I spend a fair amount of time on YouTube as I have confessed many times. Sometimes watching things that have to do with a business interest that is my personal project for 2012 but mostly watching cats do crazy stuff or other people playing games or song parodies or comedy skits or Tim Minchin concerts or rap battles or Watsky or the Vlogbrothers or Dolly Parton film clips or….. Ok, so my point is I’m on YouTube a lot.
I have recently become aware of the “cute announcement that we are pregnant” sub-category of video. I admit to crying at a seemingly endless number of cute ways people have announced they were having a baby to their friends, family and partners. The reactions range from obviously amazed and quietly happy to downright chaos and screaming. It made me think about how I would feel if such private and joyous moments from my family were shared with the internet.
I am obviously an avid consumer of digital video content. I believe in the power of this new media to change the way entertainment works. For the most part I’m supportive of it but then something like this comes along and it makes me feel a bit uncomfortable, albeit after watching about 10 clips.
I imagine my own reaction to a friend’s announcement or that of family member and it strikes me that some stuff still needs to feel and be kept private. I understand that the videos are shared by the people themselves with no idea of corporate or any other type of pressure and in the most part they are positive. While I’m not 100% sure where my sense of uneasiness comes from I don’t think I’ll watch any more of the reaction videos .
How about you? Are there things people share on YouTube that you couldn’t or are you an open book?
Do some groups of videos make you feel uncomfortable?
For fun:
What are your favourite types of video or your favourite YouTuber?
Some of my favourites*:
Vlogbrothers , Nice Peter/ Epic Lloyd, Watsky, Meeka Kitty, Barely Political/ Key of Awesome, College Humor, Vi Hart, Charlieissocoollike (Stephen Fry does the voice work for his outro), Tobuscus, Phil DeFranco, The Fine Brothers, Michelle Phan, Autotuning the News/ Gregory Brothers, Rhett and Link, Olga Kay, iJustine, Lisa Nova, Machinima and countless other gaming channels like Yogscast, NoobToob, TotalBiscuit, Zack Scott Games, Classic Game Room, All your history are belong to us, Klitzner games and SeaNanners.
*When I see the list written out like this, I judge myself, so if you are shaking your head and “tsking” at this stage, don’t worry. So am I.
I think if everyone in the video is okay with it being on YouTube, it’s fine. I’ll admit to thinking that some of those clips are cute. It’s nice to see such joy.
Some of my favourites:
- MrArturoTrejo. You might know him from the interview with a one year old clip. His Trejo Tursday clips are funny
- FitForAFeast. Two adorably (sometimes annoyingly) precocious girls who go over gymnastics basics
- PatrickandNatasha. Swing dance clips of course!
I agree that they are cute, for sure. Some of them are down right beautiful.
MrArturoTrejo – I really liked some of his stuff, thanks.
I had actually seen one of MrArturoTrejo’s videos a while back. Subscribed to him now as I just had another look. Thanks!
After our conversation last night I find this blog post amusing.
I am a massive fan of Corey Vidal and ApprenticeEh, ApprenticeA, ApprenticeGames and the rest of the channels they have amongst the group of ApprenticeEh productions. Corey Vidal is evidence of how a person can turn vlogging and YouTubing into a valid and running business and he and the rest of the group are hilarious to watch.
charlieissocoollike- teen/young guy in England who is a bit geeky, somewhat hyperactive and also has made success from youtube videos. Entertaining to watch and interacts with other youtubers and such as well.
ChristiaanVanVuuren- Aussie guy who got stuck in St Vincent’s hospital in quarantine because of TB and created a persona called the Fully Sick Rapper after he uploaded a video and it became viral resulting in him creating more videos and getting a following from all over the world. Entertaining and he has gone on to do some other stuff since he got out of the hospital as well.
Freddie25 is one musician I enjoy watching because he does medley videos of different songs from tv themes to christmas songs and I’ve lost track of the number of instruments he plays. Also JasonYangViolin.
I subscribe to a couple of people for tv show related goodies like sneak peeks for new episodes of Castle.I have a fair few musicians that I also subscribe to. Some are just up and coming and others are established. And a couple of friends either have vlogs or other videos they have uploaded that I check out as well.
As for those videos- I think if noone in them has any objection to the video being posted then I don’t mind. I guess for some it’s a way of sharing the news with other people who can’t be there in person.
It is, at that stage I didn’t even realise that my post was on today haha.
My daughter just came back from Adelaide where her partner’s brother and partner dropped in and announced to the parents that they had just eloped and got married and she was pregnant. Didn’t go down well with the parents. Of course, the parents were the whole reason for doing it that way but they’d never understand that. I guess if a video were made of that it wouldn’t have been one of those cute, tear inducing ones.
I haven’t seen any of those reaction clips. I don’t think I’d like to feature in one. Apart from subscribing to the Tim Minchin channel most of the things I watch on YouTube are from links on Facebook. You Splatters find some amazing stuff which entertains me greatly and saves me looking for interesting stuff myself. It’s nice to have a filter to help weed out the 90% of it that must, by Sturgeon’s Law, be crap.
