Official Blog
Top 10 Videos of the Year
Sunday, December 30, 2007
Some of you told us you were looking for our roundup of the most buzzed about videos of ’07. Based on view counts, most shared, most discussed, top rated and general popularity, here is the list:
There's no telling exactly how YouTube's creators will try to trump these videos in 2008, but we have a feeling that you'll find a way.
The YouTube Team
2007: The Year in Review (Part 2)
Saturday, December 29, 2007
Our staff continues to reminisce on the moments and videos that stood out for them this year.
Chocolate What?
Any YouTube music '07 roundup has to start with the captivating baritone of Tay Zonday, whose
Chocolate Rain
sparked a flurry of video responses by everyone from
McGruff the Crime Dog
to
Tre Cool
from Green Day. (With all that attention, is it surprising that even
Dr. Pepper
picked up the trend?) Tay was in good company in a wider sense, too, as the site surged with top-notch unsigned talent. A few of these musicians participated in YouTube launch events around the world, including German user
Tuaana
, who performed a new song at the gathering in Berlin, and French Canadian
Dee Montreal
, who not only raised the roof in Toronto to celebrate YouTube Canada with his band but also brought his DJ skills to wrap up the YouTube Russia bash. It was the year you got unique access to bands like
The Smashing Pumpkins
and
The New Pornographers
, both of whom jumped wholeheartedly into this thing called the YouTube community. I'll leave you with one of my personal favorites, a faux-vintage clip from mighty soul songstress Sharon Jones, which we premiered on YouTube a few months ago.
– Michele K-Tel aka
YouTunes
A Web of Entertainment
If there is one thing that 2007 has taught us, it's that "viral video" is about as unpredictable as Beyoncé and a flight of stairs. And in an equally unexpected turn, many of the
Most Viewed Entertainment videos
this year were uploaded as part of an original series or web show. Creators like
pinktheseries
,
epic-fu
,
GOODmagazine
, and
wwwBLACK20com
share their videos week after week hoping to catch the eyes of millions. Here are a few of the most buzzed about Entertainment videos of 2007 – they're the ones I certainly can't get out of my head.
-– Felicia W. aka
webisodewiz
Skateboarding Twins, Frying Pan Flexure, 15 Laterals and More…
When I joined YouTube last June, the NBA Playoffs were in full swing and, being the committed (some would say "insane") basketball fan that I am, I was naturally drawn to hoops highlights, such as Baron Davis'
in-de-face!
dunk over Andrei "AK-47" Kirilenko. Along those lines, I was thrilled to find that some of the biggest stories in pro sports lived on our site, like David Beckham's
first goal
for the L.A. Galaxy and Appalachian State's David-vs-Goliath
upset
of mighty Michigan.
But over the past half year I've also come to love our cadre of wildly creative sports vloggers like
Paul "Fitzy" Fitzgerald
, Kige Ramsey aka
SlyFox4569
,
Braves Girl 5
and, of course, the
Bleacher Bloggers
. For any big event in sports - amazing play, major trade, controversy, whatever - I'm as interested in their collective reaction as in seeing the event itself. Like a lot of people, I also became fascinated with young talent, including Aussie soccer prodigy
Rhain Davis
and the incredible
Skateboarding Twins
, Nic and Tristan Peuhse. And in the the slightly-weird-but-somehow-compelling category, the images of body builder Aneta Florczyk bending a
frying pan
are permanently burned into my retina, as is skateboarder davetheknave riding in a giant bowl of
blue balloons
.
If there's one video from the past year that I can't get enough of, though, it's Trinity University's desperate, ridiculous, absurd, amazing 15 lateral passes on the final play of the game to beat Millsaps College. Ladies and gentlemen, this play is proof that miracles can and do happen.
-- Andrew B. aka
playactionpass
The Year in Comedy
In 2007, sketch comedy continued its mighty online reign with talented sketch groups like
P0YKPAC
,
Awkward Pictures
,
Picnicface
,
freeloveforum
and
Waverly Films
sharing the spotlight with successful 'old-timers' like
Derrick Comedy
,
Blame Society Films
,
LisaNova
and
Barats and Bereta
, all of whom continued to put out top-notch content.
With the presidential election only a year away, 2007 also saw the viral success of the political parody: from
Obama Girl
to
Giuliani Girl
to
Hott4Hill
, almost every front runner was in on the action. The celebrity ode also rose to prominence, with
Paris in Jail
receiving 12 million views and counting, and
Chris Crocker
practically taking over the world with
Leave Britney Alone
.
–- Sara P. aka
TheStoryBoard
2007: The Year in Review (Part 1)
Thursday, December 27, 2007
With 2008 around the corner, we pause to reflect on the year that was. There's a lot to say, so this is just part one of our year-end musings...Comment below and tell us what
your
highlights were, and/or
make a video
-- you can even
pin it to this map
. (We'll be looking to feature a few of these around the new year.)
A Vibrant Community
Through YouTube events like
7.7.7.
,
the debates
, and programs like the
Community Council
, I've had the opportunity to meet many wonderful 'Tubers in the flesh. Observing how you guys love, loathe, and live through YouTube has been phenomenal and inspiring. The stories I've heard of how this site has brought people together would make you cry (in a good way).
As diverse as the YT community is, you all have one thing in common: dedication. It's quite astounding when you stop and really think about how much time goes into creating, editing, watching and sharing videos, building and maintaining relationships, and having a real life all the while.
Although you don't see me, I'm constantly sifting through your feedback to find out what features you guys would like to see, where you think we can make improvements, and making sure your voice is heard.
And for the record, I watched this video obsessively in 2007.
-- Michelle S. aka
missribs
The World's Largest Town Hall
With dorm-room presidential
interviews
, citizen-created campaign
commercials
, question-and-answer
sessions
, two presidential primary
debates
, and much more, you've made 2007 a big year for YouTube politics. Just a year ago, YouTube had gained a reputation as a place where voters held candidates accountable for their
mishaps
. Your use of YouTube has been making the political process more transparent, and the pressure you've applied brought candidates to the
platform
to join the discourse as well. Now we have a big, video-powered Town Hall where everyone is at the table -- you might say it's the largest and most diverse political discussion in our nation's history. Looking forward to continuing the dialog in '08...
–- Steve G. aka
citizentube
The Year in Film: Innovating and Reshaping
2007 was a groundbreaking year for film on YouTube:
M dot Strange
made it into the 2007 Sundance Film Festival with his YouTube-grown film, WE ARE THE STRANGE;
Four Eyed Monsters
released their critically-acclaimed feature length film on the site;
Project Direct
, the first ever short film competition on YouTube, and also the first international contest, received stellar submissions, and the winner,
celioclarice
, came from Brazil; renowned film schools, including,
USC School of Cinematic Arts
Vancouver Film School
and
New York Film Academy
joined or grew on the site; prolific content creators and aggregators like,
Future Shorts
,
Aniboom
,
Future Thought
and
Mondo Media
became partners; and incredibly talented filmmakers and animators like
SCADshorts
,
Walter Robot
,
Andrewhu
,
Bridle Films
,
Agent XPQ
and so many more shared their work with us. 2007 showed how much room there is for artistic creativity online, and there is no doubt that in 2008 the film community on YouTube will innovate even more and continue to reshape the way film content is created, shared and consumed.
