YouTube Creator Blog

Closed account removal concludes today. You may see drop in subscription count.

2012-05-25T08:00:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday, we reminded you that we’ve been removing closed accounts from YouTube over the last several months, which has caused many of you to see decreases in your subscriber counts. We’re doing this because these accounts do not drive views to your channel.

Today, the last of these accounts will be removed, meaning you can expect to see additional decreases in your subscriber counts throughout the day. This will conclude the removal process, so starting tomorrow your subscriber counts will reflect actual changes in your subscriptions.

We also realize that the public subscriber count on your channels and that in Analytics have not been consistent. Moving forward, changes in your subscriber counts will be accurately reflected in YouTube Analytics, and Analytics will also show you newly closed accounts that have been removed:

You’ve worked hard to build loyal audiences, so we understand it’s jarring to have seen your subscriber counts decrease as we’ve removed closed accounts. It’s important that you have the most accurate data regarding your audience composition and engagement, which is why we’ve removed these accounts. Thank you for your patience throughout this process.

The YouTube Team

A note about recent changes

2012-05-23T12:02:00.000-07:00

There’s always a lot going on here at YouTube, and we’re constantly making changes to improve the experience for the entire community. In the last seven years there have been no fewer than 100 changes to the suggested and recommended video algorithms to provide viewers with the most relevant videos to watch. We also make changes to improve the experience for partners. Recently, we’ve made changes to provide you with more accurate data about your audience, which in turn helps inform the decisions you make about your content. In the short term, however, the impact for some creators can be a bit of a shock. Let’s outline what we’ve done, and what’s in it for you.

Subscriber counts:
In the past few months we have been scrubbing YouTube of inactive and closed accounts. Why? Because these accounts had been inactive for years, were not linked to our more up-to-date and secure systems, and, well, nobody uses them. This had the knock-on effect of some creators seeing a drop in subscribers. However, this change benefits partners in the long term by giving you a better understanding of who is engaging with your channel. Accurate data is key, and as such, we will now be removing accounts from subscriber counts as they are closed. As the accounts are inactive, these changes won’t affect viewership.

Starting this Saturday, your subscriber counts on your channel and in Analytics will be consistent, and Analytics will show you closed accounts that have been removed:

We’ve also heard some viewers are concerned that they’ve been unsubscribed from channels. This isn’t happening. You can see all your channel subscriptions by selecting and saving ‘Everything’ from the view drop-down:

View count changes:
Back in March, we announced changes to the algorithm that serves up suggested and recommended videos, giving greater weight to a viewer’s time spent on a video, rather than to their click. We did this because flipping through channels to find something to watch is different than actually watching, and view counts that accurately reflect engagement are more useful. What does this mean for you? Well, if people are clicking on your videos, but not sticking around to watch, your videos won't get shown as often in suggested and recommended videos and growth in new views may slow. The best way to prevent this is to create compelling videos that people stick around for. Also check out the the Analytics Audience Retention Report and these optimization tips for how to drive engaged views to your videos.

While transitions can be hard, the data directly resulting from these changes is really encouraging: net daily subscriptions are up 50% since January and watch time has been increasing in the past 2 months. We’re investing to grow this this even more over the next year as we spend more than $200 million to promote our partners’ content. YouTube creators comprise the most passionate, diverse and talented community in the world. Our mission is to give you the tools and data you need to be successful.

The YouTube Team

Gaming Workshop in LA

2012-05-18T12:14:00.002-07:00

Gaming Workshop hosted by YouTube & Machinima!

What: A gaming workshop for partners looking to gain views by building an audience with quality content, branding, and marketing.
When: May 23rd at 7pm
Where: Los Angeles
Who: YouTube Partners
Why: To improve your Audience Development!

This is a workshop for gaming partners looking to increase views and subscribers focused on gaming-specific best practices, audience development, optimization and collaboration.

Please fill out this form below if you want to attend. Space is limited to 20 people, so please only apply if you actually plan on attending.
Thanks!

YouTube Merch Store for all partners, now with CafePress

2012-05-17T06:00:00.000-07:00

We chock YouTube full of features to help turn your YouTube channel into your dream job, and there’s lots of other good folks out there who have similar goals. Last year we launched the Merch Store, teaming up with Amazon, iTunes, Topspin, Songkick and Google Play to help indie musicians on YouTube promote licensed merchandise, music downloads, and concert tickets on their channels.

Selling merch isn’t just for musicians, so starting today the Merch Store will become available to all YouTube partners in good standing around the world. We’ve also added another friend from the web for even more great merch—CafePress.

Over the next few months, you’ll see a new tab on their channel called “Store,” where you can choose your merch to showcase to fans. You’ll need to have an account with each company to list products on your channel, and clicking on the product will take you to the site where it’s for sale. Here’s what it looks like:

For Merch Store inspiration check out partners like Pomplamoose, Geek & Sundry and DeStorm, and for more information check out our Help Center.

Christian Weitenberner, product manager, recently watched “The Flog.”

An update on subscriber counts

2012-05-16T16:00:00.000-07:00

Over the past couple weeks, we’ve heard from creators who have seen decreases in their public subscriber counts, so we wanted to keep you in the loop about what to expect on your channel.

