YouTube UK Blog
Jump The Big Brother Queue With YouTube
Wednesday, 17 December 2008
Love it or hate it, Big Brother is on its way back – and this time around YouTube users will be first in line for a chance to enter the house for the 10th instalment of the show.
The Big Brother Team is inviting YouTube users to pitch for a place in front of their cameras via 60-second videos uploaded to the
Big Brother Auditions
channel. Just in case you haven’t yet grasped what works in the house after nearly a decade on TV, here are a few tips from former housemates (which you may or may not elect to heed):
Top entrants will be invited to a VIP audition day, bypassing the usual unruly scrum for a slot on the show. There is just one further thing that would-be winners of the £100,000 top prize should bear in mind: Big Brother audition videos are subject to the same terms and conditions as all other YouTube content. So if you’re thinking of “doing a Kinga”, we respectfully urge you to think again…
Have fun,
The YouTube Team
New, Wider Layout For Your Channel
Wednesday, 17 December 2008
We wanted to give everyone a heads up that we'll shortly be expanding all standard channels over to the new 960 pixel width. This is the same change we made with the video watch page a few weeks ago, and will make channels wider and consistent with the rest of the site.
Have channel backgrounds you want to get ready for the change? You can get a sneak peek of what your channel will look like by visiting the following URL today:
http://www.youtube.com/user/YourUsername?wide=1
(e.g. if your username is "jane12345," then replace "YourUsername" in the URL with "jane12345" to see how your own channel will appear).
Holler at us with your
feedback
,
The YouTube Team
Win a Trip to Davos, and Have Your Say
Monday, 15 December 2008
It has been a year of crisis in the global economy. The collapse of credit has left countless people in crushing debt, prompted governments to bail out their nations' strongest companies and brought instability to markets that had seen decades of unfettered growth in a newly globalised economy.
That's the bad news. The good news is that it often takes a crisis to bring about change.
This year at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, the world's top thinkers and leaders will gather to discuss how to bring about that change. They believe that fresh solutions have to come from fresh sources, so they're asking for your help: YouTube is partnering with WEF to give you the chance to join the debate on four key issues facing the planet today. One lucky YouTuber will even get to fly to Davos, all expenses paid, to attend the Forum, which takes place January 28-February 1, 2009.
It's called the
Davos Debates
- and there are four main topics being discussed: the economy, politics, ethics, and the environment. Go to the Davos Debates
YouTube channel
to vote on the 4 questions - or add your own video outlining your ideas for shaping the post-crisis world. WEF will choose the top video submitted by January 20, and that person will get to fly to Switzerland to join the discussion in person.
In addition, many of your videos will be played at panel sessions at Davos, where world leaders will listen to your thoughts and opinions as they debate these issues. Tell them your personal stories: how are the world's new challenges affecting your life, and what do you want to see happen next?
We live in a world that continually presents new challenges but also offers seemingly limitless possibilities. This is your chance to impact history with your own creative ideas. So submit your video by January 20, and help shape our collective future in 2009.
Steve Grove
YouTube News and Politics
"Recent Activity" on Your YouTube Channel
Wednesday, 3 December 2008
We're happy to announce a couple of new changes to your YouTube channels, based on the feedback and suggestions you've given to us.
The first is the creation of a "Recent Activity" box on your YouTube channel. This box will provide your viewers with a snapshot of recent changes you've made to your public channel, making your channel more dynamic, fresh and timely. For example, if you recently added a new favourite to your channel, visitors can find this favourite in the new Recent Activity box (as well as in the usual "Favourites" box). The Recent Activity box will also consolidate the separate "My Recent Ratings" and "My Recent Comments" boxes into this single activity window.
As always, we give you maximum control over how your channel is configured on the
channel design page
. And now, the Recent Activity
privacy settings
page (also available in the upper-right corner of the Recent Activity box) lets you choose what activity you want to appear in the Recent Activity box. It's important to note that we've set your initial Recent Activity settings according to what you already publicly show on your channel today - so, for example, if you're not already showing the Favourites box on your channel, then the Recent Activity box won't suddenly start showing new favourites you make.
Regarding bulletins, we've listened to you, and most of you didn't see the value in bulletins as they are today. So, we're taking a first step to make bulletins more useful. Although the bulletin box will be going away, now you can broadcast a bulletin directly to your channel visitors in your Recent Activity box. This not only provides a fun place to shout out personal updates and news, but also provides an additional way to communicate and engage with your channel's fans.
We hope you like these changes, and are always eager to hear your feedback - so please feel free to
share your thoughts
with us!
The YouTube Team
A YouTube for All of Us
Tuesday, 2 December 2008
As a community, we have come to count on each other to be entertained, challenged, and moved by what we watch and share on YouTube. We've been thinking a lot lately about how to make the collective YouTube experience even better, particularly on our most visited pages. Our goal is to help ensure that you're viewing content that's relevant to you, and not inadvertently coming across content that isn't. Here are a few things we came up with:
Stricter standard for mature content
- While videos featuring pornographic images or sex acts are always removed from the site when they're flagged, we're tightening the standard for what is considered "sexually suggestive." Videos with sexually suggestive (but not prohibited) content will be age-restricted, which means they'll be available only to viewers who are 18 or older. To learn more about what constitutes "sexually suggestive" content, click
here
.
Demotion of sexually suggestive content and profanity
- Videos that are considered sexually suggestive, or that contain profanity, will be algorithmically demoted on our 'Most Viewed,' 'Top Favourited,' and other browse pages. The classification of these types of videos is based on a number of factors, including video content and descriptions. In testing, we've found that out of the thousands of videos on these pages, only several each day are automatically demoted for being too graphic or explicit. However, those videos are often the ones which end up being repeatedly flagged by the community as being inappropriate.
Improved thumbnails
- To make sure your thumbnail represents your video, your choices will now be selected algorithmically. You'll still have three thumbnails to choose from, but they will no longer be auto-generated from the 25/50/75 points in the video index.
More accurate video information
- Our
Community Guidelines
have always prohibited folks from attempting to game view counts by entering misleading information in video descriptions, tags, titles, and other metadata. We remain serious about enforcing these rules. Remember, violations of these guidelines could result in removal of your video and repeated violations will lead to termination of your account.
The preservation and improvement of the YouTube experience is a responsibility we share. Let's work together to ensure that the YouTube community continues to thrive as a positive place for all of us.
The YouTube Team
The Internet Symphony: YouTube's Orchestra
Monday, 1 December 2008
Starting today, musicians around the world can submit audition videos to www.youtube.com/symphony for a chance to participate in the YouTube Symphony Orchestra and summit, the world's first collaborative online orchestra connecting aspiring musicians with leaders and stars in the classical world. The first YouTube programme of its kind, the YouTube Symphony Orchestra will transform individual performances into a global symphony and change the way musicians connect over the Internet. This is your opportunity to perform alongside world-renowned conductor Michael Tilson Thomas, learn from composer Tan Dun and many members of the London Symphony Orchestra, consult with pianist Lang Lang, and collaborate with YouTube users from around the globe. Selected musicians will have the honour of participating in an April 2009 summit where you'll learn from today's classical masters before stepping out at New York City's Carnegie Hall for a performance. Here's how to get started:
From today until January 28, 2009, musicians from around the world can submit videos showcasing their personal style as they perform two pieces: "The Internet Symphony", an original Tan Dun composition written specifically for this programme, and a second classical piece of their choosing to demonstrate their musical ability. Hear composer Tan Dun talks about his inspiration for his piece:
All entries received by January 28 will be considered for a massive global video performance of "The Internet Symphony". Meanwhile, musical experts from the London Symphony Orchestra, Berlin Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony, Royal Concertgebouw, Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, and other leading orchestras around the world will narrow the field of entries from localised YouTube countries to a group of semi-finalists. In February, the YouTube community will be invited to vote for their favourite semi-finalists, and those chosen will be invited to participate in the three-day classical music learning summit, culminating in the Carnegie Hall performance.
