TechKnow: YouTube

While everyone and their mother has an app these days, Google's decided to emphasize YouTube's mobile site as the wave of the future. It's faster and more feature-filled than the YouTube app; they even made a video to prove it.

Crucially, the video quality is much better. There are also features packed into the mobile site that aren't available on the app, including the option to like or dislike a video, suggested search results, and the ability to create playlists. According to Google, the YouTube site can also be updated more quickly and frequently than native apps, meaning that mobile browser users will get the best of YouTube first.

It's clearly a bid by Google to acclimate people to web-based apps, and why shouldn't they? A native app like YouTube on the iPhone is subject to the whims of Apple—as a small for instance, the YouTube app still uses the five-star rating instead of thumbs up or thumbs down—while on the web Google is master of its own domain. It also, as Google points out in its own blog post on the subject, allows for a more consistent YouTube experience across platforms.

Will it be enough to get people firing up their mobile browser instead of tapping their adorable YouTube app icon? I'm guessing no, not yet. But if the quality and feature gap continues to grow, it's only a matter of time.

Blog Post: YouTube Mobile gets a kick start
It's well known that the mobile internet is huge and growing fast; what's surprising is exactly how fast. According to a recent report, within 5 years more users will connect to the internet via mobile devices than desktop PCs. YouTube consumption on mobile devices has also grown considerably — playbacks were up 160% in 2009 over the previous year. And we're excited to announce that YouTube Mobile now receives more than 100 million video playbacks a day. This is roughly the number of daily playbacks that YouTube.com was streaming when we joined forces with Google in 2006.
We launched YouTube on mobile devices in 2007 with about 1,000 videos available on the mobile site (m.youtube.com). While this suddenly opened up the possibility to access videos on the go, our site, mobile browsers and the hardware had limitations that prevented the mobile experience from keeping up with YouTube on the desktop. Today, more than ever, we know that you want to be able to find and access your favorite videos wherever you are. That's why we've been working hard to roll out an updated version of the mobile site.
Here's what's new about the new mobile site:
* It's really fast.
* The new user interface incorporates larger, more touch friendly elements, making it easier to access videos on the go.
* It incorporates the features and functionality you've come to expect from the .com site, like search query suggestions, the options to create playlists,the ability to designate "favorite," "like," or "unlike" videos directly from your device.
* As we make improvements to Youtube.com, you'll see them quickly follow on our mobile site, unlike native apps which are not updated as frequently.
As the world continues to go mobile, we think this is a great improvement for users who want a more consistent YouTube across many devices, no matter where they are. We're launching in English only today, but will be rolling it out in other languages in the coming months. You can access the latest YouTube mobile site from your iPhone or Android browser. To learn more, visit m.youtube.com to check out the latest improvements.

Soren Gordhamer is the organizer of the Wisdom 2.0 Conference, which brings together staff from Google, Facebook, and Twitter with others to explore living wisely in our modern age. Mashable readers can use code ‘Mashable‘ for a discount when registering.
There have never been more things that call out for our attention: We have tweets to read, FacebookFacebook

statuses to check, and now Google BuzzGoogle Buzz

updates — not to mention text messages, e-mails, and cell phone calls. And the amount of data is growing each day. Recent reports estimate that the average American consumes 34 GB worth of content a day, including 100,000 words of information.
While this access to information has numerous benefits, learning to live and work skillfully amidst an active social media lifestyle is an art in itself — one that will be increasingly challenging in the years ahead.
When we do not manage our social media life, our attention (the essential element for any task) gets more and more divided, and we end up constantly busy, but not very effective. We find ourselves at the end of the day overwhelmed and fatigued, wondering, “Just what did I actually accomplish today?”
Below are four lessons in staying sane and focused amidst an active social media lifestyle.

1. Know the External Reflects the Internal

“The biggest (and hardest) lesson I’ve learned in life is that the external world is just a reflection of the world within.” — Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos
One of the essential questions for those of us who live active social media lives is, “Where should I put my attention? How much of my attention should I give to Facebook, TwitterTwitter

, Google Buzz, YouTubeYouTube

, or another site?”
However, while the amount of our attention that we give to social media is important, so is the quality of that attention. It is hard to give our full attention to anything when internally we are feeling overwhelmed and unfocused. Our internal state gets mirrored in the external world, so even though we may spend a lot of time on social media sites, it may not be spent productively.
Taking time to settle your mind when you notice yourself off balance or overwhelmed — whether it is through a walk, a visit to the gym, or whatever works for you — can shift the state of your internal world such that you have a greater chance of making your time on social media more effective.
Lesson: Balance the internal before taking action in the external.

