Last Night, I Learned How To Create Videos for Udemy and How To Write More Effectively

After 2 months of absenteeism, I finally managed to attend another APTS Meeting last night.

The speakers were Andy Ng, who spoke on producing Udemy videos for (nearly) free, and Walter Lim, who spoke on writing to get leads.

Andy showed us that, with the right equipment and know-how, it wasn't that difficult to produce an online course that could meet Udemy's standards. All we needed was a camera (on a mobile device), a camera stand (with an appropriate head), a video-editing app like VideoShow, PowerPoint installed on the same mobile device, a bluetooth headpiece with a mic, and content that we wanted to turn into a course. Easy peasy!

Of course, it wouldn't be too difficult to get better equipment if we are so inclined but Andy was insistent that there was no need. The most expensive bit of equipment was the bluetooth headpiece, which should be tested for high sound quality before buying.

Andy showed us how the apps he used worked and he showed us some of his finished videos, encouraging us to do the same. Of course, they aren't as polished-looking as 'professional' videos, but they certainly cost a lot less and still get the job done.

One thing that bothered me was Andy's speaking style, which was a little too opinionated for me and he had a tendency to go off-tangent. Also, there were a few times when he spoke rather condescendingly about other trainers who charged fees for helping others to put up Udemy videos. Perhaps he was trying to insert some humour into his presentation. However, I feel that he missed the mark and has, regrettably, adversely affected my impression of him.

Nevertheless, I won't associate a person's manner with the knowledge he has. If the information is useful, it should still be accepted and acted upon as it is.

Our second speaker was Walter Lim.

He told us that he wrote for a living and had been doing so for a very long time. His company name is Cooler Insights and they work with their clients to produce social media content and to direct traffic to their sites.

Being quite an writing expert, he emphasised the importance of an eye-catching visual, a powerful headline and a strong lead-in for any writing that we do. This is especially important for long articles and blog posts.

He also showed us the importance of incorporating appeals to Search and Social functions when we write and he also gave us links to useful tools and resources online such as Google Trends, SEMrush, Buzzsumo to look up trends and Freepik, Pixabay and Unsplash for visuals.

It's a lot to take in all at once but I'll certainly be putting Walter's advice to write regularly and consciously to practice.

Thanks, Walter.

Guess Who's Back!

Many apologies for the long absence. Major events have been occurring and I just got back from Taiwan after my honeymoon.

Yes, in the month or so since my last post, I'm blissfully married, had a number of photoshoots and been to Taiwan - Taipei and Hualien - on honeymoon.

So many thoughts to organise, so many things to express. It'll likely take a few posts but I'm confident that I'll be able to put it all together.

In the meantime, I hope you and yours are well. 

Stay tuned for more updates in the coming days ahead!

Yes, that's a motorcycle coming towards me!

Flu Season

Been down with a pretty bad bout of flu the past couple of weeks and it got pretty bad around the time I had a back-to-back sessions in schools. 

It gets really difficult to teach when you're coughing constantly and are in real danger of losing your voice.

In a few cases, I had to cut down on explanations because there was simply no way of getting more than a few sentences out before the coughing began.

Now that I'm better, I'm going to be even more mindful than ever about taking care of my health and my vocals. Since I am dependent on speaking to earn an income, it is imperative that I be able to speak.

So, in the coming months, more rest, more water, less unhealthy food.

Need to be back in top form!

Is Mental Wellness Regarded as Unimportant?

Yesterday, I did a project management workshop for a local secondary school (of a rather high caliber). The purpose of this was to get the students into groups to promote a lifestyle to their fellow schoolmates.

They were given choices of topics ranging from increasing exercise time to smoking prevention. As there were more groups than topics, many groups worked on the same topic but managed to produce diverse ideas without consulting each other - evidence of the power of many minds.

What stood out to me was that none of the groups chose to promote mental wellness.

I originally attributed this to a possible lack of knowledge on the subject or that the topic was too broad. However, as I started to think about it, I wondered if it was simply regarded as unimportant compared to a healthy physical lifestyle, good eating habits and abstinence from tobacco and alcohol.

Perhaps this occurred due to a non-emphasis on mental health, that stress, anxiety and depression are seen as normal in our society.

There is no doubt that we are always told to 'Chin up!' and get on with what we are supposed to do, to fake confidence in the face of uncertainty and even to hide mental disorders or risk being stigmatised by others as 'crazy' or 'insane'.

Is this really the way we want the next generation to grow up believing? That nobody wants to hear about their problems and that they need to handle their issues on their own? Is this why we are becoming so cold and uncaring?

Thoughts to ponder upon...