Is YouTube for You?

Written By: Erica Donerson

Video websites are great for sharing your thoughts—whether they’re random or otherwise—with the world. In the last few years, entrepreneurs, advertisers, as well as marketing and public relations practitioners have been using sites like YouTube to gain publicity. Not everyone is successful, but some have made a name for themselves. Valentina Trevino created “Val’s Art Diary,” which is the name of her website, her YouTube channel, and Facebook page. Valentina shows viewers how she creates her paintings step-by-step. Her videos are entertaining and offbeat, but interesting. According to an article by Maria Puente, Val saw a significant increase in sales thanks to her YouTube Channel. “She says she gets up to 30,000 viewers an episode, and in 18 months she has sold 67 paintings at $500 to $5,000 apiece,” wrote Puente in USA Today.

Practically any product, service or personality can be promoted using a video website. Political figures can reach the public via an online video channel. A service provider—from a video editor to an acupuncturist—can showcase their talents on a video website and attract customers. I’d love to see an acupuncturist at work proving to potential clients that the process is not painful. An inventor can explain why his or her latest creation is a necessity for people across the globe. The list is endless.

I first learned about the popularity of YouTube channels less than a year ago. I read an article in USA Today about folks who gained so many subscribers that they were able to join YouTube’s Partner Program and make money. So, after searching for YouTube fans from Michigan, I found a good person to interview for my TV news story. I selected a high school student named Dustin McKellar who has his own channel and hopes to gain notoriety by posting his short films on YouTube. His channel is called, DustinProductions. Here's a video of his called, "The Dangers of Text-Walking."

Prior to my New Media Drivers License course, I had never heard of Blip.TV, Vimeo or UStream. After reviewing the websites, I really couldn’t figure out the difference between Blip.TV, Vimeo, UStream and YouTube. However, Blip.TV really appealed to me. I saw the clip for “The Energy Report,” which got me thinking that Blip.TV may be a great site for showcasing news programming. The professional design of the website also caught my eye. I plan to explore the site further to see if it may be useful to me as a journalist with television news experience. Blip.TV may help me promote my skills and appeal to a new audience.