Hats off to those who are comfortable in front of the camera vlogging frequently and sharing what is going on in their lives. I’ve been trying but these are 6 Reasons I have trouble vlogging consistently and so I keep killing projects after conceptualizing and recording the footage.
Privacy Worries
You are never truly anonymous on the internet. Its called the world wide web for a reason and everything consumed or created is connected and traceable. Though I am by no measure popular or famous, there are some crazy people on the internet. I have had my own run-ins with a few over the years from a crazy stalker to people who don’t understand boundaries. I want to share more of my experiences without sharing my private life because there is always that weirdo inspecting your background and looking to triangulate your location from clues they stitched together over a long time.
Small Community
Connected to the privacy issues that I just stated is the fact that I am easily identifiable in the tiny community I live in here in Japan. There are about 2000 people on my island. The nature of my job has me front and centre at all times so there is no semblance of anonymity for me that all big city or mainland dwelling foreigners in Japan have. I’ve already had comments about my previous vlogs I have done while driving etc – many of these people don’t speak English and sadly their comments though often in jest are quite annoying and often the product of assumptions and misunderstandings. It’s exhausting.
Blogger that Vlogs
I am close to 15 years blogging on Jamaipanese.com. I’ve been blogging since before it was cool to do so. I have always preferred to express myself via words though I do acknowledge that video is far more exciting and expressive. So I started a youtube channel hoping to complement my writing with videos however it is so hard for me to be on camera. For me, writing is the priority still, even though sadly in this day and age it will never be as popular to video. Fortunately, I am not into this for the fame or fortune.
Vlogging is time-consuming
So much work is needed to craft videos: planning, shooting, editing etc – So many projects have died because of the time sink needed to get them done – with a job and other interests – unless I am doing this fulltime I can’t justify the hours and hours I would need to to spend to do this more often. So I have worked hard to simplify my processes and only do minor editing. Maybe I could consider outsourcing editing in the future so if you or anyone you know does that kind of work leave a comment below or email me.
I am stubborn
I refuse to adjust my content to what is trendy, popular or advert friendly; so many YouTubers and social media peeps do that to remain relevant or to get paid (often poorly). I stubbornly stick to who I am as a person, my true interests and my honest thoughts. The benefit to that being I have been able to track my own evolution as a person for the last 15 plus years online with the most cringe-worthy thing currently online being the first-ever post on my blog – I go back to read it from time to time as a twisted way of motivating myself.
Vlogging Anxiety
I suffer from an anxiety-related condition and vlogging for me like many things is like riding a roller-coaster where one minute I am super excited then the other minute I am nuking projects while editing. While so many people claim to be introverted or extroverted the truth is that the vast majority of us are ambiverts. Without boring you with stuff lets just say all the things I have spoken about in this post and more makes is hard for me to vlog but I want to; so will I keep doing it?
Do you know what makes me happy? Reading your comments and feedback – so leave a comment below or tweet me @Jamaipanese. Do you vlog? thinking about vlogging? Got any tips? Lets chat!
I do understand what you mean i think about these things daily. I got over my fear of being on camera and i dont3 vlog i just sit in one spot to do my videos which i am happy for. Because you are so right there are some stalkers and creepy people out there. But at the sametime sometimes you just have to take a little risk. Assess and adjust how you do your videos like not showing when youre on your way home etc showing snippets with sit down videos etc.
thank you for stopping by and for your advice Kerona. I have been following your vlogs on and off. You should start blogging again!
Been wanting to vlog for years but was afraid of being judged. Looking back from my first video I can see how my confidence has grown and it’s partly because I stayed true to myself and I’m not trying to be trendy. I hope you find your own space in the vlog world when you’re ready.
thank you Denise and good luck to you too!
My friends and I had this exact discussion just last evening. As it turns out, I too prefer to write. Additionally, I’m an ambivert. I’ll have all the concepts in my head and be super excited. I can record something, like it, and then when it’s time to edit, stop myself dead in my tracks thinking “what are you doing?!”. I want to do it tho.
this this this. I have a whole whiteboard and Evernote folder with video ideas. I record many of them then there is a sinking fear while editing that results in many abandoned projects and sadness
Honestly, I’ve done a few vlogs and I’m still unsure about it. I feel self-conscious sometimes having my camera out which is why I mainly vlog road trips and excursions where I can do a lot of scenery shots. Plus I have a job that makes vlogging my daily life a bit hard. And I understand what you mean by remaining true and honest in your opinions. I feel the same way. But honestly you don’t even have to vlog. It’s the new wave, just like OG youtube was just sitting in front of camera. It may be just passing by who knows. Just do you.
thank you for the advice Luv!