Great post, @riverflows - and thanks for putting it on dTube, as it is terrific to finally get a taste of your lovely self and voice. ;-)

You did great, and when all is said and done, you spoke quite naturally, which for your first try out of the box is outstanding!

Yeah, video can be scary, though happily that's a fear I got over a while ago, when I started doing a few videos for my business. I don't tend to edit much, but I have done several takes at times, as necessity dictates.

The hurdle I'll eventually have to cross is doing live video, which I will do at some point, though for now I'll be sticking with prerecorded.

I'm doing most videos with my phone, though occasionally I'll do some with a digital camera on a tripod, though I'm using that less and less as time goes forward. The phone is just easier, especially as I nearly always have it with me, and so it gets bonus points for convenience. ;-)

As for the meat of your post, we are almost completely in agreement, which I'm guessing doesn't surprise you. I'll be addressing it in my own response to this question, which I'll post later tonight, connectivity permitting. ;-)