So, no matter what instrument you play, from bassoon to trombone, timpani to piccolo, head
here
to download the appropriate sheet music and tune into a video tutorial, London Symphony Orchestra masterclasses, and instrument-by-instrument playthrough with the conductor. Once you feel ready to share your performance, upload and submit for your opportunity to join the ranks of the first-ever YouTube Symphony Orchestra!
Maestro?
The YouTube Team
Help Centre Videos Made By You: Call for Submissions - Round 2
Thursday, 20 November 2008
Last month we took video submissions from the YouTube community to be included in our Help Centre. We received a large number of creative, informative videos and have embedded six of them in our Help entries. Check out the
Round 1 selections
in the Favourites section of the
YouTubeHelp channel
.
Based on such great success last month, we are opening the floodgates for Round 2! We're asking you again to use your skills to create videos that we can embed in our Help Centre. If selected, your video will be seen by many of the 1+ million users who visit the
Help Centre
each day.
To participate, here's what you need to do:
1. Decide which
Help Centre entries
you'd like to make an original video about:
Editing my video
Customising channels
Contact lists
Transferring from camera to computer
File formats
Embedding videos
Can't hear audio
Clear cache and cookies
Using QuickCapture
Director, Musician, Comedian, Guru and Reporter accounts
2. Upload your video to your YouTube account, then submit it through
this page
.
Here are a few tips to help you along the way:
Keep it brief
(1-2 minutes is perfect. Last round we got some epics, which were great, but just too long).
Be creative, clear and 100% original
Stay on topic
(only submissions which address the Help Centre entries included in the list above will be accepted)
Keep our
Terms of Use
and
Community Guidelines
in mind
Have fun with it
The deadline for submitting your video is
December 19, 2008
.
Grab a camera and show off your helpful community spirit!
The YouTube Help Team
How To... YouTube
Friday, 14 November 2008
Sometimes we all need a little help – there’s no shame in admitting it. Which is why we at YouTube are constantly updating our
Help Resources
, not to mention the recent addition of
Community Help Forums
, designed for you to share knowledge amongst yourselves.
But, let’s be honest, sometimes you just want someone to show you how to do something, rather than make all the effort to read instructions. Which is where the
Things To Do With Google
channel comes in, with How To… videos dedicated to everything from using the search engine’s
inbuilt features
to an entire section devoted to YouTube:
So if you want a straightforward, video-based way to find out more about features like YouTube Insights, how to access us via your mobile or are looking for some guidance on customising your channel,
Things To Do With Google
could be just the place you’re looking for.
Have fun,
The YouTube Team
Flagging At YouTube: The Basics
Friday, 14 November 2008
The YouTube flagging system works best when you take the time to understand our
Community Guidelines
before you flag a video. Then, if you come across a video that you think may not belong on YouTube, it will be easier for you to let us know the reason you flagged it, whether it be for hate speech, nudity, violence, or another guideline violation. Once a video is flagged, we review it quickly, and if we find that it shouldn't be on YouTube, we remove it within hours. It's as simple as that.
Lots of users ask us questions about flagging. Whether you're brand new to the Community Guidelines or looking to get a flagging refresher, check out this new video to get a closer look at how it works.
The next time you come across inappropriate content on the site, flag it!
We're counting on you.
The YouTube Team
Be A Record Breaker At YouTube UK
Wednesday, 12 November 2008
There is something about the
Guinness World Records
that stirs people into action in ways ranging from the sublime to the gloriously ridiculous. Seeing as YouTube arguably provides a similar catalyst, today we are happy to hand the homepage over to Guinness Editor-in-Chief Craig Glenday.
The occasion? The fourth annual Guinness World Records Day, inaugurated to mark the publication's place in its own pages as the biggest-selling commercial book of all time. Craig has set himself the task of surfacing some of the best record-breaking videos out there, coming up with a list that spans
global superstars
and
local heroes
– although he argues that they share some common traits.
"The videos I've highlighted today all embody the spirit of determination and dedication required to earn yourself Guinness World Records certification," he explains. "This selection is, I truly believe, a realistic snapshot of the world we live in today. The news is full of doom and gloom, and rarely paints a true, balanced picture of the world we live in. The truth is that humanity is full of optimistic, fun-loving, determined people, and Guinness World Records is here to celebrate the fantastic diversity of people and their achievements."
As you can see above, Craig isn't beyond taking part in the record breaking process himself and is keen to spark that spirit in others. Today, for example, he will be joining the crowds at St Pancras station in London who, together with the
Pants To Poverty
organisation, will be attempting to set a new record for the Largest Gathering of People Wearing Pants. If they can do it, so can you – although if you want to share your efforts through YouTube, we'd really rather you remained fully dressed…
Have fun,
The YouTube Team
Attention Film-makers: Who Wants To Go To Sundance?
Wednesday, 12 November 2008
Project Direct
, YouTube's annual short film competition, is back to offer another talented film-maker a chance to be discovered!
This year we've partnered with AOL Moviefone and The Sundance Film Festival to bring you this challenge: direct an original short film incorporating three specific props. One must be a red phone and the other two must be chosen from a list of 25 props that have played stand-out roles in some of the most memorable films to emerge from the Sundance Film Festival over the past 25 years. To choose your props, visit
www.youtube.com/projectdirect
.
Submissions open on November 16 and close at 9PM PST on December 14. A panel of Sundance Film Festival executives will review your film and whittle the competition down to 10 semi-finalists. Then, on December 27, the YouTube community will start voting for the winning film.
If you win, you'll be off to the 2009 Sundance Film Festival, where you'll meet with the festival's Director of Programming and screen your film at a festival event. The top three films will also take home cash prizes and be distributed on DVD to industry executives at the Festival.
While the competition proper is only officially open to entrants in the US, Canada, Brazil, UK, Spain, Italy and France, everyone is welcome to submit and we will feature top films on the YouTube site.
Need some inspiration to get started? Check out last year's three finalists:
Visit the
Project Direct channel
to learn more, and take advantage of a rare opportunity to introduce your work to both a global audience and key industry executives.
Good luck,
Sara P.
YouTube Film
Auto Translate Now Available For Videos With Captions
Saturday, 1 November 2008
In August, we added
captions and subtitles
to YouTube videos to help uploaders reach a wider audience.
While we've been working to offer captions in as many different languages as possible, there are often only a few translated versions available. To solve this problem, we added a new "auto translate" feature. Google Translate adds real-time machine translation to any caption tracks you upload. Now you can enjoy this video spoken in Italian, even if you don't understand Italian.
