"How do I promote my YouTube channel for free? What are ways I can get my channel more noticed!" [Question from Yahoo Answers]

Well, doing what you're doing here—posting a link to your video on other websites—is a one good way. I make sure when I post links, though, that I'm doing so in a targeted way: recently made a video about Zubaz pants, then posted a link to it on the wall of the company's Facebook fan page. I can see from YouTube Insight that I've gotten some clicks from there.

In this case, I also posted a link from my Twitter account, including #zubaz and @zubaz in the tweet. Using the link-shortener bit.ly, I can see how many folks have clicked through.

A couple of weeks ago, I enrolled my co-workers to help promote my YouTube videos. For the last two weeks, I've made videos on Saturdays, then sent them a link to it, requesting that they watch, rate and comment. Many of them didn't have accounts, so I showed them how to set up one. The result is that I instantly have 30 to 50 views and ratings, with many of them commenting. Several of them have posted the link via Facebook and sent emails with a link to friends and family, gaining even more views and subscriptions.

Lastly, I would point out something very simple, maybe very obvious: YouTube at its heart is a community...so be a part of it by participating! I've netted a lot of subscribers and friends by taking the time to genuinely leave individual comments to folks' videos and channels; and in return, they've done likewise for me. In doing so, I've opened up a lot of possibilities for myself: met a girl doing awesome original songs, and now, after asking to use one, am making a how-to video about creating montages using one of her tracks.

Hope this helps, Katilyn! Here's my YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/bertwerdenstein. Let me know if you have any follow-up questions; would be glad to explain more of my successes.

Plugged in "funny knockouts" into a YouTube search: the first page of results was all videos of boxing matches or MMA fights. Sure, makes sense--two dudes getting into an enclosed 2-D shape intent on hitting each other, KOs are bound to happen, some comical--but I was looking for the non-professional, non-conventional. Did somebody say a man knocking the sh** out of a turtle who stole one of his Lincoln Logs for sunning its cold-blooded self in a neighborhood, man-made pond? No?

Looking to provide some non-boxing, non-MMA knockouts to the YouTube community, I decided to make my own video chock full of haymakers landing on heads, making recepients hit the hay. Don't have to take my Werd for it, see below.

Growing up in northern Indiana, I remember constantly seeing local TV commercials from Bob Rohrman, the region's J.P. Morgan of auto dealerships, that were funny in a so-bad-they're-good kind of way. He'd usually have some sort of ridiculous get-up on, and he'd always end it with his trademark "Bob Roooooaaaaar-man!" Those commercials were marinated in awesome sauce.

Earlier this year, I learned how to do green screening, a.k.a. chroma keying, in Sony Vegas Pro. After some small-time initial experiments, I decided to go for the gusto, and use the technique to make my own Bob Rohrman-esque, cheesy "local TV commercial" for the small business I work at. The green screen effect turned out well. My Polish accent? A little to be desired...

Interested in learning how to make your own hilariously bad, hand dipped in awesome sauce advertisement using chroma keying? Here's a blog post I wrote about how to do it: Making Green Screen Videos Using Chroma Key Effect - Backdrop, Lighting & Editing Software.

p.s. Bob, if you read this: Thank you! Never bought a car from one of your dealerships, but you truly inspired me. In-spiiiiiiiiirrrred me!

Masking in Sony Vegas Pro? If you want everything else to be transparent around the area you just outlined with the Anchor Creation Tool, you need to select the Mode as Positive. Here's a screen shot showing as much (b.t.w., I was having a great hair day, am I right?).

"What is the best (affordable) video editing software? I want to basically cut and paste clips and create my own videos." [From Yahoo Answers]

My answer:

#1 If you're running a Windows machine, then you've already got Movie Maker installed (Start>All Programs). I started out learning video editing using WMM 2.1 for XP. A good first step for a beginner or just-for-fun user, but lacks advanced features like layering via multiple tracks.

#2 Wax 2.0e is a video editor free for download online. In terms of features, it's a step up from WMM—allows for multiple tracks and is capable of chroma keying (effect for green screening).
[Download Wax here: http://www.debugmode.com/wax/]

#3 I currently use Sony Vegas Pro 8.0; at a few hundred dollars for purchase, I certainly wouldn't call it affordable. However, Sony Vegas Movie Studio Platinum has many of the same upper-level features and effects, but only costs $85 (http://www.sonycreativesoftware.com/products/vegasfamily.asp).

If you're just getting into video editing or want only basic features, I'd recommend trying out Movie Maker first. If you end up wanting to do something more advanced, you can always move up to Wax or Vegas Movie Studio.

Searching through questions about video editing on Yahoo Answers, I came across one asking how to create a colored glowing effect around someone's eyes in a still image. Such a task is solved by using the masking option in Sony Vegas—a feature notably enabled in Pro, not Platinum. Created a video screen capture demonstrating how to make the glowing effect around the eyes, the end result basically being a general tutorial on using the masking feature.

"How do you convert Sony vegas movie studio files? i have made a short clip to put in a school powerpoint due in on wednesday, and i have no idea how to change the file into a normal media file so i can put it in my powerpoint. Please help and answer ASAP!" [From Yahoo Answers]

My Answer: So you've created a project in Vegas Movie Studio, edited it, saved it, and now you're trying to find out how to "change the file into a normal media file"? Sounds like you don't realize that you need to render your project in order to make it a finished video file. Here's a blog post I wrote about rendering a project in Sony Vegas Pro.

In Vegas Pro 8, which I use, it's File>Render As. Not sure about Movie Studio, but like Windows Movie Maker, it could have something like "Publish To." The point is that in Vegas, you need to finish your project, accomplished by rendering it, which will give you the "normal media file" you're seeking.

Looked up the accepted video file formats for PowerPoint 2007: .avi, .mpg/.mpeg, .wmv (http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/powerpoint/HA012303251033.aspx) Make sure to select one of these three in the options when finishing your project.

Went ahead and tried this out on my own with PP 07. Clicked the Insert tab, then the Movie icon in the Media Clips box on the far right; chose "Move from file" and inserted a minute-long .mpg video file. Played fine in a preview (F5)