Dennis Yu

The Two Doodads you are missing for your Rode Wireless Go

Haven’t we all experienced that moment when we buy this new electronic equipment for the office, just to come to find out that it’s unusable simply because we are missing the specific connector?  We experienced this when updating our office and video setup. One of our most used products is the Rode Wireless Go. “an ultra-compact wireless microphone system that is unique in its clip’n’go versatility and incredibly compact form factor.”  This product especially makes it easy since it is compatible with your camera and your phone.  One common question and concern we received when recommending this product is the lack of sound when swapping over to the phone.   When buying this product, it will include a TRS to TRS connector (black to black), which is great to connect to a camera. But almost nobody knows that to switch to a phone (Android or iPhone), you need a TRS to TRRS connector (black to gray). If you try to plug the TRS to TRS cable into the lightning adaptor cable for your iPhone, you get no sound. The TRRS side (gray) has 3 lines instead of 2. And if you try to plug the TRRS end into a camera, the camera won’t work. The second two products (TRS to TRRS, and CHARGEWORX Lightning) are the two cables we carry with us. That way we can swap from camera to phone when needed.  We love using the Rode Wireless Go. And despite the inconvenience of purchasing an additional cable or two, the quality audio that it produces is worth it.

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1 Minute Videos is Changing The Way We Do Social Media

The following is a guest post by Dr. Jason Gonzales from The Specific Chiropractic Centers – Chico. I’ve been an entrepreneur for over 10 years and in my time I’ve tried several different types of marketing. Some were a flat-out waste of my time (I’m looking at you, door-knocking), some worked well temporarily (workshops), and some probably would have worked if I had the skills necessary to make it believable (TV commercials).  Then, during a global pandemic when practically every marketing campaign I was attempting was falling apart, came Dennis Yu.  My First Selfie Stick  I was introduced to Dennis Yu on Facebook Live, thanks to the efforts and connections of Shawn Dill and Lacey Book, the owners of The Specific Chiropractic Centers franchise.  Shawn and Lacey arranged for Dennis to do a Facebook Live on Black Diamond Club’s page because they had a hunch that Dennis’s 1-minute video strategy would save our business.  They were right.  Thinking back on that FB Live, it’s like remembering that scene in The Matrix when Morpheus was sitting down with Neo and explaining what the matrix really was and how to get out of it.  For the first time in my life, I began to understand how social media could be more than just a place to show off your latest sneakers or dessert. It could be a place to build a real connection with your community. After Dennis’s presentation, I went and bought my first selfie stick and got to work making short, 1-minute videos. Let People Get To Know You  The overarching strategy with 1-minute videos is that people would rather do business with someone they know, like, and trust over someone closer with a cheaper price.  But how can a community get to know, like, or trust a business owner when everyone is stuck at home?  By watching short videos on social media, of course! The videos aren’t short sales pitches, they’re just short videos about you, or something you’re into. They’re fun and easy to make because I can be me- doing stuff I do already anyway.  Over time people get to know who I am as a person and eventually, they get to know what I do professionally. And when the time is right, guess who they call?  For Years To Come Two things I love most about the 1-minute video strategy is the lifespan of the content and the little moments of life it helps you notice.  Not every video is a huge hit, but a few of them will be and those videos can be played over and over for years to come (and I only had to make it once!).  Dennis explained that just like a retired musician can still collect royalties on some of their “hit” songs, 1-minute videos that perform well can be used for years and years to come.  Once you’re in the frame of mind for making these videos, you’ll start to notice little parts of your life or your daily routine that are worth capturing on video.  For me, it’s been capturing some moments of me playing and spending time with my kids. I imagine I’ll be looking at those videos (that I never would have done if it weren’t for Dennis’ idea) for years to come too.  Thank you, Dennis!

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This is what I use for Zoom calls

For video, you can get fantastic results with a simple Sony 5100 and wide-angle lens, or splurge a bit and get a Sony A7R4 like me. The key is the wide-angle lens, which gives you that nice creamy blurred background, makes your room look really big, and is reachable from your desk— don’t need to get up to turn it on or off. The second is audio— use anything but the laptop mic and speakers. Even a cheap powerdewise lav mic or Blue Yeti will be a huge improvement. But if you want to go next level, get your mic off the table to eliminate that pesky noise when you touch the table. And get your mouth within 12 inches of it so you don’t get an echo. For lights, one cheap $40 light is all you need. But you can get more lights for your background or for shooting a whiteboard, like me. The other accessories are not critical. I like to have TVs to let me see guests I’m interviewing, and slides I might be presenting (on the laptop or on a TV behind me). I have a cheap Logitech speaker system (sounds great), and some other doodads. If you want the full set-up guide, step-by-step, to help you at any budget, with cheap, quality, and pro-level options, comment VIDEO below and I’ll send it to you.

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Little Details

It’s the little details that matter, which show through if you put in enough time to notice. For example, on creating iPhone videos to market your business: – You cannot switch from the front to the rear camera while filming with the camera. So you either have to use another app or manually flip the phone in your hand. – You can reply with a video in Gmail by hitting the attachment icon and then the photos icon. Way more powerful than text replies. – Sound quality is WAY more important than video quality to keep people watching your videos. If you have an iPhone and a regular Lavalier mic, you need a TRS to TRRS adaptor (2 lines to 3 lines on the plug) and a TRRS to lighting adaptor. I use the Rode Wireless Go and have to buy these two gadgets, which don’t come in the box. – You can comment on a Facebook post with a video, but you can’t do this on LinkedIn– only a picture. – You have 15 seconds to reply in Facebook Messenger, so learn how to keep it short– or make multiple 15-second replies. – You can share your phone screen if you’re a presenter in a Zoom call. And everything works great (just like if you’re projecting to Apple TV), except when you’re recording video– since the two interfere with each other. So pre-record your videos (stored in your favorite app) or switch to a desktop webcam to show you using your phone. – Google Photos app is super slow in uploading your videos from your photos library on your phone. So also pay for iCloud, Dropbox, and Amazon Photos (another $10 each per month) to have your videos automatically backed-up). You will have to keep these apps open every week to let it catch up since uploads are faster when the app is open. – Film vertically (portrait mode) most of the time if you’re reaching mobile users, but horizontally if an interview or in a webinar app. – Zoom records participant videos, but GoToWebinar does not. We had GoToMeeting/GoToWebinar for 10 years but switched because of this. – Amazon Photos has the smartest facial recognition and the easiest way to share groups of pictures (instead of having to select each picture/video, by one-by-one) with your external people (like freelancers and partners). The way to tell whether someone is an expert in something is not much they’ve spent on gear or how many years they say they’ve been doing it, but if they are deep in the nuances of their craft. Would you agree?

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This is an intentionally horrible video— not quite Blair Witch.

But it’s 100% authentic. You’re known by the people you keep. And I often forget to honor the people that have helped me over the last 15 years, many of who I saw in person today. I’m often tired, not paying attention, not feeling so good, and not on my A game— but thank goodness that there are good people to carry me when I’m weak. It’s their ideas that win, not mine- so let’s give credit where credit is due. I’m too old to play the 100% hustle all the time game— no sleep, bulletproof— or even pretend. Get rich slowly, my friends. https://www.facebook.com/dennisyu/videos/pcb.10102570506162029/10102570499580219/?type=3&theater https://www.facebook.com/dennisyu/videos/pcb.10102570506162029/10102570499665049/?type=3&theater https://www.facebook.com/dennisyu/videos/pcb.10102570506162029/10102570501256859/?type=3&theater

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