I’m back with yet another iPod Nano video. The new iPod nano 5th Generation is a great tool for the video blogger, hyperlocalblogger or just about anyone who wants to add to their video arsenal.

I think it can be a very effective toy with many features available, not just video. You can even add special effects to your videos. It records video in the .mov file format. That is a quicktime movie and virtually all PC’s and Mac’s play Quicktime movies.

Here is a short video I made with the Nano 5th Generation while driving down the road. Wherever you are, whenever the mood hits you, you can easily record a video using your iPod Nano. Save it for later and post it to your blog or Youtube. The Nano may be the easiest way to become a video blogger that I know of.

Features of the iPod nano 5th Generation:
* 8 GB capacity for 2,000 songs, 7,000 photos, or 8 hours of video
* Up to 24 hours of music playback or 5 hours of video playback when fully charged
* 2.2-inch color TFT display with 240 x 376 pixel resolution
* Supports AAC, Protected AAC, MP3, MP3 VBR, Audible, Apple Lossless, AIFF, and WAV audio formats; H.264 and MPEG-4 video formats; JPEG, BMP, GIF, TIFF, PSD (Mac only), and PNG image formats
* One-year limited warranty with single incident of complimentary telephone technical support

I take the Nano with me on all of my workouts. It is so lightweight that I can’t even detect that I have it attached to me while I workout. I do a lot of mountain biking and I also do a lot of hikes. There have been times that I have stopped and shot some video while I’m on the trail of something I like. That is one of the reasons I love this Nano. What else can you do that with?

The Nano 5th Generation has a very high quality voice recorder. If you wanted to record a lecture it would be very easy. Just turn it on and lay it near where the speaker is talking. The audio quality is outstanding. What if you wanted to be a little sneaky? No one can even detect the Nano in your pocket. You could turn it on and secretly record a conversation you had with someone. There have been many times in my life where I wish i could have secretly recorded a conversation.

It’s a pedometer, stopwatch, calendar, alarm clock, FM radio, clock, plays games & voice recorder. All of this and it’s only 2.2 x 1.8 x 4.1 inches & 4.8 ounces.

If you want to play Private Investigator, I think it would make a perfect spy camera. It’s a mini video camera and you could easily go undercover with it.

O yea, it plays awesome sounding music when I workout and blog.

Here is what people are saying about the iPod Nano on Amazon:
S.K. Awesome! Let’s face it…we are not all clones and look for different features when it comes to an MP3 player. I wanted a small, portable player for the gym. The FM Radio feature is what I have been hoping for for a very long time! I don’t need apps. I don’t need to surf the web. I need to play my tunes. Genius is a great way to create a mix for the gym. The fitness tracker is incredible. And finally I can tune in to the TVs in the gym. Love it! This is exactly what I’ve been waiting for. Perfect device for my needs.

D. S. This 5th gen is the best nano yet! I love the video camera and microphone,comes in handy for unexpected need for video or voice files.This ipod nano holds all my music in such a slim design.I have nothing but praise for this ipod, I use it at the gym or when power walking. Radio also comes in handy!

Bloggerlens.com

Holy Cow, I’ve been posting a lot of little short worthless posts lately. I’m buzzed a little on Blue Moon right now so I thought it was time for another meaningless post from a Problogger. That’s right, I’m declaring myself a Problogger. Everybody else is lately. In a way, I actually am, but not here on BloggerLens. If you don’t like my self description, let’s set up a time and place for a fight. I have a goatee and I look like a bad-ass. Sporting a goatee tells the world you are a bad-ass and not to mess with me. See my picture in the upper left of this site? Would any of you mess with Ally Hane? Ok, case closed.

Today, I went to my Google reader which I don’t go to that often. I mostly subscribe to all of the other geniuses by email. My Google Reader was packed with crap and I probably unsubscribed to 50 or so blogs. I want my stuff delivered to me in my in-box where I can sip my coffee and man scratch myself each and every morning.

I started thinking to myself that in 2009 I earned a Masters Degree in some of the things that mattered on the internet. I learned to separate the garbage from the good stuff. I could not believe the crap I subscribed to. It was amazing the number of the blogs I had subscribed to had not posted in months. They were basically abandoned. I removed all of those blogs completely off my radar. I’m getting my focus on.

I don’t get too distracted online anymore. I’m pretty focused. I run my own sites and they take the majority of my time. I’m attempting to make a full time income online. I am first and foremost a hyperlocal blogger. I launched a network of hyperlocal websites in 2009. I have just partnered with a major regional newspaper for a year long “news sharing” experiment that is funded by a national journalism thinktank. I’m very proud of this. There are some dark days when you work online and this was the highlight of my year and validation of what I do that many consider important.

Will I blog about this experience? Maybe. I have worked my ass off for over a year and I have learned many things through trial and error. Will I freely give away what I have learned? The answer to that is hell no for the most part. Now I’m being asked to speak to some local organizations and my local profile is rising. That’s pretty cool but I don’t believe in giving away all of your proprietary information just to gain a following.

