Practicum Post # 7 - Kristen

During discussion today, we discussed the differences between parodies and appropriation. This brought to my attention another way that I use Youtube that I had not mentioned before. One of my favorite types of music to listen to are mashups. My all time favorite group is called "Norwegian Recycling" and you can find one of their top hits at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3JKKl95Ttrc. It combines Jason Mraz, Howie Day, Five for Fighting, Angela Ammons, Boyzone and 3 Doors Down. They have tons of other mixes that are awesome to listen to! These mixes are not available on iTunes so in order to purchase them, you have to do so in alternative ways - and these songs are comprised of sections of other people's songs. Although it is easily distinguishable as the original artist's work, the inability to get the mashups encourage people to get them illegally. While some mashups may be considered legal under the copyright acts, how people gain access to them is in many cases not legal.

I was not able to think of another website that could come close to Youtube when it comes to displaying original content (aside from text). It is the premium outlet for people to create original content, to alter original content or leave comments on original content.

On a separate note relating to how Youtube is connected to many other types of media, today I received an email from them saying that one of the groups I subscribed to had posted a new video. I thought this was a very beneficial thing for them to do because many people do not check their Youtube accounts everyday, but almost everyone checks their email account everyday. This helps ensure that people are being notified about updates and that they receive them.

In order to sign up for Youtube you have to enter an email address, which they say has to be a google one. I tried it with my school address and it worked, but I was very close to registering for a google email account because I assumed it was required. This in itself helps capitalize on their corporation. Because the two are linked, they have the ability to encourage people to use both by integrating both under each site's service. What I mean by this is: Youtube expects you to sign up using your "google email address" and if you are searching for a video on google, all the videos are from youtube. The merge between the two companies has made them even more of a powerhouse in the media and internet world.