Holy Smokes! I cannot believe that I have never discovered this before! I knew that there were links on Facebook for YouTube, such as fan pages. But I had NO IDEA that I could actually post YouTube videos on my Facebook page.
Attn: Disembodied self! Being on two of my favorite websites in the same screen without having to open two different windows (although that wasn't hard, this is just sooo much easier).
The Facebook version is called YouTubeBox. The application can be easily added under your personal settings by clicking 'add application'. Then there is a slight introduction on how to manage your videos, and it even comes with two videos already posted.
This, was very odd. The two videos it had already placed on my page were something about a skateboarding dog, and another about a Miss Teen USA contestant....And I thought the Michael Phelps videos made me look like a weirdo.
Other than that, everything was pretty much the same as the original YouTube site, in terms of uploading and sharing videos. The search link appeared to pull up the same results as the original site. However, some of the specifications are not as apt to Facebook. Such as NYT's evil memory trick of saving what you often search and presenting you with similar videos.
Adding YouTube to Facebook is merely a step towards complete laziness, but it's still pretty sweet!
In an attempt to regain my appreciation, New York Times on-line has presented itself with another article, this time, once again, complimenting YouTube. This article outlines the potential benefits, us 'nobody's' can receive from making a fool of ourselves online on a daily basis.
We meet (if we hadn't already) Michael Buckley, who actually found so much success with his YouTube 'show' that he had to quit his 'real' job in order to focus solely on creating his YouTube cast.
He actually got his start on a small, part-time television show on the East Coast, where fans found his celebrity rants and parody's so entertaining they began posting his bits on YouTube. His popularity continued to build until he was one of the most searched phrases on YouTube. He is now earning over $100,000 a year from YouTube advertisers.
How does it work? So if I make a fool of myself and post it on YouTube, I'll start making nauseating amounts of money? I wish. First, you must build the fan base. Buckley said this took him over a year to accomplish. Once YouTube takes notice to the massive amount of fan hits, advertisers will take notice too. Advertisers then pay YouTube to display their products on the same page as Buckley's videos, and in return Buckley is compensated.
Now, he is not just handed this money. YouTube has a partnership program, with thousands of members that have applied and qualified to become members. On average only about 3% receive any substantial amount of compensation for their contributions.
I didn't realize how much I engaged in Dr. Bugeja's concept of changing nature of the home until I sat and really pondered it.
This is an idea where home used to be viewed as our refuge from the outside world. We would go home as a way to escape the business of our surroundings, and almost feel secluded. However, now, home is where I go to connect myself to the outside world. But with this, creates new issues of both privacy and security, even though it is self-induced.
Almost every time I get home, the first thing I do is set all my stuff down, walk into my bedroom, and turn on my computer. Usually it's another hour or so before I actually sit down and begin my venture into the outside world, but at least I know it's on and ready for me.
My first plan of attack is to check my NDSU e-mail, in case I receive any life-changing information from my professors, obviously. (Odd because I was just at school all day, any information I needed, I probably could have already received.)
Then, on to Facebook...I need to see what my friends are up to, right? A simple phone call, or the more common text message would be all too practical and time consuming, when I can reach out to everyone at once via Stalkerbook.
Occasionally I hit my MySpace page, just in case those few oddball friends of mine that don't have Facebook accounts have posted anything new on there.
THEN, my favorite part...YouTube. This is where I go to see what I missed during the day. Usually due to things such as being at work or class, however sometimes because of overlapping schedules. I would say my primary usage for YouTube lately would be viewing news casts or talk shows that I otherwise missed.
The Internet in general, and primarily YouTube give me an outlet to my world. I can be completely caught up on my day within about an hour of Internet surfing. It's wonderful and sad at the same time.
As I was reading a recent New York Times on-line article, I couldn't help but get a little upset, as well as find myself humored. Beinga Broadcast/Journalsim major, I am well aware of the fact that reporters are constantly looking for 'the next big story', and giving your stories a dramatic tone/twist is mandatory in keeping the readers attention...However, people that are contradict themselves annoy me.
