2011 was an eventful year for YouTube and I’m sure 2012 will also be amazing for the 2nd largest search engine and 3rd most visited website on the internet.

Here are some of the cool things that were added to YouTube’s growing list of features last year:

1. Live streaming

YouTube finally jumped in on the bandwagon to cater to the growing demand for livestreaming. Live streaming on YouTube had a dedicated page where people could see ongoing broadcasts as well as clips to broadcasts they’ve missed.  Not all accounts have been enabled for live streaming, but most of the top YouTube accounts are now enabled.

2. Video editing

YouTube rolled out an improved video-editing tool which content creators can use to edit their already uploaded videos without changing the IDs and starting over.  Their stabilization feature is really good – I used it on a vlog shot on my iPhone for the AGayCollab channel when I was in Mexico and it made it look surprisingly smooth compared to the original.

3. Partnerships

2011 saw more YouTube partnerships between YouTube and content creators – it went from around 10,000 of us being full Partners to over 15,000.  Many other accounts were offered full monetization privileges (without being full Partners) ,while others still were offered monetization on individual videos that were performing well.

4. YouTube Slam and Google + 1 Hangouts

YouTube introduced a new feature called YouTube Slam which allowed YouTubers to choose the next viral video that will be featured on YouTube’s homepage. YouTube also integrated its platform with Google+1, allowing users to hang out online with friends and watch videos together in real time.

5. A more intuitive algorithm

The introduction of Google Instant paved the way for a more improved search function on YouTube that filtered results according to relevance and relation to the videos you usually watch. The homepage also applied the same principle by automatically featuring videos that might interest you.

6. YouTube Copyright School

YouTubers who violated copyright rules on YouTube were given a chance to clear their name by enrolling in what was called the YouTube Copyright School. The campaign featured characters from Happy Tree Friends which educated YouTubers about Fair Use and copyright rules in a series of videos.

Those are six cool things that YouTube added to their feature-packed service last year.  Can you think of some others? I can’t wait to see what they have in store for us this year!

YouTube recently announced that its platform is serving over 200 million views from smart phones and internet-capable mobile devices daily. As I wrote about last year, there’s only one direction for mobile video viewing to go from here…. and that’s up! Having said that, content creators should consider optimizing their YouTube videos for the small, smart phone screen since the viewing experience is a bit different than on a regular computer.

Optimizing videos for smart phone viewing isn’t rocket science, but there are some key things you should keep in mind to make the experience as good as possible for the mobile viewer:

1. Make sure your text is large enough to be read. Remember that your mobile audiences are usually viewing your videos in a 2.7 to 3-inch screen so don’t make it too hard for them to reading the text in your videos.

2. Use good audio recording equipment for your video. Not all smart phones have quality speakers so make sure you’re giving your audience the best audio experience they can get by recording in high-quality audio, which usually means having an external shotgun or lavalier mic.

3. Put links to older videos or related content in the description box to help ease the browsing experience of your viewers.  Most won’t be able to view annotations at this point on their phones, but they often will be able to click on links in the description.

4. Zoom in on the products you’re using in your video, especially when you’re doing a tutorial.  A smaller screen requires more zooming in to see the details.

It can be a good idea to double-check your videos for possible glare issues or pixeled images by viewing your videos on a smart phone yourself. And as always, to get most out of your videos you should include a call to action at the end by encouraging your audience to like, comment, and/or share the video with their friends – all of which can easily be done on their phones.

In 2011, we saw a lot of changes on YouTube, with the site getting a pretty major facelift and new features like YouTube Slam and the Google+1 integration, so it’s not really a surprise that many top social media influencers think the website will get more recognition as a major social network this year.

YouTube’s brand new look, in fact, says a lot about it wanting to go in more of a social media direction, although some say the new homepage looks more streamlined and business-like – perhaps because YouTube wants to make it more appealing for businesses and an older audience. Either way, it all boils down to YouTube’s desire to constantly innovate its business model since that’s the only way for it to really stay on top of its game.

Some social media experts also predict YouTube will get more dynamic and intuitive.  Viewers will find it easy to engage more with video makers and fellow audience members because of YouTube’s new features and layout. As a result, that will help create more opportunities  for videos to go viral this year.

Viewers can expect to see more high-quality videos as well with increased competition for eyeballs among content creators this year due to more YouTube partnerships being given out and more innovative businesses going on YouTube. And let’s not forget about the 100+ YouTube-funded channels that are poised to compete with offline TV networks this year.

