Saturday, December 1, 2007

#20 I Tube, YouTube (part 2)

The best thing about YouTube.com is that it opens up a new way for ordinary people to talk to the world. At Youtube everyone can upload video clips, can watch and make comments on other people's videos. It is so powerful that watching TV programs or movies at Youtube is as easy and smooth as watching still images on the Internet in the near past. I like its convenience in finding videos. The homepage displays videos kinds in great and varied details. For instance, under "Browse" there are Most Recent; Most Viewed ; Top Rated; Most Discussed; Top Favorites; Most Linked; Recently Featured; Most Responded and Watch on Mobile. To use a big word about YouTube, it has empowered its audience with another means to exercise their right in the First Amendment, Freedom of Expression - Speech and Press.

YouTube's entertaining fuction is great, too. (That's why it becomes popular so fast!) You can find very interesting homemade videos and free movies easily over there. The first video clip I posted on my blog was an entertaining one on gym exercise, Treadmill Dance. Posting this video was to have some festival air for Thanksgiving blog visitors. The second video clip I posted was on politics, part of the CNN*YouTube Republican Debate, in which Giuliani was asked why he, as a Yankee fan, rooted for Sox in the post season. This was a light and relaxing interlude of the debate.

Our library can make use of this popular means of communication on the homepage. For instance we can add a video feature on it, which might be named "A Tube A Day", presenting historical clips on national holidays such as on Independence Day, Martin L. King's day, Memorial Day; there will be plenty of clips to choose from on such topics. On regular days the themes can be varied, such as educational ones on health, children, young adults, cooking, gardening, arts & crafts, sports, etc.; or simply ones that are nice and entertaining.

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