Throughout the semester I have, with much thanks to Dr. Platt, been graced by the New York Times on-line articles constantly keeping me updated with YouTube, and new changes and strides it has been taking. Because, afterall, when I Google YouTube, it's pretty obvious what a majority of my results entail.
For the most part, NYT has had very positive things to say about YouTube, however this recent article, not only seemed badmouth YouTube, it also contradicted some of NYT's previous articles pertaining to YouTube.
Maybe I just feel this way because it goes against how Ipercieve YouTube...
The article basically rips on one of the things that I have stated in previous posts that I enjoy most about YouTube. The fact that YouTube has an identity vs. demographics approach to their broadcasting. It picks up on the fact that I (yes, I'm ashamed to admidt this) frequently search out different things about Michael Phelps, whether it be news casts, talk shows, or other things bestowing his awkward face. So now, everytime I log in to my channel (YouTube user account) I am presented with a few newer videos involving Michael Phelps, that YouTube feels I may be interested in watching. I LOVE this because it saves me time, and conects me to things I normally may not have found in my searches.
But, the NYT article argues that this is breaching a users sense of privacy, and if someone was searching for something that may be frowned upon by others, everyone will be able to view this, and judge them. The article continues to explain and emphasize how difficult it is to sift through the privacy settings to make your site more discrete...if I can figure it out, ANYONE can figure it out.
They continue by saying that there's no middle ground, and if you wish to partake in this community, you must be willing to compromise your secrecy. However, as I've stated in previous posts, that's absolutely not true...at all. You just can't post videos, or view videos that have been set to privacy settings (as in NOT public, NYT). But you are still welcome to view most videos.
I think that YouTube, as well as almost anything found on the Internet is a prime example of what Dr. Bugeja presents as trading privacy for convenience. We are offered so much technology through YouTube, but in return, we have to let others share in and witness what we are viewing.
Although it's probably pretty lame to be gawking over a gangly swimmer at age 23, but I'm okay with everyone knowing I'm a huge dork.
I will be the first to admit, that in the past few weeks, I have began getting a little bored with YouTube. I have my certain 'keywords' that I like to search, and I'm assuming, like other people, they are oftentimes related to current happenings. But once those events are not so happening anymore, the demand for videos subsides.
One example would be videos depicting key players in the Presidential election. Prior to November 4th you could find new videos about John McCain, Barack Obama and Sarah Palin (sorry Joe Biden) almost hourly. Now, they are few and far between.
Although usage on YouTube is still above and beyond that of almost every other website online, numbers have gone down. As a way to bring something new to it's viewers, YouTube is holding an event, open to anyone, on November 22nd, called YouTubeLive.
(info. from New York Times.com)
The event has a variety of guests/performers for viewers to enjoy. Singer Katy Perry, who has her own personal YouTube channel will perform. As well as the two hosts of Mythbusters, and other people who have become celebrities in their own right because of the growing popularity of their YouTube videos.
The website advertising this upcoming event, is immaculate in and of itself. There is SO much to look at like a countdown that gets down to the seconds until the premiere. As well as a list of featured performers. And advertisements for contests, such as "Name that Virgin Atlantic Airplane".
There are also other media facets available, such as a link to RSVP your attendance on Facebook, or add the event date to your YouTube account. Convergence perhaps?
The more I explore YouTube, the more I see how simplistically complicated it really is. I could be totally off on this idea, but I sort of feel YouTube to be a combination of convergence, collective intelligence, and transmedia storytelling. Now, let me explain....
As stated by our text, Convergence Culture, each of these terms, individually, can be defined as:
Convergence: The flow of content across multiple media platforms, and, the cooperation between multiple media industries.
Collective Intelligence: The ability of virtual communities to leverage the knowledge and expertise of their members.
Transmedia Storytelling: Stories that unfold across multiple media platforms, with each medium making distinctive contributions to our understanding of the world, a more integrated approach to franchise.
Now, I'll keep explaining...
After viewing this Guitar Hero World Tour commercial, I hope that several different mediums were apparent to you.
