Official YouTube Blog: January 2011

Egyptian protest footage on YouTube

Monday, January 31, 2011

Highlighting the latest footage on CitizenTube, our news and politics channel, and inviting people to submit video they’ve come across.

Pointing our users directly to these videos through banners at the top of YouTube pages, and through links alongside YouTube videos.

Streaming live coverage of Al Jazeera’s broadcasts about the unfolding events, on both their Arabic and English YouTube channels.

speak-to-tweet service

Haiti earthquakeprotests in IranOlivia Ma, YouTube News and Politics, recently watched “28th Jan. 2011 - Storyful - Kasr Al Nile Bridge clashes”

Your Interview with President Obama

Thursday, January 27, 2011

protests in Egyptyou submittedfireside chats.

YouTube World ViewSteve Grove, Head of News & Politics, recently watched “Behind the scenes: Before and after the YouTube Interview with President Obama.”

Your YouTube questions for the President

Thursday, January 27, 2011

youtube.com/askobama

Olivia Ma, News and Politics Manager, recently watched "Ask President Obama."

Join Life in a Day tonight for its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival

Thursday, January 27, 2011

On July 24, 2010, thousands of people around the world uploaded videos of their lives to YouTube to take part in “Life in a Day,” a historic cinematic experiment to document a single day on earth. From Australia to Zambia, more than 80,000 videos, totaling 4,500 hours of footage, were submitted to the project. After months of hard work, Oscar-winning director Kevin Macdonald and a team of editors have created a 90-minute documentary film that gives a surprising, honest and entertaining self-portrait of our world.

While “Life in a Day” will be officially released later this year, tonight you have a very special opportunity to tune in to the world premiere direct from the 2011 Sundance Film Festival. The premiere will be followed by a live Q&A with Kevin Macdonald and key contributors to the film. You can submit questions for the Q&A here.

Tonight’s stream begins at 5pm PT/8pm ET on the Life in a Day channel. If you’re outside of the United States, you can catch a rebroadcast on Friday, January 28, at 7pm in your local time zone, captioned and subtitled in 25 additional languages, with an additional option for audio description (AD) in English.

We hope you enjoy the film!

Tim Partridge, Product Marketing Manager, recently watched “Life in a Day: A new type of filmmaking”.

Share and share alike: we’ve acquired Fflick

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Shiva Rajaraman, Group Product Manager, recently discovered “Stjepan Hauser and Luka Sulic - Smooth Criminal” on Twitter.

Life in a Day, now at Sundance

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

We recently gave you a sneak peek at “Life in a Day”, and mentioned that Director Kevin Macdonald had selected a group of contributors to join him at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival for the film’s world premiere. The documentary film is a collaboration between Macdonald, Ridley Scott, YouTube, and LG about a single day on earth.

These contributors have now arrived in Park City, Utah from as far afield as Afghanistan, Egypt, Indonesia, Russia, and Japan. Many of them are travelling overseas for the first time. Starting today, you can see their Sundance journey on the Life in a Day channel, where we’ll be posting daily video updates of their experience, as well as interviews with Kevin and the Life in a Day crew.

You can tune in to the live stream of the world premiere from the Sundance Film Festival this Thursday at 8pm ET/5pm PT. There will also be an additional option for audio description (AD) in English. If you’re outside of the United States, you can also catch the rebroadcast on Friday, January 28, at 7pm in your local time zone. The rebroadcast will be closed captioned and subtitled on YouTube in 25 languages.
While the final film contains 1,025 videos that give an honest and compelling glimpse of our world, the film itself is only one part of the Life in a Day story. To celebrate the many and varied contributions from people around the world, we’ve created a special exhibition at the Sundance Film Festival to allow visitors to browse the tens of thousands of videos submitted to the project. You will be able to see the exhibition from the 'Experience Sundance' page on the channel.

Remember to subscribe to the Life in a Day channel for the latest news on the project, and tune in on January 27 for the live premiere.

Tim Partridge, Product Marketing Manager, recently watched “Life in a Day Teaser #2: Ron."

Tune in tonight: The State of the Union, and your questions

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

youtube.com/askobamaJohn Boehner

YouTube World ViewOlivia Ma, YouTube News and Politics, recently watched, “Sheila’s question, from New Brunswick, Ohio.”

