Well, the first CNN/YouTube debate is over and already we can't wait for the next one. Eight Democratic presidential candidates faced your questions – 39, to be exact - about the war in Iraq, the environment, health care, education (sex and otherwise), gay marriage, and lots more. Your questions were direct, heartfelt, and even brought some levity to politics (see travisandjonathan).
So what made you laugh? What made you throw things at the TV? Who impressed you? Who didn't? Tell the world what you thought of the debate. Upload your video responses here and see them on our debate page, which also contains all the questions that were asked.
The Republican debate is just a few weeks away, so get those cameras fired up and upload questions here for consideration for the Sept. 17 event.
On July 23, at 7 p.m. ET on CNN, you get to make political history in the first CNN/YouTube Debate. Live from Charleston, South Carolina, all eight Democratic presidential candidates on the You Choose '08 platform will answer the questions you've submitted through videos right here on YouTube. (Here's a sneak peek at what the debate set will look like, including the giant screen that will feature your videos.)
Thousands of you have submitted your questions for the Democratic contenders. You've moved yourselves into the center of the political dialogue, and the candidates for the U.S. presidency have been listening. Now they're ready to tackle your questions on LIVE television; questions like these:
We hope you'll tune in tonight (again, that's 7 p.m. ET on CNN), but in case you miss it, you'll be able to see all the debate footage right here immediately following the debate. We encourage you to continue the dialogue by responding to the candidates' answers with your videos. The world is watching.
As promised, your new custom player has arrived. To create your own custom player go to the "My Account" page, then click My Custom Players. There you have the options of adding your own description, theme and layout. Once you generate the code, you can use this to embed your YouTube playlist on another web site.
This week former NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani steps into the You Choose Spotlight to ask you what you think about his "12 Commitments to the American People."
The Brooklynite gained notoriety in the 1990s as a crime-fighting mayor and he saw his profile rise nationally in the wake of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. That year he was named Time magazine's "Person of the Year.”
You can find 12 separate videos outlining the Mayor's 12 commitments on his You Choose '08 channel.
Ever wondered what kinds of videos people in Timbuktu are uploading to YouTube? We've just launched a great new way to explore recently uploaded videos from around the world. A new YouTube Mapplet plugs into Google Maps and plots the videos as markers on the map.
To try it out, click on the "Add It to Maps" button here.
When you upload a video to YouTube, just use the "Date and Map Options" to designate the location of your video. Others will then be able to view your video on Google Maps. Neat, eh?
Ever wanted to meet a presidential candidate in person? Well, this week, New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson gives you that chance in his You Choose '08 Spotlight video. Submit your video response to the Governor's call-out for energy conservation ideas, and you may just get a direct visit from the man himself.
Richardson became the Governor of New Mexico in 2002 and claims that he broke the world record for handshakes that same year at the New Mexico State Fair. He's focused heavily on economic issues in his home state and has worked on global issues as well, traveling to both North Korea and Sudan in recent years to negotiate with leaders there.
Recent events in the community made us want to offer a friendly reminder that all users must agree to and abide by our Terms of Use and Community Guidelines when they register for a YouTube account. This includes providing accurate registration info and being over the age of 13.
While we permit users between the ages of 13 and 17 to register for an account with parental permission, we do not allow children under the age of 13 to create an account. We understand that young people, when properly supervised by their parents, are capable of making valuable and significant contributions to the YouTube community, but we also respect the limitations in place to protect how personal information of people under the age of 13 can be stored and used. This is why YouTube, like many other websites, limits registration to people 13 and older.
The safety of all of our users is paramount to us, and we strongly encourage parents to help their children learn to use the Internet safely. For more information, please read our Safety Tips.
Questions have been rolling in for the CNN/YouTube debate and so far they're looking great. The most compelling questions contain some sort of visual context or unique personal touch. Remember that these videos will drive the debate by being broadcast and answered by the candidates on live television. Here are some users who've nailed it:
But there's a problem. For those of you posting questions or reading this blog, Internet access is not an issue. But for many people it is. We need your help to allow people without access to video cameras or YouTube the chance to ask a question of the candidates. This is your chance to help bridge the digital divide and ensure that YouTube's level platform for political dialogue is afforded to as many people as possible. Here's how you can help:
If you've been wondering what the (newly re-assembled) Smashing Pumpkins have been up to for the past seven years, Billy Corgan and co. would like YOU to pick up your video camera and ask them a question. See?
Also, for those of you attending their sold-out shows at San Francisco's Fillmore Auditorium from July 15 - August 1, bring along your video cameras! The Smashing Pumpkins encourage that kind of behavior (which makes us love them even more). Send the PumpkinsMediaMilitia YouTube channel your best shots and they will select their favorites for the world to see.
Featured this week in the You Choose '08 Spotlight is Governor Jim Gilmore, a Republican from Virginia who touts himself as a "strong, sturdy, electable conservative" candidate for President. Here he asks for your thoughts on how the Government is impinging upon your rights to free speech, to own property, and to bear arms.
On the other side of the campaign trail, Senator Chris Dodd got back with his Spotlight response video, in which he announced the creation of "DTV" – a new video portal that features both live and recorded video from the Dodd campaign.
We wanted to clear up a misconception about the nine localized sites we launched on June 19: the content has not been "broken down" by region. All of your videos are available to everyone, no matter which site you set as your default. So even if you choose a particular country as your preference, the content available to you is still the same. If you prefer a more global destination, the original .com site will continue to be just that. (We're changing the icon to make it a lot clearer.) We'll also continue to program the .com home page to include the best of your videos from around the world, so just because you're featured on the UK site, for example, doesn't mean you can't also appear on the .com home page. Write to editor@youtube.com to tell us about a video you think deserves to be seen on any – or all – of our sites.