–- Sara P. aka
TheStoryBoard
Holiday Food & Music Ideas
Saturday, December 22, 2007
There's just a few days left to complete your shopping or
make a gift
; now it's time to think about the actual feast and festivities. So put aside silly notions of calories (that's for later) and dig into these recipes for Christmas pudding, hot winter soup, "cookie bark" (huh?), and a whole lot more:
Once the pots have been washed and it's time to kick back and finally relax, don't settle for the same ol' holiday tunes. Embrace the DIY spirit and play your own. These videos will teach you how to do just that on instruments like the guitar, harmonica, and piano:
We're going to sign off for a few days to spend time with friends and family – and to try out some of
Todd Oldham's favorite user-generated gift-making videos
- but we'll be back before the ball drops.
Have a good one,
Sadia H. aka
Sublinx
YouTube HowTo & Style
The Davos Question
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Every year, the world's top leaders meet in Davos, Switzerland, at the World Economic Forum to grapple with global problems. They discuss everything from climate change to world poverty to global governance. This year, we get to join them via video.
Here's how it works: First, upload your video to YouTube answering The Davos Question: "What one thing do countries, companies, or individuals need to do in 2008 to make the world a better place?" Then, submit your video to the Davos channel on YouTube.
You can watch and rank other YouTuber's ideas, and the highest-rated videos will be screened at the
World Economic Forum
in Davos on January 23-27. World leaders will see your videos and respond with their thoughts right here on YouTube.
So get crackin' with your answers to the Davos Question. By connecting with each other and our leaders, we can build support around ideas that will make our world a better one in 2008.
Yours,
Steve G. aka
Citizentube
YouTube News & Politics
The New York Anime Festival on YouTube
Monday, December 17, 2007
Anime may have its roots in Japanese pop-culture, but it has undoubtedly developed into a worldwide phenomenon. Indeed, Naruto and Pokemon have become part of our global lexicon.
Accordingly, the company behind New York Comic Con has now created a festival devoted entirely to anime: The New York Anime Festival, featuring exclusive anime screenings, manga, cosplay, video games, live-action Japanese cinema, Japanese fashion and food.
If you weren't in New York last week to catch the festivities, have no fear –
IFCNews
is bringing the festival to you. Check out the
Film & Animation page
for your anime update!
Still not hip to the anime phenomenon? Check out some of these videos from YouTube partners and you will be.
Enjoy the fest,
Sara P. aka
TheStoryBoard
YouTube Film
Have a DIY Holiday...
Sunday, December 16, 2007
The Wood Whisperer
may claim that homemade gifts are for those who are "too cheap to buy real presents," but we don't buy it: There's something special about receiving a handcrafted gift that's unlike anything else. There's even a
pledge
going around right now to buy nothing but handmade gifts this holiday season.
On YouTube, you don't have to look very far to find DIY inspiration. Our gurus give lessons on how to make everything from holiday cards and one-of-a-kind gifts for your family -- creative pencil holders, crazy quilt stockings, Christmas aprons, anyone? -- to decorations for your home. They are YouTube's elves, video'ing in workshops all over the world:
Have a great handmade gift idea that you'd love to share? It's not too late to respond to
Todd Oldhams's holiday call out
. Your DIY video could be featured on the home page with other great guru! The last day for entries is December 19th so hurry!
Happy Crafting,
Sadia H. aka
sublinx
YouTube HowTo + Style
Site Update 12/12
Friday, December 14, 2007
Check out the latest updates made to YouTube during the wee hours. This list is jam-packed with greatness and some improvements that many of you have been requesting. Enjoy!
NEW VIDEOS TAB
We've merged the Categories and
Video
browse pages into one new, easier-to-navigate home for video search. All the old search options can be found there, along with a new "Spotlight" section that allows you to scroll through featured videos. You'll find some design improvements on the
Channels
and
Community
tabs as well.
MOST ACTIVE & PREVIOUSLY POPULAR
The Videos tab now includes two new viewing options. Click
"Most Active Today"
and you'll see the current day's most buzz-worthy titles, which can then be filtered by category. Click
"Previously Popular"
to find the most-viewed videos from one week ago or one month ago.
CHANNEL RESULTS IN SEARCH
YouTube search results now include videos and channels, making it easier for you to access the content you're looking for. When you enter a search term, highly relevant channels may be displayed at the top of the results page.
MUSIC SUBCATEGORIES
Our
Music
section is now broken down into genres such as
Rock
,
Pop
,
Rap & Hip-Hop
,
Classical
, and more. This will make it easier to find and promote all sorts of music videos on the site.
RSS LINKS ON VIDEO BROWSE PAGES
To stay up to date on the searches you check frequently, subscribe to our video browse pages by clicking the
RSS link
located beneath the categories list.
PROFILE PICTURE
You can choose any image you want to represent your channel, instead of a video still. Just click the "Upload an image" option on your
Account
page.
SUBSCRIPTIONS UPDATE
Closed and suspended accounts will now be automatically removed from your subscriptions. If you were subscribed to several closed/suspended accounts, you will notice a one-time large drop in numbers as your list is updated.
COMMENTS VOTING OPTIONAL
Now you can choose whether or not you want to allow users to vote on comments made on your videos (thumbs-up/thumbs-down feature). You can select this under a new "Comment Voting" section for both
Upload
and
Edit Video
and sharing options.
Your local correspondent now presents another installment of YouTube News! Take it away
pzottolo
...
Don't forget to comment here,
email
us or vlog and tell us what you think after poking around these new features.
Take it easy,
The YouTube Team
Ask Raja
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Title: Ask Raja
Have you ever wondered what it feels like to hit a game-winning shot at the buzzer? Or to go one-on-one with
LeBron James
? Or catch a no-look pass from
Steve Nash
? Raja Bell of the Phoenix Suns knows each of those experiences intimately well. In fact, those experiences are all part of his day-to-day job.
Hoop fans, if you're curious about the day-to-day life of a pro ballplayer, here's your chance to get an answer or two:
Use the
Video Response
function to post a video with your question. Raja will be taking your questions throughout the season, so check back to the
Phoenix Suns YouTube Channel
regularly.
Keep balling,
Andrew B. aka
playactionpass
YouTube Sports
The New York Anime Festival on YouTube
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Anime may have its roots in Japanese pop-culture, but it has undoubtedly developed into a worldwide phenomenon. Indeed, Naruto and Pokemon have become part of our global lexicon.
