An Exercise on YouTube
Kathleen Steinmetz
When I started this blog, it was about the event that took place at Thayer Media on October 31st – all hallow’s eve. But it turned in to something much much more…
How it began
I know, I know, it is almost Thanksgiving and here I am writing about what happened at Thayer Media on Halloween. What can I say – time flies? Thanksgiving and Halloween are just so close together!
On Halloween, our good friends at Martini on the Rockies radio station visited Thayer Media to deliver Halloween treats. They were dressed as musicians you hear on their station: Elton John, Stevie Nicks, Bette Midler, the Martini mascot herself, and the classy Frank Sinatra. (They pulled up in their limo painted with the Martini logo – we were a bit jealous they were driving around Denver in a limo all day).
They did not just deliver candy. The sales manager, Blake Mendenhall, also delivered a beautiful rendition of Frank Sinatra’s “Summer Wind." We always knew he was a great guy, but who knew he could sing too!
What happened next
Here’s where my blog took a turn… I shot some video footage of the Frank Sinatra performance to share with readers of “The Thought,” so I head to the ever-popular video sharing site YouTube. I have never used the “all buzz all the time” site, so I am prompted to join to upload my video.
All is well until I am asked to create a user name for myself. I quote the phrase at the top of the page:
“Join YouTube. It's free and easy. Just fill out the account info below. (All fields required)”
Please take careful note of the two key words “free” & “easy”
Following this phrase is a form I need to fill out that includes various information such as email, user name, password, confirm password, date of birth, and a verification code that ensures I am not a spammer.
I choose a user name, I fill in a password, I confirm a password and then I verify the code. Oops! That user name was taken. Does the site suggest trying UserNamexyz123 because that is available? No.
I try a new user name. It takes me a few minutes to think of one, I am trying to be a bit more obscure now. Again, I put in a user name, password, confirm the password and I verify the code. And again, “Sorry, that name has been taken” pops up in red letters.
Now I am frustrated. I try one more name, one more time. No dice.
I tell ya, for a company that was recently bought for $1.65 BILLION dollars, that has the video sharing market cornered, is constantly in the press AND boasts some of the largest traffic numbers on the Web, one would think that YouTube would offer these millions of users a little help in the registration process.
My exercise on YouTube ended even before it really began. I can’t say I am not a little disappointed. And you should be, too. That video was worth sharing!
You never know, I just may find a user name that works one of these days and then everyone on the Web can view the video. Until then, enjoy this second picture.
