Author Archives: John G. Doe

Introducing Awesome Stuff Week: product reviews you’ll love from creators you trust

We know how much time you spend surfing the web for the perfect look or the latest products whether that be Stephen Curry’s newest sneaker, fringe skirts for fall, or the newest hoverboard prototype.

But people aren’t just limiting their research to websites; they’re also watching videos on YouTube. Sixty-four percent of shoppers say that YouTube influences their purchase decisions.1 In fact, we’ve seen more than 40 percent growth year-over-year in viewership of product videos such as sneaker pickups, first impressions, and product reviews.2

To help you discover more of the latest and greatest products, we’re partnering with your favorite YouTube personalities to bring you Awesome Stuff Week: a series of week-long celebrations highlighting popular, trendy, undiscovered-but-cool products on YouTube. During each Awesome Stuff Week, creators such as GiGiGorgeous, iJustine, Jim Chapman, and UnboxTherapy, will share their views and reviews on products ranging from fashion to gadgets to holiday gifts.



We’re also making it easy for you to buy the products you want in the exact moment you want them. Scroll through the comments on any product video and you’re sure to find "where can I get those shoes or that skirt or that self-balancing scooter?" Why shouldn’t every product video be shoppable? Products featured during Awesome Stuff Week will be.

Like those brown Hudson boots from Jim Chapman in the below video? Now you can simply click on a product image on the right-hand side of the video, and be taken to that retailer’s website. It’s as easy as that.

Awesome Stuff Week - H By Hudson.gif

YouTube creator, Jim Chapman, shares his take on H by Hudson boots. Watch the video on YouTube.

This week - dedicated to fashion - is the first of several Awesome Stuff Weeks that we’ll be rolling out. New videos will appear daily from Monday through Friday, and each will feature a new theme related to fashion such as Must-have-Monday or Hundred-Dollar-Wednesday. In the coming weeks, we’ll introduce an Awesome Stuff Week featuring gadgets as well as holiday gifts to help you check off items on your shopping list.

To discover the latest shoppable videos, subscribe to the Awesome Stuff Week YouTube channel and stay tuned for more!

Vikram Tank, Product Marketing Manager, Art, Copy & Code, recently watched "What Do You Mean / Epic Segway Dance Cover @justinbieber."

1Source: When the Path to Purchase Becomes the-Path-to-Purpose, June 2014.
https://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/articles/the-path-to-purpose.html

2Source: View count growth, Google Data, April 2015 vs. April 2014, U.S., classification was based on public data such as headlines, tags, etc., and may not account for every type of review video available on YouTube.
https://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/articles/i-want-to-buy-moments.html

Source: YouTube Blog


More for your family in the YouTube Kids app

It’s been a busy few months for YouTube Kids. In February, we released our app, designed especially for kids, to bring to life the best family-friendly content on YouTube. Since then, families have downloaded YouTube Kids more than 8 million times, consistently ranked YouTube Kids in the top 5 kids apps in the App Store, given an overall 4+ rating on Google Play and watched Stampy Cat explore the world of Minecraft more than 54 million times.

Not bad for a seven-month old.

When we announced the app, we said YouTube Kids was our first step in reimagining YouTube for families. And we’re always looking for ways to make it even better. So today we’re sharing some new ways we're helping parents and kids enjoy the family content they love:

Discover new videos and watch in new ways
  • Watch YouTube Kids on the big screen: Want to enjoy your favorite videos as a family? Now you can, using Chromecast, Apple TV, game consoles or a smartTV.
  • Explore new videos with guest-curated playlists: Have a budding scientist or eager explorer on your hands? Find out what videos educators, celebs and other parents recommend with guest-created playlists. Playlists from National Geographic Kids, Kid President, and a girl power-themed playlist from Academy Award®-winning actor Geena Davis are already live—and more are coming soon from YouTube creators including Vsauce and Amy Poehler's Smart Girls.
  • Enjoy new shows: New videos are produced and uploaded to YouTube Kids every day—including exciting original shows and series from HooplaKidz, TuTiTu, SciShow Kids, DreamWorksTV and more.



Features just for parents
  • Learn how the app works: We also want to make it easier to get started using the app. When parents open YouTube Kids, we’ll explain upfront how our systems choose and recommend content and how to flag videos. We’ll also prompt you to make a choice about how broadly you want your child to explore—turn search on to access millions of family-friendly videos, or turn search off to restrict your child’s experience to a more limited set. Either way, parents decide the right experience for their family from the get-go. This will roll out on the app in the coming weeks.
  • Customize your passcode: We’ve also heard some parents prefer a personal passcode, rather than a spelled-out code, so we’ve added this option to access parental controls.