This February, we began a process to improve the accuracy of your subscriber counts, to give you the best data possible on your channel. Recently, we’ve extended this process by removing additional closed and inactive accounts from our system, which means these closed accounts are being deducted from subscriber counts. None of the accounts we’re removing from our system are active, so these changes to subscriber counts will not cause any change in viewership. The number of accounts removed varies from day to day, so you may notice unusual declines in subscriber counts on one day followed by a return to normal performance the next day.

We plan to complete the account removals process over the coming weeks, with a significant number of closed accounts being removed on one day. We will update this blog when we have an expected date of completion, and on that date it’s possible to see a drop in your public subscriber counts as well as in YouTube Analytics. How much this will affect your channel will vary, but the longer you’ve been on YouTube the more likely it is you have inactive subscribers.

These account removals have already started to take effect in public counts and API counts (through sites like Vidstatsx), but we will not be able to update the counts in YouTube Analytics until we have completed the account removals. For the time being, YouTube Analytics only captures subscribes and unsubscribes from active users, which is a more meaningful metric for tracking engagement with your channel than the public counts.

We want your subscriber counts and all other analytics to be consistent and accurate, so thanks for bearing with us as we make these improvements.

David Boyle, YouTube staff, recently watched "World's Best Magician."

Meet our May “On The Rise” nominees

2012-05-10T09:00:00.000-07:00

Each month, we identify four YouTube partners whose channels have recently experienced significant growth but haven’t yet reached the 100,000 subscriber count for our On The Rise program. This month’s featured partners still have a ways to go to hit that mark, but we’re excited about how they’re exploring their passions on YouTube. Our May 2012 nominees have each tailored their channel to provide instruction to their viewers, so you can learn how to play blues guitar, about astronomy concepts, how to cook new recipes, or about gardening and sustainable living.

And not only can you learn from these partners, but you can help them grow their YouTube presence, starting with the opportunity for one of these partners to be featured on the YouTube homepage. Check out the videos below and vote for your favorite in the top right corner of the Official YouTube blog. In addition to your votes, each channel will be evaluated (by YouTube) on criteria such as viewer engagement and channel optimization techniques to decide which partner will be featured on the homepage, Google+, Facebook and Twitter at the end of the month.

In past months On The Rise nominees, partners like AnyoneButMeWebSeries and STRskillschool have gained many subscribers thanks to your support. The poll will be open until May 17 at 5pm PT, so don’t forget to vote for your favorite channel. Check back to see who secured the homepage feature on May 29th.

gr8bluesgtr
Anthony Stauffer has made a full-time job out of his music hobby: he was inspired by the music of Stevie Ray Vaughan, and now provides his own Texas-style blues guitar lessons online. Check out Anthony’s channel for free tutorials, premium tutorial previews, and gear reviews, and start learning how to play the blues!

tdarnell
Are you interested in astronomy concepts and news, or do you wonder how astronomy impacts our lives on a daily basis? Whether you have specific questions or are just curious, Tony Darnell’s Deep Astronomy channel will give you insight to and appreciation for the cosmos.

jakatak69
Jack Scalfani prefers “food guy” over the word “chef.” With no formal training, he fell into cooking and focuses his videos on no-fuss, easy-to-make recipes. Check out his Cooking with Jack channel which hosts a library of recipes, cooking tips, and honest product reviews.

GardenGirlTV
Patty Moreno, the Garden Girl, has a variety of videos on sustainable living, cooking, and gardening. Check out her channel to learn everything from pruning a tree and growing your own organic vegetable garden to making a rosemary infused martini and homemade jam.

If you’re interested in checking out more rising YouTube Partners, visit our On The Rise Channel, which features nominees, trending partners and monthly blog winners.

Devon Storbeck and Christine Wang, YouTube Partner Support, recently watched “Lion tries to eat baby PART 1.”

Brian Robbins & Joe Davola Talk

2012-05-09T16:38:00.003-07:00

When: Wednesday, May 16, 2012 at 7pm

Where: Google Los Angeles

Come listen and learn from Brian Robbins and Joe Davola. They have produced an amazing number of films and tv shows (to name a few: FRED: THE SHOW, ONE TREE HILL, SMALLVILLE, ALL THAT, VARSITY BLUES, THE PERFECT SCORE, TWINS, THE NICK CANNON SHOW). Brian and Joe have now teamed up to launch a new channel on YouTube called AWESOMENESSTV. Come learn about the Do's and Don'ts of making content for theatrical distribution as well as on YouTube!

Sarah Penna (Big Frame) will moderate this discussion!

Please fill out this form to attend.

You asked for it! Here are your 16 Next Vloggers...

2012-05-08T11:00:00.000-07:00

Since launching, YouTube Next Creator has helped chefs cook up better videos, trainers get more people into shape and non-profits extend the reach of their causes. So figuring out which category to tackle, well, next, was a bit of a challenge. Rather than deciding ourselves, we asked you to make the tough decision for us. With a resounding cry, you told us, “BRING US NEXT VLOGGER!”

Not only is vlogging one of the most popular forms of expression on YouTube, but selecting Next Vlogger also resulted in more applications than we’ve received for any previous Next Creator program. Bravo! Although, that still left us with some tough decisions...

After much debate and many sleepless nights, we’re excited to introduce you to the 16 Next Vloggers:

From sports recaps to music parodies, book reviews to space lions, gaming tips to Smurf collecting, advice and self-empowerment to Pokemon mastery, and even some stuff that can’t be categorized, these vloggers--like the art of vlogging--literally touch on every content category.