If you have developed a technique for shaving hog’s asses that is revolutionary, I think you are an idiot for giving it away for free just so your readers will tell you how great you are in the comment section. Focus the knowledge you have worked to obtain and monetize it. Rosie was the best picture I could find of a hogs ass.

I’m still trying to make a passive income online. The very thought of that is very intriguing. I dabble in the “make money online” niche but it is not the full focus of my efforts online. I love Griz Grizzly and what he teaches. I wish I had more time to devote to it. If your focus is to make money online, why don’t you just do it and stop making excuses. Read less and do more.

2009 was the year that I developed some genuine online friendships. Hardly a day goes by that I don’t visit the sites of my online friends. Click the Friends tab on the top of this page to see who I read and respect online.

If you are not involved in video in some form, you are missing out. I’m totally focused on video. I’ll be doing more here on Bloggerlens but 2010 is year of the video. For $150 or less you can become a cool video blogger. I will watch your $hit before I will watch Lost on ABC. If I like what you do, I’ll make you a cool intro to your videos.

I hope you will get off your ass, read less and do more in 2010. Focus people, Focus!

Free mp3 music and audio for your videos and blog.

If you work with video at all, you are on the constant lookout for music that you can use with your videos. I find myself always grabbing music and uploading to a music folder or putting it in my iTunes Library for my own listening pleasure or for future uses in my videos.

I recently came across a fantastic website that allows me to capture music and video straight from YouTube. I have other ways of capturing but this is a very simple method that anyone can use. You can capture music with a PC or Mac. I use a Mac.

Dirpy.com is a YouTube to .MP3 converter. This is a fantastic tool when you need to capture or download free .MP3 music. The concept is very simple. Any audio that you hear on a YouTube video, you can easily capture and download to your computer. Cool huh?

You have to worry about your own copyright issues and how you use the material you download. I’m not here to preach about that. This is fast and simple. Just the way I like things. I’ll cover the video aspect of this program in another post. If you are looking for cheap and free mp3 music, I suggest you give Dirpy.com a try.

Disclosure: I found Dirpy by reading The Big Beer Blog and a comment From Josh Whitford, Marketing Ideas. After following some of their links, I stumbled across Dirpy. Everyone should check out Allyn & Josh.

You may be interested in my other article about How To get Cheap MP3 Music For Your iPod.

2009 Bloggerlens.com Cheap & Free mp3 Music

I finally did it. I put myself in front of the camera and shot a video for my hyperlocal blog. I am so used to being behind the video camera that I was actually nervous about it. How will I be perceived? Will I look goofy? Will people laugh at my feeble attempt? You know what? I really enjoyed it and I don’t give a crap what anyone thinks about it. I don’t answer to anyone on my hyperlocal blog and I’ll do what I damn well please. That felt good to write, yea! I’m not really a hyperlocal video Rockstar yet, but that’s what I’m working towards. Why not? So should you.

It’s something that I have been wanting to do and I would encourage you to do the same. Now, I have to give credit where credit is due. My good buddy, Allyn Hane over at Blogger Illustrated is a video blogger and he lays it on the line everytime he posts a new video. By watching him and the fun he has with it, I decided to make the jump from director to Rock Star!

To set it up…I recently had my lawnmower repaired and the shop gave me outstanding service. This is a lawn equipment sales and repair shop that is pretty far out in my county and they have a very good reputation and have been around forever. I took this opportunity to do a video review of their business. If you are a hyperlocal blogger and receive good customer service from a local merchant, I advise you to post an article about the business. You don’t have to go to the extreme of publishing a video, but an article and a few photos do wonders for your blog in your community. Here are a couple of links to two articles I have posted on my hyperlocal blog. I call these “Good Service Alerts!” Here is a Good Service Alert I wrote about Tire Town. Here is another Good Service Alert I wrote about Artistic Imprints. These articles spread good will in my community and also sent me traffic. They do not take long to write and publish. That is why I stress to you, always bring a camera or video camera when you leave the house. You never know when an opportunity for a hyperlocal article will present itself.

I shot the video in my yard and driveway. I’m talking about lawn equipment so what better way than on my lawnmower and in the grass? I was by myself so it took a little while to set up my shots and try to make them look good. I used my Sennheiser Wireless Lavaliere Microphone so I would have good audio. This is an awesome wireless mic I use that will actually transmit through walls. It’s on the upper end of the scale but it creates professional audio for your videos. *Tip, good audio is always necessary, your viewers will forgive you for bad shaky video but they will click away with bad audio. Once I shot the video, I was surprised to see just how much video I had shot. I had to edit it down to 5 minutes. I felt like 5 minutes was plenty and maybe even a little too much. Once I started editing, I tried to mix it up a little with a couple of photos of the business and also some zoom edits where it appears that I have a camera man zooming around.

The resulting video I have almost termed as a hyperlocal infomercial. I felt like Billy May’s or the ShamWow Guy. As soon as the video was published, I called the owner to let him know what I had done and he was very appreciative. Enough blabbing, have a look. Here’s a link to the article I wrote that accompanied the video.

