We are very excited to announce some big changes to our policy enforcement systems. Having clear rules and fair consequences are genuinely important to us and these improvements have been a long time coming. STRIKES THAT EXPIRE It didn't seem fair that a user who uploads three videos that violate the Community Guidelines over the span of a year was being treated the same as someone who uploads those same videos over the course of a week. To change this,

What do Japan, Australia, and Ireland all have in common? They are the newest countries from which users can now apply to become partners in the YouTube Partner Program. Now open in six countries, the YouTube Partner Program is our way of recognizing the most popular and prolific original content creators in the YouTube community worldwide. It's only been four months since we first expanded in December,

In week two of our new ongoing series, "Trendspotting Tuesday," we're focusing on collaboration videos. Collaborations on YouTube can take many forms, but broadly they are videos in which anywhere from two to a zillion YouTubers band together to create something that probably wouldn't have been possible pre-Internet or pre-YouTube; things like community-driven narratives, artistic compositions created by people living on different continents, mass self-expression,

Education is an issue in every election, because it is rooted in every community. However, in national elections we often find educational issues dwarfed by broader concerns - security, the economy, and healthcare. Here on YouTube we've seen the debate over education in America thrive - several advocacy groups have used the site to draw awareness to the issue and several YouTubers have pushed "upload" to have their say. The EDinO8 campaign , funded by the Gates Foundation,

You don't have to wait 'til November to cast your vote on YouTube. In fact, the polls close on April 15th for the most fiercely contested battle in the world of comedy video - Sketchies 2. After the community voted for your favorite semi-finalists, a short list of ten have grappled with the concept of "living the dream," and come out laughing. Indubitably so, some might say. To see how our finalists worked the word "indubitably" into ten distinctly different sketches,

Some very cool new features have just been unveiled on YouTube, check 'em out... VIDEO SHARING IMPROVEMENTS We revamped the video watch page by adding more sharing features and a new streamlined design to the Share, Favorite, Playlists and Flag sections. We now show some top social sharing sites directly on the video watch page, making it easier for you to share your favorite videos with your network.

When we announced our free analytics tool called YouTube Insight two weeks ago, we promised to update Insight with new features and information fairly quickly, and we weren't kidding. Today we're releasing a new feature that helps you better understand the viewing trends of your YouTube videos: a discovery tab that shows how viewers found your video, whether by searching on YouTube or Google, browsing under "related videos,

Every day you surprise and delight us with the way you use YouTube and the things that rise up on the site. From the tecktonik dance trend that germinated in France and spread like ivy throughout the Internet to the amazing video collaborations that could only happen because of the Internet, we love that YouTube can be a catalyst for so much creativity, change, and connection. To that end, we're launching a new home page initiative called "Trendspotting Tuesday.

When we launched our You Choose '08 Voter Video programs - highlighting your videos around the 2008 caucuses and primaries in Iowa , New Hampshire , and on Super Tuesday - we pretty much figured we had the primary season covered. Whoops. This election has turned out to be one of the most exciting and contentious in decades - and the next big stop on the campaign trail is Pennsylvania.

In the second of our six-part You Choose '08 series on the issues in this election, we examine one of the most hotly-debated issues of the last two decades: healthcare. Based on polls, most Americans agree that health care reform should be a top priority of the next administration. But just how should the government go about reforming America's healthcare system? YouTubers from all sides of the issue have been weighing in. In her video "Frustration In America,

Today we are proud to launch Living Legends , a new monthly program that invites luminaries from around the world to communicate directly with the YouTube community by answering your questions and becoming a genuine participant on the site. We plan on bringing you an exciting roster of leaders in film, sports, politics, and a whole lot more. But, first, we begin with a little rock 'n' roll. Only these blokes are not exactly little,

For the last three weeks, the protests in Tibet have riveted the world's attention and sparked a firestorm of debate here on YouTube. Beginning on March 10, the 49th anniversary of the Dalai Lama's exile, monks in Lhasa led what were intended to be a series of peaceful demonstrations for Tibetan independence. But on March 14, the demonstrations turned violent and a massive crackdown by the Chinese authorities ensued.

We often describe our You Choose '08 platform as "the world's largest town hall" for political discussion. Every day there are thousands of discussions on YouTube over the issues that face our communities, our families, and our world. Starting today, in this blog, we're going to put forth a six-part series focusing on public topics that are being discussed in various circles on YouTube. We begin with the U.S. economy. It's no secret that with the declining dollar, the U.S.

Whether a YouTube video has 10 views or 10,000,000, people always want to know the same thing: who's watching this? Where do viewers come from? How did they find my video? Finally, we have some answers. Today we're releasing YouTube Insight, a free tool that enables anyone with a YouTube account to view detailed statistics about the videos that they upload to the site. For example, uploaders can see how often their videos are viewed in different geographic regions,

And the results are in! Hundreds of thousands votes were cast during the week-long voting process, and 12 videos emerged victorious in their respective categories. Head over here to see the winners or click here to review all the nominees, which were largely defined as the videos you favorited to watch again and again, that generated the most discussion or views, and/or made some kind of societal impact.

This week marks the fifth anniversary of the Iraq War. Though YouTube did not even exist when American missiles first struck Baghdad five years ago today, it has since been used by hundreds of thousands of people to document, discuss, and debate the most controversial war of this century. U.S. soldiers have used YouTube in unique ways. Some have filmed holiday greetings to send back home to family members. Others have documented what life is like on the ground ,

Film schools have helped produce some of the greatest filmmakers of all time - Martin Scorsese and Francis Ford Coppola, to name a few. But, in many ways, they've also been restricted to a select few. Which is why I'm pleased to report that today marks the start of a partnership between YouTube and the Vancouver Film School to make film school accessible to up-and-coming filmmakers all over the world! Aspiring directors, actors, animators,

You may have noticed that we're now giving you the option of watching some YouTube videos in higher quality . We're making these streams available on certain videos, based upon the source file uploaded to us, and over time you'll find a greater percentage of the library is available to view in higher quality. This feature applies to all eligible videos uploaded from the YouTube community, and is not restricted to partner content, so everyone can enjoy this upgrade.

In 2007, we witnessed an explosion of ideas and creativity on YouTube. You showed us that online video is not just a way to share pet and baby videos )though it is certainly good for that, too(, but rather it can be so much more: a showcase for aspiring artists, a megaphone for everyday people, a way to learn new skills and even to change the political process. In recognition of all of these vibrant uses of and communities on YouTube,

We try really hard to make YouTube as open as possible. Anyone can upload and view videos, which can be embedded anywhere and viewed on all kinds of different devices. And, of course, anyone can participate in our community by commenting on videos, rating them, and sharing them with friends. Nevertheless, we worried that we weren't open enough. So, we pulled some all-nighters and added some powerful new ways to integrate YouTube content and community into other websites,