To get a translation for your preferred language, move the mouse over the bottom-right arrow, and then over the small triangle next to the CC (or subtitle) icon, to see the captions menu. Click on the "Translate..." button and then you will be given a choice of many different languages.
When you add captions to your video in one language, it will be readable to almost everybody through auto translate. While machine translation is not perfect, we hope this will help creators to offer you a better understanding of their videos.
For more information about how to use captions, please visit
this page
.
Tell us what you think of auto translate by leaving a comment here or posting on our
Help Forum
.
The YouTube Team
Link To The Best Parts Of Your Videos
Thursday, 30 October 2008
Here at YouTube, we still pride ourselves in listening closely to our community and building what you ask for. In the spirit of which, we are pleased to announce the ability to "deep link" to YouTube videos. This means you can now not only link to a YouTube video itself, but you can also link directly to a specific time within each video. This is a feature you have been asking us for and we are happy to deliver.
To create a
deep link
, append the following to the end of a YouTube video URL: #t=1m15s. This says to link to the time 1:15 - you can replace the numbers before the 'm' and the 's' with anything you like.
As an additional bonus, if you mention a specific time in a video comment, e.g. "haha 1:14 is funny", this will become a hyperlink. Viewers can simply click on the time and the video will automatically jump to the point you are referencing. Pretty cool huh?
Leave a comment here or in our
Community Help Forums
to let us know what you think. We'll be reading what you all have to say as we think about ways of making YouTube even better.
The YouTube Team
Gorillaz Creators take over YouTube's home page with "Monkey"
Tuesday, 28 October 2008
If you can't imagine an ape taking the lead role in a Chinese Opera, then you can't have heard about the new project from the masterminds of virtual alternative music act, The Gorillaz. Their new CD is based on the 21st century production of a Mandarin Opera reinterpreted by Gorillaz creators Damon Albarn (music) and artist Jamie Hewlett (visuals). In celebration of simian-starring project "Monkey: Journey to the West", the duo will premiere their "Monkey Bee" video and curate related featured videos on YouTube's homepage for 24 hours.
Other highlights of this monkey-themed takeover includes a BBC produced
feature-length documentary
on staging the "Monkey: Journey to the West" opera that is currently touring the UK, titled "Damon & Jamie's Excellent Adventure." Damon (also the vocalist behind Blur and The Good Bad & The Queen) and Jamie (co-creator of the comic strip Tank Girl) have recorded a personal introduction describing the additional videos they have selected that relate to the themes and inspirations behind the project, which involves 40 Chinese circus acrobats, martial artists and singers, and an orchestra of both Western and traditional Chinese instruments. See them share the details about puppetry, kung fu, "flying" and their enthusiasm for YouTube here:
Head over to Damon & Jamie's YouTube
channel
for more Mandarin-influenced Monkey madness and enjoy this homepage themed takeover, which links a 16th-century Chinese epic saga with animation, opera and modern music.
Cheers,
Michele K-Tel
YouTube Music
Addressing Youth Violence On YouTube
Monday, 27 October 2008
Like you, we're continually surprised, moved, and entertained by the videos people post on YouTube. And, like you, we're occasionally dismayed when people use YouTube for less positive purposes. That's why we count on you to know our
Community Guidelines
and flag videos you believe don't belong on the site.
We've recently made a change to our flagging menu we think you should know about: we replaced the category "minors fighting" with "youth violence". You can still find it in the pull-down menu under "violent or repulsive content," and we'll still follow our usual process of reviewing all flagged videos quickly and removing those that violate our Guidelines.
The reason for this change in language is simple: we want to make it easier for you to help us take down the increasing number of videos showing children involved in violence of any sort, including threats and actual altercations. The "minors fighting" flag simply wasn't being used enough, yet the number of these kind of videos has been increasing. Now you can more easily flag violent videos that include underage people, and we'll take it from there.
Think of the Guidelines and the flagging pull-down menu as part of our ongoing conversation with you. We give you a structure that makes it easier for you to talk to us, and you become the eyes and ears of the site. Of course, the best conversations are never static, and the same is true about this one. We're always reviewing our Guidelines and the flagging categories to make sure they reflect what you see on the site.
The new flag is part of a larger, continuous effort here at YouTube to keep the community safe for all of our members. But we can't do it alone.
Literally.
With 13 hours of video uploaded every minute, we need you to be our first line of defence against inappropriate content, and we'll keep doing all we can to make doing your part clear and easy.
We're committed to having transparent, effective policies and to helping you understand them through blog posts like this. (If you haven't seen it, check our our
first post
in this series about how to contact us to report abuse.)
Let us know how we're doing and what you think about this new flag. And check back here soon for the next post in our series: How to Flag Videos.
The YouTube Team
Cookalong With Gordon
Saturday, 25 October 2008
You’ve seen him perform culinary magic. You’ve heard him savage sloppy chefs. Now YouTube is offering you the chance to cook along with Gordon Ramsay – without having to risk stepping into his kitchen.
The idea is that you hit the hob and follow Mr Ramsay’s instructions as he prepares three courses every Friday night, filming your attempts and uploading the results at the
4Food
channel. Every week, the charged-up chef will review the best and, presumably, the most woeful efforts, dispensing wisdom in the process.
So, what are you waiting for? Assemble the ingredients, steel yourselves and set off on an odyssey of dining discovery with the man who puts the spat into spatula. If you’re taking on Ramsay’s recipe this weekend, you have until Monday evening to upload your footage.
Have fun,
The YouTube Team
A Behind The Scenes Look At Contacting Us
Thursday, 23 October 2008
We've heard some of your concerns around trying to get the assistance you need when having an issue on the site. Our ultimate goal is to keep improving the product so you essentially won't need any help at all. We try our best to keep our
Help Resources
up to date with information about all of our features and policies, in addition to any current product issues or quirks. Most often, the solution to your problem is one that you can resolve on your own rather than contacting someone at YouTube directly.
Please keep in mind that human beings do actually review emails that are sent to us, but if we see the answer to your issue is already listed in the Help Centre we may not send a customised response. Many of our help options (listed below) allow you to resolve a problem immediately, rather than wait for a member of our team to respond to your inquiry by email:
First, and most importantly, check out our
Help Centre
. The handy search box lets you search for information about YouTube or look up issues across all Google products (as well as the entire Web). Click around and check out the articles. We're constantly adding more content to address site issues, big and small.
Our
Abuse and Policy Centre
is a one-stop-shop for resources related to safety and abuse on YouTube. You can browse through articles covering topics like how to deal with spam or gaming, how to control your account settings to limit interactions with certain users, and how to keep yourself generally safe while using the site.
The
YouTube Community Help Forum
is also a great resource. The Forum's discussion board is the official place to share ideas, provide feedback, ask and answer questions, and offer help to your fellow YouTube community members.
If after checking out all these resources you still haven't found exactly the information you're looking for, go ahead and send us an email. If the answer to your question isn't already in our Help Centre, we'll do our best to get back to you as soon as we can. Check back in the coming weeks and months for more posts about how to keep your YouTube experience safe, exciting, and always entertaining.
