After an explosion in the last several years, YouTube has become the largest online video repository in the world. Although most people have heard of YouTube and use it regularly, there are still some that haven’t made their own video channel yet. So is YouTube easy to figure out for the average everyday internet user? Well, if I can figure it out then anyone can use this service. They allow users to set up their very own channel where people can subscribe and watch videos you upload. Because we live so far apart, my family uses YouTube as an easy way to share videos of our kids. Even some teenagers have created channels that get so many views, services like Google Adsense run advertisements on the videos similar to television commercials. Some of the channels running those ads are making over $100,000.00USD a year in advertising revenue! So how do you get started?
Sign Up For An Account
If you are just going to use YouTube in a search only capacity, then the only reason you would need an account is if you intend on watching adult content. If not, then no account is needed if you just want to search. After you get to the homepage at YouTube.com, there is a search box at the very top. Here you can search for whatever videos you would like to view. Over to the far right is a link that says, “log in”. Follow this link and you will be taken to another page where you will be given the option to log in, or sign up for a new account. Click the sign up for a new account button and then follow the onscreen prompts. You will only have to provide minimal information on sign up. You can also use a Google account log in if you have one. After completing the sign up process you are ready to start uploading your videos!
Things You Will Need To Upload Your Videos
- A video that is in a digital format that YouTube supports.
- A way to transfer the video from your camcorder or other video device to your computer or internet.
- Information about your video that you would like to attach to the file when you upload (i.e. title, location, who is in the video, etc.).
YouTube accepts videos in the following formats:.avi;.mpg;.wmv; or.mov, and I have had luck with.mp4 also. Before you attempt uploading a video, make sure the file is in one of these formats. You can easily open one of these videos in Windows Movie Maker or Apple iMovie and save the video file as one of the accepted formats. Then you should have no problem uploading. If you already have your video file on your computer, then all you need to do, is go to YouTube and click the “upload” button located next to the search box at the top of the home page. If not, you will need to transfer your video file from your video device to your computer either by transferring the flash memory card, or through USB or firewire cables. While the video is uploading you will see a series of boxes underneath where you can input information about the video. Type a small description and add some facts like location of where the video was shot and also add some keywords. After YouTube finishes processing your video, you will be given the link of the location of your video so you can share with your family and friends!
