What if you just simply shared something of importance? No fancy equipment. No music. Just you and your message.

Texas teen Ben Breedlove sat silently in front of a camera, with some notecards he had written on and held them up for all to read. Nothing fancy. Just his words he needed and wanted to share.

This was a two-part video the 18 year old shared about the heart condition he’s been living with called hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. He shared how he’s cheated death 3 times and what he remembers from those moments. He ends the video with “Do you believe in angels or God? I do.”

Breedlove died on Christmas Day (December 25, 2011) and these videos titled “This is My Story” were uploaded just a few short days before he passed. His videos now have more than 2 million views.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family and friends of Ben Breedlove.

You might be wondering how YouTube comes up with their Year in Review lists and Kevin Allocca, YouTube Trends Manager, answered that question in a blog post from today.

“To compile these lists, we looked at global view counts of popular videos uploaded throughout this year, and, in some instances, we aggregated views across multiple versions of the same video. 2011 was a year of amazing new channels and new stars being discovered, awesome creativity, and of course, Rebecca Black. It was also a year of powerful news stories playing out on YouTube, as people witnessed and documented uprisings and natural disasters, touching personal moments and moments of protest.”

Here are the 10 most viewed YouTube videos globally: (excluding videos from major music labels)

1. Rebecca Black – Friday (OFFICIAL VIDEO)
2. Ultimate Dog Tease
3. Jack Sparrow (feat. Michael Bolton)
4. Talking Twin Babies – PART 2 – OFFICIAL VIDEO
5. Nyan Cat [original]
6. Look At Me Now – Chris Brown ft. Lil Wayne, Busta Rhymes (Cover by @KarminMusic)
7. The Creep (feat. Nicki Minaj & John Waters)
8. Maria Aragon – Born This Way (Cover) by Lady Gaga
9. The Force: Volkswagen Commercial
10. Cat mom hugs baby kitten

Cats, babies and music always seem to be popular. Which video, out of the 10 listed, is your favorite of 2011? I’m going to have to go with the talking babies.

YouTube’s 2011: Year in Review

I’ll admit it: video makes me nervous. I don’t think it’s a good tool for everyone. I’m a much better writer. But, I do think every blogger out there should at least try it. Videos can be a great tool to help you promote your blog and reach new audience members. Plus, it’s great practice for public speaking if you intend to someday do webinars or live presentations.

So, today’s topic is video creation. Some people refer to themselves as “vloggers” while others use the term “video marketer” and still others simply consider themselves bloggers who do video posts from time to time. However you put it, their advice on video creation is great!

Post too long? Head to the Quick Links section for just a list of the links included in this post without all the analysis and quotes!

1. The Benefits of Creating Talking Head Videos for Your Blog by Darren Rowse at Problogger

Your videos don’t need to be elaborate or have a a Hollywood budget to be effective. In this post, Darren talks about the advantages to just setting up a camera and speaking to your audience. The connect you can make with readers by being brave enough to post videos is awesome. Darren says in his video,

Really, for me, a lot of it comes down to the personal connection that you can build with your readers. I’ve lost count of the times at conferences particularly but even online through emails where I get emails and have conversations with people who say, “I feel like I know you.”

Darren is on Twitter @problogger and you can also like his page on Facebook. He’s the author of Problogger’s Guide to Your First Week of Blogging, 31 Days to Build a Better Blog, and the Problogger book (along with co-author Chris Garrett). You can also find him online as the founder of the Problogger community, Digital Photography School, TwiTip Twitter Tips, and FeelGooder.

2. Video Marketing Tips for Driving More Traffic by Lewis Howes at LewisHowes.com (with James Wedmore from JamesWedmore.com)

I still personally believe that you should do what you’re good at and what makes you happy, and that isn’t video for everyone. However, in this video, Lewis Howes and James Wedmore give a really convincing argument for why you should be using video if you want to drive traffic, especially as a business owner. I think they make some great points about using screen capture, Power Point, and audio with pictures if you’re not comfortable in front of the camera – definitely an idea that I’m going to steal! From the video:

What you want to look for when you’re producing content is what are the things that an article an article couldn’t do that video can do for you.

