This is a cross-post from the YouTube blog.

In May 2005, the YouTube founders launched YouTube.com, providing people with a platform to broadcast themselves to the world. Six years on, the world is watching and we wanted to say thank you to the YouTube community for a couple of amazing birthday presents.

First, your videos. Back in November we challenged you to up the volume of videos you uploaded to the site. And boy, did you take the bait. Today, more than 48 hours (two days worth) of video are uploaded to the site every minute, a 37% increase over the last six months and 100% over last year. From videos documenting a baby’s first steps in San Francisco, to a protest in Syria, to a commencement speech at Yale University, we’re continuously impressed and inspired by the quality and breadth (in addition to quantity) of videos that you upload to the site every day. On our end, we’re constantly evolving to provide the best video sharing and viewing experience for you from faster processing of uploads to longer video lengths to the launch of self-service live stream capabilities to partners.

This is a cross-post from the YouTube blog.

In May 2005, the YouTube founders launched YouTube.com, providing people with a platform to broadcast themselves to the world. Six years on, the world is watching and we wanted to say thank you to the YouTube community for a couple of amazing birthday presents.

First, your videos. Back in November we challenged you to up the volume of videos you uploaded to the site. And boy, did you take the bait. Today, more than 48 hours (two days worth) of video are uploaded to the site every minute, a 37% increase over the last six months and 100% over last year. From videos documenting a baby’s first steps in San Francisco, to a protest in Syria, to a commencement speech at Yale University, we’re continuously impressed and inspired by the quality and breadth (in addition to quantity) of videos that you upload to the site every day. On our end, we’re constantly evolving to provide the best video sharing and viewing experience for you from faster processing of uploads to longer video lengths to the launch of self-service live stream capabilities to partners.

What can happen in two days, you ask?
  • You could drive non-stop across the country from our office in San Bruno, Calif. to New York City
  • You could undertake a massive movie marathon by watching the entire Back to the Future trilogy eight and a half times (we’d recommend you do that at YouTube Movies)
  • An ambitious cheetah (the fastest land animal at an average running speed of 75 mph) starting in South Africa could traverse 3600 miles of the African continent and reach Egypt
The other great birthday present? Your views. We’re amazed that over this last weekend, you drove YouTube past the 3 billion views a day mark, a 50% increase over last year. That’s the equivalent of nearly half the world’s population watching a YouTube video each day, or every U.S. resident watching at least nine videos a day.

The first six years of a person’s life are incredibly important for development. The same could be said for a company. For the last six years we’ve grown and evolved in our quest to push video forward and deliver the best possible experience to you. So when will we reach 72 hours a minute, or 4 billion views a day? That’s up to you. For our part, we'll continue to work at delivering the diversity and quality of content you're asking for, from live streams of music festivals to campaigns around social inspiration and change, rockstars in education to citizen-journalist coverage of global events, and YOU showcasing your own talent. You’ve made YouTube successful because it’s a reflection of you and your world. If this is what we’ve accomplished together in six years, we can only imagine where you’ll take us in the next six!

The YouTube Team recently watched “An Adorable 6-Year-Old Dancer”.

YouTube will live stream TEDx Sydney 2011 all day this Saturday, 28 May, from 8:30am until 6:30pm AEST. Tune in to youtube.com/TEDxSydney to watch and take part in all the ideas, talks and performances. You can also find or host your own TEDxSydney satellite event and share the TEDx experience with others. Register your event here.

Here’s a sneak peek at the TEDxSydney line up:

The theme of TEDx is Ideas worth spreading. No better way to do this than by video. At YouTube, we’re big believers in the power of video to give people a voice. Since the first trip to the zoo uploaded almost six years ago, online video has become part of our daily lives, and altered the way we share cultural, artistic, and political phenomena. In that short time, we’ve seen daily conversations unfold and spread at incredible speed, aided by new technology and tools online.

We’ve seen videos around the world go viral (baby laughing at ripping paper, anyone?) and users jamming out and winning to the tune of 25 million views.

But powerful historical moments also come to life through online video. Earlier this year, the world looked to New Zealand on the day of the Christchurch earthquake, which became the second most viewed video of the day. Months later, events in Japan unfolded in real-time and the world responded. Only weeks ago, global audiences turned to their TV screens, their mobile phones, twitter and YouTube to hear the historic announcement from the White House.

In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, we’ve created a playlist of the 2011 videos, as found on youtube.com/trends, that changed the world, made you laugh, inspired you, and that you thought were worth spreading around the world. Relive, share, and upload your own.

Global Moments: Japan Earthquake, President Obama, The Royal Wedding, Riots in Egypt
Viral Hits: Rebecca Black, Songify This - Winning, Baby Laughing at Ripping Paper
YouTube Community Moments: YouTube Symphony Orchestra, You Talk to Endeavour
Local Moments: Queensland Floods, New Zealand Earthquake

Posted by Ernesto Soriano, YouTube Team, just watched Salman Khan TED 2011

This is a guest blog post from Screen Australia CEO Ruth Harley who is at the Cannes Film Festival. Screen Australia has partnered with YouTube on Map My Summer.