Accordingly, the company behind New York Comic Con has now created a festival devoted entirely to anime: The New York Anime Festival, featuring exclusive anime screenings, manga, cosplay, video games, live-action Japanese cinema, Japanese fashion and food.
If you weren't in New York this weekend to catch the festivities, have no fear –
IFCNews
is bringing the festival to you. Be sure to check the
Film & Animation page
over the next few days for constant anime updates!
Still not hip to the anime phenomenon? Check out some of these videos from YouTube partners and you will be.
Enjoy the fest,
Sara P. aka
TheStoryBoard
YouTube Film
Partner Program Expands
Monday, December 10, 2007
Recognizing YouTube users for their creativity and their role in building YouTube is of the utmost importance to our team. That's why earlier this year we launched a pilot of the
YouTube Partner Program
, our way of enabling some of the most popular and prolific original content creators within the YouTube community to earn money from their videos. These partners decide which of their videos they would like to generate revenue on YouTube, and in turn, they receive a portion of the revenue generated from ads that run next to those videos. Even in this limited release, the program has been an amazing success – already, millions of video views each week are earning revenue for our partners.
But we're just getting warmed up. Today we're announcing that we are expanding the YouTube Partner Program. Now, anyone living in the United States or Canada can apply to become a partner at
www.youtube.com/partners
. (We're looking forward to rolling out the program to additional international markets soon.)
We feel it's important to reward our most dedicated community members: those who are regularly uploading original content to YouTube. In evaluating applications, we will focus on the users who have built a significant audience on YouTube (as measured by video views, subscribers, etc.) and who consistently comply with the
YouTube Terms of Use
.
We previewed this new application process to a select group of users who previously expressed interest in becoming partners -- over 100 of these users have already been added to the program, such as
tayzonday
,
hotforwords
,
apauledtv
, and
peteandbrian
.
As always, our goal is to provide a forum for people to connect, inform and inspire others across the globe. We hope that by expanding the YouTube Partner Program, more content creators will reap rewards from their work and be able to produce even more of the original videos that have made YouTube so successful.
The YouTube Team
Todd Oldham Wants to See Your Holiday DIY Videos!
Saturday, December 8, 2007
If you're a fan of anything handmade, you probably know and love design expert
Todd Oldham
. Now the Texas native wants to see what kind of innovation you're capable of. In the spirit of the holidays, he's asking you to upload video responses to this video, which challenges you to show him your best gift-making and home decoration skills.
Think of inventive uses for ordinary materials, something cool from unlikely objects, or crafts projects that can be given as gifts. Explore every verb in the DIY vocabulary: sew, drill, hammer, tape, recycle, plaster, paint, collage – and videotape it all. Todd will pick his favorite of your videos and fast-track them to us for featuring on the home page.
Can't wait to see what you come up with!
Sadia H.
(aka
sublinx
) &
Todd
YouTube HowTo & Style
Send a Video Holiday Card!
Friday, December 7, 2007
There are a lot of ways to say Happy Holidays: Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa, Joyeux Noel, Feliz Navidad, Krismasi Njema (that's Swahili)…
No matter how you say it, a unique
"video card"
is the perfect way to spread some holiday cheer to friends, loved ones, chat buddies and even to your fellow 'Tubers. All you have to do is go
here
and upload a video or insert the URL of the YouTube video you'd like to send (or even select from our list of "holiday classics" created by other users). You'll also find a "Holiday Video Card" button on our watch pages, beneath the video description field. Once you know which video you'd like to dedicate to someone, pick a festive frame for it, write a personal message, enter email addresses and off it goes to in-boxes everywhere.
So go forth and spread holiday video joy!
Boas Festas (that's Portuguese),
The YuleTube Team
Fill Your Stockings With YouTube!
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
Ready...set...shop! Now that Thanksgiving is over, the pressure is on to find the perfect gifts for your family and friends. For the folks on your list who love to create and watch videos, consider these cool products that are compatible with YouTube. Heck, why not buy one of these for yourself while you're at it?
Apple iPhone
Apple iPhone
brings YouTube to your cellphone with a built-in player that launches from the home screen. You can easily share videos with your friends using the email option which automatically includes the link to the same videos you watch on your iPhone.
Apple TV
Apple TV
brings YouTube right to your widescreen TV or home theater system. A new feature allows you to download free software which enables the same video browsing capabilities you're familiar with on YouTube. Just log in to your YouTube account on Apple TV to play and save music, movies, TV shows, podcasts and photos from a PC or Mac.
Casio EX-S880 and EX-Z77 Digital Cameras
Casio has introduced two new digital cameras which include YouTube Capture Mode. This technology makes the process of sharing those captured moments even smoother, without compromising the quality of your photos one bit. Both the
EX-S880
and
EX-Z77
include high resolution, a blur reduction feature and ideal compression settings for recording, storing and uploading high-quality videos. This device also allows you to upload multiple videos at once for a truly optimal photo sharing experience.
Flip Video Camcorder
The new
Flip Video
line of digital camcorders (from Pure Digital Technologies) is the first of its kind to enable direct video uploads to online video sharing sites like YouTube. This pocket-sized gadget plugs directly into your computer, making instant video sharing with family and friends that much easier. Flip Video is also the only camcorder that you can bring to a local photo lab for one-hour DVD processing.
LG Mobile
LG has made YouTube more conveniently accessible by providing a new user interface on your
LG mobile phone
. You can record, view and transfer videos from this LG cellphone, so you won't have to be at your home computer to get the full YouTube experience you're used to.
Logitech QuickCam Software
QuickCam software allows you to quickly upload videos directly to your YouTube account from your Logitech webcam. The QuickCapture function features a new one-touch YouTube button which pops up a separate screen for adding the title, a brief description, video category and search tags for your video clip before instantly uploading to your YouTube channel. After your video is uploaded, QuickCam sends you the web link to your clip so you can immediately start sharing your content with the world. Visit
this page
to download the new Logitech QuickCam (software version 11.5).
Nokia N95 Mobile
To surf and watch YouTube videos, just connect to the Internet and go to the "video center" option. You can also create and send high quality videos directly to YouTube from the
Nokia N95
.
Sony Net Sharing Cam
When using Sony's Memory Stick Pro Duo media card, you can store up to five hours and 2GB worth of footage, video stills and photos on this compact device. A special 'Sharemark' button using PMP software lets you customize settings on
Net Sharing Cam
to tag your files for automatic uploading via pre-programmed presets to sites like YouTube or personal blogs.
Ho, Ho, Ho!
The YuleTube Team
Project Direct: And The Winners Are...
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
Over the past week, many of you viewed and voted on the 20 films that Jason Reitman, the award-winning director of
Thank You For Smoking
and
Juno
, and a panel of industry experts selected as finalists in YouTube
Project Direct
.
Your votes have been counted and it’s time to announce the winners…
While we want to congratulate the talented filmmakers behind
Lacos (Ties)
,
Gone in a Flash
and
My Name is Lisa
on their achievement, we also want to congratulate and thank all of you who entered Project Direct and made YouTube’s inaugural short film competition such a success.
