Yesterday, Dec 1, YouTube made significant changes to the Homepage and Channels. Nonprofits using video to tell our stories need to understand the changes – how they impact us and how they can help us. Visit the YouTube blog to get details. You can also login to your YouTube account (personal &/or your organization’s channel) for information and tutorials.
The changes are meant to:
- make it easier for people to find and follow content channels they love, and…
- drive more social sharing by making sharing more intuitive and effortless.
While the jury is out on the new design (less than a day old) this new emphasis could be extremely helpful to causes.
1. HOMEPAGE: Here’s what YouTube has to say about the new Homepage:
To help you get more into YouTube, we’re making it easier to find and follow great Channels when you arrive. On the left side of the homepage you can create your own, personal, customizable YouTube Channel line-up.
2. CHANNELS: Here’s what YouTube has to say about the new Channel design. Note: there are four options for your organization’s Channel layout so you can pick the one that best suits the nature of your content.
Today we’re launching an improved Channel design focused on what matters most: helping users find great videos. As different uploaders have different goals, we’ve created new Channel templates to meet your needs whether you produce one video a week or have thousands of videos for a fan to browse.Also relevant to many nonprofits YouTube writes on their Channels help page that the changes create…
A way to keep your audience engaged even when you don’t have new uploads
Thanks to visionaries and evangelists like Andy Goodman, causes have learned that storytelling is critical to nonprofit success and that web video is a great way to tell our stories. Yesterday’s changes have the potential to supercharge the impact of our video. Stay tuned. As we see examples of organizations leveraging the new layout and functionality we’ll share those examples.
Your Org Broadcasting Live via Google+ Hangouts On-Air: Coming Soon to a Computer Near You
Why You Need to Know This Now
Google’s vision is that “everyone on the planet” will have the ability to broadcast live via the soon-to-be-released Google+ Hangouts On Air.
You can Hang Out with 9 People Right Now
Currently, Google+ Hangouts lets up to 10 people chat and interact with each other online. All you need is a free Google+ account, the Google Voice and Video plugin on your computer, and a webcam. It’s similar to other live video chat platforms like Skype and iChat. People have been using Hangouts to chat with family and friends, hold meetings, conduct discussions and classes, to collaborate and consult, to promote books, share events, and more.
Soon You’ll Be Able to Broadcast Live to Millions
The game changer on the horizon is that Hangouts On Air will significantly lower the barriers to live broadcasting to a mass audience. Hangouts On Air will enable your organization to live-stream to audiences of any size from any location where you can get an internet connection. It will be like having your own TV station with the ability to broadcast live 24/7.
Hangouts On Air allows for one host, 9 additional participants (you can think of them as guests on a show) and an unlimited number of viewers who can watch the live stream. And Hangouts On Air are recorded and automatically uploaded to your YouTube account as a private video. Then you can edit if you want (via YouTube’s Video Editor) or just make it public.In other words, Hangouts On Air will be a way to communicate directly and immediately with volunteers, supporters, donors and other key stakeholders and influential, as well as an instant story bank for your organization,
Keep in mind that Hangouts On Air will be integrated with the Google+ social network, Google Apps for Business, and the whole Google / YouTube ecosystem, allowing you to leverage other tools you may already be using.Hangouts On Air isn’t available to the public just yet. But a select few are already beta testing Hangouts On Air. President Obama recently did a Hangout On Air with ordinary citizens.