First Ever Viral Videos

Every now and then, someone posts a video on youtube that goes absolutely viral. It suddenly becomes the only thing everyone is talking about and watching. Unfortunately that only lasts for a week or two then everyone seems to be over it.

Viral videos seem to be the main cause for people to get introduced to Youtube. It was after the first time I ever watched a viral video that I became so interested in the site. I mean, most people didn't just discover Youtube for the fun of it, it's mainly by watching a viral video everyone was talking about.

With that said, Have you ever wondered what the first every viral videos on Youtube were? I have created a list of videos that seemed to be most watched throughout the first couple years of Youtube. Im almost positive most of you have watched at least 3 out of the 5, if not.. well i guess you've missed out on some interesting videos.

1. Charlie Bit My Finger 629,688,678 views - 7 years ago

Two English brothers, Harry Davies-Carr (aged three at the time) and Charlie Davies-Carr (aged one at the time) were sitting in a chair when Harry put his finger into Charlie's mouth and got it bitten. "Howard Davies-Carr, the father of the boys, said the video was "simply an attempt to capture the boys growing up". While watching the finger biting scene on his camera after recording it, it "didn't particularly stand out". It was not until he transferred the video onto his computer a few weeks later and played it again that he realized it was funny." - The Herald 

2. Evolution of Dance 240,909,208 views - 8 years ago

"The Evolution of Dance" was first performed in March 2001 by Jusdon Laipply, at the time it consisted of 12 popular dance songs. In 2006, he uploaded a video of the performance to YouTube.

 In 2006, it was rated on YouTube as:

• #1 Most Viewed All Time Video on YouTube.com
• #1 Top Rated Video on YouTube.com
• #3 Most Discussed Video on YouTube.com

3. David After Dentist 122,276,597 views - 5 years ago

In May 2008, 7-year old David DeVore Jr. was taken to the dentist to have an extra tooth removed. This was David's first surgery and his mother could not be there so his father decided to video tape the experience only to share with her and their family. His reaction to the anaesthesia was absolutely historical and so his parents decided to share it with Youtube.

4. Leave Britney Alone (Warning.. coarse language) 47,258,250 views - 6 years ago

In the video, Chris Crocker rages out at gossip entertainers such as Perez Hilton, and at reality TV star Simon Cowell, who majorly criticized Britney Spears' onstage music performance at the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards in Las Vegas.

"The video received worldwide attention and earned Crocker interviews on CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, The Today Show, Maury, The Howard Stern Show, Jimmy Kimmel Live! and Ryan Seacrest's KIIS-FM morning show. Wired named it the top video of 2007." - Wired

5. "Here It Goes Again" 19,324,129 views - 5 years ago

The music video of the song is a performance of the band dancing on treadmills in a single take. It took a total of seventeen attempts to complete the video.

The music video won:

• The 2007 Grammy Award for Best Short Form Music Video
• The 2006 YouTube awards for Most Creative Video 
• In July 2011, the video was named one of "The 30 All-TIME Best Music Videos" by Time Magazine.

Sources: 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlie_Bit_My_Finger

http://www.theevolutionofdance.com

http://www.star-telegram.com/entertainment/story/379184.html

http://www.wired.com/entertainment/theweb/multimedia/2007/12/YE_onlinevideo2007

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Crocker

http://entertainment.time.com/2011/07/28/the-30-all-time-best-music-videos/

Ever Heard Of A Vlog?

Social video sites like YouTube have given people the opportunity to express themselves in many different ways as we know, one specifically being vlogging. 

Most People on Youtube who do in fact vlog, sit down in front of their cameras and talk about anything. Vloggers mainly document and video tape bits of how they're spending their day share it with their viewers. This gives their viewers a better understanding of what the Youtubers life consists of outside of YouTube. 

Some vloggers on Youtube go to the extreme where they've video tapped every single day for the past 5 years so far and posted them on youtube. These vloggers go by the name of "Daily Vloggers".

Here is a list of the most viewed daily vloggers on Youtube with up to 200,000 viewers on each of their daily vlogs:

• Shaytards
• Ctfxc
• ItsJudysLife
• BfvsGf

You may question, why would someone want to watch a video on youtube every single day for up to 5 years? Well see, these videos basically become an actual reality show for us viewers. Once a viewer starts to watch a couple daily blogs, they begin to wonder what the Youtubers did the day after that or day the day before that and their life almost becomes a necessity to watch. The viewers become a part of the Youtubers life, whatever the Youtuber goes through and experiences, viewers will go through it with them and be there to support them. For ItsJudysLife and Ctfxc, you can actually watch both of their marriage proposals as well as their weddings on Youtube.