Apart from that, I don’t watch a whole lot of YouTube. I check in to XKCD and imgur regularly,there are usually laughs to be had there, but that’s about it.
I mostly like to do cryptic crosswords, sudoku and Kenken and especially I like to read good novels.
I think this sensation has been dubbed WombTube. It’s not for me I must say. I think back to my own discovery. We had house guests from Melbourne and I was feeling very ill. I got up early to take the test and before I could even cap it, it was screaming a big + at me. Mr Coaster was in the kitchen ironing his shirt and I went out and just nodded at him. I was sick and suddenly terrified and I didn’t want my houseguests to be the first people to know, so we didn’t even get to talk about it before we went to work. Not really something to share on YouTube, huh?
Might post more later on the stuff I like
I poke into YouTube to find good mashups to listen to, like THIS ONE. If the DJ hasn’t put a download link, you can send the URL through ListenToYouTube.com and make an MP3 out of it.
I also enjoy the occasional “fail” video, especially when it involves explosives, weapons, or skateboards. (alcohol is also usually involved)
I will fall for a “cute thing my cat/dog did today” video, like NinjaCat – but someone has to mention it to me because I don’t go searching for them.
Great link, Ghrys!
I like the cute stuff as well and can spend ages following “similar video” links.
I’m procrastinating on cover letter writing at this very moment but this is one of my favourite youtube videos and a must for any fan of John Williams or Star Wars.
I think anything that wasn’t a public display (Like a big engagement or similar) would make me uncomfortable. I’ll never understand why people think it’s ok to share birthing videos with the wider community (Note: Have not searched for this on the toob yet).
A couple of my personal favourites are the PistolShrimps who initally won me over with their awesome Gandalf goes to the World Cup clip (Which actually came out during the world cup) and then moreso with their Outcast of Hogwarts series. The other has got to be the MuppetsStudio channel which has been a regular stopping point for me ever since they did Bohemian Rhapsody.
re: birthing videos – yeah I haven’t seen any of these, they are not high on my list of things to watch, you can’t unsee that stuff.
I already know exactly how I will be announcing my pregnancy to my parents, but that won’t be for a long time, if at all.
It won’t be YouTube, it won’t be a phone call and not even in person. I’ve had it planned for a while, but *shrug* we’ll see what happens.
I spend hours on YouTube and couldn’t possible name all my favourite channels. I watch so much shit and often end up in the “weird” section.
My favourite channel at the moment is Jennamarbles.
P.s Hello everyone
hello lovely
I’m like harlequin, I don’t follow anyone religiously and usually only venture on to YouTube to watch something that someone else has pointed out to me or that I’ve seen on a news website or to search for a video of an old TV show or movie or something.
I remember one girl at work letting us know she was pregnant. A coworker returned from work and was asked, ‘Have you heard L’s news?’
She hadn’t, and L went all sheepish and embarrassed with an awkward silence moment. I ended up blurting out, ‘She’s up the duff!’
Another time, I was hanging with my then housemate. His GF was over and there was another friends couple visiting with their kids. At one point, she pulled the housemate aside saying, I have a surprise for you.
She then produced a positive preggers test for him. Oh I wish I could have videod that moment, though I doubt he would have appreciated it ever getting on Youtube. Extreme facial expressions FTW.
Anyway, the test was not hers, but belonged to the visiting mother. They just wanted to prank him.
Youtube has channels? I tend to just wander across clips.
Clips I like watching found on Youtube? ‘The Way it should have ended’ has given me some giggles.
Often I will just have an idea, perhaps working on a Splat post, triggered by a show or movie I watched, or just some random idea. Plug it in to Youtube and see what turns up. Then exploring related links until I end up in a very different place to where I started and OMG I just wasted 2 hours!
The Time Lapse photography post I did recently was the result of searching Youtube for a completely different article, coming across some time lapse clips, and OMG I just wasted 2 hours…. better write an article on this stuff.
I also tend to spend time on clips for games I am playing. The many WoW clips for example.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJ3hoFM6O2k
I don’t really get Youtube clips made up of stills. A video made up of photographs just seems counter-intuitive.
The Ballad of the Sex Junkie (YouTube)
Like a few others, I head to youtube when people link things that look interesting, or tell me about clips that are worth seeing. Generally I’m there for the funnies, but I do watch the occasional sweet clip. I haven’t come across the “we’re pregnant” clips, but I’ve seen a few proposals, and they’re some of my favourites. I don’t know if I’d really like a public proposal to happen to me (but I could be persuaded
) but I love the amount of thought, preparation and detail that goes into some of those proposals. You really get a sense of the love and devotion of the couple. Especially when they manage to incorporate things that are unique to them.
In the first place I tend to be pretty camera shy so I don’t I’d post anything like that myself. But I think for those people it’s just a great way for them to share their happiness, whether that be shared with family and friends, or with strangers. I think it’s a great feeling when you can watch a proposal or something for a couple of strangers on a different continent, and feel their happiness. Definitely a warm fuzzy moment!