Here for you,
The YouTube Team
YouTube On Two Wheels
Saturday, 4 October 2008
Here at YouTube we are always looking for new streams of activity on the site to share with a wider audience. This weekend, with a little help from the Bicycle Film Festival, cycling is the theme – here’s hoping you enjoy the ride.
The Bicycle Film Festival
celebrates the bicycle in all its forms, setting up events all over the world devoted to screening films by people passionate about bikes, while running peripheral events to promote cycling. This week, they take over The Barbican in London, and to mark the fact have helped us source some two-wheeled gems uploaded by users worldwide. So if it’s cycle couriers, crazy four-wheeled contraptions or a look ahead to the new velodrome for 2012 that you’re after, you’ve come to the right place. They even turned up a great interview with a bike-mad Great Train Robber:
We hope you enjoy the selections. And hey, if the weather’s good this weekend, why not even take to the highways on your trusty steed?
Have fun,
The YouTube Team
Go Back to Beijing 2008 with YouTube
Thursday, 2 October 2008
After Team GB and Paralympics GB’s phenomenal success at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games – bagging 149 medals, 61 of which were gold – it’s only natural to want to relive the glory over and over again. Happily, that is now possible right here on YouTube via the
Beijing2008
and
ParalympicSportTV
channels.
The
Beijing2008
channel actually consists of nine associated channels which carry footage of hundreds of key moments from the Games, which ran from August 8-24. So whether it’s
Christine Ohuruogu’s triumph
in the 400 metres,
Chris Hoy’s domination
of the velodrome or
Rebecca Adlington’s powerful performances
in the pool that stuck in your mind, you know where to go to find the action.
ParalympicSportTV
focused more on providing daily round-ups of the news at the Paralympic Games, but with Paralympics GB ranking second overall at the close of the event on September 16 after 10 days of tough competition, you don’t have to wait long to witness British success.
Together, these channels provide a comprehensive library of classic moments from a truly memorable Summer Games. We are very proud to host this footage, so what are you waiting for – go watch!
Have fun,
The YouTube Team
Your Video Second-by-Second
Wednesday, 1 October 2008
YouTube Insight
has helped you learn more about your YouTube videos, enabling you to establish when and where your videos prove popular. But what if you could learn not just which of your videos are hot on the site, but which specific
parts
of those videos are hotter than others? What if you could know exactly when viewers tend to leave your videos, or which scenes within a video they watch again and again?
Happily, this information is now available to all YouTube video uploaders via an innovative new feature for Insight called "Hot Spots." The Hot Spots tab in Insight plays your video alongside a graph that shows the ups-and-downs of viewership at different moments within the video. We determine "hot" and "cold" spots by comparing your video's abandonment rate at that moment to other videos on YouTube of the same length, and incorporating data about rewinds and fast-forwards. So what does that mean? Well, when the graph goes up, your video is hot: few viewers are leaving, and people may be rewinding on the control bar to see that sequence again. When the graph goes down, your content's gone cold: viewers are moving to another part of the video or leaving the video entirely.
Here's an example of Hot Spots in action, based on a video of YouTube employee Michael Rucker
making like Soulja Boy
:
src="/img/hot_spots_blog.jpg" width="456" height="414">
You can see that many viewers are not initially impressed with Rucker's efforts; they're leaving the video at a faster than average rate almost immediately after the video begins. But the longer the video plays, the more people tend to stay, generating a hot spot at the end of the video. Better late than never.
We think you'll find Hot Spots useful in several ways. For example, you can figure out which scenes in your videos are the "hottest" and edit them accordingly, or insert annotations at key moments to keep your audience more engaged. Now that Insight shows what parts of videos viewers are watching and skipping, you'll no longer have to guess why people watch your work – you'll know. You can find this new feature under the "Hot Spots" tab within the
Insight dashboard
(you must be logged in to your YouTube account).
As with all of Insight's features, we learn about
the most creative examples
from you. Are you using Insight in a new and interesting way?
Upload
a video to YouTube and let us know.
Have fun,
The YouTube Team
New Video Upload Redesign Beta
Sunday, 28 September 2008
We're excited to unveil our new and improved video uploader. A random sample of YouTube users have already been using the beta version, but now we're inviting everybody to check out this more streamlined uploading experience. Just login to your YouTube account and click
this link
to opt in. The new video upload flow includes these cool features:
You can enter in your video's metadata (title, description, tags, etc.) while the upload is processing.
Upload multiple files at once, without downloading a plugin (separate progress bars will display for each file).
The file-size limit for uploads has been raised from 100MB to 1GB.
We want your feedback, so don't be shy. Please leave a comment here, upload a video (using our
new upload beta
, of course) or
join the discussion
on our Community Help Forums.
The YouTube Team
Announcing "In My Name," a Global Effort to End Poverty
Thursday, 25 September 2008
Today, in New York City, world leaders will meet to discuss the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), eight time-bound, measurable goals that they set in the year 2000 to combat global poverty. These ambitious objectives were promises made to the poor, meant to hold world leaders accountable for ending global poverty by 2015. Today, we are halfway there.
That's why YouTube, Will.i.am, and nonprofit organisations
Oxfam
,
GCAP
,
Save the Children
and
Comic Relief
are launching "
In My Name
," a global effort to raise awareness around these goals -- and to give you the opportunity to tell your leaders to do more. See Will's message on the project here:
John Legend, Scarlett Johansson, Fergie and others are joining Will to speak out about the importance of achieving these goals. But world leaders also need to hear from you.
From now through November 1, visit
www.youtube.com/inmyname
to upload a video stating your name, your home country, and your simple message to your government about the need to meet the MDGs. Be as creative, compelling, simple, or wordy as you like -- this is your chance to join the video petition to end world hunger.
At the end of the programme on November 1, a mash-up of the most powerful submissions from around the world will be broadcast directly to global leaders at the United Nations General Assembly, as proof that global citizens are holding them to their commitment to create a better world for everyone.
You can make a difference in the fight against poverty -- all it takes is your name.
Sincerely,
Ramya R.
YouTube Nonprofits & Activism
Join YouTube's Facebook and Twitter Groups
Thursday, 18 September 2008
Did you know YouTube has an official presence on Facebook and Twitter? Sign up for these groups to receive the latest company news, product updates, hot video alerts, and much more. Here's how...
...to become a YouTube Facebook fan:
* Create a
Facebook account
if you have not already
* Sign in to your account
* Go to
http://www.facebook.com/pages/YouTube/7270241753
* Once you are on the YouTube page, you will see an option to "Become a Fan" on the top right hand corner of the page. Click it to join!
...to become a YouTube Twitter follower:
* Create a
Twitter account
if you have not already
* Sign in to your account
* Go to
http://twitter.com/youtube
* Click the "follow" button under the YouTube logo to start getting tweets every day
Long live social networks,
The YouTube Team
What Should Labour Do? What Film Should Future Generations Watch?
Tuesday, 16 September 2008
Two stark questions, one shared factor: both the Labour Party and the British Film Institute are inviting YouTube users to provide them with possible answers.
The Labour Party
kicks off its annual conference in Manchester this weekend and plans to incorporate feedback and suggestions from YouTube users into the event, with politicians and party activists addressing the issues raised head on:
.