Fun bunch, huh? In total, they’ve racked up more than 125 million views. Not a shabby start, but like most YouTube creators, they’re eager to reach even more people. To help them get there, the Next Vloggers will participate in three months of trainings via Google+ Hangouts, including mentoring from top YouTube vloggers and content creators, iJustine and Natalie Tran from communitychannel, and receive $5,000 worth of video equipment and $10,000 worth of promotion on and off YouTube. Subscribe to their channels to follow them on their journey over the next few months and beyond.

Not a vlogger but still want to gain some skills to help you go from zero to hero...views? You’re in luck because we’re kicking off some rad YouTube Creator Workshops that cover a wide range of topics from “Introduction to Cinematography” to “Improving Your Channel with YouTube Analytics.” You can check out the YouTube Creator Events site to see the calendar of workshops that you can attend via Google+ Hangouts on Air from the YouTube Creators page.

Vlog on!

Austin Lau & Bing Chen, Global YouTube Creator program managers, recently watched “YouTube's Next Vlogger!”.

Upcoming Live Streamed Google+ Workshops

2012-04-27T11:27:00.001-07:00

We’re excited to announce a series of online workshops for YouTube video creators! These workshops cover and the basics and best practices for creating YouTube videos. They will be streamed live on the YouTube Creators Google+ Page and are open to any video creators with a computer and internet connection.

Here are the dates and topics:

May 2: Introduction to cinematography (add to calendar)
May 9: Importing & Exporting: Dealing with codecs and compressions (add to calendar)
May 16: Building your audience on YouTube (add to calendar)
May 23: Improving your channel with YouTube Analytics (add to calendar)

They will each be one-hour long, starting at 9am PT / Noon ET. There will be a 30 minute Q&A period afterwards to answer all of your questions.

RSVP here to receive email notifications about these workshops.

We look forward to seeing you in a Google+ Hangout soon!

Austin Lau, Creator Programs Specialist, recently watched "Bohemian Rhapsody On The Way To School."

STRskillSchool is April’s YouTube Partner On The Rise!

2012-04-26T09:20:00.000-07:00

Please join us in congratulating Steve Roberts from STRskillSchool! He is YouTube’s “On The Rise” spotlight partner for April and is featured today on the YouTube homepage.

Based in Suffolk, England, Steve has 14 years of coaching experience in a variety of sports, but is most passionate about soccer (football). He runs a sports coaching company along with Senior Coach Tommy Marsden, and brings coaching advice and knowledge of the sport to millions of people across the world via his YouTube channel. Regardless of your age or skill level, STRskillSchool has step-by-step tutorials for any player. Check out Steve’s instruction for the Ronaldinho/Neymar step over, knuckle balls and free kicks, how to do a hard flick over your head!

Here are a few words from the Steve:

My name is Steve Roberts and I am a UEFA qualified football coach. STRskillSchool is me and pretty much all the videos are filmed, edited and performed by myself and I am self taught in film making. I have loved football (soccer!) from a very young age. I always dreamt of being a Pro Footballer but sadly didn't make it. Two years ago I thought I would make tutorials to share with players, as the content I found was incorrect or frustrating to watch. I now have over 100 videos teaching many parts of the game, which players, coaches and parents can enjoy. I have been so overwhelmed from the worldwide support shown on my Youtube channel. I would like to thank everyone who has supported me in the past and thank you those who rallied round to help with the voting. My fans are the people who keep me motivated to create new fresh content. There are lots of new videos to come from me, so please subscribe and see what the future has to offer! Thanks again!

If you’ve enjoyed this monthly On The Rise blog series and want to see more rising YouTube partners, check out our On The Rise channel. Keep an eye out for next month’s blog post, as your channel may be the next one On The Rise!

Christine Wang and Devon Storbeck, YouTube Content Partnerships, recently watched “Birth to 12 years in 2 min. 45 sec. Time Lapse Lotte.”

Helping creators play big on YouTube

2012-04-23T07:50:00.001-07:00

Stacy Perry has been a knitter for over 35 years and taught local classes in Austin, Texas. She found a way to turn her hobby into a full-time job when she began posting instructional videos on YouTube two years ago. Now, she has built Verypink.com into a successful business by tapping into a global classroom on YouTube. You might come across some of her students in places as far as Greece, Turkey, Thailand, and India — to name a few.

With more than 800 million unique visitors on YouTube every month, one video can launch your career - whether you’re an entrepreneur, musician, or a filmmaker. And by promoting your videos with video ads you can increase views and reach a broader audience that’s searching for similar content.

