This is my review on the new Youtube video page layout. YouTube has made some major changes to their classic video page design. The comments are mostly the same, with the exception of two new features. If the user who uploaded the video you are watching decided to reply to a comment on the video, the uploader’s comments would be directly under the video in a “User Comments” section. There is also a “Highest Rated” comments section where the comments that get the most “Thumbs-Up” votes appear. I really like these new changes to the comments, but YouTube needs to work on the comments section a little more, as users have had trouble posting comments or replying to other comments. The video description box has moved from the top right hand corner of the screen to directly under the video. That is a rather mild change compared to the new rating system that YouTube has implemented.
Instead of star ratings (1-5 stars), YouTube has switched to a Thumbs up-Thumbs down system on all videos. I believe this is a bad idea, as it gives the impression that YouTube is trying to change to a more Facebook-like feel on their website. If you decide to “Thumbs-up” a video (YouTube calls it “Like”), that video will go in a page on your YouTube account called “Liked” videos and only you can see this page. Another problem with the “Like-Dislike” system is that the only way you can view how many people like and dislike a video is to actually vote on it. This creates problems for uploaders who have to click on their own video and “Like” it so they can see how many people thumbed their video. It also makes it impossible to see if a video is legit or just a prank video (example: If you are looking for a video of Barack Obama, you might click on a video with just a still picture of him, and you wouldn’t know it got bad ratings). The views counter hasn’t changed much and neither has the “Related Videos” that appear on the right hand side of the screen.
The new YouTube layout would get a thumbs up from me, if it weren’t for the new ratings system. Some users suggested that YouTube include a percentage (example: 20% means 20 percent of the people who rated the video, actually liked it). This would be a good feature to add on, but it would have to be visible for users to see under the video in the search results page. You can see an example of what this would look like here: http://www.faberoptime.com/images/ytlikedratingssuggestions.jpg
Overall, the new layout isn’t as bad as some people make it out to be, but it needs some changes.
[Please note that this blog post was written before the 2nd recent change to the video player]
Friday, May 7, 2010
Friday, March 19, 2010
Viacom vs. YouTube
Viacom vs. YouTube
As most of you know already, Viacom has filed a lawsuit against YouTube, claiming YouTube does not do enough to prevent users from uploading copyrighted material to their site. In my opinion and experience as a YouTube user of over three years, that allegation is a lie. In fact, the exact opposite is true. YouTube users have complained for years that their videos were removed from YouTube because of copyright infringement. YouTube is very vigilant in finding users that violate their Terms Of Use and they frequently suspend users who repeatedly upload infringing content. The Digital Millennium Copyright Act shields YouTube from liability because they remove infringing content as soon as they become aware of its existence on their website.
Viacom got their own employees to upload their (Viacom’s) copyrighted content to YouTube in an elaborate scheme to use deception and fraud to obtain money from this lawsuit. YouTube was caught in an extremely difficult situation. If they removed an infringing video, Viacom could claim that they uploaded the video and YouTube had no right to take it off. On the other hand, if YouTube did nothing, Viacom could claim that YouTube is ignoring the infringing content on their website.
“Viacom's efforts to disguise its promotional use of YouTube worked so well that even its own employees could not keep track of everything it was posting or leaving up on the site. As a result, on countless occasions Viacom demanded the removal of clips that it had uploaded to YouTube, only to return later to sheepishly ask for their reinstatement. In fact, some of the very clips that Viacom is suing us over were actually uploaded by Viacom itself.
Given Viacom’s own actions, there is no way YouTube could ever have known which Viacom content was and was not authorized to be on the site. But Viacom thinks YouTube should somehow have figured it out.”*
Viacom repeatedly attempted to buy YouTube before Google owned it, but failed. It is almost obvious that Viacom is using this lawsuit as a way to retaliate against Google for buying YouTube. Shame on you Viacom. Most of the users who upload infringing content are just kids who make YouTube videos for fun.
I encourage all YouTube users to refrain from uploading videos with copyrighted content in them. It would be a way for us to show support for YouTube in their legal battle against Viacom.
mightylions1 Media
* Excerpt from the YouTube Blog 3/18/10
http://youtube-global.blogspot.com/2010/03/broadcast-yourself.html
“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter”
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
As most of you know already, Viacom has filed a lawsuit against YouTube, claiming YouTube does not do enough to prevent users from uploading copyrighted material to their site. In my opinion and experience as a YouTube user of over three years, that allegation is a lie. In fact, the exact opposite is true. YouTube users have complained for years that their videos were removed from YouTube because of copyright infringement. YouTube is very vigilant in finding users that violate their Terms Of Use and they frequently suspend users who repeatedly upload infringing content. The Digital Millennium Copyright Act shields YouTube from liability because they remove infringing content as soon as they become aware of its existence on their website.
Viacom got their own employees to upload their (Viacom’s) copyrighted content to YouTube in an elaborate scheme to use deception and fraud to obtain money from this lawsuit. YouTube was caught in an extremely difficult situation. If they removed an infringing video, Viacom could claim that they uploaded the video and YouTube had no right to take it off. On the other hand, if YouTube did nothing, Viacom could claim that YouTube is ignoring the infringing content on their website.
