Udemy

MarkLassoff · ‎03-15-2023

Agreed. I've been suggesting this for years. When I surpassed a million dollars in sales, I didn't even get an email recognizing the occasion...

MarkLassoff · ‎03-02-2023

You're looking for "stock video". Search this term on Google and you'll find dozens of free and paid sites. Here's one to get you started...

MarkLassoff · ‎03-02-2023

Stand up and press record? Can you be more clear about what you are asking about? If you're asking how to record video, you should start with the resources that Udemy provides. This might be a good place to start: https://teach.udemy.com/recording/set-up-your-filming-studio/ If this isn't what you're after, please clarify your question.

MarkLassoff · ‎02-24-2023

HI everyone: In today's instructor coffee chat, there was a conversation about "what a technical course looks like-- is it just a screencast?" I thought, in response, it would be helpful to show what I do. For context, I published my first course on Udemy in 2011. Please don't let this video intimidate you-- the most important thing is for you to come across as a human being who can communicate clearly and cares. The rest is aesthetics-- nice to have but not critical. I like to think of a course video as a series of scene. I'll post a few images of scene I use in sequence and then provide a link to the entire video. 001: Tease: Get the Student Interested in the Video 002: Opening Google Sheets (Notice that the screen is enlarged to ensure someone watching on mobile can see what I'm doing) 003: Split Screen: Explaining what we are going to be doing-- Notice the tool I'm talking about is on the screen along with me as the instructor 004 Screencast: Back to the screencast, enlarged, I start demonstrating the skill that is the focus of the video. 005: Screencast with annotation-- Here, I demonstrate how a cell is addressed by column and row number. 006: Another variation of split-screen to explain column labels 007: Back to the enlarged screencast to complete the activity 008: Back to split screen to wrap up. Notice I use lower third graphics to identify the course section and myself. The total running time for this video is four minutes, so we're shifting to a new "scene" just about every 30 seconds. This helps with engagement, makes the video less boring, and helps me, as the instructor, seem more human and forge a relationship with the viewer. Here's the full video: Since I know people are curious, here's the equipment and software used to create this: Sony ZV-1f Camera Boya Shotgun Microphone Neewer NL660 LED Light Set with Softbox Two Logitech Letra LED Streaming Lights U-Phoria UM2 Analog to Digital Audio Interface USB-C Video Capture Card Mac Mini M1 Software: Camtasia Please let me know if you have questions or ideas, or would like feedback on something you're doing. Best, Mark

MarkLassoff · ‎02-23-2023

It's all about maintaining connections with family, friends, people in my fellowship, and the larger community. I've worked solo and with a small team in this business for almost two decades. It can be very isolating at times. Time spent recording courses and preparing content is often time spent alone. Also, as a recovering addict active in a 12-step recovery program, I know that isolation is bad for me. So, I agree with @Bella that self-care is imperative because if I'm not caring for myself, I cannot succeed at work or personally. I know when I am maintaining connections, I am healthy. I know when I am isolated, I am not. So each day-- no matter how much I work I call a friend, fellow or relative. I keep a gratitude journal and remind myself that I am privileged to be in my position. I take a walk outside for 30 minutes to an hour. Even though I am now working from home, I get up each day, shower, and dress for work, which reminds me of my value. Most of all, I make every effort to stay connected with the people in my life. No computer, and no amount of AI, can love you back.

MarkLassoff · ‎02-20-2023

It's overly complicated, in my opinion. Here's the summary from Udemy: https://support.udemy.com/hc/en-us/articles/229605008-Instructor-Revenue-Share You can also click the "view details" link next to any sale in your sales report and see how your share was calculated.

MarkLassoff · ‎02-14-2023

Believe it or not-- It doesn't matter much. I have a couple of dozen current courses priced between $19.99 and $199.99. Most courses sell at promotional prices generated by sales, advertising, or internal promotions. Here's an example: These are two sales from January. The first course is $199.99, the second $49.99-- but my royalty on the cheaper course was 3x the first. It's not random, but, there's little relationship between the price you choose and what you earn. My advice is price fairly for your market, and promote, promote, promote! Good luck!