To help even more businesses and creators play big with video, today we’re introducing a number of new products, resources, and tools to make it even easier for you to stand out from the crowd:

Google AdWords for video now available to all. Similar to search advertising - where you pay for clicks and set budgets with bids - we created a new model for video advertising. With Google AdWords for video, you only pay when someone chooses to watch your ad and you can create and manage video campaigns from the same platform as your search and display ads. You can create an account and start promoting your first video in less than 5 minutes. With AdWords for video you can:

Find the right audience: AdWords for video provides a range of options to reach the right audience. For example, you can promote your video by keyword to appear in YouTube search results, or you can choose to show your ad against content your customers are most interested in - such as sports or music. Connect with your audience on YouTube and the Google Display Network, which includes millions of websites. AdWords for video links to your YouTube account so you can easily start a video campaign with your existing videos.
Measure the effectiveness of your spend: On average, we’ve found that YouTube video ads drive a 20 percent increase in traffic to your website and a 5 percent increase in searches for your business (Google Campaign Insights, 2011). With AdWords for video you can find out how viewers are engaging with your brand during and after they watch your ad. You can see how many viewers watched your entire video, visited your website, stayed on your channel to watch another video, or subscribed to your channel, after viewing your ad.
Only pay for engaged views: With TrueView video ads you only pay when viewers choose to watch your ad so you aren’t charged when viewers skip your ad if they aren’t interested or have already seen your video. This means your ad budget is focused on viewers interested in your video. By displaying a call-to-action overlay on your video you can talk about a sale or specific offer to your viewers, share more information about your business, or drive traffic to your website.

$50 million in free advertising. We’re giving away $50 million in free Google AdWords advertising to help more than 500,000 businesses and creators get into video. If you are new to AdWords, you can receive a $75 credit when you sign up. To put that into context, with $75 your video campaign can reach more than 1,500 of your most valuable viewers on YouTube for one month. Request your free credit here.

Advertiser Playbook and support. To share best practices and tips on how video can be a core part of your business toolkit, we created a YouTube Advertiser Playbook. The Playbook covers everything from creating interesting content to promoting your video with ads. If you need help making a video (which you probably don’t), our My Business Story is a free tool you can use to create your first video. AdWords advertisers can also call our free phone support line, 866-2-GOOGLE, to get started with AdWords for video.

YouTube Ambassador program. To recognize business owners that are already using YouTube to grow their business, we’re naming 9 businesses from across the country to our first ever YouTube Ambassador program. These businesses have seen outstanding success in reaching new customers, building a brand, and engaging their fans with video. Hear their stories and learn more about the YouTube Ambassador program on the Official Google Blog.

If you have a video you want to promote, get started with AdWords for video. And, join our YouTube for Marketers page on Google+ to stay up-to-date on our latest video marketing innovations.

Baljeet Singh, Group Product Manager, YouTube

New Upload Page & Metadata Editor for Partners

2012-04-19T14:43:00.000-07:00

We want to make uploading and publishing as fast and easy as possible for you. So, we’ve got a round of updates that will be made available over the next few days that make key parts of the process more efficient: configuring monetization and choosing custom thumbnails on the upload page, and improved metadata editing.

Configure monetization settings: The new upload interface features a Monetization (or Claiming Options) tab where you can select monetization settings while you upload. Click the “?” icons to learn more about the different options available. Basically, more monetizing, less scrolling and clicking.

Custom thumbnail uploads: Lots of you have been asking for custom thumbnail uploads directly on the upload page. If you have this feature, you can now upload a custom thumbnail after the video reaches the processing stage. This means less waiting, clicking, and general hassle to get your custom thumbnail image ready to go before your video is published.

Metadata, meta-easy: The metadata editor you have in the upload process is also available in the Video Manager. To access and edit these settings after your upload is complete, go to the Video Manager and click the Edit icon next to the video.

This will direct you to the new metadata editor page. Here you can adjust settings you made to your video during the upload process, such as change monetization settings or publish a private video by changing it to public.

If you have any ideas about how we could improve the experience, drop us a line through the feedback link at the bottom of the page, and we’ll continue to roll out new features for this interface in the coming weeks.

Give it a try right now, or read our help guide and watch this overview video to learn more.

Johannes Leitner & Ben Bernard, Software Engineers, recently watched "Cool Sound and Water Experiment!"

Upcoming YouTube Creator Education events in Los Angeles

2012-04-19T08:35:00.000-07:00

ANNOUNCEMENT:
We are very excited to share our new YouTube Creator Education site. Please visit this website to learn of new workshops, concerts, movie screenings, and more!

UPCOMING EVENTS in LOS ANGELES:

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5/8 at 7PM-10PM - YouTube/Tubefilter Panel Discussion

Sh*t People Say: Formula For Success
At the end of last year, Toronto-based filmmakers Graydon Shepard and Kyle Humphrey, along with Juliette Lewis, debuted the first installment of the original web series Sh*t Girls Say, featuring Sheppard in drag reciting the terribly ordinary things girls say in a perfect Kids-in-the-Hall-in-women’s-clothes impression.

What followed was a phenomenon.

Nearly 100 Sh*t Girls Say spin-offs, amassing over a quarter of a billion views, have used the formula to stereotype other groups, from large populations, like Sh*t New Yorkers Say to the ultra-specific, like Sh*t Southern Gay Guys Say—spawning “best of” blog posts and definitive collections.

Join Tubefilter and YouTube at Google Los Angeles as we sit down with the most popular and successful Sh*t People Say creators to find out how they used the Sh*t People Say formula to make a video sensation.

Sign up HERE to apply to attend.

