Udemy

FrankKane · ‎09-05-2020

It's not worth the negative reviews you'll get from the few people you offend.

FrankKane · ‎09-02-2020

A section with no videos in it will show up as "unpublished". Perhaps the video dropped someplace you didn't expect (it's easy for that to happen,) leaving its section empty? But if you're seeing a section that clearly has published videos in it that's labeled "unpublished" that sounds like a bug. Sending a screenshot of it to instructorsupport@udemy.com would be the best thing to do.

FrankKane · ‎08-31-2020

Yes! You can drag and drop them wherever you like. Udemy's course creation editor is the best I've worked with.

FrankKane · ‎08-20-2020

When you're ready to invest in upgrading your mic, consider a dynamic microphone - they're much less sensitive. I used a Blue Yeti myself for years before upgrading to a Shure SM7B (paired with a CloudLifter and Blue Icicle to convert it to USB).

FrankKane · ‎08-16-2020

I think the main area for improvement is your promotional video. Find the top-selling courses in your topic (you can easily find that via the Insights tool) and look at their promo videos. Learn from them, and make yours even better. See https://info.udemy.com/perfect-promo for some good tips.

FrankKane · ‎07-30-2020

I am not a lawyer, but if you dig into the software license agreement you'll find this: 3. Media Elements. Microsoft grants you a license to copy, distribute, perform and display media elements (images, clip art, animations, sounds, music, video clips, templates and other forms of content) included with the software in projects and documents, except that you may not: (i) sell, license or distribute copies of any media elements by themselves or as a product if the primary value of the product is the media elements; (ii) grant your customers rights to further license or distribute the media elements; (iii) license or distribute for commercial purposes media elements that include the representation of identifiable individuals, governments, logos, trademarks, or emblems or use these types of images in ways that could imply an endorsement or association with your product, entity or activity; or (iv) create obscene or scandalous works using the media elements. Other media elements, which are accessible on Office.com or on other websites through features of the software, are governed by the terms on those websites. So the short answer is that you generally can use them, according to Microsoft. But, that doesn't mean the original copyright owner couldn't come after you still - however unlikely that may be. Note we're only talking about the "stock images" included with Microsoft Office, not "online pictures" which it also offers. For "online pictures" you are on your own for ensuring you are complying with any usage terms. Even Creative Commons images often have attribution requirements that you can be sued over if you don't comply. Personally I only use images from my subscription with istockphoto.com; that way I can prove I have a license in case of a dispute, and they offer some indemnity protection as well. I lost thousands once from using an image from a "free image" site that wasn't really free, and won't repeat that mistake.

FrankKane · ‎07-28-2020

What kind of microphone are you using? Using a dynamic, directional mic can help to reduce background noises.

FrankKane · ‎07-28-2020

My advice is to ignore it. You can ask for additional information from the student in the review response, but it's very rare that you will get a response. Some instructors direct message these students, but I don't think that's a very good experience for the student We all get these one-star reviews with no text from time to time. It really doesn't matter how good or bad your course is. I see you're offering a practice exam for a certification; it may just be that the student didn't pass and they are taking it out on you. It's a much more productive use of your time to find ways of getting more reviews (within Udemy's policies) so that the occasional one-star review carries less weight on your average review score.

FrankKane · ‎07-12-2020

If they just left a review as a favor to you without actually watching the course, Udemy's algorithms would rightfully flag that as a "fake review" and remove it. Be careful to never explicitly ask for a good review from anyone, as that is against policy. See https://support.udemy.com/hc/en-us/articles/360007512653-Rules-Against-Manipulating-or-Influencing-the-Review-System for details.

FrankKane · ‎07-06-2020

No, students are not notified of every new course published - that would be overwhelming. Students searching for Django should see your course in the results, but you are competing with over 100 existing courses on Django on Udemy. You'll probably need to do some marketing of your own to get those first students and reviews. There are several ideas you can use at https://community.udemy.com/t5/First-time-Course-Creation/Plan-Your-Course-Marketing-Before-You-Publish-Here-are-Proven/m-p/8558

FrankKane · ‎07-06-2020

According to your instructor profile, you don't have any published courses. Perhaps you submitted your course for approval and it just hasn't been published yet? Or, did you publish your course under a different account than the one you are using here?

