Newbie welcome video - 3 videos complete

[Steamtyme]

So I've considered doing this for a while, the hold back was I have next to no experience in creating this sort of content. Either way I decided to just run with it and put together my first of several planned videos. This one is titled Creating an account and getting started

Let me know what you think this was the first time I've used screen capture, and the editing was definitely a learning experience. Love it hate it, anything in between I'm interested in your feedback. I'm also looking for things I may have missed or topics for future videos, as I'm sure I haven't thought of them all. I do mention some planned ones in the video as well.

Edit: So Noddabawts first topic was deleted. Not surprising as was useless in it's current form, at least they weren't nuked. I wasn't able to link it in on the project before work this evening, but they will be making a much better first post second time around in another video.

Hre is the thread that contains all finished videos.
[INFO] Video resources for newbies getting started

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[jackg]

I've been considering making a topic on asking someone to do this since wednesday.

Great job, I'll have a watch of it all (I just watched the first 3 minutes) and see if I can offer anything but it's started off pretty good.



edit: after watching it it looks really good for newbies as a roundup of the basic features of the forum. I'm not sure whether something on the rules more specifically might be helpful but I'll leave that up to you to decide as it could be a tedious readthrough of what is already written.

If deemed neccessary by the community (perhaps you could make a poll) theymos could add a link to it from the registration screen). I mean literally doing a youtube search of bitcointalk.org the first two options you gert are ICO SCAM and Bitcoin SV (that's not something we want)...

[Steamtyme]

Thanks for the feedback. The length was something I struggled with as I wanted it to be an easy watch but not lacking to much introductory info.
I have an idea for another video that covers some posting pitfalls, unfortunately it's sort of opinion based. I think that would be a nice one to cover rules more in depth. My hope though is that people will still go to the threads and read through them.
I didn't think about a poll or anything but if enough people voice their support or opposition if this, I'm sure theymos would take notice.
Edit: I went back and changed the title to include Bitcointalk.org; might help with the search not sure. I also linked in this topic and others referenced.

[JeromeTash]

You did more than great for a person with no experience in creating video content
This can be very helpful for newbies who might not know where to look first after registering (I personally got to see the forum rules after 3 months in the forum since i wasn't a regular of meta  )

[o_e_l_e_o]

Great effort. I particularly liked that you mentioned theymos' Welcome Message, which I still really hope he will implement at some point. Also going straight to the rules thread after registering was nice.

I would make a couple of constructive criticisms, though.

First, I think it's too long overall. We have enough trouble getting newbies to spend 2 minutes just scanning the rules thread or even clicking on a sticky or two (for example: The sticky at the top of lending which says newbies asking for no collateral loans are very like to end up red trusted, and yet we see it happening several times a day.) I suspect that most newbies aren't going to watch a 13 minute video and will quickly skip sections or just give up on it altogether.

Secondly, I think you spend too much time talking about the marketplace and trust for what is an introductory video. I like the parts about how to create an account, stickies to read, how to post, etc. However, I don't think newbies who have just created an account should be diving straight in to the marketplace section. Ideally they would spend some time on the forum, getting a feel for how the trust system and the marketplace work, before going straight to making a trade. A single sentence or two saying to be careful in the marketplace because it is filled with scammers, and you will discuss the trust system in a future video would be fine I think.

[Steamtyme]

Thanks again for the kind words, they are greatly appreciated. It's funny the more I watch it I keep finding small issues in the editing I previously didn't notice. Not the worst of things but they bother me a little more with each viewing. I do believe the next time I make one I will shoot for a 1 shot take or work on my pauses to better edit in other audio. I was more concerned with it looking choppy using the cutting sections, but now think that would have been a better route.

First, I think it's too long overall. ~
Secondly, I think you spend too much time talking about the marketplace and trust for what is an introductory video. ~

Thank you for the critiques. For whatever reason I was determined to have the first post in the video. If anything I feel I should have just left it out, and use it as section in another video. I was planning on originally trying to limit this to a 5-7 minute video but just felt like I was missing something. It doesn't help that I freewheel every speech or presentation I've ever made and like to talk.
I couldn't settle on a good board as a target, and this is where freewheeling brought me. I actually cut out and had to catch myself again on a large portion of "trust". It really could have been any board/childboard combo, but I just kept thinking of Sandy-is-fine and others discussing lurkers falling for scams in that area and just ran with it. That was before the warning flags for unregistered users.