This is a commercial, which is a parody of a famous movie advertising a video game based on music starring professional athletes, on the Internet.
Now, I would hope that the convergence is rather apparent. There are six different mediums represented in a 30 second commercial. I think that collective intelligence is not too hidden either. Although a majority of the mediums were all professionally created, their placement on YouTube was not, and can easily be sought out by anyone who wishes to view it.
Finally, transmedia storytelling, slightly less self-explanatory. Although the merging of all six mediums does not come together to display an overall message, some extra knowledge is required.
Take for instance, if you are not very familiar with professional athletes. In this particular commercial, Alex Rodriguez (baseball), Tony Hawk (skateboarding), Kobe Bryant (basketball) and Michael Phelps (swimming), are featured. And each male athlete is wearing a piece of clothing that represents their particular sport. The first time that I saw this commercial I did not recognize Tony Hawk, therefore was very confused as to why one guy was wearing a helmet. I still enjoyed the commercial prior to learning who he was, however it made much more sense once I could identify with each character.
Other instances where this may be helpful? Younger generations (which presumably, this commercial is targeted for) are less likely to recognize this infamous scene from the film Risky Business which was originally performed by Tom Cruise. Again, the advertisement will still be enjoyable because it combines famous athletes with a popular video game, however, the entire effect will not be felt.
Executives for YouTube are discovering the lack of validity their website bestows upon viewers. With sites such as Hulu are attempting to overshadow YouTube, by making it appear young, juvenile, and under experienced.
Initially, when you visit the Hulu homepage, you are instantly greeted with a well-organized, visually-appealing array of options. Although the actual amount of video options Hulu offers is embarrassing compared to the millions + YouTube posses, Hulu's quality vastly outshines YouTube's quantity. Hulu also offers full length episodes and movies as opposed to the short clips found on YouTube. And, most importantly, all videos found on Hulu are posted by the actual creators, therefore no copyright infringements can be addressed.
BUT, and that's a big but...
I'm not turning my back on YouTube just yet. In hopes of becoming more credible, YouTube is in the process of 'growing up'. They have a long ways to go, but the intentions and prospects are good...
YouTube is gradually pulling themselves from their initial grassroots approach to media, in hopes of broadening their prospective (professional) users. Although YouTube does not intend to completely uproot, they are still inviting users to post their fan videos, spoofs, and musical tributes, they are trying to deflect illegal postings (such as videos without permission).
Some ways in which YouTube is 'growing up' you might ask?
They (YouTube) have established a VideoID system, which makes it easy to recognize whether or not the video in question was legally placed on the website, or not. If the video does not have the VideoID, the corporation who owns the rights to the video has two options. First, they can pull the video from YouTube. Or, second, they can add advertisement to the video.
In a much larger stride towards Internet maturity, YouTube has paired up with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM). This partnership allows YouTube the rights to certain full length feature films, as well as complete episodes of television shows.
MGM currently has complete control over which shows and films will be featured on YouTube, and currently it is a very small selection, which hopefully will grow, as popularity increases. Production companies are hoping that a partnership with YouTube will help to diminish the 'pirating' of films and television shows.
Hopefully, this will help YouTube to keep up and be a valid competitor with Hulu currently and in the future.
When opting to upload a video, one warning that appears states that videos any longer than ten minutes must be split because they are too large, and do not comply with the YouTube user agreement. Much like everything in life, there are ways around this rule. However, in YouTubes' case, the exception only applies to more corporate users. Users such as The Associated Press, CBS, and various (National) news stations are able to upload videos of much greater lengths. (For example Senator John McCain's acceptance speech for the Republican National Convention runs 55:58 and can be found on YouTube, posted by C-SPAN.)
Allowing users to upload videos longer than ten minutes can be very beneficial for viewers. In instances such as McCain's acceptance speech, if an "average" user were to try and show this video, they would have to cut it in to six different pieces. Causing a viewer to have to avidly seek out each individual piece, which can take away from the overall quality and enjoyment of the video.
