Even those of you who have minimal social media experience have probably heard of YouTube, the video-sharing site that allows people to upload and share video content.
What Is It?
YouTube is a video sharing site where you can find and view video content others have created, as well as upload and share your own content.
Users can access YouTube videos from their PCs, smart phones and other mobile devices like the iPad. Those with accounts can also upload video content they've created directly from their phones or smart devices.
How Does It Work?
YouTube hosts mostly short (10 minutes maximum) videos created by individuals and organizations all over the world.
To find and view content on YouTube, you don't even need an account. You simply visit the site and use the search feature to find the content you are looking for.
When you find the video you want, you click on the play button and the video will play for you directly from the site. You can also find related videos and subscribe to a user's channel if you like the content he/she has created.
One of the great things about YouTube videos is that you can easily embed them in another website. So, for example, if your organization wants to share a great interviewing video you found on YouTube, you can simply copy and paste the embed code into a website, blog or wiki.
YouTube Channels
Individuals and organizations can create their own channels. Here's the US Department of Labor Channel. Note that they also include links to their other social media platforms, like Twitter, Facebook and their blog.
Through your channel, you can upload videos and create customized playlists, such as an Interview series of videos or a series of videos on working a job fair. You can then embed these videos in other social media, such as on your Facebook page, your website or your blog. You can also send the link out to your Twitter followers and to your LinkedIn connections.
Users can also subscribe to your channel so that they are automatically updated when you add new content.
One thing to keep in mind if your WIB or One Stop decides to create your own YouTube channel is that YouTube also allows people to leave comments on your videos. You can hold comments until they've been approved by following the instructions here.
What Do I Need to Know?
YouTube can be a valuable resource for workforce professionals. Here are some key things to keep in mind:
- Use YouTube to find tutorials and videos so that you don't have to re-invent the wheel. Although you may think that YouTube is just a giant resevoir of stupid pet tricks and wanna-be singers, there are actually tons of useful, helpful videos for you to find there. Rather than creating your own videos, you may want to start by building a good library of content from video already uploaded to YouTube. One big value you can bring to your customers is to find and aggregate great videos on your website, Facebook Fan Page, blog, etc.
- Create a YouTube Channel to create customized playlists of videos. If you're just starting with setting up a YouTube channel, you don't have to upload your own videos. You can set up your channel and then create customized playlists of other YouTube videos. This is a good way to ease into using YouTube and getting a sense of the kinds of content that engage and interest people.
- Pay attention to the content that translates well to video. Not everything is better if it's in video. Showing someone how to write a resume, for example, will not be riveting TV. And unless you're adding lots of humor, it's usually not a good idea to feature "talking heads." For workforce purposes, the best video tells stories or shows someone how to do something. A video tutorial, for example, on how to navigate your online job board or how to answer interview questions for a specific industry could be helpful. You could also share quick video success stories. One reason it can be helpful to start out by creating playlists of other videos is that this can give you an idea of the kinds of content people are most likely to watch.
- If your WIB/One Stop is a registered 501C3, check out the YouTube for Nonprofits program. It offers some premium branding capabilities and other features that might be useful.
- Google Hangouts on Air can be integrated with your YouTube channel. This allows you to broadcast live webinars and video-conferencing events through YouTube. Any event you broadcast will automatically be recorded and uploaded to your YouTube channel. You can share the link to the recording or embed the recording in a website or blog.
How Can I Learn More?
Finding and sharing video content on YouTube is fairly simple. It can get a little trickier when you decide to create your own channel and start uploading videos and creating customized playlists. You'll want to do some planning and thinking about how YouTube can work best for you.
- YouTube's Help Pages--pretty comprehensive listing here.
Social Media 101 for Workforce Professionals