Congratulations to hauntedsunshinegirl, our May On The Rise featured partner

Congratulations to Sunshine of hauntedsunshinegirl, our featured “On The Rise” partner for May 2013. You can find Sunshine’s channel and videos in the spotlight across YouTube today, including on our new On The Rise homepage.

Sunshine began documenting paranormal activity several years ago, when she and her mother moved into a “haunted” house. Sunshine’s channel has evolved from simply exposing the spooky apparitions who haunt her home: she’s even recorded a real-life paranormal investigation into the situation. Sunshine also produced a feature film to illustrate her own exploration to find and understand “Black Eyed Kids.” This channel follows more of a storyline than many YouTube channels, so be prepared to get caught up in the mysterious activity at Sunshine’s house.



Here are a few words directly from Sunshine:

Huge thanks to everyone who voted for me for On the Rise! I am so honored and excited to be a part of this amazing group of YouTubers that have been featured in the past. YouTube is such a huge part of my life and I love that more viewers will get to see the videos I work so hard to make! If you are not familiar with my channel, it might be slightly different than what you are used to. I have hundreds of mostly creepy, often hilarious videos about the paranormal world. But that’s not all...I even have some zombie videos!

If you’ve enjoyed this monthly On The Rise blog series, we encourage you to check out our new On The Rise homepage. You can check out all of our past featured partners on the Featured Partners tab, or nominate a YouTube partner to be considered for the program on the Nominate tab. Feel free to submit nominations for your own channel, or for channels you follow that you think deserve more attention or could be the next YouTube sensation. We’ll continue to feature promising partners who drive YouTube watch time, have fewer than 100,000 subscribers, and produce engaging content on a regular basis.

See you next month!

Christine Wang and Devon Storbeck, YouTube Partner Support, recently watched “まるです５。-I am Maru 5.-”

3 - 2 - 1...ACTION! Maximize Your Channel!

The YouTube Creator Academy is piloting a free online course to help you build awesome experiences for your fans so they will come back for more. Join other creators, just like you, from around the globe to pilot our first open online course, Maximize Your Channel!

YouTube Creator Academy’s Maximize Your Channel will dive into the different parts of the new YouTube One Channel, explain how each can help you attract more subscribers and viewers, and give you the opportunity to freshen up your own channel while you learn.

Why should you sign up? You’ll be able to:

• Take what you’ve learned and apply it directly onto your own YouTube channel
• Track your progress and check how you’re doing along the way
• Get connected to a community of other creators in the course
• “Hang out” with the pros! Join live conversations with a panel of YT experts and partner creators
• Test drive YouTube’s first massive open online course (MOOC)!

For just a few hours of investment and all from the comfort of your computer screen! Sound good? Register now!

Maximize Your Channel

June 3 PDT - June 16, 2013 PDT

The YouTube Creator Academy Crew loved this video about “Where Good Ideas Come From”.  They’re convinced good ideas will come from “Maximize Your Channel”!

Slomo makes everything better

Anyone who’s seen a slow motion video of a dog drinking water, rubber bands breaking a watermelon, or footballs in faces knows the age-old proverb: slomo makes everything better. What’s the best way to make slomo better? Let everyone make their own slomo video on YouTube.

To create a slomo video, visit the Enhancements tool or the YouTube Editor and apply it to one of your existing videos. You’ll get a smooth, slomo video that makes it look like it was filmed with a high-speed camera. Here’s a video reduced to 1/8th speed to give you an idea how it looks:

Before:

After:

Turn your next video into an epic slomo moment, and check out the rest of the free Enhancement tools available to help you build a whole channel filled with awesome videos of any speed.

Eron Steger, Software Engineer, recently watched ”The Beards - Got Me a Beard”

Check out and apply to the exciting new Labs at YouTube Space LA!

Laugh and the world laughs with you …..on YouTube! This month YouTube Space LA is all about comedy with the first of our month-long themed Creator Labs designed to bring in rising channels interested in increasing their production value and collaborating with similar channels.

After extensive production training, our 21 amazing Comedy Lab channel participants are now actively creating new videos here, especially during our weekly collab days where they can take advantage of additional resources and play with special equipment like our steadicam and slow motion camera.

We welcome actionfiguretherapy, channelpktown, LaughAndPeeAlittle, Sam Macaroni, Schlabobble, BaratsAndBereta, helpmefindparents, steamroomstories, suburbanhomeboy, WhoisUTV, mitchmagee, Goldentusk, GREGandLOU, HSTSketchComedy, oldepayphone, 5secondfilms, Comediva, Cracked, LivePrudeGirls, and sweetteafilms. Check out their channels or if you are on the go, checkout the speed-dial playlist! 

