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Everyone wants to be in pictures, but not everyone should.

Mathew Ingram and Alec Saunders recently discussed the pitfalls of vlogging in their blogs. I have to agree, not every blog should have a video element.

Video is, at best, a time sink. It takes far longer to watch a video clip than it would take to read an equal amount of text. Also, in the world of home-brewed vlogs the video quality and production values can turn an otherwise interesting article into a distracting mess.

Video should be reserved for what it is good for — providing a sensory experience for an audience. People watch TV for the flash and glitz that radio or text just cannot convey. They watch it for the emotional content, the news has learned this lesson well. It’s very rare that you will see any news program without on-site footage, it’s just too hard to make people care about talking heads dictating information.

If you really find yourself preparing to move into vlogging, make certain that you know what you are getting into. An effective vlog requires a lot more than a camera, a tripod and a dream. Take a page from mainstream media (not to mention YouTube) and realize that in the world of moving pictures, entertainment is king.

[Image provide by Gearlive.]

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