In hindsight, new features on YouTube in late 2010 and early 2011 like the new annotations options, the ability to edit videos right within YouTube, Facebook and Twitter integration, and the like, were just laying out the blueprint of what to expect on YouTube come 2012. YouTube is only growing and getting better as time goes on so it continues to be the ultimate video sharing platform!

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One type of video that has proven to be quite popular on YouTube is parodies… which of course is something I’ve taken advantage of in my strategy to get more views (click here to see my Parodies playlist on YouTube). Copyright issues on YouTube however, have discouraged some people from doing them, or at least given them doubt as to what they can or can’t do on the site without risking possible suspension or even termination of their account.

Here are some points that were recently shared by an entertainment lawyer in a ReelSEO post aimed at setting the record straight about the legality of doing these kinds of videos… in the US at least, under the Fair Use law.

1. Parodies are essentially commentaries that poke fun at something to spark a discussion about it. They are ok to do because they make changes to the originals and “bend the truth”. You do need to have to make it clear though that you’re doing a parody and expressing an opinion. To be safe, you could always add a disclaimer that this is what your intention are to do.

2. You generally don’t have to worry about copyright infringement when you do a parody because sometimes you have to adopt a portion of the original work in order to make yours work. It can be argued that without using a shot of the original to give reference to what you’re doing, your parody wouldn’t make sense, and Fair Use typically allows for that.

Certain rules apply to different countries and Fair Use can even be bypassed by state laws within the US. The best defense you’ll have for yourself, of course, is 1. to ask permission from the owner of the original work, and 2. to credit the owner of the original work.  Because I don’t expect pop stars to promptly return my request when asking for permission, I typically go with just option #2 and put links to the original videos I’m making a parody of in the description field of mine, sometimes even links to where you can buy the original work on iTunes.

At the end of the day there isn’t always a definitive line on what will or won’t protect you from getting into any copyright issues when using someone else’s property in your videos, so you’ll just have to assess your own risk level and decide whether or not it’s worth it to you… or of course talk to a lawyer for advice on your particular situation and the laws where you live.

What do you think? Have you had any issues with using other people’s work in your videos?  Do you make completely original videos that only contain your own visuals and audio?  Leave a comment below with your thoughts.

My song parodies have proven to be my most successful videos in terms of getting a lot of views, so it’s only fitting that I start off 2012 with a one of those!  I’ve chosen to spoof Taylor Swift’s Safe and Sound (featuring Civil War) which I’ve called Tight and Round. The original song is a lovely ballad that is part of the soundtrack to the upcoming film adaptation of the trilogy “The Hunger Games”, which makes it even more hilarious to turn it into something kind of dirty… and gay.  You know, my specialty!

It’s about a guy (me) who notices another guy with an incredible butt as he walks down the street… and an obsession ensues. My friend Brendan James Boyd was my co-star (and co-cameraman) and he constructed his own bubble butt out of synthetic foam – what a talented guy!

I can’t stress enough that when I do a parody, it’s not meant to be a negative thing toward the subject/person/song.  I only do parodies of videos or songs (or singers) that I actually like (although judging by some of the comments I get from new viewers, you’d think I just beat up their own child or something).

And as usual, a song parody falls under the Fair Use law, which is why I’m able to do this kind of thing on YouTube.  I did use music that was remade by someone else though, so I didn’t actually use any audioof Taylor Swift’s actual song (or visuals for that matter).  I’ll be writing more about copyright issues in future blog posts, but I have some previous ones about stricter copyright rules on YouTube and what’s ok (or not ok) when it comes to uploading a video of someone else.

Oh, and if you liked my rendition, you can actually get an extended version on iTunes!

YouTube recently had some of the biggest changes to it’s website since it launched.  Many users were up in arms because, well, let’s face it – most of us don’t like change. I actually like most of the new features and designs myself, and really, I’ve just accepted the fact that websites like YouTube need to progress and move forward if they’re going to continue to survive and be on top of a very competitive marketplace.

From time to time YouTube also has random “experiments” that they bring in (and sometimes in turn phase out not long after) for users to try out – the latest one being YouTube Slam, a place where YouTubers can vote for the videos they like best, in a “this or that” style. Videos are pitted against each other for a short period during which you pick your favorite (with four categories to choose from including cute, music, comedy, and bizarre), earning the videos points in the process. The winning videos get featured on the “leaderboard” which is a fantastic way for up and coming YouTubers to get a lot more exposure.

