At this point, it feels like stories have become the most common form of communication when it comes to social media. Creators now maximize their stories as opposed to posts in order to update their followers about their life happenings. While stories on Instagram and Snapchat seem to be soaring high, YouTube is going in the opposite direction and bidding them goodbye. Starting next month, YouTube will no longer support stories.
YouTube bids goodbye to stories
The Google-owned video-streaming giant YouTube will be ending support for stories starting on June 26. The company aims to direct its attention to other essential features like Shorts, Community Posts, Live Videos, and more. YouTube said in a blog post recently – “Starting on June 26, 2023, the option to create a new YouTube Story will no longer be available. Stories that are already live on that date will expire seven days after they were originally shared,”
Additionally, the company also revealed that the creators will be notified about the shutdown of YouTube Stories via a variety of channels including forum posts, reminders in YouTube Studio, in-app messages and more. While YouTube is bidding farewell to stories, the video platform suggested that both “Community posts and YouTube Shorts are great alternatives that can deliver valuable audience connections and conversations”.
According to the company, creators who wish to share lightweight updates, promote new videos and start conversations with their audience can do so effectively with community posts. However, the restriction of not being able to post videos in the community posts may stick out as a sore thumb.
Besides this, the company also believes that YouTube Shorts is the way to go for users who wish to create short-form content and reach a wider audience. YouTube also shared that shorts drive more subscribers to a creator’s channel than stories. In an oversaturation of stories on various social media channels, getting rid of them from the most prominent video-sharing platform is a surprising move, to say the least.
YouTube is one of the most popular video-sharing platforms on the internet, with millions of users uploading and watching content on a daily basis. While many of us use YouTube for entertainment purposes, the platform is also a treasure trove of knowledge and skills. In this article, we will explore 10 YouTube channels that can help you boost your knowledge and skills, covering a wide range of topics such as technology, science, business, and personal development. By utilising these channels, you can learn new skills, keep yourself updated with the latest trends, and enhance your personal and professional growth. Join us on this journey through YouTube University and discover the best channels for your educational needs.
Ted-Ed
Ted-Ed is a popular YouTube channel offering a vast array of educational content on various topics. The channel was created in 2011 by the non-profit organisation TED, known for its thought-provoking talks on technology, entertainment, and design. The videos on Ted-Ed cover a wide range of subjects such as science, history, mathematics, and philosophy in a unique storytelling approach, which uses animations, graphics, and other visual aids to make complex concepts easy to understand. With over 14 million subscribers, Ted-Ed continues to be a go-to resource for those seeking high-quality education.
Bright Side
Bright Side is a popular YouTube channel that offers its audience a wide range of informative and entertaining content. The channel was launched in 2017 and features videos on life hacks, health and beauty, and exciting facts about the world. The content of the channel is geared towards helping individuals see the Bright Side of things and inspiring them to live their best lives. With over 45 million subscribers, Bright Side remains a go-to destination for those seeking inspiration and motivation in their day-to-day lives.
Think School
Think School is a popular Indian YouTube channel that aims to provide quality education to students and learners in an engaging and fun way. The channel was launched in 2018 and has garnered a massive following of over 3 million subscribers. Think School offers a wide range of educational content that covers various subjects such as mathematics, science, economy and social studies. Along with English, Think School also focuses on a variety of Indian languages, including Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, and Kannada, making it accessible to students from different parts of the country.
HubSpot Marketing
HubSpot Marketing is a popular YouTube channel that offers valuable insights and strategies on digital marketing. The channel was launched by HubSpot, a leading inbound marketing, sales, and customer service platform, in 2011. The videos on HubSpot Marketing cover various topics such as social media marketing, content marketing, SEO, and email marketing, among others. With over 290,000 subscribers, HubSpot Marketing is a go-to resource for marketers looking to improve their skills and knowledge.
The School of Life
The School of Life is a popular YouTube channel that offers insightful and thought-provoking content on various topics related to personal growth and self-improvement. The channel was founded in 2008 by philosopher Alain de Botton and a team of psychology, philosophy, and literature experts. The videos on The School of Life cover relationships, emotional intelligence, mindfulness, and creativity. With over 8.4 million subscribers, The School of Life is a valuable resource for those seeking to understand themselves and the world around them better.