JoshSundquist is January’s “On the Rise” star

Saturday, January 22, 2011

Josh SundquistLuke ConardOn the Risehomepageauthorskiera rapper“The growth of my channel is due entirely to the awesomeness of the YouTube community. I especially want to thank iJustine. Even if I wanted to, I could not possibly exaggerate how much she has helped my channel. Also thanks to KsicsFaces for his vids about me, to the VlogBrothers for the stage time at VidCon 2010, to ShaneDawsonTV and Smosh for tweeting my vids, to WillOfDC for promoting my tour, to sxephil, LinzLoves and WHATTHEBUCK for tweeting my book, to Catrific and ItsMeJennaE for putting me in their box, to MissGlamorazzi for her shout-out, to Lisa Harbin for all her behind-the-scenes assistance, and most importantly, to you, my viewers. Without you all watching, talking into a camera would be a very weird hobby. Which is to say, more strange than it already is.” channel browse pageTweetedMia Quagliarello, Community Manager, recently watched “Amputee Rap.”

The Onion’s A.V. Club “Inventory” lists become YouTube videos

Friday, January 21, 2011

The folks at the A.V. Club (the pop culture wing of The Onion) have a new series debuting on YouTube this week called “Inventory,” based on the popular lists by the same name at avclub.com. If you chug pop culture, but like it served up with a twist, “Inventory” will delight every nerve in your nerdy body.1) What was the genesis of the Inventory program?avclub.com2) How does YouTube help in your process, if at all?3) How can the YouTube community get involved in the show, making recommendations or other?4) What's a little known fact about Inventory that you'd never know by watching it?5) What question would you ask yourselves if you were doing this interview?Josh Modell, General Manager, The A.V. Club, graciously answered these questions but points out that “pretty much everybody in The A.V. Club had a creative hand in these video segments.”

This Week's Trends: Fan Anthems, New Dances

Friday, January 21, 2011

YouTube Trends

We discovered a new dance craze popping up in Taiwan called "Bobee."

We tracked how the fan-anthem "Black and Yellow" as well as how parodies of that song have grown in popularity with the NFL playoffs kicking in.

We enjoyed hip-hop from around the world.

We collected reactions from comic book fans to the announcement of new Batman villains.

We saw on-the-scene footage from the mudslides in Brazil as well as the unrest in the streets of Tunisia.

We looked back at how the YouTube community responded in the week following the shooting in Tucson.

And we examined how amateur weather reports were popping up in the southeast after a big winter storm. Among them was this tongue-in-cheek report that became one of the week's most-shared videos:

www.YouTube.com/TrendsKevin Allocca, YouTube Trends Manager, recently watched "60 Second Fight Club"

Your questions, your State of the Union

Friday, January 21, 2011

youtube.com/askobama

Video questions are highly preferred (though we also accept text). Videos should be about 20 seconds long and be sure to ask the question directly.

Speak clearly and try to film in a place with minimal background noise. Keep the camera as still as possible.

Feel free to be creative (use props, charts, etc.) to help your question stand out. If you have time, find an interesting backdrop that may help reinforce your message.

Submit your question early. The final deadline is Wednesday January 26 at midnight ET.

youtube.com/askobamaYouTube World Viewchannelanswered your questions*Update - that should read "You have until Wednesday January 26 at midnight ET to submit your question for President Obama".*Posted by Olivia Ma, YouTube News and Politics, recently watched “Submit your question for President Obama”

5 Questions for Jack Conte and Natalie Dawn, Pomplamoose

Friday, January 21, 2011

What you hear is what you get with YouTube Partners Pomplamoose. Every sound you hear in their music videos is produced by an instrument you see played in their music videos. It’s a novel idea they call the “videosong”. And, in a world with so many artificial, over-produced sounds, Pomplamoose provides refreshing covers and original music. Brands are taking notice of this authenticity, too. If you've been living in a hole for the past few months, you might have missed their Hyundai commercials over the holidays.

Continuing on their quest to make music (and musicians) more accessible, we asked Jack Conte and Natalie Dawn about how they got their start, what it’s like working with brands, and buying Etsy chandeliers to create your very own mysterious aura.

You should also tune into their live webshows on Tuesdays at 6:30pm PT at www.pomplamoose.com.

Shenaz Zack, Product Manager, recently watched, “Pomplamoose - If You Think You Need Some Lovin”

Screening Room now showing short films from the 2011 Sundance Film Festival

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Can’t make it to Park City, Utah to mingle with independent film’s glitterati at the Sundance Film Festival this year? We’ll bring the magic to you.

To celebrate the kickoff of one of the world’s most acclaimed independent film festivals, YouTube and the Sundance Film Institute are teaming up to present a collection of past and present short films in the YouTube Screening Room. Over the next few weeks, we’ll feature:

Four career-starting short films from past Sundance Film Festivals
Four short films from past participants in the Sundance Director’s Lab
Twelve short films from the 2011 Sundance Film Festival

This week’s installment includes four new films from up-and-coming directors. The films’ settings range from a virtual, retro-gaming world to the very real struggles of contemporary Afghanistan.