We always try to make the videos available in the app family-friendly, but no system is perfect. So if you ever find a video you’re concerned about, please flag it. This helps make YouTube Kids better for everyone.

In fact, many of these updates are a result of the great feedback you’ve given us. As you explore YouTube’s library, from "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" to learning about the solar system, we’re growing with you. And we’re always excited to hear how we can better help your family explore, learn and sing along.

Posted by Shimrit Ben-Yair, mother of two and YouTube Kids Director of Product Management, who recently enjoyed learning about volcanoes on SciShow Kids and relaxing with Cosmic Kids Yoga’s Calming Playlist with her kids.

Source: YouTube Blog


YouTube Space Paris: a new home for French creators

Paris. The city is synonymous with culture, cuisine, art and architecture. The creative passion of Paris has also given rise to one of the world’s most vibrant YouTube communities. French creators of all kinds are building global followings on YouTube, such as Cyprien, whose comedy shorts have been viewed nearly 1 billion times, and e-penser, who regularly entertains half a million fans with educational videos on subjects such as general relativity and time travel. And the audience loves what they are doing— viewers are watching 60 percent more YouTube than last year.

Given all the creativity coming out of the French capital, it was a no-brainer to open a YouTube Space in the heart of Paris—a cutting-edge production facility located at Google Paris Headquarters.

 

This is the seventh YouTube Space we have opened in cultural centers around the world. Joining Los Angeles, London, Berlin, Tokyo, New York and Sao Paolo, the Paris Space will provide emerging and established YouTube creators with a physical space to do everything from take a class on YouTube best practices, meet with fellow artists, or just use the studio’s latest audio, visual and editing equipment to create great videos. All for free.

YT_logo_space_PARIS.jpg

YouTube Space Paris (1).jpg


Internationally, creators have used the YouTube Spaces to unleash the limits of their imagination: whether that’s filming live streaming music acts, collaborating with celebrities, creating a viral public service announcement, or even learning how to teleport on a specially created superhero set. And in Europe, more than 25,000 creators of all kinds, from emerging comedians to established TV stations, have visited London and Berlin Spaces to produce over 1,500 original videos. These videos have been viewed over 225 million times and watched by their fans for a cumulative 16 million hours. We’re excited to see what creators in Paris will do next!

Find more creator resources at youtube.com/creators and learn more about the YouTube Spaces at youtube.com/space.

David Ripert, Head of YouTube Space EMEA, recently watched "[360 Music Video] This Summer - Roomie (Maroon 5 Cover)" - partly shot in the Spaces.

Source: YouTube Blog


Party with Disclosure and James Corden at 9 p.m. PT

Up to anything special tonight? No? Well, how about bringing a multi-talented producer and two of Britain’s fastest-rising DJs home for a live performance?

Tonight, the dynamic DJ duo Disclosure will unite forces with powerhouse producer James Corden for the next American Express Unstaged concert on YouTube. That's right—the actor, writer and television host you know from his work on hit comedy shows "Gavin and Stacey" and the "The Late Late Show" (which hit 1 million subscribers on YouTube last week) will tonight put his own theatrical twist on the show.

In the last twelve months alone, British brothers Disclosure have garnered more than 222 million views on YouTube since last September, and have just released their new album, "Caracal," which features Lorde, Miguel, The Weeknd, Gregory Porter, and Sam Smith. Taking place at the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena just days after the release of "Caracal," this will be the first time that fans all over the world can hear new tracks performed live.

As a quick warm-up, check out Corden interviewing the band and create your own digital “Disclosure Face” in the Unstaged app. Be sure to leave time to prep your glow sticks, though, as the live stream will start at 9 p.m. PT at youtube.com/americanexpress, youtube.com/user/DisclosureVEVO, amexunstaged.com, or the Unstaged app.

Nicola Young, Music Programs Manager, recently watched "Slaves - Burning Our Morals Away.”

Source: YouTube Blog


Watch the Global Citizen Festival—live on YouTube on September 26 from 12:45 p.m. PT

No matter where you are this Saturday, you can have a front row seat at the 2015 Global Citizen Festival to catch performances by Pearl Jam, Beyoncé, Ed Sheeran and Coldplay, live on YouTube, un-leashed by T-Mobile.

Tune in at youtube.com/globalcitizen/live to join YouTube creators MatthewSantoro, and Mitch Moffit and Greg Brown from AsapSCIENCE, who’ll bring you the latest from the event and take you backstage for all the behind-the-scenes action. They’ll be joined by Global Citizen hosts Stephen Colbert, Salma Hayek Pinault, Deborra-Lee Furness, Hugh Jackman and Olivia Wilde.


