Can I Use Someone Else's Video on My YouTube Channel?
By Chuck Malenfant
Using the "Featured Video" player in your channel, you can feature anyone else's video that you have added to a playlist as long as the playlist is public. You can also feature an entire playlist of other people's videos or even feature someone else's entire channel. You can also feature multiple playlists and multiple channels.
Feature Someone's Video
Step 1
Log in to your YouTube account and navigate to the other person's video you would like to feature on your channel.
Step 2
Click the "Add to" link and select the playlist to which you'd like to add the video on the resulting menu. You can also create a new playlist by entering a playlist name and clicking "Create playlist."
Step 3
Click your user name and select "My channel" from the pull-down menu.
Step 4
Click the "Featured" tab on your channel page.
Step 5
Select "Add a featured video" and select a playlist from the "Uploaded videos" pull-down menu. If you already have a featured video in place, click "Edit" above the video in the featured video player to reveal the Uploaded Videos pull-down menu.
Step 6
Select the video you would like to feature from the playlist you chose. Select the option to play the video automatically as soon as your channel loads if you like. Click "Apply."
Feature a Playlist
Step 1
Click the "Featured" tab on your channel page.
Step 2
Select "Add Playlist." If you want, enter a title for your featured playlists in the Featured Playlists text box. Otherwise, the display title will remain "Featured Playlists."
Step 3
Select one or more playlists from the "Select playlist to add" pull-down menu. If you already have a featured playlist in place, click "Edit" above the playlist in the featured video player to reveal the Featured Playlists option.
Step 4
Click "Apply." Your featured playlists will appear in the Featured Video player beneath the featured video.
Feature Someone's Channel
Step 1
Click the "Featured" tab on your channel page.
Step 2
Select "Other Channels." You have the option to enter a title for your featured channels in the Featured Channels text box. Otherwise, the display title will remain "Featured Channels."
Step 3
Enter the Web address of the channel you would like to feature in the Featured Channels text box, for example, "http://www.youtube.com/show/fred" (without quotes) and click the "+" icon.
Step 4
Enter the Web address of the next channel you would like to feature in the new text box that appears beneath the last channel you added. Skip this step if you only want to feature one channel.
Step 5
Click "Apply." Your featured channels will appear in the Featured Video player beneath the featured video and any featured playlists.
References
Tips
- If the "Featured" tab is not visible in your channel, go to Channel Settings, click "Tabs" and select the "Featured" check box. Click "Done Editing" to return to your channel.
Warnings
- These instructions refer to the Everything template for the My Channel feature in YouTube. If your channel uses the Creator or Blogger template, you may not be able to feature other channels. If your channel uses the Network template, you may not be able to feature playlists. You can change your channel template in the Tabs menu under Channel Settings.
- These instructions are current as of March 2013. Since YouTube features and options are frequently updated, you may notice some variations.
Writer Bio
Chuck Malenfant has been working in high-tech educational environments since 1994, serving as a teacher, trainer, writer, research librarian and administrator. He holds a Master of Fine Arts in writing from Arizona State University, as well as a Master of Library and Information Science from Louisiana State University. Malenfant serves as a computer literacy trainer at Broward County Library.