Monday, November 12, 2007

Week 9: #20 Discover YouTube and other video sharing sites

I think most people who have email have had some experience with You Tube. You can't open your email without at least one post from a friend that has a You Tube video attached. Some are fun. Some are silly. Some are "why-oh-why-did-you-send-me-this-stupid-thing?!"

But You Tube is here to stay and, as is mentioned in the lesson, is making an impact. Not just by filling up our mail. One of the Democratic presidential debates featured questions posted by You Tube users. A Republican debate along similar lines is scheduled. Candidates are reminded by their handlers to be aware that it's a 24-hour video world and cell phones are everywhere and can capture an embarrassing moment at any time.

I chose the video in the following post because it's from a favorite TV series -- Corner Gas -- and because it's about blogs, and because it captures the personalities of the three characters featured. I tried to embed the video but was not successful, so I linked to You Tube instead.

As far as libraries use of You Tube, I think it's a great way to publicize events. Probably storytime clips get the most use, but adult programming would also benefit. Book clubs. Authors' visits. Or even videos just for other libraries, showing a new program or feature that has been successful in a library. An excellent way of communicating with other librarians.

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