8 Bits Witness a fight between an 8-bit superhero and a high-def boss, set in a retro-gaming world. Directed by Valere Amirault, Sarah Laufer, Jean Delaunay and Benjamin Mattern.

Andy and Zach Andy tries to set up a new life when his roommate and best friend, Zach, moves out. Directed by Nick Paley.

Skateistan: To Live and Skate in Kabul Skateistan is an oasis where children can be children and build the kind of cross-cultural relationships that Afghanistan needs for future stability. Directed by Orlando von Einsiedel.

The High Level Bridge Trevor drops his camera from Edmonton's High Level Bridge in memory of those who have jumped. Directed by Trevor Anderson.

Check out the Screening Room again on January 27, 2011, and February 3, 2011, to catch the next two installments of short films from this year's Sundance Film Festival.

Kinzie Kramer, Associate Product Marketing Manager, just watched Battle of the Bands

New YouTube homepage launches to all users

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Increased focus on videos that matter to you (subscriptions, friend's sharing, recommendations)

You can easily filter your homepage to show only the latest uploads from your subscriptions

Don't miss anything; if a channel uploads four videos in a day, you’ll see all four - instead of just the latest video

Quick access to the inbox when you have new messages or comments

Knows what you have seen (videos you've watched are grayed out)

Remove any video (hover and click the "x" button)

The YouTube Team

What's so funny? Submit your skit ideas for Friday’s LIVE online improv show

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

HP ePrint Liveon YouTubeThe Hangover, The Daily Show With Jon StewartUpright Citizen’s Brigade Theatrewww.youtube.com/hpeprintliveHP ePrint Live YouTube channelHP’s Home Facebook pageSuzie Reider, Director Display Advertising, YouTube and GDN recently watched “Annie Leibovitz: HP Let's Do Amazing”

This Tuesday! Broken Social Scene go live on YouTube

Monday, January 17, 2011

http://www.youtube.com/bowerypresentsa mix of videosthis playlistArcade FireThe Postal ServiceSonic YouthFeist,Amy MillanEmily Haineshere)This Movie Is BrokenSarah Bardeen is a longtime music obsessive, critic and journalist who joined YouTube recently as Music Community Manager. She recently watched “ASA - <> [OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO HD].”

Partners, please join us for the first virtual meetup

Friday, January 14, 2011

YouTube channelYouTube channelDate: Time:Web address: www.youtube.com/YouTube#YTPartnerMargaret Healy, Strategic Partner Manager, recently watched “Kauai - The Lost World - Canon 5D Mark II.”

This Week's Trends: Duets, floods and Jersey Shore

Friday, January 14, 2011

YouTube Trends

We found evidence from around the country of a little known pants-less holiday.

With major flooding in Queensland, Australia, we experienced some of it through amateur footage from on the ground.

We went around the world to see top viewed public performances of all kinds.

We examined the trend of short action films the re-imagine video games In Real Life.

On the one year anniversary of the earthquake in Haiti, we saw how charities large and small were using YouTube to raise funds and awareness.

We used search and viewing data to see how popular the cast members of "Jersey Shore" are.

And we studied how this father and daughter duet became one of the week's most-shared videos:

www.YouTube.com/TrendsKevin Allocca, YouTube Trends Manager, recently watched "Elizabeth Hughes, 8 years old, National Anthem/"

Football, hot wings, cars, commercials

Thursday, January 13, 2011

Garlic Ginger Chicken WingsAd Blitz Pre-Game programNFL Playoff coveragetrash talkrecipesAndrew Bangs, Sports Manager, recently watched "Onion SportsDome".

Music videos now on YouTube app for Android

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

VEVO’sNexus S

Music videos are now clearly marked with a ‘music note’ badge

While enjoying the video you can read ‘artist bio’

It’s easy to discover more tracks from the same artist using ‘artist tracks’ tab

You’ll find similar cool bands on the ‘related artists’ tab

In addition to these features, tens of thousands of YouTube partner videos will also now have pre-roll ads appear on the YouTube 2.0 app for Android. This not only expands distribution opportunities for partners like VEVO, but also opens up more revenue to partners distributing their content to mobile. Although we’ve tested ads on mobile over the years, this is our largest step in mobile monetization to date.
surpass $1 billion

As the world goes mobile and more people watch videos on their smart phones, we expect more partners will take advantage of these new mobile advertising capabilities and make more of their content available across more devices.

