I really like YouTube. It is brilliantly easy to use, almost universally accessible, and unparalleled in its ability to popularize creative and funny people. YouTube is single handedly responsible for causing an irreversible drop in world productivity while simultaneously bringing countless amounts of joy to average people. It does this without charging users and while staying mostly advertising free.

As an emerging SEO, I can't help but to view this platform from a marketing perspective. This website serves user generated content to millions of people daily. Everyday, normal people upload creative (or useless) videos and watch while people from all over the world leave feedback on their creations. YouTube has become a free avenue to digitally immortalize the funniest, cutest, and dumbest people society has to offer.

I was reminded about this tonight while eating dinner. My brother and I were arguing about something food related and I was reminded of one of my favorite Saturday Night Live skits. It is a short about Adam Samberg punching people right before they eat. Vulgar and rudimentary? Yes. However, hilarious nonetheless.


After dinner I went on YouTube to watch the skit. Upon searching for it, I was shown a pageful of amateur reenactments. Disappointed, I went to another video website to find the gem. I quickly found it, showed it to my family, and laughed. Looking back on not finding it on YouTube, I concluded that it must have been removed due to copyright violations.

I contemplated uploading the copyrighted video to YouTube and being the sole contributor of one of SNL's best skits to the website's community. In the user generated content world, it is not uncommon for success to be measured in pageviews rather than profits. I find a certain joy in posting or submitting something that is seen by hundreds or even hundreds of thousands of people. Even without receiving any tangible rewards, the knowledge that something I contributed positively affected many people's day is a goal to strive for.

I acquired a copy of the video and logged into YouTube to upload it. I paused upon seeing the copyright notice and started thinking there is a reason this popular video is not on YouTube. I pondered for a second, decided I left enough commercial content in the video (Hulu anyone?), and said "Oh, what's the worst that could happen?" I hit the upload button and waited.

About five minutes later I received an e-mail from YouTube on behalf of NBC.


Oh.... that's the worst thing that can happen. Fizzle... Suddenly it dawned on me that YouTube is owned by Google. Not only does Google have access to my primary address, but it also stores my credit card number, bank account number (Adsense), data on my finances, and information about where I work.

Sarah..... the internet is trying to send me to jail again...

Cautiously I logged into my Gmail account and clicked on the e-mail from YouTube/NBC.

Dear YouTube Member:

NBC Universal has claimed some or all visual content in your video SNL People Getting Punched Just Before Eating. This claim was made as part of the YouTube Content Identification program.

I continued reading, looking for some kind of loophole.

Your video is still live because NBC Universal has authorized the use of this content on YouTube. As long as NBC Universal has a claim on your video, they will receive public statistics about your video, such as number of views. Viewers may also see advertising on your video's page. [You also can't embed the video on other websites.]

Claim Details:

Copyright owner:
NBC Universal
Content claimed:
Some or all of the visual content
Policy:
Allow this content to remain on YouTube.

Send public statistics about this video to NBC Universal.

Applies to these locations:
Everywhere

Well, I didn't see that coming. NBC was going to let me keep the video online without any repercussions. In return for me posting the company's copyrighted content, all it wanted was access to publicly available viewing statistics of the video and the chance to advertise with its own content.

It appears that NBC finally understands the power of online marketing. All I wanted to do was share my favorite content with friends, family, and about a half billion of my closest internet acquaintances. The studio executives understand this and finally have matured to the point where they are willing to let me and other internet  users promote NBC content.

I am thrilled to see old media working with new media in such a progressive way. I understand that NBC is really scheming to make money off of my promotional efforts. However, it has started to work with me as opposed to continuing to fight me. When I TiVo TV shows or download music, it is not because I want to strip TV writers or musicians from profits. I just want to enjoy the content in a way that is convenient for me. I am sorry to see hard working employees of the music, film, and television industry lose their jobs but I don't feel bad for the industries as a whole. Just as light bulbs replaced candles as the primary indoor light source, the modern media industries are being replaced by newer technologies. Industrial evolution is a fact of business that's inevitable.

It is refreshing to see NBC working with new technologies to find solutions rather then acting like its counterpart, the RIAA, and fighting change. Well done, NBC, I am glad that I could be part of your initial steps in the right direction.