1. Becoming a YouTuber

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The world of social media has resulted in the introduction of specific terms in the English language. Below are some of those terms, can you remember them? Match them to their meaning.

Term  Meaning
born in the 1980s or early 1990s
someone who makes and appears in videos on YouTube
traditional forms of mass communication, such as newspapers, television, and radio (as opposed to the Internet) regarded collectively
On certain social media, "likes" used to show approval
a person who films his/her thoughts, opinions, or experiences and publishes them on the Internet.
someone who affects or changes the way that other people behave through their use of social media
A person who has arranged to receive or access a service
Someone who is tracking a particular person, group, organization, etc. on a social media website or application
An account or explanation of a subject on a computer screen, intended for private study.
A piece of writing, image, or other item of content published online, typically on a blog or social media website or application
a function used to alter the overall appearance of an image in a specific manner
A word or phrase preceded by a hash sign (#) used on social media to identify messages on a specific topic
An electronic tag that assigns a geographical location to a photograph or video, a posting on a social media website, etc.
A channel that is of higher than usual quality

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What is YouTube?

YouTube is an American video-sharing website headquartered in San Bruno, California. The service was created in February 2005. Google bought the site in November 2006, and YouTube now operates as one of Google's subsidiaries.

YouTube logo
Image in Wikimedia Commons. CC license

YouTube allows users to upload, view, rate, share, add to favorites, report, comment on videos, and subscribe to other users. It offers a wide variety of user-generated and corporate media videos. Available content includes video clips, TV show clips, music videos, short and documentary films, audio recordings, movie trailers, live streams, and other content such as video blogging, short original videos, and educational videos. Most of the content on YouTube is uploaded by individuals, but media corporations including CBS, the BBC, Vevo, and Hulu offer some of their material via YouTube as part of the YouTube partnership program. Unregistered users can only watch videos on the site, while registered users are permitted to upload an unlimited number of videos and add comments to videos. Videos deemed potentially inappropriate are available only to registered users affirming themselves to be at least 18 years old.

Adapted from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/YouTube 

Reflexión

According to the description of YouTube, which of the words in the vocabulary matching activity you did before could you use in order to talk about it?

Get thinking     

Read the following text to get an idea of what you would need in order to become a YouTuber. You will need this information in order to do the next activity:

How to become a YouTube star: seven tips from Luzu 

Laptop and camera set up 

Image by Jakob Montasio in Flickr. CC license

Luzu used to work at a TV production company, but in 2011 he launched his own YouTube channel called LuzuVlogs. Four years on, the Spanish-language vlogging channel has nearly 1.6 million subscribers, with Luzu now running two others.

Here are the highlights of his advice:

A) Don't just follow trends
A lot of budding YouTubers look at what's popular on the online video service, and copy it. Luzu suggested that there might be a much better starting point based on what they're not watching.

B) Be patient in the early days
Almost no one uploads their first video to YouTube and becomes a massive success straight away – and when they do, that doesn't mean they can repeat it. Luzu encouraged creators to be patient and keep plugging away.

C) It's worth investing in equipment
With a background in TV production, Luzu started with an advantage over the average bedroom vlogger. Even so, he noted that nowadays, people can get up and running at zero cost if they have a decent smartphone already in their pocket.

D) You don't necessarily need a large crew
Luzu runs his channel with one other person, his girlfriend. As he has grown, he has resisted the temptation to start hiring a large crew.

E) Invest time in social media

A common theme for YouTubers is that they don't just interact with their fans on YouTube: most spend a lot of time on Twitter, Facebook and other social platforms and apps – it's as important a part of the job as making the videos in the first place

F) Collaborate, but bring something original to the table
One of the proven ways for YouTubers to build their audiences is by collaborating with one another, with emerging channels able to quickly pick up subscribers through a canny collab with a bigger star. Luzu said one key to finding collaborators is to look for people at your level who are also on their way up.

G) Consider multiple channels as you grow
All YouTube creators start with a single channel, but Luzu said that as his had got more popular, he felt the need to launch the others to avoid a one-size-fits-all approach to his videos.

