YouTube Gets Smarter on the Small Screen

As more and more people are using the browser on their smartphones forchecking email, visiting websites, and even accessing YouTube, we wantto make sure that we provide the best possible YouTube experience on yourmobile browser. Today we released a new mobile websitespecifically designed to access YouTube on smartphones with capablebrowsers; phones like the iPhone, G1 and Palm Pre.

Just visit youtube.comfrom your mobile phone, and you'll be taken to a new websitespecially designed for your device. You can log into your account, viewyour favorites, and discover and share new videos quickly and easilywith whoever you choose. It's part of our mission to create the bestpossible YouTube experience for you, whether you use the site onyour computer, in your living room, or on the go.

Dwipal Desai, Product Manager, recently watched "iPhone 3GS dropped in the pool. Still works!"

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Behind the Scenes at the Sundance Directors Lab

Reservoir Dogs, Requiem for a Dream, and Half Nelson topped critics' lists when they came out, but before they achieved this recognition, they were all workshopped at the Sundance Directors Lab. Since its inception, the world's most famous film workshop has always occurred behind closed doors... until now.

Today, we're proud to present, in partnership with the Sundance Institute and sponsored by Honda, a behind-the-scenes tour of the Directors Lab in the YouTube Screening Room. To start, we'll follow three up-and-coming auteurs as they strive to transform their dream projects from vision to reality. From a first-time filmmaker learning the process to a director trying to make a comedy about Osama bin Laden, there's something here for everyone who's ever wondered about how films are made.




Stay tuned, because in two weeks we've got four more videos featuring exclusive footage of life at the Lab.

Sara Pollack, Entertainment Marketing Manager, recently watched the trailer for "The September Issue."

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Local News on YouTube

News is nothing without context, and video is no exception. Helping you discover and watch news videos that are relevant to the stories of the day or to the issues unfolding in your neighborhood is one of our big goals when it comes to YouTube News & Politics. That's why we developed a "News Near You" module on our news page to surface videos from local news partners in your area.

As the New York Times also reported earlier today, "News Near You" surfaces news videos from partners within a 100 mile radius of your computer's IP address. Go to youtube.com/news and check it out: if there are local news videos near you, the module will appear about halfway down the page. If you don't see anything, you can be sure we're working to bring local news partners to you soon. Already we've seen great click-through rates on the videos that are surfacing in this section -- which shouldn't come as a surprise, since these clips are relevant to what's happening in your vicinity.

Beyond reaching local viewers, just having these news clips on YouTube means that they can reach a global audience. For example, a video of a police encounter with a pit bull might intrigue folks far from Winston-Salem, North Carolina, where WXII-TV uploaded this video. And a story about a woman giving birth on her bathroom floor is likely to interest more people than just the Nashua, New Hampshire, residents who saw this WMUR-TV clip:



So if you're a local news publisher, we'd love to include you our "News Near You" section. (This post from our partner and advertiser blog will tell you how.) And if you're a citizen who's reporting on the news in your neighborhood, check out the YouTube Reporters' Center to connect with us and share your videos.

Steve Grove, YouTube News and Politics, recently watched "Jumping Spiders Courting."

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Trend: Alternate Channels for Charity

Tough economic times haven't stopped some of YouTube's most recognizable faces from giving back to organizations they care about; many YouTube partners are donating time and money to ensure that nonprofits thrive during the recession.

For example, KevJumba and HappySlip each set up alternate accounts and have vowed to donate all of the proceeds from these accounts to charity. KevJumba announced his charity channel, JumbaFund, on May 1 of this year, noting that each month his subscribers would get to vote for the charity that deserved the month's earnings. He has made good on his word: in the month of May, 43,000 users voted that the month's earnings of $1,708.51 should be donated to St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital, and Kev followed through. In June, acknowledging the swell of user interest around Michael Jackson's death, he donated $1,432.71 to one of Jackson's favorite charities, the End Hunger Network.

Taking KevJumba's cue, HappySlip announced that she would donate all of the earnings from her alternate channel, ChristineGambito, to Operation Smile.

Other YouTube partners, like LisaNova, iJustine and the Vlogbrothers, are making a difference in another way. They're donating their time and skills to nonprofits in need by creating videos for them through YouTube Video Volunteers, a new program that connects skilled video-makers with nonprofits who need a little help in the realm of video production. For example, see the video that Vlogbrother John Green just created about the Book Wish Foundation, a nonprofit that provides books and reading lights to refugees:




Giving back on YouTube isn't just limited to YouTube partners -- you can do good now by taking part in Video Volunteers or by encouraging others to donate to a worthy cause. Let us know how you're helping in the comments below. We'd love to help you broadcast your cause...and your video-making skills.

Ramya Raghavan, YouTube Nonprofits & Activism, recently watched "Burning Bananas."

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