Blogging Basics--Part 3-- Spicing Up Blog Entries with You Tube Videos or Vimeo

Blogging Basics Part 3-- Spicing Up Blog Entries with Add-Ons

You Tube Videos and Playlists and Vimeo

      Sometimes in writing up a blog entry it can be hard to illustrate how something is.  

I have times when a situation I have found myself in is almost impossible to describe in words.

A photo may not do it justice either.   Some scenes or situations are best captured in a video.

One example would be a waterfall that is so large or oddly shaped or positioned it is impossible

to get it all in a photo.    Another example would be a funny situation at home.. a conversation

with a child or something a pet did.  Yet another situation that is hard to demonstrate in a photo 

is some of the ATV rides we go on.   Sometimes the best way to show it off aside from having

been there is to post a video of it!   

      I know of several ways to go about it.   

Let's start with You Tube

1. You can upload a video directly to your blog by going to the image tool in COMPOSE 

mode on blogger and clicking on the movie clacker icon. Hover over it and it will say "Insert a video" 

 Click on it and it will give you options on the left side to upload from your computer, You Tube, My You Tube Videos, My webcam, and My phone.   Select what you want and hit OK.  That should insert the video directly to your blog entry. I will tell you now that I have tried it and it has been problematic from my experience. Uploading from the computer directly is slow and often does not function.  Uploading from You Tube or My You Tube is also slow and does not function properly if at all.   I don't know if it is my system or the software. 

2.You can go to You Tube and add a single video to your website by finding the video you want and under it find the SHARE button. Click on that.  It will give you an option to choose a link or to EMBED. I like the
embed feature. Let's do that one.  When you open it it will already be highlighted.  Right click and COPY.
Its worth noting that there are options to choose the size dimensions of the video you embed.  The first one is usually the best one, but play around with it and see what you think.    Go back to your blog entry and go to HTML mode again.  Top left of the blog entry.   Go down to the spot where you want to the video to appear.  Right click and choose the PASTE option.   There is no need to write code here. The script you selected from You Tube to share the video should be all you need.  Go back to COMPOSE mode or visual editor mode on Go Smokies. The video should appear there.

If you have problems getting it to show up... try selecting the USE OLD EMBED CODE by checking the box before you copy and paste. It will give you another, older, different HTML code to try to post.

3. You can paste a link into your blog entry and insert not an entire video, but a LINK to a video.

      Go to the SHARE option on You Tube.  It will have boxes across there to share on Facebook, Twitter, etc.  You should be able to share the video to your blog as a link by highlighting the link and copying it.
Left click in the link box.  Right click next and choose COPY.  Come back to your blog entry and either

Go to the LINK box at the top and insert first the title you want for the video.. then insert the copied web url there in the next box and click OK.  That should insert your video as a link.  

Bryants Cove Cascade Video  

  Just like adding too many images to a blog entry can make it slow to load---too many videos or add-ons can do the same thing.    If you are going to add more than one or two videos to an entire blog entry it is almost certainly best to post a link to a You Tube Playlist.  You could also create

a free You Tube Channel for yourself as I have done.  I post videos of my various trips and other things on Channel DBZR.    

      Creating a You Tube Playlist & Posting It

    Go to You Tube and select Playlists

Select NEW PLAYLIST 

 Give your playlist a name

Go to ADD VIDEO

If you're searching You Tube at large enter the name in the search box and find the video you're looking for.  Select it by highlighting it and adding it. 

If you're searching Your You Tube videos.. just highlight the ones you want to add to the playlist.

To share the playlist.. go to SHARE and left click to highlight the link to the playlist.

Right click to copy repeat the process to add as a link by using the LINK button up top of the entry in COMPOSE mode.  To Share by EMBEDDING click EMBED and highlight the link.

Right click. COPY and then come back to your blog entry. Change to HTML mode.. left click to position. Right click and choose PASTE.   Go back to COMPOSE mode or Visual editor mode on Go Smokies... your playlist will be there as what looks like a single video. However when that first one is done it will play the next one after a second or two.   

An example of a way I use this is on a trip report where I have visited seven waterfalls in Panthertown and want to give the reader an option to check out the videos for each one.. I can post a playlist like this and they can watch as much or as little as they wish.

    Sharing from Vimeo 

  I began using Vimeo when I lost my entire You Tube channel along with 120 videos I'd posted several years ago.   I have never cared for it as much as You Tube, but it is ad free. It can be

a little more professional looking, but I'm not a professional.   I'm just a gal who blogs about trip

reports and life.    It is free, but only up to a point. You can post about one free HD video per week.

It is pricey for paid accounts.  $60 per year.   Not going to break the bank, but I still prefer You Tube.    For those who don't want to use You Tube, Vimeo provides an alternative.

   Sharing a video from Vimeo goes like this.

Find the video you want to share.  

Go to the top right of the video and click the SHARE arrow.

It will give you the option to share as a LINK, E-mail or EMBED.

For the purpose of blogging we want either the LINK or EMBED.

To LINK remember.. go to the top of the entry.. find LINK and give your video link the name you want.  Insert the URL into the next box.  Highlight the link on vimeo... then right click and COPY.

Go to your second box under LINK and right click PASTE.

This should insert your video as a link.

Yellow Doors Overlook 

To EMBED click on the embed box on vimeo.

It will automatically highlight the link for you. Right click and COPY.

Go back to your blog entry. Go to HTML mode at the top left... 

Pick the position you want for the video to appear and left click.

Right click and PASTE.

Go back to COMPOSE mode or on Go Smokies Visual Mode.

 

Yellow Doors Overlook from Dana Koogler on Vimeo.

Vimeo's embed mode gives you options to change the text colors, show a caption or description of the video, autoplay this video or loop this video by checking various boxes.  Play around with it and see what you like for your own style.



That is enough for now.  Next Part 4-- Customizing and Accessorizing your Blog Home Page