FrankKane · ‎07-05-2020

The link works for me here. But the short answer is no, there is no guarantee. If you make a comprehensive, high-quality course in a topic that has high demand and little competition, you will probably attract a lot of students. But if you create a cursory, mediocre-quality course in a topic that has low demand and high competition, you're unlikely to find much of a following. It's really up to you to create content that resonates with Udemy's students. All Udemy does is offer it to them; they can't make them enroll in it. The link Abbie sent talks about marketing techniques you can use to try and drive more people to your course on your own.

FrankKane · ‎07-01-2020

You're right to think twice - recently there has been a flood of new instructors on Udemy, and making your new course stand out to students is harder than ever. The best thing you can do is to "niche down" your topic into something more specific that has less competition. Is there some part of your topic that is both something students are likely to be searching for, and has little or no existing courses on that specific sub-topic?

FrankKane · ‎06-29-2020

Er... what do you mean by "different courses?" You certainly can't upload someone else's videos and try to make money off of them, unless you have permission from the original creator. If you're just asking if you can teach more than one course, absolutely!

FrankKane · ‎06-11-2020

You should see a link to "edit content" next to the video in your curriculum. Just hit that and you can upload a new video to replace it with. If you do that before a reviewer gets to it, then it'll be like it never happened. And even if they have gotten to it, they're only concerned with whether you are violating any policies, and don't really care if you uploaded the wrong video (unless the one you uploaded does violate a policy - if that happens, you should be allowed to resubmit it). You're still allowed to change and update videos after your course has been approved.

FrankKane · ‎06-11-2020

Look at the courses you're competing with in your topic. Students want to get the most value for their money, so if a 30 hour course is what it takes to offer the most value, that's what you have to do in order to attract students to your course. The Insights tool in your instructor dashboard can show you what courses you are up against. Free courses tend to only cause problems; I would discourage you from starting with a free offering. You risk attracting a lot of hoarders and people unqualified to take your course who will leave bad reviews. If you're offering the most comprehensive course on the market for your topic, students should find you over time.

FrankKane · ‎06-09-2020

Your friend could be a "co-instructor", where he or she narrates the course and you develop the script. Just be sure to read and follow Udemy's policies at https://support.udemy.com/hc/en-us/articles/229605728-Co-instructor-Relationships-Rules-and-Guidelines Be sure you have clear, written expectations about who will do what by when, and how you will split the revenue from the course. Otherwise your friendship might not last!

FrankKane · ‎06-06-2020

Wow! Udemy's scale is impressive as it is, but most people I encounter still never heard of it. Spreading awareness of the brand could have a big impact.

FrankKane · ‎06-04-2020

Absolutely! Expanding upon and improving your course over time is encouraged. Your changes do not need to be reviewed; you are allowed to publish them immediately. I've seen courses that are 40-50 hours; I'm not aware of an upper limit.

FrankKane · ‎06-04-2020

Sure, you can - but a course needs to have more than one video. The bare minimum is 5 videos covering a half hour (see https://support.udemy.com/hc/en-us/articles/229604988-Udemy-Course-Quality-Checklist), but just offering the bare minimum isn't enough in a competitive marketplace. Learners on Udemy have pretty high expecations. Make sure your video quality is excellent, and you will probably want to edit those videos to make them more interesting and to ensure anything you're writing or displaying is clearly visible even when viewed on a phone.

FrankKane · ‎06-04-2020

Students generally want both; "follow-along" lets you illustrate how to use the software, and many students who just want to watch the videos will need that. But if you don't also include some exercises where students can practice what they have learned, you'll hear about it in your reviews.

FrankKane · ‎06-03-2020

While you can upload a course that is just 5 videos with no actual video and 30 minutes of content, I wouldn't expect it to sell well. Putting in the bare minimum effort on Udemy generally doesn't pay off when you're competing with other instructors in the same topic who are willing to produce a more comprehensive offering. If you're just doing this to practice and get something out the door, that's cool. But if your goal is to have an impact with this course, I'd advise making it more comprehensive. People can get 30 minute videos for free on YouTube; they rarely pay for them. Study the existing courses on Udemy in your topic, and ask how yours can be better than that.

