A Few Tips on Using YouTube

Anyone can get famous for 15 minutes if they have the right content. Some have learned how to ride the wave of fame and make a living out of YouTube videos. But, what about the average user? As it turns out, there are a few tips and tricks most people are not aware of. Here is how to get the most out of your YouTube watching experience.

Sharing a Portion of the Video

We’ve all been there. You find a good clip on the platform and you want to share it with your friends. However, the clip is too long and you are only interested in showing a single joke, blooper, or another interesting scene. How can you share it with your friends without having them go through a tedious amount of content before the punchline you are looking for? Arguably, you could share the entire clip and direct them to the time, but there’s a better way. 

Underneath the video, there’s a Share button. When you click on it, YouTube allows you to choose the time stamp of the clip. You can enter the desired time and only show the piece of the video you believe your friends would like. Convenient, huh?

Create a Playlist

Instead of playing the DJ at a party by searching for specific clips and music, you can simply make a playlist beforehand. You will be met with three options. Making the playlist public means that anyone can access it. Making it unlisted means that only those with the link can watch your playlist. If you value your privacy, however, you can make your list private and only get to it from your own account. The only downside is that some clips may be removed due to copyright, or the owner making the video private or deleting it. After all, you don’t own these videos, you only have the option to see them on the platform.

Watch Later

One of the playlists is designed to help you find the specific video you couldn’t get around to watching before. This usually happens when you want to watch a specific clip, but the recommendations came up with a few interesting suggestions you don’t have time for at that moment. What you do is hover with your mouse over the thumbnail of the video you are interested in. There will be a clock icon in the corner of the thumbnail. Click it and your video is stored in your Watch Later playlist.

Sound Effects

This option is aimed at creators, but anyone can access it. YouTube has a vast library of all kinds of royalty-free sound effects and music that you can use for your own videos and even as melodies for your phone. All you need to do is click on the Create option in the Creator Studio and move on to Audio Library. You can now download human voices saying different things, machine sounds, and weather sounds, to name a few items.