13 October 2006 | Author: C. Philip

What next for the GoogleTubers??

Following the Google-YouTube news released on the 12th of October, we'd like to take a look at what the merge has brought about thus far, as well as what we may have to prepare ourselves for in the future.

We all know that 1.65 billion bucks is a pretty good earner for the founders of YouTube. I'm sure the news has indeed prompted millions of budding Googlers around the world into thinking what they would spend a tidy fortune like that on. So what's next for the co-founders of YouTube? Did they purchase an island paradise in the Caribbean and everything else they've ever wanted? That's what I would have done, but the first thing that they did was to post a goofy and unrehearsed video online - and why not? The video showed the co-founders thanking the YouTube community in a jocular manner for their support; but one big question was left unanswered in this video.

The question was asked by the cameraman and directed towards Chad Hurley, 29, and Steve Chen, 27. It was "What does [the deal] mean for the user community?"

What thousands of YouTubers may now be wondering is whether 'GooTube' will even have room for the bedroom video-makers who created the site's billion-dollar identity. Will the little guy be crowded out by advertising and corporate involvement as plans roll into action?

Intentions have already been indicated this week regarding the way YouTube would like to progress. On 10 October, Julie Supan, the senior director of marketing at YouTube, said:

"We could have never built this without the community. That is what we're fiercely protecting."

YouTube has indeed served as a gateway into a new online frontier. Since its start in February 2005, it has become the pre-eminent site for internet video, drawing a worldwide audience of 72.1 million in August. YouTube has a distinct community of users who communicate by video and posted comments. The community is made up of bloggers and vloggers alike, and although the site expanded at an incredible rate, the YouTube community has always stayed intact. People have become passionate and protective about the YouTube phenomenon, and this week's deal has brought about a huge number of displeased YouTubers who have been airing their views and concerns. The often outspoken YouTube community member, Richard Stern, said:

"The Wild West feel of YouTube is already slipping away, and within a few weeks it likely will be gone altogether."

However, last week's deal determined that the 66 YouTube employees will continue to work independently at their new offices in San Bruno, California. Google, however, is expected to give YouTube a considerable marketing boost, increasing the number of ads on the site. On-site advertising has indeed been a concern within the YouTube community, with fears that Google's influence will cause the homepage to become bogged down with un-personal adverts. Luke Barat, the man behind many of YouTubes popular sketch videos, is open mined and optimistic about the deal. He said:

"If the advertising is kept as unobtrusive as possible, I doubt there will be much backlash from the YouTube community. The fact of the matter is that YouTube still offers a great product - a widely used embeddable player that works on both PC and Mac."

It's difficult to tell how the deal will unfold, and whether the YouTube community will emerge contented or not. One thing is certain however: Google is a remarkable company and has demonstrated huge successes time and time again with its various business ventures. Many people have high hopes for Google's YouTube purchase, so lets just keep our ears to the ground for the next newsflash in the world of 'GooTube'.

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