With over 200,000 registered users and an audience that spans the entire globe, YouTube is fast becoming the world's best and first choice for video sharing. According to an article in USA Today, the YouTube website, founded by three men named Chad Hurley, Steve Chen and Jawed Karim in Palo Alto, California, succeeds by becoming "the ultimate reality TV, giving you a glimpse into other people's
. lives (USA Today, p. 1)." Today, people can upload and download videos from dozens of different genres and categories, allowing us to experience the lives of our fellow humans, and to share adventures and events from our own spheres of influence.Since its inception in February of 2005, YouTube has attempted to lower the barriers into the television market, and make video available to average people with no access to traditional forms of media. However, not all barriers can be removed. In attempt to corral postings and attach some semblance of order to the website, YouTube has always imposed certain limits on video postings. Indeed, as Jason Kincaid writes, "ever since it rose to popularity, most YouTube users have been hampered by one pretty major restriction: the dreaded time limit, which limits how long your videos can be (TechCrunch, p.1)." Since July of 2010, the limit has been raised to fifteen minutes, but it still imposes a restriction that, while necessary, does limit the flow of video traffic and the rate of information exchange on YouTube.Today, the executives at YouTube are working to make their website more engaging and easy to use. By instituting a Content ID archive system, YouTube now allows users to link to a massive library of copyrighted video, stored data and videos of various types and descriptions. As YouTube builds on its foundation of free video and "ultimate reality TV," new barriers are sure to arise, as higher usage demands more order. However, new advances such as the Content ID system should ensure that the site stays organized, available and visible to people from all walks of life.More reference links: http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/techinnovations/2005-11-21-video-websites_x.htm http://techcrunch.com/2010/12/09/youtube-time-limit-2/
