We’ve been working hard to make MediaTank super friendly for the Search Engines and we’ve recently released some exciting new features that we just had to shout about!

Branded URL

The first feature is a real gem, we call it “Branded URL” and it simply means that your MediaTank installation can now sit on your top-level domain name, e.g.

http://www.your-domain.com/video

or…

http://www.your-domain.com/tv

This is a hugely powerful feature in terms of SEO because it means that any “back-links” you get to your videos will also be back-links to your website. We all know how important back-links are, right?

Branded URL is also a great way of boosting content on your website. Every video you upload will have it’s own unique SEO friendly URL that can be easily indexed by the Search Engines. In fact this leads us on to our next feature, Video Site-Maps!

Video Site-Maps

Head-on-over to the Official Google Webmaster Central Blog and they’ll tell you this…

“The single best way to make Google aware of all your videos on your website is to create and maintain a Video Sitemap”

So, MediaTank now generates Video Sitemaps, need we say more? Well actually there is a nice side-effect which is worth a mention and Google sum-it-up as so…

“Once we have indexed a video, it may appear in our web search results in what we call a Video Onebox (a cluster of videos related to the queried topic)”

Here’s an example of a MediaTank video listed in a Video Onebox:

If that doesn’t grab your customers attention, nothing will!

MRSS

MRSS is an extension of RSS and makes syndicating your uploaded videos with other supported services easy!

For example, you can watch videos uploaded to your MediaTank through the popular Boxee app, bringing MediaTank to your TV.

Finally, anyone who uses an RSS reader can subscribe to your MediaTank and be alerted whenever you upload a new video.

The options are endless!

So, we hope you like the new features and find them useful. We’d love to hear your thoughts and feedback.

YouTube Integration

This one’s a biggie. You now have the ability to push your videos out to your YouTube account and we’ve made it really easy! This feature will save you time and increase the exposure of your videos. We’ll be integrating MediaTank with other major video platforms in the near future to provide the simplest “publish once, view everywhere” experience for your viewers.

Password Protected Channels

Now you can password protect channels. This is ideal for sharing private videos. Some of our customers use this feature to deliver content within their organisation, others to share video previews with their clients.

Poster Frames

We like to think of a poster frame as the “sales pitch” of your video. A good poster frame will grab the attention of your visitors and entice them to click play. Now you have the ability to choose any frame of video and set it as your poster frame.

We hope you find these features useful, we’re already busy working on the next big update.

We’ve devised this guide to help you sort out which camera fits your particular needs.

SMALL

If you want a camcorder that is easy to slip into the pocket of a shirt or into the smallest of bags – these cameras will suit you. You can take them almost anywhere which is great if you do lots of travelling and want to record interviews or capture footage from around the United Kingdom or even the world.

A small camera will have very limited features (no optical zoom) but they do have a TV connection (HDMI, component video) and a USB out for computer.

1. Sanyo VPC CG 10
2. Sony MHS-PM1
3. Panasonic SDR SW21

FOR EXTENSIVE FILMING

JVC were the first to bring out an HDD camcorder. Since then other brands have also adopted the media and some, like Panasonic, have now abandoned tape altogether. The main advantage of the hard drive is capacity. To give you an idea, a camcorder with a 120 GB hard drive can film for 45 hours in HD. Remember that camcorder batteries rarely last more than an hour however. The hard drive also makes finding video clips much easier thanks to a system that displays miniatures on the camera screen.

1. Canon HG20
2. Sony HDR-CX520VE
3. Panasonic HDC-HS100

BEST FOR EDITING

Already abandoned by Panasonic, the cassette camcorder is under threat of extinction. Today, it is mainly used for DV format, which is light and compatible with all editing software, even the most basic (such as the software you get free with Windows). This is unfortunately not the case with other formats. DV films take up much less memory than an AVCHD camcorder: you won’t need the latest machine to be able to work with them. Cassettes or tapes are also a very reliable media (no electronic components) and cheap (a one hour tape costs around £3-4). You’ll find cassette camcorders that film in standard definition (DV 576 lines) and in high definition (HDV 1080 lines).

1. Sony HDR HC9
2. Canon HV-30
3. JVC GY-HD201E

TIPS ON SPECIFICATIONS – WHAT YOU MIGHT NEED

Zoom

A 10X optical zoom will be more than enough for shooting nice looking video. Watch out for misleading marketing as the digital zoom is not a real zoom (enlarging the image pixels). Best not to take it into account at all. Remember that the more powerful the optical zoom, the more you’ll need a stable wrist and even image stabilization: this can now be a very effective feature.

Sensitivity

Measured in Lux in the spec, sensitivity defines how well the camcorder can film in low light. In general, mini camcorders don’t give very good results in the dark because their sensors are too small. Some manufacturers however, like Sony have gone to great lengths to give high sensitivity in low light conditions.

