One of the many wonderful things that recent technological advancement has given us is this whole new ability to become famous in an online world, and now on mobile phones. The explosion in the use of smartphones and other Internet-enabled mobile devices has given rise to what has become a new industry in the world of entertainment. In fact, with the advent of iPhones, Androids, Symbian, Blackberry and the like, virtually anyone with one can access the Internet anywhere and at any time of the day, which of course includes YouTube.
These mobile devices were created out of the sheer need to simplify work, but a large percentage of those who own these devices are engaged in playing games, running applications, surfing the Internet, listening to music, and of course, watching videos.
Video streaming is now the most popular application for mobile users around the world. In fact, according to surveys by Allot Communications, online video accounts for 35% or one-third of total mobile usage. Of all the video streams circulating around the world, 40% is YouTube, and YouTube also accounts for 13% of global mobile data bandwidth. Gartner Inc., a research firm, said that by 2013, the number of Internet-ready mobile phones will exceed the number of computers in the world. A testament to this is one of my “Only Gay” videos, which got the majority of its views on mobile phones (and surpassed 100k views in its first month online).
Given the status of streaming video in global mobile usage and recent innovations by YouTube and other streaming video websites, there’s a good chance your popularity on the web will reach an all-time high if you engage in online video. doing. Think about this global phenomenon and how you can use it to your advantage. Streaming video on mobile phones is much like watching video on a computer, only more accessible and portable.
With the launch of YouTube for mobile, mobile users can now jump on the bandwagon and enjoy the convenience of streaming video right from their pockets. This new feature provides a personalized mobile home page for users, high-quality video playback specifically for your phone, a “Related Videos” section like the desktop version, and a new navigation list. You can also upload videos directly from your mobile phone and search, share, rate and comment on videos from the mobile website.
One downside to YouTube mobile video at this stage is that annotations (the text and link bubbles that video producers can put on different parts of their videos) don’t work. So keep in mind that with your upcoming videos, as more and more people switch to watching on their phones, you’ll want to make sure your video doesn’t have too many links in the annotations.
A completely portable and accessible world of mobile video is on the way, so be sure to take advantage of the technology because you never know who the next smartphone superstar will be.