What I will do though as I know people who can't focus on a 2 minute video sadly enough is create some timestamp links and put those in the description.

[Upgrade00]

To get around the length of the video, you (viewers) could increase the playback speed. It's an option available on the YouTube drop-down icon. It is difficult to follow the first time, but you get used to it with time. You can equally use it on other videos you watch on YouTube.
A welcome video is a good idea and doesn't require as much attention as a read would.

[hugeblack]

Good effort but let's talk about some negatives:

 - long video: try to make it short and consist of 4 to 5 minutes talking about a particular subject such as a Merit or trust system.
 - Customizing topics: I do not expect learning how to create an account is difficult but the basic skills to define boards, how to do make a search, and improve the quality of posts.
 - Define the rules better: Perhaps the rules are one of the things that need to be explained (with some fun.)

Generally, what I liked was the clarity of the sound and the accuracy of the explanation.

[o_e_l_e_o]

That's because most forum users aren't fans of reading and you can see that when they drop their replies on a topic been discussed

You are right, and it's hilarious to think about, actually. A forum based entirely on written word communication, and a bunch of bounty spammers who can't be bothered to read.

What I will do though as I know people who can't focus on a 2 minute video sadly enough is create some timestamp links and put those in the description.

That's a great idea. You could probably also cut out the bit about why you should make an account. If someone is clicking on a video titled "Creating an account", you can probably assume they are going to anyway.

To get around the length of the video, you (viewers) could increase the playback speed.

It's funny you should mention that. I've recently started watching everything that will allow me to at 1.25x speed. It seems weird at first, but after a while you don't even notice it. It is especially good for recording of lectures or conference presentation, which often I find too slow otherwise.

Generally, what I liked was the clarity of the sound and the accuracy of the explanation.

Yeah, the sound quality was good, and your accent and speed were both clear enough for most non native speakers, I think.

[Wexnident]

You guys could put this into a must-watch when creating an account here. At least, newbies wouldn't have the excuse of "I didn't read about it" or "I didn't know" about it. Recommendations would probably be instead of the forum itself put up let's say drawings I guess? The explanation was clear and the voice is hearable enough and clear. You could also try a bullet type of important things to note when discussing each thread I suppose? Heck if I only knew how to animate stuff I would've tried to create a beginner's guide filled with drawings and such.

[malevolent]

Nice that you took the initiative!

But as others said, it's too long, 2 minutes is the maximum length before a lot of people will start getting bored. Maybe it would be better if there were several 2 minute-long videos, each about a different aspect of the forum. I'll only ever watch something on YT for more than a 2-3 minutes if it's something that really interests me, or if it's something I have otherwise a strong motivation to listen/watch/learn about. For some Internet forum I just registered on, there's no way I'd spend >10 minutes staring at a screen. But maybe that's me, I don't mind reading stickies and whatnots if I register somewhere.

[theymos]

Great video! It really makes me feel that I haven't done enough to make the newbie experience welcoming enough...

[Steamtyme]

~snip~
 - Customizing topics: I do not expect learning how to create an account is difficult but the basic skills to define boards, how to do make a search, and improve the quality of posts.
 - Define the rules better: Perhaps the rules are one of the things that need to be explained (with some fun.)

I appreciate and welcome the criticisms. I wanted to include account creation just to start forum life right from the beginning. I am currently reviewing it to figure out what parts I can easily remove from that section without feeling like there are gaps in what I provide. I do plan on having a video specifically for the rules. This one was more to show people where they were, and most of my videos will likely contain a bit more humor than this one. I have to be careful to still keep it informative at the same time. Likely, it will be Noddabawt posting and breaking the majority of the rules - nothing to crazy but laughable non the less.

That's a great idea. You could probably also cut out the bit about why you should make an account. If someone is clicking on a video titled "Creating an account", you can probably assume they are going to anyway.