The screen

If you can go for a camcorder with a large (2.7 inches), bright screen. Manufacturers have done a lot to improve screen quality on camcorders but mini camcorders are less well equipped. Ignore it at your peril; the screen is the only way of checking and viewing your images as these days hardly any camcorders have a viewfinder. It has also become, on many models, an important tool for getting the settings right and viewing the menu.

What you’ll need to go a bit further

Wide angle

A camcorder that has a 38 mm lens has a wider angle of vision than a 50 mm camcorder. This may seem like a detail but an HD video filmed with a wide-angle lens will fit perfectly on a 32-inch flat screen.

Image resolution

Camcorders fall into two groups: standard definition (SD) and high definition (HD) camcorders. The first are perfect for cathode ray TVs and the second are optimised for LCDs and HD plasmas

Video format

The most widespread video format today is Mpeg-4. Flash media and HDD camcorders are almost all in Mpeg-4 format. Other formats are Mpeg-2 (flash media) and DV (cassette). Image quality does not depend on the video format but rather on speed. The higher it is, the better the image you’ll get and the more memory it will use.

Photo mode

Some camcorders can photograph at 8 Megapixels and have a flash with a face recognition mode. These camcorders also allow you to take photos while filming. This is a useful feature if you forget your camera.

Microphone socket

Camcorder microphones are stereo. This means they record the sound around the camera. If you want to carry out interviews the best thing is to use an external microphone that you plug into your camcorder. For that you need to make sure that it has a microphone socket, which is rare. So remember to check this before purchase and ensure that there is also a headphones socket.

ACCESSORIES

Battery

A battery is always supplied with the camcorder. But battery time (30 mins to 1 hour) is not enough to film a celebration such as a wedding. Indeed the battery is used up even when you’re not filming, so battery life goes down very quickly. As they also take 1 or 2 hours to recharge, it is best to buy a second battery that you can use in the meantime. Make sure you check the model of your camcorder before purchase as each model has its own reference.

Lamps

A lamp, then, can be useful for filming people who are close to the camera. This lamp is fixed onto an attachment on top of the camcorder. On some models, the lamp is powered by the camcorder itself and on others you need a separate battery. Watch out! Lamps use up a lot of battery life!

Bags

You’ll also need a bag for carrying your camcorder around. A camcorder is an expensive item and its casing is fragile. You also need somewhere to put all the accessories (cables, charger, remote). If you travel a lot go for a fairly rigid bag that can protect your equipment from knocks. If it’s just for the evening and if the camcorder is small enough, something a little less substantial will do. Lowerpro, Kata, Case Logic and Samsonite are all specialists in camcorder bags.

Extra lenses

You’ll find camcorders with interchangeable lenses in case you want added shooting options. A telephoto lens will allow you to couple an optical zoom with a wide angle for example and enlarge your field of vision. These lenses exist in different diameters and with different powers of magnification. Some brands (Sony) offer extra lenses for their camcorders. There are also several specialised manufacturers such as Kendo, Cokin and Hama.

1. Boosting traffic

The three primary ways are through site placement, search engine syndication, and viral propagation. When you add video to your site, consider using the home page, your galleries, and calls to action. Video on the home page will attract clicks from more than 50 percent of your users, and can be a great tool to draw visitors deeper into the site. The videos should be instructional in nature, or include a message from your company that provides an immersive introduction for new visitors.

Galleries are another good way to draw users into the site and encourage deeper interaction. Make sure that the videos within your product have a means to drive viewers back to a specific product or to purchase, and keep the videos short to encourage high completion rates. Finally, combine videos with a call to action. Videos are incredibly effective in driving user conversion to sales and should be featured prominently next to products as a means of driving purchase behaviour.

2. Search Engines

Search engines remain one of the great untapped opportunities for traffic generation. Most businesses today understand the importance of SEO [search engine optimization], but few realize that search crawlers are incapable of reading Flash tags. In other words, despite the fact that search engines now feature videos in their results, most videos fail to actually appear there. In order to take advantage of SEO opportunities in video, you need to submit your video via MRSS, a service provided by many video-hosting providers.

Don’t neglect viral propagation. Viral reposting of video puts your brand, your video, and a click to your site into locations, blogs, wikis, and forums that you could never reach on your own. Some Web businesses get over 50 percent of their video viewership through viral propagation, making it one of their most powerful means of brand dissemination.

3. Cost

Implementing a video strategy doesn’t have to be expensive. You can make videos yourself and you only need to professionally produced video content when it’s necessary. Choose what you film professionally and remember that often web visitors are looking for clips that help them understand a product or service, not a lengthy film.

