Last week, I mentioned Mark Victor's Biker Bits Australia YouTube channel and how he is out riding around all over the place. Mark also has a Patreon page and I took a look at it and was blown away by how much he is earning each month from it. Mark currently has 151 Patrons and earns $997 each month just from Patreon. He has around 21,000 subscribers on his YouTube channel, I'm not sure if he monetises his YouTube videos or not as I run an ad blocker, but his most recent videos have averaged only 3,000 - 4,000 views and he releases two videos each week, so lets just say 7,000 views each week, so he'd only be making less than $10 a week from YouTube on it's own.
Biker Bits Australia also has a store that he runs with his partner and they sell all sorts of biking related bits so hopefully that earns him a bit more too as what he earns right now wouldn't pay my mortgage and he does these things full time. What it does show is that consistancy and a decent following can pay off as if I was earning an extra $1000 per month I'd be laughing.
What did surprise me about how much Mark earns from Patreon is that he has 75 Patrons that pay him $10 or more each month and 57 who pay at $5 each month. They are some decent figures and it gives me hope that Patreon may actually be the best source of income for what I'm trying to do with the Motocamp360 business.
I looked a little further into selling on Amazon and they want $50 per month, that is not worth it for what I want to do. I can see that I'm going to end up with something that costs more than I really want to spend.
Amazon is $50 per month
Crazydomains.com.au is $40 per month for a site with a store/cart
Wix is $18US per month for an online store. I guess with Wix at least it is a full website so I could tie several things together, like a blog or something
Shopify starts at $9 per month for just the ability to sell but with no actual online store, you just use facebook or your own website or something, otherwise it's $29 per month.
a business account with ebay is $20 per month,
Maybe I could just use PayPal, I'll have to look into that a little more as it could be the easiest way to deal with this online store problem.
Bomber
doing the sums
Friday, 21 September 2018
Thursday, 20 September 2018
Location, Location, Location
Honeysuckle camp ground is where I said that I'd like to go next and I have a short list of other locations that I'd like to go to and try and make videos. I'm still planning on heading out mid-week to do these so I'm hoping that I'll have the places basically to myself so I don't feel like such a weirdo talking to the camera all by myself. It'd almost be preferable to have someone come with me to hold a traditional camera in my face as then anyone who did see me talking to the camera would get the idea. Now that I write that, I'm guessing that if I have the camera up on it's post and it's obvious that I'm talking to it, then hopefully I won't feel too odd.
As I said previously, Honeysuckle camp ground is where the old Honeysuckle Receiving Station was that actually picked up Neil Armstrong walking on the Moon and then passed on the signal so it could be broadcast around the world. Each location that I visit needs to have two things that I can do either at the location or very nearby if my plan is to work. So for Honeysuckle there is the old concrete pads where the dish used to be and some info that I can read out and I have some ideas for some fun shots that take advantage of the 360° camera and the bullet time feature that it has. The other thing I can do near Honeysuckle camp ground is to go and explore on foot Booroomba Rocks which are nearby and are meant to have an awesome view.
Another location that I'd like to visit is Mt Clear. Nearby is Brayshaws Hut and I'm sure that I can find a walking trail or something else nearby, but I need to find out exactly what I'm going to do before I head off. Maybe it's just cooking damper in the campfire, I kind of like that idea as it's something a little different.
I have a long list of about 30 locations but some of them are further than two hours away which I think will be the limit for most adventures. One that is closer is Talaganda State Forest, this place is a favourite for enduro riders so it may be a bit beyond me but I'd like to give it a go. The advantage with it being a State Forest is that it's free to camp and you can camp anywhere you like. For things to do in Talaganda there is the Captains Flat rain radar as well as some old ruins from an early mining settlement, so that should be a good location to try out and is really what I'm aiming for with the YouTube videos.
Bomber
time to get out that calendar
As I said previously, Honeysuckle camp ground is where the old Honeysuckle Receiving Station was that actually picked up Neil Armstrong walking on the Moon and then passed on the signal so it could be broadcast around the world. Each location that I visit needs to have two things that I can do either at the location or very nearby if my plan is to work. So for Honeysuckle there is the old concrete pads where the dish used to be and some info that I can read out and I have some ideas for some fun shots that take advantage of the 360° camera and the bullet time feature that it has. The other thing I can do near Honeysuckle camp ground is to go and explore on foot Booroomba Rocks which are nearby and are meant to have an awesome view.
