News from the YouTube universe... Nonprofit programme launches in Australia and Canada: Like their American and British peers, nonprofits in Australia and Canada can now apply to become part of the YouTube Nonprofit Program. Members receive free branded channels, custom thumbnails, longer video uploads, and call-to-action overlays. For more information, and to apply, please go to www.youtube.com/nonprofits.Easier private video sharing: You no longer need to be friends with someone in order to share a private video with them. You can either generate a special URL that up to 25 people can click on, or select the "Private share with YouTube users" option on the video's details page and write in the username(s), separated by a comma, with whom you'd like to share (see screenshot below). After you click "send," the recipient will see the video in his or her inbox.
When we registered the YouTube domain on February 14, 2005, we set out to create a place where anyone with a video camera and an Internet connection could share a story with the world. Five years into it, we're as committed as ever to the core beliefs and principles that guided YouTube's creation:Video gives people a voice – From classrooms to war-torn countries, the Queen of England to the King of Pop, the Pope to the President of the United States, and the hillsides of Port au Prince to the streets of Tehran, video has the power to give rise to the most diverse set of faces and voices ever seen or heard in human history.We succeed when our partners succeed – Our content partners run the gamut, from major Hollywood studios to aspiring filmmakers and vloggers who can turn the ordinary into something extraordinary on the turn of a dime. Content creation isn't our business; it's theirs. But breaking open access to media and distribution means delivering the world's largest global audience and the revenue models they need to succeed, as well as the tools they need to control their content.Video evolves fast, YouTube must evolve faster – The Internet evolves at break-neck speed. We launch products quickly and constantly iterate to stay one step ahead of it. Our goal? To set the standard in online video delivery. Fast loading, high quality videos need to be able to play on any device, anywhere, anytime. And whether we're supporting 1080p, 3D, or deploying auto-speech recognition technology, we innovate with an eye toward providing the best possible experience for all of you.
Today we are happy to welcome Opera tenor Rolando Villazon as Guest Editor of the YouTube UK homepage. Currently part of the judging panel on ITV show “Popstar To Operastar”, the singer has seized the opportunity to share some of his favourite music with the YouTube audience – and, frankly, even if you aren’t a huge fan of his selections (shame on you!), you can’t deny the man’s passion, conviction or enthusiasm.
“I think that Classical Music, Opera, is something that can really shake everybody’s life,” he explains. “Imagine we are bottles full of water. Inside this water there are particles dancing around. Our everyday life makes those particles… settle in the bottom. A great performance – Great Art – will shake the bottles and make all those particles come alive.”
That’s the kind of talk we warm to here at YouTube UK, and to hear more click on the playlist below, which features Rolando talking through his three homepage picks and features more of the videos that caught his eye on the service.
To see more from Rolando Villazon, head to his YouTube channel, VillazonMusic. Hopefully you have enjoyed his day at the controls – some great music, a sprinkling of philosophy and the distinct impression of having encountered someone who is truly in their element. Long may he remain so.
Have fun,
Jamie Dolling, Community Editor, YouTube UK, recently watched “Lemur Tickles”.
Today the 33rd staging of the America’s Cup Regatta – the oldest active trophy in international sport – gets underway in waters off Valencia, with the holders, the Société Nautique de Genève, taking on the Golden Gate Yacht Club. For the first time ever the entire event will be shown live online and you can access the stream via the America’s Cup channel here on YouTube.
Both 90-foot boats are something to behold: the Alinghi 5 catamaran boasting a mast as tall as a 17-storey building; the trimaran BMW Oracle USA 17 sporting a rigid wing sail based on aerospace technology. To date the competition has been overwhelmed by legal issues, the teams apparently having spent more time in closed courtrooms than on the open water, but now the talking is over and the racing can commence.
The America’s Cup is decided over three races, the first and third being 40 nautical miles and the second 39. Once the wind starts to blow, the sight of both contenders under full sail should be stunning, so stay tuned YouTube to catch the action in real time.
Jamie Dolling, Community Editor, YouTube UK, recently watched “Inside The Wing”.
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