On October 10th, The New York Timespublished a story about another route YouTube plans to take (Thank-you, Dr. Platt). YouTube will start offering television channels such as CBS to include full-length episodes of certain television shows. This helps YouTube to compete with other video-casting websites that already offer such options. It can also be beneficial to users who do not have recording devices such as DVR and TiVo.
I think this can prove to be a great idea and addition for YouTube. Amongst the T.V. shows that CBS will be airing on YouTube are some shows that primarily are only on Showtime. So if you do not have cable, you would not normally be able to watch these shows. But by adding them to YouTube, it can broaden their fan base.
The catch? Because there always is one... Viewers will be forced to watch an advertisement before and after the show they are watching. As well as one amidst the show.
Throughout college I have taken various forms of media classes. I cannot remember exactly which class it was, or when I was introduced to a life-changing concept, but my media experience have never been the same. This concept, you may ask? Product Placement.
Prior to learning about this, I never realized how prominently product placement is used in modern media. Now, I cannot watch an episode of Desperate Housewives without noticing that every character drives some form of Chrysler/Nissan/Aston Martin on the show. Or, that any time you watch some sort of press conference or interview with an Olympic athlete they have a Coca-Cola bottle in their hand, or make some reference to 'craving a Big Mac'. This concept has become second-nature to my media enjoyment, however sometimes I find it to be a bit annoying. I would like to enjoy a show, or watch an interview without feeling as if I am constantly being persuaded into buying something.
One thing that I really appreciated about YouTube was the fact that it was user-ran therefore little to no advertising was involved. I could seek out whatever sort of entertainment I was looking for without being bombarded by Nike Swooshes or a personal testimony on how delicious a Hardee's Thickburger is. However, much like every aspect of media, YouTube is 'keeping up with the Joneses', and now advertisement is slowly making it's way on to my computer screen.
Oftentimes, YouTube does not allow you to upload videos that are any longer than ten minutes. Videos such as these sometimes bestow a banner-style advertisement across the bottom of the screen. This new addition really bugs me, because oftentimes it covers up parts of the video. Although you are able to 'x' out of this advertisement, it is still bothersome. Occasionally, there is also mini-ads before and/or after the video that are announcing the release of a new CD or the premiere of a new movie.
Although this does bug me a little bit, one way which I feel it could be beneficial is if they could create some way to customize the advertisement. If I am seeking out a YouTube video on George Clooney, then prior to my viewing, show me an advertisement for his latest movie that is coming out next month. I believe this will be better received by viewers because then at least they feel like some thought and care was behind the advertisement, rather than just extra dollar signs.
YouTube is a fantastic example of collective intelligence on the Internet. As Henry Jenkins simply puts it, collective intelligence can be defined as,
"No one knows everything, everyone knows something, all knowledge resides in humanity." *
With this, people are encouraged to build and grow off of each others' expertise.
YouTube embodies this theory wonderfully. As long as it is appropriate and complies with the user agreement, YouTubers are invited to add whatever they wish to the website. Some people choose to add less thought-evoking videos such as tributes to their favorite celebrities. However, others choose to broadcast themselves as a way to inform, or persuade the public into what they feel/believe/think/etc. And everyone is encouraged and welcomed to search for and view whatever sort of topics they may choose.
Although personal accounts are more popular on YouTube, public organizations have them as well. Corporations such as Johnson & Johnson, Senator John McCain, The Associated Press, and Oprah. These people/groups use their YouTube page as a way to inform the public and post videos they feel may be of interest.
Underneath the screen that shows the videos there is an area that encourages user comments. Some people choose to simply say, "Wow! I loved this video". However, some actually give input or additional information, allowing the video creator to further the accuracy and/or quality of whatever they may have posted.
YouTube is a great way for people to share and retrieve information, no matter how mind-altering it may or may not be.
(*Collective Intelligence definition is not the actual definition, rather Jenkins' interpreted definition.)
I had created another blog guiding you throughout what a user account (they are referred to as 'channels' on YouTube) actually looked like. However, once I was almost done I saw that I had recieved a comment on a previous post, and decided to redo my post.
