YouTube is a video streaming site that allows people to create and upload videos. You can watch millions of different videos, or upload your own to share with the world. If the content you upload is good enough, you can even earn money!
Step
Part 1 of 3: Watching Videos
Step 1. Log in using your Google account
By logging in you get various benefits, including being able to comment, save videos to watch later, subscribe to channels, and upload your own videos.
Create a Google account for free if you want to access all the features of YouTube. YouTube accounts are no longer separate from Google accounts in general
Step 2. Use the search bar to search for videos
The YouTube search bar works just like the Google search bar, and will display predictive results from your search. When searching for a video, you can usually enter a related term if you don't know the title. Videos with good tags and descriptions will appear in many related searches. You can also use search operators to perform more specific searches.
Step 3. Browse YouTube channels
If you don't know exactly what you're looking for, you can browse the most popular content on YouTube by checking the different categories. Click the "Browse channels" button in the left navigation menu. Channels are grouped by category, which allows you to quickly view the most popular channels based on your favorite interests.
YouTube Channels are pages created by individuals, groups or companies. This channel stores all uploaded content for channel owners, and acts as a profile page for all YouTube users
Step 4. Subscribe to your favorite channels
Subscribing to a channel will alert you every time a new video is uploaded to the channel. To subscribe to a channel, click the red "Subscribe" button below a video from that channel, or click the "Subscribe" button on its channel page.
Step 5. Leave a comment
If you are logged in, you can comment on videos that have comments enabled. Tell the uploader that their video is helpful, funny, or of very good quality. Comments on YouTube can be really bad, so keep your attitude and respect it. To leave a comment, click the "Share your thoughts" field below the video and enter your comment. You can also reply to someone else's comment by clicking the "Reply" link below that person's comment.
Not all videos have comments enabled
Step 6. Add the video to your "Watch Later" list
Did you find a great video but don't have time to watch it right now? Add the video to your Watch Later list so you can access it quickly at any time. Under the video name, click the "+ Add to" button and select the "Watch Later" list or other playlist.
Part 2 of 3: Uploading Videos
Step 1. Edit the video before uploading
YouTube has several video editing tools, but you can do a lot more if you edit before uploading. See this guide for details on how to edit videos for YouTube.
- You can use video editing software to combine several clips into one video. This is great for editing multiple video shots together, or for compiling multiple videos.
- The video can't be longer than 15 minutes if your account isn't verified. You can verify your account by providing YouTube with your mobile number. YouTube will send you a code, which you can then enter to verify your account.
Step 2. Upload the video
When you upload it, it will be added to your personal channel. You don't have to do anything to set up a channel for uploading videos. Later, if you decide to take video seriously, you can start customizing your channel and building subscribers (see next section).
- See this guide for uploading from a computer.
- See this guide for uploading from a mobile device.
- You can also record directly from a webcam (webcam), by skipping the upload process. You can use the YouTube video editor to make minor changes to the video after you're done recording.
Step 3. Add title and description
A good title and description can make a big difference in attracting an audience. Make sure the title and description are relevant to the content in the video, or your video won't be watched by many people.
The description will appear below the video when someone watches it. Use the description to provide more details about aspects of the video, link to related sites, or explain anything else you want about the video
Step 4. Add tags
Tags help your videos appear in search results and as related videos. Tags are short words or phrases that act as short descriptions. Use the most common words associated with your video ("cool", "funny", "animal", "how to", etc.). Good tagging can increase the number of views your video gets.
Don't go overboard by tagging too many or creating misleading tags, because YouTube's search function will penalize you and not many people will watch your videos
Step 5. Set your video privacy settings
When uploading a video, you have three basic options for privacy. You can set it so that anyone can search for your video, your video is only viewable by entering a URL, or the video is private, and only users you allow can see the video.
If you set a video to "Private" and want to share it with specific people, they must have a Google account
Step 6. Earn money from your videos
If you meet the requirements, you can earn money by displaying ads on your videos. You may earn little, or nothing, if your video views are small, but the big names on YouTube earn hundreds of millions of dollars every year. Check out this guide for more details on how to monetize your videos.
If you really want to make money, you have to set up your channel so that it attracts viewers (see next section)
Step 7. Share your video
Post your videos to your favorite social networks, or embed them on your blog. Sharing videos is the first step to getting them to spread. YouTube has built-in sharing functions for almost all major social networks.
If you want to embed a video on your website, YouTube will provide you with a code that you must insert into your website
Part 3 of 3: Creating Channels
Step 1. Understand the purpose of the Channel (channels)
A channel is your user page on YouTube. Each YouTube account comes with a channel, and you can create additional channels on your account. Each channel comes with a Google+-related page, which allows you to cross-promote.
Step 2. Add channel art
This is the banner at the top of the channel that helps differentiate your channel from others' channels and strengthens your image. Channel art should relate to your video content or personality. Channel art will help your viewers subconsciously remember what channel they are watching.
See this guide for details on how to create banner art
Step 3. Describe and name your channel
A good description will help attract people to your channel, and a catchy name will help people remember it. The description should include a link to your website, as well as a brief description of the purpose of your channel.
Changing the channel name will change the name of the associated Google+ account
Step 4. Develop and organize your content
Adjusting the channel is only the first step. Once you have a solid channel, it's time to start uploading content and engaging viewers. There's a lot when it comes to growing your channel and increasing subscribers, so check out the guide below for more detailed instructions.
- Create and release quality content on a regular schedule to build a loyal fan base.
- Highlight your videos and make your channel the main go-to for your niche.
- Become a YouTube partner to get more exposure and to access advanced video creation tools.
