Have you always wanted to create a YouTube video but were unable or unwilling to do so? Now is your best chance of doing so, thanks to a trio of third-party apps YouTube has teamed up with to help you do so in the simplest way.

YouTube Videos

YouTube currently gets more than 35 hours of video uploaded to the site every minute of every day. Which is more than I can possibly conceive of. You’d think that would be enough to sate Google’s desire to remain as the number one online video destination, but apparently not.

Keen to help out those people who haven’t got access to any kind of camera – whether it be a Webcam, video camera, or smartphone – and those who don’t feel comfortable showing their faces on the Web, YouTube has teamed with three third-party apps.

These apps – collectively known as YouTube Create – all allow you to create a video for free with nothing other than the tools provided.

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An analyst predicts that YouTube will generate revenues topping $1 billion in 2011, meaning profitability is all but guaranteed. The reason? More advertising, better advertising, and more revenue from advertising.

YouTube Revenues

Ever since Google bought YouTube for $1.65 billion in 2006 there has been a debate raging over whether the site will ever turn a profit. Revenue has steadily increased over the years, as the video count and video view count has. However, so has the cost of running the site.

YouTube now looks set to be a $1 billion business, and an integral part of Google as a whole. But do huge revenues equal even small profits?

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If you haven’t heard of Rebecca Black yet then you’re probably in the minority. This girl has gone from being unknown to famous in the space of a week thanks to YouTube and her ‘hit single’ Friday. It’s horrible but that doesn’t seem to matter.

YouTube Fame and Glory

YouTube has made many people famous, and a few very famous and very successful. The most obvious, at least in the world of music, is one Justin Bieber, who is richer and more famous than any of us will ever be. And all that despite not being all that talented.

Then again, who said talent had anything to do with fame? Look at the careers (for want of a better word) of Paris Hilton and Katie Price, neither of which has ever really displayed a talent of any kind.

The latest YouTube singing sensation (although maybe not for the right reasons) is Rebecca Black, and her rise to notoriety demonstrates the combined power of online video and social networking sites.

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YouTube really loves us all uploading video to the site. The problem is the quality of these videos can sometimes be shoddy, while the bandwidth needs are extravagant. The solution? An Irish company called Green Parrot Pictures, apparently.

YouTube UGC

User-Generated Content (UGC) is an integral part of YouTube. Hell, it makes up the vast majority of the content on the site, though the amount of more professional content from YouTube Partners has started to increase of late.

The problem for YouTube is the quality isn’t always there when it comes to UGC, especially now that many people shoot video on mobile devices which are also capable of doing a multitude of other things. Then there is the size of these videos to consider, as the bandwidth costs for hosting this kind of content must cost YouTube a (not so) small fortune.

Thankfully YouTube has found a solution.

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Would you watch a Jennifer Aniston sex tape? Of course you would, because the former Friends star is smokin’ hot. How about a viral video which uses all the tricks in the book in order to gain more viewers? Hmm, maybe not so much, but it is definitely worth watching.

Online Video Virals

Online video viral marketing has become another tool in an advertiser’s arsenal. And many have used this new form of reaching out and gaining traction spectacularly well.

The Old Spice adverts were brilliant, especially when they went real-time. As was the inventive Tippex campaign which enabled multiple endings. Weezer then promoted their album Hurley via viral videos, and lest we forget the much-loved Evian Roller Babies.

And now there is a new entry…

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Google has acquired Next New Networks as a key part of its strategy to bring more and better original content to YouTube. While it doesn’t mean an end to countless videos of cats doing crazy things, the implication is clear: original programming is the future for the site.

YouTube

YouTube was built on a firm footing of user-generated content. In its early days some of that was legally questionable, but once Google acquired the site and set about cleaning up its act YouTube became the most popular video sharing site on the Web.

But while basic UGC is one thing, original programming made specially for the Web is quite another. And that looks to be the area Google is keen to exploit as it takes YouTube to the next level.

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Many of you out there love watching live sports, in fact it’s the highlight of the week for many people. It’s also the main reason many can’t bring themselves to cut the cord, with cable owning the rights to most live sports. But maybe YouTube can change that. In time.

Live On YouTube

YouTube has been testing the waters with live video broadcasting over the past few years. 2009 saw U2’s Pasadena Rose Bowl concert broadcast live on YouTube worldwide. 2010 saw this extended to a five-concert series featuring artists such as Arcade Fire and John Legend.

Gigs are one thing, but sports are quite another. In 2010 YouTube broadcast all 60 matches in the 45-day Indian Premier League cricket tournament. These were available to watch in every country outside the U.S., which has little interest in cricket anyway.

There was speculation at the time that this move suggested YouTube had ambitions in the live streaming sector. And that speculation has now been renewed.

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