The initiative has already drawn almost
100 responses
, so get your suggestions in quickly. You never know, the Government may even take your idea on board and effect real change in your local area.
.
On a slightly different note,
the British Film Institute
clocks up its 75th birthday this year. By way of celebration it is looking to answer the question of which film we should
share with future generations
. Ashley Walters has the brass neck to suggest that his latest film, “Adulthood”, should make the cut – surely you can be more imaginative than that?
Have fun,
The YouTube Team
New Features For Channels: Category Browsing & Comments Moderation
Monday, 15 September 2008
New features for channels we hope you dig:
BROWSE CHANNELS BY CATEGORY
All channels are now categorised so you can more easily find your favourite creators and videos. On the
Channels
page, under
All
, you can browse for channels uploading videos to categories like
Film & Animation
,
News & Politics
,
Sports
, etc. You can also use this functionality to filter your results to show
Partners
only.
MODERATE COMMENTS ON YOUR CHANNEL
Now you can moderate all comments other users leave on your channel page.
To turn this feature on, go to the
Edit Channel Info
page in
My Account
. There you can change your settings to allow comments from "Friends" or "Everyone" to display on your channel automatically or only once you have approved them. All comments waiting for your approval are highlighted on the
"see all"
page of your channel comments. Once you have chosen which individual comments you want to approve, click the "Approve Selected" button. If your
email options
are set to notify you of new bulletins or comments on your channel, the link in your email brings you to the page where you can approve selected comments.
We're always interested in hearing your feedback! So, if you've got something to say about the aforementioned features, please leave a comment on this post or join active discussions on our
Community Help Forums
. You will find pinned topics for the site improvements listed above in the
Feeback & Suggestions
section.
Holler at us,
The YouTube Team
Help Centre Videos Made By You: Call for Submissions
Saturday, 13 September 2008
YouTube is, well, a video product. So we thought, why not use videos to provide help to our users? That's where you come in...
We know you know how to make informative, creative videos -- the site's full of them. We're asking you to use your skills to create videos that we can embed in our
Help Centre
. If selected, your video will be seen by many of the 1 million+ users who visit the Help Centre each day!
To participate, here's what you need to do:
1. Decide which
Help Centre entries
you'd like to make an original video about:
Captions / Subtitles definition
Editing my video
Make a playlist
How to upload
Customizing channels
Contact lists
Transferring from camera to computer
Add/Change Profile Picture
Viewing Higher Quality Videos
Video annotations definition
2. Upload your video to your YouTube account, then submit it through
this page
.
Here are a few tips to help you along the way:
Keep it brief
(1-2 minutes is perfect)
Be creative, clear and 100% original
Stay on topic
(only submissions which address the Help Centre entries included in the list above will be accepted)
Keep our
Terms of Use
and
Community Guidelines
in mind
Have fun with it
The deadline for submitting your video is
October 10, 2008
, so get up off of your keester and make some videos to help your fellow users!
Good luck,
The YouTube Help Team
Updated Community Guidelines
Friday, 12 September 2008
As the YouTube Community expands and evolves, we're always trying to keep pace by creating policies that reflect innovative new uses of YouTube and the diverse content posted by users every day.
We realise it's not always obvious where we draw the line on content that's acceptable to upload. Our goal is to help you to be able to keep your videos up and also keep your account in good standing. With this in mind, we've updated the Community Guidelines to address some of the most common questions users ask us about inappropriate content. Included in the update are a few new things to steer clear of, like not directly inciting violence or encouraging other users to violate the
Terms of Use
. In the UK and Ireland in particular, the specifics of this update essentially bar users from showing weapons in their videos with the express aim of intimidation – so please bear that in mind.
If you haven't taken a look at the
YouTube Community Guidelines
lately, go check them out. We've also added
tips and examples
to explain our policies on hate speech, violence and other content.
We know most of you video heads are not necessarily interested in reading a novel, but this is an essential read for anyone with a YouTube account.
The YouTube Team
The Streets: Original YouTube Material
Thursday, 11 September 2008
Want to hear
The Streets’
new album before it’s released? You’ve come to the right place, as today Mike Skinner offers UK YouTube users an early taste of “Everything Is Borrowed”. Homemade music promos, behind-the-scenes footage, musings on life and the creative process – they’re all here. Together with a kitten video and some footage of the band’s back garden…
“We were the first people ever to put a video on YouTube,” claims Skinner. “People don’t know that. They owe us.” And with such powerful reasoning, how could we deny them the opportunity to give
“Put A Donk On It”
the frontpage profile it so richly deserves? But to be a little more serious about the effort that the band has put into
The Beats
, it’s clear that The Streets have wholly embraced the potential YouTube offers and are busy fleshing out a new – and often very, very funny – way of connecting with their public.
“We love YouTube – it has honestly changed the world we live in and way in which we consume content,” explains Skinner. “We make almost all of our videos ourselves, because no-one knows us like we do. Plus, it’s much cheaper and easier to control… having no money and relying on yourself forces you to be creative.”
On that note, go forth and see what The Streets have done with the UK homepage. And remember: if you would like to have a similar opportunity,
contact us
and make your case.
Have fun,
The YouTube Team
Project: Report -- YouTube's First Journalism Contest
Tuesday, 9 September 2008
In partnership with the
Pulitzer Center
, YouTube presents
Project: Report
(www.youtube.com/projectreport), a journalism contest (made possible by
Sony VAIO
and
Intel
) for non-professional, aspiring journalists to tell stories that might not otherwise be covered by traditional media.
In each of the three rounds of Project: Report, reporters will be given an assignment to complete. Each of these assignments gives you an opportunity to report on the important individuals, issues and communities in your life that most people do not yet know about.
The assignment for Round 1 is to profile someone in your community in three minutes or less, highlighting a story you think deserves to be heard by a wide audience. Submit your video entry for Round 1 by midnight EST on Sunday October 5, and a panel of journalists from the Pulitzer Center will narrow the field to 10 semi-finalists. The assignment for Round 2 will then be announced, and the judging for this round will be opened up to the YouTube community to determine the five finalists who will move onto the third and last assignment. Winners of each round will receive technology prizes from Sony VAIO and Intel, and the grand prize winner will be granted a $10,000 journalism fellowship with the Pulitzer Center to report on a story outside of their home country.
Even if you did not participate in or advance past Round 1, you may still complete the assignments for Rounds 2 and 3, though you will not be eligible for the grand prize. With
Project: Report
, YouTube and the Pulitzer Center hope to highlight as many of your stories as possible and draw attention to important topics that have been under-reported, misreported, or not reported at all.
So, it's time to pick up that video camera, take on this assignment, and start reporting your stories to the world.
Yours,
Olivia M.
YouTube News & Politics
Beijing Paralympics on YouTube
Monday, 8 September 2008
The 2008 Paralympic Summer Games is underway in Beijing's Bird's Nest stadium, featuring 4,000 athletes from 150 countries competing in 20 sports for 472 gold medals. Be sure to check out
Paralympic Sport TV's YouTube channel
over the next two weeks for event footage, profiles, interviews and more.