Crystal was not aware that I was new to YouTube, and had some questions about the differences of being an actual user as compared to just visiting the website. So, I thought this should be explored a little more.
By simply typing in the URL, http://www.youtube.com/, everyone is taken to the same opening page. This page has various videos displayed at the top that are currently being watched by other people as well as videos that are being promoted (by accounts such as the Associated Press, etc.). There is also the search bar where you can enter key words for certain things you may be looking for. If you are not a registered user this is about as far as you get to explore.
Non-registered users are welcome to search and cruise throughout the website for as long as they would like. However, they may not be able to access every video they wish to. Registered useres have the option when they upload videos whether or not they would like to allow everyone or just those signed up to YouTube to view their videos.
Non-registered users do not get to create any sort of member profile. Therefore, they cannot save their favorite videos, or recieve or post any comments on videos. They also cannot post any videos themselves, only view videos.
On the other hand, registered users basically have free reign over YouTube. They are encouraged to rate one-another's videos, as well as post and comment on them. We also can create a favorites list so we don't always have to perform searches to see the videos we like the most.
So, depending on the amount of activity one wishes to have while exploring YouTube, a user account may or may not be beneficial. I hope this slightly cleared up any questions!
So, I have not been too shy about fessing up to the fact that I'm not very comfortable with computers. This is why the attempt at my next post really worried me. Since I have now created my own YouTube account, I figured I need to start posting, right?
Well, I wasn't too sure what to post as a video because I don't own a video camera. One thing that I noticed to be very popular throughout my YouTube cruising was video montages. So, I created my own vidoe montage. I figured that all of the 18 and under crowd had sufficiently polluted YouTube with tributes to The Jonas Brothers, Justin Timberlake, Michael Phelps, and all of the other "hotties" they are "in love with".
Something that is of great interest to me is Breast Cancer Awarness. When I did a YouTube search on this topic I did find several links, but most were just informative. Seeing as October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month I thought I would create my own video montage dedicated to this cause (insert flood of scared panic....now).
Although I could probably create approximately 4000+ blogs on how entertaining it must have been to watch me trying to figure out the video application on my computer...that's not what we're talking about now. So, once I finally created my Scorsese-esque documentary, it was time to "Broadcast Myself".
When uploading a video on YouTube you must give it a title, a brief descritption of what it is about, choose a couple of key words that can be picked up during searches, and choose a topic to which your video relates to. For my search words I chose 'breast + cancer + awareness', and for my topic I chose 'education'.
For my title I chose to name it 'My First Time'. Since this was, in fact, my first time. I figured naming my video this would generate more hits then 'Breast Cancer Awareness Montage'. Since it was my first video I wanted to allow myself the opportunity for as many hits as possible and am hoping I may even get some comments. (Even if they are negative, and upset because of my misleading title...) In my description, I explained the reasoning for my tricky title.
Ta-da! I have successfully uploaded my first video to YouTube! Take that ILUVJONASBROS, I can do this too!
In my opinion, the most successful way to present a blog entirely about YouTube, I should create my own YouTube account. I also though, I would invite you along for the ride. As I am not the most computer savvy college student, I thought it may be a bit entertaining.
To begin with, I went to the YouTube website, and in the upper righthand corner there is a link that says sign up. Alright, I think I can handle this so far. To begin with you simply have to fill out some basic information such as your age, sex, and location. As well as read and comply with the terms of service.
Next step- Create a user name. Through my experiences of cruising YouTube I have seen some rather interesting user names. Names like; ILUVJONASBROS, or QTPIE18, and other names paying tribute to pop stars, athletes, other various celebrities, and even different political affiliations. I'm not sure how much use I will get out of my YouTube account later on in life (and because it's free to create one, I could always choose something else) I chose NewTube442 as my user name. Probably self explanitory since I'm new to YouTube and our communications class is Comm 442.
Actually signing up for YouTube was much easier than I thought it would be. After filling out the basic form, I was just asked to check my e-mail address and confirm everything before my account was finalized.
