Wednesday, October 10, 2007

youtube.com

Intended Audience:
Perhaps it's a bit "last week" to other internet savvy users, but I'm actually kind of a newcomer to youtube.com. I would say that the intended audience just about any internet user from all walks of life. Those looking for a popular clip from a show they forgot to record, to browsers who just want to get all the dirt on a celebrity. Or even ischool students looking for clips that relate to their 380K presentation. :)

Usefulness of Content:
Depending on your objectives, the content can be very useful. For aspiring film directors who want to get their work noticed, they can go to the community tab and learn about contests going on. Long distance family members who want to share home videos with each and don't mind the rest of the world having access to them can post their clips. Users who would like to respond to a video that they have viewed with another video can do so. For a browser who's simply bored and looking to pass the time, you can click on the categories tab and look for a topic that interests you. If you have a topic in mind, like "Britany Spears," because she never gets old, then you can simply use the search engine to pull up all available videos of her.

Consistency of Design:
The design seems to be consistent throughout. With each video that you link up, there are options to leave text or video comments. It also creates a list of related video links to continue your research with. To the right of the video, is information on the video's poster, when it was posted, and maybe a little about the subject material. Although there will always be new videos to choose from with each click you make, the ads are not too distracting.


Ease of Navigation:
Although I'd had very little background with the website, and no real objective as I was browsing--it was very easy to navigate through the site and find out what it had to offer. The home page displays some of the most recent or most popular videos being viewed. You can also use the search engine to look up a specific topic. If you need help learning to make/upload your own video, you can just click on the help link in the upper left hand corner. The history link, also in the upper left hand corner will take list all the videos you have viewed in your session, so you can return to one that liked or want to see again.

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