For example, Charles Trippy, better known as Ctfxc, was diagnosed with a brain tumour around 2 years ago. Him and his wife Alli Trippy have been vlogging every single day non stop for over 5 years. Once the viewers heard the news about Charles, they reacted as any one of his family member did, he's was no stranger to them because they have watched him grow over 4 years every single day. 

Till this day Charles has been fighting against his brain tumour with the love and support of their viewers.

In addition there are also weekly vloggers as well as casual vloggers. Weekly vloggers combine bits of their week and post it into one single video weekly and then casual vloggers happen to post a video whenever they go to events or have something special happening that day.

Here is a list of some of the most viewed weekly and casual vloggers on Youtube:

• Watchusliveandstuff
• Thatshearttv
• MoreMarcus
• MoreZoella
• PointlessblogTv
• TheTimothyDeLaGhetto

I personally happen to be one of those people who watches vlogs occasionally. I find it interesting to see the lives of these Youtubers outside of the site. People think that once someone is famous their lives are perfect and they have everything they want, these vlogs however, show that they also go through troubles and they're actual no different than us. Yes, they may be famous online, but they live the exact same life as us. They go to the movies, they shop at the mall, cook their own meals and go through all sorts of stuff we do.. they're no Justin Bieber or Miley Cyrus.

Let me know your thoughts on vlogs and whether you would be interested in watching them :)

YouTubers On The Big Screen

As we all know, YouTube is known for being a great outlet for amateur singers to express themselves freely, it has provided already many opportunities with being exposed to producers, record labels and songwriters. What most people seem to forget is that YouTube is not only used to showcase singing abilities, but acting as well.

Throughout the years I've spent watching videos on YouTube, I've gotten to see plenty of talented people express themselves by posting skits on the site. Most of you probably have heard of NigaHiga or have watched some of his videos. The first YouTube video I ever watched was actually his video "How to be a Ninja". At the time I was around the age of 11 and I can honestly say that I've never laughed as hard in my life as I did when I watched that video.
Most people have been too busy lately focusing on singers the past couple years, that they don't notice the hard work, dedication and talent YouTube entertainers have been putting out. Luckily, some of these YouTube have actually managed to land roles in popular movies.

I'm pretty sure most of you have already watched Grown Ups 2 by now, but little did you know that Jimmy Tatro, a YouTuber who posts comedic skits about things he considers everyday problems for a typical person in college, actually managed to receive a role in the movie. He plays the role of one of the Frat Boys who rival with Adam Sandlers posse. Also, Jimmy has actually been casted a new role in the upcoming film 22 Jump Street, so look out for that!

Here is one of the scenes where we get to see Jimmy:

Another YouTuber who has managed to make it to the big screen is Emmanuel Hudson. Most people might know him from the video "Why you asking all them questions". 

He has taken his career to the next level by casting alongside Kevin Hart & Ice Cube in "Ride Along" due for release in 2014, starring in the ABC network series "Nashville," as well as Nick Cannons MTV show Wild-N-Out.

All in all, yes these YouTubers aren't fortunate enough to receive instant fame like most of the singers on the site do, but because they have managed to take things step by step, with their dedication and hard work, the small roles they receive will constantly grow and turn into being main roles as they work their way up.

Disadvantages of being a YouTube Partner

If you haven't read my previous blog, I briefly went over some of the things I found to be advantages when becoming a YouTube Partner. But, just like any other contract agreeing to, comes along disadvantages. In this post I will be going over the ones I feel are most important.

Restrictions on “original content”

YouTube partners have to own the copyright and distributions rights to all and every video and audio content they use, with no exception! They are however only allowed to use third-party content with the permission of that content provider, and that provider will obtain a share of the advertising revenue from the video posted. Any violation of these terms might result in instant termination from the partnership.

Become a YouTube Partner isn't accessible for everyone

As of this instant, YouTube partnerships are only offered to users who live in Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany,  Ireland, Japan, New Zealand, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States. If you are a users outside of these countries, you still are allowed to apply for partnerships, but the chances of being accepted are considerably lower.

