YouTube UK Blog
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
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