YouTube

I really like YouTube, and I've rarely had any problems watching videos, whether on YouTube or embedded on other websites.

There are a lot of concerns about copyright and YouTube, especially from some of the larger corporations. While I can understand why a network wouldn't want full TV episodes posted online, I think it's too bad that some companies are also insisting that any clips be pulled from YouTube. For example, NBC has pulled clips from Saturday Night Live that had been posted. NBC created a website with Fox, Hulu.com, which I believe will have some of the content that was pulled. Still, when people are searching for videos, YouTube is the place to be and I don't understand why companies aren't taking advantage of it and riding the wave. If you make it too hard for people to find information, they will lose interest and stop looking for it.

One thing I don't like about YouTube is that the content is not organized very well. There are so many spoofs of the most popular viral videos that finding the one you actually want to watch might be frustrating. There's also no quality control - some videos are simply people with a camera phone at a concert. The best YouTube videos are probably ones that you find elsewhere, where someone has already done the hard work and culled the perfect video to embed in their website or blog.

For libraries, I think a video on YouTube would be a great way to promote the library. It could include a tour and an introduction to staff and the services that are provided. The only problems would be figuring out how to do it and then finding the time. It's definitely something worth keeping in mind for the future.

As for my embedded video, I really wanted to post the Matt Damon/Sarah Silverman video and the follow-up response from Jimmy Kimmel and Ben Affleck, but they are definitely not work friendly. If interested, you can read about it and find links to both videos at http://popwatch.ew.com/popwatch/2008/02/jimmy-kimmel-st.html. Warning - do not watch these videos at work!!

Instead, I'll include one of the first really popular viral videos that I remember seeing, the music video for Ok Go's song "Here it goes again". They did the video in one take - can you believe it? Enjoy!