You can find Lewis and James on Twitter at @lewishowes and @jameswedmore, respectively. Lewis has a number of products for sale, including Video Traffic Academy, and you can watch more of his videos on YouTube. You can find James on YouTube as well, and receive free updates about selling with videos by signing up for his mailing list.

3. Livestreaming Video Is A Powerful Tool, 10 Lessons To Help You Get It Right by James Andrews at Social Fresh

Videos make me nervous enough – the thought of livestreaming is enough to send me into a tizzy! However, in this post, James gives ten great tips to help you get started. If you’re well-prepared, the idea of doing video, whether it is livestreaming or recorded, is a lot easier to swallow.

Writes James,

Though the tools are relatively free, you need to invest in a live web video game plan before broadcasting your first event. A Here successful launch is much more than just having a webcam and pressing START, it is important to plan for success.

James is the founder of SocialPeople.tv (@socialpeopletv). You can check out his personal Twitter account @keyinfluencer.

4. 4 Buzzworthy Video Bloggers Worth Subscribing To by Adam Singer from The Future Buzz

Want to see how the professionals get it done? In this post, Adams reviews four bloggers who use video as their primary method of connecting with readers. You should definitely check out Hate By Numbers by Gladstone, Equals 3 by Ray William Johnson, Whiteboard Fridays by Rand Fishkin, and Angry Video Game Nerd by James Rolfe. I actually already knew about and LOVE Hate by Numbers and the Angry Video Game Nerd, but the other two Adam mentions are awesome too! From Adam’s post:

Video is not a one time event – you wouldn’t just create one blog post and be done with it. How does that build community?  It doesn’t – and that’s the point. Which is why it’s always a bit funny to me when companies try to make one video, push it to “go viral” and be done with it. That’s not how the web works for any content formats if you’re looking to build equity in the world and create an audience.

Adam is on Twitter @thefuturebuzz and you can also like his blog on Facebook.

5. How You Look Video Blogging by Jay Dolan at The Anti-Social Media

Jay’s blog always makes me laugh, even when I’m having a bad day. I’ll refrain from naming names in this instance, but the other day I was watching a video from a blogger who was looking so crazy that I actually forwarded it to non-blogging friends for a laugh. So, Jay’s post about looking presentable if you’re going to be on camera is a valid one! Jay writes,

Please, for the love of all that’s holy, look at yourself objectively on camera. If you look like a hobo in poorly lit room, I don’t care how good your content is. At that point, I’m worried that you have a body hidden somewhere in the shadows where you’re filming.

You can find Jay on Twitter @JayDolan, as well as like his blog on Facebook to connect with him. You can also check out his videos on YouTube.

6. Beginners Guide on How to Video Blog on a Budget by Robyn Bloch at Sound Idea Digital (guest post for JeffBullas.com)

Need to know the nuts and bolts of getting started as a vlogger? This is the post for you. In this guest post, Robyn covers all the best equipment choices you can make if you want to get into making videos. Then, in a second follow-up post, Robyn goes over some excellent tips for new video creators about lighting and audio. From Robyn’s post:

Video bloggers such as Gary Vaynerchuk have used online video as the media of choice to great effect.

But many bloggers are intimidated by the technical side of producing a good video. At the same time, many bloggers that do use video do a pretty bad job of it in terms of production value. This could be improved with a little knowledge and a little money.

You can also expect a third post in this series, about postproduction, soon. You can find Robyn on Twitter @soundidea.