Be sure to check out the top 20 (and many more of the excellent contest submissions shortly!) in the dedicated
Project Direct gallery
!
Impressed and appreciative,
Sara P. aka
TheStoryBoard
YouTube Film
Witnessing the Writers Strike
Sunday, December 2, 2007
It's not often that one of the week's most subscribed channels on YouTube belongs to a labor union, but that's what's happened this week for the
WGA America
.
As the writers strike marches on, the guild, many of its members and some of Hollywood's best-known faces have been turning to YouTube and other sites to express their opinions, find public support, make people laugh and, well, just plain do something with all their newfound free time.
In this playlist of simultaneously funny and serious videos, writers from primetime, actors like Demi Moore and Martin Sheen, and well-known YouTubers like AskANinja and Zanzibar19 all weigh in on the situation:
So where do you stand?
Let us know,
Sara P. aka
TheStoryboard
YouTube Film
The CNN/YouTube Debate: How Did They Do?
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Did you see it? Last night's CNN/YouTube
Debate
was easily the most exciting debate of the presidential primary season. With your questions driving the debate, and with the presidential primaries just weeks away, the Republican candidates sparred on important issues like the economy, Iraq and immigration. It was a lively discussion and you can see all the clips
here.
We also had some stellar YouTube users in attendance who provided a great behind-the-scenes look at what took place. Check out some of their videos in this playlist.
But you didn't have to be at the debate in order to offer your opinions on what happened. Upload your post-debate thoughts, ideas, analyses or rants to our special post debate
page
and tell the candidates how you think they did!
Yours,
Steve aka
Citizentube
YouTube News & Politics
Tonight: The CNN/YouTube Republican Debate!
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Tonight is the night of the much-anticipated CNN/YouTube Republican Debate. At 8 PM ET, live on CNN, the eight Republican candidates on our
You Choose '08
platform will stand on a stage at the Mahaffey Theatre in St. Petersburg, Florida, peer up at an enormous video screen hanging from the ceiling, and watch video questions that you've submitted right here on
YouTube.
Take a quick peek at what the debate set looks like:
You submitted almost 5,000
questions
for the candidates (um, 4,927 to be exact), which is almost 2,000 more than for our first CNN/YouTube debate with the
Democratic
candidates. Make sure to tune in tonight to see how the candidates handle your questions, and then log on to YouTube and go to our You Choose '08 platform to let the candidates know how you think they did.
Tell your friends and enjoy the show!
Steve aka
Citizentube
YouTube News and Politics
Fantasy Football Crunch Time
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
If you're one of the millions of fans out there with a
fantasy football team
, the next few weeks are crucial: every point, every yard, every tackle can make all the difference in the final rankings. It's time to get your lineups ready: who are you going to start and who are you going to sit? Ultimately, it's up to you, but there's no shortage of fantasy sports experts on our site with timely tips and advice. Here's a few armchair experts:
* Not sure how to construct your roster in these final weeks? The crew behind the Fantasy Football Show pride themselves on personally answering email questions:
* Fantasy Fanatics Rob Shaw and Rob Nucatola from
SHPORTSTALK
offer an overview of the NFL and key insight into who's performing and who's not, week in and week out.
* David from
ABTFantasyFootball
scours the waiver wire so you don't have to.
* Whom to pick up and whom to dump? The
Fantasy Sports Girls
have indispensable advice as you're making the playoff push.
* Reporting live from his kitchen, Geno from
statbeastsports
weighs in with his picks and analysis.
* With the stated goal of dropping kick-ass fantasy football insight in an entertaining and creative way, the fellas at
Testosterone Sports
bring the noise every week.
* Last but certainly not least,
CBS Sports
has weekly tips for fantasy owners from Amber Wilson and Jamey Eisenberg.
If your team is hopelessly out of the running, you can still play spoiler with some shrewd moves. And, hey, there's plenty of time to put together a team for fantasy
basketball
and
hockey
.
Good luck,
Andrew B.
aka playactionpass
YouTube Sports
Project Direct: Go Vote!
Saturday, November 24, 2007
In October, we announced
Project Direct
, YouTube's first film competition for aspiring directors.
The response was overwhelming. We were blown away by the number of exceptional films that were submitted – both from experienced filmmakers and first-timers.
After reviewing the entries, Jason Reitman, the award-winning director of
Thank You For Smoking
and the upcoming film
Juno
, and a panel of industry experts selected
20 finalists
.
Now it's up to you to decide which filmmaker is ready for the big time. Check out this video to see exactly what's at stake (well, almost exactly -- our first, second and third place winners also walk away with cash debit cards).
We hope you enjoy these entertaining and thought-provoking films as much as we have. And stay tuned to YouTube's
Film & Animation category
to see spotlights on some of the excellent entries that may not have made the top 20 but certainly deserve your attention.
Happy voting,
Sara P. aka
TheStoryBoard
YouTube Film
Leftover Perfection
Friday, November 23, 2007
With another Thanksgiving under our belts (literally), we're not quite sure what to do with our leftovers (besides eat them). Naturally, we turned to YouTube, where we found lots of inspiration, starting with the
Culinary Institute of America
. Their channel has some interesting recipes, including this helpful video about making turkey pot pie:
ChefMelissaTV
isn't having any of it -- casseroles, sandwiches and pot pies, that is -- and promises a "fresh look at leftovers" in a special post-Thanksgiving edition of her cooking show:
Annietothemax
also takes an unconventional approach to leftovers with this video about turning leftover mashed potatoes into gnocchi:
Finally,
enot2
pontificates on what Thanksgiving leftovers could mean for our canine friends. It's a philosophical note on which to end the holiday:
We'll be back soon with more blog posts (and videos!) to serve all your holiday needs.
Cheers,
Sadia aka
sublinx
YouTube HowTo & Style
Thanksgiving Rescue!
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Here in the States, everyone’s mouths are watering at the thought of Thanksgiving. Chefs like
Jolene Sugarbaker
,
Martha Stewart
, and
Jamie Oliver
may have everything under control, but if you’re like us you haven’t even started shopping yet. But there’s no need to panic: our community of gurus is here to help with recipes and tips to make your holiday dinner super scrumptious. These videos reveal the secrets that make the classic dishes work, including how to cook a turkey, make mashed potatoes and concoct cranberry sauce to die for:
So create that grocery list, go to your 24-hour market, and make Thanksgiving magic. Then, when the tryptophan sets in and you can’t get off the couch, we have just the thing that can help with that too…
Gobble, gobble,
The YouTube Team
CNN/YouTube Debate: Submit Your Question Now!
Sunday, November 18, 2007
There's just
one week
left to upload your video question for the next
CNN/YouTube Debate
, which takes place on November 28, in St. Petersburg, Florida. All eight Republican candidates on the
You Choose '08
platform will be there to answer your questions, so what are you going to ask them?
