The Vlogger's Handbook: Love it! Live it! Vlog it!

It can be overly tempting to keep sharing more and more of yourself on social media, but establishing rules around what you show on your vlog and what you keep for yourself and your family is an important part of being a vlogger. This was the pleasingly sensible conclusion to The Vlogger's Handbook. In fact, throughout, there was a responsible approach to safety, 'remember, the key is to protect your personal information'. Reminders and advice not just on online safety but also reminders to keep your vlogging and your personal life separate cropped up with enough frequency to reinforce the ideas, but not so much that it would be lose its efficacy and become preachy. From novices to people who post comfortably, this book promises to give you tools to achieve full vlogging potential. Did it? As a vlogging novice (and by that I mean someone who has never vlogged!) I was quietly impressed by this book. I found it interesting, pitched at a good level that allowed me to grasp the basics while not feeling patronised; I was led from why would I vlog, to generating and developing ideas, the kit required, tips on lighting etc, editing and marketing through understanding your audience. It prompts thoughts on strategy and content, presentation and delivery. There was plenty of information presented in an accessible way that was not intimidating. Whilst I'm admittedly somewhat outside the age of the target audience (maybe by a couple of years!) I took the opportunity to show it to a Year 7 student who agreed with me on all points as raised above! However we disagreed on the age suitability; my Year 7 student felt it was suited to a pre teen audience (Years 5,6,7) while I felt it was pitched at a slightly older audience who were approaching/had reached the minimum age where they can have a channel with parental permission (13 years for some, so Years 7, 8, 9). 96 pages / Ages 11+ / Reviewed by Catherine Purcell, school librarian

Suggested Reading Age 11+

The Vlogger's Handbook is a fun, eye-catching and useful guide to creating your own vlog. The book covers the whole process from pre- to post-production, including generating ideas, finding your voice, planning, online safety, equipment, camera techniques, lighting, audio, editing and promotion. It also features Q&As with a number of successful young vloggers, who share their experiences and advice. The book is easy to read, with fun illustrations - an overview which will help many budding YouTubers take their first steps. What it isn't is an in depth guide to every aspect of production. It provides introductions to the ideas and theories of video and audio editing, for example, but detailed instructions on the software used for editing is well beyond the scope of this book. There are students at my school who already have their own YouTube channels - this book would be a great guide to help them refine and improve their productions. And I'm sure there are many more students who have always wanted to vlog but have never known where to start - this book would be ideal for them, too. It could also be a useful document for the baffled adults in their lives to help explain what this vlogging thing is all about. It has even inspired me to give it a go - I am now planning on producing a school library update vlog, featuring new books, reviews, displays and events! While it is hugely important for schools to talk about the pitfalls and dangers inherent in all social media, the quagmire that is GDPR could leave schools reluctant to directly run vlog-making lessons or clubs. But The Vlogger's Handbook could be the next best thing for tomorrow's YouTube sensations. 96 pages / Ages 11+ / Reviewed by Daniel Katz, school librarian

Suggested Reading Age 11+