A few athletes to watch for: world no. 1 wheelchair tennis player
Esther Vergeer
from the Netherlands, Canada's
Chantal Petitclerc
, German swimmer
Kristen Bruhn
and South African sprinter Oscar Pistorious, aka "The Blade Runner." Pistorious's recent attempt to qualify for the South African Olympic team electrified the sports world, but he's up against a highly competitive field of sprinters. Here's a recent profile of Oscar:
Some interesting facts about the XIII Paralympic Games:
> The host country of China is looking to surpass the 63 gold medals they won in Athens in 2004. In preparation for the Games, the Beijing city government made subway stations wheelchair accessible and added 2,000 wheelchair-accessible buses and taxis.
> Sixteen of the 213 athletes on the U.S. delegation are military veterans, including swimmer Melissa Stockwell, an Army veteran of the Iraq War, and discus and shot-putter Scott Winkler, an Army veteran of the campaign in Afghanistan.
>
Wheelchair rugby
-- or "murderball" as it's known to most fans -- has its own welding shop in the Olympic Village to repair dents and busted chairs resulting from high-speed collisions.
In addition to watching all the action, you can upload your own Paralympic moment to YouTube and add it to
Paralympic Sport TV's YouTube group
.
Enjoy!
The YouTube Team
Metallica's Favourite YouTube Shredders
Friday, 5 September 2008
Heavy metal rockers Metallica have inspired countless musicians on YouTube – think extreme guitar soloists, pounding drummers, violin trios, hard-edged vocalists and even animated kerrang-ing Lego musicians. Turns out the band itself has noted this phenomenon. Here's drummer Lars Ulrich revealing his favourite Metallica-inspired videos and wondering if some of these musicians could even out-play his crew:
The videos Metallica chose include an eight-year-old
guitar phenom
from Sweden, a Spanish
violin trio
performing "Nothing Else Matters," teenagers banging out
"Master of Puppets"
in their bedroom, and Canadian "Shred the Web" winner (and uber-fan)
Francisco Meza
. Lars shares the whole playlist on the
MetallicaTV
channel and today we are featuring them on YouTube's home page. Also featured is the new Metallica
video
, "The Day That Never Comes," an epic guitar-solo journey through the desert during wartime.
Happy Headbanging,
The YouTube Team
YouTube: Edinburgh's Virtual Venue
Friday, 29 August 2008
The Edinburgh Festival Fringe has a deserved reputation for featuring the best the comedy circuit has to offer. From first-timers to established names, every August the talent heads to Scotland to improvise, present new material and brave late-night variety shows in pursuit of laughs, ticket sales and critical acclaim.
This year some of the key festival venues, including
The Underbelly
,
The Gilded Balloon
and
The Pleasance
enabled performers to film their sets and upload them to YouTube. These have been pulled together at the
Edinburgh Comedy
channel (introduced by the inimitable
Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatre
:
The page includes excerpts from Funny Women Fringe Award winner
Bridget Christie
, 2008 Malcolm Hardee Award recipient
Edward Aczel
and finalist in the hard-fought if.com Best Newcomer category
Pippa Evans
. So what are you waiting for? Get clicking for some of the best stand-up on offer at Edinburgh this year.
Have fun,
The YouTube Team
New Captions Feature For Videos
Thursday, 28 August 2008
Here at YouTube, we're always trying to find new ways to enrich your viewing experience and to help video creators reach a wider audience. As part of this goal, we've added a new captioning feature which allows you to give viewers a deeper understanding of your video. Captions can help people who would not otherwise understand the audio track to follow along, especially those who speak other languages or who are deaf and hard of hearing.
You can add captions to one of
your videos
by uploading a closed caption file using the "Captions and Subtitles" menu on the editing page. To add several captions to a video, simply upload multiple files. If you want to include foreign subtitles in multiple languages, upload a separate file for each language. There are over 120 languages to choose from and you can add any title you want for each caption. If a video includes captions, you can activate them by clicking the menu button located on the bottom right of the video player. Clicking this button will also allow viewers to choose which captions they want to see.
Some of our partners have already started using captions to offer you a better understanding of their videos (even with the audio turned off):
-
BBC Worldwide
: captions are provided in five different languages on
this clip
from Top Gear.
-
CNET
: tech
product reviews
from CNET's Crave blog.
-
UC Berkeley
: footage from the
Opencast Project Open House
.
-
MIT
: full lectures on subjects like
Physics
.
-
Gonzodoga
: English subtitles on this awesome Japanese
animation
.
We hope captions will serve to tighten the YouTube community by bringing together international users from different cultures.
We're excited to see what kinds of fun and creative uses for captions you'll be coming up with for your videos!
For more information about how to use captions, visit
this page
.
The YouTube Team
Video Annotations Now Display On Embeds
Tuesday, 26 August 2008
Just so you know, the same annotations feature shown on YouTube videos is now visible on our embedded player. We're excited to finally release annotations on embeds, especially since this feature has been requested frequently in your feedback since our initial launch. Annotations bring an interactive element to your videos, and now you can reach an even larger audience when you embed your annotated videos on other sites. You can give your viewers more background and add commentary with speech bubbles, notes and spotlights, and by adding links to any YouTube video, channel, or search results page.
'
Hug the world
' is a stellar example of the many different ways you can use annotations to optimize your videos:
We've already seen an extraordinary amount of creative uses of this feature and we encourage video creators across all YouTube sites to continue using annotations.
For more information about how to use annotations on YouTube, visit
this page
.
The YouTube Team
London 2012: Join The Celebration
Saturday, 16 August 2008
On Sunday, August 24, the Olympics will officially transfer from Beijing into the hands of
London 2012
. In order to mark the occasion, the organisers are staging parties up and down the country – including a 40,000-capacity event on The Mall in London.
As part of the planned entertainment for the day, London 2012 is offering YouTube users the opportunity to take part in this historic event by “Partying Like It’s 2012” via video.
All you need to do is record your finest celebration and upload it as a response to the callout above. The most impressive performers will see their antics relayed onto big screens at the handover events for all to witness. So, whether you’re a fist pumper, a finger-pointer or a lap-of-honour kind of celebrator, commit your cheer to film and you could be part of one of the country’s key events this summer – and become part of Olympics history.
Have fun,
The YouTube Team
Beijing From All Angles
Friday, 8 August 2008
For the next 16 days, the eyes of the world will be on Beijing and the Games of the XXIX Olympiad. Several of our premier news providers will be there, too, on the ground in China creating feature pieces, photo montage videos, human interest stories and cultural tours of the city. If the athletic competition isn't necessarily your thing but you're still curious about what's going on over there, we've created a central hub of Summer Games content from these providers
here
.
On the Summer Games channel, you'll find the latest news from
Associated Press
, daily round-ups and a photographer's journal from
Getty Images
, in-depth feature pieces from
Reuters
,
Euronews
,
France 24
and
The New York Times
, and unique, up-close-and-personal views of life in Beijing from
Travel Channel
,
GroundReport
and, of course,
SexyBeijingTV
.
Here's a preview from Getty Images:
When the Olympics end on August 24, check back to our Summer Games channel in early September for video from the Beijing
Paralympic Games
, where the magnificent
Oscar Pistorius
will be running in a hotly contested 100-metres and other athletes will be competing for gold on the world stage.