Chris Nandor, aka
pudgenet
, just posted the following song about the debate. If you ask me, it's an instant classic in YouTube politics:
To see some other great examples of questions from the YouTube community, check out this
playlist.
So flip on those web cams and fire up those camcorders -- the deadline to upload your video is November 25th at 11:59 p.m. Pacific time.
Click here
to submit your question today!
Yours,
Steve aka
Citizentube
YouTube News & Politics
New Video Category and Tag Choices
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Just a quick post to update you on some new choices available for "Video Category" and "Tags" on the video
uploading
and
editing
pages in your account.
SUGGESTED TAGS
You can choose from a set of new "suggested tags" when you upload or edit a video, in case you need some ideas for how to best represent your content. The more descriptive your tags, the easier it will be for folks interested in your videos to find them.
Just choose the best Category for your video, then click on any of the suggested tags to automatically add them to the "Tags" field.
EDITED CATEGORIES
A few changes made to existing video categories:
- Travel & Events (previously "Travel & Places")
- Howto & Style (was "Howto + DIY")
- Gadgets and Games (now part of "Entertainment")
NEW CATEGORIES
The following new categories are now available when you upload or edit your videos:
- Education
- Nonprofits & Activism
- Science & Technology
Since these categories are brand new, we need your help to populate them by uploading new videos or editing any of your current videos which are relevant to these topics. Once these categories fill up with all of your awesome content they'll be searchable on the
Videos tab
(a few of the above changes are already reflected on the Videos page).
More categories changes are on the way, so stay tuned!
The YouTube Team
Coming Soon: The CNN/YouTube Republican Debate
Sunday, November 11, 2007
First it was the Democrats; now it's the Republicans' turn. In just
over two weeks, the second
CNN/YouTube Debate
will feature all
eight Republican candidates on the
You Choose '08
platform. Every
question asked in the debate will come from your videos, which will be
broadcast and answered in the live, prime-time event in St.
Petersburg, Florida, on November 28.
The first
debate
put
citizens' concerns squarely at the center of the political process.
Stephen Sixta's
question
on whether the
candidates would speak directly to foreign dictators spurned a dialog
between Senators Clinton and Obama that made headlines for weeks --
and has remained a central issue on which these candidates differ.
Our Republican debate already looks very promising. Almost
href="http://youtube.com/contest/RepublicanDebate ">3,000 questions
have been submitted so far, including the great ones like
these.
The submission deadline to send in your question is November 25 --
three days before the actual event -- so make sure to
submit
your videos soon. With your
help, we'll have another lively and compelling debate in which
you
drive the discussion between the candidates vying for the
Republican nomination.
Yours,
Steve aka
Citizentube
YouTube News & Politics
Multi-Video Upload Arrives
Thursday, November 8, 2007
Have a hard drive full of new videos? With the YouTube Uploader, we've
now made it easier to get them all live on the site. This small piece
of software lets you upload multiple videos to YouTube at the same
time; each video can be up to 10 minutes in length and up to 1GB in
size. That's right, no more compressing to 100MB - we want your big
files!
Right now the YouTube Uploader is only available for Windows PCs but
we're cooking up a Mac version too. To get started, just go to the
installer webpage
and download the software. Then you'll be able to
access the
Multifile Upload page
and start your, well, uploading.
These videos will be available in
My Videos
after they have finished
processing. (Note: it may take 30 minutes or more for extremely large
files to appear on your page.) We link to the Multifile Upload page
from today's single file upload page so you can always find your way
back.
Happy Uploading!
The YouTube Team
Improvements to Video Flagging System
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
Greetings from your friendly YouTube admins. We've been listening to
your feedback and we've been working hard to make the video flagging
system consistent, fair and less mysterious.
When users flag a video, it is reviewed by real-life humans at YouTube
who check to see if the video should be removed, age-restricted or
left alone.
Today we made some changes to the video flagging options:
* Clarified the top-level category names and added one for spam
* Added 17 sub-categories
* Added ability to enter additional information for some flags
* Some flagging reasons redirect to the appropriate Help Center form
These changes are aimed at making it clear to users what should be
flagged, and allows users to provide us with more information so that
the less obvious violations can become more obvious to us. This will
help us be more efficient and consistent, which should hopefully
provide a better experience for everyone.
So let us know what you think of the new menus. In the meantime, we'll
keep working on adding abuse and safety content to the Community
Guidelines and the Help Center so that the rules are more transparent.
Thanks,
The YouTube Team
Meet the Inaugural Community Council
Monday, November 5, 2007
Today marks the first day of a new project aimed at better
understanding the needs and wants of our users. The "YouTube Community
Council" consists of a handful of volunteers (who will rotate every
six months) eager to share their opinions about the site and the
community with us on a consistent basis. They're kicking off their
tenure by visiting us in San Bruno over the next few days, giving
feedback directly to the team that makes it happen behind the scenes.
You can approach any of our councilors with your thoughts, gripes --
anything at all -- over the next six months, and they will fast-track
your feedback to us. Here's a quick video to introduce you to the
team…
…and their channels:
bgirl5
bradofarrell
sarrycrey
tlg847
visiblemode
As with anything new to YouTube, we are open to your feedback on this
endeavor, and don't forget to let us know if you're interested in
being on future editions of the Council.
Best,
The YouTube Team
Updated Preview of New Videos Page (Begone, Red!)
Thursday, November 1, 2007
Thanks to everyone who checked out our first preview of the new video
browsing page and for letting us know your thoughts. Based on your
responses, we're tweaking a few things in this updated version of the
Videos
tab.
- Tab menu color is now gray, as opposed to red.
- Font size has been adjusted.
- Video categories menu now appears only when you hover over the small
triangle, next to the word "Videos" on that tab.
We got such a kick out of the more "unique" messages some users sent
to us that we couldn't resist sharing those with you. If we had a
YouTube Feedback Hall of Fame, these quotes would be high in the
ranks:
- "Wow, doesn't that look like crap...that color red absolutely sucks.
Who thought blood read would be good when someone comes home from work
and wants to veg out at some stupid meager web videos and find this
vibrant blood red that shocks the eyes into a panic attack resulting
in a deadly heart attack. To all the Youtube CEO's, talk to a
psychiatrist, they can tell you what calm and soothing colors are."
- "The preview is about as ugly as your present look, which I always
assumed was designed by a room full of engineers without access to
photoshop. "
- "When the new layout loaded, i literally jerked away from the screen
because of how unattractive it is! I then thought it might be a
hacker's joke."
- "it looks like you went back to youtube 1.0."
- "dude, this seriously looks like crap...wtf.. lol we are not blind dude."
- "Ack! My eyes! My eyes, they're burning!"
-"Nice, but how about a little more red?"
-"Ugly as ****."
Please feel free to
send
us more feedback on the
new version
.