Warikoo
Warikoo is a popular Indian YouTube channel that offers inspirational and motivational content. The channel was created by serial entrepreneur and motivational speaker Ankur Warikoo in 2019. The videos on Warikoo cover a wide range of topics, such as entrepreneurship, career growth, self-improvement, and personal finance, among others. The channel’s content is geared towards helping individuals find purpose, achieve their goals, and live their best lives. With over 2.8 million subscribers, Warikoo continues to inspire and empower people from all walks of life.
BrainCraft
BrainCraft is a popular YouTube channel that offers fascinating insights into the workings of the brain and the complexities of human behaviour. The channel was launched in 2013 by science communicator and writer Vanessa Hill. The videos on BrainCraft cover neuroscience, psychology, and mental health. What sets BrainCraft apart from other science channels is its engaging and accessible content. With over 600k subscribers, BrainCraft remains a sought-after reference for individuals looking to gain a deeper comprehension of the brain and the complexities of human behaviour.
Earth Unplugged
Earth Unplugged is a popular YouTube channel that offers an up-close and personal look at the natural world. The channel was launched by the BBC in 2012, and it features a wide range of content related to nature, wildlife, and conservation. The videos on Earth Unplugged cover topics such as animal behaviour, natural phenomena, and environmental issues. The stunning cinematography and innovative storytelling sets this channel apart from others. With over 1 million subscribers, Earth Unplugged is a leading source of inspiration for those who love the great outdoors.
Sexplanations
Sexplanations is a unique and informative YouTube channel that offers frank and non-judgmental insights into human sexuality. Launched in 2013 by clinical sexologist Dr Lindsey Doe, the channel tackles various topics such as sexual health, relationships, and consent. What sets Sexplanations apart from other sex education channels is its open and inclusive approach. The channel’s content is geared towards helping individuals of all genders and sexual orientations feel comfortable discussing and exploring their sexuality. With over 1 million subscribers, Sexplanations is a trusted source of information and guidance for those seeking to improve their sexual well-being.
Aleena Rais Live
Aleena Rais Live is an inspiring YouTube channel that offers valuable insights on personal growth and self-improvement. The channel was launched by Aleena Rais, a life coach and motivational speaker, in 2018. The videos on Aleena Rais Live cover topics such as mindfulness, spirituality, and mental health. The channel’s content is geared towards helping individuals improve English fluency, gain command over communication skills and live their best lives. With over 3.4 million subscribers, Aleena Rais Live continues to inspire and empower people to improve their English speaking skills.
YouTube has once again hit the experimental phase where it is trying out something new. Gone are the days when social media and video platforms’ best performance was experienced by all users. Now, a big chunk of features gets blocked by a paywall where users have to shell out a monthly or a yearly fee to get the best features from their favourite platforms. It was the much-talked-about Twitter Blue subscription back in 2022 and 2023 started with Meta announcing its very own paid verification service that brings a higher set of features. Now, YouTube has decided to reserve a higher bitrate 1080p resolution for its paying users only.
YouTube tests higher bitrate for premium users
One YouTube user recently posted a screenshot on Reddit which shows the ‘1080p Premium’ option sitting right over the ‘standard’ 1080p option for video resolution. The option is currently available for a small group of YouTube Premium subscribers according to the company’s spokesperson Paul Pennington. As reported by The Verge, the 1080p Premium is an enhanced bitrate version of 1080p that provides more information per pixel which results in a higher-quality viewing experience. According to Pennington, there are no changes in the existing quality offerings for the 1080p resolution on YouTube. In the past, there have been reports that YouTube may be locking 1080p 60fps videos behind the Premium paywall which was a concern for many.
It was not long ago when YouTube’s CEO Susan Wojcicki resigned from her position thus a change in the company’s strategy in the near future is inevitable. YouTube Premium currently costs Rs 129 per month through a subscription plan and Rs 139 per month as an individual plan. The years plan for the Premium YouTube experience is currently Rs 1,290. The benefits of YouTube Premium include ad-free videos, background playback, and offline video downloading, along with YouTube Music Premium. As of now, YouTube Premium and Premium reportedly have over 80 million paid subscribers. YouTube currently has over 2 billion users with 42.9% of global Internet users accessing it monthly.
YouTube Chief Executive Officer Susan Wojcicki has announced that she will be stepping down from the position after nine years. Susan announced her resignation in an official YouTube blog post. YouTube’s Chief Product Officer Neal Mohan will now be taking the lead in the world’s largest online video platform as the senior vice president and new head of YouTube. As per the blog post, Susan has decided to step back from the role as the head of YouTube in order to start a new chapter in her life focused on her family, health, and her personal passion projects.
