This is a tutorial on how to create, record, and insert a video into eBay, WordPress, blogs, Myspace, and other websites that allow you to embed videos. This is perfect for nurses or nurse writers who want to embed a video into a blog post, nursing slideshow/presentation, and more. This is often needed in nursing school projects. This guide can also help you to insert video into your eBay auction listings, Myspace, Websites, Web pages, blogs, and more.
Introduction: How to Insert Video:
Communicating through video can be a great way to instill buyer confidence and potentially increase sales because it gives the buyer a better view or description of the item or service you have for sale. In this guide, I will walk you through the steps of hosting your video (for free) and using that with your auction, website, or networking site so that you can provide a recorded video 24 hours a day, 7 days a week!
Prepare to Make/Create Your Video:
Obviously, before you can upload a video to any site, you have to first make a video (or have a previously recorded clip). Making your own video is simple & it does not require any kind of expensive software or fancy equipment. All you need to make your own video is an internet connection, a computer, and one of the following: an inexpensive digital camera, web cam, cell phone (with a built in camera) or a simple video recorder that can connect to your computer—that’s it! We also have a great screen capturing and recording software available for a free download on this site if you want to create screen tutorials!
If you want to have the OPTIONAL ability to edit your video, you can use software such as Windows Movie Maker® (usually installed for free on your computer if you have Windows XP® or Vista®), or you can download various movie making software from the internet. If your computer or digital camera does not have any video editing software and you would like to edit your videos before placing them online, you can download various video editing software online (usually for free). Just simply perform a quick search on Google® & you should be able to find other video software for free (always scan for viruses before downloading any software). Again, you are not required to use video editing software to make a movie clip (such as Windows Movie Maker®). This is completely optional and you only need software if you want to edit your video clip (or create special effects or slide shows).
Preparing for Video Recording (No Software Required)
To make your video as effective and professional looking as possible, you should take the necessary steps to ensure your recording looks and sounds great. To do this, you should follow these basic tips:
- Make sure you have adequate lighting for your video. Your viewers should be able to see whatever you record.
- Think about your background. A simple light-colored background is best. Avoid backgrounds that are too “busy” looking or dark.
- If you are going to talk in the video, it is a good idea to either write out a clear message on a poster (or index cards) so you can read it while filming, or write out your message on a sheet of paper and memorize & rehearse it before recording. This will ensure you communicate everything you wanted to communicate without “messing up” or “forgetting” any important details.
- Make sure to speak clearly (in professional language) and to use persuasive words. For instance, instead of saying “I think this is a good product,” say something like “This is a great product.”
- Keep your video clip short. About 1-2 minutes should be plenty of time to quickly describe your item (or service) for sale, show any video of the item, and to communicate the important details. If your video is too long, you viewer could get bored. Keep it short, but effective.
- Dress professionally. Yes….unfortunately in this society appearance matters. You don’t want to scare your viewers away. So if you plan on being in the actual video, you should dress professionally. Fix your hair, wear conservative clothes, and anything else you need to do to look your best.
- Smile. Look pleasant and act like you enjoy what you are talking about. This will subconsciously tell the buyer that you have a great product &/or service and that you are confident that they will be satisfied with it.
Now that you know some great tips on how to make your video as effective as possible, now you can get starting with the recording process.
How to Record Your Video to Place in eBay, Myspace, Xanga, WordPress, and more:
In this section, I will walk you through the steps of recording or “capturing” your video. This is a simple process. Again, you can use your own software to do this if you prefer (such as Movie Maker® or software that came with your camera), but I will outline the steps on how to do this if you have No Video Software!
To record a video clip with no software, you will use a great (& FREE) online service known as YouTube.com. Simply go to Youtube.com to get started. If you do not have a YouTube® account, you can sign up for an account absolutely free. Once you have signed up for your free account, go ahead & make sure you are logged in. Also, make sure you have the device you will use to capture video (camcorder, webcam, digital camera, or camera phone) installed & plugged into your computer. Next, you will want to click the “Upload New Video” Link under the “videos” section in your account.
After you click the “Upload New Video” button as pictured above, you will be directed to a new page where you can add a title, description, tags, broadcast options, date and map options, and sharing options. You can add anything you want for these categories. The main purpose for the title, description, etc. is so that other YouTube® users can find your video (if you would like them to be able to). Just add any title, then describe the item, and place one word tags with a space in between (tag example: sales video of your service).
Make sure to select a video category, and if you can also edit the broadcast options, date and map, and sharing options. When you have finished selecting these items, click “Use Quick Capture”.
After you click the “Use Quick Capture” button, you will be directed to a page where you can capture video & sound directly from the device. No software needed! Again, before doing this, you should have your video device (web cam, digital camera, camcorder, camera cell phone, etc.) plugged in & ready to use.
You should see a box (as pictured below) that indicates your video device & sound device (usually your built in computer microphone) before you record. For this example, I used a very simple Argus® digital camera that I received as a free gift. It is worth about $10 and it does not even have an LCD screen on the back or a built in video feature. Yet, when I plug it into my computer, YouTube automatically detects it & allows the camera to function as a video camera to stream video.
Again, you do not need fancy equipment to do this. The microphone was my computer’s built in microphone AC97. Most computers have a built in microphone, but if yours does not, then you can use the camera’s, web cam, camcorder, or other microphone. Again, YouTube will automatically recognize these devices if they are plugged in & installed on your computer properly. Also, you will see a box pop-up asking you to allow or deny the software. Just click allow.
After you click the “allow” button, it will begin to stream video to show you what it looks like. It DOES NOT record until you hit the record button as shown below. When you are ready to begin recording, click the record button.
