Embedded video

Jeff,

No problem - thanks - I obviously can't! 

Marty

I watched it about fifteen

I watched it about fifteen minutes after you posted it, Mark (just happened to be on YouTube at that time).

Great video! I always like seeing your work. Please keep up the updates!

Video...

Thanks for the kind words

Mark. I have some short how-to videos I'm working on - but nothing ready for prime time yet!

Andre, Thanks for the technical assist!

Marty

You're Welcome!

Glad to assist.

Forgot to mention that I did enjoy your presentation. I also like they way your layout is coming together.

For your future reference should you chose to do so, here's how to embed a video. Once your video is uploaded and ready at YouTube:

* Click the "Share" button that's just below (right) of the YouTube video screen.

* Select "Embed" (first choice on the left) on the pop-up menu.

* Copy the HTML that will appear within the embed frame. (There's a "Copy" clicker on the Embed menu at lower right.)

You're done at YouTube.

As you type your post here at MRH:

* When you want to insert your video, click on the "Embed Media" icon (looks like a piece of film frames) on the tools bar. The embedding feature will open.

* Paste the copied "embedding code" into the provided window that you copied at YouTube.

* Click "Okay" and your embedded video should appear within your editing field.

Once you learn the routine, it's quite painless.

Looking forward to move of your updates!

Andre

Inspired

I often thought about posting on YouTube but wonder if would just be too much like work or if it would inspire me to make progress. Our community is very much a social one but, in the absence of physically getting together, the internet has made our world that much smaller. 

Your style of presentation really keeps me more engaged than talking heads. How do you feel about doing these and are they a burden or well worth the effort?

Inspired to make progress??

Maybe, maybe not. 

But after doing a couple of these regularly I see where one could use this as a self-motivating factor. 

And the feedback certainly doesn't hurt!

I should mention the inspiration to do this video was from Gerry Leone's Bona Vista update videos (also on YouTube). 

But your concerns are extremely valid. I’ll offer two thoughts –

(1) I don’t do anything in model railroading that isn’t fun (except wiring, wiring sucks!), and so far I’m finding it interesting and engaging.

(2) Like my blog, I’m doing this mostly for myself. If others enjoy it, that’s icing on the cake. 

Therefore, I made a conscious decision to keep the production values, and the corresponding impact on my time, low. I figure if I do that I’ll be more likely to continue shooting these updates!  

The video editing is an enjoyable challenge, but it does take time.  My goal was to create something one or two steps above unwatchable. All told, I spent an evening shooting the update and 2-3 hours the following evening editing.  I found structuring the content of the video no different than writing for print – but there the similarities end. 

Biggest challenge was audio editing.  More than once I found I’d cut some video and fail to accurately cut the corresponding audio, resulting in me talking about something the viewer wasn't seeing, or wouldn’t be seeing for a few seconds!

A few seconds on a single image with voice over feels like an eternity. Based on the metrics, YouTube viewers, taken as a group, have the attention span of a gnat. It’s amazing to see the drop off in views after 15 seconds or so – then it levels out until the 4:20 minute mark – at that point I guess it starts becoming too repetitive as there’s another noticeable decline.  

In this case it would be interested to see what, if any, difference opening with something more interest-grabbing than a shot of unfinished benchwork may have made in the viewing metrics. 

But, hey, I had fun doing it and have more ideas (improvements!) for the next one!

Attention Span of a Gnat

Ha! Thanks for that very thorough response. When it comes to YouTube videos I confess to having the attention span, or patience, of the proverbial gnat. I often think of the scene in Sleeper when the doctor is showing Woody Allen a clip of  Howard Cosell and asks if this is a program that inmates were forced to watch as punishment.  

Railroad research is a sub hobby unto itself.

Well done Marty. I appreciate all the thought and history that is going into this latest layout. It looks like you have a lot of resources from Sanborn maps to Historical society contacts. I'm glad you are going forward and building those resin keys as well, thats a good looking boxcar.

Very inspiring Marty. You

Very inspiring Marty. You are a true master modeler my friend.

Jim Six

Great Update

Very nice Marty. 

Love seeing the design and layout changes since your time in CO. Looking forward to the next one. 

Marty, I've been doing my

Thanks Tom,

And congratulations on your (fairly) recent achievement of MMR!

Marty

To all, thanks for the kind words -

Jim, I'm hardly a master compared to you. Hope you are well my friend!

Craig, Hope all is well with you - I still look back fondly on the NCMRC days - and the monthly Narrow Gauge meets - most fun I've ever had at a "local" train event. 

Mark, don't believe we've had the pleasure of meeting in person but appreciate the thoughts and feedback. I need to check out your layout updates!

Best wishes, 

Marty

Marty - great video, both the

Marty - great video, both the content and the style packed a lot into 5 minutes.  And, Oh My Gosh - this model railroader has a tripod!

I think a lot of the annoying things I see in videos must be recommended by YouTube. So many of the guys are obsessed with telling me their schedule, apologizing for not making a video for a while, telling me to "hit subscribe, thumbs up, and ding that bell."  That must be in a set of recommendations somewhere.

Any, keep up the good work. gs

Nice update Marty, I always

Nice update Marty, I always look forward to your adventures in the train room.