Date/Time: May 8, 2012, 7-10PM
Location: Los Angeles, CA - Google Offices
Agenda:

7:00 Doors Open
7:30 Screening and Panel
8:30 Networking Mixer

Panelists:

Billy Sorrells
Channel: Billy Sorrells
Sh*t Black Girls Say
10.5+ MM Views

Tripp Crosby & Tyler Stanton
Channel: Tripp and Tyler
Sh*t Nobody Says
7.6+ MM Views

Heidi Niedermeyer & Elena Crevello
Channel: The Trashy Class
Sh*t People Say in LA
1.8+ MM Views

Kelsey Darragh
Channel: Shit Girlfriends Say
Sh*t Girlfriends Say
5.1+ MM Views

Moderator: Drew Baldwin, Tubefilter
Drew is the Founder of Tubefilter and Executive Producer of the Streamy Awards.

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5/15 at 7PM - Making Webisodes 101 Workshop
When: Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Where: Los Angeles
Who: YouTube Partners, limited to 20
Why: We want to help you improve your webisodes to make your YouTube channels more successful

How many episodes are needed to be considered a webisode? How often should one release a websode? What’s a good running time? How do I get it to go viral? What kind of camera should I use? This workshop will explore these topics and others to help you create better webisodes. Examples of successful webisodes are shown as well as a review of audience metrics, the importance of tagging and embedding, and “impressing through compressing.”

If you are interested in this workshop and will be available to attend in person in Los Angeles, please sign up below. The first 20 YouTube Partners who sign up will be selected to attend the educational workshop. If you are not in Los Angeles but would like to attend via Google + Hangout, please sign up below and indicate you will join the workshop virtually.

Sign up form is here.

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And for those of you not in Los Angeles, stay tuned for more workshops that will be livestreamed over Google + Hangouts!!

Video Editing presents: Audio Editing

2012-04-18T11:28:00.000-07:00

Your video’s soundtrack can be just as important as its visuals. Let’s face it: as cute as your kitten’s antics are, as amazing as your Little Leaguer’s home run, as radical as your buddy’s skateboard stunts, the ambient sounds captured with many videos leave something to be desired.

We introduced AudioSwap to let you replace a video’s soundtrack for free with a song from our library of thousands of tracks. With more of you using AudioSwap and giving us lots of feedback, we have some cool improvements to share today in YouTube Audio Editing:

You asked for more tracks, and our library of songs now includes more than 150,000 tracks--and growing!
You can now mix music into your video’s soundtrack at levels ranging from “soft background” to “completely replace.”
Our “featured tracks” make it easy to find the best songs across genres for a variety of moods.
We’ve revamped the Audio Editing user interface to make it easier to use. Here’s a look:

These improvements will be available over the next day to all creators around the world. To try it out, go to Video Manager > Edit > Enhancements > Audio. Here’s a little video demonstration:

These are only the first in a series of exciting improvements we have planned for Audio Editing. Stay tuned for more updates (and tunes!), and in the meantime use some music to start turning your videos into YouTube gold!

Bob Glickstein, Software Engineer, recently watched “Skate 3 funny stuff compilation part 1” and laughed himself right out of his chair.

Last Day! Apply for YouTube Next Vlogger

2012-04-18T09:19:00.001-07:00

Today is the last day to apply for YouTube Next Vlogger. Get your application in by tonight at 11:59PM PST here.

Participants earn:

Promotion: Receive more than $10,000 of on and off-YouTube promotion to build your subscribers and increase your views.
Training & Equipment: Learn new skills through Google+ Hangout workshops and receive a $5,000 video equipment package.
Mentoring: Be mentored by YouTube star vloggers like iJustine and other industry leaders.

Posted by Bing Chen & Austin Lau, Global Creator Initiatives Managers

Using annotations to help fund your creative projects

2012-04-17T09:00:00.000-07:00

Over the past year, crowdsourced fundraising has exploded as great way to raise money for creative projects. We’ve seen lots of you using platforms like Kickstarter and Indiegogo to fund projects, and we want to make it easier for even more of you to use these tools. We’ve teamed up with these platforms so you can now link directly to project pages on Kickstarter or Indiegogo through annotations.

We’ve been inspired by creators who have funded projects through these platforms, like Freddie Wong’s Video Game High School and James Rolfe’s Angry Video Game Nerd: The Movie, and we hope this helps many more of you launch the projects you’ve been dreaming about. To use the feature, go to your Video Manager, click “Edit” and select Annotations. You’ll see the following screen, with an option to link to any existing Kickstarter or Indiegogo project page:

Some creators are already using the new annotations feature to help fund their latest projects, and here’s what it looks like:

You can find more information on annotations here, and in our help center. For even more fundraising goodness, we have a page on Kickstarter highlighting some projects to check out, and if you’re interested in being considered for the page, you can share your project with us on this form.

Andy Stack, product manager, recently watched “Visiting the Abyss” and “Push to add drama!”

Showing viewers more relevant ads

2012-04-16T14:30:00.000-07:00

[Update: This blog post was updated at 3:00AM PST on 4/18. Default ad settings and smarter ad serving will now be available 4/19]

Last year we introduced a new type of ad format that gave viewers choice over the ads they watched. These ads allow users to skip an ad after 5 seconds and are called TrueView in-stream video ads. We believed that giving viewers choice over ads they watch would lead to a better, more engaged viewing experience—benefiting the entire YouTube community of users, partners and advertisers.

