Why you should learn something new today

We know the Internet is a massive pool of information - but it's also a giant educational tool. You do need to sift through the massive amount of (crap, rubbish, sale pitches) "information" but you can find some absolute gems. The business and marketing world are constantly changing and it's up to you to keep pace, particularly if you want to bring some zero budget marketing gold to your venture.

So what can you learn today?

One skill I recently invested some time learning about was video production. Why? The web allows us to communicate with much more than words and static images - so I wanted to know more about how to make videos. Did I have to use an expensive production company every time? What was really involved? Or could I make short little videos for myself (or even my clients) to feature on their websites, or on facebook or youtube?

I got fantastic info and took some great little courses at New York Video School online. I actually liked their content so much I even ended up paying to subscribe after the free trial ended, because they go beyond the technical aspects and cover areas like storytelling. I bought myself a Kodak Zi8 camera for about $100 online, (although I now have an iphone that will take pretty reasonable video too). I trekked around to find an external microphone for the camera for about $50 (and found that almost no-one in Melbourne sells these btw, ended up at trusty Michaels, where I probably should have started). And I took the tutorials that came with iMovie on my Mac. So having spent all of $250, I had the tools, and some great pointers, to start making video.

As with most skills, a little bit of knowledge makes you realise how much more you have to learn. (And that if you try to film yourself without make up it isn't pretty!) BUT I did start to make a few basic videos in interview format for some client sites - and with continued practice, I'll keep improving.

It also means next time there IS the budget to hire a production company, I'll be starting the process as a much more educated client, able to give a more comprehensive brief, with the outcome a better result for all.

So....what can YOU learn today?