How to Put a Video on YouTube

Once you have made or created a video, you may want to put it on the internet so that family and friends can watch it. Or you may just want to share your “creation” with the rest of the world. One of the best places to put it would be the popular “YouTube” website. This is a site where you can upload your video and people can watch it. There is no fee for either sharing or watching the videos on this site. You can allow anyone to watch your video or you can set it to “private”, allowing only those you select to be able to view your video.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• A digital camera, a cell phone, or a camcorder to make a video
• A computer
• The tools to transfer your video from the recording device to the computer
• Internet access
• A way to convert your videos into the “YouTube” acceptable .AVI, .WMV, .MOV., or .MPG format

1. Make your own video clip using your camcorder, cell phone, or camera.
2. Put it into one of the acceptable formats listed above for “YouTube”. You will need to make the file small while retaining high quality.
3. Go to www.youtube.com. Click on “Upload Videos” in the right-hand corner. This button is located on any page of “YouTube”. It will be in the upper-right hand corner.
4. Enter information and details about your video such as the title, tags, and the category and give a brief description of your video. This will make it easier to search for and find. The more information you can put with it or about it, the easier it will be to find.
5. Decide if you want the video set to “Public” or “Private”. If you select “Public”, this will allow anyone that happens to select your video to be able to watch it. If you select “Private”; this will allow you to select who views it.
6. Click “Upload a Video”. Then, click on “Browse”. Find and select the desired video file. Next, click on the “Upload Video” button. This will upload your video onto the “YouTube” website. This process may take anywhere from a few minutes to an hour. So, be patient and don’t worry if it seems to be taking longer than you expected.

Tips & Warnings

• You need to make your videos less than 10 minutes. There is another way to upload longer videos on “YouTube”. However, there is a different procedure for doing that. If you go to www.youtube.com there will be a step-by-step guideline to that uploading, process as well.
• Make sure that your video is clear and audible or others will have a difficult time seeing and understanding it.
• "YouTube" uses persistent cookies, meaning that you may stay logged in even after you close the browser. So, make sure you log out and don’t just hit “exit” after each use, especially if you are using a public or shared computer.