As many of you know, I launched a brand new Personal Vlog over the weekend. I’m kicking it off with a fun Kindle Giveaway, even.

For those of you that are not familiar with the term, a “Vlog” is a Video Blog.

And as I mentioned, this particular blog is personal. Meaning – it’s not about business, but about ME and my life & lifestyle.

Why would I start a PERSONAL blog, you ask? Five good reasons actually…

I decided to share those reasons with you here, and answer the questions that have been pouring in about it. As usual, I do have an objective.

Video Marketing is something I’ve been interested in for awhile. Interested enough to buy a Macbook Pro (for mobile video editing) and a Canon Vixia HD video camera & tripod. You can see it all set up in my Home Office Tour post.

Obviously I have done, and plan to do, business related video. But a personal vlog seemed like a great way to test some video editing skills while having FUN.

Speaking of, I used to really struggle with video editing. The Mac *does* make it easier (and yes, I’m still a PC gal otherwise), but I am also taking Oliver Olsen’s video editing course. The entire thing is only $37 and covers A LOT.

(And it doesn’t require a Mac or any expensive software!)

Why I started a Personal Video Blog

Last year I bought the domain LynnTerry.TV, and while I didn’t have any immediate ideas for it I figured it was a good investment. Actually, I had several ideas for it, but hadn’t settled on anything solid. At the very least I thought I might point it to my YouTube account since I was getting into video more.

A couple weeks ago I got the bright idea to use the domain for a personal video blog. There were several reasons for this, and the more I brainstormed all the details the more I decided to give it the green light…

1. I’m not JUST an Internet Marketer

I dislike being pigeonholed as an “Internet Marketer”, but most of my other online projects are done under pen names. Starting a personal blog gives me a chance to be myself, and branch out into new things as the web continues to change & grow.

I LOVE what I do here, and I love helping others get over the hurdles and achieve success online as well. But I crave to do more, and to BE more.

And if there’s one thing I’ve learned about blogging, it’s an awesome accountability tool. If you say you’re going to do something, you’re readers will hold you to it!

It’s also great for accountability in that it forces you to continue doing interesting things, so you have interesting things to share. A personal blog gives me a place to do that when my IM hat is OFF.

Plus, I just thought it would be FUN!

2. I See a Higher Response on Personal Posts/Updates

I can write an AWESOME tutorial, or share a killer resource, but let’s face it – it’s the pictures of my Great Dane, and the personal posts & updates that get the most response! So why not create a space to share all of that (and more) and just embrace the fact that my dog or my tee shirt of the day is sometimes more interesting than my business advice – LOL…

3. Leverage My Following

I completely give up trying to control my Facebook account. No matter how clear I make it that my profile is personal and my page is business, everyone seems to want to be my “friend” anyway. So I’m throwing in the towel, and approving friend requests. I figure they must want to get to know me on a more personal level, right?

So here goes!

4. An Opportunity To Work With Brands I LOVE

Working with brands is something I’ve been researching heavily this year. While I love Affiliate Marketing, and will continue with it as my primary source of revenue, I’m definitely watching the way things are moving on the web.

Brands are not working with “Internet Marketers”, but with mommy bloggers & foodies – and other personal bloggers. A great example is “Style Rookie” – a kid with a personal style blog. Look her up. Seriously inspiring story!

So if I want to talk about why I *hate* my brand new washing machine, or what I *love* about this or that, a personal blog is the place to do it.

5. To Test New Marketing Strategies

In addition to my interest in working with big brands, I’m testing out various marketing strategies as well. Such as YouTube marketing via keywords & tagging, social media with competitive keyword phrases vs SEO with longtail keyword phrases, etc. And I’m playing with Adsense Optimization again.

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Obviously this project is a “case study” in progress as I learn more about vlogging, video marketing, working with brands, the ins and outs of YouTube, etc. Feel free to follow along and check out what I’m doing, and how, if you’re interested in learning more about these things as well!

Oh – and one last note…

I chose a WooTheme for my vlog, which is the first paid theme I have *ever* purchased. (It’s much harder to find free themes for video blogs.)

I absolutely LOVE it. It was super easy to customize, and I had it set up and published in no time at all! I did ask about WooThemes on Facebook first – they got a BIG thumbs up from my friends there.

Best,