Be A Record Breaker At YouTube UK

There is something about the Guinness Book of World Records that stirs people into action in ways ranging from the sublime to the gloriously ridiculous. Seeing as YouTube arguably provides a similar catalyst, today we are happy to hand the homepage over to Guinness Editor-in-Chief Craig Glenday.

















The occasion? The fourth annual Guinness World Records Day, inaugurated to mark the publication's place in its own pages as the biggest-selling commercial book of all time. Craig has set himself the task of surfacing some of the best record-breaking videos out there, coming up with a list that spans global superstars and local heroes – although he argues that they share some common traits.







"The videos I've highlighted today all embody the spirit of determination and dedication required to earn yourself Guinness World Records certification," he explains. "This selection is, I truly believe, a realistic snapshot of the world we live in today. The news is full of doom and gloom, and rarely paints a true, balanced picture of the world we live in. The truth is that humanity is full of optimistic, fun-loving, determined people, and Guinness World Records is here to celebrate the fantastic diversity of people and their achievements."









As you can see above, Craig isn't beyond taking part in the record breaking process himself and is keen to spark that spirit in others. Today, for example, he will be joining the crowds at St Pancras station in London who, together with the Pants To Poverty organisation, will be attempting to set a new record for the Largest Gathering of People Wearing Pants. If they can do it, so can you – although if you want to share your efforts through YouTube, we'd really rather you remained fully dressed…







Have fun,


The YouTube Team

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Flagging at YouTube: The Basics

The YouTube flagging system works best when you take the time to understand our Community Guidelines before you flag a video. Then, if you come across a video that you think may not belong on YouTube, it will be easier for you to let us know the reason you flagged it, whether it be for hate speech, nudity, violence, or another Guideline violation. Once a video is flagged, we review it quickly, and if we find that it shouldn't be on YouTube, we remove it within hours. It's as easy as that.



Lots of users ask us questions about flagging. Whether you're brand new to the Community Guidelines or looking to get a flagging refresher, check out this new video to get a closer look at how it works.







The next time you come across inappropriate content on the site, flag it!
We're counting on you.



The YouTube Team

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Promote Your Video With YouTube Sponsored Videos

When we first started YouTube, our vision was to create a platform that would allow everyone to broadcast themselves. So when it came to developing an approach to online advertising and marketing, we had a similar goal: everyone should benefit from the experience, whether you're a user, advertiser, or content partner.



We've been fortunate to have grown so quickly. The popularity of YouTube has been outstanding — we have millions of viewers watching hundreds of millions of videos every day, and 13 hours of new video uploaded to the site every minute. But as our community has grown, it's become harder for people to get their content to stand out and be discovered. Aspiring musicians, talented performers, small business-owners and many others have asked for ways to promote their videos and reach users who are interested in their content.



So today, we're excited to announce our newest advertising innovation, YouTube Sponsored Videos. Sponsored Videos is a self-serve advertising platform that will allow you to promote your video to the audience you are interested in reaching in an easy, effective, democratic, and affordable way. Then, when people use YouTube to search for videos, YouTube will display the most relevant, compelling videos alongside the search results. These videos are clearly labeled as "sponsored videos" and are priced on a cost-per-click basis. (For more details about Sponsored Videos, you can visit ads.youtube.com, or read our announcement on the official Google blog.)



Check out our video for more details on how Sponsored Videos works:







If you have any videos you'd like to share with the world, give Sponsored Videos a try! It takes just a few minutes to set up, and you can set your budget at any level you wish. Please visit ads.youtube.com to start your own Sponsored Videos campaign.



Don't forget to let us know what you think about Sponsored Videos. You can leave a comment here or join the discussion in our Forums.



Have fun!

The YouTube Team

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Attention Filmmakers: Who Wants To Go To Sundance?

Project: Direct, YouTube's annual short film competition, is back to offer another talented filmmaker a chance to be discovered!



This year we've partnered with AOL Moviefone and The Sundance Film Festival to bring you this challenge: direct an original short film incorporating three specific props. One must be a red phone and the other two must be chosen from a list of 25 props that have played stand-out roles in some of the most memorable films to emerge from the Sundance Film Festival over the past 25 years. To choose your props, visit www.youtube.com/projectdirect.



Submissions open on November 16 and close at 9PM PST on December 14. A panel of Sundance Film Festival executives will review your film and whittle the competition down to 10 semi-finalists. Then, on December 27, the YouTube community will start voting for the winning film.



If you win, you'll be off to the 2009 Sundance Film Festival, where you'll meet with the Festival's Director of Programming and screen your film at a festival event. The top three films will also take home cash prizes and be distributed on DVD to industry executives at the Festival.



While the competition proper is only officially open to entrants in the US, Canada, Brazil, UK, Spain, Italy and France, everyone is welcome to submit and we will feature top films on the YouTube site.



Need some inspiration to get started? Check out last year's three finalists:







Visit the Project: Direct channel to learn more, and take advantage of a rare opportunity to introduce your work to both a global audience and key industry executives.



Good luck,

Sara P.

YouTube Film

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