Thanks again,
The YouTube Team
Happy Halloween from YouTube (and Rob Zombie!)
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
We were searching for the perfect person to wish you a Happy Halloween, and we thought: who better to fit that bill than notorious master of the heavy metal dark side and director of the recent reimagining of the classic
Halloween
film, Rob Zombie?
Here is his self-directed one-armed clip explaining some of the video tricks and treats that are unveiled today on our homepage, just for this spooky occasion.
Rob Zombie fans also have the opportunity to make their own scary movie. He wants you to make a video to the live version of "THUNDER KISS '65" from his new CD. Need a reason? The winners will be getting VIP tickets for LIFE and get to meet him in person. Find out how on Rob's YouTube
channel
.
And for those of you who don't just like to lurk, here is some
encouragement and perhaps a few last-minute costume ideas for your own
Halloween celebration "off-line".
Enjoy all the frightening displays of the holiday whether you are home watching scary movies or out reveling with the other creatures of the night.
Boo!
The YouTube Team
New Pornographers' Challenge -- A Winner!
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
The New Pornographers (that indie uber-group from Canada) double dared the YouTube community by issuing several video challenges ranging from inventing dances to writing parody lyrics. The funniest clips seemed to result from Challenge #2 -- "Sing a New Pornographers song in the voice of Michael McDonald of the Doobie Brothers."
Congratulations to YT user dancebuffet who wears the fake beard and Michael McDonald yacht hat so well that he wins an iPhone from the New Pornographers along with an autographed copy of their new CD,
Challengers
. He also has the right to issue his own challenge to the band, but will they take it on? Stay tuned...
Watch all the videos entries from those who were up to these unique challenges
here
.
Cheers,
Michele K-tel
YouTube Music
Charles Barkley vs YouTube
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Back in his playing days, no one threw his weight around the court better than the Round Mound of Rebound himself, Charles Barkley. These days, when he's not on the golf course or endorsing political candidates, he throws his weighty opinions around the studio as an analyst for TNT's three-time Emmy-winning show
Inside the NBA
. One of the most loquacious trash-talkers in NBA history, Chuck cuts as large a figure as a basketball commentator as he did during his Hall of Fame career.
So, hoop fans, sports vloggers and armchair analysts: Do you think you can challenge Sir Charles with your basketball acumen? And while you're at it, can you go toe-to-toe against Magic Johnson, Reggie Miller and Kenny "The Jet" Smith?
If you've got a great question about the 2007-08 NBA season, watch the challenge video
here
and post your question as a short, snappy video response. Charles, Kenny, Reggie, Magic and host Ernie Johnson will select the best questions, then broadcast and answer those questions during
Inside the NBA
on Thursday November 1, during TNT's broadcast of the Detroit vs. Miami and Phoenix vs. Seattle games.
Now, the idea here is not to try to stump the analysts with NBA minutia (like this: Which lanky forward averaged 6.3 points per game in a reserve role for the 1978-79 New Jersey Nets?*), but to instigate some compelling discussion about the game. I know I have questions, like who has the best nickname in the NBA? Why don't today's players shoot the finger-roll? Are the
new, improved Celtics
as good as advertised?
What do you think? Remember: use the video response function.
Looking forward to your video responses,
Andrew B.
The YouTube Team
*Lakers coach and Zen Master Phil Jackson
Preview of Upcoming Changes on YouTube
Thursday, October 25, 2007
In a constant effort to improve the user experience and incorporate your feedback we'll be making a number of large changes to the site over the next few months. In addition to making improvements upon existing features, we'll be rolling out some brand new items that are still in the works. We can tell you there is a lot to look forward to, but in the meantime we offer you this sneak preview of the new YouTube
video browsing page
(our "Videos" tab) and invite you to share your feedback with us.
-- Categories will now be found under the "Videos" tab.
-- Dropdown menus make for a smoother transition when clicking through popular pages, ie. "Most Viewed," "Top Favorites," "Recently Featured," etc.
-- Tabs and video browsing pages have a new overall look and feel.
These new changes will go live very soon, so make your voice heard while we're still workin' out the kinks. Send us an
email
or throw down a comment on this post.
Looking forward to hearing your thoughts,
The YouTube Team
"Watch 3.0" Is Live!
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Our new watch page is now a permanent fixture after being in beta mode since June. In the last few months, we've received lots of helpful suggestions from you and the version you see today - which we're affectionately calling "Watch 3.0" - contains many features based directly on your feedback:
-- You now have the option of viewing "Related Videos" in both grid and list style.
-- The new "More Videos From This Channel" section shows you a list of up to 30 other videos hosted on the same channel.
-- We condensed the video actions to the four that you care about the most: 'Share', 'Favorite', 'Add to Playlists' and 'Flag'.
Other changes include:
-- The video size is now larger.
-- You can now drag the slider to jump ahead anywhere in the video, without waiting for it to buffer.
-- When you switch to full screen mode, the video will continue from the point where you left off (the video will not start from the beginning).
Watch the October edition of 'YouTube News,' presented by your local funny news guy
pzottolo
, to see a summary of these new changes:
If you have any questions, upload a video response to Peter's video, make a comment below, or
write to us
. We'll be listening!
Best,
The YouTube Team
Extreme Travel Blogs
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Travel, like life, is a never-ending series of dips and turns. No matter how many hours you spend planning every minor detail, you never know exactly what lies ahead. The adventurous traveler builds these uncertainties into the ultimate challenge. How far can you go? What remote path should you choose? Here's a selection of some of the web's bravest personalities to help you decide: Mitch and Ryan of
halfthrottle
traveled 8,000 miles through Central and Latin America on their motorcycles. Rob of
14degrees
cycled 12,000 kms from Japan to England via central Asia. And Cyril, known here on YouTube as
taklamakan01
, walked 10,000 kms from Siberia to India. Distance, language barriers, and foreign landscapes stand like mountains waiting to be conquered:
Rather stay at home? Well, just pull up a chair and enjoy their rides!
Safe travels (virtual or not),
Felicia W.
The YouTube Team
"Watch 3.0" Is Live!
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Our new watch page is now a permanent fixture after being in beta mode since June. In the last few months, we've received lots of helpful suggestions from you and the version you see today - which we're affectionately calling "Watch 3.0" - contains many features based directly on your feedback:
-- You now have the option of viewing "Related Videos" in both grid and list style.
-- The new "More Videos From This Channel" section shows you a list of up to 30 other videos hosted on the same channel.
-- We condensed the video actions to the four that you care about the most: 'Share', 'Favorite', 'Add to Playlists' and 'Flag'.
Other changes include:
-- The video size is now larger.
-- You can now drag the slider to jump ahead anywhere in the video, without waiting for it to buffer.
-- When you switch to full screen mode, the video will continue from the point where you left off (the video will not start from the beginning).