Over the past year, TrueView ads have been one of our fastest growing ad formats on YouTube and now 60 percent of all in-stream ads are skippable. Our research shows that 9 out of 10 consumers prefer ads they can skip, and we’ve seen that TrueView ads benefit you as a content creator too:

More revenue: TrueView in-stream ads tend to earn equal to or higher revenue than standard in-stream ads

Viewers staying longer: TrueView in-stream ads reduced audience drop-off by 40% when compared to regular in-stream ads

More advertisers: TrueView in-stream represents the majority of all in-stream ads and will allow you to access to a broader base of advertisers

Since we’ve seen such positive results we’re rolling out a series of changes that will help you more fully leverage the benefits of TrueView in-stream video ads:

Changes to default ad settings
Starting Thursday, April 19, we’re introducing an easier way to control how ads appear on your content by allowing you to set default ad settings for all newly uploaded videos. Due to the benefits of TrueView in-stream, it will now be a default ad format, in addition to overlay ads. However, if this doesn’t work for you, you can adjust the settings at any time. Learn more with this help center article.

Introducing a new analytics report
To find which ads work best for you, we recently launched a new report in YouTube Analytics to help you compare ad performance. Within this report, you will be able to easily see the gross revenue and the CPMs (cost per thousand impressions - the price an advertiser paid for the ad) by ad type and across countries! This information can be used be used to ensure the best ad format is being displayed for you and your viewers. You can go the help center page to learn more.

Smarter ad serving
Also starting on Thursday, April 19, we’ll begin taking a more intelligent approach to how we serve in-stream ads and will no longer have a seven-minute frequency cap. Now, when showing in-stream ads, we’ll use a number of signals, such as content type and how a user discovered your video, to dynamically determine when is the best time to show ads.

Our research shows this should maximize long-term viewership and revenue by placing ads in front of users at the best possible time. While this change will benefit most partners, some may experience a reduction in their in-stream revenue—so it’s important to monitor your ad performance report to find the formats that work best for you. You can learn more about this change in the help center.

We encourage you to view the help pages above and the ads help center page, so you can be fully informed about the impact of these changes.

Steve Stukenborg & Phil Farhi, Product Managers, recently watched “Ultimate Cat Tease”

Being a YouTube Creator Just Got Even More Rewarding

2012-04-12T12:34:00.000-07:00

[Update: This blog post was updated at 6:39PM PST on 4/12. Please read more below.]

Some videos reach millions of viewers, while others satisfy the appetite of a precise, yet passionate audience. Whether you want to become a global pop star, create the Ultimate Frisbee Channel, teach math to students around the world, or publicly muse on your daily life, you can do it on YouTube. Partners are already producing videos that draw large and loyal audiences while building careers for themselves. But we know that there are many more creators out there with talents to share, and we want to empower them to achieve their goals, whatever they may be.

So starting today, we are updating partner eligibility across 20 countries (listed below) where the YouTube Partner Program has launched. YouTube uploaders in these countries can become YouTube partners by enabling their YouTube accounts, and successfully monetizing at least one of their videos. You can start your journey as a YouTube partner by reviewing the terms and opting in your account here. Read here for more information.

This change will be in effect today in the countries listed below, and we’ll work to make it more broadly available in countries where the YouTube Partner Program has launched:

Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Ireland, Israel, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom, United States

Your journey as a YouTube partner is what you make of it. Whether you’re aiming to score your next million subscribers or just want to learn about the best times to upload videos, there are resources tailored to your needs.

To help you unlock your creativity and further develop your skills, there’s:

Next Vlogger: A few weeks ago, we asked you which category we should choose for our NextUp program. You overwhelmingly selected YouTube Next Vlogger. Participants will receive one on one training from YouTube stars and industry leaders like iJustine, video equipment valued at $5,000, and global promotion on and off the YouTube. Apply by April 18.
Creator Clubs: Sign up for a Creator Club to network and collaborate with other creators in your area. And stay tuned for Partner Meetups to learn new skills directly from YouTube staff and experts.
YouTube Features: Whether you’re looking to improve your production quality or trying to create fun videos, you can use YouTube’s growing toolset to make videos the world will love.

To help you grow larger and more engaged audiences, there’s:

Partner Promotion: Certain creators who were partners prior to April 10th may be eligible to receive free advertising on the Google Display Network—websites that cover more than 92 percent of the Internet. Learn more in the Creator Hub. We hope to extend this feature to additional partners over time.
Creator Playbook 2: The YouTube Creator Playbook 2 is the latest version of the definitive YouTube audience development guide. Find it at youtube.com/playbook.
Creators On the Rise: The On the Rise Program offers high potential up-and-coming partners with homepage, editorial and social media promotion. Look out for opportunities to participate every month.

[Update] We're excited to provide more creators with the opportunity to become partners and have access to programs and resources to help them be successful on YouTube. These programs will be tailored to partners based on their specific needs. We also recognize that custom thumbnails and banners are sought-after features by many creators. We are working on making these and other features available to more newly-made partners over time, like we have done with long uploads and monetization.

You can stay on top of all creator news at the Creator Hub (youtube.com/creators). To help you better discover new opportunities, all partner initiatives will be identified with the new gold play icon. The icon symbolizes the heart of YouTube: you and your content.

If you’re willing to work hard and create videos that entertain, inspire, educate and amaze, then you can find success on YouTube. Whether you’re a novice or a mogul, we’re committed to helping you meet your goals as a YouTube partner.

