The secret of a great video product

What's the secret of a great video product? As Edison said, "Genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration." It requires vision, determination, self-discipline, and a daily commitment to concentrate on the project. Getting started is usually the hardest part. Once you've started to make progress toward your goal of shooting a video for sale on the Internet, a fountain of energy is created around the project that will carry you through to successful completion-as long as you stay focused on your daily goals and priorities.

Many people simply never get started. If you want to create video products to sell on the Internet but don't know how to get started, think about a story that you can share at www.cisco.com. You may have seen Cisco's promotional campaign for the "human network." Cisco (www.cisco.com) is the company behind development of what has become the standard for virtual communication: Internet Protocol (IP). Cisco's new platform, TelePresence, offers network services to link partners, coworkers, and customers over a worldwide IP network.

If you've been thinking about how to harness the power of video for boosting your traffic and sales, the Cisco homepage is a good place to get some ideas. They are running one of the most effective promotional campaigns I've seen in a long time: "Welcome to a network where anyone can be famous," says the voice over in the Cisco campaign. "Welcome to the Human Network."

Here's how it works. Cisco wants you to share your story-talk about how the "human network" has helped you make something extraordinary happen. Describe how network technology helped you connect with other people in new ways to make something happen that never could have happened before. Talk about how this experience changed you-what has changed in the way you live, work, or learn how to do new things? Focus on how your experience illustrates the "Power of Us"-how does it illustrate the power that is created when people are connected? How can your story benefit other people? Describe the technology that brought these benefits to your life.

When you go to the Cisco page, you'll quickly see where to enter your story in text form. I recommend that you also script your story and shoot it with a webcam or camera phone. Inspirational videos are the one of the biggest-selling genres on the Internet. This exercise can help you get your feet wet. You never know what might happen-a motivational video may grow out of your script that creates a great video product for sale on the Internet.

Many centuries ago the Roman statesman Cicero said, "If you wish to persuade me, you must think my thoughts, feel my feelings, and speak my words." The more things change, the more they remain the same-connect with other people and you'll never run out of ideas for great video products to sell on the Internet.