Susan Wojcicki steps down as Google CEO
Susan Wojcicki, 54, joined YouTube as the CEO in 2014. She’s announced that she will continue working with YouTube teams, coaching members and meeting with creators. Wojcicki revealed that she has agreed with Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai to take on an advisory role across Google and Alphabet in the longer term. Susan stated that this will allow her to call on her different experiences over the years to offer counsel and guidance across Google as a whole and Alphabet’s other companies. While talking about her successor Neal Mohan in her blog post, Susan wrote –
“The time is right for me, and I feel able to do this because we have an incredible leadership team in place at YouTube. When I joined YouTube nine years ago, one of my first priorities was bringing in an incredible leadership team. Neal Mohan was one of those leaders, and he’ll be the SVP and new head of YouTube. I’ve spent nearly 15 years of my career working with Neal, first when he came over to Google with the DoubleClick acquisition in 2007 and as his role grew to become SVP of Display and Video Ads. He became YouTube’s Chief Product Officer in 2015. Since then, he has set up a top-notch product and UX team, played pivotal roles in the launch of some of our biggest products, including YouTube TV, YouTube Music and Premium and Shorts, and has led our Trust and Safety team, ensuring that YouTube lives up to its responsibility as a global platform. He has a wonderful sense for our product, our business, our creator and user communities, and our employees. Neal will be a terrific leader for YouTube.”
YouTube as a platform is known to have strict community guidelines. The community guidelines serve the purpose of protecting advertiser interest and limiting content with adult themes. The platform does not play around when it comes to the guidelines and does to tolerate any creator crossing the lines. Thus, YouTube removes lakhs of videos from its platform every quarter for videos violating the community guidelines. Now, YouTube has revealed that it removed 17 lakhs videos uploaded from India during the July-September quarter for violating the company’s community guidelines.
YouTube removes 17 lakh videos
YouTube recently revealed in a blog that it removed 1.7 million videos from India for violating the community guidelines in the third quarter of 2022. On the other hand, a total of 5.6 million videos were removed from the platform at the global scale. The platform received a total of 2,71,000 removal appeals during the third quarter out of which about 29,000 appeals were reinstated.
YouTube revealed an interesting statistic that July through September of 2002, for every 10,000 videos, at least 10 or 11 were them violating the community guideline. however, YouTube also revealed that it tracks a number of appeals made by creators for the videos that are removed in order to get a better understanding of accuracy of the removal system. Check out an excerpt from YouTube’s official blog below –
“To measure the effectiveness of our enforcement, we release a metric called our violative view rate, which looks at how many views on YouTube come from violative material. From July through September of this year, that number was 0.10% – 0.11%, which means that for every 10,000 views, between 10 and 11 were of content that violated our Community Guidelines.
We also track the number of appeals submitted by creators in response to videos that are removed (an option available to any Creator on YouTube), as this helps us gain a clearer understanding about the accuracy of our systems. For example, during the same time period mentioned above, we removed more than 5.6 million videos for violating our Community Guidelines and received roughly 271,000 removal appeals. Upon review, we reinstated about 29,000 appeals.”
It looks like there is no escape from the vertical form of content. Yes, even on your Smart TVs! YouTube has announced that it will be expanding its Shorts on TV for global users. This means next time you decide to take a break from scrolling through vertical videos on your phone, you will be able to do the same on your television.
YouTube Shorts on TV
Alphabet-owned YouTube is launching Shorts on the big screen with a design that is created to adapt to the TV screen’s form factor. The vertical content will be displayed on the TV screen at the center with white borders surrounding it. The background of the Shorts theme will be based on the main color theme of the YouTube shorts clip. Besides the adaptive background, details of the Shorts like audio details, creator name, like/dislike, and the overflow menu will appear on the side. The company recently shared a blog post where it revealed this new addition to the YouTube Smart TV app.
Much more like the YouTube mobile app, Shorts will not autoplay after one ends and users will have to manually go to the next Shorts by using the remote. The company also revealed that it tested out a number of designs for the Shorts TV layout. One of the designs included multiple Shorts populating the screen at the same time. However, this design was later ruled out as it did not resemble the vibe of Shorts as a whole which features one video at a time. The rejected layout of Shorts was named ‘Jukebox’ style by YouTube.