Rules of YouTube Partnerships

There are plenty of rules that need be followed in order to maintain a YouTube partnership and staying on good terms. These rules most often restrict many facets of what you can and cannot do in relations of your videos, optimization, and page design.

Some of these rules include:

-  You can NOT aim user attention to the advertisements on your page by using arrows and other directional tricks, or by saying things like “click this ad” or “support me by visiting these ads”

-  You can NOT put misleading pictures alongside the advertisements

-  You can NOT reward viewers for clicking ads or performing keyword searches for your own benefit

These are just some of the rules for YouTube partners. If you wish to read more about this topic, visit this link on keeping your page in good-standing with YouTube.

More exposure means a bigger probability of unwelcome visitors

Of course, with bigger visibility come the unavoidable cyber-bullies of the World Wide Web, better known as “Haters”. YouTube partners and YouTube users for that matter, are offered a range of privacy settings for their videos. You can make videos private, available only to those you accept as “friends”, or you can set them to public so that anyone could see them. In the occasion that you make your videos public, you can choose the option of filtering which comments are permitted on a case-by-case basis, or allow all comments to show on your video’s page.

In order to gain views and subscriptions, I think that setting your videos public and open to all comments is your best play. However, it is important that, you don’t allow the admirations go to your head, or the bullying go to your heart when it comes to the comments viewers post. You have to take them with an ounce of salt and just keep doing what you’re doing!

Hopefully this provided you with a greater explanation of the disadvantages that come along when becoming a YouTube Partner. Now what’s left for you to decide is whether you feel that joining YouTube partnerships is in fact what’s right for you. If you have any questions or concerns leave them down below and I would be more than glad to provide answers for them. :)

Sources : 
http://www.youtube.com/yt/partners/program-policies.html

Advantages of being a YouTube Partner

What’s all the talk about YouTube Partnerships? Ever wonder why would someone want to dedicate hours, days and even weeks of their time sitting in front of a camera or over a computer editing videos to upload to YouTube? In this post, I’ll go over some of the top advantages of becoming an official YouTube Partner.

You can reach a worldwide audience 

YouTube is the leading online video community in the world, including the largest online video site, including a  range of consumer devices, from laptops, to mobile phones and to televisions. Partners enjoy additional promotion and inclusion in special advertising programs that run on YouTube, across the Internet and offline. Using Youtube helps them reach out to a worldwide audience rather than something just local.

You’re offered more customization options for your channel
For those of you who have just started making videos, you become immediately aware of the slight control you have over the appearance of your page and videos. For example, those who upload a video are only able to choose from 3 thumbnail images to represent it. These 3 snapshots are pulled by YouTube from your video, and are usually unattractive.

Partners of YouTube however, are able customize their channel pages with skins, different colours, logos and more. Plus, they can choose their own video snapshots to use as the thumbnail, or they can even use any picture from their photo library instead. Partner are granted with a much higher level of control over their video content compared to those who are non-partners.

You receive greater exposure on YouTube
Second to the money you receive from your videos comes the prominent exposure on YouTube. When a person becomes a partner, their videos are put at the very top of search lists. This increases their the amount of views, and the number of subscriptions they will receive on their channel. Both of these elements contribute to success as a YouTube Partner. I've noticed when I search a specific topic, such as anything beauty related, it's always the same people at the top of my page; the YouTube Partnered beauty gurus.

Proprietary Rights Over Your Uploaded Content 

If you upload a video and are not a partner, YouTube has the right to control, restrict and broadcast that video within the site. YouTube Partners on the other hand own the copyrights & distribution rights to ALL of their own uploaded videos with no exceptions. 

Traveling across the world

Youtube partners travel across the world to make collaborative videos with other YouTubers and to certainly attend Youtube related events. All of the travel expenses, are actually covered by Youtube. One of he top Youtube partners, Jack Harries, has managed to travel all over the world thanks to his success on the site. "He’s currently making “up to double” what he earned each month in his old retail job at Apple; enough to pay for new camera equipment, travel the world without touching his savings and fund his entire gap year." says Sarah Rainey, a journalist who managed to interview the Youtuber. 

Honestly guys there's nothing better than traveling the world especially for the fact that it's FREE! If I had the time, I would honestly start my own YouTube and work hard in hopes of getting to where all these famous YouTube partners are at. 

Here's a video Jack posted on to his Youtube a couple weeks ago.