After you click the “Record” button, you will be able to record your video. YouTube’s limit is usually 10 minutes long and up to 100 MB. This may change over time, but this is usually perfect for making quick videos for your website or eBay® listings.
When you have finished recording, click the “Finish & Exit” button. Then, YouTube® will automatically upload your captured video in flash format to their website.
It usually takes a few minutes for YouTube® to get your video uploaded properly. So be patient. The time it takes for YouTube® to convert your video to their flash format & host the video depends on the size. It can range anywhere from a few seconds to a 15-30 minutes.
After you have finished, click on the “My Account” link. Then click “My Videos.” When your video is ready, it will show up under your videos as pictured below:
After you have created your video on YouTube, you can then copy the HTML Embed Tag given where it says “URL” in the picture above. You will use this HTML Embed Tag to place the video in your eBay® auction, website, or networking site. Make sure to copy this entire Tag & save it.
To get the “Embed Tag,” go under your account and click “My Videos.” A picture of your video selection is seen above. Click on the picture of the video, or on the Title (my title above says New Description). This will open the video so that it can be viewed.
After the video is displayed, you will see a table underneath that says “Embed” with a unique HTML code. You will need to copy this code so that you can later insert it into your auction/website.
To copy the embed code as shown above, just place your cursor in the box, drag it along the entire code. Then (while it is highlighted), right click your mouse and select “COPY.” Next, you will want to “PASTE” this code in a word processor or a program such as notepad and save it for later when you are ready to insert it into your website or auction.
How to Insert Video into eBay Auction Listings, Myspace, Xanga, Craigslist, WordPress Free:
Now that you have created a video, you are ready to insert it into your eBay® auction, website, or networking site. To do this, you will use the HTML Embed Tag that YouTube® provided. This process is very simple, and you should have your video up & running in no time!
First, go to the site you want to add your video to (for this example, we will use eBay.com®). Then go to the “sell” button & create your auction listing. Click the “HTML” button on eBay’s® item description box (note: if you have a Mac computer you may not see an HTML tab, however, this process still works the same). See the picture below:
Now simply paste the HTML Embed Tag that YouTube® provided anywhere into the page. You can paste it anywhere in your description that you want. This may seem overwhelming if there is a lot of html code already there, but try to find a spot, and then paste the code.
After you paste the code, switch back to the “Standard” view on eBay’s® description field. The video will probably not show up (or it will show up as a blank X). This is normal. Adjust the video’s location as needed by clicking & dragging the video until it is placed where you want it. Also, you can adjust the video’s display size by manipulating the HTML Embed Code. For example, the Embed code with have sizes in it that say width=355, height 405. You can adjust this by typing a larger or smaller value such as width=200, height 200. This is how you can adjust the size. If you want to place the video within a table, or create other neat special effects for your listing, make sure to check out our free HTML codes.
(Note: Again, after you copy & paste the HTML Tag into the HTML section, the video may not show up on the “Standard” view. However, to make sure your video was inserted properly, you can click the preview button (as seen below). This will allow you to see how the video will look after you list the item so you can make sure you have inserted the video in the auction correctly & it is working properly).
After you have checked to make sure your video is working properly, you can list your item on eBay®. The process is very similar if you want to add your video to a networking site, or your own website. Just add the HTML Embed Tag code in your HTML for your website & publish your website (or click “save changes” on your networking profile) and you will be up & running with your very own recorded video.
YouTube® is a great company to use for your video hosting for several reasons:
1. They are a reliable company and well-known. 2. They make the process easy, free, and you can save on bandwidth. 3. They allow you to record video without any special software. 4. They convert the video to a “flash” format which is a commonly used format & most all of you visitors should be able to view the video without a problem. 5. They have already been approved by eBay.com to use to insert videos in your auction.
If you are using eBay.com, then make sure you follow the seller’s listing policies. You can find these under the “policies” link on the bottom of eBay’s® home page. Currently, eBay’s video policy states the following:
“You may use embedded video in a listing provided it complies with the following requirements:
- The video must conform to all eBay policies, including but not limited to:
- The seller must be the owner of the underlying rights, including intellectual property rights, or authorized to distribute it by the owners of such rights.
- The video may not solicit unsafe payment methods such as Western Union.
- The video may not include software that harms or interferes with the viewer’s machine (for example, a virus or spyware), uses it for malicious or unauthorized purposes, or violates the buyer’s privacy.
- The video must deliver the content in flash animation format and be hosted by a site that takes strong measures to provide safe content. In an attempt to safeguard eBay members, based on current technologies and current eBay marketplace requirements, sellers may only embed video from the following companies:
AOL®, WordPress, AuctionMercial®, AuctionPlayer®, AuctionVideo®, CarTHINK®, CreativeVideosOnline®, Dailymotion®, Google®, i2iAuction®, Microsoft®, MySpace®, Silverdock®, Vzaar®, YouTube®.”.
As I mentioned at the beginning of this guide, you do not have to necessarily use YouTube® to record your video. You can record the video first using your own software (that came with your camera, web cam, video recorder, or installed on your computer), and then simply “Upload” it to YouTube® using the same method as before (but instead you will locate your pre-recorded video file on your computer and simply upload it to YouTube® instead of using YouTube® to record the video.
If you decide to make your video with your own software before you upload it to YouTube®, then make sure you save the video in a file format that YouTube® will accept. Currently, they accept the following file types: WMV, .AVI, .MOV, and .MPG.
Final Words About Adding Video:
That is the entire process of how you can easily insert a video into your eBay® auction, website, or networking site for FREE without using any kind of special software! Also, don’t forget about our free download of a great screen capturing/recording software application that you can use to create great tutorials and more! You should be up & running with your videos in no time!
I hope this guide will help you increase your sales by taking advantage of the power of video! I wish you the very best of luck & future success!