That was my first attempt and I hope I will get better over time. Even though I got a little bit fancy with my editing with graphics and a little music, you do not have to do that on yours. That’s not what it’s all about folks. It’s about your content. Shoot videos of your local community and upload to YouTube. Post them on your blog. Do it over and over. Your community will find them, I promise. They will appreciate it. Your traffic will increase. What are you waiting on? Be a hyperlocal Rock Star in your town!

I would love to hear your comments, good or bad. Have a great weekend, wherever you are.

Enjoy or download for free, the outro music I used on the video. “Paralyzer” by Finger Eleven.
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Copyright 2009 bloggerlens.com Hyperlocal Blogs & Citizen Journalism

Caution: The article that you are about to read contains extreme bias on my part.

Traffic, that’s what an internet marketer can teach you about hyperlocal blogging. I could stop right there and this article would be complete. If you take a moment and give it some thought, what else do I need to say? Internet marketers are brilliant when it comes to internet traffic. At least the good ones are. An internet marketer depends on traffic to make a living online. As a hyperlocal blogger, I depend on traffic to build my media empire. No traffic, no empire, no advertising, no money.

I study internet marketers for a reason and you should too. A good internet marketer knows SEO. A good internet marketer understands link building. A good internet marketer understands affiliate programs and how to use them to his advantage. Rarely do you find an internet marketer willing to share their knowledge without pushing some sort of bullshit (sorry) product on you. Personally, I follow only 4 internet marketers faithfully and today I’d like to highlight my favorite internet marketer.

Allyn Hane of bloggerillustrated.net. I found Allyn through some comments he had made on one of my other favorite sites. I clicked through and that’s when I found Blogger Illustrated. Allyn is one of the most entertaining video bloggers on the internet. He teaches his viewers about the nuts and bolts of internet marketing and how to build traffic to your site. Let me warn you right now about Allyn before you visit his site. If you are an Oprah or Dr. Phil type sensitive person who just wants to feel good about yourself and your blog and no one reads it but you and your mommy, don’t bother. Allyn will sense you watching his videos and will reach through your monitor and open hand slap you where you sit.

I trolled Allyn’s site for quite a while and every now and then I would make a comment on his blog. I studied Allyn’s videos and what he teaches and I apply much of what he says on my own hyperlocal blog. Although I have never met or spoken to Allyn, I was connecting with him through his videos because I felt we had a lot in common. Surely that happens to all of us. How many of you have a co-worker or someone you see on a regular basis and you just feel a click with but do not actually know? That’s human nature folks, we tend to gravitate to those we are most like.

I found myself always looking forward to Allyn’s next video and actually get pissed off at him if he doesn’t put them out fast enough. Allyn drinks beer on his videos. I drink beer while watching Allyn’s videos. How cool is that? Allyn uses a whiteboard to get his point across. I drink beer while watching Allyn use a whiteboard.

Allyn truly cares about your success online and he is the master of his own domain. Allyn usually sets his camera up in his kitchen and talks to you as if you had just dropped by to bum a beer after watching him cut his grass. Funny how folks stop by after the work is done. He leans over the counter and tells you straight up how to be successful online. There is always a cold beer on the counter and he’ll grab his laptop and flip it toward the camera to show you something trying to make a point.

A couple of weeks ago, I heard a new rock song by the group Shinedown. The name of the song was “Sound of Madness”. As I listened to the song, I thought to myself that’s got Allyn Hane written all over it. I had an idea. I would create Allyn a video introduction for his videos. He would be able to use it as an intro and an outro for his videos. I spent a while doing some editing and using a picture of him found online, here is what I created.

I had no idea of how Allyn would take it or think about the video I made for him. Why did I do it? I did it as a sign of appreciation for what he does. I do a lot of video work and I know first hand how much work he puts into it. What else could I do? I could have sent him a case of beer but I would rather drink it myself. Only 8 out of 24 would have arrived.

What happened after I sent my video to him, just blew my mind. I don’t think I’ve ever done anything for anyone in my life who showed as much appreciation. Allyn’s a humble guy and I never expected his response. Allyn’s very next video was a video review of my hyperlocal site, the Monroe Scoop. Grass Roots Internet Marketing. Go Hyperlocal. I was blown away and I appreciated the review very much. Allyn’s review has sent this site and the Monroe Scoop a ton of new traffic. Below is the video review from Blogger Illustrated.

You may watch a video of Allyn outside while grilling some chicken on his deck or he may post a quick video of his thoughts while sitting in his car. You should be able to get a sense of his passion and excitement from the video above. Folks, you ain’t seen nothing yet until you head over to Blogger Illustrated and watch all of his videos. No doubt you will become a fan.

If you want a better hyperlocal blog with more traffic pay attention to what Allyn teaches and implement it on your own site. Your site will be better, Google will find you and rank you higher, your traffic will increase and you will be a happier blogger.

Enjoy or download for free, Shinedown. “Sound of Madness”.

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Copyright 2009 bloggerlens.com Hyperlocal Blogs & Citizen Journalism