7. Vlogging: Video Blogging Interview With Amy Schmittauer by Katherine Salt at Marketing My (with Amy Schmittauer from Savvy Sexy Social)

Katherine Salt and Amy Schmittauer are two lovely ladies who regularly make my life a little brighter. Katherine is my half-way-across-the-world BlogWorld bff who I look forward to seeing at conferences. Amy’s blog, especially her videos, crack me up on a regular basis. So, them teaming up for a video is golden! Writes Katherine,

Video marketing, video blogging or vlogging as it is also called was covered heavily at the Blogworld conference and I was lucky enough to get vlogger Amy Schmittauer from Savvy Sexy Social to put down her camera and come and tell me a little about what this vlogging malarkey is all about.

Watch the video and them follow Katherine (@marketmy) and Amy (@schmittastic) on Twitter! Katherine also has a number of ebooks specific to marketing different types of small business, and you can check out Amy’s latest ebook, Sexy Self-Promotion: The Art of Blogger Outreach on her blog.

8. Do You Have Your Own Video Commercial by Ricardo Bueno at RicardoBueno.com

I like the concept of having a video commercial. A lot of people put videos on their blogs, but I think we kind of fool ourselves sometimes – what we’re doing is promotional, and thinking about videos in a commercial mindset can help us think outside of the box a little. You have to be interesting, not just informational!

Writes Ricardo,

Online video has to be engaging before it can begin to be persuasive. Just think about in terms of writing a blog post. You have to get someone’s attention (and keep it) long enough to make them want to read the rest of the article. With video, the idea is to engage someone enough to get them to starting watching your video and keep watching it all the way to the end.

Ricardo is the author of Real Estate Blog Topics, a newsletter for real estate professionals. You can find him on Twitter @Ribeezie.

9. My iPhone Video Tools by Tom Martin at Positive Disruption

Yes, you really can get started video blogging with as little as a smartphone! In this post, Tom talks about all the tools he uses when recording with his iPhone, which he used to interview 52 digital thought leaders for Talking With Tom. He covers video editing applications, microphones, and more, so now there’s really no excuse not to get started with creating video content for your blog if it’s something you’ve been wanting to try. Writes Tom,

All of the [Talking With Tom] video is shot, edited and produced using the iPhone. And the blog posts themselves are authored and published via the iPhone. It’s truly a 100% mobile video blog. And judging by the number of emails, DMs on Twitter and conference hallway conversations I’ve had with others, lots of you are interested in the technology behind the blog as much as the blog content itself.

Tom can be found on Twitter @tommartin and is the founder of Converse Digital.

Quick Links

For those of you short on time, here’s a list of the links covered in this post:

1. The Benefits of Creating Talking Head Videos for Your Blog by Darren Rowse (@problogger)
2. Video Marketing Tips for Driving More Traffic by Lewis Howes (@lewishowes) with James Wedmore (@jameswedmore)
3. Livestreaming Video Is A Powerful Tool, 10 Lessons To Help You Get It Right by James Andrews (@keyinfluencer)
4. 4 Buzzworthy Video Bloggers Worth Subscribing To by Adam Singer (@thefuturebuzz)
5. How You Look Video Blogging by Jay Dolan (@JayDolan)
6. Beginners Guide on How to Video Blog on a Budget by Robyn Bloch (@soundidea)
7. Vlogging: Video Blogging Interview With Amy Schmittauer by Katherine Salt (@marketmy) with Amy Schmittauer (@schmittastic)
8. Do You Have Your Own Video Commercial by Ricardo Bueno (@Ribeezie)
9. My iPhone Video Tools by Tom Martin (@tommartin)

Other posts in the 12 New Media Days of Christmas series will be linked here as they go live:

12 Bloggers Monetizing
11 Emailers List-Building
10 Google+ Users a-Sharing
9 Vloggers Recording (this post)
8 Links a-Baiting
7 Community Managers a-Managing
6 Publishers a-Publishing
5 Traffic Tips
4 New Media Case Studies
3 Must-Read New Media Interviews
2 Top New Media News Stories of 2011
And a Partridge in a Pear Tree

You can also check out the all the posts from 2010 and 2011 here, and don’t forget: If you wrote a post in 2011 about today’s topic (Google+), PLEASE leave the link in a comment below to share with the community!

