I was talking to one our authors last week, Deb Chase, who runs the No Nonsense Beauty Blog. She mentioned that most authors look awful during Skype or Google Hangout video sessions. “We all look like trolls online!” she exclaimed.
Bad Skype form
So we decided to do a best practices for online video tutorial. Here’s what we covered if you’re doing video on a laptop.
1) Find a position that has a blank wall or backdrop that doesn’t have too many items in it and sit with your back facing that wall.
2) Don’t sit with your back to a window. A lot of authors make this mistake and the window flashes out most of the person. You can sit facing a window or perpendicular to the window.
3) Elevate the laptop on a book (or books) so the video camera you have is slightly above your forehead.
4) Keep the laptop at least 1 foot away from you. This will make sure your face doesn’t overwhelm the other screen.
5) Tilt the monitor slightly towards you.
6) Wear darker colors like blue or royal blue.
7) Smile a lot and don’t move around too much!
Good Skype form
Following the above directions will make you look much much better on screen and less like a troll 
Try it! Let us know if it worked for you, or if you have any tips.
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