Watch the October edition of 'YouTube News,' presented by your local funny news guy
pzottolo
, to see a summary of these new changes:
If you have any questions, upload a video response to Peter's video, make a comment below, or
write to us
. We'll be listening!
Best,
The YouTube Team
Video Bling for Your Blog
Thursday, October 18, 2007
To get started, just go to the
YouTube video bar wizard
. Have fun!
Later,
The YouTube Team
Got a blog or website? Maybe you want to add some pizzazz in the form of YouTube videos. If you've ever embedded individual videos, you might be interested in adding a horizontal or vertical YouTube video bar. It's easy to set up and you can customize it to feature a specific YouTube channel, Most Viewed Videos, Top Rated Videos, Recently Featured Videos, or videos resulting from a certain search term.
Here's an example of a horizontal YouTube bar featuring videos from
our channel
:
Loading...
To get started, just go to the
YouTube video bar wizard
. Have fun!
Later,
The YouTube Team
YouTube at the Austin Maker Faire
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
We all know that YouTube is chock-full of crafty gurus teaching others how to do everything from making an instrument to silk-screening a T-shirt. At the
Make Magazine
Maker Faire, held this weekend in Austin, Texas, craft mavens of all shapes and sizes will unite to show each other what they've got – and, more importantly, what they can
make
. Over 300 "makers" with varied areas of expertise will be there – witness rocket launches, a Swap-O-Rama fashion show, a life-size "Mouse Trap" and much more, as this playlist shows:
This year, YouTube and
Google SketchUp
, a software tool that streamlines and simplifies 3D design, are teaming up to partake in the fun, absorb all the creative vibes and see how we can help gurus proliferate and take over the world. With video cameras in hand (of course), we'll be on the lookout for fantastic projects and then we'll be right there to help you set up a Guru channel on YouTube, as well as answer any questions you may have. So come on down – if we don't see you on the floor, we'll be in the YouTube/SketchUp booth helping gurus of all kinds broadcast themselves.
Your Novice Craftster,
Sadia aka
Sublinx
YouTube HowTo & DIY
First Annual Blog Action Day
Monday, October 15, 2007
Da da da da da daa! Today is the start of a pretty rad movement to unite bloggers around the world. Participating blogs are writing about one single issue that is important to most everyone: the environment. Over 9,000 blogs are taking part in this initiative and in all they'll reach over seven million people.
Naturally our contribution to this special day is highlighting many of the great videos created by the YouTube community about this important topic. Watch videos from users who've explored some of the most beautiful and uncommonly traveled parts of the world. Learn about the damaging results that have come from populations not taking care of the environment. Take notes on the critical steps people are taking to save our planet.
And if you missed our "green" homepage takeover last month, curated by
Good magazine
, we're including the playlist again here for posterity.
Stay green,
The YouTube Team
YouTube + Google Earth
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Now you can find YouTube videos based on where they were created! Google Earth has just launched a new browseable layer which populates geo-tagged YouTube videos when you click on a location. To access this feature, go to
Google Earth
and head over to the new 'Featured Content' folder on the left-hand side of the page. Click the 'YouTube' button and icons pointing to videos related to that area on the map will appear. The closer you zoom in, the more videos will display; you can then watch these videos via Google Earth or YouTube. You can also search for all videos attached to a specific location or just click around on the map as you please. This works best if you download the newest version of Google Earth, so be sure to get the latest version.
You can tag your video with a location during the upload process on YouTube. Simply click the "Date and Map Options" to display the maplet, then drag the marker or use the search browser to choose a specific location. Once your location is recorded, your video will appear on Google Earth.
Geo-tagging your videos is a great way to share your experiences with your viewers – they can literally peek in on that
scuba diving trip in the Pacific
, see what it's like to be
at the top of L'Arc de Triumph
in Paris, or feel like they're right there with you
in the park with your best friends
.
So go forth and geo-tag, 'Tubers!
The YouTube Team
YouTube Content Partners + Video Units
Monday, October 8, 2007
Remember learning about ecosystems in science class? Oceans, beehives, forests, the city you live in -- they're all groups where members interact with and (hopefully) benefit from each other. Ecosystems extend to the Internet as well.
Our friends over at Google AdSense just announced a new offering called video units. Video units feature compelling video content within a customizable video player and are supported with user-friendly, targeted advertising from AdWords advertisers. Starting today, third party website publishers in the AdSense program can start displaying these video units on their sites.
So what role does YouTube play in this ecosystem? AdSense is collaborating with select YouTube content partners to supply the videos for these video units to display on third party Adsense partner websites. We're pretty excited about this because we're now able to offer YouTube content partners, if they choose, a significant opportunity to reach new audiences. There are thousands of websites that use Google AdSense, which means more people to watch these videos. Some of the content partners participating include
TV Guide Broadband
,
Expert Village
,
Next New Networks
,
Extreme Elements
,
Mondo Media
,
Ford Models
,
Lisanova
,
Lonelygirl15
, and many more.
To learn more about video units and check out a live demo, visit the
AdSense Blog
.
Cheers,
The YouTube Team
Your Ticket to the New York Film Festival
Thursday, October 4, 2007
By helping filmmakers directly reach their audiences, YouTube and other video sharing sites have been democratizing the process of film distribution. So it was only a matter of time before historically exclusive independent film festivals became more accessible, too.
Last Friday, the 45th New York Film Festival kicked off in Manhattan, showcasing such buzzed-about films as Wes Anderson’s
The Darjeeling Limited
, Julian Schnabel’s The Diving Bell and the Butterfly and the Coen Brothers’ No Country For Old Men. And thanks to
IFC
, you don’t have to be in New York to attend!
Check out the
Film & Animation category
for the next few days for updated footage from the fest, including Q&As, filmmaker panels and red carpet coverage.
Enjoy film lovers!
Sara P. aka
TheStoryBoard
Is Your School Geek or Chic?
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
A while back Threadbangers, that hip HowTo channel from Florida, showed us
how to turn a T-shirt into a hoodie
and
how to transform a guitar strap into a belt.
Now thread heads Rob and Corrine are ready to take it to the next level.
Threadbanger
wants to give one YouTuber and his/her high school a fashion makeover. That's right - these DIY'ers want to get a glimpse of your school, your friends, and your classmates and see if they're in need of some major fashion help.
So do you think your high school could use some DIY fashion guidance?
Send in videos
(with permission from your school, of course!) and show Threadbanger your fashion faux pas. Who knows? You might be lucky enough to have these experts show you what it takes to turn your style-challenged homeroom into a couture runway.
Your Novice Craftster,
Sadia aka
Sublinx
YouTube Howto & DIY
Hey, Directors! Ready to Hit the Big Screen?
Monday, October 1, 2007
Welcome to YouTube
Project Direct
, our first film competition and – drumroll, please – our first international contest ever!
If you’re ready to turn your craft into your career, direct an original short film incorporating three key elements, outlined for you here by award-winning filmmaker, Jason Reitman, and you could get the exposure you need.