1. Justin Bieber – Under the Mistletoe

Some of you might be cringing because I started off with this one, but let’s face it, the kid can bring in the numbers. With currently 68 million views, Justin Bieber’s Under the Mistletoe music video won over the hearts of his fans worldwide. When the public heard he was coming out with a Christmas album, some predicted it would fail. Oh how they were wrong. So very wrong.

2. Jack Sparrow (feat. Michael Bolton) – Saturday Night Live

What’s one of the best ways as a celebrity to make a video with you in it go viral? Make fun of yourself. It works *almost* every time. Michael Bolton was a guest on Saturday Night Live and spoofed several movies – mainly Pirates of the Caribbean. Does this make Michael Bolton relevant again?

3. Nyan Cat

What do you get when you take a cat’s head, put it on a pop tart for a body and make it fly through the air leaving a rainbow trail? Apparently an instant viral video hit. Just the video itself has over 52 million views and when you count in all of the parodies, this is one crazy successful meme.

4. eHarmony Video Bio – The Woman Who Just Loves Cats

Yes, it’s another viral video that involves a cat. I am fairly certain cats will take over the world someday. Or, at least the internet. I posted about this video back in July. It was the most popular video about cats, that didn’t contain any cats. This video reached 2 million views in just one day and now it’s over 18 million. We all found out later this video was indeed a joke and a funny one at that.

5. Rebecca Black‘s My Moment Music Video

I’m sorry to do this to you. I really am. But we can’t talk about viral videos and not mention Rebecca Black. Well, actually, I could – but I’m not going to. Love her or hate her, Rebecca Black became an instant YouTube sensation. In March of this year, her “Friday” video had over 10 million views in just one week. It has since been taken down for copyright issues. Rebecca recorded another video called “My Moment” and it’s received over 30 million views so far. Why? That still seems to be an unsolved mystery.

6. Volkswagen – The Force: Volkswagen Commercial

Watching this Volkswagen commercial never gets old for me. I am sure I’ve raked in at least 50 of those 45 million plus views it has received. This originally aired as a commercial in February during the Super Bowl. I watched all of the Super Bowl commercials and this one was by far my favorite.

7. The Crazy Nastya** Honey Badger

This one just grosses me out. It’s funny, but I have to watch it with one eye open. It’s the narration that gets me and makes me laugh! This badger is on an eating rampage. He eats snakes and a bird and more snakes…What do I learn from this video? Do not EVER mess with a badger.

8. Webcam 101 for Seniors

This is one of the best viral videos of all time. Bruce and Esther Huffman from McMinnville, OR – AKA – “The Happy Huffmans”, were trying really hard to get their webcam to work. What they ended up with was one heck of a funny video. These two are definitely in love and seem like they have a great time together. They have uploaded a blooper reel, as well as more videos on their YouTube channel. I now know who I want to be when I grow up.

9. Golden Voice, Homeless Man Find a Job After YouTube Success

Have you heard the inspirational story of a man named Ted Williams? He’s the homeless man who was discovered for his amazing voice. A local Columbus, Ohio reporter found him on the street corner begging for money. Williams had been living in a tent, as well as served time in prison. Needless to say, he had led one rough life. He now has a job and is turning his life around.

10. Rick Perry – Strong

I hesitated to mention this video because I don’t want this to get political in any way, shape or form. But, I just couldn’t leave this one out. It was uploaded on December 6th and has over 6 million views. I’m not sure if the views are from mostly Perry supporters, or from the fact this video has been parodied and remixed like crazy.

So there you have it. Some of the Best Viral Videos for 2011. Which one was your favorite or least favorite? Like I said at the beginning, if I left any out you felt deserved to be mentioned, link to them in the comments below and I’ll add them as an honorable mention.

