Official Blog
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
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