Join the movement and support the goals to fight inequality, protect our planet, and end extreme poverty. It all begins at 12:45 p.m. PT on September 26 on the Global Citizen YouTube channel. 

Lindsay Dahms, Brand Marketing Manager, recently watched “Ed Sheeran - Photograph.”

Source: YouTube Blog


Let’s play

It’s dangerous to go alone! Take this.

As promised, and after some excellent road-testing by thousands of dedicated gaming fans (thanks, folks!), YouTube Gaming is now available. Blending gaming videos and live streams, YouTube Gaming brings you closer to the games, gamers, and culture that matter to you.



Here’s what you need to know:
  • YouTube Gaming is your go-to destination for anything and everything gaming because it automatically pulls in all gaming-related videos and live streams from YouTube.
  • Viewers get personalized gaming recommendations based on the games and channels they collect. With over 25,000 game pages and even more gaming channels, it’s never been easier to connect with your gaming community.
  • We’ve also made it easier to create a live stream — check out the beta version of our new way to go live at youtube.com/stream today.



Find the English-language website (gaming.youtube.com) in any country where YouTube is available, or download the phone and tablet app from Google Play and the App Store, rolling out over the next few hours in the U.S. and U.K. Other countries will be coming soon.

Together, we all make gaming better. Our peers make us better gamers, and games are made better by the communities that surround them. Thanks for your feedback as we brought you YouTube Gaming, and keep it coming. This is just the beginning.

Frank Petterson, Engineering Manager, recently played League of Legends.

P.S. For those of you who are going to be at PAX Prime in Seattle this weekend, check out our booth and stage show. If you can’t be there in person, we’ll be streaming our show (hosted by GameSpot, IGN, and Rooster Teeth) at gaming.youtube.com.

Source: YouTube Blog


Keeping the conversation going

YouTube is built by one of the most engaged communities on the web, and you tell us when you want changes. Today, you heard from Google+ about upcoming changes based on user feedback. We wanted to give you an early look at what this will mean with respect to comments on YouTube, and to your overall YouTube experience.

The headline: we think you’ll like it.

Comments
Comments are super important to the relationship between creators and fans on YouTube. You love MyLifeAsEva and Kingsley. You thought that latest video from Tyler was his funniest yet. You want to tell Epic Rap Battles who their next match-up should feature. And these creators want to hear from fans like you, just as much as you want to communicate with them.

All of these conversations should be simpler and easier to have on YouTube, and we’ve been working on that.

  • First off, we’ve improved the ranking system that reduces the visibility of junk comments. It’s working—the rate of dislikes on comments has dropped by more than 35 percent across YouTube.
  • With today’s announcement from Google+, you’ll see more changes. The comments you make on YouTube will now appear only on YouTube, not also on Google+. And vice-versa. This starts rolling out today.
  • Creators told us they liked the moderation options on their channels, like reviewing comments before they’re posted, blocking certain words, or auto-approving comments from certain fans. All this stays.

Your YouTube channel
This one’s further off. In the coming weeks, YouTube will no longer require a Google+ profile when you want to upload, comment, or create a channel. If you’re happy with everything as it is now, then just keep on keepin’ on. If you want to remove your Google+ profile, you’ll be able to do this in the coming months, but do not do it now or you’ll delete your YouTube channel (no bueno). Please visit our Help Center for further details.

We’ve heard you. Keep talking to us.

The YouTube team

Source: YouTube Blog


Say hello to the redesigned YouTube mobile app

If you watched a YouTube video recently, chances are you did it on your phone or tablet. That’s because today, more than half the views on YouTube happen using mobile devices. So to bring you an even better mobile experience, we’re updating the official YouTube apps – making it easier than ever to find videos you love and create them, too.

The update – available now on Android, mobile web, and soon on iOS – introduces three new tabs:

  • Home: Easily explore and discover videos you'll love with recommendations based on your watch history as well as playlists personalized just for you.
  • Subscriptions: Find the latest videos from your favorite channels and creators on the new Subscriptions tab. And to help make sure you never miss an upload, you can now tap the bell icon on the channels you love to get a notification as soon as a new video is posted.
  • Account: Check out your playlists, watch history, and the videos you’ve uploaded all in one spot.



You can also now watch full-screen vertical videos with just a single tap for the very first time.

But YouTube isn’t just about enjoying videos; it’s a place to express yourself and show the world what you love. With the redesigned app you can take your creativity to new levels using a new set of video creation tools. You’ve got an amazing camera in your phone or tablet, and now you can trim your footage, tint the image with filters, add music, and upload – all inside the app.



