YouTube Exploration

Interestingly, as I am writing this I am at my local library where I have booked a computer because my own attempts to get broadband at home have been delayed (yet again by administrative mishaps at a company who will remain nameless). I am glad that there are public facilities available for general use and access to Internet resources.

Back to the central theme of this entry, though, YouTube. I explored YouTube and found this clip about twitter, it’s a bit of social commentary through comedy. Twitter, with all of its social networking advantages, does have the potential downsides presented in this short cartoon. I think, like any technology, it is a good resource if used with a definite purpose in mind that is relevant to the user. I found creating an account on YouTube quite simple, it just means I need to remember yet another password and user-name! I look forward to using the facilities, as I have perused the videos on YouTube previously – but from now on I will be able to comment, save my favourite videos, subscribe to channels (like on Google Reader) and upload my own videos.



I was also thinking about what would be a valuable addition to my blog, and complement what we have been learning in this course. I located a very brief clip of Tim O’Reilly answering the question ‘What is web 2.0?’. It is not strictly a definition, but it gives much needed perspective in a field where meanings shift with the advent of new technologies.




I also searched for the online lectures from UC Berkley that were mentioned in the online tutorial for this week. These are a wonderful resource; however, as they are quite long (e.g. nearly two hours) I would not suggest downloading them because it takes so much memory. Watch them online, if you are lucky enough to have a broadband or wireless connection that is. If you are interested in the one I found about ‘How search engine’s work’ follow this link.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8D5uL0y7ho