The YouTube Team

A Universal Language for Video Ads

2012-04-10T18:13:00.000-07:00

Like many New Yorkers, I can’t imagine life in this city without the subway - it’s essential to how the city operates, creates millions in economic value, and even features great mariachi bands. But the subway wasn’t always this efficient. In the early 1900s, there were multiple subway systems, with different size train cars, running on different track configurations - even one propelled by air! Today, after the unification of these subway systems, everything works seamlessly together.

So what does the subway system have to do with video advertising? Well, the two dominant video advertising guidelines -- VAST and VPAID -- are like the unified transportation system for video advertising. VAST and VPAID define a common language that unifies the diversity of the video advertising industry: Flash and HTML video players, ad networks and exchanges, mobile devices and connected TVs, 30 second spots and interactive overlays.

At Google, we’ve been longtime supporters of video advertising standards. We’re happy to announce our support for the latest set of guidelines announced at the IAB’s Digital Video Marketplace Event today. This means that we’ll be implementing VAST 3.0, VPAID 2.0 and VMAP 1.0 across our video advertising products. Together, these three guidelines strengthen the video advertising infrastructure already adopted by most participants in the video ecosystem. The Video Suite also adds support for skippable ads, podding, in-ads privacy notices and ad sequencing, while offering greater clarity around compliance and mobile scenarios.

What benefits can you expect from VAST 3.0, VPAID 2.0 and VMAP 1.0?

If you’re a publisher, interoperability will improve and you’ll be able to accept a wider set of video ad formats with less technical work. The new error codes will also help with troubleshooting of third party served ads.
If you’re an advertiser, the Video Suite allows you to create more engaging brand stories that reach a wider audience across all devices. You’ll be able to take greater advantage of skippable ads, which offer new pricing models focused on performance.
If you’re a vendor, the technical details of these specs really matter, and we’ve provided much more clarity around the compliance requirements for video players and ad servers.

So much has changed in the online video space in just ten years, that we thought we’d take a trip down memory line with this infographic:

Click through for the full infographic

As an industry, we’ve started to take VAST and VPAID for granted, much like New Yorkers and their subway system. That’s a good thing, because it means they’ve become an essential part of powering our economy.

Posted by Payam Shodjai, Product Manager, Video Monetization

Last Week! Apply now to YouTube Next Vlogger!

2012-04-10T13:38:00.007-07:00

A few weeks ago, we announced a new program to help find the next superstar vloggers.

Applicants have one more week to apply to become one of sixteen promising vloggers to take part in three months of intimate educational workshops held on Google+ Hangouts. Each vlogger will receive $5,000 worth of video equipment and more than $10,000 worth of promotion on and off YouTube. Participants will also receive mentoring from industry experts, such as iJustine, one of the most successful vloggers and content creators on YouTube!

YouTube creators from Australia, Canada, India, Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa, the United Kingdom and the United States are eligible. If previous Next Creator participants are any indication, the Next Vloggers will be an incredibly talented and engaging group. We can’t wait to introduce them to you on April 30, but they need to apply first!

Vlog on!

Austin Lau & Bing Chen, Global YouTube Creator Program Managers

Celebrating YouTube Live’s first birthday

2012-04-10T12:06:00.000-07:00

To celebrate the first birthday of YouTube Live, we went through the normal birthday thought process: rent a bouncy castle or bring in the magicians. Neither of these seemed just right to celebrate the millions of you who’ve seen live videos, so we went with our favorite gifts: new features from our tireless engineers.

If you have YouTube Live, here’s what you’ll see:

Wirecast for YouTube Live: This new software is free for YouTube partners and allows you to produce and stream professional-looking live events directly to YouTube from your desktop. It allows capture and switching between multiple video and audio sources, roll in of media files and images and add live effects and overlays. If you’re enabled for livestreaming, you’ll see a link to download Wirecast for YouTube in your YouTube account.

New publishing flows and real time analytics: You now have a guided flow to set up and preview live events before you go live. You can also see real time access to data like playbacks and concurrent viewers of your live streams by geography and format.

Monetize live streams: You can now monetize your live events with advertising or paid options. A live event can be claimed in the new video manager like any other video and monetized with instream ads or paid options where you can set price by country. You can see more details on this in our Help Center on ads and paid livestreaming sections.

If you’re one of the many people who’ve asked for YouTube Live but don’t have access yet, we want to thank you very much for your patience. We’ve developed these features with the expectation many more of you will eventually use YouTube Live, and like we said last year, this process takes time to roll out broadly.

Learn more about YouTube Live in the Help Center and check out youtube.com/live for everything happening right now.

Varun Talwar, YouTube partner product manager, is getting ready to watch “Americas Cup” live tomorrow!

Reminder: Upcoming workshops - some times have changed!

2012-04-09T17:00:00.001-07:00

Directing for the Web 101 Workshop
Form to register is here.

When: Tuesday, April 10, 2012 from 7-8:30 PM

How is directing an actor for the camera different than on the stage? What's a good warm up for the actors to get everyone focused and communicating? How do I maintain an actor's performance when I shoot out of sequence? Directing for the Web 101 is a workshop where participants can share best practices, ask questions, and find out from the instructor great ways to get a strong performance from your actors. Ideally suited for beginners and intermediate level directors who are either just starting out or are interested in taking their directing to the next level.

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Cinematography 101 Workshop
Form to register is here.

