YouTube Can Be A Scary Place

Even if you are a teacher

Image created by Alicia Domínguez with Canva Pro

I uploaded the final version of my first video on 26th September 2020. In that video, I introduced my channel Alice In Gothic Land and what I was aiming to do there.

I had been told to have a script and so I did, but the temptation to read it all the time was huge. I think I did pretty well on that score, but knowing you have your backup paper can give you a false sense of security.

The whole experience was pretty scary and I wasn’t sure I wanted the exposure, there’s a feeling of vulnerability when you are sitting in front of a camera that can translate into you looking a bit stiff.

If you want to have a laugh, go and watch that video.

Something that has changed since then is that I introduced myself as an English teacher with a passion for 18th and 19th-century Gothic literature, which is how I perceived myself at the time. For sixteen months now, the English teacher/Gothic writer and researcher has been evolving until becoming what other writers define as “Confidence Builder” (Noah Watry), or “A Shiner” (Tracy Fahey).

Mistakes I Made in that First Video that Can Help You

• The first mistake was to introduce the channel as a blog. At the time I was doing a course on blogs and wanted people to find my stories and my courses there. As you can see, although I had the right idea, I was getting my platforms mixed up.
• I sound and look stiff. As a teacher of English as a second language for so many years, I was really worried about not sounding standard, or proper or not English enough, call it as you like. I was also making sure I was vocalising properly in front of the native speaking audience (I know this can put some people off straight away). Although I have a pretty neutral accent, you can still detect that English is not my mother tongue. As my videos go on you can see I’m more relaxed and not really worried about drifting towards my acquired northern English…