How to Use YouTube Like a Pro

Guide Note: How to Use YouTube Like a Pro will take you step-by-step through all of YouTube's most important features, with plenty of screenshots to assist you along the way.

Table of Contents:

Introduction

  • YouTube (see Mahalo's YouTube page) is a video sharing website that's loaded with many different features. This How-To guide will show you how to get the most out of using YouTube.

Step 1: Create An Account

  • In order to participate in all of the great features that YouTube has to offer, you must create an account.
  1. Go to http://www.youtube.com
  2. Click on the Sign Up link located in the top-right corner:
  3. Fill in the sign-up form.
  4. Go to your e-mail account and click on the hyperlink sent by YouTube. This verifies your identity and activates your YouTube account.
  5. Once your e-mail is confirmed, you officially become a member of the YouTube community. Congratulations!

Step 2: Find Videos

  • Thousands of videos are uploaded to YouTube every single day. There are several methods available to help you pinpoint the exact video you are looking for:

The Search Box

  1. If you have a specific term in mind, just type it into the search box near the top of YouTube's home page:
  2. The "Sort by" links can help you narrow down your search results:
    • Sorting Videos
      Sorting Videos

The Videos Tab

  1. Click on the tab and you will see today's "Most Viewed" videos.
  2. From this page you can browse "Most Linked," "Recently Featured," "Most Responded" and more.

The Categories Tab

  • If you don't have a specific term in mind, you can search through general categories. For example, let's say you'd like to watch something funny. In this case, you'll want the "Comedy" category. You can find it by:
  1. Clicking on the Categories tab located at the top of any YouTube page:
  2. On the left sidebar, you'll notice the different YouTube categories:
  3. Click on the Comedy category.

The Home Page

  • Finally, if you're just browsing, YouTube has some special sections to help you find the latest and greatest. These sections can all be found on the homepage:
  1. Check out what other YouTube users are watching right now:
  2. Videos promoted on YouTube:
  3. Videos that have been chosen by the YouTube staff. These "Featured Videos" can be sorted by: Most Viewed, Most Discussed, & Top Favorites:

Step 3: Share Videos You Find

  • If you like a particular video, you can easily share it with others. You have several choices:
  1. Click on the "Share" button located directly under the video player.
    • Share Button
      Share Button
    • This will open up a form where you can either:
    • -EMail the video
    • -Post the video to Digg, del.icio.us, furl, reddit or StumbleUpon
    • -Blog the video
    • Share Video Form
      Share Video Form
  2. You can also share the video by embedding it into your website. Just copy/paste the code that appears under the video player:

Helpful Tip

  • HTML validation ensures your webpages will load properly in most web browsers. Use the following code to embed YouTube videos without breaking HTML validation:
  • <object type="application/x-shockwave-flash" data="[INSERT VIDEO URL FROM EMBED CODE PROVIDED HERE]" width="400" height="326"><param name="movie" value="[INSERT VIDEO URL FROM EMBED CODE PROVIDED HERE]" /><param name="FlashVars" value="playerMode=embedded" /></object>

Step 4: Express Your Opinion

  • There are many ways to express your opinions on YouTube.

Rate Videos

  • You can rate each video by giving it 1 - 5 stars:
  • Rating Videos
    Rating Videos

Leave a Comment

  • Comments turn each video into a conversation. Some of the most watched videos can sometimes generate thousands of comments.
  • Many people who upload videos love to get positive feedback, especially if they're showing off one of their talents. It makes them feel like a star!
  • If you would like to express your opinion, you can do it in one of two ways: Text Comment or Video Comment:
  • Leaving Comments
    Leaving Comments
  • If you respond with a video comment, you'll be given three choices:
  1. Record a video
  2. Choose from a video that you already have
  3. Upload a new video

Helpful Tip

  • When leaving a comment, be smart. In their Community Guidelines, YouTube spells out what they will not stand for:
  • -We encourage free speech and defend everyone's right to express unpopular points of view. But we don't permit hate speech which contains slurs or the malicious use of stereotypes intended to attack or demean a particular gender, sexual orientation, race, religion, or nationality.
  • -There is zero tolerance for predatory behavior, stalking, threats, harassment, invading privacy, or the revealing of other members' personal information. Anyone caught doing these things may be permanently banned from YouTube.

Rate Comments

  • You can also rate comments that are made by others. If you find a comment that you like, you can give it a "thumbs up." Likewise, comments that you don't like can be given a "thumbs down." Just click on the respective icon to cast your vote:
  • Rating Comments
    Rating Comments
  • Comments can then be sorted based on these ratings.