Submit your film by November 9, and Jason and a panel of industry experts, including studio executives and Hollywood agents, will review your films and choose the top twenty. Starting November 24th, the YouTube community will vote for a final winner.
Check out the
Project Direct
channel to see what’s up for grabs!
Good luck!
Sara P. aka
TheStoryBoard
YouTube Film
The Unrest in Myanmar
Friday, September 28, 2007
As the biggest protests in 20 years rage against the government in Myanmar, YouTube has become a window into the violence occurring there. Large crowds, punctuated by hundreds of monks wearing saffron robes, are protesting the army's relocation of citizens and use of forced labor. Press reports claim 10 civilian casualties so far, though reports on the ground suggest that number could be much higher.
Some of those reports are coming from citizens who are uploading videos of these protests in the face of an intense governmental crackdown on the media. This video is one of nine clips uploaded by a user who joined YouTube just four days ago and has gained so much attention that it made the front page of the
Wall Street Journal
today.
Others have used YouTube to advocate for Myanmar's civilians as well. Witness, a human rights group that uses video as an advocacy tool, has this
documentary
about the conflict in Myanmar. And a few weeks ago, actor Jim Carrey posted this
video call to action
on behalf of Aung San Suu Kyi, Myanmar's democratically-elected leader who has been held in prison by the military since the late 1980s.
The Myanmar government has closed Internet cafes in Rangoon and disconnected most of the country's cell phone lines, but videos like these are already up, raising awareness of the situation unfolding now.
Best,
Steve G. aka
Citizentube
YouTube News & Politics
Site Update 9/26
Friday, September 28, 2007
Ladies and gentlemen, we are proud to present to you the latest site updates.
Hot off the press, here is a breakdown of these exciting new changes.
NEW NONPROFIT GRANTS PROGRAM
With this new premium channel-type, nonprofit organizations will have the ability to embed a Google Checkout donation button on their channel and video watch pages that allows people to make a contribution directly from YouTube (no transaction fees included). To
apply
for this program, nonprofit organizations should go to www.youtube.com/nonprofits.
WATCH 3.0 NOW LIVE!
Since launching the beta version of the new video watch page back in June, we've received lots of helpful suggestions from all of you.
The new watch page is now live for all videos on YouTube. Here are some of the changes we made to the beta version that were based directly on your feedback.
- The video description will stay located on the upper right hand side, where it had been previous to the beta version.
- You now have the option of viewing "Related Videos" in both grid and list style.
- The new "More Videos From This Channel" section shows you a list of up to 30 other videos hosted on the same channel.
- We condensed the video actions to the four that you care about the most: 'Share', 'Favorite', 'Add to Playlists' and 'Flag'.
These are some items we didn't change on the original beta version, since most people were happy with the result:
- Ads no longer appear above the video on the watch page.
- "Promoted Videos" have been moved to the bottom of the page.
- The video size is now larger!
- We now have progressive downloading, so you no longer have to wait for the video to buffer in order to jump ahead.
- When you switch to full screen mode, the video will continue from the point where you left off (the video will not start from the beginning).
We encourage you to send us an
email
, make a video response or post a comment here to let us know what you think of these new features.
Carry on YouTubians, and don't forget to tune in again next time,
The YouTube Team
Broadcast Your Cause: The YouTube Nonprofit Program
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Does your nonprofit organization have a great story to tell? Do you want to connect with supporters online but don't have the money for expensive outreach campaigns? Or are you just looking for ways to do a bit of good in the world?
YouTube has been used by many nonprofits in their online advocacy campaigns, and today we make that process even easier with the launch of the
YouTube Nonprofit Program.
If you're a nonprofit (in the U.S., that means you have 501(c)(3) tax filing status), you can apply for a designated "nonprofit" channel, which will include increased branding capabilities and video uploading capacity, rotation in the "promoted videos" areas on YouTube, and the option to embed a Google Checkout gadget on your channel to drive your online fundraising efforts – we'll even waive the transaction fees. Here's a quick video containing tips we've learned from nonprofits that might help your organization:
Several nonprofits are already using YouTube in their outreach; in fact, 13 of them helped us launch the program today and we're featuring videos from each of them right now on our
home page
. Nonprofit organizations have also used YouTube to run
video contests
, broadcast
celebrity endorsements
and launch innovative video campaigns inspiring people to produce
videos
on the issues they care about.
As more and more nonprofits
sign up for the program
, we'll build a special category on the site for videos from these groups, making it easier for you to discover and share their videos, and to engage with them right here on YouTube.
Best,
The YouTube Team
SouthTube: Where Everybody Was Somebody
Monday, September 24, 2007
Last weekend's
SouthTube
was more than just a user gathering; the Marietta, Georgia, event felt like a family reunion. YouTubers from all over the U.S. showed up to meet each other in the flesh and, of course, to make some videos. Hats off to organizers
hmarty
,
tubegranny
, and
lemonette
who went above and beyond to create a memorable experience for everyone: 'Tubers sang, danced, laughed, and enjoyed great food (can anyone say BBQ up at Red Top Mountain?!). There was even an awards show that gave attendees the opportunity to win prizes in such categories as the most creative channel name, least likely to be featured, and the obligatory King and Queen of SouthTube (see below for video). Two users,
paul1967uk
and
positivesue
, came from as far as the UK, and
TheBennyZone
went through 23 hours of bus rides, including six transfers, to get there. Plus, I got lots of great feedback from y'all, which I'll be bringing back to California this week to share with the whole YouTube team. Until then, let's reflect fondly on those sweet Georgia days:
Peace,
Big Joe aka
BigJoeSmith
The YouTube Team
Hot Rides in Frankfurt
Friday, September 21, 2007
The eyes of the automotive industry and those of car aficionados everywhere have been on Frankfurt for the last week for the Internationale Automobil-Ausstellung (IAA), otherwise known as the Frankfurt Motor Show. When they weren't gorging themselves on Frankfurt's signature sausages and beers, attendees were treated to the most highly-anticipated new model unveilings of the year, from sexy, high-end exotics like the
Lamborghini Reventon
and the
Porsche 911 GT2
, to somewhat more practical rides for city-dwellers like the
Dodge Journey
or the
MINI Clubman
. If you couldn't make it to there yourself, we've got the video!
As expected given the Teutonic setting, German auto uber-giants Volkswagen, Audi, Mercedes Benz, Porsche and Bayerische Motoren Werke (aka BMW) took center stage. Each of their major 2009 unveilings are neatly captured in this recap video from
InsideLineVideo
:
Fuel-efficient vehicles have also drawn a great deal of attention, especially those with new technologies like BMW's Concept X6 with an "Active Hybrid" system:
The IAA wraps up in a few days, but for more unveilings and recap footage,
WebRidesTV
and
FastLaneDaily
are both posting exclusive coverage.
Auf Wiedersehen
Andrew B.
The YouTube Team
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