Up next, our Beauty Lab participants will be announced soon, and if you want to apply for our awesome Geek Lab, June 17- July 20th, please sign up HERE.

Jennifer Vaden Barth, YTSLA Operations Coordinator, is getting ready for a KOA summer!

Connect your Channel with a Google+ Page

Update 11/6/13: To comment on YouTube, you'll need to connect your channel to a Google+ profile or page. Learn how below.

Throughout the coming weeks, YouTube creators will begin to see the option to connect their channel with a Google+ page. Connecting with Google+ will unlock great new features for your channel, so we want you to understand all of your options. When you connect a channel with Google+, the channel will have a shared name and avatar with Google+, so making the right choice is important. A couple quick notes before starting:

• If you already have a corresponding Google+ page that you’d like to connect with your channel, make sure you’ve added your channel’s Google account as a manager of that page. 
• If you don’t already have a Google+ page that you’d like to connect with, that’s fine. The linking process will allow you to easily create a new one. 

Below is a screen for an example channel (Superman87), and here’s what the options mean:

• Superman: This option will connect your channel with an existing Google+ page that your channel’s Google account manages. 
• Superman87: This option will create a new Google+ page for your channel with the existing channel name. 
• Choose a better name: This option will create a new Google+ page for your channel with any name that you specify. If you want, you can change your name entirely, or you can make subtle adjustments to your channel username, such as adding a space or other punctuation (e.g., Superman 87). 
• Clark Kent: This will connect your channel with the Google+ profile on your channel’s Google account. We generally advise partners to link their channel with a Google+ page, so if you’re considering using a profile instead, please view these guidelines

To start the process right now, go to your advanced account settings in YouTube and click Connect with a Google+ Page. If you have any questions, take a look at our help resources, or join our discussion G+ Community about YouTube and Google+ Integration.

John Fisher, YouTube Software Engineer, recently watched WikiWars - Evan v. Sarah in GREGORY GRUDGE MATCH!

Meet the Fifteen Next Vloggers of 2013!

A hearty and heartfelt congratulations to the top fifteen channels selected for the YouTube Next Vlogger 2013 -  may they all live, vlog and prosper!

Last month, we asked you not only “Do you vlog?” but also, “Do you have inspiring personal stories of triumph, big or small, to share with the world through your channel?”  Whether it was dealing with a tough situation at school, struggling to gain acceptance from your peers (or from yourself), moving to a new country, or overcoming a fear of rollercoasters, you took the opportunity through your YouTube channel to motivate your audience to laugh, to smile and to take life by the horns.

And respond, you did! From the vast number of applications, we are pleased to announce the fifteen winners, who will all receive a Google+ Hangout workshop series from industry experts and YouTube staff about best practices in developing long-lasting channels on YouTube, $4,000 worth of production equipment, and a unique opportunity to collaborate with other creators across the globe.

You inspired us with your tales of triumph and your feats of fearlessness: we loved getting to see the story behind your channel and to understand what makes you tick. We hope you enjoy getting to know these Next Vloggers as much as we have here at YouTube.

Check out our newest Next Vloggers below, and make sure you subscribe to stay up-to-date with their channels.

3sixty5days

Akaydoll

appchat

beckie0

csandreas

emilieofnewgloom

EQVAY04

glowpinkstah

ItsRaphaBlueBerry

Kayleighkill

lukeslovinglife

millymollymandy16

PlusModelinTheMaking

thatzak

TheOliWhiteTV

Matthew Yeager recently watched JASH’s Brazzavile Teen-Ager.

Join the Creator Academy to Maximize Your Channel

Want to learn about YouTube straight from the experts? Whether you’re just starting out or you want to take your channel to the next level, the YouTube Creator Academy can help you get there!

The Maximize Your Channel course will dive into the different parts of the new YouTube One Channel, explain how each can help you attract more subscribers and viewers, and give you the opportunity to freshen up your own channel while you learn. The course is free and open to a global audience.

The two week course starts on June 3 and with just a few hours over two weeks, you will learn how to:

1. Rack up your subscribers. Find out how to draw new viewers to your channel and get them to subscribe.
2. Make channel a daily destination for viewers. Curate and organize content so viewers will find what they’re looking for and keep coming back for more.
3. Have your channel look good everywhere. Every channel is unique. You’ll learn how to make your brand pop across every type of screen: TVs, laptops, tablets, mobile, gaming consoles.
   
