If you could have your own show on the Internet, would you? Then surf on over to YouTube and see what you’re missing.
Imagine public access cable on the web. Then add a dash of “Showtime at the Apollo Theatre” and a pinch of “The Gong Show”. That’s YouTube. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. The creators of this site set out to design a “consumer media company for people to watch and share original videos worldwide through a Web experience.” Similar words are no doubt contained in the mission statements of public access channels around the globe.
YouTube is a free access website, video upload and video streaming website combined with an online community. By joining the community of YouTubers, a surfer can then upload their own videos or other, non-copyrighted content they wish to expose to the world. Registered members can also rate videos. Watching YouTube.com streaming content requires no registration at all.
And there is plenty to see. The company claims to have 25 million videos on file, divided between six major, tabbed areas, and 21 distinct channels. It may not be possible to verify their claims. After all, new content is uploaded by the minute. That amount of content can be overwhelming.
That being said, surfing YouTube is very easy and intuitive to surf. Click on the tabs or click on an individual thumbnail images. The content uploads and plays automatically. We tested it on PC’s with Windows 98 SE and XP, and on Apple computers, too. No problems.
In an effort to govern its part of the Internet responsibly, YouTube expressly states that “all content is welcome except for vulgarity and for pornography.” Bravo for parents concerned about their children’s Internet viewing habits, but also bravo for marketing companies. Because YouTube does not prohibit professional marketing organizations from posting videos on its site, some of the best content on it are actually commercials and professionally produced film shorts cleverly disguised as “home made”.
A case in point is the allegedly amateur, live-action spoof of “The Simpsons” animated, television show open. This spoof was uploaded to YouTube in February, 2006. It created a huge buzz for YouTube. It was later revealed that the film short was not the work of some genius film school student (as alleged in the media) but rather a professionally produced promo for Rupert Murdoch’s Fox channel in theU.K.
It is important to note that posting a statement prohibiting vulgarity is not the same as preventing the posting of vulgar or pornographic material. So, YouTube implores its members to be vigilant. Underneath each video is a “flag as inappropriate” link. According to YouTube, should a video be flagged as inappropriate, it will be reviewed by a YouTube staffer and removed. Easier said than done, though, especially when postings reach into the tens of millions. “Grown Man TV News, Episode 2″ is a prime example. This posting contains cursing, use of the N-word, and an image of a fat, naked woman.
There are a few amazing gems to be found in this mountain of schlock. Find “The Easter Bunny Hates You” video. Do it. Do it now. Do not pass go, do not collect $200.00. Find it now. Watch it and be humored and horrified at the same time. It’s work like this that make surfing to YouTube.com worth while, occasionally.
While YouTube is easy to navigate and chock full of streaming content, ultimately, surfing YouTube quickly becomes fatiguing. Most reviewed by the .com Dish! could be winnowed into the same few, mind-numbing genres found on “America’s Funniest Home Videos”. Your first visit to YouTube might just turn into a binge. Not to worry. It has happened to many of us. Just be warned–when you finally break away from that YouTube tream, and you wipe the saliva from your keyboard, you may regret what you have just done. Or worse, you may remember none of it and only be aware of the enormous amount of time you have just lost, forever.
On the .com Dish! site surfin’ scale, we rate YouTube a “T”, appropriate for teens and older.
