Wednesday 9 November 2011

Now you can have twitter writing tips that draw viewers to your #webseries




Okay, I admit it. I'm British.

Which geographically means I am uncomfortable at selling.

Which means I hate writing bold, provocative statements to drive sales.

But what I have noticed is that using the formula tweet and blog post headers below does tend to increase page views and drive traffic to the links...


So, wanted to link to these tips from http://www.copyblogger.com/10-sure-fire-headline-formulas-that-work/, if only to have one place where I could click to have some ideas for wording those tweets and blog post headlines.


1. Who Else Wants [blank]?
Who Else Wants a Great WordPress Theme?

2. The Secret of [blank]
The Secret of Successful Podcasting

3. Here is a Method That is Helping [blank] to [blank]
Here is a Method That is Helping Homeowners Save Hundreds on Insurance

4. Little Known Ways to [blank]
Little Known Ways to Save on Your Heating Bill

5. Get Rid of [problem] Once and For All
Get Rid of Your Unproductive Work Habits Once and For All

6. Here’s a Quick Way to [solve a problem]
Here’s a Quick Way to Potty Train Junior

7. Now You Can Have [something desirable] [great circumstance]
Now You Can Own a Cool Mac and Still Run Windows

8. [Do something] like [world-class example]
Speak Spanish Like a Diplomat

9. Have a [or] Build a [blank] You Can Be Proud Of
Build a Body You Can Be Proud Of

10. What Everybody Ought to Know About [blank]
What Everybody Ought to Know About ASP


Here are some more from http://www.copyblogger.com/proven-headline-formulas

1. Say it simply and directly.
No cleverness. No jokes. No wordplay.
- The Ultimate Tax Shelter

2. State the big benefit.
Transforming your major benefit into a headline.
- Get a FREE vase when you buy a dozen roses.

3. Announce exciting news.
The product or service doesn’t necessarily have to be newly created to qualify as news.
- Now program your DVR by simply speaking to the revolutionary DVR VOICE programmer.

4. Appeal to the “how-to” instinct.
The how-to must highlight the benefit or final result, not the process itself. Look at this example:
- How to make money working from home with your PC.

5. Pose a provocative question.
It must relate directly and clearly to the major benefit of the product.
- How do I know which mutual funds may be right for me?

6. Bark a command.
It’s not conversational, it’s dictatorial.
- Stop wasting money on Web design. Use InstaSite to create your own Web site in minutes.

7. Offer useful information.
What people really want is a sense of order and predictability in their lives.
- Free brochure shows you how to end your money worries for good.

8. Relay an honest, enthusiastic testimonial.
It capitalizes on the fact that people like to know what other people say.
- “It’s the first book on personal finance that really made sense to me.”

9. Authenticate your proposition with a little something extra.
Add a little something extra to your headline that seems out of place, yet rings true.
- Small Company’s New Golf Ball Flies Too Far; Could Obsolete Many Golf Courses.


And even more from here http://www.copyblogger.com/headline-swipe-file-3

1. Warning: [blank].
- Warning: Do You Recognize These 7 Early Warning Signs of Blogger Burnout?

2. How [blank] Made Me [blank].
- How Moving to Iowa Improved My Sex Life

3. Are You [blank]?
- Are You Ready to Learn Chinese for Your Next Job?

4. [Blank] Ways to [blank].
- 21 Ways to Live a Better Life With Less

5. If You’re [blank], You Can [blank].
- If You Love Scuba, You Can Dive Belize This Week Only for a Song!




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Monday 7 November 2011

How do you convert a DVD file to a youtube video file? My favourite free video conversion software - Freemake

I was going to write a post about the fact that I archive stuff onto my DVD recorder. I was finding it hard looking for free converters that bounce them straight into files you can then upload to youtube...

I've put the initial trawl of free DVD conversion software below... but then I came across
http://www.freemake.com




The others listed below are good - the conversions work, but man, freemake is a dream.


The biggest problem I had was that my videos are in 16:9 widescreen FHA (Full Height Anamorphic).

This means the video files are regular TV aspect ratio 4:3, which means the video files were being kept and ripped as 4:3 files.

Freemake has an option to stretch to any size.
So I just take my "DVD quality 720x576" file, and convert it to 1024x576, making sure to check the "adjustment" setting to "Stretch".

It also allows you to edit your video into chunks, so you can cut off VT countdown clocks, or edit out segments before saving. And you can save at the same resolution, or convert to another size.

All the free conversion software seems to do this to greater or lesser degrees -- this one was just really easy to use.

Freemake Video Converter 2.1 from Freemake


And because I just wanted to know how to rip DVD to youtube videos, I've not even touched the other input and output formats it converts to...
(Output to AVI, WMV, MP4, MKV, FLV, SWF, 3GP, MP3 Rip DVD movie to AVI, WMV, MP4, MPEG, MKV, FLV, SWF, 3GP. Convert video to Flash and embed it directly to your web page. Convert video and audio files to MP3. Convert Free to iPod, iPhone, iPad, PSP, PS3, Android)


---

Here are the other converters I downloaded and tried...



MPEG streamclip
http://www.squared5.com/





Handbrake
http://handbrake.fr/





Quick Media Converter
http://www.cocoonsoftware.com



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THANKS!