Australia Blog
News and rising stars from YouTube Australia
Australia Wild Fires: Searing Images, Messages of Support
Wednesday, 11 February 2009
Residents of southern Australia are reeling from the massive bushfires that have ravaged the Victoria area for the last several days. With the death toll nearing 200, and over 900 families displaced from their homes, it is proving to be one of the most
devastating disasters in Australia's history
.
Powerful images of the fires and their aftermath have been captured by news organizations and uploaded to YouTube, like this one from
nocommentv
. The images speak for themselves:
Meanwhile, average citizens from around the world are also using YouTube to respond to the crisis. From offering their
well-wishes
, to organizing rallies and encouraging donations, these citizens aren't just sitting back idly, but are using YouTube to help the residents of southern Australia during this difficult and tragic time:
Safer Internet Day
Tuesday, 10 February 2009
Today is Safer Internet Day, an international initiative that aims to give children, parents and teachers sound advice on how best to manage online risks, so that their online experiences are safe and positive. Google Australia-New Yealand and YouTube Australia-New Yealand are partners for Internet Safety Day, which is supported by the Australian Communications and Media Authority.
To mark the day, YouTube is launching a new
Australian Safety Centre on YouTube
, containing straightforward online safety tips and resources from experts and prominent Australian safety organisations. We have worked with Bravehearts, Reach Out, Kids Helpline, NetAlert.gov.au and Cybersmart Kids Online to launch the YouTube Safety Centre and have included information on how to report concerns to the Australian Federal Police.
The YouTube Safety Centre makes it easier for users to access YouTube's
Help and Safety Tool
, which gives users granular control over their channel (like blocking comments from specific users) and the ability to quickly report concerns. The Safety Centre includes information about YouTube Community Guidelines Violations, Cyber Citizenship, Privacy, Teen Safety, Hateful Content, Sexual Abuse of Minors, Harassment and Cyberbullying, Suicide, Impersonation, Spam and Phishing, as well as Harmful and Dangerous Conduct.
Australians all have roles to play in keeping safe and secure online, so we have developed resources dedicated to providing the tools and knowledge needed to enjoy YouTube with peace of mind.
When it comes to online safety, our approach is to:
--Empower parents with tools to help them choose what content their children see online;
--Educate children and parents on how to stay safe online;
--Protect children by working with law enforcement and industry.
After you've had a look at the YouTube Safety Centre, check out
Google's Privacy Channel on YouTube
. You'll find videos that help keep you informed about how your privacy is protected when you use Google.
Carolyn Dalton
Head of Public Policy and Government Affairs, Australia and New Zealand
Underwater Geo Tag for Your Videos
Tuesday, 3 February 2009
*** UPDATED with video tutorial.*** Now you can place your videos underwater!
Today, Google Earth 5.0 launched, and one of the most exciting features is Ocean, which you can read all about
here
. Partners like
BBC Worldwide
,
National Geographic
,
Cousteau
,
Tagging of Pacific Predators
,
Ocean Conservancy
, and
Kip Evans Photography
have already taken advantage of the new subsurface Ocean in Google Earth to place their YouTube videos below sea level -- and now you can too. Simply go to the altitude field in the "Date and Map" section on your video's information page and select a negative altitude to indicate that your video was shot in an ocean, lake, river, crater, etc. or drag the pointer over a body of water and hit "Set."
We can't wait to see what you've captured beneath the surface (aside from lots of fish!).
Best,
Umang Sharan
Engineer
YouTube
Tutorial:
Explore:
Annotations Made Easier
Friday, 30 January 2009
Today, we are making it easier to add annotations directly to your YouTube videos. Simply login to YouTube, watch your video on the watch page and click on the video to start adding annotations. But don't worry - for those who need more control, you'll still be able to access the separate annotations editor.
We are also making it easier for your annotations to link to a variety of different YouTube pages. You'll be able to link to another video, channel page, playlist, group or search query. What's more, you'll even be able to link to a video response page or message window to prompt for feedback from your audience.
Let us know
what you think
about this new feature.
Happy annotating!
