The Vlog at 50

thelatebloomer | November 30, 2016 | Reply

Consider the Vlog at 50, actually 51. From my first vlog, shot, edited and uploaded from my iPhone on March 19th this year in Vancouver, British Columbia, to my “Giving Thanks” published just before Thanksgiving, I’ve made 51 video logs this year (not counting the 2-parter ready to upload tomorrow). Add the “Late Bloomer” episodes and there are 67 films total that I have shot and produced so far this year. Consider the travel to Vancouver, the East Coast (with stops in TN, AL, GA, VA, DE, MD, PA), Phoenix, (twice, June and November) and Sicily (Palermo, Ustica Island, Pantelleria Island) at the end of August, all just to bring you stories from far and wide that are intended to inspire. Well, I’m pooped! 🙂

Kaye recording on Pantelleria Island, Sicily, 2016

My backlog of material is intense! I have filmed Walker at his cattle ranch in Pescadero, CA, the Michelle Obama Long Beach Public Library Garden, four more Phoenix gardens, and a few Sicily vlogs planned, with footage stockpiled waiting for me to edit them. Since March, I’ve learned to edit first on the Adobe mobile app Clip, to a brief stint on iMovie, then I dived into the deep end and began to work in Premiere Pro. This from a woman who claimed she would never edit! Well, I’ve found I enjoy it, to a point. My attention span is short. I want to get them done and move on, and thankfully the new form of vlogging forgives imperfection. (However, you have to agree that the upgrades in software, microphone and handing off the sound editing to my long-time sound editor Christina Horgan has improved the quality greatly.) But the more time I sit at my computer, the less time I have to create and film stories.

The vlog was added to build audience for my YouTube channel. (My channel and the desire to inspire via video came first, before this website.) As you probably know, YouTube content creators only make money if people watch the ads Google places before the videos. If you click off the ad and don’t watch it, the creator gets nothing. (Some creators do all the work themselves and their only costs are time and equipment. That’s not me.) If you watch the ad, the creator gets a penny or two, and if you engage with the ad (click through to the website), you get more. Hence, it takes millions of views to make money. Which is why I ask viewers on every video to please share.

When I started my web series in 2012, there was very little to look at for a guide. Hulu had a 20-minute garden show that lacked pizzaz and that was all I found. Now, there are loads and every person with a garden and a smart phone or video camera is uploading content. Some of these folks have many more subscribers than I! How to break through to gain a wide audience? Since “Late Bloomer” is a show, I started submitting to a few web festivals which has brought me some international contacts; I worked with an online marketer to develop this website so that I could run ads and build “call to action” in all my videos; I created a DVD of my 5-part “Growing Heirloom Tomatoes” series so folks could enjoy my content on their big screen TV; I became an affiliate marketer for Botanical Interests; I created a vlog; and in July, I signed with BroadBand TV, a top YouTube partner which gives me access to a huge free music library and tools to optimize my videos.

I’ve been busy. Working full-time. But, it’s not enough. My YouTube audience needs to quadruple to come back for a Season 6. So, I need to hear from you, my subscribers. What direction would you like to see me take next year? Show, vlog, blog, nothing? I am committed to providing channel content till July to fulfill my contract with BBTV. I’ve been told, and always felt, “Late Bloomer” is good enough to be on TV, to be distributed on other platforms besides YouTube. If you feel this way, ask your cable provider to carry it. It can’t hurt. I will be starting a Patreon fundraising campaign where people who love “Late Bloomer” and want to see it continue, can support it and be a part of it. Stay tuned for that information. I just want to catch up a bit on the vlogs before I dive into that.

Thanks for reading, and please let me hear from you. – Kaye

HOW YOU CAN HELP: I receive a small commission for promoting products I’ve used and believe in. Your support of these products helps me to continue to produce “Late Bloomer” episodes.

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