I can’t wait to see what 2012 has in store when it comes to viral videos. What will 2012 be the year of?

Here’s last week’s viral video of the week, which currently has 302,910 views and growing. It’s called “Dancing with an iPod in Public – Christmas Edition”.

If you’ve seen Justin Bieber and Mariah Carey’s latest Christmas music video “All I Want for Christmas is You”, then you know this is a parody of it. Or at least I think it is. In the video, Justin is walking around the mall doing some shopping, while singing in a red sweater. In Preston’s video, he’s dancing around the mall with an iPod, in a red sweater.

What’s almost as much fun as watching Preston dance, is watching the mall goers reactions to him. Some gave him high-fives, while other dissed him. He made people laugh, people shake their heads and people stare in bewilderment.

Here’s what Preston had to say about the video:

You know what they say! The best way to spread Christmas glee, is by dancing in public for all to see!

It’s that special time of year again! Santa’s elves are hard at work, Rudolph and the gang are prepping for flight, and I am hard at work making sure every boy, girl, and disgruntled shopper get their Holiday shopping disrupted by a man dancing in a Tacky Christmas Sweater.

Myself and a team of misfits took to the malls of Green Hills and Cool Springs in Nashville, TN in order to film the latest edition of “Dancing With An iPod in Public”. After a quick 3 hour hit-and-run style shoot through these shopping centers on November 27th, 2011, this is the result of our efforts!

Preston Leatherman is a musician and has also been seen Dancing with an iPod in Public to the tune of Footloose. You can read more about him on his website.

Why are people loving this video so much? Probably because we love parodies and watching people do crazy stuff in public.

Do you want to create a video for your website or blog, but don’t know exactly how or where to start?  Video production can be a fun experience when things go right.  When things go wrong, it can be simply miserable.

The best way to make sure a video comes out exactly how you want is by hiring a producer.  A producer’s job is to carry out your vision, and s/he will manage every step along the way.

There are all sorts of situations that can affect a production: bad weather conditions, cables short out, operator error, unforeseen issues, but a great producer will work through whatever is thrown their way and get it done

With video production tools becoming more affordable by the day, you may be interested in creating a video for yourself, a friend or business associate.  If you’re just getting started, there are numerous pitfalls, that could prevent you from reaching the finish line with a smile, but if you follow there three tips, you’ll be starting out on the right path.

1.  Master the three steps of video production. Pre-production is where you will plan, draft the script, find your talent, and find locations.  Production is the actual shoot.  It’s where the, “Lights, camera, and action,” happens.  Post-production is where your editor will take all of the elements including: video, graphics, narration, photos, and make some video magic.  If you’re able to learn and complete each step exceptionally, you’ll have nothing to worry about.

2. Learn how to shoot and edit. Even professionals are having to wear many hats these days.  If you have a limited, or no, budget, you’ll be amazed at how much you’ll be able to do yourself if you start learning the basics.  When you’re shooting, practice your framing, hold the camera still, and watch your audio and lighting.  As far as editing goes, learn how to use non linear editing software.  There are free programs for the Mac and PC to get started.  They key is practice, get critiques, and keep at it.

3.  Be a strong leader. As a producer, you’ll have to make decisions during a project that will affect the end product.  You’ll need to come up with solutions to problems, make logistical, and editing decisions.  It always helps to have a team to work with, but at the end of the day, the producer is responsible for everything, and regardless of what happens, the show must go on.

It will be a learning process.  Stand by your decisions, learn from your mistakes, and make an effort to get better.  Your goal should be to have a fun (though it is work), and it should get more enjoyable each time you give it a shot.

Amani Channel, MA is an award-winning producer, and a former broadcast journalist who now works in broadcast PR.  You can learn more, at his video production tutorial site, Web Video Chefs. Follow @AmaniChannel

Google sites (mainly YouTube), Facebook and VEVO rounded out the top three ways people watch online videos. In September, Facebook had dropped to the number five spot, but saw 59.8 million viewers for October raising it to the number two spot behind Google sites.

