An introduction (sort of) to YouTube

Have I used YouTube before? Sure, we all have. I’ve used it to provide material for class--what better way to introduce a unit on the telegraph to a lecture class than Monty Python’s “Semaphore Version of Wuthering Heights"? Where else are you going to find the Volkswagon advertisement with the suicide bomber that caused so much controversy right before class? It's been handy for those moments when I've been debating the lyrics to a song such as the "Merry Minuet" by the now somewhat obscure group, the Kingston Trio (dang they took down the concert video, must have been a copyright issue--at least I can still see a clip from the first Grateful Dead show I went to). It's been handy for those odd skills you want to learn like using chromakey or lockpicking. You can look for the latest on your choice of political candidates in the section called YouChoose. You can even find people who will offer you a guided tour of YouTube.

As you wander through YouTube, you'll notice that there are a basic set of categories you can choose from as well as "channels," which work suspiciously like a podcast. Oh, and some of the material may be less than safe for work, though YouTube does have a set of guidelines for submitting video. Oone of the big no-nos is copyright infringement, not surprising given the Viacom-Google lawsuit (and here ). Google, is of course, YouTube's parent company. There are other lawsuits out there as well, one of the most recent is from recording artist Prince. One of YouTube's attempts to tackle the copyright issue has been to limit the length of videos to ten minutes, not that people haven't been known to upload individual segments. YouTube has also gotten in trouble with the Thai government for a video that insulted the king, resulting in the Thai government blocking access to YouTube for several months.

Not everyone is upset over the repurposing of material. In an interview with Wired magazine, CBS President Leslie Moonves argued "If there's a one-minute clip of CSI, or user-generated clips like different shots of David Caruso taking off his glasses, that's great promotion. If they were showing a whole episode of CSI and we weren't getting paid, we'd object." He added that he was in favor of multiple delivery platforms "They're all good. We don't care how you get our content — over the air, over cable, satellite, the Internet, or on your cell phone — as long as we get paid for it."

One of the keys to operations such as YouTube is finding a way to make them profitable. The most common way is through advertising, YouTube is not exception. They have tried a couple of options including banner ads above the videos and a translucent banner over the bottom of the video. Rather than making this a requirement for videos, YouTube has elected to work with select video partners. The goal is to link the ads to the video content, much like Google does with its search engine. YouTube is not only one hoping to make money through advertising, the difference is that outside companies are trying to use viral ads and product placement. Imomus of Wired worries that this may change the nature of user-created content on YouTube.

"Put these developments together and a rather sobering -- and strangely exciting -- idea emerges: We're all involved in the future of advertising. Anyone with a video blog is, potentially, just one irresistible offer away from becoming a corporate stooge, a sock puppet, a product placer, an astroturfer, a shill. An industry that once confined itself to Madison Avenue is now operating from your town, your street, your bedroom. It's using your voice, your sex appeal, your mannerisms. If you can grab eyeballs, it'll pay for them."

My personal concern is the amount time I find myself spending on YouTube when I start looking for something. This blog cost me at least a couple of hours that I'll never get back. Did I really need to learn about Dramatic Prairie, where the original clip came from, or how many other people have repurposed the video? Oh, and here's what I was originally looking for, how to prepare your video for YouTube, and strange to say, I couldn't find a decent YouTube clip on the process.

What are your thoughts on YouTube? Make sure you read through the links for class.