YouTube, TheyTube, We-all-Tube

Well, not really, but with the variety and quantity of videos on YouTube, it can seem like that at times. I am a relatively late comer to YouTube. This is due, for the most part, to the bad publicity that YouTube always seems to be getting in the media -- copyright issues, videos of beatings, slanderous videos, to name a few

I decided to explore YouTube and found, quite to the contrary, that YouTube is full of great videos both entertaining and educational. In addition, the recent elections show that YouTube can play an important roll in grassroots politics.

YouTube is quite apt for library use.

For example, Chad Boeninger, in his Biz Wiki Ohio University, Athens, Ohio, included a video introduction of himself and his wiki. This created a very welcoming impression and hopefully helped students feel more comfortable using the wiki and contacting Mr. Boeninger.

Another example is the YouTube instructional video producer Commoncraft. One of their videos was used in the Wiki section of 23things, and another two appeared in my blog on RSS. These videos are simple, short, and very clear.

These sort of instructional videos would greatly help patrons learn how to use the resources available at our library.

Here's a short clip from YouTube. It's a cute advertisement: