INTRODUCTION
YouTube – You What?
Have you heard about YouTube.com? Maybe you are scratching your head, wondering, “What is it”?
Is it, a catchy name for a catchy service?
Is it a marketing tool?
Is it a website for novice filmmakers?
The answer is yes, yes, yes and then some. You see, YouTube is many things to many people, depending on how they use it and their purposes for its use. You can define the website’s purpose tradition-ally as:
“YouTube.com is one of the many Web 2.0 sites popping up on the Web. It is a “video sharing” website.”
vi Introduction
However, YouTube.com, like many Web 2.0, sites is much more than a site allowing individuals to share video clips. It is a place for public commentary, a place where people can review the latest and greatest info products, a place where people can network and share common interests, goals, and opportunities.
The best part? YouTube.com is not too complicated to use, driving away hordes of novice users. In fact, the opposite is true. YouTube.com is easy to master. This website allows just about anyone to sign up for an account, upload, share video clips, and view other people’s video clips. Sounds neat, huh?
Just like many popular sites, registered members can rate videos, or find out how many times other people link to a video clip for their viewing pleasure. YouTube.com provides and publishes this informa-tion for your convenience, for its loyal fans. Have you heard about Netflix? The idea is the same. Netflix is an online video “store” if you will, like Blockbuster. Registered members can log in and rent videos sent directly to their home.