Voting now open for PROJECT: REPORT

Today Project: Report, the journalism contest YouTube is holding in partnership with the Pulitzer Center, moves into the voting phase. Submissions for Round 2 are in, and now you can help decide which of the 10 semi-finalists should take a step closer to winning the $10,000 fellowship to report on a story abroad.




The 10 semi-finalists, chosen by a panel of Pulitzer Center journalists, have just turned in their assignments, in which they're asked to tell a local story unfolding in their communities that demonstrates global issues or challenges. Now you have the opportunity to decide which of these aspiring journalists should advance to Round 3 and continue competing for the grand prize.













Visit the Project: Report channel to watch the contestants' efforts and vote for the stories you find the most compelling. You can only vote for one video per day, and voting continues until Sunday, November 16. Also, be sure to stay tuned to the News & Politics page, where we will highlight some of the videos submitted by reporters other than our semi-finalists. The best of this crop will win additional prizes from Sony and Intel.




Happy Viewing (and Voting)!




Yours,

Olivia M

YouTube News & Politics

More about → Voting now open for PROJECT: REPORT

Your Election, Documented on YouTube

In high school gyms, small-town churches, and McDonald's drive-thrus across America, over 130 million Americans voted in this week's presidential election. Thousands of citizens documented their experiences on camera and shared them with the world here on YouTube to commemorate this historic event.




Marking the end of an epic and exhilarating election season, the videos on the homepage today include clips that chronicle the excitement of the big day, and capture the euphoric reactions to Obama's election as the next President of the United States. Jubilant Obama supporters celebrated everywhere -- in their living rooms, in front of the White House, even half-way across the world -- and produced records of their experience that they can one day show their grandchildren.













Over 2,000 videos (and counting) have poured into the Video Your Vote channel thus far, which is where YouTube and PBS teamed up to collect videos capturing the American voting experience. Each one is plotted onto a Google Map, painting a fascinating and important picture of what took place on Tuesday. This record will exist far past this election, allowing you to search and find videos uploaded near your home - and to experience how historic November 4th, 2008 was for America.




Yours,

Olivia M.

YouTube News & Politics.

More about → Your Election, Documented on YouTube

Helping You Shape Your YouTube Experience

As YouTube grows, more and more people from all parts of the world are communicating and connecting. We want to make it easy for you to reach out and learn from each other, while you engage only in those conversations you choose. That's why we've developed the Help and Safety Tool to help you manage communications with other community members.



Using the tool is easy: Once you are logged into your personal account, the tool lets you connect directly into your channel so that you can see all communications you've had with a particular user, remove comments you'd rather not keep, and even block the user from further communication.



In addition to letting you decide which communications you would like to see, the Help and Safety Tool also gives you a simple way to let us know about additional concerns you may have related to other users. This is only the first step; we'll continue to add more features to the tool to keep the power in your hands.



Remember: you have choices on YouTube. To learn more, visit our Abuse & Safety Center, where you can find additional information about these issues. If the Abuse & Safety Center doesn't answer all your questions, you'll find "Contact Us" links at the bottom of some of our articles. Click on the link to get to the new tool, and from there you can report your concerns to us.



The YouTube Team

More about → Helping You Shape Your YouTube Experience

Holiday Solutions Center

The holiday season is quickly approaching. For all the fun that ensues, there are always lots of things to do and sometimes a little stress. Well, YouTube is here to help. This year we've teamed up with Lowes Home Improvement and created the Holiday Solutions Center to help with your holiday hassles and share some great ideas for the special season. This YouTube checkpoint is built to get you through the holidays without a hitch. From cooking to decorating and gift giving, our Holiday Solutions Guide brings together some of our favorite festive experts in one place.









First time hosting Thanksgiving dinner at your house? Epicurious.com gives you recipes and tips on the staples. Want to give your place an inviting feel for the holidays? E-How has plenty of DIY ideas that are quick and simple. Whatever your quandary, the Holiday Solutions Center is the perfect place to visit when you need answers to your holiday questions.




Happy Holidays


Sadia H.


YouTube HowTo & Style

More about → Holiday Solutions Center