Happy Birthday You Tube

Last Sunday someone had a birthday!

Yep, the online video giant is 5 years old.

This is what they said on their official blog:

Five years ago, after months of late nights, testing and preparation, YouTube’s founders launched the first beta version of YouTube.com in May, with a simple mission: give anyone a place to easily upload their videos and share them with the world. Whether you were an aspiring filmmaker, a politician, a proud parent, or someone who just wanted to connect with something bigger, YouTube became the place where you could broadcast yourself.

Proud group huh?

Who knew in 2005, this once impossible project and idea would be streaming well over 2 billion views per day and serving millions of online viewers interests with the likes of Conan Obrien (re-runs of course) and real time news updates from CNN to Fox News. This is more than two times the amount of prime time viewers per day, according to the official You Tube blog.

Apparently they aren’t bashful of their success; check out the new You Tube Five Year Anniversary Channel. Go Figure

Even though Facebook and other social networking sites play a leading role in video sharing, YouTube is still the primary source for online video uploading; while boasting #4 Alexa rank in the United States

It’s clear YouTube has transformed the world. I remember the days I would search Google for some obscure video hoping to find a a clip I saw on T.V or a famous speech. Not only is YouTube a place to host videos, but a secondary search engine with it’s own keyword search tool for online marketers…as you probably already know, I hope.

Their advertising program essentially works the same way as Google Adwords, with the ability to upload a selection of keywords and use their auction based bidding system.

Here are some interesting stats to consider when “celebrating” this great feat:

*    Supports HD and 3D Formats

*    Broadcasts entire sports seasons live to 200+ countries.

*    Offer feature Hollywood films as well as Independent films

*    Political figures and social activists utilize YouTube to spreas their message.

*    The average user spends 15 minutes a day on YouTube

*    YouTube’s bandwidth costs are estimated at approximately $1 million a day

As always if you have any comments or questions, feel free to drop me a line. Regardless of what you think, we here at Meta Fever always value your feedback. Commenting is always welcome – as it spurs great discussion.