Adapted from: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/apr/15/youtube-become-star-tips-luzu-vlogger 

Get talking

You and your partner are thinking of starting your own YouTube channel. Based on the seven tips you have just read, talk about the resources you have in order to become YouTubers, what you would need, the type of channel you would like to start and what you would be offering your followers, and what fresh ideas you count on in order to be successful. Talk for about 5 minutes.

Channel Subscriber
 

Image by Estudios Oban in Flickr. CC license

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Read the text and fill in the gaps with the missing phrases:

Why are YouTube stars so popular?

YouTube official logo
 

Image in Wikimedia Commons. Public Domain.


British vlogger Zoella has just reached the milestone of 10m subscribers to her main YouTube channel, but she has a long way to go to catch its most popular creator PewDiePie, who is about to pass 42m.

They're just two of the most prominent YouTube stars. How have these YouTubers become so popular? It can seem baffling to people outside their main viewing demographic: smartphone-toting "millennials" (if not more) watching short form video online as they do traditional TV shows. Yet the top YouTube stars aren't just popular: they are genuinely influential figures for their young fans.

According to a survey "YouTubers were judged to be more engaging, extraordinary and relatable than mainstream stars, . In terms of sex appeal, the two types of celebs finished just about even." "Looking at survey comments and feedback, teens enjoy an intimate and authentic experience with YouTube celebrities, . Teens also say they appreciate YouTube stars' more candid sense of humour, lack of filter and risk-taking spirit, behaviours often curbed by Hollywood handlers."

That’s one of the key things to understand about , if you’re struggling to see it in their content – for their fans, the contrast with stars from the world of music, film and television has been a big factor in their rise.

Their very ordinariness – their relatability – is what makes them so appealing. The “girl or boy next door” who is “just like us” is not an unusual trope in the entertainment world but on YouTube, it’s heightened.

A 2015 study suggested that teenagers’ emotional attachment to YouTube stars is “as much as seven times greater than that toward a traditional celebrity” for these reasons.

There are technical aspects to this too. By necessity, vlogging started out as a format with a person talking – and thus directly to the viewer – often close to the camera and filming in their bedroom. It created a sense of intimacy, and one that many YouTube stars have tried to maintain even as they got better cameras and editing kit. But it even extends to how many of them address their audiences.

To their fans, YouTube stars feel more authentic and relatable than many traditional celebrities, and that's something that is they publish. The fact that this may annoy or baffle non-fans – parents in particular – is part of the appeal.

It may also be , though, for any YouTubers whose fans perceive them to be drifting away from that authentic, relatable status.
Staying relatable when you're earning a high six- or even seven-figure annual income is one challenge, albeit hardly unfamiliar from . But there are other trends that could change the relationship some YouTubers have with their audiences. Many are working more with brands to sponsor their videos, for example. The risk is less that fans think they've sold out – many YouTubers are refreshingly for taking the cash – and more that some may end up that turn their viewers off.

The key thing to understand about YouTube stars is that the content of their videos – whether it’s Let’s Play game commentaries, makeup tutorials or personal vlogs – is only one half of their appeal.

The connection to their audiences is the other: they have grown up with the tools to forge and strengthen that connection, and many will use that as their anchor to keep their feet on the ground.

Adapted from: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/feb/03/why-youtube-stars-popular-zoella 

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Pregunta Verdadero-Falso

Watch the video about the World's Richest YouTuber, then say if the following statements are True or False:

Pregunta 1

Video in Youtube

1. DanTDM became popular among children by uploading videos of himself playing Pokemon.

Pregunta 2

2. People disapprove of what DanTDM does for a living.

Pregunta 3

3. Dan has always been a businessman.

Pregunta 4

4. Dan asks his family for ideas for his videos when he runs out of them.

Pregunta 5

5. YouTubers get paid according to how many adverts viewers watch while, before or after watching their videos.

Pregunta 6

6. Parents approve of DanTDM's videos online.

Pregunta 7

7. Dan chooses what games to play in his videos based on how much money he will get for that.

Pregunta 8

8. Dan thinks the reason why Zoella is not earning as much as other male YouTubers is that there is a gender gap in YouTube.