Why Youtube is so great.

Today, nearly all Internet users know or have heard about Youtube. It is the symbol of the last innovation of the NTIC, the Web 2.0.
What is you Tube?
YouTube is a popular free video sharing web site which lets users upload, view, and sharevideo clips. Founded in February 2005 by three employees of PayPal, the San Bruno-based service utilizes Adobe Flash technology to display video. The wide variety of site content includes movie and TV clips and music videos, as well as amateur content such as videoblogging. It is staffed by 67 employees. In October 2006, Google, Inc., announced that it had reached a deal to acquire the company for $1.65 billion USD in Google's stock. The acquisition is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2006.
The company's humble beginnings in a garage and commitment to offering free services necessitated outside financial backing. In November of 2005, venture capital firm Sequoia Capital invested an initial $3.5 million; additionally, Roelof Botha, partner of the firm and former CFO of PayPal, joined the YouTube board of directors. In April 2006, Sequoia put an additional $8 million into the company, which had experienced a boom of popularity and growth in just its first few months.
At present, YouTube is one of the fastest-growing websites on the World Wide Web, and is ranked as the 10th most popular website on Alexa, far outpacing even MySpace's growth. According to a July 16, 2006 survey, 100 million clips are viewed daily on YouTube, with an additional 65,000 new videos uploaded per 24 hours. The site has almost 20 million visitors each month, according to Nielsen/NetRatings, where around 44% are female, 56% male, and the 12- to 17-year-old age group is dominant. Youtube's pre-eminence in the online video market is staggering. According to the website Hitswise.com, Youtube commands up to 64% of the UK online video market.
The key of this success is, in my opinion, the speed of download and the fact it is free. Everyone can use it, even if he or she's not a king of the internet. We can explain this success by the buzz it had created when it started. Youtube has revealed people, who are famous in the website
community. As an example, I will present the lonelygirl15 phenomenon.

Lonelygirl15 is a fictional video blog that came to international attention via YouTube, a popular video sharing website. The central character is a YouTube user of the same name, although she is commonly known as Bree. The character achieved massive popularity with her series of videos, which acquired over 15 million cumulative views. But after viewers grew suspicious, lonelygirl15 was exposed as a fictitious character played by New Zealand actress Jessica Rose. An interview with The New York Times then revealed the series creators, Ramesh Flinders, a screenwriter and filmmaker from Marin County, California, and Miles Beckett, a surgical residency dropout turned filmmaker.
The series, which began June 16, 2006 is still running, with new videos appearing regularly.The series, which began June 16, 2006 is still running, with new videos appearing regularly.

As far as I am concerned, I use Youtube everyday. I only watch videos, like musical clips and series. I don't donwload movies, that it why I don't share what I watch. I don't like to download because when I do it I feel like robbing something. I don't feel at ease. One of the reason why I like Youtube is that it is now allowed. Must of all, it is not necessary to download because we can see what we want, when we want and wherever there is an internet access. It is so much faster and safer that download sites like Emule or Napster, that it would be silly to not use it.

Thinking about the possible uses of Youtube in the future, we can all imagine. The best like the worst.
We can plan that people suffering of censorship will find here a way to get out of their silence. They have the public to read their message. We can also dream that some friendships and love stories will born. I think that it is already the case but I am sure that this movement will grow.
But stop dreaming, and let think about professional uses. Managers now have the possibility to edit methodology, secret of success or informations they want to transmit to their employees. When we see that the White House uses Youtube in her campaign against drugs, we can easily apply this to the company system. Youtube is as all the medias a way of pressure. Here comes the bad aspect. We know that all the files coming to Youtube are checked. But if the company, now forming part Google, is on lobbying, the game will be ended.