The YouTube Team
Delete Your Own Video Comments
Tuesday, 27 January 2009
We're happy to announce the launch of a feature many of you have been asking for: you now have the ability to delete comments you've made on videos. We've all been there. Whether you misspelled "pwned", back in the day when you were just a n00b to the internets, or you simply said something you wish you could take back - now you can remove your commentary at any time.
The
Abuse & Safety tool
is here for you to resolve issues like harassment and bullying. This new feature will empower you to more easily and effectively handle these types of situations, without needing help from staff. Of course, we always encourage everyone to think things through before posting comments anywhere on the site. But if you don't get it right the first time, now you can simply delete your comment. To remove a comment that you've made, go to the "Text Comments" section below the video and click the "Remove" button next to your comment.
Helping you check yourself,
The YouTube Team
"Recent Activity" on Your YouTube Channel
Thursday, 4 December 2008
We're happy to announce a couple of new changes to your YouTube channels, based on the feedback and suggestions you've given to us.
The first is the creation of a "Recent Activity" box on your YouTube channel. This box will provide your viewers with a snapshot of recent changes you've made to your public channel, making your channel more dynamic, fresh and timely. For example, if you recently added a new favourite to your channel, visitors can find this favourite in the new Recent Activity box (as well as in the usual "Favourites" box). The Recent Activity box will also consolidate the separate "My Recent Ratings" and "My Recent Comments" boxes into this single activity window.
As always, we give you maximum control over how your channel is configured on the
channel design page
. And now, the Recent Activity
privacy settings
page (also available in the upper-right corner of the Recent Activity box) lets you choose what activity you want to appear in the Recent Activity box. It's important to note that we've set your initial Recent Activity settings according to what you already publicly show on your channel today - so, for example, if you're not already showing the Favourites box on your channel, then the Recent Activity box won't suddenly start showing new favourites you make.
Regarding bulletins, we've listened to you, and most of you didn't see the value in bulletins as they are today. So, we're taking a first step to make bulletins more useful. Although the bulletin box will be going away, now you can broadcast a bulletin directly to your channel visitors in your Recent Activity box. This not only provides a fun place to shout out personal updates and news, but also provides an additional way to communicate and engage with your channel's fans.
We hope you like these changes, and are always eager to hear your feedback - so please feel free to
share your thoughts
with us!
The YouTube Team
A YouTube for All of Us
Wednesday, 3 December 2008
As a community, we have come to count on each other to be entertained, challenged, and moved by what we watch and share on YouTube. We've been thinking a lot lately about how to make the collective YouTube experience even better, particularly on our most visited pages. Our goal is to help ensure that you're viewing content that's relevant to you, and not inadvertently coming across content that isn't. Here are a few things we came up with:
Stricter standard for mature content
- While videos featuring pornographic images or sex acts are always removed from the site when they're flagged, we're tightening the standard for what is considered "sexually suggestive." Videos with sexually suggestive (but not prohibited) content will be age-restricted, which means they'll be available only to viewers who are 18 or older. To learn more about what constitutes "sexually suggestive" content, click
here
.
Demotion of sexually suggestive content and profanity
- Videos that are considered sexually suggestive, or that contain profanity, will be algorithmically demoted on our 'Most Viewed,' 'Top Favourited,' and other browse pages. The classification of these types of videos is based on a number of factors, including video content and descriptions. In testing, we've found that out of the thousands of videos on these pages, only several each day are automatically demoted for being too graphic or explicit. However, those videos are often the ones which end up being repeatedly flagged by the community as being inappropriate.
Improved thumbnails
- To make sure your thumbnail represents your video, your choices will now be selected algorithmically. You'll still have three thumbnails to choose from, but they will no longer be auto-generated from the 25/50/75 points in the video index.
More accurate video information
- Our
Community Guidelines
have always prohibited folks from attempting to game view counts by entering misleading information in video descriptions, tags, titles, and other metadata. We remain serious about enforcing these rules. Remember, violations of these guidelines could result in removal of your video and repeated violations will lead to termination of your account.
The preservation and improvement of the YouTube experience is a responsibility we share. Let's work together to ensure that the YouTube community continues to thrive as a positive place for all of us.
The YouTube Team
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