No, you don’t have to….

If you are not going to edit your vlog you should think about some things.

1. What is the purpose of the vlog? Is it for conversation or business?
2. Make sure you say who you are and where to find you online.
3. Figure out what you are going to say ahead of time so you don’t ramble.
4. Don’t let yourself get caught up in perfectionism. It’s ok if there’s a mistake. You don’t need to do the whole thing over and over and over and…..
5. Remember that it will be “out there” for a long time to come.

“but editing makes it nicer.”

Think of blogging for a minute. You don’t have to edit, you don’t have to add a picture, you don’t have to make a list, etc. but you’ve heard that you should do those things. Some bloggers are excellent writers that don’t need much editing and never add pictures. Some vloggers are comfortable with not editing, but that is not the norm and not the videos that are awesome.

If you are willing to edit you can:

1. do a second take without starting from the very beginning.
2. add a title and credits.
3. jazz it up with some music.
4. Delete the extra umms or when your child knocks the camera over.
5. Look more professional.

I have both kind of videos online, but for 99% of my videos I do something in editing before I upload. It doesn’t have to take hours and it doesn’t have to be expensive. And just like blogging, the more you do it the faster and more comfortable you will become.

If you’re brand new to video blogging/vlogging you might want to read the first two posts in this series:

1. Five Steps To Start Vlogging
2. Easy Vlogging Topics