Other notable findings from October 2011 include:

• 86.2 percent of the U.S. Internet audience viewed online video.
• The duration of the average online content video was 5.5 minutes, while the average online video ad was 0.4 minutes.
• Video ads accounted for 14.9 percent of all videos viewed and 1.4 percent of all minutes spent viewing video online.

For those of you who frequently watch videos online, where do you watch them: YouTube, Facebook, VEVO or all of the above?

He told parents to tell their kids they ate all of their Halloween candy and film their reaction. What followed was tons of submissions, a lot of crying kids and a video gone viral.

Before I go on, if you haven’t seen it yet, here you go. If you have seen it, you know you want to watch it again.

It’s so mean it’s funny right? The video has done so well and currently has 16 million views and counting. Jimmy Kimmel’s videos usually average around 5 million views a week, so as you can see, this one is a huge hit for him and the ABC network.

Before this Halloween candy fiasco, his single most viewed video was when Justin Bieber surprised a three-year-old fan back in March 2010. Crying kids outrank the Biebs. (For those of you who don’t know, “The Biebs” is a nickname for Justin Bieber. If you already knew that, you’re probably a Belieber.) The Justin Bieber video does have 37 million views, so it will be fun to see if the Halloween candy one can surpass it.

The two kids who stole the show were the ones at the end of the montage – CJ and Jacob. The reaction of “What the heck?” was priceless, as was the little brother trying to add 2 and 2 together. He got 5. So, so close. CJ and Jacob have been invited to Los Angeles to be guests on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” this Thursday, November 10. I can’t wait to tune into that!

So, why did this particular video resonate so well with audiences? It has 16 million views and it just went live November 2nd! I think we all love to be entertained and obviously we all love to see little kids cry. What is wrong with us?!

Long story short, you never really know if a video will go viral or if your idea will take off. As Amber Naslund said in her keynote, “Sometimes you need to take a step on the path before you see where it’s going to lead.” Come up with a creative idea and go for it.

On July 24, 2010 (do you remember what you were doing that day?), thousands of people recorded video snippets of their lives to take part in YouTube’s Life in a Day project.

After being shown at Sundance, Berlin, SXSW and Sydney film festivals, “Life in a Day is finally coming home to YouTube—in its entirety, for free” says YouTube.

The film is about 90 minutes long and available with subtitles in 25 languages. It’s received great praise from publications such as The Times of London and The Washington Post who called it “a profound achievement”.

A few things you’ll see include a Korean man traveling the world on his bicycle, a shoe shine boy in Peru, a family dealing with cancer in Chicago and a Japanese man who is a single parent taking care of his son.

I love what the creators say is the purpose and message of this video – CONNECTION. It doesn’t matter where we live, what language we speak or how much we have in our bank account, we all need and want to connect with others. It also goes to show that we are all dealing with the same problems and the same ordeals of life. The same things make us happy. The same things make us sad. This big world we live in is actually quite small when you really stop to think about it.

If you have 90 minutes to spare, or heck – make the time to watch this movie. It’s worth it.

Seamus McGarvey, the cinematographer from The Avengers movie, revealed in a recent interview that some of the shots were taken with the iPhone and included in the final film cut.

He said, “The beauty of photography or cinema is that you make every choice based on the content at hand. On The Avengers, I did a couple of shots on the iPhone and they are in the movie. In fact, they are in the trailer! I understand that sometimes there is no choice and you have to go for the cheapest option, but if you are limited for choice, you can still make poignant decisions that will effect the look of the film.”

Of course, this does bring up the question “Is it the equipment or the person behind the camera that matters most?”. Just ask Nikon this question.

I am very curious to see which shots were taken with the iPhone. Here’s a trailer from the film, which arrives in theaters May 4, 2012.