“Viacom's efforts to disguise its promotional use of YouTube worked so well that even its own employees could not keep track of everything it was posting or leaving up on the site. As a result, on countless occasions Viacom demanded the removal of clips that it had uploaded to YouTube, only to return later to sheepishly ask for their reinstatement. In fact, some of the very clips that Viacom is suing us over were actually uploaded by Viacom itself.
Given Viacom’s own actions, there is no way YouTube could ever have known which Viacom content was and was not authorized to be on the site. But Viacom thinks YouTube should somehow have figured it out.”*
Viacom repeatedly attempted to buy YouTube before Google owned it, but failed. It is almost obvious that Viacom is using this lawsuit as a way to retaliate against Google for buying YouTube. Shame on you Viacom. Most of the users who upload infringing content are just kids who make YouTube videos for fun.
I encourage all YouTube users to refrain from uploading videos with copyrighted content in them. It would be a way for us to show support for YouTube in their legal battle against Viacom.
mightylions1 Media
* Excerpt from the YouTube Blog 3/18/10
http://youtube-global.blogspot.com/2010/03/broadcast-yourself.html
“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter”
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Google Buzz Review
Google Buzz is a new feature in Gmail that allows you to link all of your social networking and internet activity into one feed.* People can see your “Buzz Post” (similar to a tweet) on your Google Profile or if they are logged into Gmail. The difference between a “Buzz Post” and a “Tweet” is that when you “Buzz,” you can incorporate words with website links, photos, videos, and other media in your Buzz, whereas with Twitter, you can only write words and put web links. With Google Buzz, your post can be as long or as short as you wish; no word limit. You can “Follow” people and receive their posts in your Gmail inbox.
If you want to use Buzz, but you don’t want the whole internet viewing your posts, there is an option where only people whom you select out of your contacts list may see your Buzz. People can comment on your Buzz posts, and they can “Like” (people click this if they think your post is good or relevant) your posts.
Google Buzz may not sound appealing to you, but give it a try. If you want to add it to your Gmail, use the link below:
http://www.google.com/buzz
If you want to check out my Google Profile that includes my Google Buzz feed, check out the link below:
http://www.google.com/profiles/mightylions1
*Please note that you can use Google Buzz on your cell phone also.
If you want to use Buzz, but you don’t want the whole internet viewing your posts, there is an option where only people whom you select out of your contacts list may see your Buzz. People can comment on your Buzz posts, and they can “Like” (people click this if they think your post is good or relevant) your posts.
Google Buzz may not sound appealing to you, but give it a try. If you want to add it to your Gmail, use the link below:
http://www.google.com/buzz
If you want to check out my Google Profile that includes my Google Buzz feed, check out the link below:
http://www.google.com/profiles/mightylions1
*Please note that you can use Google Buzz on your cell phone also.
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Windows 7 Review
Windows 7 is the newest operating system from Microsoft. Windows XP set the standard for operating systems in 2001, followed by an epic failure of an operating system called Windows Vista in 2007. Windows Vista had lots of problems including major security errors. Overall, Vista was a poor operating system that had funky graphics and definitely not a user-friendly interface.
Windows 7 was released to the general public on October 22, 2009. From the first time I used the new Windows 7 operating system, I knew it was much improved from Vista. The start up time was only around 10-15 seconds compared to 20-30 seconds on Vista. Microsoft introduced a new taskbar called the “Superbar” that allows you to pin your favorite applications to the taskbar so you can put programs on your taskbar without running them. This feature also makes icons cluttering up your screen a thing of the past. Another great feature is the “Aero Peek” button at the bottom right hand corner of the screen. Hovering over this button makes all visible windows transparent for a clear look at the desktop.
Also, if you have two programs open at the same time and want to see them both, just click and drag the programs to the left and right of the screen and they will snap together, allowing you to see them in a split-screen type format. They have many new features in Windows 7, but I will only mention one more notable feature. When the start menu is clicked, there is a search box where you can type in anything you are searching for (a program, computer game, video file, music file, picture, or any file or feature on your computer) and the search box will pull it up for you.
Overall, I would recommend getting the Windows 7 operating system for your home use or business use. It has a clean, user-friendly interface, faster web browsing, quicker start up and shut down time, and better internet security.
Windows 7 was released to the general public on October 22, 2009. From the first time I used the new Windows 7 operating system, I knew it was much improved from Vista. The start up time was only around 10-15 seconds compared to 20-30 seconds on Vista. Microsoft introduced a new taskbar called the “Superbar” that allows you to pin your favorite applications to the taskbar so you can put programs on your taskbar without running them. This feature also makes icons cluttering up your screen a thing of the past. Another great feature is the “Aero Peek” button at the bottom right hand corner of the screen. Hovering over this button makes all visible windows transparent for a clear look at the desktop.
Also, if you have two programs open at the same time and want to see them both, just click and drag the programs to the left and right of the screen and they will snap together, allowing you to see them in a split-screen type format. They have many new features in Windows 7, but I will only mention one more notable feature. When the start menu is clicked, there is a search box where you can type in anything you are searching for (a program, computer game, video file, music file, picture, or any file or feature on your computer) and the search box will pull it up for you.
Overall, I would recommend getting the Windows 7 operating system for your home use or business use. It has a clean, user-friendly interface, faster web browsing, quicker start up and shut down time, and better internet security.
Monday, February 1, 2010
Welcome to mightylions1 Media's Official Blog!
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