You make money from advertising revenue sharing

As I briefly spoke about in my "Making money off Youtube" blog, the advertising revenue that is generated on a webpage is divided between YouTube, and the YouTube partner providing the video content. The CPM (cost per thousand viewers) is a flat rate of $20.00 per 1,000 views on a YouTube partners video. 

Unfortunately for those who are non-partners, they don't receive much pay at all. Existing YouTube Partners are actually required to sign a confidentiality agreement forbidding them from talking about their ad-generated revenue on YouTube. Because of this, it's difficult to know with certainty the exact earnings of these different users. 

Additional changes
If you become a partner, the “Related Videos” section will be replaced by the “More From” section. The “More From” section will have thumbnail links to only THEIR videos. I feel as though this makes such a huge difference with the amount of views a YouTuber receives, mainly because I find that once I'm done watching a video, I immediately go through the side bar showing multiple videos rather than thinking of something else to search up.

Sources:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/lifestyle/9544479/YouTube-videos-funded-our-gap-year-travels.html

Youtube Music Awards

Everyone loves music. From driving unknown artists to the top of the charts, to cheering on established artists as they reinvent the music video and to remixing songs, music fans have turned YouTube into the world’s go-to music destination. To celebrate music fans and the music we all love, YouTube has announced a new kind of awards show--one powered us, the viewers.

On Sunday, November 3 at Pier 36 in New York City, YouTube hosted the first ever YouTube Music Awards, a celebration of music honoring the artists and songs that YouTube fans have turned into global hits over the past year. Unlike traditional award shows, this event presented live performances by top artists, alongside some of YouTube’s biggest stars, including Arcade Fire, Avicii, CDZA, Earl Sweatshirt, Eminem, Lady Gaga, Lindsey Stirling, M.I.A., Tyler, The Creator and Walk off the Earth.

Fans could vote in each category by posting a specific links from Youtube.com/YTMA on either their Facebook, Google+ or Twitter. The video with the most posts in each category was annouced as the winner. Modern day music fans from across the globe spoke loud and clear, casting winning votes for artists in the following categories:

YOUTUBE MUSIC AWARDS WINNERS LIST

• Breakthrough of the Year: Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
• Response of the Year: Lindsey Stirling and Pentatonix – Radioactive
• Innovation of the Year: DeStorm – See Me Standing
• YouTube Phenomenon: I Knew You Were Trouble
• Video of the Year: Girls' Generation – I Got A Boy
• Artist of the Year: Eminem

I feel as though that even its a first time award show and didn't get as much views as they hoped it would, as years pass, it will continue to grow and become as successful as any other award show. 

I love the fact that YouTube Music awards give unknown musicians a chance into the music industry and  have their name out across the globe. Other music shows however only recognize singers for their popularity and not their talent. I hope YouTube continues to have this award show every single year in honor of the not so popular but remarkable musicians.

Source:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/YouTube_Music_Awards

So how did YouTube start?

YouTube was created on February 14, 2005 when three former PayPal employees started the Internet name "YouTube.com" and began to create a video-sharing website on which users could upload, share, and view videos.

YouTube was founded by Chad Hurley, Steve Chen, and Jawed Karim, who were all early employees of PayPal. Before working with PayPal, Hurley studied design at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Chen and Karim studied computer science together at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. 

YouTube's initial headquarters were located above a pizzeria and Japanese restaurant in San Mateo, California.

The first ever YouTube video titled Me at the zoo, shows co-founder Jawed Karim at the San Diego Zoo. The video was uploaded on April 23, 2005, and can still be viewed on the site with the first ever YouTube comment.

During the summer of 2006, YouTube was one of the fastest growing sites on the Web, uploading more than 65,000 new videos and delivering 100 million video views per day in July. It was announced that the company would be purchased on October 9, 2006 by Google for US$1.65 billion.

In January 2012, YouTube stated that the figure had increased to four billion videos streamed per day. I think that the more time progresses the higher the view numbers on YouTube videos will increase.

 For me this website is far different than any other social network. Myspace, Facebook and Twitter all have the same qualities, sharing posts, pictures and  messages between the world. Unlike the others, YouTube doesn't have any other site like it, it's one of a kind and hasn't faded away from the public in over 7 years. YouTube has kept its popularity growing instead of fading over the past years and i strongly believe it will continue this way. 

Source:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/YouTube