On top of this, in order to celebrate TeamGB's presence in Beijing, we've filled today's homepage with videos featuring athletes poised to test themselves against the world's best. Good luck to them -- and enjoy!
Cheers,
Andrew B.
YouTube Sports
Portishead's YouTube Treat
Saturday, 2 August 2008
Today we are pleased to feature "Portishead In Portishead," a special 31-minute concert presentation from British musical group
Portishead
. These seven songs, from their new CD
Third
(which is actually their fourth album – go figure), were performed in multi-instrumentalist Geoff Barrows' former drama school classroom. Enter
here
.
Along with this extended concert video, Portishead also put together
a list
of their favorite clips on YouTube. Their selections reveal an eclectic taste in music, including a nod to current YouTube
Living Legend honoree
Chuck D's band
Public Enemy
. (Earlier this year, Chuck D reciprocated the fandom by freestyle rapping over Portishead's single "Machine Gun" on stage at a festival in Barcelona.) After you watch the band's favorite YouTube clips, check out their own animated video for new single
"The Rip"
.
Enjoy this inside look at the enigmatic Bristol trio.
Cheers,
Michele K-Tel
YouTube Music
The YouTube Screening Room: New Features, New Films
Friday, 1 August 2008
With over five million views and counting, the films featured in
The YouTube Screening Room
since its
launch a little over a month ago
seem to be holding your attention as much as they've held ours. This program, designed to connect those of you looking for original, compelling film content with talented filmmakers seeking out new audiences, continues to grow and we thank you for your many comments, ratings and messages.
Today, we're pleased to announce two new features, based on your feedback, and four new films. First up: we've launched an easier way to leave comments on films. You'll now find that you can directly link to a film's comments from The YouTube Screening Room landing page by clicking on the blue hypertext Comments number. Second: those of you who wanted a reminder to check out new films every two weeks can now subscribe to The YouTube Screening Room and get updates in your Subscriptions box when new films are featured. To subscribe, just click on the button on the top right side of the "Featured Films" box.
On to the new round of films! This diverse selection of shorts tackles wide-ranging subjects, including how mannequins contribute to female body image, the journey of Polish émigrés, avian interstellar conquest, and the interconnectedness of urban life. They include an Academy Award winner, a Palme d'Or winner, and a Tribeca Film Festival Honorable Mention…
And if you missed a previously featured film, no need to fret! Visit The YouTube Screening Room archives, located at the bottom of the page, to catch up.
Don't forget the popcorn,
Sara P.
YouTube Film
A More Customised Local Experience on YouTube
Wednesday, 30 July 2008
YouTube is dedicated to presenting original content uploaded by people from around the globe. Last year, when we launched local YouTube sites around the world, we were able to more fully appreciate the diversity of talent in our global community.
Not all French speakers live in France. Japanese entertainment extends far beyond Japan. We are thrilled to unveil a truly global experience on
youtube.com
. We've enhanced the site so you can pick a language and, separately, a local lens for the content. For example, you can view today's Featured Videos for Canada while navigating the site interface in French, UK English, or any of the other 15 offered translations. The language and local content selection links are found in the masthead, right next to the YouTube logo.
And with YouTube localised in 19 geographies and available in 15 languages including Japanese, Portuguese, Spanish, Russian, Simplified Chinese and Traditional Chinese, there are 300 ways you can customise your international experience, making our site accessible to more people around the world -- even if you're a French Canadian living in Italy and interested in what's popular in Korea. It
is
a small world after all.
The YouTube Team
Nonprofit Programme Hops the Pond, Launches in the U.K.
Monday, 28 July 2008
Thousands of nonprofit organisations have joined the
YouTube Nonprofit Programme
since it was introduced in the United States last fall, and they've been using their channels to raise awareness about everything from
education
to
climate change
,
animal welfare
to
poverty alleviation
.
Today, we're pleased to announce the launch of the
United Kingdom Nonprofit Programme
, which will provide U.K.-based nonprofit organisations who meet the acceptance criteria with benefits like increased branding and upload capacity, as well as the opportunity to be featured in the "promoted areas" of the site.
We're also extremely fortunate to have the help of five amazing nonprofit launch partners (
Beatbullying
,
Disasters Emergency Committee
,
Friends of the Earth
,
Missing People
, and
WaterAid
) who are sharing their expertise about how they use YouTube to promote their causes:
If you're a nonprofit organisation based in the U.K., click
here
to find out more about the Nonprofit Programme and to apply. And if you're a nonprofit who is headquartered outside the U.S. or U.K., we'll keep you posted as we expand the programme to new corners of the world.
Peace,
Ramya R.
YouTube Nonprofits & Activism
New YouTube Community Help Forums
Thursday, 17 July 2008
Community Help Forums
have just been launched! This new discussion board is the official place to share ideas, feedback, ask and answer questions, and offer general help to your fellow YouTube community members. Here, you can find out the latest on
Announcements
,
Bug Reports & Issues
,
How-to's
and
TestTube Feedback
.
You can access the Community Help Forums through the
Community Tab
, our
Help Centre
or by clicking the
Community Help Forums
link displayed at the bottom of most pages on the site. In addition to related articles, forum posts are now included within search results in the Help Centre. Although YouTube staff may jump in periodically to post updates on bugs, upcoming features or make general announcements, the purpose of this board is for experts from our community (like you) to have a centralised place to post commonly asked questions and provide answers about site usage. You must be logged into your YouTube and Google account to post a question or reply, but anyone can read messages on the Community Help Forums. You will need to click on "Join this group" upon your first visit to the forums, then you can post as often as you like while still logged in.
Our ultimate goal is to make
Community Help Forums
the easiest and fastest way to get help on YouTube - but we can't do it without you. We encourage everyone to stay active, post often and help us make this discussion board the main destination for users to seek help from community experts.
The YouTube Team
Radiohead's "House Of Cards" Laser Premiere
Wednesday, 16 July 2008
Trust Radiohead to decide to make a video without a camera or lights. Witness the data+laser magic of "House of Cards" on our home page today or right here:
So how did they do it? With the help of 3D image capturing created by two technology companies:
Geometric Informatics
and
Velodyne LIDAR
. Their scanning systems produce structured light to capture up-close 3D images, while another system uses multiple lasers to capture large, landscape-type environments. In this video, 64 lasers rotating and shooting in a 360 degree radius 900 times per minute produced all the exterior scenes. Here's a video that may give you a better idea of all the machinery involved:
You can also find this data-centric bit of creativity on Google's
code website
, which contains additional
pieces of data
available for incorporation into your own visualizations. Upload such videos to Radiohead's YouTube
group
if you'd like to share them with the band and the YouTube community. Thanks to a
Creative Commons
license, all the data used to produce this music video is being made available to share with you.
Now, join in -- go forth and manipulate data!
Geeking out,
Michele K-Tel
YouTube Music
The Law and Your Privacy: An Update
Tuesday, 15 July 2008
As we let you know, YouTube recently received a court order to produce viewing history data. We are pleased to report that Viacom, MTV and other litigants have backed off their original demand for all users' viewing histories and we will not be providing that information. (Read the official legalese
here
.)