When: Tuesday, April 17, 2012 from 7-8:30 PM

What is focal length vs focal distance? Why is lens speed important? How do I control depth of field? What are some cool tricks that I can use to light a scene with minimal resources? WHY IS ALL OF MY FOOTAGE BLUE???? Cinematography 101 reviews how you can use the technical to articulate the creative. Besides things like 180 degree rule and law of thirds, we talk about some of the mystery buttons on the camera that will help you improve your image as well as your understanding of why things work the way that they do. Ideally suited for beginners and intermediate level cinematographers who are either just starting out or feel that they need a better technical understanding of the mechanics of their camera.

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Vlogging 101 Workshop
Form to register is here.

When: Monday, April 23, 2012 from 7-8:30 PM

How do I promote my friend’s band? How do I turn myself into the next internet personality? How do I share the fun food that I make in my kitchen with the rest of the world? In class we look at successful examples as well as analyze what it takes to put together electronic press kits, podcasts and vlogs for YouTube. We review such concepts as B-roll, how to avoid talking head footage, and using links to build a network of like-minded people.

Check out the nominees for April’s “On The Rise” spotlight!

2012-04-06T09:00:00.000-07:00

Each month, we identify four YouTube partners whose Channels have experienced significant growth and are on the cusp of really taking off for our On The Rise program. In April, we’re showcasing partners in the performance, beauty, sports and film industries. None of them have hit the 100,000 subscriber mark just yet, but they’ve already built significant followings on YouTube.

You can help them get closer though, starting with the opportunity for one of these partners to be featured on the YouTube homepage. Check out the videos below and vote for your favorite in the top right corner of the official YouTube blog. In addition to your votes, each Channel will be evaluated (by an internal team) on criteria such as viewer engagement and Channel optimization techniques to decide which partner will be featured on the homepage, Google+, Facebook and Twitter at the end of the month.

In past months past on the rise nominees, partners like marydoodles and AnyoneButMeWebSeries have gained many subscribers thanks to your support. The poll will be open until April 13h at 5pm PT, so don’t forget to vote for your favorite Channel. Check back to see who secured the homepage feature on April 26th.

anaheimballet
The resident ballet company of Anaheim, CA, since 1997, the Anaheim Ballet hosts classical ballet performances and provides dance education. The school and company are non-profit organizations, and they produce weekly videos for their YouTube Channel.

nurberxo
Want makeup and styling inspiration, or advice about how to present yourself effectively? Nur’s beauty channel is worth browsing for both, giving you holistic beauty advice.

strskillschool
Steve Roberts has been coaching sports in the UK for over 12 years. His passion is soccer (or football, if you’d like), and his sports coaching company’s channel provides excellent tips for how to improve your techniques.

ultraslo
The Ultraslo production company and channel were founded by a two-time Emmy Award winner Alan Teitel. As the name suggests, these videos showcase slow-motion subjects ranging from action sports to insects.

If you’re interested in checking out more rising YouTube Partners, visit our On The Rise Channel, which features nominees, trending partners and monthly blog winners.

Devon Storbeck and Christine Wang, YouTube Partner Support, recently watched “Improv Everywhere: Quadruplets.”

Do You Have What it Takes to be the ‘Next’ great YouTube Vlogger?

2012-04-04T02:30:00.000-07:00

Vlogging, or video blogging, videos are some of the most popular on YouTube. And rightfully so--they’re one of the few types of videos that literally anyone can create: all you have to do is sit in front of camera, share words of wisdom (okay, wisdom not always required), and upload the video. From accounts of political struggle in the Middle East to fan reactions of newly-released music videos to testaments of personal discovery, the intimate act of vlogging can take many shapes and resonate with audiences around the world.

A few weeks ago, we asked YouTube creators what form of content we should tackle as part of our Next Creator program, a development initiative to help promising creators find their voices, improve their skills, and build their audiences. You resoundingly responded with calls for YouTube Next Vlogger.

Starting today through April 18, applications will be open for sixteen promising vloggers to take part in three months of intimate educational workshops held on Google+ Hangouts. Each vlogger will receive $5,000 worth of video equipment and more than $10,000 worth of promotion on and off YouTube. Participants will also receive mentoring from industry experts, such as iJustine, one of the most successful vloggers and content creators on YouTube!

YouTube creators from Australia, Canada, India, Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa, the United Kingdom and the United States are eligible. If previous Next Creator participants are any indication, the Next Vloggers will be an incredibly talented and engaging group. We can’t wait to introduce them to you on April 30, but they need to apply first!

Vlog on!

Austin Lau & Bing Chen, Global YouTube Creator Program Managers, recently watched The Dominic Show’s “Dating Tips: Break Ups”

Update on next week's Directing 101 Workshop in LA

2012-04-03T09:08:00.001-07:00

Partners,

We've updated the timing of our Directing 101 Workshop - please see details below and sign up to attend!

Directing for the Web 101 Workshop
Form to register is here.

When: Tuesday, April 10, 2012 from 7:00-8:30 PM

How is directing an actor for the camera different than on the stage? What's a good warm up for the actors to get everyone focused and communicating? How do I maintain an actor's performance when I shoot out of sequence? Directing for the Web 101 is a workshop where participants can share best practices, ask questions, and find out from the instructor great ways to get a strong performance from your actors. Ideally suited for beginners and intermediate level directors who are either just starting out or are interested in taking their directing to the next level.