Once I recieved my e-mail welcoming me to the YouTube community, I was given a link to my home page where I can edit my personal settings and create a user profile. I created a very basic profile that did not disclose much information about myself, and slightly introduced what I was even trying to do with my account. One thing I found interesting was that you cannot upload a photo on your account until you have been a user for over 48 hours.
Now that my account has been created I'm even more intrigued by YouTube. It's sort of like a MySpace on internet infused crack. You're given the opportunity to tell other people about yourself as well as post your favorite music, and send each other messages. But along with all of this you can post and watch videos as well...
Seeing as we are all in a 400 level communications class, I can safely assume we know at least basic English rules. An old classic I will definately never forget is the one where you can never define a word by using the original word in the definition. With this mindset, I found it rather humerous that when I set out on my adventure of discovering when and where YouTube was concieved, I went right to the source. To my suprise, when I YouTubed YouTube's history, I only found one link.
YouTube.com gained rapid popularity almost right away. It was initially created by 3 former employees of PayPal.com, Chad Hurley (a design major), Steve Chen, and Jawed Karim (computer science majors), according to Wikipedia.
As found on YouTube's official website, on February 15, 2005, Hurley, Chen and Karim registered the domain name YouTube.com. They saw their idea as a way for people to easily broadcast videos throughout the internet. The first official video (one of the creators, Karim, at the zoo) was posted on April 23, 2005, and in May an official public bandwith was launched attracting an average of 30,000 viewers per day. By November YouTube had over 200,000 registered users viewing about 2 million videos per day. Although YouTube was already gaining popularity they did not make their official web debut until Deceber 15, 2005.
Currently, YouTube.com is the 4th most visited website online, behind Yahoo!, Microstoft Network (MSN), and Google. As of April 9, 2008, YouTube allows access to about 83.4 million videos and has 3.75 registered user channels (Wikipedia).
There is so much to learn about YouTube, I didn't even know where to begin. After some deliberation, I decided that from the beginning was the smartest idea...
Everything has to start somewhere, right? Well, where "exactly" did YouTube.com begin? Now, I must confess, I began writing this post prior to looking up any sort of information. choosing YouTube as blog topic was 100% because I find it an intriguing website. I have no prior knowledge, and thought it would be a great way to discover how detailed, or perhaps simplistic, this rapidly growing phenomenon is.
I have several questions that I hope to gradually answer throughout my months of blogging. Questions such as:
Who started YouTube.com? Can it's creation be pinpointed to one particular person or group of people.
Is there any specified launch date? Or, did YouTube just sort of gradually make it's way on to our computer screens.
Do the creators profit from the public's use of YouTube?
Must you pay a fee to become a member of YouTube? Or is it complimentary.
How long does it take to upload videos on YouTube?
What are the stipulations as far as media rights and ownership?
Must a person be certain age before they are old enough to use YouTube?
How do other media outlets feel about YouTube?
Can YouTube be a liable source for information?
I am sure there are many other questions and issues that need to, and hopefully will be addressed throughout the semester. As I get myself aquainted with YouTube, I hope to gain a better understanding of the internet as a whole. Perhaps, I could YouTube some how-to information on Internet for Dummies?
Due to an ever-growing lack of free time, I have found myself greatly intrigued by YouTube.com. Although YouTube.com made its internet debut just over 3 years ago, I have just recently, within the past few months, fallen in love with this concept.
I personally use YouTube.com as a late night pasttime. Once I get home from work, and before I go to bed, I CruiseTube. Usually in hopes of catching T.V. news segments, current celebrity gossip, or even music videos. Although these facets are availible all hours of the day, oftentimes schedules are conflicting, and cause me to miss things I would normally like to watch.I am interested in learning more about the ever-growing popularity of YouTube.com, how it has progressed, and how it has (positively or negatively) changed our culture.
I know I cannot be the only person that relies on YouTube.com for a majority of my entertainment needs, so I am curious to learn how other YouTubers percieve and maintain their affair.
I am a Senior at North Dakota State University, majoring in Broadcasting. Once I finish school I hope to (eventually) work as an anchor at an established news station, somewhere other than Fargo (hopefully).
