The video site that acts like a bunny....

Anytime a group of friends are looking for a clip from last night’s Simpson’s episode a quick search picks up user generated clips of just about anything from the show. Need to see the latest Starbucks SNL skit? It’s there. Why is YouTube so popular and successful? “Possibly the biggest reason why YouTube is so popular is that it is FREE. Yes free for anyone to upload, share and view videos in high definition resolutions.” (http://whyisyoutubesopopular.com/why-is-youtube-so-popular/). By giving the globe a giant wall to post anything on users started flocking in. As the site streamlined the uploading process and started integrating across programs and phones it became the natural way to share everything and anything. Uploading and buffering a video only takes a few moments and at the end of each video you are given recommendations of what else you could enjoy. By watching what users view and sharing that play list, YouTube becomes a perpetual motion machine.

We watched a video of a Blendtec blender turn an iPhone into “iDust” in a matter of moments. What other videos on their page did you watch? The one where they blended up superglue? What about the roses? The video of six Bic lighters being blended really requires several watches to enjoy correctly. Not to mention how many other people you might show it to or talk about it with. Starbucks used Blendtec blenders at one point and I didn’t understand why they were so noisy or expensive. The company (to my knowledge) has switched to a cheaper quieter blender that typically lasts a year before the gear connecting to the pitcher strips out completely. These videos did several things for me. I desperately wanted to get my hands on several blenders to do some of the experiments (after melting a lawn mower a blender sounds like a great next step.) that they recommend you try at home. I saw the blender as a better investment for the company and I share the company’s story. I showed the videos to others. I talked about it at work. I thought about the product. I was a part of the groundswell for Blendtec.

This is what YouTube can do professionally. Personally it’s a great and easy way to share family videos in the blink of an eye. You might not have the time to Skype when someone else is so many time zones away but you can watch videos when it works for your schedule. Homework in my other classes might show up on my YouTube page in the future instead of trying to load the whole video on the Blackboard server because YouTube is so easy to use. YouTube has become a part of the groundswell and helped get attention for things that could have been stuck at a local or private level. Just ask United Airlines. Or Southwest Airlines and Kevin Smith. The examples just keep going, and going, and going....