Another location that I'd like to visit is Mt Clear. Nearby is Brayshaws Hut and I'm sure that I can find a walking trail or something else nearby, but I need to find out exactly what I'm going to do before I head off. Maybe it's just cooking damper in the campfire, I kind of like that idea as it's something a little different.
I have a long list of about 30 locations but some of them are further than two hours away which I think will be the limit for most adventures. One that is closer is Talaganda State Forest, this place is a favourite for enduro riders so it may be a bit beyond me but I'd like to give it a go. The advantage with it being a State Forest is that it's free to camp and you can camp anywhere you like. For things to do in Talaganda there is the Captains Flat rain radar as well as some old ruins from an early mining settlement, so that should be a good location to try out and is really what I'm aiming for with the YouTube videos.
Bomber
time to get out that calendar
Wednesday, 19 September 2018
Two months of Blogging
Today marks two months of daily posts on this blog. I don't really know how I've managed to do it but I have. I'm really starting to struggle with new ideas for posts as I've kind of got all the equipment I want and have a plan on what I want to do and how I think I want to do it. I'm now just waiting on the warmer weather before I can start heading out camping more often.
Still, I'm pleased that I've managed to keep on blogging and get the YouTube channel under-way but I'm not so happy that my weight loss has stalled. I really need to make sure that I'm getting at least 10,000 steps each day and avoiding the junk food completely, there's just no room for it in my diet if I'm going to have any chance of hitting my weight loss goal by Christmas. 28 kilos in 14 weeks, I don't think that I can do it as the best I've done so far is 1kg in 1 week and I often only get half a kilo in the week but I want to give it a real good go. I have to psych myself up a little and make sure that I'm really pushing myself and not taking the easy route.
I think I may have to start walking during my lunch breaks and I can do that without too much effort. I usually eat and work where I'm meant to be taking at least a half hour break so, I'll just make sure I get up at 12pm and go for a walk before I get my lunch and then I can eat at my desk and keep working. I'll probably cut down beer to just one day a week and if need be I'll stop drinking beer altogether.
Monday I got 10,000 steps whilst still at work and when I got home I still went for a walk ending up with almost 15K steps for the day.
Tuesday I didn't quite get to 10,000 and I had a burger and chips for lunch, they were from a cafe so hopefully a little bit better than Maccas or Hungry Jacks in terms of healthiness.
Today I got over 10,000 whilst still at work but I did work a little later than normal.
Bomber
feeling like a fatty
Still, I'm pleased that I've managed to keep on blogging and get the YouTube channel under-way but I'm not so happy that my weight loss has stalled. I really need to make sure that I'm getting at least 10,000 steps each day and avoiding the junk food completely, there's just no room for it in my diet if I'm going to have any chance of hitting my weight loss goal by Christmas. 28 kilos in 14 weeks, I don't think that I can do it as the best I've done so far is 1kg in 1 week and I often only get half a kilo in the week but I want to give it a real good go. I have to psych myself up a little and make sure that I'm really pushing myself and not taking the easy route.
I think I may have to start walking during my lunch breaks and I can do that without too much effort. I usually eat and work where I'm meant to be taking at least a half hour break so, I'll just make sure I get up at 12pm and go for a walk before I get my lunch and then I can eat at my desk and keep working. I'll probably cut down beer to just one day a week and if need be I'll stop drinking beer altogether.
Monday I got 10,000 steps whilst still at work and when I got home I still went for a walk ending up with almost 15K steps for the day.
Tuesday I didn't quite get to 10,000 and I had a burger and chips for lunch, they were from a cafe so hopefully a little bit better than Maccas or Hungry Jacks in terms of healthiness.
Today I got over 10,000 whilst still at work but I did work a little later than normal.
Bomber
feeling like a fatty
Tuesday, 18 September 2018
Planning the the video format.
I think I have mentioned it before but I would like a consistent structure to my videos if possible. My current idea is that each trip will make two videos, the first day will be part one and the second, part two.
