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
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