In which I step into the virtual world

​Lots of tourist guides have used the lockdown to create virtual tours but, as you know, I like to be out and about so had ignored all the training for this and concentrated on getting my real live tours off the ground.
However, during the second lockdown I received a call from a Midlands-based Society filling their speakers diary for the Winter and they offered a good rate for a talk and virtual tour. I decided to see this as a potential new source of demand.

Kim Ritter changing camera batteries

I decided it was time to expand my horizons further.  There are so many platforms and formats for sharing tours virtually.  I knew one of my friends was suffering Covid issues with her wedding video business so https://www.kimritterfilms.co.uk had time to come and film some clips of me around town which I can mix and match for several types of jobs. However, that involved more skills and training via free webinars run by VIsit Britain and other partners. However, once I can edit I can mix and match clips for broadcast and for talks. 
Another skill involves keeping your temper when registering with behemoths such as Amazon Explore - platforms which are designed to work with say, identity proving documents from around the world and that kept rejecting my ID.!

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I have discovered that you can have pre-recorded video tours on Youtube or Vimeo broadcast live at a set time accessed behind a paywall of, say Eventbrite, or you can have tailor-made tours provided on a private basis  through organisations such as Amazon Explorer, ToursbyLocals.com or AirBandB experiences etc.  I am learning movie making and registering with these various platforms. Watch for links in later chapters of this blog. None are yet ready to be published.
There are also audio tours linked to gps locations which can be downloaded from sites such as the excellent www.voicemap.com which I am working on now

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