There are many good value camcorders as well a number of basic editing packages that you can use if you need to get rid of any stumbles or join content together.

The following points should help you make a video that will speak volumes.

1. Write a Script

Think about getting a script together but don’t become a slave to it, Make it more like a list of bullet points to make sure you cover what you want to say. If you learn your lines you will either sound unnatural or you’ll get yourself into a muddle. Develop a list of bullet points and then rehearse your way through them a couple times, honing what you want to say. It’s vital that you shape what you want to say having a strong beginning, middle and an end. Try to think of clear points you want to say to stop you from waffling

2. Use a clip mic – not the onboard micÂ

Buy a wireless mic and clip it on your lapel. You can pick one up easily and the difference in the sound quality will be enormous. Make sure that the one you buy has the right connections for your camera.

3. Lighting

This is one of the easiest ways to make your video look good. Don’t shoot against a window because your camera will adjust to the outside light and you’ll be way too dark. Don’t place yourself directly under an overhead light. Do point a light source directly at your face, to counter shadows from overhead light. You can take the lamp shade off a table lamp so the light shines on your face, or point a desk lamp at yourself. Don’t place it so close that you blind yourself, just use it to fill in the light on your face. It’ll make a big difference. And, if you have dark skin, do not shoot against a light background as the camera will adjust for the background. Place yourself against a darker background so the camera adjusts to your face and not the white wall behind you.

4. Think about the shot itself

Try and frame it as well as possible – if you are shooting a head and shoulders piece make sure there isn’t too much head room. Try and put the face in the central part of the shot. If someone else is filming you, keeping the camera steady on a tripod will make all the difference. There is nothing worse than wobble cam.

5. Dress appropriately

What you wear can say a thousand things about you. Think about the kind of image that you want to convey. If you want to appear warm and friendly don’t wear a stark suit. Don’t wear big stripes as they will strobe. Ask your harshest critic about what colours suit you and trust them. If you want the video to stand the test of time – don’t wear the very latest fashions as they will date. And male or female a light dusting of face powder will take off any nasty shine.

6. End your video with some kind of call to action

This is because people watch videos to watch a story, and every story must have an ending, and the most effective ending for a video is a clear communication of what the person should do next.

And smile and be yourself!

Remember people like doing business with people they know, like and trust. Video is a great way to let people connect with you in all three ways but it only if they believe in you.

It is a powerful tool in today’s online world.

Studies have confirmed the persuasive effectiveness of video.

Video boosts comprehension and retention by 50% over a live presentation.

Video speeds up buying decisions by 72% versus print.

Six times as many people prefer a video to printed information.

97% of videos are watched and have staying power (Videos have staying power – unlike a print piece that will more often than not be trashed upon receipt)

An obvious advantage of video over print is that video involves more of the senses; it sells your product or service using sight, sound, and emotion. So your prospects are more engaged, and thus more likely to be convinced. As online video broadcasting is fast becoming one of the fastest growing internet trends now is the time to utitlise it’s power.

The computer is fast over taking the television reflected in online advertising revenues becoming higher than those on television. video marketing is poised for a huge year in 2010.

The reason is clear: video simply engages people in a way that static text and images cannot. There are dozens of studies that show the power of video to boost customer interaction, drive sales, encourage viral sharing, and build brand awareness

This trend demonstrates that video is now a key component on online landscape and that consumers are using the web in a different way to before. With faster broadband connections video is now highly accessible.

Video is one of the most successful ways to promote your message.

According to the research group Nielsen, the growth in online video over the past six months has been significant with the time spent viewing online video by the overall internet audience growing by 16% in just six months. While you might think that the growth rate in online video viewing among young people would eclipse that of the older demographic, the opposite is true.Â

Yes, people in the 18-24 year old demographic segment watch the most online video, followed by the 25-34 year old segment, but older demographics are starting to shift their online habits to include more and more online video!

The six month growth in online video viewing among the 35-49 year old age range was 29% — nearly twice as high as the growth rate among the 18-24 and 25-34 age ranges combined.Â

Furthermore, the growth rate in online video viewing in the 65+ age range was an astounding 21% — the second highest growth rate of all segments. It seems online video is not just for teenagers anymore!

It is also very likely that broadcast could even become a secondary medium in the not too distant future

“I think we have underestimated the speed of its arrival (online video). The opportunities for video over the Internet have been more disruptive than we imagined. The previous pre-eminent broadcast networks are being challenged. The conventional boundaries of telecommunications and broadcast will collapse. Viewers will benefit from more choice. The bigger picture is millions of homes being connected to broadband networks and be able to stream programs. Broadcast could become a secondary mass medium. Broadband video is a classic example of a disruptive technology.”