YouTube has ignited the globe, kindling sparks in Egypt, reports Nader Habib During the past decade, young Egyptians became Internet experts, not only absorbing technology using their own identity. Among the tools used has been the seemingly ubiquitous YouTube. During the 25 January Revolution, YouTube in Egypt was at its most potent when Egyptians, mainly the young generation, managed to convey the events on the ground to the world, to broadcast -- audio and video -- all what the state-owned TV channels, which supported the regime, failed to do. YouTube played a vital role during the revolution, all the while attracting a steady increase in the number of viewers. To launch a localised version of YouTube means that when people in Egypt visit YouTube, they see on the home page the most popular videos in Egypt, along with those that are rising in popularity. Similarly, when someone uploads a video, people -- possibly around the world -- are more likely to be able to find it and watch it. Google hosted a series of workshops last week to showcase how to use YouTube for news and politics. The workshop provided training on the various features and services available on the video sharing platform for news organisations, including broadcasters, print and online media, in addition to government and political organisations. Steve Grove, head of News and Politics for YouTube, highlighted the usage of YouTube in the Middle East, Egypt in particular. Grove demonstrated YouTube Moderator, YouTube Direct, YouTube Trends and YouTube Trends dashboard. "The aim of YouTube is to develop and promote user content to increase access to information, and how politicians can use this tool to succeed in their political marketing and to easily reach their voters," Grove said. "The recent local website we just launched in Egypt," Grove added, "is the seventh in the Middle East and Africa, which means we have local opportunities. In Egypt in particular the revolution opened eyes to the possibilities of YouTube in the region and the ability of the platform to allow citizens and content creators to make change. Because the news and politics in Egypt are some of the most popular contents on the site, I wanted to come here to meet journalists, broadcasters and political officials, to begin to build a partnership on YouTube and make sure that these organisations are able to access audiences easily and effectively. And we want to make sure that as the elections come up this fall we can work to highlight what is taking place here to the world in an active and efficient way. We are doing the best we can to ensure that technology will make this election transparent." Grove highlighted how Egyptians used YouTube to share their stories this year. Of the 1.2 million videos uploaded in Egypt in 2011, 14 per cent were classified as news and politics which is significantly higher than other countries. More than 48 hours of YouTube video are uploaded every minute and more than 200 billion videos are watched every day. In the Middle East there are 100 million videos viewed every day. Grove said that what Wael Ghoneim did in Egypt "was so impressive. He stood up for his beliefs and for the people who seek change in Egypt. He did this on his own, not as an official from Google. Changing Egypt and its future is something Ghoneim cares deeply about." Ghoneim is the Internet activist widely credited for helping energise the 18- day uprising early this year which brought down the government of Hosni Mubarak. It's important to remember that it was not YouTube, Google, Facebook or Twitter that caused the revolution. It was the Egyptians who had the courage to go to Tahrir Square and protest. It was the soul in Egyptians that changed the government, not technology. YouTube simply provided a forum to show the rest of the world what was happening. Videos are one of the most important ways of sharing information. They can provide documentation of human rights abuses and can show whether protests sweeping across the Arab world are peaceful or not. What makes YouTube unique is that its content is accessible from anywhere and by everyone, making it the ideal platform for sharing video information. One of the key reasons for the widespread use of YouTube is that it is easily accessible and cost-free. Someone who doesn't have access to a TV station or a broadcasting company but has a great idea for drama or a clip can attract viewers on YouTube. Bassem Youssef is an example of this in Egypt, having started the Tube channel to gain exposure after which he became in demand by TV stations to broadcast his work. "We have opened YouTube Live for our partners. We would like to develop the platform first and teach people how to use it. I think it will gain popularity as people will develop the content," Grove concluded.