YouTube Slam seems pretty cool, but because it’s still at an early stage, some of its features have raised questions like:

1. How to take part in YouTube Slam

2. How video entries are chosen

3. What do we do with all those points earned?

It’s too early to tell whether YouTube Slam’s going to become a more prominent service on the site or just a flash in the pan, but I’m all for experimenting with features that help smaller YouTubers get more exposure.

What do you think about YouTube Slam?

So, it turns out the rumors were true. Back in March I wrote a blog post about YouTube paying out millions to celebrities in order to get them to create their own channels on the site.  It’s now been confirmed that an incredible $100 million has been spread out over a number of high (and not so high) profile Hollywood personalities so they can create their own high quality content on YouTube.

YouTube is of course doing this to elevate the quality of content available on the website.  It’s no secret that much of the world still think of amateur home videos such as cute kittens, laughing babies, and webcam lip-syncing when they think of YouTube originals.  Having people like Madonna, Jay-Z, and Tony Hawk producing funded content is definitely a step in a more advertiser friendly direction.

According to YouTube’s blog, the first of these new original channels will appear on their website starting very shortly and the rest will continue to come out over the next few months.  It’ll be interesting to see how they do, but I really can’t see it not working out for the most part.  These people already come with a built-in audience. It’s not like the money is being put into new up-and-comers who will hopefully have an idea that sticks.  People like Ashton Kutcher and Shaquille O’Neal (also on the list of recipients) could make videos of themselves sneezing and still get an incredible amount of views and advertisers.

As for my original concern about the possibility of them making it harder for the rest of us non-celebs to get seen on YouTube, I guess that’s still to be determined, but at this point I’m happy to support whatever will bring more viewers onto the platform. It does feel like a big part of YouTube is dying considering the roots of the website and how it used to be just people like you and me on it, but it’s now the second largest search engine and a real force on the internet, so we certainly can’t expect it to stay how it was back in the day when it was just a fun little website run by a couple guys from Paypal… now can we?

Everybody knows that Hollywood producers make millions, but how can you make money with YouTube videos and use them as a launchpad for entering the film industry?

After years of experience making online videos, I have some great techniques for making money online with your YouTube videos.

Using YouTube videos to generate affiliate revenue

Although Google has monopolized YouTube video link overlay ads, you can still add text boxes containing ads to your own YouTube videos. Use these text boxes to direct users to the video’s description.

Though user-created text box overlays can’t contain links, you can put links in your video’s description. Create videos and put affiliate links in your videos’ descriptions and you’ll get a cut of each click, sale, or lead you generate. If you have a video about, say, poker, you can have an affiliate link to an online poker site and get paid for each person who signs up for the online poker site.

Placing ads directly into your YouTube videos

One drawback for businesses about using Google’s YouTube text ads is that they are easy to close out and they don’t draw viewers’ attention very well. The only way for a company to get a creative ad YouTube via Google’s official advertising solution is to pay for a preroll ad (the ads that appear before a video) and those are pretty expensive.

That’s why some companies will pay you to put ads in your YouTube videos if your YouTube channel has a lot of viewers in a targetable audience. Unlike Google’s ads, these ads will stay in your video forever since they’re part of the same video file. The ads can either be banners that run on top of the screen (Google’s text ads block out the bottom) or video commercials at the beginning of your video.

Getting paid through crowdsourced video websites

You can get paid to make web ads, webcasts, and TV commercials from a crowdsourced video website. Essentially, a company requests a video on a crowdsourced video website, you submit a video, and get paid if the company uses it. The rates vary but Playkast pays $50. It’s that simple.

The crowdsourced model is great for new film makers because you can do it without having any professional connections. It’s a great opportunity to get paid to build your portfolio, make connections, and earn money making videos online.

Some of these tips work for almost everyone but others only work situationally. You’re not likely to get advertisers to buy banner ads in your videos if your channel has a wide audience, like women aged 14 to 65. Conversely, anyone can go onto Playkast and get paid to make videos online.

Guest post by Murray Newlands who does blogger relations for Playkast

YouTube has recently launched the YouTube Copyright School, a kind of detention class where violators of YouTube’s copyright rules are sent. The school essentially dumbs down copyright rules as played out by Happy Tree Friends (Mondo Media) in four-minute videos, and then requires you to answer a multiple-choice type of test reviewing the lessons taught in the video. Supposedly if you have a copyright violation on your account you can get it removed by passing the test.

