Learn How To Create Awesome Video Tutorials

Learn How To Create Awesome Video Tutorials for Open Source projects via Utopian.io

Utopian is creating an
Open Source economy

in which contributors to Open Source projects
are rewarded for their valuable work.

This work can come in
a variety of forms.

So to keep things organized Utopian
has identified several categories

into which contributors
can submit their work.

One of these categories
is Video Tutorials.

Education is at the
heart of innovation,

and to foster learning in the
Open Source community, Utopian

is supporting the development of
high quality learning resources.

The Video Tutorial category
is part of this initiative.

It is crucial that contributions to the Video
Tutorial category be educationally sound.

Contributions must contain highly engaging,
educational and original video content

along with supportive
text and images.

Creating an educationally sound video
tutorial contribution is not difficult,

but it does require some
careful consideration.

Let’s have a closer look at what makes an
excellent video tutorial contribution.

Utopian wishes to maintain consistency of format
and quality in all video tutorial contributions.

To achieve this, Utopian has provided you with some
tools to help in the creation of consistent content.

First, Utopian has developed a thorough
set of general rules and guidelines

which apply to all
contribution categories.

These must be followed
by all contributors.

Utopian has also created a set of
guidelines specific to video tutorials

to help contributors create
educationally sound content

and to aid Utopian Moderators in
the evaluation of this content.

Let’s have a closer look at a few of the
guidelines for the Video Tutorials category.

Video Tutorials teaching simplistic concepts
which are found in other applications

or tutorials which focus on how to create
content are not appropriate for Utopian.

Utopian supports only content
of the highest quality.

Therefore, it is wise to research the
internet for existing learning resources

before you begin creating
your own contributions.

Before you begin creating
your video tutorial

create an outline which you
can refer to as you record.

Do some practice runs of your video to identify
any issues before you record your final version.

Background noise can be
distracting for learners.

Close all windows and doors
before you begin recording

to insure that there will be no
unwanted noises on your recording.

Be sure to get close to your
microphone when you record.

10 cm is a good distance from
your mouth to the microphone.

Along with adhering to the
general and category guidelines,

Utopian has provided a video tutorial template
to guide you in formatting your submission.

Let’s have a closer
look at the template.

As you have seen
in the guidelines,

it is critical that you associate your Video Tutorial
contribution with an appropriate Github repository.

In this section of your contribution you will itemize each
of the concepts you will be addressing in your tutorial.

These concepts must be substantial and not things
an average user can figure out themselves.

While it is important to cover
multiple concepts in your tutorial,

covering too many substantial concepts in one
tutorial can be overwhelming for learners.

In this section of your submission you must
list all the software and hardware requirements

for learners to
complete your tutorial.

Indicate the level of skill and knowledge a learner
must possess in order to complete your video tutorial.

Here you will provide highly detailed supportive
text and images for your video tutorial.

You need to address each of the substantial concepts and
provide supporting information to aid the learners.

Your video can either be
uploaded to YouTube or DTube

then embedded into
your submission.

As mentioned in the guidelines,

your video must not be older than 14
days to be considered by Utopian.

Utopian encourages the development
of sequential video tutorials

to thoroughly cover the concepts
of an Open Source project.

As you create your series of tutorials
focused on a specific project

you need to list your contributions so learners can
select the materials they require for their studies.

There are two subcategories of
the video tutorial category:

Code writing contributions

and end-user focused
contributions.

Code writing contributions must provide clear
sequential instruction on programming concepts.

As you introduce concepts and techniques you must
clearly explain how and why you are using them.

Code writing can be complex so it is
important to be thorough in your instruction

and maintain a pace which will allow
learners to easily follow your work.

End-user focused video tutorial are focused on
complex functions of Open Source applications.

As with code writing contributions, these
submissions must be sequential and thorough.

Contributors must avoid simple functions
such as print, open, and install.

Concepts must be too complex for an
average user to figure out themselves.

As stated in the guidelines, tutorials
providing simple onscreen instruction,

gameplay and content creation are
not appropriate for Utopian.

When selecting a topic for your
video tutorial contribution,

you must insure that your content provides
educational value to the community.

Research existing learning
resources related to your topic

and avoid submitting content which is
already addressed sufficiently elsewhere.

Choose topics which you are both
knowledgeable in and passionate about.

Consider your audience and create content
which is suited to their learning needs.

Once you have researched and chosen
a topic for your video tutorial,

it is time to create your contribution
with your favourite Steem interface.

First choose an appropriate
title for your contribution.

Using the video tutorials template,
create the body of your contribution.

Be sure to include all the required
information outlined in the template.

After recording and editing your video,
upload it to either YouTube or DTube.

Paste the embed
code for your video

into the correct area of your
post according to the template.

Tagging your contribution
is very important.

Your first tag
must be utopian-io

and your second tag
must be video-tutorials.

Before you publish your contribution proof read
everything to insure that there are no mistakes.

Once you’re happy with your
contribution it’s time to post.

Education is at the heart of
the Open Source community.

Your contributions to the
Video Tutorial category

will empower learners to use and
develop new Open Source applications

and in turn strengthen
the community around us.