Jim Oaks
Just some guy with a website
Founder / Site Owner
Administrator
Article Contributor
TRS Event Participant
TRS 20th Anniversary
TRS 25th Anniversary
VAGABOND
GMRS Radio License
- Joined
- Aug 2, 2000
- Messages
- 16,230
- Points
- 7,601
- Age
- 58
- City
- Nocona
- State - Country
- TX - USA
- Other
- 2005 Jaguar XJ8
- Vehicle Year
- 2021
- Vehicle
- Ford Ranger
- Drive
- 4WD
- Engine
- 2.3L EcoBoost
- Transmission
- Automatic
- Total Lift
- 3.5-inches
- Tire Size
- 295/70/17
In the past, people usually posted a video to compliment something that they were sharing in the forum. You post about a weekend wheeling trip and then share a video to go with it.
Today we're starting to see people making forum posts that contain nothing but a YouTube video.
This is a problem.
The Reason: Videos need context to go with them so search engines know what they are. When you posted your video on YouTube, you added a narrative (context). Someone doing an internet search will find your video on YouTube based on that context. Nowhere else. If you post the video in a forum, the forum search and internet search engines have no idea what it is unless you add context with it.
The Result: If you post a video here about installing a locker but didn't add a narrative (context) about what you're doing, somebody searching for installing a locker isn't going to find it.
The Solution: Add a narrative to go with your videos. Now if someone is searching the forum for installing a locker and your narrative talks about installing a locker.... then holy shit! Someone's going to not only find your post but realize that there's a video to go with it! And it doesn't apply to just a forum search. Anyone doing an internet search will be directed to your post based on your narrative. Posting a video in the forum with no narrative is like opening a business with no sign out front. You don't have to go into detail about what you're doing in the video, but if there's key points to your video, I'd strongly suggest that you add them to a narrative if you want people to find your video and watch it.
Conclusion: You need to take a minute and add a narrative (overview) to your videos. Think of it as a 'Trifecta' (a combination or set of three wins or other things) You win by more people finding your video; the readers here win because now you've helped them find your video; and the forum wins because the content is searchable to people outside of the forum.
Video Rule: Videos are required to have context IN THE SAME POST that gives an overview of what's in the video so that people searching the forum can actually find it. This means if you make a post about your weekend wheeling trip and want to share a video from the trip, put the video in the post with context. Don't post about your video and then add the video to a post after it all by itself. You basically placed it in a brown paper bag, and the search has no idea it exists.
Today we're starting to see people making forum posts that contain nothing but a YouTube video.
This is a problem.
The Reason: Videos need context to go with them so search engines know what they are. When you posted your video on YouTube, you added a narrative (context). Someone doing an internet search will find your video on YouTube based on that context. Nowhere else. If you post the video in a forum, the forum search and internet search engines have no idea what it is unless you add context with it.
The Result: If you post a video here about installing a locker but didn't add a narrative (context) about what you're doing, somebody searching for installing a locker isn't going to find it.
The Solution: Add a narrative to go with your videos. Now if someone is searching the forum for installing a locker and your narrative talks about installing a locker.... then holy shit! Someone's going to not only find your post but realize that there's a video to go with it! And it doesn't apply to just a forum search. Anyone doing an internet search will be directed to your post based on your narrative. Posting a video in the forum with no narrative is like opening a business with no sign out front. You don't have to go into detail about what you're doing in the video, but if there's key points to your video, I'd strongly suggest that you add them to a narrative if you want people to find your video and watch it.
Conclusion: You need to take a minute and add a narrative (overview) to your videos. Think of it as a 'Trifecta' (a combination or set of three wins or other things) You win by more people finding your video; the readers here win because now you've helped them find your video; and the forum wins because the content is searchable to people outside of the forum.
Video Rule: Videos are required to have context IN THE SAME POST that gives an overview of what's in the video so that people searching the forum can actually find it. This means if you make a post about your weekend wheeling trip and want to share a video from the trip, put the video in the post with context. Don't post about your video and then add the video to a post after it all by itself. You basically placed it in a brown paper bag, and the search has no idea it exists.
