YouTube: An Insider's Guide to Climbing the Charts

Chapter 5. Broadcasting Yourself: User-Generated Content

Alan Lastufka

Uploading Your Video Treasures

Never before in the history of the world has it been this easy for noncorporations (you) to reach people globally through video communication. It's pretty darn exciting. You have a worldwide broadcast tower right there in your bedroom, so let's get you started broadcasting to the world.

We've taught you how to write and direct your video. We've gone over how to edit and render your video. Then, in Chapter 4, you created your very own channel. Now it's time to have some fun, upload your video, and Broadcast Yourself…to the world.

Note

"Broadcast Yourself" is a registered trademark of YouTube.

Once you've made your rendered video file (Chapter 3), you can upload it from any page on YouTube as long as you're logged in. At the top of each page is an Upload link (Figure 5-1). Clicking this link takes you to the Video Upload page. On this page, you will set all the information about your video, including the title, the description, and some keywords (Figure 5-2).

First is the title. Arguably, the title is the most important factor for viewers when choosing whether to watch your video. Don't just name your video "Yesterday" or "Alan's Birthday Party." Try to give your video a dynamic and interesting title. If you attended Alan's birthday party yesterday and your video captured the fireworks you set off at Alan's party, try naming the video "Explosions at Alan's Party!" or "I set things on FIRE!" ...