Thing 9: YouTube.com (Week of 2/2)

This week's topic is YouTube.

YouTube.com is a host site for viral videos – that is, video clips that can be easily dispersed around the web. The sheer number of clips is staggering, but they are catalogued in various ways and it’s easy to browse by keyword. Users can post clips to the site, view them, and share them with others; it’s not necessary to have an account in order to view video clips. Warning: While this site is highly addictive, it does require high-speed Internet access.

This week's TechPlay exercise:

Step 1. Go to www.youtube.com. In the white search box below the word “home,” type “noel zethmayr” and hit your keyboard’s “enter” key. Scroll down and click on “Book Talks – Blackthorn Winter.” View the video.

Step 2. Return to the white search box, which is above the video you just watched. Now type in “gertie the dinosaur” and hit “enter.” On the task bar below the video, find the volume icon. To the right of the volume, find the “full screen mode” icon and click on it. View the video. (This is an excellent example of YouTube’s archival function; many old and obscure video clips can be found here.)

Step 3. When the video is over, click the red "share" button on the upper left side of the screen. This should present you with two options. Click on "email this video" and send the video to ya@lagrangelibrary.org.

Step 4. Return to the white search box and type in any keyword you like (e.g. Sarah Palin, Disney, Marilyn Monroe, knitting). You'll find there are videos on almost every subject! Choose a video and watch it. (Hint -- if a video keeps "buffering," or stopping and starting, hit the "pause" key on the lower left side of the video screen. You'll see the red timer bar turn to pink as it crawls from left to right, loading the video. Wait until the video is loaded, then hit the "pause" key to resume playing.)

Step 5. Post an entry on your blog describing the video you chose, as well as your reaction. Have fun!