My thoughts on this were that should these be utilized in anyway, this video may have been something a lurker would see somewhere around News. I will still take this into consideration and at least try to trim it.

Recommendations would probably be instead of the forum itself put up let's say drawings I guess?You could also try a bullet type of important things to note when discussing each thread I suppose?

That may fall further outside of my skills lol. I did choose to use the actual forum and demonstrate the navigating in real time, as I've always found this to be a decent way to train people. Sometimes things get lost in the mix when you try using infographics or images as opposed to a direct example. I like the bullet points idea and think that might be easily done in the editing portion of the program I'm using, it's nothing crazy but offers basic features that are fairly easy to use. Appreciate the input.

For some Internet forum I just registered on, there's no way I'd spend >10 minutes staring at a screen. But maybe that's me, I don't mind reading stickies and whatnots if I register somewhere.

I think people see this forum somewhat different from many others, mostly because you can monetize yourself here fairly easily with some effort. I do still feel I ran long and will be trying to figure out the best way to break this and others into smaller videos that still contain enough relevant information. Might wind up being 4X as many videos as I originally thought. You would definitely be in the minority unfortunately I do wish more people would read stickies, but I was bad myself as it took me a while to do most of these things. Hell I remember getting a referral link deleted super early on and it was only then did I find the rules I believe.

Great video! It really makes me feel that I haven't done enough to make the newbie experience welcoming enough...

Thank you, that means a lot. It's easy for me to come in here and put something like this together. I don't have the entire forum and varying levels of accounts to think about when I make a decision or put out content. You have done a lot to ensure that when a Newbie shows up they have the ability to participate, with minimal restrictions. That's a huge step in welcoming them, I'm just trying to fill in some gaps in the meantime.
I am open to you providing any ideas or submissions you would like to see done as a video. I know you tend to choose your wording carefully so if there are any descriptions or points you would like to see made as well I'm all ears.

So far ideas I have for videos include the following:
Posting - This will have a portion on the use of the buttons and their functions. It will also include a section on posting techniques related to the quote function like trimming, and replying to multiple people. Nothing hard and fast but enough to tackle nested quotes. Might include a brief description of merit here, or in a mini offshoot video as it's not a large topic but is still important.
The Forum rules- A more in-depth review and examples of how not to break them.
Account recovery - Staking an address, and how to sign/verify a message.  ~ I need to do a bit more research on the account recovery side of things, so it may be a 2 parter where I stake an address then lose my password and actually go through the steps.
The trust System -  This will attempt to clarify things like the DT network, Custom Trust Lists, the difference between feedback and trust lists. This will be a few videos in itself and likely come after the others mentioned.

I don't really have an order yet that I would like to create them in but would like to tackle them in blocks if multiple videos relate to the same core subject. I am also going to try and keep these lacking opinion and as neutral as I can be. It is also a goal to just guide users so that they still have to do at least a bit of reading,but know where to look.

Edit: Forgot to mention. In regards to this video I think I will recreate it, with some cuts to content I can put elsewhere. Should be sometime this week, and hopefully I'll get it down to somewhere in the 5-7 minute range with timestamps.

[Saint-loup]

Thank you for this video but I think it could be a little bit shorter IMHO, in 2019 most of internet users are able to manage the standard basic features of a SMF forum I think, and if they aren't there are few chances they will understand/like what a cryptocurrency is...
It would be useful to also explain how new people have to manage a ban of their proxy/vpn/ip range. https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?action=credit;unproxyban
You could also talk about the captcha bypass code https://bitcointalk.org/captcha_code.php

[LTU_btc]

You did great job, your video is very informative. But as other said, it's too long. I know it's difficult to cover everything in 5 mins, but it's reality of current generation - many people now simply can't keep their attention on subject for long time, especially when they see some static views of forum without much action - it may look boring for them.
If I would make such video, probably I would describe basics in few words and then would give directions to other my separate videos where I everything in more detail. For example things like rules, trust system, merits and other stuff can be explained in short separate videos.
Anyway, I'm wondering how newbies can find this video. So far there is only less than 60 views. Maybe it can be uploaded to one of sticky topics?