On a vaguely related note, a close friend of mine just got engaged yesterday! He is the first of my school friends (apart from my ex…) to get engaged. And so the weddings begin!
Now that I’ve posted all that… post hijack!
A couple of things…
This weekend is My Nerd and my one year anniversary (yay!!) and we’d like to do something special, but we’re short on funds. We’ve got a friend’s birthday thing on Saturday afternoon, but Saturday night is reserved for us. At the moment we’ll probably just stay home, but I’d love some suggestions on ways to make it special? I’ve thought about a special meal, but we’ll probably be fairly full from birthday bbq. But I’d still love to plan a surprise or two, even if they’re only small.
And the second thing… the reason we’re short on funds is because we’re planning a long weekend trip to Sydney for Australia Day weekend. I’m not sure exactly what our plans are yet, but if any Sydney Splatters are around that weekend (possibly the Friday night?) I’d love a chance to meet you. Any takers?
I don’t have anything planned for that weekend so I’d be up for a meet up.
Yay on your anniversary! Can’t think of anything you could do because I’ve never been one to celebrate anniversaries of any sort.
I’m not sure what stage you are in your relationship, how comfortable etc or if have have a gift already but if you wanted to give him a gift and are short on funds how about a jar filled with handwritten cards which have perhaps future date night ideas, or personal things you can do for him.
Things like a massage, watch a movie of his choice, play a game he likes, perhaps even something special for the bedroom
Jar <– Something like this but personalised to your style obviously.
Stuff like that makes me cringe. I think things like that are intensely personal. FFS – there is pee on that there stick!! And yes, sometimes it is lovely seeing an elaborate proposal but it makes me wonder who it was for when people are posting it on Youtube.
I usually just open links sent by friends or from the blog sites etc I like to read. At work it is my portable jukebox. And I especially love the Literal versions of songs- Total eclipse of the heart is a fave – ‘Mullet with headlights’ – gold!
Also love Tim Minchin, parodies, a capellas etc. I often use it when I’m learning a new song too, just to hear different nuances. And checking some old stuff too – lots of excellent jazz and gospel that just carries me away. Mashups too. And a good duet – there is an incredible version of Katie Melua singing along with Eva Cassidy to Somewhere Over the Rainbow that is goosebump-worthy and then some.
I use youtube a bit like a radio I can program a lot of the time and listen to playlists while I am studying or doing other things.
I confess to loving the proposals videos but don’t know how I’d go being in one. They make me teary and happy. Think they are recorded initially for the couple to remember that time or to show the work the proposer put in. But then they share for friends or far away family and forget the whole world can see. I love the wacky wedding/reception ones too. Am going to bawl like a baby all the way through my own I thinks.Will have to look up the baby announcement ones too.
Mostly I stay away from YouTube as I have en
I confess to loving the proposals videos but don’t know how I’d go being in one. They make me teary and happy. Think they are recorded initially for the couple to remember that time or to show the work the proposer put in. But then they share for friends or far away family and forget the whole world can see. I love the wacky wedding/reception ones too. Am going to bawl like a baby all the way through my own I thinks.Will have to look up the baby announcement ones too.
Mostly I stay away from YouTube as I have enough procrastination tools already, but I do like a good flash mob, romantic video or cute video, like the mentioned interview with a two year old.
I LOVE flash mobs!
I just watch random stuff that people recommend on Youtube, lots of music clips and maybe some interviews/docos on people or shows I like. The boy and I both like Lonely Island a lot too.
As for the elaborate proposals/pregnancy stories I have watched some and they can be really lovely or amazing. There are a few wedding videos I love where they groom or a best man at the wedding has done amazing song and dance routines for the bride (it appeals to the musical lover in me, haha). But as for myself there is now way I would ever want a public proposal or anything like that. I hate being the centre of attention (and so does the boy, so no danger there). Even the idea of walking down the aisle as a bride and saying vows in front of everyone fills me with dread, although I do of course want to get married one day. Maybe I’ll just drink beforehand, lols.
Oh Dog!! I was so scared too. I walked down the aisle saying “shitshitshitshitshit” to my Dad, hahaha, but once you get there, you forget about all those people watching, and you just can’t take your eyes off your man, and it’s over in a flash!
Much like Harles and Pokey, I only follow links and occasionally visit to look up things I’m interested in.
A while ago I watched the first season of the Gruen Planet because I’d missed it on tv.
As for personal moments being posted for the whole world to see, maybe I’m old fashioned, but a home video should suffice. Youtube seems a bit tacky.
Also, I thought you could password protect your videos so only a select few can watch them. That would be handy for family and friends afar.
I didn’t know that Cazzy. Maybe some people don’t know that or want fame. :p
I try to stay off you tube. Only because I can spend hours and like smoph I already have plenty of ways to procrastinate. Mostly I love you tube for the 80s music videos, sewing tutorials, skits, parodies etc. I don’t like anything that feels overexposed.
Melx