December 21, 2008 83 Comments

Keep Acting Like YouTube is About SkateBoarding Dogs

TV Viewing YouTube taught Kat how to how to parallel park. She’s not this good, mind you, but she passed her test.

YouTube helped me figure out how to pair my new Jawbone bluetooth headset with my iPhone 3G. That video answered a little technical glitch that was keeping me from getting the job done. The instructions on paper? Not so good. Not as easy.

YouTube is my MTV. It’s my Saturday Night Live. It’s my.. oh, did you click that last one? It’s my movie trailers.

It’s my way to check in with friends’ happenings.

So, it’s a lot of things. It’s education. It’s marketing. It’s conversation. It’s mind blowing.

And it’s a channel for conversation starters, messages, business, and more. You pick what you want to do with it. You decide. But if you’re not thinking about it in 2009, at least giving it thought on your various potential business communications opportunities, you’re missing a chance.

Photo credit, mikecogh

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  • http://blog.angelaconnor.com/2008/10/27/a-word-to-non-profits-stop-depending-on-traditional-media/ Angela Connor

    What it should be, as I’ve told many at various speaking engagements, is the new way for organizations that have typically been dependent on traditional media to create their own channels and distribute their own news. I know traditional media. I worked in traditional media for years. I tell them that as a former assignment manager at TV stations I was the one who threw their press releases in the recycling bin on a regular basis. If you know the news media isn’t going to cover your fund raiser, do it yourself! Heck, they’d only show 15 seconds of it anyway and if there’s an iota of breaking news it will not air. Youtube provides control that companies have not seen in the past. it provides power. Come on people, seize the day!

  • http://franklinbishop.net/blogging-school/ Blog Expert

    I completely agree with you. It is taking money away from our economy though. They don’t make what has been taken away.

  • http://franklinbishop.net/blogging-school/ Blog Expert

    I completely agree with you. It is taking money away from our economy though. They don’t make what has been taken away.

  • http://www.socialmediablogster.com Doug Firebaugh

    I think to some degree-depending on your usage-youtube can be one of the greatest education sources in the world. What I personally have learned there is amazing. I love watching the music vids there as well. It also is a great source for alternative news that you will not see anywhere else. MTV? Yep- from the new stuff to the classic- and it really does make a sat night go fast- LOL- in a hotel room (I travel a lot) I do not have the TV on- but youtube. It is a great branding tool, but also a great family coming together tool. Many families over in Iraq have put up vids to say hello- and also to show new babies, etc. It really is the new media- and gives the power back to the people. (Is that a song?)

  • http://www.socialmediablogster.com Doug Firebaugh

    I think to some degree-depending on your usage-youtube can be one of the greatest education sources in the world. What I personally have learned there is amazing. I love watching the music vids there as well. It also is a great source for alternative news that you will not see anywhere else. MTV? Yep- from the new stuff to the classic- and it really does make a sat night go fast- LOL- in a hotel room (I travel a lot) I do not have the TV on- but youtube. It is a great branding tool, but also a great family coming together tool. Many families over in Iraq have put up vids to say hello- and also to show new babies, etc. It really is the new media- and gives the power back to the people. (Is that a song?)

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  • http://chrisbrogan.com chrisbrogan

    To me, YouTube is a toolset. There can and will continue to be dancing monkeys and stuff. But that’s not how YOU have to use it.

  • http://chrisbrogan.com chrisbrogan

    To me, YouTube is a toolset. There can and will continue to be dancing monkeys and stuff. But that’s not how YOU have to use it.

  • http://www.ducttapemarketing.com/blog John Jantsch – Duct Tape Marke

    You know Chris the best use of all is file conversion and streaming of your videos. I turn lots of small business owners on to YouTube just to use as a tool to host and stream their customer testimonials making dead simple to run those on their sites and blogs.

  • http://www.ducttapemarketing.com/blog John Jantsch – Duct Tape Marketing

    You know Chris the best use of all is file conversion and streaming of your videos. I turn lots of small business owners on to YouTube just to use as a tool to host and stream their customer testimonials making dead simple to run those on their sites and blogs.

  • http://robgokee.com Rob Gokee

    Because I compose music for a living, I’ve always dismissed YouTube as a marketing tool. I have a basic profile up with a few subscriptions. Your post helped me realize that there are actually a plethora of marketing opportunities on YouTube that I haven’t explored. I’m going to rectify that in 2009; thanks, Chris.

  • http://filmcomposeratlarge.com Rob Gokee

    Because I compose music for a living, I’ve always dismissed YouTube as a marketing tool. I have a basic profile up with a few subscriptions. Your post helped me realize that there are actually a plethora of marketing opportunities on YouTube that I haven’t explored. I’m going to rectify that in 2009; thanks, Chris.