These are just a few of the features we’ve been working on, and you’ll see many more later this year. 

Matt Darby, Product Manager, and Omri Amarilio, Product Manager, recently watched "One of those days 2 - Candide Thovex."

Source: YouTube Blog


#ProudToLove and proud to celebrate marriage equality

Over the last 10 years, everyone from moms to presidents have uploaded videos in support of LGBT awareness, to stand up against bullying and discrimination, and to say together, as a community, that marriage equality matters.

That’s why we are so excited by the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling today guaranteeing same-sex couples nationwide the right to marry. In recognition of Pride Month, and of this historic decision, we want to celebrate the many individuals and communities that have helped inspire change:


YouTube has given creators like Tyler Oakley and Jazz Jennings, to entertainers like Ellen DeGeneres and Todrick Hall, a platform to entertain and inspire, while raising LGBT awareness in society as a whole. Thanks to creators and fans alike, YouTube has become a home to coming out videos and transitioning videos, a place where people can share advice, find a community, or encourage activism. Together, these videos help us see our common humanity in the faces and voices of those we might otherwise perceive as different.

So today, we say “thank you” to all of those who were brave enough to show us that it really can, and does, get better—and how much better it still can get.

The YouTube Team

Source: YouTube Blog


Eyewitness video on YouTube: your window to the world

In the last ten years, we’ve witnessed many of the biggest and most important news stories unfold on YouTube. From the Green Revolution, Arab Spring and protests in Ferguson, to the Charlie Hebdo attacks and earthquake in Nepal, user-generated video has provided a unique and visceral perspective on what’s happening in the world around us. It’s almost impossible to turn on the news during a breaking event without seeing raw video uploaded by a YouTube user somewhere across the globe. 

Today, more than 5 million hours of news video is watched on YouTube every day, and the role of the eyewitness has never had a more vital place in the newsgathering process. We live in a world where anyone can bear witness to what is happening around them and share it with a global audience, and YouTube has become a primary home for this powerful, first-person documentary footage.

That is why we’re excited to announce three new initiatives to support the discovery and verification of eyewitness news video on YouTube:

  • The YouTube Newswire: In partnership with Storyful, a social news agency we’ve worked with since protests broke out in Tahrir Square in 2011, we’re rolling out the YouTube Newswire, a curated feed of the most newsworthy eyewitness videos of the day, which have been verified by Storyful’s team of editors and are embeddable from the original sources. With the Newswire, we hope to provide journalists with an invaluable resource to discover news video around major events, and to highlight eyewitness video that offers new perspectives on important news stories. The Newswire will feature global and regional feeds that surface the most relevant videos in different parts of the world. Follow us on Twitter or subscribe to the daily newsletter to get the latest videos delivered directly to your inbox.
  • The First Draft Coalition: You could say that user-generated news video is today’s “first draft” of capturing an event that took place. But when it comes to incorporating this content into the reporting of a news event, verification is a critical step for any newsroom -- and not every journalist knows where to start. So we’re bringing together a group of thought leaders and pioneers in social media journalism to create educational resources on how to verify eyewitness media, and how to consider the ethics of using it in news reporting. This new group, called The First Draft Coalition, will consist of experts from Eyewitness Media Hub, Storyful, Bellingcat, First Look Media's Reported.ly, Meedan, Emergent, SAM Desk, and Verification Junkie. The Coalition will develop and program a new site for verification and ethics training, tools, research, and, most importantly, case studies around the biggest news stories of the moment. The site will launch this fall, but in the meantime, check out the Coalition’s Medium collection, chock full of how-to posts and examples of UGC verification, which we’ll update every week. You can also follow First Draft on Twitter.
  • The WITNESS Media Lab: Over the past decade, YouTube has provided a platform for people to share eyewitness video of human rights atrocities around the world. In partnership with WITNESS, we are supporting the WITNESS Media Lab, a new approach to tackling pressing human rights issues through the analysis of citizen video. The WITNESS Media Lab - in collaboration with innovators in the technology, advocacy and journalism fields - will produce a series of in-depth projects that focus on human rights struggles as seen from the perspective of those who live, witness, and experience them. The first project from the WITNESS Media Lab will explore the impact of bystander video in bringing about justice in police brutality cases in the United States. Check out the new site and follow the WITNESS Media Lab on Twitter for more updates.


We’re proud of the role that YouTube and its creators have and continue to play in the ever-changing, ever-expanding news and information ecosystem, and we hope that these new projects will empower more journalists to use powerful eyewitness video easily and responsibly.

Posted by Olivia Ma, Head of Strategy and Operations, News Lab at Google

Source: YouTube Blog