Part One
- Riding along and introducing the video
- Channel title
- Riding and some more talking
- Setting up camp
- Doing something eg: fishing, riding, sight seeing
- Dinner (although that may depend on what I'm having and how it looks, the stuff I filmed on my recent trip wasn't good viewing).
- Bedtime/Sign off
Part Two
- sunrise at the camp site
- Channel title
- Breakfast with a chat about what I want to do that day
- Packing up camp
- riding with some talking
- stopping to do something eg: fishing, riding, sight seeing
- Riding and signing off
By having some sort of idea how I want the videos to be produced, I should be able to get the shots that I need to make the videos interesting. I did originally have a plan to make the videos at least 12 minutes long, but now I don't know if I'll be able to do that. I don't want to bore viewers and as long as the video is good and has enough content to actually engage with viewers then I don't really mind how long or short the videos are. I know I don't want them to be too long but If I can get them to somewhere between 6 and 12 minutes each, then I'll be happy.
Bomber
planning planning planning
Part One
- Riding along and introducing the video
- Channel title
- Riding and some more talking
- Setting up camp
- Doing something eg: fishing, riding, sight seeing
- Dinner (although that may depend on what I'm having and how it looks, the stuff I filmed on my recent trip wasn't good viewing).
- Bedtime/Sign off
Part Two
- sunrise at the camp site
- Channel title
- Breakfast with a chat about what I want to do that day
- Packing up camp
- riding with some talking
- stopping to do something eg: fishing, riding, sight seeing
- Riding and signing off
By having some sort of idea how I want the videos to be produced, I should be able to get the shots that I need to make the videos interesting. I did originally have a plan to make the videos at least 12 minutes long, but now I don't know if I'll be able to do that. I don't want to bore viewers and as long as the video is good and has enough content to actually engage with viewers then I don't really mind how long or short the videos are. I know I don't want them to be too long but If I can get them to somewhere between 6 and 12 minutes each, then I'll be happy.
Bomber
planning planning planning
Monday, 17 September 2018
Subscribers!
My son has watched my intro video a few times, he thinks it's pretty cool. My wife also said it's pretty cool and she subscribed to me too! Here I was getting all excited over a 1:38 intro clip and it was my wife and son LOL!
I'm not planning on doing any promotion for the channel until I have four or five videos uploaded and more actually planned. I'll then probably invite my facebook friends to like the channel and also some of the facebook groups that are motorcycling related and the Insta360 group too. Basically I'll go all out for one video and make sure that it's a good one. I may also pay for the facebook post to be boosted and the YouTube video too. I don't want to spam my friends with my channel but I need to start somewhere and start drumming up some subscribers.
I really want the YouTube channel to take off, actually, I might start calling it my Motocamp360 business as it is more than just YouTube, I want to get Patrons on Patreon and sell T-Shirts and maybe other motocamping related equipment too. I think I can set up an Amazon Store so if I start making my own t-shirts I may be able to sell them there and then be an affiliate seller for other kit like the cooking set up I use and other things that I take motocamping with me.
I guess I'm still stuck in the want, want, want routine that I mentioned in one of my early posts, but this is kind of different, I'm wanting things to change and I'm actually trying to do something to help make the change instead of just wanting to win lotto.
Bomber
still wanting
I'm not planning on doing any promotion for the channel until I have four or five videos uploaded and more actually planned. I'll then probably invite my facebook friends to like the channel and also some of the facebook groups that are motorcycling related and the Insta360 group too. Basically I'll go all out for one video and make sure that it's a good one. I may also pay for the facebook post to be boosted and the YouTube video too. I don't want to spam my friends with my channel but I need to start somewhere and start drumming up some subscribers.
I really want the YouTube channel to take off, actually, I might start calling it my Motocamp360 business as it is more than just YouTube, I want to get Patrons on Patreon and sell T-Shirts and maybe other motocamping related equipment too. I think I can set up an Amazon Store so if I start making my own t-shirts I may be able to sell them there and then be an affiliate seller for other kit like the cooking set up I use and other things that I take motocamping with me.
I guess I'm still stuck in the want, want, want routine that I mentioned in one of my early posts, but this is kind of different, I'm wanting things to change and I'm actually trying to do something to help make the change instead of just wanting to win lotto.
