Time magazine declared 2006 the year of "You," naming their Person of the Year in honor of the video on demand website "You Tube [1]."
It doesn't matter who you are or where you live, the world could be watching, even if you're here in Chattanooga.
Robert Medford [2] started dabbling on "You Tube [3]" about 5 months ago. "I was amazed at how ordinary people can basically say anything they want and express their views to the world," says Medford.
He heard about the site from media reports and decided to check it out. "Its like real people entertaining real people."
The site immediately hooked him in. Within a matter of days, Medford went from viewer to videographer. "It was basically just a bunch of pictures, just your basic slide show thing, I just wanted to get something out there, quick."
The ability to instantaneous share personal clips or creations appeals to many in Chattanooga, like Mikey Jenny [4]. "Some of the stuff I put on there is kind of crazy but there's a little something for everyone, I mean there are other people like me so they're interested in my videos just like some people are interested in barbie."
Jenny and his friends hope to post a horror movie one day on "You Tube [5]." Along with getting instant feedback from viewers, he likes how "You Tube [6]" levels the playing field. Jenny says "everybody gets an equal chance, its not oh I got famous because of who I know its always who you know and this give everybody a fair chance all around"
On-line fame has found many "You Tube [7]" users. Webisodes like Chad Vader, Day Shift Manager [8], experiments showing what mentos does to diet coke [9], and even the building & setting of "cartoon bombs [10]" in Boston attract thousands of viewers.
One of the most popular clips from the Tennessee Valley, deals with East Ridge [11]. It's a music video parody that aired years ago on a local tv comedy show. "It was being passed around on message boards and peoples e-mail, people who I knew were sending it around at businesses, you gotta see this," says Bill Colrus. So, he uploaded the clip to "You Tube [12]" for his friends to see... "and now 8501 people have seen it as of today, which is kind of weird."
Colrus, editor of "The Pulse [13]," sees value in "You Tube [14]" beyond entertainment. His staff search the site for watercooler clips, things people talk about that might be worthy of a story... like Faith Hill's outburst [15] at the CMA's. "Somewhere somebody has posted that clip and it will be up there for us to see at least until the network wants them to yang it down for copyright violation or something like that," says Colrus.
Local businesses, organizations, and politicians have also found ways to promote their agendas on youtube.
A quick search turned up postings from Sheriff Billy Long, Senator Bob Corker [16], & Mayor Ron Littlefield [17].
We also found slide show events from the Chattanooga Community Kitchen [18], ads for a local night club [19], tattoo parlor [20], and church [21].
Rock Creek Outfitters [22] created a "You Tube [23]" account to share a flyby rendering of their new development on the North Shore. Then, customers found the site. Mark McKnight says "we started to get videos of people in the outdoors and had staff members come to us with videos kayaking, climbing, what have you."
That seems to be the driving force behind "You Tube [24]'s popularity. Yes, you can find negative stuff like huffers, bomb makers, and animal abuse [25], but mostly, it's people just wanting to connect with others and share their experiences.
Jenny says "if its interesting to you, most likely its been put on there." Medford adds "I just wanted the world to see, hey this is my city come visit it"
We've created a special website for this story through "You Tube [26]." You can view some WDEF News 12 clips [27] there.
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