What is the ideal thumnbail size for YouTube videos?

Thomas has uploaded quite a lot of videos to YouTube, but he hasn’t thought much about the look of the thumbnails. But, after thinking about it, the look of the thumbnail is actually very important.

If the thumbnail looks bad, nobody will actually watch the video. But, if it looks good and inviting, people will start watching the video!

But, what is the ideal thumbnail size for a YouTube video?

ideal youtube thumbnail size

Thomas didn’t have to search a lot before finding the answer.

The ideal YouTube thumbnail size

The ideal size is 1280 x 720 pixels. It might be smaller, but the best is if it has this size!

Thomas is already producing some new thumbnails for his video, hoping that it will help his videos get more attention and more viewers on YouTube!

Can I access Steemit RSS feeds?

Thomas wants to include a widget in his WordPress blog showing his latest Steemit posts. He has earlier managed to do this on Medium, but is there a way to include a Steemit RSS feed on his blog?

Thomas has been looking for a method for this quite some time, but he has only read about a tool that hasn’t been working for months, and thus, it hasn’t been any good option available. But, then, in the middle of October 2018, he suddenly discovered a tool that is working and that will let him access his Steemit RSS feed, which again makes it possible to show his latest posts on Steemit on other sites. He can also use the tool to access other people’s and user’s RSS feeds, making it even easier to see the latest blog posts on Steemit from his favorite writers.

Thomas has found a way to include his Steemit feed in his WordPress blog
Thomas has found a way to include his Steemit feed in his WordPress blog

Thomas finds his Steemit RSS feed

To get access to his RSS feed, Thomas has to visit www.steemrss.com. It is very important to include the “www” if not, the page isn’t working. There are two sorts of feeds you can access using this tool.

  • “www.steemrss.com/@<username>/feed”
    This will show Thomas what is going on in the feed of username.
  • “www.steemrss.com/@<username>/blog”
    This will show Thomas the latest posts from username.
  • “www.steemrss.com/new/ethereum”
    This will show Thomas the latest posts in the category Ethereum.

This tool is working perfectly, and Thomas is really happy. And if you visit www.thethomasstories.com, you can see the widget in his sidebar showing the latest posts Thomas has made on Steemit.

Thomas is very thankful to @philipkoon for creating the tool, and of course to @doriitamar for contributing to the work!

 

 

How to take a screenvideo of your computer activity?

Thomas has often made screenshots showing pictures of his computer screen with the PrtScr (Print Screen) button. But, is there a way for Thomas to make a screen video, that is, record a video showing his continuous activities on the computer which he can later broadcast on portals like YouTube?

If you follow The Thomas Stories on YouTube, you have probably seen that Thomas often create explainer videos and tutorials. But, sometimes it would be better to actually record what Thomas does on his computer instead of just posting screenshots and other pictures. How can it be done?

screencast your computer

Record your computer activity (create a screen video)

Unfortunately, there is no super-easy way to create a video of your computer activity that can be recorded and used for other purposes. There is no button you can press, and then automatically the recording will start.

In order to record the activity on your computer, you will need a third-party application, and Thomas has found one that he loves – Screencast o Matic.

This is a super-easy application that will let him record his monitor activity. He can record the full screen, or he can choose only to record a smaller window of the screen. He can use a microphone to record his voice while recording, or he can only record the activity on the screen. If he wants to, he can even record his own face and place it in the corner of the screen, so people can both see Thomas’ face, and his computer activity at the same time.

There is a free version of Screencast O Matic, but since it includes a watermark, Thomas purchased the Deluxe plan which only cost him 1,5USD per month.

Thomas can now record his computer monitor activity

Thomas can now record what he is doing on his computer, and it makes it much easier for him to create tutorials and explainer videos in which he shows what he is actually doing to solve different problems!