In conclusion, YouTube wrote – “As YouTube continues to make it easier to interact on TV, the richness of the Shorts experience will only grow. Bringing Shorts to TV is a great bridge to bring two of our most important experiences together to benefit both creators and viewers. Over the coming weeks, this experience will be rolling out on TV models (2019 and later) and on newer game consoles. We look forward to hearing your thoughts!”
Social media platforms like Instagram and YouTube have completely changed the definition of a so-called celebrity. Nowadays, we’re seeing way too many Instagram influencers and YouTubers being referred to as celebrities by their followers/subscribers. Thanks to these social media platforms, which have offered a platform for content creators to showcase their talent and that too without asking for a single buck.
Over the last few years, these platforms turned from simple video-sharing platforms to a home to a plethora of content creators. Back in the 2000s or even before that, wannabe actors, musicians, artisans, etc., used to struggle for so many years to get noticed by the world. But now, what you need to become an overnight celebrity is viral content, thanks to the supremacy of social media.
I understand the fad where ordinary people shot reels, vlogs, and videos to earn a social status and a little popularity amongst society, but a couple of years ago, while surfing on YouTube, I came across one celebrity channel and asked myself why? However, after a bit of research and work-chat, I realised that it’s not the only celebrity channel on YouTube. Since then, many Hollywood and even Bollywood stars have started their YouTube channels.
Reasons:
To develop a connection on a personal level
What is your first impression of the Hollywood star and former wrestler Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson? He must be a harsh, rude and strong-headed person, right? However, in reality, he’s entirely the opposite of what we’re thinking of him. And we got to know about this through his YouTube channel, which has over 6 million subscribers, where he shares his daily life and shredding tips with his fans.
You must have seen content creators who showcase their day-to-day life in their YouTube vlogs or Instagram reels have more number of followers than those who don’t showcase the same. Do you know why? When people take their audience into their daily lives and come ahead on YouTube/Instagram as they are in reality, it helps them to develop a personal connection with fans and strengthen their followings.
To showcase a different or perhaps the real side of their character
We often spot celebrities through the paparazzi’s cameras, where most of the time, they look grumpy, and we judge their character according to their behaviour with the paps and fans who ask for selfies. Now, put yourself in the same spot and imagine how you would treat someone returning from a hectic work day. Being a celebrity is not easy; in reality, they moved to YouTube to prove they’re not like paps show them.
YouTube offers celebrities a platform to showcase their natural character and allows them to have complete control over what they want to share with their fans. Here, they don’t even have to follow the strict editing deadlines like in movies. They can edit their stuff whenever they want, choose any topic and take their fans on a crazy ride just by sharing a few moments they had while shooting a film or anything for that matter.
To stay in the limelight
Once a celebrity, always a celebrity doesn’t work anymore as there are way too many celebrities around the world. Be it film stars, Instagram models, Influencers, YouTubers, Gamers, etc. We’ve seen many Bollywood actors or Television actors reaching the stars and falling badly within the next few releases. These stars want to stay in the limelight and regain public attention again, using YouTube as a platform to do the same. No wonder more and more celebrities are creating their own YouTube channels.
Though Youtube has supported a picture-in-picture viewing feature on Android since 2018, YouTube plans to release the feature for iOS users on both iPhone and iPad.
A picture-in-picture feature allows users to run a video in a small window while using the rest of the screen for other work.
Currently, YouTube gives this feature to the premium members, which lets users watch picture-in-picture videos in a mini player while browsing other apps. The testing period for Premium users ends on October 31, but YouTube did not share a timeline for when all U.S. iOS users will gain access to the picture-in-picture feature.
The particular feature was announced in June for iOS users. However, the company has not mentioned if the feature will always be limited to YouTube Premium members or non-paying members. The company claimed that the feature would remain active until October 31.
To make video work in Picture-in-Picture mode, YouTube Premium members on iOS will need to either click on the home button or swipe up in case of newer iPhones, which will automatically start the video in PiP mode.
If you scroll down on the experiment’s website, you’ll see “Picture-in picture on iOS”, with the option to try it. Then, if you watch a video on the YouTube app, you should see a picture-in-picture display of the video when you navigate out of the app.
While using this feature, you can also adjust where the video appears on your screen and its size. Once you tap on the video, you’ll return to the YouTube app. If you lock your phone, the video will pause.
Some users have reported that to make the feature work on your phone, you might need to delete and reinstall the YouTube app on your phone.
Similar features already exist on streaming apps like Netflix.
