Look At Me, Look At Meeee...

And listen up! And this is why I am not a vlogger - the cold light of a mobile phone lens, glittering there like a spider's eye - the bright glare of an LED light, and the relentless ear of a small microphone would tempt me to become a monster of the small screen. It has done so to others and I know I am just as susceptible. But you may be different - you may be a person with something important to say. You may be a person with sympathetic friends and an enquiring audience. You may look good and sound normal - and it would be a blessing if you could make the connection to your audience easily and quickly. Enter the Røde USB-C Edition Vlogger Kit. The stylish box contains: a. A Video Mic Me directional microphone. b. A fuzzy little microphone shield. c. A powerful little single-cell LED Light cube. d. A metal adjustable phone holder with attachment point for the cube light. e. A sturdy little tabletop tripod. I will leave you to the exercises necessary to start up your own YouTube channel or connect to meetings: Zoom, Boom, Or Loom ( the aggressive social channel... ). If you are going to vlog you will either know how to do it yourself or how to collar your grand-kids to set it up for you. Suffice it to say that the phone holder is of professional quality and the LED cube light more than powerful enough for the single broadcaster. The Røde Video Mic Me is perfect for the mobile phone connection as it is a direct plug in to the side of the phone and has a good directional pickup forward of the capsule. The fuzzy shield ( won't say the word 'cause the cat is looking at me funny...) stops breath rushes or spits and pops. I watched someone use one of these shields at the airport observation point in a cross-wind and they really do clean up the audio. Set the tripod on a table and don't touch it...or fold the legs and use it as a handle - but remember that as soon as you move the phone people are going to wish you'd kept it still. Keep your moving shots to a minimum for audience comfort. And above all, tell them to like and subscribe. At least you can compel the grand-kids to do so...