2. Do One Thing at a Time

“When people try to perform two or more related tasks either at the same time or alternating rapidly between them, errors go way up, and it takes far longer — often double the time or more — to get the jobs done than if they were done sequentially.” — David E. Meyer, director of the Brain, Cognition, and Action Laboratory at the University of Michigan
I know this may sound counter-intuitive, but give it a try. Whatever you are doing, put all your attention on that. This means resisting the tendency to multi-task. In fact, a recent study at Stanford found that the more people multi-task, the worse they become at it.
Yes, that’s right — the more you do it, the worse at it you get. The illusion, of course, is that the busier we are, and the more we “do,” the more we accomplish. The research, curiously, paints a different picture.
Instead of checking Twitter or Facebook while also talking on your cell, finish one first, then do the next.
Lesson: Put all your attention on whatever you are doing at any given moment.

3. Invite Instead of Force

“Do or do not. There is no try.” — Yoda
The idea that the harder we try, the more we will get done, and the happier we will be is a myth. Of course, some effort is needed in any endeavor, but the real question is, “what kind of effort are we putting forth?” We have all likely met people who work like mad at their endeavors, including social media, yet consistently get very few results.
Some time ago I interviewed George Mumford, the sports psychologist who helped Chicago Bulls players during the Michael Jordan era get “in the zone” (he later also helped Los Angeles Lakers players). He said that the first thing he often tells players is that “if they try to get in the zone, they can’t.” Instead, it involves an open alert attention, and the same applies to our social media lives.
Trying too hard, whether it is to make a basketball shot, gather more followers on Twitter, or increase sales of a product, creates tension that impedes our work. We cannot force these things, but we can invite them through a balanced, steady effort.
Lesson: Engage with a focused and open attention that invites instead of forces.

4. Know Where Your Attention is Most Needed

“When players practice what is known as mindfulness — paying attention to what’s actually happening — not only do they play better and win more, they also become more attuned to each other.” — Phil Jackson, who has won a record 10 NBA Championships as a coach
How many times have you been talking with someone, and the person’s cell phone rings, and without even knowing who it was or if it was important, the person immediately vacated your conversation to take the call? It was not even a choice. He or she was attentive to you for one second, and then poof! The person was mentally gone the next.
Of course, there are times to take calls and respond via text while with a friend, but if we are not careful in the age of social media, our attention can get bounced around like a ping pong ball, from this call, to that text message, to that tweet, such that by the end of the day we are exhausted. Mindfulness, or attention to the present moment, is lost. We spent our day “chasing,” letting others determine our focus, not choosing for ourselves where to put our attention and attending to the tasks most important to us.
Lesson: Ask yourself where your attention is most needed and direct it there.

Conclusion

In the coming years, the amount information at our disposal is only likely to increase. When Google recently launched Google Buzz, their team addressed the challenges of this information era, saying, “we want to present some tools and techniques to help you manage your attention better.” While this is partly a technological problem, it is also an internal and life balance problem.
The challenge of our time is to live connected and use all the great social media available to us, while at the same time harness and direct our attention where it is most needed at any given time. After all, where we decide to put our attention is, essentially, how we choose to spend our life.
Please let us know in the comments: how do you stay balanced and focused amidst an active social media lifestyle?

As long as there has been email and Usenet, funny things have spread virally across the Internet. But with the rise of YouTube and other social video sharing sites, we’re now getting funny videos passed around on a regular basis. YouTube and sites like it have enabled a sort of global, crowdsourced version of “America’s Funniest Home Videos” to take place around the clock, making stars out of anyone who happens to get caught on camera doing something silly.
Some videos have had more staying power than others, and below we’ve hand-picked what we believe to be 10 of the most unforgettably funny viral videos of all time. If you have any other viral comedy videos you could add to the list, please share them with everyone in the comments.

1. Numa Numa

Ah, there’s something about Gary Brolsma’s break-out web cam performance lip syncing and dancing to Moldovan pop music that one just can’t turn away from. Numa Numa was an instant viral hit when it was released and it has been viewed over 30 million times on YouTube () alone (not counting duplicates).

2. Star Wars Kid

While the star of this video claims that it ruined his life, it’s hard not to chuckle at the Star Wars kid and his passionate Jedi moves. The clip was an undeniable viral sensation, prompting numerous remixes, including the one below that impressively adds glowing lightsaber special effects.

When you think about it, even Mark Hamill probably looked stupid before the glow was added in… right?

3. Evolution of Dance

Judson Laipply’s comedic interpretive dance classic the “Evolution of Dance” is one of the few videos on YouTube in the exclusive 100 million views club. The video still gets comments round the clock.

4. William Hung

William Hung was the original terrible singer on “American Idol.” His ear melting performance of “She Bangs” by Ricky Martin truly opened the door for hundreds of other people who can’t sing to audition for the show, and it brought him a whirlwind 15 minutes of fame that had videos of his singing popping up and being remixed all over the Internet.

5. Dramatic Prairie Dog

Yes, it is only 5 seconds, but it is 5 seconds of some of the best prairie dog acting every caught on film… er, or something like that. Honestly, the dramatic prairie dog is one of the most amusing, if shortest, video clips in web history, and one that has been viewed millions of times and remixed over and over again.