Our next step is to let partners run ads more broadly across other mobile platforms, beyond Android native apps.

Andrey Doronichev, YouTube Mobile Product Manager, recently watched “Zaz, la toy session : je veux”

Meet the YouTube Symphony Orchestra 2011

Monday, January 10, 2011

336 finalists selected last monthMichael Tilson Thomas and composer Mason Batesvuvuzela-fixated trombonistArizona-based clarinetistGuzheng player from China

We called for auditionsthe channelYouTube Symphony channelApple App StoreSynergy: Unsung Heroes

On the Rise: Help these users get on the homepage!

Friday, January 7, 2011

On the RiseYouTube homepagevideos pageFacebookTwitteremilynoel83justjesse197Michael ArandaLuke ConardTori Kelly Josh SundquistMia Quagliarello, Community Manager, recently watched “Taylor Momsen escapes paparazzi.”

The ad your ads could look like: Looking back at the best YouTube ads of 2010

Friday, January 7, 2011

YouTube RewindOld Spice "The Man Your Man Could Smell Like"Old Spice’s Twitter response campaignExperts sayAdWeekLesson learnedNike "Write the Future"Lesson learnedTipp-Ex "NSFW. A hunter shoots a bear!"Burger King Subservient ChickenExperts saymashableLesson learnedHell Pizza, “Deliver Me to Hell“Experts sayNewTeeVeeLesson learnedvideo annotationsToyota "Swagger Wagon"Lesson learnedToy Story 3, “Lots-o-Huggin' Bear Commercial” Experts sayClickZLesson learnedEric Meyerson, Video Business Marketing Lead, recently watched "Complete History of The Soviet Union, Arranged to the Melody of Tetris."

A sneak peek at “Life in a Day”

Thursday, January 6, 2011

Life in a Day2011 Sundance Film Festival

Life in a Day channelTim Partridge, Product Marketing Manager, recently watched Homeless Man with Golden Radio Voice."

Your window into the 112th Congress

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Just after Representative John Boehner was sworn in as the 61st Speaker of the House earlier today, he and new House Oversight Committee Chairman Darrell Issa made an early move to make the activities of the House of Representatives more accessible to citizens via YouTube. Starting in this 112th Congress, all committee hearings of the House Oversight committee will be available on YouTube, on a new channel called HouseResourceOrg. This is the first congressional committee to ever put all of its hearings online, and the new Speaker hopes it’s the first step towards getting all House committee hearings available to all citizens on the web.

This was made possible via a Google Project 10^100 grant made to Carl Malamud at PublicResource.org, who will be working with the House to access and upload all of the hearings that the Oversight Committee holds each week. PublicResource.org will also upload hundreds of hours of archived content. Where transcripts are available from the House, they'll be uploaded along with the videos, using YouTube's auto-timing capabilities to automatically create accurate captions through voice recognition. Thanks to the reuse of these uploaded transcripts, PublicResource.org videos with captions will be fully searchable, and the captions can be auto-translated into over 50 languages.

Here’s an example of the types of videos you’ll see on the new channel – if you go to the video page, you can see the interactive transcript in the upper-right hand corner of the clip:

As always, you can access the individual channels of Members of Congress at youtube.com/househub and youtube.com/senatehub.

Steve Grove, Head of News and Politics, recently watched “U.S. Policy towards Iran.”

Official Blog

Egyptian protest footage on YouTube

Your Interview with President Obama

Your YouTube questions for the President

Join Life in a Day tonight for its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival

Share and share alike: we’ve acquired Fflick

Life in a Day, now at Sundance

Tune in tonight: The State of the Union, and your questions

JoshSundquist is January’s “On the Rise” star

The Onion’s A.V. Club “Inventory” lists become YouTube videos

This Week's Trends: Fan Anthems, New Dances

Your questions, your State of the Union

5 Questions for Jack Conte and Natalie Dawn, Pomplamoose

Screening Room now showing short films from the 2011 Sundance Film Festival

New YouTube homepage launches to all users

What's so funny? Submit your skit ideas for Friday’s LIVE online improv show

This Tuesday! Broken Social Scene go live on YouTube

Partners, please join us for the first virtual meetup

This Week's Trends: Duets, floods and Jersey Shore

Football, hot wings, cars, commercials

Music videos now on YouTube app for Android

Meet the YouTube Symphony Orchestra 2011

On the Rise: Help these users get on the homepage!

The ad your ads could look like: Looking back at the best YouTube ads of 2010

A sneak peek at “Life in a Day”

Your window into the 112th Congress

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