Great Instructional Videos on YouTube

Have you ever wanted to learn how to play the guitar? Need quick-and-easy steps for changing a tire? Want to silkscreen the coolest T-shirt ever? You can find videos like these, and more, in the goldmine that is HowTo + DIY, the category for people who have special skills or knowledge to share with the world. Check out these videos to see what we mean:







Some of the best HowTo + DIY videos are made by our Gurus, which is the name/account type for mavens of YouTube. Browse through some of the top channels and find the Gurus that make the kind of videos you're looking for. Check out ellaskins, whose numerous videos tell you everything you need to know about becoming a DJ, or look at TheWoodWhisperer, who breaks down seemingly daunting projects and makes them manageable for anyone.



So, are you a pro on a subject and want to teach the YouTube community about it? Then become a Guru and show us what you've got! If you have any questions about anything related to YouTube's HowTo + DIY universe, send them to HowTo@youtube.com. We're always looking for the next fun and/or instructional undertaking!



Your Novice Craftster,


Sadia aka Sublinx


YouTube HowTo + DIY

More about → Great Instructional Videos on YouTube

YouTube: The World's Largest Townhall

Ever since we launched our You Choose '08 platform in February, you've been using it to communicate directly with the U.S. presidential candidates on the issues and ideas you care about most. And they've been talking back, posting videos that answer your questions, as well as unique footage from the campaign trail. None of this would have been possible without you making YouTube such a vibrant place for political dialogue.



Now we're taking that discussion further with an updated version of our You Choose '08 platform, where you'll see candidate content organized by channel and by the issues central to the election. Compare and contrast where the candidates stand on things like healthcare and the war in Iraq; then upload your own ideas, opinions, and questions.



By using this platform to engage the candidates, you're helping to break down many of the traditional barriers in American politics, making it easier for politicians and voters to connect with one another on a level platform. Let us know what you think about the new platform – and of course about the issues themselves.



Yours,

Steve G.

YouTube News and Politics

More about → YouTube: The World's Largest Townhall

Choose Your Own Thumbnail Image

We're always happy when we can make improvements to the site based on our users' ideas and requests. So many of you asked for the ability to choose thumbnail images for the videos you upload to YouTube that, well, we just had to do it! On the My Videos page just select the video, click "Edit Video Info," then select one of three images available on the Video Still section at the top. After you update the video info, your selected thumbnail will appear on the site. (Please note: in some cases it may take up to six hours for the image to appear.)



The thumbnail option is offered as a way for you to represent the content of your video, and it should do just that. So, if you've added a risqué clip to your video of cute puppies, in hopes that the split-second bikini shot will end up as a thumbnail which might gain more view counts, we will have to flag your video as having adult content. Just a word to the wise.



The YouTube Team

More about → Choose Your Own Thumbnail Image

You Choose '08 Spotlight: Ron Paul

Congressman Ron Paul isn't content to step into the You Choose '08 Spotlight just once - he's doing so seven times, with a series of videos he'll be posting to his YouTube channel throughout the week.



The Texas Republican's first video is about the power of the Internet - something he knows a thing or two about (his YouTube channel has more than twice number of subscribers than other presidential candidates' channels). You can see that video below or click here to watch Paul answer your video and text questions in an interview on the Google campus.







Meanwhile, Senator Mike Gravel has been true to his word and is continuing to post responses to questions posted as part of the CNN/YouTube debate. Here's one about the war in Iraq:







Yours,

Steve G.

YouTube News and Politics

More about → You Choose '08 Spotlight: Ron Paul