6. Star Wars According to a 3 Year Old

Star Wars summarized by an adorable 3 year old girl is one of the cutest and most hilarious things you’ll ever watch. Guaranteed. Just remember: “the shiny guy always worries.”

7. Cat Talking (Translation)

Brilliantly edited, this is actually a remix of a previous viral video that caught two cats apparently engrossed in conversation. This is what they’re saying if your cat-to-English translator is switched on, but also check out the equally hilarious original:

8. Sneezing Baby Panda

One of the most popular animal videos of all time, the sneezing baby panda proves two things: baby bears are cute, and baby bears with the sniffles are adorably hilarious. The mother panda’s surprised reaction to her baby’s olfactory explosion is really what gives this video staying power, though.

9. Serious Baby

Cute babies doing even cuter things — they’re YouTube comedy gold. This one of a baby who alternates (seemingly when asked) between an ultra serious expression and fits of giggling made its way to YouTube in 2007 and has since racked up tens of millions of views. Of course, if you’re tickled by baby laughs, the “Hahaha” kid is still the master.

10. Chocolate Rain

It’s doubtful that Tay Zonday ever meant for his song “Chocolate Rain” to be labeled a comedy — and actually, it’s not a bad song — but the combination of his unexpectedly deep voice, goofy movements, and at times bizarre lyrics make it hard not to laugh while watching this one. Still, whatever the reason, “Chocolate Rain” is a bonafide viral video smash hit.

Bonus: Shining Spoof Trailer

Unlike the rest of the clips on this list, this one was actually produced and edited with the intention of making a joke and getting laughs. Still, there are numerous fake or fan-made video trailers on YouTube, and this one, which re-imagines the classic Stephen King horror flick The Shining as a light-hearted comedy, is brilliantly done. (Equally well-done is the fan-made Mary Poppins trailer that turns the classic kids film into a horror movie.)
What are you favorite viral comedy video clips? Share them in the comments.

YouTube has a global audience, so if you want to reach as many people as possible, you’ll have to make sure subtitles are available for your videos. You’ll want closed captioning to reach the deaf and hard of hearing, too. Thankfully, that process has shifted from relatively easy to an absolute breeze in recent months. Here’s how to make it happen.

Once you’ve uploaded a video to your YouTube (

) account, you have two options for generating subtitles for the video: You can use the CaptionTube web app that Google (

) has created, or you can upload a transcript you make yourself and use Google’s speech recognition technology to automatically assign the right times to each caption. In either case, you’ll end up with a text file that you can edit to make corrections if need be, and viewers will be able to either read the captions in their native language or translate them on the fly when watching your video.

CaptionTube

First, direct your browser to the CaptionTube website and you’ll find a well-realized web application for importing videos, adding and timing captions for them, and exporting the captions however you want them. You’ll have to sign in with your Google account. After you’ve done that, you’ll have two options for importing a video; you can either import a list of all the videos on your account, or you can specify the web address for a public video.

Whichever way you go, the path to importing the video you want is a pretty easy one. Click the edit button next to your video once it’s been imported to get to the caption creation screen.

Click the “Add Caption” button and then type in what you want your caption to say. Pick a start time in seconds and milliseconds, then specify how long the caption will stay on the screen. Once you save it, it will appear in a time line at the bottom of the app so you can see it in relation to other captions. When you’ve added all your captions, click publish.

Choose the “Download to My Computer” option (either file format will work) and CaptionTube will give you a text file that you can tweak as needed and add to your videos. To add the file to your video, go to your YouTube My Videos page, find your video, and click the “Caption” button to reach the caption options. Click the button to add new captions, browse to find the file CaptionTube gave you, check the “Caption file (includes time codes)” option, and hit “Upload File.” That ought to do it.

Captions By Voice Recognition

The CaptionTube method used to be the only easy way to add captions to your video, but Google introduced a new one towards the end of 2009: captions generated by voice recognition. Google’s computers use the same technology that powers Google Voice (

) to listen to your video while reading your transcript, then automatically generate captions at the right times.
First you’ll have to watch your video and create your own simple transcript of the words spoken in the video. This should be pretty easy; no special formatting is required. Just save it as a basic text file using Notepad if you’re a Windows (

) user or TextEdit if you have a Mac.

After you’ve saved the file, go to your YouTube My Videos page, find your video, and click the “Caption” button to reach the caption options. There you can click the button to add new captions, browse to locate your new text file, and select the “Transcript” option. Hit “Upload File” after that.

YouTube will think for a while, then your video will have captions. If Google’s voice recognition system made any errors, you can hit the download button from the captions screen to fetch a copy of the caption file with timestamps included. Make any modifications you need, then add your new captions using the “Caption file (includes time codes)” option described at the end of the CaptionTube segment of our how-to.