Tag: video

APP OF THE MONTH: TikTok

Posted RuthEJWestLeave a commentPosted in App of the Month, Marketing, Social Media

If you haven’t heard of TikTok… where have you been all pandemic?

Name TikTok
Product Description A new social media video platform designed for teenagers but entertaining for everyone! A great place to experiment with video content and keep your Arts Business on the map during Covid times.
Availability Available from the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.
Key Features ·       Watch more videos than you could ever possibly have time for, all especially customised to you, dependent on your viewing habits, in a focused feed.

·       Explore different genres from Comedy, Art, Music, Gaming, DIY, memes and everything in between, not forgetting Pet videos, because no social media platform is complete without a cheeky pet video.

·       You have unlimited pauses when recording your videos and you can reshoot it however much you need.

·       There are millions of users and creators worldwide so get ready to get inspired and let those creative juices flow.

·       Add your favourite music or sound clips for free! If you’ve seen RuPaul’s Drag Race you’ll be familiar with the art of lip syncing. Well, with TikTok, you can have a go!

·       Loads of filters, special effects and AR capabilities to play around with to make your videos really stand out above the rest.

·       In app editing tools allow you to trim, cut, merge and duplicate footage to your hearts content.
Prices and Plans Free! And now has options to create business accounts and paid advertising plans within the app.
Biggest Pro It’s still relatively new, practically in its infancy for social media platforms. This means it is easier to come up with original content to grab follower attention.
Biggest Con Hugely addictive… I myself have been known to spend two to three hours trapped in a TikTok Typhoon.

The best platform for reaching a younger target audience and the most fun you will have ‘doing work’ to promote your business.

So, show off your creativity with a TikTok account for your Arts Business.

Have you already got one? We’d love to follow you. Let us know in the comments below.

APP OF THE MONTH: ZOOM

Posted RuthEJWestLeave a commentPosted in Administration, App of the Month, Business Skills
Name ZOOM Cloud Meetings
Product Description The perfect app for lockdown! For all your meeting needs whether you miss your friends and want to stay in touch or you’re still trying to run your business and keep all your colleagues informed and up to date.
Availability Available from the Apple App Store and Google Play Store and on your PC/Mac.
Key Features ·       Meetings – Including online meetings, training and support Zoom has been used for all manner of things this lockdown, from hosting quizzes, lectures, discussions, choir sessions and, my personal favourite, the Ultimate Disney Singalong!

·       HD video and audio – It really is the best quality video communicator I have found and through quarantine I’m pretty sure I’ve used them all!

·       Mute – This seems like a simple addition, but as the host the ability to mute your attendees means they can hear you clearly and effectively.  I’ve run a readthrough over zoom and people can mute themselves when they aren’t talking so the script can be as clear and clean as possible.

·       Device Flexibility – They claim to be available on any device and as a user of all devices, from android to apple and back around to windows I am yet to find one it isn’t compatible with.

·       Security – Probably not necessary for your family pub quiz but great if you are discussing private or secret information you don’t want getting leaked.

·       Calendaring and Integration – It works across your browser and inbuilt software effortlessly. Without even intending to do so, if I schedule a meeting on my Mac it is automatically added to my iCal. It also offers extensions for Microsoft Office, Email and Web Browsers.

·       Screen Sharing and Remote Access – If a lot of your team are working from home at the moment then it’s a great way to make sure all company software and hardware is kept up and running. With their screen sharing and remote control your IT maintenance team can keep on helping from home too.
Prices and Plans Your basic meeting account is free (hence its increasing popularity throughout lockdown!) It’s paid accounts (with a few more features) range from £11.99 p/m – £15.99 p/m for each individual meeting host.
Biggest Pro The screen sharing and remote control! Yes, it is basically an updated Skype but the easy to use screen share and the ability to remotely control someone’s computer from your own is seamless. It makes life so much easier! Even if you’re only using it to sort out a straightforward technically problem for your Mum, you can save a lot of conversation conflict!
Biggest Con The 40-minute limit on group meetings can be annoying, but the sneaky way around this is to set up a personal meeting so the meeting number and password remain the same. This way after you’re booted out after 40 minutes your party can simply log back in immediately.

 

I love Zoom!

And I think everyone will agree with me when I say that this lockdown certainly wouldn’t have been the same without it!