[jackg]

You did great job, your video is very informative. But as other said, it's too long. I know it's difficult to cover everything in 5 mins, but it's reality of current generation - many people now simply can't keep their attention on subject for long time, especially when they see some static views of forum without much action - it may look boring for them.

Especially if it's monetised I prefer a 10-15 minute video it's probably the size of the videos I watch.

Also, I'm disapointed smart tvs with rakotu (or whatever it's called) os don't have a speed up option in youtube (as a person who likes to watch things at 2x ir's really missed)...

I have an idea for another video that covers some posting pitfalls, unfortunately it's sort of opinion based. I think that would be a nice one to cover rules more in depth. My hope though is that people will still go to the threads and read through them.

If you get a basic idea of some points I'd be happy to see if I can add any more to them or discuss the ones you have if you want a second opinion (I normally use telegram to discuss things with people on here but I haven't configured a username)...

Great video! It really makes me feel that I haven't done enough to make the newbie experience welcoming enough...

The users were my issue as a newbie so maybe it is a good idea to offer some information to them and try to build the experience. Although most of us are "guests" here for a few months before we actually bother to join up. It was at my point of discovering linux so I was very much enthusiastic towards both, maybe other people miss that though if they're not here for the fundamentals.


The timestamp idea was a good one too @steamtyme I see a lot of epople doing that and it's pretty helpful if you could get especially the rules and welcome message linked.

[Steamtyme]

~snip~ in 2019 most of internet users are able to manage the standard basic features of a SMF forum I think, and if they aren't there are few chances they will understand/like what a cryptocurrency is...
It would be useful to also explain how new people have to manage a ban of their proxy/vpn/ip range. https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?action=credit;unproxyban
You could also talk about the captcha bypass code https://bitcointalk.org/captcha_code.php

You would be amazed, this is the first and pretty much only forum I've ever participated in. Most of what I've learned was picked up by quoting others posts to see how they did things. I will likely put a text bubble in with a link if possible or a description about the IP bans, I'm not sure how many people it affects but it could be helpful. I'll try and find a good spot to link to for that. Same for Captcha bypass. Thanks

~snip~If I would make such video, probably I would describe basics in few words and then would give directions to other my separate videos where I everything in more detail. For example things like rules, trust system, merits and other stuff can be explained in short separate videos.
Anyway, I'm wondering how newbies can find this video. So far there is only less than 60 views. Maybe it can be uploaded to one of sticky topics?

It's funny you say that. The redo is going to have a 30 second to 1 minute video describing the project and linking to the first video, as time goes on I'll edit in links to the others. All in all , I figure it will take me a few weeks to put together these planned videos and redo them to incorporate suggestions.

~snip~Especially if it's monetised I prefer a 10-15 minute video it's probably the size of the videos I watch.

I don't really understand the youtube Ad space. I know I have the option to monetize videos but if that's what causes Ads to be placed throughout the video, not worth it. I threw down some donation addresses and if they never see anything not really a big deal. I really just want at least one person at some point to find these useful in getting started or understanding the systems around them better.

If you get a basic idea of some points I'd be happy to see if I can add any more to them or discuss the ones you have if you want a second opinion (I normally use telegram to discuss things with people on here but I haven't configured a username)...

I'll keep that in mind. I might just keep it going in this vein though where I produce a video, take the critiques and then redo the video. Feel free to reach out anytime with ideas or points you would like to see in any of the planned future videos.

On that note, I didn't get around to making the remaking this video yet, should have something up by Sunday, as I'm back on shift and have a bit of travel to do this weekend.

[chr1stian12]

Thank you so much 😊 It's such a great help for us newbies to start with.

[Steamtyme]

Here is an updated version of the video I placed the link in the OP. It is under 6 minutes and I think it still delivers the message. I put in a few timestamps but they aren't linked, still have to sort that out. I will work on the next videos soon, still not sure which order I will go.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=nT5HPhO2MA8&t

Edit: I believe I figured out how to create a link to timestamps accidentally. The best kind of learning. So I will update the description soon.

[TMAN]

awesome work dude - hopefully we get some newbies watching and digesting over the standard tripe threads that pop up.

props dude