YouTube launched a pilot of their Partner Program - a way for some of the site's most prolific users to obtain a share of advertising revenue - earlier this year. The scheme allowed partners to decide which of their videos they'd like to see displayed alongside adverts and subsequently helped them garner a portion of the revenue the ads generated. The pilot proved successful, even if its partner numbers were rather limited. Yesterday, YouTube announced the expansion of their Partner Program and called for applications from interested YouTube users. If you live in Canada or the United States, you could apply to be a partner right now. If you live elsewhere, hang tight - they're hoping to expand to an international market soon.
All prolific users in the US and Canada are welcome to apply, but not everyone will be accepted. According to YouTube, they will be looking to reward their "most dedicated community members: those who are regularly uploading original content", the kind of users who "consistently comply with the YouTube terms of use" and "who have built a significant audience".
However, the size of profits made available to users still remains unclear - but a small profit is surely better than no profit at all. Moreover, one of the most attractive features of YouTube's Partner Program is its non-exclusive agreement, meaning that users remain free to tout their videos elsewhere even if they become a partner.
For a recent YouTube success story, look no further than Tay Zonday. The young singer songwriter posted a video of his song Chocolate Rain which attracted so much interest that Dr Pepper funded a lavish follow up video. Cherry Chocolate Rain is a not so subtle ad for the soon to be released Cherry Chocolate Diet Dr Pepper. While it's unknown how much Zonday was paid, it's clear that the ad has jettisoned this YouTube user into the cyber stratosphere. It's therefore unsurprising that he is amongst the 100 users YouTube added to its Partner Program when previewing their new application process.Not everyone will see success of Zonday's ilk - but if you've been happily posting videos on YouTube for years, without the prospect of monetary gain, this could be the cherry on the top of your video sharing sundae.
