Youtube is the world’s second-largest website. It is second only to its parent company, Google. As of January 2021, there were 1 billion monthly users on the platform. It makes you wonder. Why do people love Youtube so much?
Youtube is the world’s primary video-sharing platform. It is where video content creators can thrive. It also offers opportunities for aspiring artists and filmmakers. Youtube helps them by providing a platform where they can post their creations. Furthermore, it has a program that allows creators to earn money.
Since its creation, Youtube has considered the creation of long-form videos as its primary focus. In fact, for a video to be monetized, it has to be at least 10 minutes long.
However, long-form videos are not always the ideal type of content. Sometimes, people prefer watching short “snackable” videos. This has been made evident by the steadily increasing popularity of TikTok.
TikTok As A Rival To Youtube
Compared to Youtube, TikTok is relatively new. Still, it has garnered enough users to make Youtube feel alarmed. While the two diverge on their video format, they target the same creators and audiences. Thus, there is competition.
TikTok is a video-sharing platform whose focus is on short-form videos, often in combination with music and filters. This type of videos is prominent these days because people’s, especially Gen Z’s, attention span becomes shorter and shorter. They experience trouble focusing on one thing. On top of that, despite the tech sector’s effort to make our lives easier, we are almost always busy. We don’t usually have time to spend watching lengthy videos. The time would be better spent on watching shorter videos. That way, we can consume more.
Another reason people flock to TikTok rather than Youtube is that their chance of being popular in the former is higher. It is easy to be viral on TikTok. All you need to do is ride the trends, and the algorithm will work in your favor. Since the videos are short, they can be easily made. Furthermore, the editing tools you would need are available in the app itself, so it will take less effort than making a video on Youtube. For these reasons, people choose to be on TikTor rather than on Youtube even though the latter has a more developed monetization system.
Social Media Network’s Effort in Taking On TikTok
The quick rise of TikTok highlighted the demand for short-form videos. It is now becoming one of the primary forms of entertainment. Of course, social media sites would be worried that their user base may transfer to TikTok and stop using their apps and websites. So, they make efforts in taking on TikTok by introducing similar features. For example, Instagram introduced Reels, and they are being adamant about making people use the feature.
Youtube is more alarmed. After all, TikTok is challenging its position as the king of web video. So, Youtube also made ways to incorporate short-form videos into its system. They are doing it through Youtube Shorts.
Youtube admits that for so long, it hasn’t provided many opportunities for up-and-coming creators to grow. The scales always favored the already established ones. Now, with this feature, they can shoot nobodies to fame in just one night.
This is a huge step from Youtube. Youtube Shorts is about to change the game. As Todd Sherman, a product manager for Shorts, put it, it feels like they are building Youtube once again. It’s also one of the easiest ways to buy yourself real YouTube views to boost your exposure!
Right now, users can upload content from the rival app, TikTok, to Shorts. The stories in Facebook messenger and Instagram are filled with them, so that was expected. However, as Shorts mature and develop, they will start prioritizing original content.
Step-by-Step Guide On Making Youtube Shorts.
Youtube Shorts are short videos that are meant to be viewed on Youtube’s mobile application. To make your own, follow the steps provided below.
Step 1: Go To Shorts Window
Tap the Shorts icon at the bottom of the screen to go to Shorts. It is located beside the Home icon.
Step 2: Tap The Camera Icon
Once in the Shorts tab, IOS users need to tap the camera icon at the upper right part of the screen.
This and the first step may not be necessary for android users. They can go from the home screen directly to the Shorts creation window. To do that, tap on the Create or the plus (+) icon at the middle bottom of the screen. Then, select the option “Create a Short.”
Step 3: Grant Permission
If you haven’t uploaded anything on Youtube with your device before, you would be asked to do this. The system will ask you for access to your device’s camera and microphone. You will not be able to proceed if you decline. Tap “Allow Access” to go to the next step.
Step 4: Navigating The Shorts Creation Window
After giving the necessary permissions, you will land on the Shorts creation Window. The interface is quite similar to Facebook stories. On the upper right side of the screen, you can find the “Flip,” “Speed,” “Timer,” and “Filters” buttons. Then, on the upper-middle part, you can find the “Add Music” button. Tap on these to “edit” your video even before you record it.
The red button at the bottom of the screen will start the recording of the video. If you already have a video ready for upload, tap on the icon at the bottom-left corner of the screen.
Step 5: Decide If You Want To Keep Or Discard The Footage
Tap the red button again to stop recording. If you want to reshoot, simply tap the button again. OIn the other hand, if you are already satisfied, tap on the checkmark icon at the bottom-right corner instead.
Step 6: Editing
After step 5, you will be shown a preview of the video you recorded. Here, you can do further editing. You can add music, texts, and filters. Also, you can adjust the alignment and speed. When you are done, tap the “Next” button in the top-right corner of the screen.
Step 7: Upload
A video title will be required before you can post it to Youtube Shorts. To do so, tap the “Create a Title” and enter your desired title for the video. If you want to, you can also edit the privacy and audience setting of your video before doing the upload.
When all is set, tap the “Upload” button in the top-right corner of the screen. Your video will then be sent to the Youtube Shorts section on the app.
Date: July 13, 2021 / Categories: YouTube, / Author: Joy P