MarkLassoff · ‎02-14-2023

I'll be blunt-- Unless you can explain the benefits and transformation your course offers in simpler terms, you're going to have difficulty selling it. Udemy isn't graduate school-- its people (1) taking courses that have an immediate impact on career skills and (2) people taking courses to satisfy curiosity and have fun. I'm not the sharpest tack, but, I am having trouble following you and the benefits of your course-- and your hesitation. Learners don't want to know how smart you are, they want to know how your course will benefit them. Start using that language and the value will become clearer to others.

MarkLassoff · ‎02-14-2023

Love this pie chart! I have sent this to others in my 12-step-program to review as well! Happy V's Day!

MarkLassoff · ‎02-13-2023

Honestly, if there is no current discernable market for your course-- only an emergent market-- I'd think twice about publishing your course on Udemy. Udemy is at its best when there is an existing category that can drive traffic for your course. Udemy learners know what they are looking for and articulate that through search.

MarkLassoff · ‎02-13-2023

Create a plan to market your course, get some initial reviews, and push publish. In order to provide more specific help, I'd need a clearer idea of what you are after. Your post is pretty confusing-- to me at least.

MarkLassoff · ‎02-02-2023

Honestly, I think. you're worrying too much about this. I don't know what bitrate I record at. Just go with the recommendations and move on. I use Adobe Premier for some projects and Camtasia for others.

MarkLassoff · ‎02-02-2023

Hi. I am outputting at a bitrate of 6,000 Megabits/second. 1080P 30 FPS. Hope that helps.

MarkLassoff · ‎01-30-2023

Thanks! I think it's important to delineate between Christian content and Christian instructors. I'm sure you can understand discomfort by labeling and segregating instructors as Christian or non-Christian...

MarkLassoff · ‎01-30-2023

Do you have a link to one of the videos?

MarkLassoff · ‎01-30-2023

My courses don't have a religion. Do you mean courses on Christian theology?

MarkLassoff · ‎06-13-2022

You can run your audio through software like Audacity and even out the sound levels using the tools there. Audacity is free. Typically we normalize our sound levels to -3db.

MarkLassoff · ‎05-08-2022

I will be there. I'll wear something cute.

MarkLassoff · ‎05-08-2022

Hi @Blogging Betty Boomer We use a prompter in some instances and not in others. Generally, for introductions, wrap-ups, and other structural videos, we script and read off a prompter. We also sometimes use it for instructional videos where we want to get a single learning objective across in a tight timeline. When we're in "teaching mode", demonstrating software, code, or technology, we purposefully don't use a prompter. We'd like the viewer to feel like the instructor is sitting right next to them, explaining what to do step-by-step. Remember that video learning is missing the "intimacy" of the student-teacher relationship. Bad prompter can dehumanize the interaction even more, so be judicious in your usage. Here's an example of a video we did with a prompter: And here's a video we did without a prompter. (Notice the difference in approach) The challenge is not in learning to use the prompter software-- It doesn't take anyone on our team more than 10 minutes to use our iPad-based software. The challenge is in learning to read off the prompter and seem natural!

MarkLassoff · ‎05-06-2022

Lame. Don't mess with fake reviews. They are easily spotted and the penalties I've seen have been significant.

MarkLassoff · ‎05-05-2022

A couple of responses here... Actually, my experience is that longer courses sell better because course participants often "buy by the pound." They see a long course and say, "Wow! 50 hours of training for $12! What a bargain." The 5-hour course on the subject may be a better educational experience. That having been said-- people are looking for different things out of a course. Many people are looking for transition... "Become an Expert on X in just 4 hours!" No one wants to take a course, but they want the result the course delivers, so, transitions are appealing. But that's not everyone. Some are looking for performance support. (You'd see this a lot in UFB). They want a reference to turn to when they get stuck. "How do I do this in Excel?" The best advice is to make the best course you can, to address the range of needs that Udemy members have. If you do this, offer high quality, and differentiate yourself, with some marketing you will find your audience. I don't pay a lot of attention to what others do. I know who my audience is. Who is yours?