Step 5: Subscribe to Channels

  • Every YouTube member gets their very own YouTube Channel. This channel contains all videos that have been uploaded by that specific user.
  • If you like the types of videos that a particular user uploads, you can Subscribe to that person's channel.
  • To search for a channel:
  1. Click on the Channels tab:
  2. You can then browse through the channel categories:
  • Channel Categories
    Channel Categories
  • You can also view any person's channel by clicking on the From: link to the right of every video:
  • Click this link to visit uploader's channel
    Click this link to visit uploader's channel
  • Once you find a channel you'd like to subscribe to, just click on the Subscribe button:
  • Subscribe Button
    Subscribe Button
  • You will now receive all new videos as they are uploaded to your subscribed to channels. To watch these videos:
  1. Go to the YouTube homepage.
  2. Click on any of the videos located in the Your Subscriptions bar:
    • Your Subscriptions Bar
      Your Subscriptions Bar
    • You can also click on the My Subcriptions link located on the YouTube homepage:
  • To Unsubscribe from a channel, go back to the channel's home page and click the Unsubscribe button:
  • Unsubscribe Button
    Unsubscribe Button

Step 6: Upload Your Videos

  • As a member of YouTube, you have the ability to upload videos. Your videos can be a maximum of 10 minutes long and 100MB in size. With a high-speed connection, it usually takes 1-5 minutes per MB in uploading time.
  • To start uploading videos:
  1. Go to the YouTube homepage and click the Upload button:
  2. A "Video Upload" form will open. Create a Title and Description of your video.
  3. Next, choose whether or not you'd like the video to be Public or Private. If you choose Private, only you can view the video, as well as up to 25 other people of your choice.
  4. Next, you have the option of specifying the Date & Location of the video.
  5. Then, choose how this video may be shared by others.
  6. Click the Upload a Video button at the bottom of the form.
  7. Next, locate the video on your computer by clicking the Browse button. Make sure your video does not violate Copyright or YouTube's terms of service.
  8. Click the Upload Video when you've located your video. The upload will then begin:
    • Upload Progress
      Upload Progress
  • When the upload is complete, you have to allow a few minutes for processing. You can view the video by clicking on the My Videos button located on the YouTube homepage:
  • My Videos link
    "My Videos" link

Helpful Tip

  • If you'd like to show off your videos on your blog or website, check out this site. You can quickly create a badge that will show snapshots of your 6 most recently uploaded videos.

Step 7: Join Groups

  • A group is a central location where multiple users can upload videos and then have conversations based on those videos. To find and join a group:
  1. Click on the Community tab:
  2. Click on Groups in the left sidebar.
  3. You can now browse through the different categories of groups, which are located in the left sidebar:
  • If you have a specific term in mind, and would like to see if a group exists for that term:
  1. Type the term into the search box located at the top of the YouTube page:
  2. Scroll down to the bottom of the results page.
  3. Click on the Groups link:
    • Click on the "Groups" link
      Click on the "Groups" link
  4. When you find a group that you like, you can join by clicking on the Join This Group link located on the group's homepage. If the group is open to anyone, you'll automatically become a member. However, if this is a private group, the group owner will have to accept your request to join.

Create a Group

  • There are plenty of groups to choose from. However, if you cannot find one that suits your needs, you can create one yourself; and then invite others to join it.
  • To create your own group:
  1. Click on the Create a Group button located on the left sidebar:
  2. A form will open up where you must fill out the group name, details, and privacy permissions.
  3. Click the Create Group button at the bottom when you are finished.
  • Should your group be public or private? The answer to this question will vary from person to person. If you'd like a group reserved for only family and friends, you'll be better off creating a private group. However, if you want everyone to have access to the conversation, public groups are the way to go.
  • If you create a public group, how will others find out about it? Well, they can find it by searching through YouTube; so make sure to pick accurate tags when setting up your group. You can also e-mail your friends, post it to your blog, and (when relevant) post comments on other videos alerting others that you've created a group that they may enjoy.

Step 8: Enter a Contest

  • If you're creative with the video camera, and like to win prizes, you can enter one of your videos into a contest. With YouTube Contests, users submit videos which are then voted on by other users. The rewards for each contest vary.
  • To check out the active contests:
  1. Click on the Community tab:
  2. In the left sidebar, click on Contests
  3. After finding a contest that you like, click on it.
  4. Make sure to read all of the rules and be aware of the video submission deadline. You don't want to put in a lot of hard work in creating a video only to find out you missed the deadline.
  • The timeline for submissions is located to the left of the "Submit a Video" button, which is the button you click when you're ready to enter your video:
  • Contest Submission Timeline
    Contest Submission Timeline

Creating a Contest

  • Only paid advertisers have the ability to create an official contest. However, you can run an unofficial contest through one of your Groups.
  • YouTube gives the following recommendations for running an unofficial contest:
  1. YouTube doesn't collect registration information. If this is necessary for your contest, you'll need to collect registrations through a separate site, or just correspond with users through their YouTube accounts.
  2. We recommend that contests run no longer than eight weeks, as users may lose interest if it goes on too long.
  3. Prizes provide motivation to enter a contest. Make sure yours are ones to which people will respond.
  4. Keep the rules as simple as possible. If they're too difficult, people won't participate.
  5. Even though the contest is on YouTube, you aren't guaranteed entries. You may want to promote the contest through your own email lists or website.
  6. The owner/moderator of the Group should set preferences to approve videos before they are submitted to the Group to help avoid irrelevant submissions.

YouTube Resources

Official

Other

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