About YouTube
YouTube is a website that thrives on providing users the ability to upload, view and share video clips. Using technology developed by Adobe called Flash Video, YouTube markets itself as an online destination where users can easily broadcast their recordings without the need of a distributor.
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Company
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Initially funded by the Sequoia Capital, a company that provides capital funding to startup companies, YouTube was launched in December of 2005. The pioneering team was composed of Chad Hurley, Steve Chen and Jawed Karim, who were employed by PayPal, a website that allows payments and money transfers to be made over the Internet. The first video uploaded on YouTube features one of its founders, Karim, at the San Diego Zoo. Within a year of its introduction, YouTube was bought by Google, Inc. for stock valued at $1.65 billion.
Partnerships
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While most of the items are uploaded by individuals, YouTube also has ongoing partnerships with media companies which provide material for the website. In November 2008, Lions Gate Entertainment, MGM, and CBS gave permission for YouTube to show full-length movies and television shows with advertisements. Music companies such as Sony and Universal also feature music videos of their artists on YouTube. To become a partner of YouTube, the company or individual must own or have permission to use the content.
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Uploading
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YouTube allows its registered users to upload a number of videos on their website through a channel, a term used to refer to their account. YouTube can handle practically any kind of video format but for the best results, formats of H.264, MPEG-2 or MPEG-4 are recommended. The maximum length for each video clip submitted to YouTube is 10 minutes and with a maximum file size of one gigabyte.
Prohibitions
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There are several guidelines that govern the uploading of video on YouTube. The website does not permit videos of pornography, abuse or other criminal acts. Users are allowed to flag or report videos to the company for review. If it has been determined that the uploaded content violates the guidelines set by YouTube, the video is removed from the site. If the material is deemed inappropriate rather than a violation of the rules, it can be restricted to registered users 18 years old and above. If an account repeatedly or seriously breaches the rules of YouTube content, it may lead to its prohibition and disallowance from the creation of a new one.
Viewing
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Even unregistered users are allowed to watch the videos uploaded on YouTube. To search for videos, keywords are used to find a particular area of interest. There is also a feature which allows individuals to see other videos related to the one being viewed. Another way to find interesting videos on YouTube is to look at the Spotlight Videos on the homepage. These are videos chosen by the YouTube staff and guest editors for highlighting. Users can easily share videos that pique their interest by emailing or embedding their playlists, using other websites.
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