MarkLassoff · ‎05-05-2022

Ruined? A wall painted for green screen work is ENHANCED! 🙂

MarkLassoff · ‎05-04-2022

@FrankKane Have you read all of those books? Some of them appear older then I am.

MarkLassoff · ‎05-04-2022

@ChrystieV Save your money. Behr Sparking Apple Flat makes a perfect green screen. Highly recommended. https://www.homedepot.com/p/BEHR-PREMIUM-PLUS-1-gal-S-G-430-Sparkling-Apple-Flat-Low-Odor-Interior-Paint-Primer-130001/204869334

MarkLassoff · ‎05-04-2022

MarkLassoff · ‎05-03-2022

Hi Carole-- Think of it this way. If you're Udemy and you want to put people in the right course with the right instructor- would you choose the course with lots of engagement or the one with less engagement. That's the keyword-- engagement. If your course has high engagement and people get what you promised out of the experience that is better on many, many levels than having unenthusiastic enrollments.

MarkLassoff · ‎05-02-2022

Thanks, @Bella ! This was way too much fun! If anyone has questions-- please reply here and be sure to tag me. I'll be happy to answer as many questions as best I can!

MarkLassoff · ‎11-03-2021

@EWTIC_Mentor Sounds like you know what to do then-- Be careful-- You can't increase profitability by selling your Udemy audience something. Udemy expects that the course fee should cover everything... But if your goal is to practice in the "real world," you can simply include those resources in your course. Just make sure you're not collecting email addresses or using them to market and you're good. Keep in mind it's easier to engage on Udemy than off!

MarkLassoff · ‎11-03-2021

@Denise.W. Great question! Do you have a mobile phone? It's tempting to buy one of those expensive $1,000+ cameras. You may have even made the plunge. But, here's the thing... Those cameras are complex and you need to understand how they work to use them well. If you want to just capture some quick video for your online course, you may be better off using your mobile device. Modern mobile devices have cameras and quality that rivals that of the best video cameras-- And since you likely already have a mobile device it's free to use for your online courses. A couple of tips for using your mobile device to record video for your online courses: 1) Always hold your camera in landscape mode-- like the shape of your television. Instagram TV is dead and all #onlinelearning video uses the landscape mode. 2) Shoot at 1x magnification-- Never magnify the image on your mobile device. Magnification comes at a cost: Distortion 3) Compose your images using the "Rule of Thirds". Your subject should be approximately 1/3 of the way from the left or right and top or bottom. This will make your image more interesting than centering your subject. 4) Use a rig or tripod. Your hands just aren't that steady. Using a rig or tripod (or both) will give you the steadiest image and avoid making your viewers seasick. 5) Shoot at 4K if you can. Output at HD (1920 x 1080). This will allow you to use only a portion of the image shot and simulate a 2 or 3 camera shoot.

MarkLassoff · ‎11-03-2021

Hi @serchagoyavilla, Can I give you three? 1) Go Narrow, not broad-- Udemy is crowded, but, it's not impossible to break in. You break in more easily by creating a course that has a narrow topic. For example, there are hundreds of Excel courses on Udemy. But if you look at course ideas that might have a narrower appeal-- say Pivot Tables for Finance in Excel-- there's less competition. Choose your topic carefully, and unless you can do a lot of marketing, keep your topic narrow. 2) Be unique! There are hundreds of people narrating screencasts on Udemy! BO-RING! Instead of just being another instructor narrating a screencast, find a unique take, production technique-- something DIFFERENT and do that when you author your course. 3) Learn production and CARE. There are many courses with low production value-- the instructor's bed behind them in the video frame, less than good audio. Production is a learned skill and not a talent. Take the time to do things right. Your audience will appreciate it. Good luck-- What topic are you thinking of creating your course on?

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What does a technical course look like? Screencast and Video

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