   

Check it out! Reserve your spot in the course today. Registration is ongoing until the course closes on June 16 at 8 pm EDT.

Maximize Your Channel

June 3 PDT - June 16, 2013 PDT

The YouTube Creator Academy Crew have been jamming to “What is a MOOC?” 

YouTube One Channel launching across all channels next month

We’ve been excited to see more than 100 million channels around the world opt in to the new YouTube One Channel during the open beta. We have integrated a lot of your feedback, including improving the What to Watch Next module and making it easier for you to create sections from playlists.

Channels that have already made the switch are experiencing several benefits. Their branding shines through in more places because Channel Art is visible on iOS apps, Android apps and TV. For the channels that have opted in, we’ve seen 20% more page views on their channels because clicks from the YouTube guide go directly to their channel pages instead of to their activity feeds.

Now that YouTube One Channel is ready for prime time, we’ll be launching across all channels on June 5th. If you have not opted in by then, your channel will be automatically and permanently moved to the new design. If you’re ready to make the move today, you can opt in here.

Before the deadline, we’ll make sure to share several reminders so that you won’t be caught off-guard. We’ve also put together tips and tricks from the Creator Playbook to set up your channel in the new design. It only takes a few minutes to migrate, so start upgrading today!

Allison Bransfield, Product Specialist, recently subscribed to Vice.

WE’LL DO IT LIVE: YouTube live streaming expanding to more channels

Live streaming can bring great experiences to your viewers, create deeper engagement with your fans and build a hyper-engaged audience for your channel. Over the last year, many YouTube creators have used our live streaming to make their channels a destination for Emmy-winning sports events, amazing music, immersive gaming, engaging talk shows and so much more.

To help even more of you create these great experiences for your viewers, starting today we are expanding access to live streaming. All channels in good standing with over a thousand subscribers are now eligible to apply for live streaming. To see if you’re eligible, check your Account Features page for an “Enable” button to sign up for Live and click it if you're interested. In the following weeks you'll be able to live stream to the world from your channel.

YouTube Live allows you to offer your audience a great viewing experience, with great streaming quality and instant scalability and reliability. Here are some key features:

• You get real-time transcoding in the cloud, so you only need to send us your highest quality stream and we make it instantly available in all resolutions and device formats
• You can show multiple camera angles, add closed captions, and insert ads and slates
• Viewers can watch the live stream from any device, get the best quality constantly adjusting to their Internet connection, and can skip back and forth in the live stream
  
  

More information on the live streaming is available in our Help Center, and you can also check out the YouTube Live Streaming API for everything you need to create your own live experience with YouTube. We'll also continue to expand availability to more channels and add more features to YouTube Live over time.

[Update] Now, if you have over 100 subscribers, you are eligible for livestreaming.

Satyajeet Salgar, Product Manager, can’t stop watching “Doodle for Saul Bass’ 93rd birthday” 

The journey to the Social Star Awards begins now

This year, YouTube is partnering with Starcount to livestream the first-ever Social Star Awards, a 24-hour show that celebrates the most popular in social media with live performances and award presentations, recognizing everything from top actors and athletes to favorite songs and sports teams. The event kicks off on May 23 with a red carpet awards ceremony in Singapore, and fans around the world can tune in to watch the action live at www.youtube.com/starcount.

The journey to the Social Star Awards begins now. What does it take to become a rising YouTube star? Check out this teaser here and sign up to www.youtube.com/starcount to find out how some of our own partners, including Harley Morenstein of Epic Meal Time, Ryan Higa, Jenna Marbles, Shane Dawson, Freddie W and MysteryGuitarMan are training up for this year’s first ever Social Star Awards.

Stay tuned for more to come!

New ways to support great content on YouTube

We’ve been building a YouTube partner program since 2007 that enables content creators to earn revenue for their creativity. We’ve watched them build amazing channels that have made YouTube into a news, education and entertainment destination one billion people around the world cannot do without.  

Today, there are more than one million channels generating revenue on YouTube, and one of the most frequent requests we hear from these creators behind them is for more flexibility in monetizing and distributing content. We’ve been working on that and wanted to fill you in on what to expect.