FrankKane · ‎05-31-2020

If you select a course in your instructor dashboard, you'll see a little gear icon in the upper right corner of the course screen. From there it will tell you if you have opted into UFB and other information.

FrankKane · ‎05-30-2020

Udemy won't ban you for publishing your course on Skillshare or for creating free coupons for your friends. You own your course, not Udemy, and your license to Udemy is non-exclusive (usually - see below.) You're more likely to be banned on Skillshare; they inconsistently enforce their content guidelines and they aren't the same as Udemy's. You'll have to be sure your course adheres to both sets of rules (for example, you seem to have your logo shown throughout your videos, and SkillShare doesn't like that, although Udemy allows it.) There is one exception - if you have accepted the terms for Udemy for Business (UFB) and your course is published on UFB, they do require exclusivity to Udemy. One more thing - you'll want to remove the direct link to your course in your post before an admin tells you do so (that's against the forum rules intended to prevent self-promotion in the group.)

FrankKane · ‎05-24-2020

Sarah Cordiner offers the sorts of services you're talking about (look her up on Google, I'm not sure if it's OK to link to her directly here.) I've not been a client of hers myself, but I've met her and can vouch that she knows what she's talking about. Otherwise I will echo Scott's advice to be careful. Most truly successful instructors don't offer coaching services because their time is much better spent updating their courses and creating new ones.

FrankKane · ‎05-24-2020

You can share your knowledge with people all over the world. You can start to establish yourself as an expert in what you teach. If you are teaching a topic that students are searching for on Udemy, and there aren't already great courses available on it, then you have the potential to make a fair amount of extra income, too. If your goal is to make money, that last point is important. Udemy is being flooded with new instructors lately, and it's important to choose your topic carefully and understand your competition within that topic before you start creating your course. Otherwise you may end up disappointed. Once you sign up as an instructor, you'll have access to a "marketplace insights" in the instructor view of Udemy. That's where you can learn about the demand for your topic, and the existing supply of courses.

FrankKane · ‎04-30-2020

It's a matter of taste, but many students find background music distracting. If you use it, be sure it's very quiet so you can hear yourself very clearly over it. I don't use background music myself.

FrankKane · ‎04-25-2020

Consider subscribing to istockphoto.com. With them, you can prove you hold a license to use the images in your course, and they offer some indemnity protection should a creator of an illustration later claim that their image is copyrighted outside of istockphoto's license terms. Having gone through an expensive legal battle defending usage of an image I found on one of those "free" image websites, I think it's money well spent. And they do have a fairly good range of anatomical images. https://www.istockphoto.com/photos/anatomical-chart?phrase=anatomical%20chart&sort=best

FrankKane · ‎04-23-2020

Sometimes better microphone placement is all you need. If it's too far from you, it will pick up more room echo and noise, and your voice will sound less resonant. Placement can be even more important than the quality of the mic. Buying a boom arm to let you get it right where it needs to be might be a good investment - or simpler solutions would be using a headset mic or lavalier mic. Those headset used by gamers can be surprisingly good. Taking the time to get the input level right on your mic is also important and can save a lot of time in post-production. Personally I'm using a Shure SM-7B. You can set it up so that you basically have it right up to your mouth, and that really works wonders in eliminating any echo or room noise - and it's a high quality mic. Not cheap though, and it needs specialized pre-amps and some sort of XLR -> USB device in order to work with your PC. I used a Blue Yeti on a boom arm for a long time though, and it sounded almost as good while being much simpler. Apart from editing out mistakes, I don't do any post-processing of my audio.

FrankKane · ‎04-21-2020

From https://support.udemy.com/hc/en-us/articles/229232367-Audio-Standards-and-Choosing-a-Microphone : "Text to speech software is not allowed; students want to hear directly from you as an instructor to build trust." No exceptions are mentioned.

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Sundog Education by Frank Kane

FrankKane •
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Sundog Education by Frank Kane

FrankKane • Community Champion

Founder, Sundog Education. Machine Learning Pro

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