Uploading Your Video to the Internet

If you have a website you're dying to upload videos to but aren't sure how to go about it, read on. It's a lot easier than you think, and in no time you should be adding videos with the best of the YouTube community. What could only be imagined a few years ago has become a way of life thanks to the increased availability of broadband connections (although the creation of the YouTube website has definitely accelerated the popularity of website videos.) For the uninitiated, YouTube is a website that houses and displays thousands of videos submitted by its users. If you'd like to join their ranks, all you have to do is learn how to upload your movies to the web.

Think such a thing is impossible? Not at all. People who don't even know how to program a VCR can upload videos onto the Internet as long as they have the right equipment and the basic knowledge. Recent advances in technology have made the process nearly foolproof and as simple as point, shoot, and upload.

The bare minimum equipment you'll need are: a computer (obviously) with at least one Firewire port; a recent OS (operating system) like Windows Vista or XP; a cable for the Firewire port; a digital video camera and a stand for the camera. Alternately, you can get a simple webcam for your videos, but I find them to be a little unwieldy and inflexible-you can only film the area around the computer with a webcam, but you can take a digital camera almost anywhere (though I would strongly discourage taking it into a public restroom.) There's other, more specialized equipment you can buy that will lend a polished look to your videos, but the above equipment is all you need to get up and running within a few hours.

Set up your video camera on its stand and put your computer next to it; a laptop computer is recommended for maximum portability. Attach the video camera to the cable for the Firewire, and then plug the cable into the computer. Assuming you're using Windows Vista or XP, the computer will understand what you're trying to do and a screen will pop up with the "capture video" icon to open Movie Maker.

Lighting is an important factor to keep in mind: if you want people to actually see your video and not a shadowy mess, you'll need to shoot in an area with ample lighting. When you click on the "create video" button in Movie Maker, you're on. Lights, camera, action!

After you've made a video you're satisfied with, cycle through it in the "collections" area of Movie Maker. Click and hold the left mouse button (called "dragging") to bring the movie clip down to the part of the screen marked "Timeline". When it shows up in the timeline area, you're ready to edit. Take advantage of this step to scrutinize your clip: is there anything unnecessary or out of place that needs to be cut? That joke may have seemed appropriate at the time, but does it seem corny or stilted now? View the clip with a critical eye, like the audience that's going to see your movie will, and edit accordingly. Now's also the time to add any extras to the video, like overlaying a soundtrack or inserting credits.

When you're happy with the video you've created, you need to save it. The good news is Windows makes this process fairly easy: just click the save button. Windows will ask how you'd like to save the video; tell it you want it saved in the highest quality possible for computer playback. Remember, bigger isn't always better when it comes to computer files. The bigger the file, the longer the upload (and download) time. You'll learn fast that speed takes priority over quality when it comes to Internet videos, and even the most brilliant clip will fade into obscurity if it takes too long to get ready.

So now you have a beautiful video, shot in a well-lit area and edited to cut out the filler parts. Now all you need to do is upload it somewhere and share it with the world. Enter YouTube, your gateway to visual media on the web. Signing up on YouTube is easy and free. Set up an account, then go to "My Videos" and follow the instructions to upload your video onto their website. Congratulations, you've just become a bona fide member of the YouTube community! If you continue uploading videos that are entertaining or informative you may even find yourself with an established reputation and become a respected uploader. If you have a website you want the video to appear on, watch the clip on YouTube and look for the area that reads "Embed". There's a code you can copy (Ctrl+C) and paste (Ctrl+V) into the source code of your website. Check the website to make sure the video ended up where you wanted it. Once you've finished this step, you can sit back and bask in the knowledge that you've accomplished something you thought was impossible just a few hours ago.