How does YouTube work?

It's important to know why and how YouTube works. Why? Because it's owned by Google, and in the realm of online video sharing sites, it garners a whopping 66% share of the marketplace of people who watch videos online. That's a lot!

YouTube is called an online sharing portal, or network. That means that anyone, with a free account, can create and upload videos to be hosted on YouTube, viewable by all of their users, or just your friends. There are, by last count, about 200 or more online sharing sites similar to YouTube.

According to YouTube's site...

Founded in February 2005, YouTube is the leader in online video, and the premier destination to watch and share original videos worldwide through a Web experience. YouTube allows people to easily upload and share video clips on www.YouTube.com and across the Internet through websites, mobile devices, blogs, and email.

Everyone can watch videos on YouTube. People can see first-hand accounts of current events, find videos about their hobbies and interests, and discover the quirky and unusual. As more people capture special moments on video, YouTube is empowering them to become the broadcasters of tomorrow

YouTube has changed the way that consumers and businesses communicate and market. The ability to upload and share videos through Web video channels has enabled millions to express themselves in first-person form.