that for people to start thinking of me as “the blogging guy.”

During those years of practice, I wrote 1,000 words every single day. In the first year, I also wrote 100 headlines per day. Added to that, I spent one or two hours per day reading the work of other top bloggers, dissecting why they were popular, and deliberately practicing incorporating their techniques into my own work.

It’s the same process an athlete uses to become an elite player in their sport. Identify natural talent, practice like hell, and then do your best to be in the right place at the right time.

Content marketing is no different. It’s a sport, and there are winners and losers.

The medium doesn’t matter. Blogging, podcasting, YouTube — the vast majority of the rewards go to the people at the top.

The question is, are you willing to put in the work to get there?

It doesn’t always have to take three years as it did for me. I spent a lot of time running in circles because I didn’t have anyone to guide me. With the right coach, you can progress much, much faster.

And that brings me to my most important point.

The Formula for Being an Insanely Successful Person

It’s all about stacking top 1% skills.

Let’s say you have some natural talent as a writer. You invest in some good training, work like hell, and gradually become a top 1% writer.

But that’s not the end of the story.

Now you’re getting lots of traffic, but you’re not making much money, and you realize it’s because your marketing sucks. So again, you invest in some good training, work like hell, and gradually become a top 1% marketer.

Again though, it’s not the end of the story.

Because now, you’re making some pretty good money, but you’re working night and day, and you want to hire someone to help you. Problem is, you’re a terrible manager and leader, but again, you decide to suck it up, invest in some good training, work like hell, and gradually become a top 1% CEO.

The above story isn’t a fairytale, by the way. It’s the story of the last 10 years of my life.

And it’s actually a pretty common story. Regardless of profession, the most successful people in any field get there by stacking 1% skills on top of each other.

So, let’s bring this full circle:

When to Branch out into Podcasting or YouTube

Assuming you’re a blogger, you should wait until you’ve mastered blogging.

Let’s take me as an example.

I’ve spent the last couple of years improving my skills as a CEO. It’s been a painful, gradual process, but I think I’m starting to “get it,” and that’s one of the reasons why the company is now growing faster than it has in years.

Am I among the top 1%? Not quite, but according to these stats, I’m getting pretty close. I think it’s just a matter of time.

So, what’s next?

I’ll pick another media and become the top 1% there. I have some natural talent with podcasting as well, so that’s probably the next skill to stack on top. On the other hand, I don’t think I have much natural talent with video, so the chances of me starting a YouTube channel where I’m the star are pretty slim.

And that’s fine. We don’t have to be great at everything.

The key is to be great at one thing… and then another thing… and then another thing.

If your first “thing” is writing, I’m your man. We have some of the best training there is for writers, and we’re expanding it all the time.

But do me a favor…

Don’t start a podcast or YouTube channel while you’re trying to learn how to write. That’s the equivalent of someone training for an Olympic marathon deciding to become an Olympic swimmer and skier all at the same time.

That’s never going to happen. Not unless you’re inhuman, anyway.

So, pick just one medium. Focus on it. Get really, really, really great at it.

And then enjoy the rewards of being at the top.

About the Author: Jon Morrow is the CEO of Smart Blogger. Check out his new blog Unstoppable and read the launch post that went viral: 7 Life Lessons from a Guy Who Can’t Move Anything but His Face.

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