I took it because I got a copyright violation in 2008 when my brother & I made a parody of So You Think You Can Dance and I used their logo and opening music in it.  The strike against my account didn’t do much other than restrict me from being able to have unlisted videos (which I don’t really understand the reasoning behind).  It may have also kept me from being one of the first to try out new features like YouTube Live (which I actually still don’t have the ability to do yet, so I continue on BlogTV on Wednesday evenings).  YouTube has a three strikes and your out rule, so I had to be pretty careful about what else I uploaded after that.

To avoid this situation I suggest you simply stick to the copyright rules and regulations on YouTube and check with the guidelines for users and content creators whenever you’re unsure about uploading a video where you use anything you haven’t created yourself. Of course, there are some situations that fall under Fair Use, so it’s often up to your own judgement when you’re making a parody if you remake the music/logo/etc (ie. decide yourself or consult a lawyer).

If you do upload something you aren’t supposed to you risk getting flagged by the owner of that content (ie. music, video, photo, etc). A web form is now accessible for all users to fill up whenever they find out that someone used their work (or a part of their work) without permission and send that to YouTube.  Plus there’s the Content ID system which can automatically detect things like music and video footage almost as soon as it goes up. If caught, you’ll receive a notification about it, and have the option to counter the complaint, which they say you better be sure about before you do. If proven wrong and  you keep doing it, then your account will likely be suspended or shut down. And of course even worse than that, you could be sued by the content owner.

So, I took YouTube’s test for copyright and got 100%.  Yay me!  Unfortunately, my copyright strike remained.  A couple weeks passed and nothing changed, but I went to a YouTube Partners meetup in Seattle shortly afterwards and one of the YouTube staff told me to email Partner support and ask to contact the company who had filed the violation.  I did that, and after some back and forth between them, myself, and YouTube, the strike was removed!  I’m now 100% strike free.  Ahh, feels good to be cleansed.

According to YouTube, the copyright school was their way of “softening” YouTube’s three-strike’s rule. I think the YouTube school could be a good way to increase awareness among YouTubers and to correct them about things they may actually think they’re doing right when they’re not.  And at least it’s good to know that simply emailing an apology and request for removal can work too!

When it was first suggested to me to do a parody of Rebecca Black’s music video for Friday, I thought, na – it’s already been up for a few days, so it’s going to be old news by the time I get my version done.  Well, fast forward to more than a couple months later and it’s still one of the most viral videos out there. Incredible.

In case you’ve somehow escaped it, Rebecca Black’s “Friday” has almost 150 million views, and is a worldwide phenomenon for how bad of a song, singer, and music video it is.  There are almost 3 million dislikes (thumbs down) on the video compared to only 400,000 likes (thumbs up). Comments have been disabled, presumably because they were overwhelmingly negative and not the type of thing a young, teenage girl should read being written about herself.

What’s good news for Rebecca and bad news for her haters is that she is here to stay, according to the YouTube Trends blog. YouTube believes the viral video star will be sticking around and will be seen on trends lists and other kinds of top ten lists everywhere in the future. Here’s why:

1. Friday is a music video. Music videos are watched more than other kinds of viral videos because they have more chances of being watched by a viewer over and over again. Ever find yourself singing or humming a song after seen its music video on YouTube, and maybe rewatched it a few more times later on? YouTube believes that this is exactly the kind of influence Rebecca’s song has on us.  It’s the kind of song that people love to hate.  Like your favorite cheesy movie, it’s often worth watching more than once.

2. It’s a polished production that’s being shared around to laugh at. “It’s more ripe for parody” as YouTube says and that’s proven to definitely be true. In one week alone, there were over 1,000 parodies made, and those videos come from all over the globe. A music video is typically easier to parody than your average YouTube video.

Another interesting thing to note about her video, is that YouTube’s rating system clearly is more focused on how many ratings you get, as opposed to the positivity score.  Rebecca Black’s video is the top result in YouTube search for the word Friday, out of over half a million videos, despite having so many dislikes than likes on it.  I’ve noticed this on my videos too – my Rihanna parody is the first result in YouTube search for the words Only Gay, out of over 100,000 videos, and yet it has over 500 dislikes.  Granted, there are three times as many likes on it, but at first I was worried about the effect all those dislikes would have – which turns out to be a positive one regardless, as long as people are interacting with the video.