  • http://www.wrightoncommunications.blogspot.com Julie Wright

    Another great thing that can come out of YouTube for business communicators would be the death of the classic corporate video (if it’s not dead already!). Only the interesting, engaging stuff rises to the top. So if you want to use YouTube to communicate, you can’t get away with a corporate vanity piece.

    I was ‘friended’ recently on YouTube, and that’s something I could definitely be more proactive about…
    http://www.youtube.com/user/wribbitwribbit
    http://www.youtube.com/user/woccom

    I’m excited about incorporating video more casually and consistently in everything my company does. Why not? (Just don’t point the camera at me…)

  • http://www.wrightoncommunications.blogspot.com Julie Wright

    Another great thing that can come out of YouTube for business communicators would be the death of the classic corporate video (if it’s not dead already!). Only the interesting, engaging stuff rises to the top. So if you want to use YouTube to communicate, you can’t get away with a corporate vanity piece.

    I was ‘friended’ recently on YouTube, and that’s something I could definitely be more proactive about…
    http://www.youtube.com/user/wribbitwribbit
    http://www.youtube.com/user/woccom

    I’m excited about incorporating video more casually and consistently in everything my company does. Why not? (Just don’t point the camera at me…)

  • http://greghuntoon.com Greg Huntoon

    Totally agreed. YouTube, just like everything else, is what you make of it. I wasn’t a big fan at first, and felt about the same way about Twitter when it first launched. We don’t avoid the web because 20% of all websites are of the adult variety, do we? No, we learn how to navigate, filter, and direct our own attention to where we want to go. Just as Twitter is filled with 10,000 posts a second about what meal was just consumed, YouTube is filled with tons of useless crap.

    But it’s also filled with more diverse information than just about any other site on the web.

    Great post, Chris.

  • http://greghuntoon.com Greg Huntoon

    Totally agreed. YouTube, just like everything else, is what you make of it. I wasn’t a big fan at first, and felt about the same way about Twitter when it first launched. We don’t avoid the web because 20% of all websites are of the adult variety, do we? No, we learn how to navigate, filter, and direct our own attention to where we want to go. Just as Twitter is filled with 10,000 posts a second about what meal was just consumed, YouTube is filled with tons of useless crap.

    But it’s also filled with more diverse information than just about any other site on the web.

    Great post, Chris.

  • http://www.uprinting.com/ UPrinting Online Printing

    Interesting and helpful post, keep em coming, thanks =-)

  • http://www.uprinting.com/ UPrinting Online Printing

    Interesting and helpful post, keep em coming, thanks =-)

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  • http://www.365hustle.com 365 Hustle

    Youtube is such a great source for traffic…I’ve never been one to just watch videos on youtube..but there are so many people who actually do its incredible.

  • http://www.365hustle.com 365 Hustle

    Youtube is such a great source for traffic…I’ve never been one to just watch videos on youtube..but there are so many people who actually do its incredible.

  • http://diligentdesign.net/2009-suggestions Corey Freeman

    Youtube is a great resource for tutorials on things you can’t really learn by reading and don’t have the time to take a class for. I’m learning how to play my piano by watching youtube tutorials!
    It’s also a great resource for driving some traffic to your website if you utilize the “how-to” method. Posting up video tutorials can give you some great traffic bonuses.

  • http://diligentdesign.net/2009-suggestions Corey Freeman

    Youtube is a great resource for tutorials on things you can’t really learn by reading and don’t have the time to take a class for. I’m learning how to play my piano by watching youtube tutorials!
    It’s also a great resource for driving some traffic to your website if you utilize the “how-to” method. Posting up video tutorials can give you some great traffic bonuses.

  • http://www.somacow.com geoff

    I learnt to knit via Youtube.

    Course… I am not good, but I learnt, nonetheless.

  • http://www.somacow.com geoff

    I learnt to knit via Youtube.

    Course… I am not good, but I learnt, nonetheless.

  • http://www.andrewhyde.net Andrew Hyde

    I think this is my favorite blog title of this year.

  • http://www.andrewhyde.net Andrew Hyde

    I think this is my favorite blog title of this year.

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  • http://www.funnyacting.com funny acting

    I know a lot of people complain about YouTube and as anything, it has its faults, but I love it. I just can’t get enough. I don’t have tv anymore because YouTube is enough for me. I love how people have created little series and everything.. it’s just amazing.

  • http://www.yuregininsesi.com sesli chat

    Because I compose music for a living, I've always dismissed YouTube as a marketing tool. I have a basic profile up with a few subscriptions. Your post helped me realize that there are actually a plethora of marketing opportunities on YouTube that I haven't explored. I'm going to rectify that in 2009; thanks, Chris.

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