Video Sharing Sites
 What is video sharing?
Video sharing sites are like libraries of videos you can search through (like Google), or add to yourself. You don’t have to download videos you want to see – you watch them right on your computer.
YouTube
 The easiest way to understand video sharing is to look at the "500-pound gorilla" video site – YouTube. People use YouTube in two ways:
- to watch videos (just like on TV)
- to share videos with others (often created on a webcam or digital recorder), and post their videos for others to view ("video sharing")
What kind of videos are there on YouTube?
There are two types:
Original content - items generated by the YouTube community and people like you. This can include:
Commercial content - professionally produced pieces by major companies / labels, including:
How can I find a video on a specific topic?
1. You can search for a video by keyword. By far the most popular way is to type in something that describes your video, either a title, topic or some other keyword. Pick something you are interested in, like Fred Astaire or instructional videos on home repair and away you go!
2. You can see what other people are watching. On the YouTube home page you can see videos people are currently watching (shown at the top of the screen) and featured favorites – an assortment of recommended videos– shown at the bottom of the screen. These lists change throughout the day.
3. You can look at videos by category. On the top of each page there are four headings:
- Home - where you begin when you visit the site and where a random selection of videos is shown.
- Videos - top videos recommended by viewers.
- Channels - frequent contributors to YouTube will organize their submissions into their own “channel.” By clicking on their channel, you can see all the posted content from this person or organization, starting with the most recent. Check out our Pueblo channel that has our public service announcements!
- Community – a collection of videos, including commercial interests.
How do I post a video?
In order to post a video, you need to be a registered user with YouTube. All you need is an email account and to create a user name. Once you have registered with YouTube, you will need a video to post. You can either create one with a video camera, or post a file saved on your computer taken from somewhere else. Video files usually have “.mpg”, “.mp4” or “.avi” in their file name. Here are some of the steps on how to post a video. (Please note that there will be many help boxes that will pop up along the way to provide direction):
1. Click on the yellow “Upload” button. It will ask you to find the video you want to upload.
2. Select your video and click “Upload video”
3. Provide some details about the video you are uploading, including a title, description and search tags. This information is important if you want people to be able to find your video. For example, if you are posting a video about a crazy skiing stunt your cousin Roy did in Colorado, you could fill in the information this way:
Title: Ski Front Flip Fly Away
Description: Me doing a flip on my skis.
Tags: Skiing, Roy, flip, Aspen, trick, stunt
4. Click “Save Video.” Your video is now live!
5. You can click on “My Videos” to see the video you just posted, and other people can now search and find your video.
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