This year, the Australian line-up at Cannes is exceptional. A few days ago there was the world premiere screening of Australian feature film Sleeping Beauty, which is in competition for the top prize. Written and directed by novelist turned filmmaker Julia Leigh, this is a remarkable achievement for a debut feature film. Described as an unsettling erotic fairytale, it stars Emily Browning as Lucy a university student drawn into a mysterious hidden world of beauty and desire.

Three other films are set to inspire audiences in Cannes. "Toomelah", written and directed by Indigenous filmmaker Ivan Sen will have its world premiere screening in the Un Certain Regard section of the festival and Nash Edgerton’s film "Bear" will appear in the Shorts Competition. "Snowtown", directed by rising talent Justin Kurzel, is also set to screen during International Critics’ Week.

Indigenous cinema storytelling is going from strength to strength. At home, Australian feature "Mad Bastards" has just been released in cinemas nationwide. This stunning and heartfelt film, directed by Brendan Fletcher, is set in the wild landscape of northern Aboriginal Australia. It’s received rave reviews and we are incredibly proud of this film at Screen Australia. It is most definitely one to see at the cinema.

In other news, last week we launched never-before-published information about the life cycle of Australian films in a new report Beyond the Box Office. The report takes a close look at how Australians are consuming screen media these days.

And finally, we’re thrilled to be collaborating with YouTube in what we think is an Australian first.Screen Australia has commissioned Australian filmmaker Amy Gebhhardt to make a ground breaking short film made with user generated footage from the YouTube Map My Summerproject. Amy is currently being mentored on the project by legendary filmmaker George Miller and the film is set to premiere at the Sydney Film Festival and on YouTube in June. We can’t wait to see it. For now, check out the latest weekly video blog from the Map My Summer production office with editor Nick Meyers:

Posted by Ruth Harley, CEO of Screen Australia

This is a guest blog post from Screen Australia CEO Ruth Harley who is at the Cannes Film Festival. Screen Australia has partnered with YouTube on Map My Summer.

This year, the Australian line-up at Cannes is exceptional. A few days ago there was the world premiere screening of Australian feature film Sleeping Beauty, which is in competition for the top prize. Written and directed by novelist turned filmmaker Julia Leigh, this is a remarkable achievement for a debut feature film. Described as an unsettling erotic fairytale, it stars Emily Browning as Lucy a university student drawn into a mysterious hidden world of beauty and desire.

Three other films are set to inspire audiences in Cannes. "Toomelah", written and directed by Indigenous filmmaker Ivan Sen will have its world premiere screening in the Un Certain Regard section of the festival and Nash Edgerton’s film "Bear" will appear in the Shorts Competition. "Snowtown", directed by rising talent Justin Kurzel, is also set to screen during International Critics’ Week.

Indigenous cinema storytelling is going from strength to strength. At home, Australian feature "Mad Bastards" has just been released in cinemas nationwide. This stunning and heartfelt film, directed by Brendan Fletcher, is set in the wild landscape of northern Aboriginal Australia. It’s received rave reviews and we are incredibly proud of this film at Screen Australia. It is most definitely one to see at the cinema.

In other news, last week we launched never-before-published information about the life cycle of Australian films in a new report Beyond the Box Office. The report takes a close look at how Australians are consuming screen media these days.

And finally, we’re thrilled to be collaborating with YouTube in what we think is an Australian first.Screen Australia has commissioned Australian filmmaker Amy Gebhhardt to make a ground breaking short film made with user generated footage from the YouTube Map My Summerproject. Amy is currently being mentored on the project by legendary filmmaker George Miller and the film is set to premiere at the Sydney Film Festival and on YouTube in June. We can’t wait to see it. For now, check out the latest weekly video blog from the Map My Summer production office with editor Nick Meyers:

Posted by Ruth Harley, CEO of Screen Australia









Shine Australia is bringing Aussie YouTubers full episodes of "In Their Footsteps", a 10-part documentary series about Australia’s wartime experiences, seen through the eyes of descendants. From the team that created the award-winning series Australians at War, it’s about Australian families rising to the challenges, enduring the deprivations and dealing with the lasting scars of war.

In each episode, you can follow an Australian retracing the steps of a close ancestor’s wartime experience as a soldier, sailor, pilot or prisoner. They will walk in the footsteps of their forefathers across battlefields from Gallipoli to Fromelles, from Kokoda to Vietnam: learning about their experiences and our identity as a nation.

In the first series, you will meet Tommy Johnson. For nearly 70 years, his family never really knew what happened to him in World War II. Now, his great niece, Julie Bryce, will discover the full story behind a mantelpiece photo of a young Tommy setting off to sea.

Check out the first episode now on the In Their Footsteps channel and be sure to come back again next Monday for Episode 2.

Richard North, YouTube Australia, recently watched In Their Footsteps, episode one.