YouTube and Vimeo are two of the most popular hosting platforms worldwide, but if you look at the numbers, Vimeo looks significantly more petite community than YouTube’s ginormous base of more than 1 billion users. Approximately 10 out of 8 people from the globe are familiar with YouTube, while there are very few people who know and practically use Vimeo. However, with only 170+ million users, Vimeo can still be your gateway to showcase your talent. At first glance, both these platforms look similar, but they operate differently and have key differences with their respective advantages and disadvantages.
Membership:
YouTube and Vimeo both offer free services but also have various premium services, which differ significantly. YouTube has a massive community, which produces more content compared to Vimeo. A substantial sum of YouTube’s earnings comes from showing advertisements. These advertisements are illustrated inside the video player, in the sidebar, and inside the YouTube app.
Along with advertisements, YouTube earns through a paid subscription called YouTube Premium. The subscription allows viewers to get rid of advertisements while enjoying the content, access premium YouTube Originals, and play videos in the background while using other apps on the phone. When it comes to creating, YouTube lets you upload as many videos as you want for free.
Vimeo has a unique business model that differs from YouTube in almost every way. It offers Plus, PRO, Business, and Premium membership options, and each of the membership options has different levels of storage and support. Along with paid memberships, Vimeo does offer free membership, but it limits you to 500MB maximum storage per week and 25GB per year.
Vimeo makes most of the earnings by selling video hosting services. They charge money from publishers and content creators to upload their content, so their users can enjoy an ad-free viewing experience. Vimeo lets you watch the videos for free, but in some cases, it offers a pay-per-view basis service called Video on Demand, where you can choose from Rent, Buy or Subscribe service alternatives; these payments go directly to the creator.
Upload Limits:
YouTube lets creators upload videos up to 15 minutes long, but you must have to verify your account if you want to extend these 15 minutes. Once your account is verified, your video upload limit will be expanded to 12 hours or 256GB; along with that, verification allows you to add custom thumbnails and live streaming.
Unlike YouTube, Vimeo upload limit works on a weekly format and has different limitations on the upload size for each plan. As mentioned earlier, free account holders can upload 500MB per week with no more than ten videos in 24 hours. Plus and Pro account holders can upload 5GB and 20 GB data per week, respectively. Pro Unlimited, Business and Premium accounts have no weekly upload limit and allow you to store 3TB, 5TB and 7TB of data, respectively.
Audience:
The first question one should ask themselves before turning on the camera or choosing an uploading platform is who they are making a video for? or what they’re expecting in comments from their audience? Because if you want to reach as many people as possible, YouTube is a better option than Vimeo, but if you prefer quality content over quantity, then Vimeo will take you places.
Almost all Android phones in the world come with a pre-installed Google-owned YouTube app. It has a community of more than 1 billion users, and about 2 billion users login and watch videos on YouTube every month. In contrast, Vimeo has just 1 million registered users, and it is growing at a notable pace. Vimeo’s audience base is very supportive and has numerous users that offer more constructive feedback than you may find on YouTube, where most of the users are not hesitant to tell you bluntly about your video.
Vimeo offers ad-free viewing and higher-quality video uploads with better sound. Also, Vimeo is the roof to a few of the most creative content creators, budding filmmakers and graphic designers in the world. Most of them use the Vimeo channel as a portfolio to showcase their work to potential clients.
Features:
Copyrights: YouTube will detect copyrighted music and images almost immediately upon upload and disable such elements, which will help you keep your account secure and away from copyright issues.
Updating Videos: Vimeo allows you to replace and update a video after being uploaded without losing that video’s stats. It comes in handy when you’ve made a mistake or want to update something. Unfortunately, YouTube doesn’t have a video updating feature, so one must be careful before hitting the upload button.
Privacy: Vimeo offers more privacy options than YouTube, allowing you to make videos public, private, or unlisted. You can also share video only with users you follow and can also add password-protected videos. Paid membership users of Vimeo can even disallow their videos to be viewed on Vimeo.com and can offer to view their video to their own websites only.
Monetization: YouTube allow content creators to join the YouTube partner program by signing up for Google Adsense to monetize their videos, but first, they need to have at least 1000 subscribers and generate 4000 watch time hours within 12 months, whereas Vimeo offers Video On Demand option where you can sell videos directly to viewers.
YouTube and Vimeo both are great platforms that offer almost equal business opportunities for their users. So, in the end, it all depends on the type of audience you want to reach and how you want to grow as a creator. Along with these two, there are various other platforms to showcase your talent to the world, so look out for the one which suits you the best and happy creating.