In addition, Viacom and the plaintiffs had originally demanded access to users' private videos, our search technology, and our video identification technology. Our lawyers strongly opposed each of those demands and the court sided with us.
We'll keep you informed of any important developments in this lawsuit. We remain committed to protecting your privacy and we'll continue to fight for your right to share and broadcast your work on YouTube.
Sincerely,
The YouTube Team
Living Legends Presents Rap Pioneers
Saturday, 12 July 2008
The latest installment of YouTube's Living Legends series is a double dose, featuring two of the greatest rappers of all time. These reigning members of hip-hop royalty represent both East and West coast styles and are two very different voices in the genre's past, present and future. So, get ready for
Public Enemy
guiding force Chuck D. and the one and only Cardozar Calvin Broadus Jr., better known to the world as
Snoop Dogg
. They're eager for your questions:
You'll be in good company as you quiz Chuck and Snoop: we've already got videos from a veritable posse of hip-hoppers and other notables who took time out to share their thoughts on how these two influenced their lives in music or politics. The
Living Legends channel
contains moving testimonials from Black Thought of the Roots, Afrika Bambaataa, Boots Riley from the Coup, as well as political activists like Fred Hampton Jr. and congresswoman Maxine Waters from L.A. There are also insider tales from David Aaron, Snoop's engineer, and Darryl Brooks, a concert promoter who booked Public Enemy on their very first tour. Take a peek:
So, at long last, it's time to
"Bring the Noise"
AND
"Drop it like it's Hot"
– all in the same spot. Upload your question(s) for Chuck and Snoop
here
and/or share your own inspirational story about how these two (or hip-hop in general) touched your life by uploading a video response to the testimonial you like most.
Holla!
The YouTube Team
Ask The PM: Answers Now In
Thursday, 10 July 2008
You asked the questions, the YouTube community voted for their favourites and now Prime Minister Gordon Brown has responded. The first instalment of Ask The PM is complete, so head to the
Downing Street channel
to view the results.
Of the 300 videos submitted, eight rose to the head of the poll, resulting in the PM addressing issues spanning taxation, crime, the environment and civil liberties. He also fielded a request from 14-year-old
Adam Kaye
who, far from exhibiting apathy, is keen to get involved in the political process as soon as possible:
The PM enjoyed the process so much that the
Downing Street channel
is already accepting a second round of questions – this time focusing on the 60th Anniversary of the founding of the NHS and its future role in British life. But be quick – voting is set to begin on July 14.
To anyone who submitted a question that wasn’t answered, bad luck but have another crack at engaging Gordon Brown. To those whose queries were put to the PM – congratulations.
Have fun,
The YouTube Team
The YouTube Screening Room: Round 2
Friday, 4 July 2008
It's been two weeks since the launch of
The YouTube Screening Room
, and that can only mean one thing: a fresh batch of short films for your viewing pleasure.
For those of you who missed the initial announcement, The YouTube Screening Room is our new platform to help top films from around the world find the audiences they deserve. So far, hundreds of thousands of YouTubers have checked out the films, and thousands more have left comments.
We hope you'll enjoy the second round of films as much as you enjoyed the first. "The Clap," from the UK, tells the comic story of a music aficionado who finds a unique way to celebrate his favorite performer. "The Big Empty," from the US, stars Selma Blair as a young woman searching for a cure to her inner ache. "I Met the Walrus," from Canada, is the beautiful animated tale of a 14-year-old Beatle fan's real-life encounter with John Lennon. Finally, "School of Life," from the UK, follows a schoolboy as he learns life's most important lesson.
Stay tuned for our third round of films, debuting in two weeks on July 18.
Finally, for those of you interested in being featured in the YouTube Screening Room, email
ytscreeningroom@youtube.com
.
Happy viewing,
YouTube Film
The Law And Your Privacy
Friday, 4 July 2008
As you may have seen in the news, YouTube received a court order to produce viewing data from our database, including usernames and IP addresses. In order to protect our community's privacy, we strongly opposed this motion when Viacom and others filed it.
The court felt differently and ordered us to produce the data. Viacom said that they need general viewing information to determine the proportion of views on YouTube of copyright infringing content vs. non-infringing content.
Of course, we have to follow legal process. But since IP addresses and usernames aren't necessary to determine general viewing practices, our lawyers have asked their lawyers to let us remove that information before we hand over the data they're seeking. (You should know, IP addresses identify a computer, not the person using it. It's not possible to determine your identity solely based on your IP address. Rather, an IP address can reveal what geographic area you're connecting from, or which Internet service provider you're using.)
Why do we keep this information in the first place? It helps us personalize the YouTube experience, getting you closer to the videos you most want to watch. We have many features on the site that help users discover and share compelling content, and we're improving the video experience through recommendations, related videos, and personalized directories that help you find meaningful videos.
We'll continue to fight for your right to share and broadcast your work. The court did impose some encouraging limits -- they agreed with us that Viacom should not have access to private videos or our search technology. Also, the information we provide will be designated highly confidential under court order and only Viacom's outside counsel and experts will have access to it.
Legal matters aside, our focus remains on providing you with the best possible YouTube experience and we continue to be committed to protecting your privacy. Every day, millions of creative people from around the world are posting new, original content. You, our community, are creating the YouTube experience now and tomorrow.
Sincerely,
The YouTube Team
YouTube UK Goes Fratelli
Saturday, 28 June 2008
They asked you to cover their tracks. You obliged. This is the result: Fratellis Weekend on YouTube UK.
More than
100 versions
of the Glasgow three-piece’s output were submitted for the band’s perusal, and – after some typically rock ‘n’ roll delays (which we are going to put down to their current tour) – a winner, a runner-up and eight honourable mentions were selected by the men themselves.
So, let’s congratulate
OMGMhazzRocks
on her victory, clink glasses with the
MannyNH
players (who managed to pick a tune Jon Fratelli had forgotten he’d written) and reward everyone else by watching their efforts on the homepage along with some live footage of the “real” Fratellis playing Camden Crawl.
Huge thanks (and no little respect) to everyone who took part.
Have fun,
The YouTube Team
New Personalised Homepage and Improved Email Notifications
Tuesday, 24 June 2008
The new features included in our most recent site update are geared toward a more personalised experience for you. Here is a quick rundown...
NEW PERSONALISED HOMEPAGE
Our goal is to give a simple answer to the question, "What should I watch today?" with a personalised, customisable homepage that makes it easy to find the videos and the people that you care about. After reviewing results from our beta test and feedback from the community, we're happy to now release the new personalised homepage to all logged-in users. Since launching the beta version in February, data has shown an increase in the number of users visiting the homepage, the frequency of visits and the number of subscriptions users make over time. So, this optimised version of the homepage not only means a customisable experience for you, but more exposure for your YouTube videos and channels (Note: if you are logged out or do not have an account, you won't be able to access personalised homepage and will default to our former incarnation).
IMPROVED EMAIL NOTIFICATIONS
The email messages you receive from YouTube have been updated with a new layout. In addition to a streamlined design and many wording changes, any comments or messages are now included directly within the body of the email, helping you keep track of your conversations over time.
We're eager to hear your feedback, so please
let us know what you think
of this latest round of updates.
The YouTube Team
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