Hi readers,
I thought I would discuss why I prefer to blog rather than being on a platform like YouTube. First off, I want you to understand that although I watch, subscribe, and even have a YouTube channel I do not have any content that I know of. I have several reasons for this, and I will break them up into several parts. A note that I must explain before proceeding is that blindness does not mean what you may think. Blindness has many forms and shapes. We are not all unable to see anything, and most importantly we are just people. I state this prior to anything else because it is important to have context in addition to the fact that educating people is important because a lot of people may be unaware of this. People have varying degrees of visual acuity meaning some people see more than others. Others may see little to nothing at all as in they may see lights, some colors, shadows, shapes, or literally nothing. Imagine for a moment placing a sleeping mask over your face in addition to turning out all your lights. Then, imagine what you would see If you looked up, left, right, and straight ahead. The best way I can describe what you would see is like putting blackout curtains over your eyes. Also, I have done exactly this, so I know what the experience is like, but I digress. Now, onto my specific reasons for not creating content on YouTube.
The first part being I am camera shy. This is my primary reason to be honest. I have no issue admitting this to anyone and you will see me on camera but that doesn’t mean I always enjoy it. I am grateful for those times I have been on camera because I appreciated the experience and the people allowing me to be present with them. However, I just get nervous for some reason it might have something to do with the fact that it is out there for everyone to see and they can see me.
The second part to this is that certain platforms may have accessibility issues meaning that I may not have a way of obtaining or accessing information with the technology I use in order to produce a good high-quality video. I realize that several people who are blind are online such as on YouTube. However, it is important to consider all the possible things they must need to do. I can’t speak for everyone who does this and for me I take something such as videos quite seriously. I have attempted to record videos in the past and I found that attempting to investigate in addition to speaking directly to the camera difficult. I find the editing process rather complicated as well. Especially, since I am unsure as to the process particularly in terms of software. As far as I am aware, I do not know of any editing software that is useable for someone who is blind. When I did hear of software that worked with the various technology, I use it was no longer available for some reason. Either the software or program got discontinued or removed from where I was looking.
With all of this said I will go back to the issue of the process being complicated in addition to possibly using inaccessible software. If I attempted to make a video, I may be able to keep the camera in focus for a certain amount of time by holding it, but I may lose focus because I might move my hand slightly. If I kept it on a steady surface I would have less of a problem keeping it in focus. However, I would not be able to edit out any issues such as possible interruptions, background noise that I didn’t realize was in it, or most importantly If I am in front of the camera.
As I stated previously, I take this type of thing seriously because I want to make sure people like what I am providing to them as the creator of the content. If I have a video that is not edited, has lots of background noise, and all you see is a wall or something else instead of me would you really watch the video?
What If I am explaining something by demonstrating and I miss a critical part? With my vision I could not successfully demonstrate something without being certain of the camera’s placement. Further, you might think I could get assistance filming/editing videos, but I don’t know of anyone who would do that. In addition, I believe If I truly wanted to do this, I should be able to create, upload, and edit my own videos independently like everyone else. Moreover, another aspect to consider is cost for equipment and since I would want to make content that is high quality with it being at least semiprofessional, I do not know what camera I could buy that is affordable plus any other equipment I would need to purchase such as a microphone. Most importantly, I just want to say that If you want to learn how blind people create videos on YouTube you can locate videos on the subject, and I encourage you to look at them for such information. I want people to understand that I can say and demonstrate several of what I may wish to convey via blogging.
Blogging allows me to accessibly upload images for the most part its more practice on my end for the moment. Also, blogging allows me to write, edit, and produce content that I feel is worth sharing without any issues. Further, I feel that through writing I am able to express myself in such a way that I feel comfortable because I am taking into account what I am going to write before I actually start, I am selecting my words carefully before putting them down, and I am considering the reader viewing my content.
I am not worried about my appearance, whether the lighting is enough, how quiet it is in the room, and so forth. Finally, blogging can be done anywhere I can blog from a car, hotel, airplane, etc. I do not have to worry about remembering to bring a camera or other equipment. With the technology we have I can write using my laptop, phone, or any other device. For me, this is just my preference.
My hope in writing this is that I have given insight into why I choose to blog rather than create videos also, I hope you have enjoyed what I have written thus far and will continue to do so.
Do you have any questions, or comments on this?
Please leave a comment!
Many Blessings!