Starting today, we’re launching a pilot program for a small group of partners that will offer paid channels on YouTube with subscription fees starting at $0.99 per month. Every channel has a 14-day free trial, and many offer discounted yearly rates. For example, Sesame Street will be offering full episodes on their paid channel when it launches. And UFC fans can see classic fights, like a full version of their first event from UFC’s new channel. You might run into more of these channels across YouTube, or look here for a list of pilot channels. Once you subscribe from a computer, you’ll be able to watch paid channels on your computer, phone, tablet and TV, and soon you’ll be able to subscribe to them from more devices.

This is just the beginning. We’ll be rolling paid channels out more broadly in the coming weeks as a self-service feature for qualifying partners. And as new channels appear, we'll be making sure you can discover them, just as we've been helping you find and subscribe to all the channels you love across YouTube. Just as the partner program empowered creators to take their channels to the next level, we look forward to seeing how this great community of creators moves ahead with a new way to reach the fan communities that made their channels a hit. You’ll be hearing more from us, and them, as we get creator and user feedback and build out this exciting offering.

  

If you’re a YouTube creator interested in building your own paid channel, let us know here.

The YouTube Team

Meet your May “On The Rise” nominees!

In our monthly On The Rise program, we identify four partners whose channels drive significant YouTube watch time but haven’t yet reached the 100,000 subscriber mark. Thanks to your help, we’re sharing four partners who each drive a lot of watch time on YouTube but still have a ways to go before they hit that milestone. This May, our nominees have had their viewers glued to the screen with videos about paranormal activity, the balance of baking and exercise, reptile behavior, and all kinds of creative crafting.

And they could use your help! You can help these nominees jumpstart their audience development and channel growth. Review their videos below, vote for your favorite here, and one of these candidates will have the opportunity to be featured across YouTube later this month. In addition to your votes, each channel will be evaluated on criteria such as viewer engagement and channel optimization techniques to decide which partner we’ll feature.

In past months, featured On The Rise partners like ManjulasKitchen and PsychoSoprano have gained many subscribers and seen their careers take off, in large part due to your support. This month’s poll will be open until May 15, 5pm PT, so don’t forget to vote for your favorite channel. Check back to see which channel will be featured on May 28.

hauntedsunshinegirl
Sunshine has been documenting paranormal activity at her house for several years, sharing her haunted videos on YouTube. If you’re into mysteries, ghosts, or demons, this is the channel for you.



CupcakesandCardio
You’ll find some cardio tips and hiking trip videos along with baking and cupcake decorating tutorials on Jenn’s channel. She also hosts a Backpack Baking series where she bakes sweet treats in the great outdoors with her backpacking oven.



ojatro
“The hunt is on” over at Heiko Kiera’s YouTube channel, which features all kinds of reptiles. A wildlife videographer both by trade and by passion, Heiko creates videos he hopes will dispel rumors and misunderstanding about fascinating animals like snakes, alligators, and crocodiles.



mommycraftsalot
Linda is a mom of four who has a knack for crafting. You’ll find tutorials on making hair bows for different occasions, jewelry, and other creative projects from everyday items. Her kids even make a guest appearance in a few of her videos!



If you’re interested in participating or have suggestions for partners you think should be featured, you can nominate a YouTube partner to be considered for the “On The Rise” program. You can also check out some of our Google Hangouts with past featured partners on the YouTube Creators channel.

Devon Storbeck and Christine Wang, YouTube Partner Support, recently watched “Maker vs Marker.”

Improvements to YouTube Uploading

We've heard your feedback about uploading videos being a bit of a drag, so today we're announcing two improvements to make it easier.

Upload Notification Emails

Tired of refreshing the upload page to see if your video is finally done and ready to be watched and shared? Starting this week, we will send you an email to notify you that your video is done uploading and processing. You can then forward that email to friends or family for easy sharing.

Prefer not to receive these emails? You can opt out by visiting your email settings.

More Control Over Publishing and Sharing

Ever had a public video publish to YouTube before you’ve finished filling in its information? You’ll soon be able to decide when your video gets published, giving you as much time as you need to input the title, description, custom message to send to your subscribers, etc.

Until you tell us to publish your video, we'll treat it as private so it’ll be visible only to you. We’ll start rolling out this change next week, so hang tight if you don't see this change just yet-- and don’t forget to press Publish!

As always, if you want to share your feedback about these new features you can post in the YouTube Help forum or use the Send Feedback link at the bottom of any YouTube page.

Balazs Dezso, YouTube engineer, recently watched "Follow me on Twitter."