Bomber
still wanting
Sunday, 16 September 2018
Camping Kit Changes
Today I went through the camping kit and tidied it up after last weekends adventures. The tent needed some sand brushed off it and to dry out a little as it was a little damp when I packed it up. Also, when I packed up on Monday morning, I couldn't find the bag to put the fly in so I had to try and find that so the fly could be put away properly, I couldn't find it anywhere, I must have left it behind somehow. It had some pegs in it so it shouldn't have just blown away and I saw it when I first started packing up, either a bird or a person must have taken it, but I don't even know when they would have had a chance, weird.
Out of all the kit that I took, the only thing that I don't think I'd take with me next time was the large mesh ground sheet.I only took the large ground sheet last weekend as there was three of us and it goes really well under the large shade tent my mate has, it is far too large for just one person to need, I have a smaller ground mat that I used in front of the tent and that worked quite well.
I'm hoping to be able to leave most of the camping kit in the tail bag so it just becomes an easy job the throw it on the back of the bike and head off next time. The dry bag that I use on the rear seat had a few changes of clothes in it last weekend but when it is just one night it'll have probably a clean pair of socks and undies and that's about it. I could definitely fit everything that I'd want for several days with the kit I have, the only thing would be space for extra food but I think I can fit that in the dry bag without too much effort and there are always stores where you can buy tinned food, even if it is just from a service station.
I'm going to start looking at the calendar again and planning some trips, the next one that I want to do will be to Honeysuckle camp ground which has some amazing history, it is where the images from the first moon landing were actually received first and then passed on around the globe. There's no dish there now but there are some nice walks to some rocks with great views over the Brindabella Mountains.
Bomber
getting the itch again
Out of all the kit that I took, the only thing that I don't think I'd take with me next time was the large mesh ground sheet.I only took the large ground sheet last weekend as there was three of us and it goes really well under the large shade tent my mate has, it is far too large for just one person to need, I have a smaller ground mat that I used in front of the tent and that worked quite well. I'm going to start looking at the calendar again and planning some trips, the next one that I want to do will be to Honeysuckle camp ground which has some amazing history, it is where the images from the first moon landing were actually received first and then passed on around the globe. There's no dish there now but there are some nice walks to some rocks with great views over the Brindabella Mountains.
Bomber
getting the itch again
Saturday, 15 September 2018
Weighing In
108kg.
Not happy Jan.
So I guess I should have expected this, I haven't done any walking, I had Hungry Jacks for lunch on Tuesday and Thursday and I had some chocolate for desert a couple of times this week. It ends now, or at least it starts again now. I've got a cold and I'm still a little dizzy but I'm not going to let that be an excuse any longer, I need to make the effort to get out walking everyday and drink more water and eat less unhealthy food.
I had a play with some more of the footage and I've made a little video that I think that I'll use as the opening title in all of my videos. I'm happier with this video than I am with the intro videos and I may just re-do them if I feel inspired enough. It's funny how a week can change your perspective on things, on Tuesday I wasn't very keen to keep on trying to motovlog and I was thinking about giving up on this blog, but today I'm already looking forward to my next trip away and coming up with more ideas for things to try and film to make the videos more interesting.
With the title video, I think I'll edit in the location that I'm visiting in each episode so it will change slightly for each video. I originally wanted to do this sort of branding and then changed my mind, but playing with the videos I all of a sudden felt insired to create something. I hope I still like it when it comes time to use it in a video.
Bomber
needing to be better at getting better
Not happy Jan.
So I guess I should have expected this, I haven't done any walking, I had Hungry Jacks for lunch on Tuesday and Thursday and I had some chocolate for desert a couple of times this week. It ends now, or at least it starts again now. I've got a cold and I'm still a little dizzy but I'm not going to let that be an excuse any longer, I need to make the effort to get out walking everyday and drink more water and eat less unhealthy food.
I had a play with some more of the footage and I've made a little video that I think that I'll use as the opening title in all of my videos. I'm happier with this video than I am with the intro videos and I may just re-do them if I feel inspired enough. It's funny how a week can change your perspective on things, on Tuesday I wasn't very keen to keep on trying to motovlog and I was thinking about giving up on this blog, but today I'm already looking forward to my next trip away and coming up with more ideas for things to try and film to make the videos more interesting.
Bomber
needing to be better at getting better
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