WHAT IS YOUTUBE

YouTube is a website designed for sharing video. Millions of users around the world have created accounts on the site that allow them to upload videos that anyone can watch. Every minute of every day, more than 35 hours of video is uploaded to YouTube.
Video files can be very large and are often too big to send to someone else by email. By posting a video on YouTube, you can share a video simply by sending the other person a url ‘link’ – that is, the 'address' of the relevant internet page.
When YouTube was created in 2005, it was intended for people to post and share original video content. But since then it's also become both an archive for storing favourite clips, songs and jokes, as well as a marketing site for companies to promote their products.
Nowadays the term ‘viral video’ is common. This refers to a video clip that people have liked so much that they've shared its link by email with millions of others around the globe – in effect, it's spread like a virus. Companies have realised that they can harness this ability to reach potential customers and have created their own YouTube accounts for posting advertisements and other marketing videos.
Film and television companies maintain a tight control over their own content and block illegal sharing of their programmes. However, several now use YouTube to allow fans to see high-quality trailers or repeats of recently aired shows.

ADVANTAGES OF USING YOUTUBE

i) Huge video database
• Every day, about 65000 new videos are being uploaded on YouTube with around 100 million video clips being watched by its users from across globe. ii) Video length
• YouTube is mostly consisted of short videos. YouTube policy is limiting its regular users to upload video of no more than 15 minutes. iii) User-friendly features
• YouTube are free accessibility, also widely embedded in various websites and blogs, making it highly accessible for numerous purposes
• Also known friendly features , which make video searching, watching, and sharing experience.

iv) YouTube Community:
• One of the reasons YouTube has been so popular is because it fosters a sense of community. You can not only view videos, but you can also rate and comment on videos. Some users even respond with video commentary.
This community atmosphere has even created Internet video stars, including mentions in magazines and television appearances..

DISADVANTAGES OF USING YOUTUBE

i) ADVERTISING
• YouTube run advertisements on your videos which can hurt your brand, by pushing your potential clients away from your product or service. There's currently no guarantee a competitor won't advertise their brand on your video.

ii) ANALYTICS
• Although YouTube offers built-in analytics, it's far too basic, failing to provide actionable data.

iii) ACCOUNT SHUTDOWN AND VIDEO REMOVAL
• YouTube can shut down your account at any time, for any reason or remove your video.

iv) INCONSISTENT VIDEO STREAMING
• Viewers may experience slow playback during high traffic times. Modulates runs on an Amazon and edgecast content delivery network (CDN).

v) UNWANTED COMPETITION
• YouTube can feature advertisements around your videos from your competitors and spammers. These advertisements may appear in the "related videos" section, in the "promoted videos" ads, overlay ads, and sometimes as banner ads. Your chance of getting your clients' attention diminishes with these unwanted ads.

CONCLUSION

This topic chooses YouTube to exemplify the potential of Web 2.0 technology in the prewriting stage because YouTube is not as frequently discussed in the composition field as wikis, blogs, and podcasts; it has, however, great potential to motivate students to generate ideas in the prewriting stage. Through sharing YouTube videos with students, instructors who practice student-centered pedagogy potentially empower students to participate in social dialogues that engage diverse voices.
Since invention is a social act, it needs to be taught from a social point of view to foster collaborative and productive learning. As a tool that aims to promote democracy in voices, YouTube has a potential in academia and should be related to composition teaching to reveal its strength.
Web 2.0 tools such as wikis, blogs, and podcasts all invite collaboration, and their potentialin the prewriting stage can be examined in similar ways. Other than prewriting, many Web 2.0 tools empower students and foster positive learning during the writing and revising stages. Currently, the writing classrooms in US colleges are a composite of new technology, new students, and the traditional writing process approach. The need to apply innovative pedagogy to assist students at different writing stages to accomplish positive learning is urgent. However, the incorporation of technology should not be a careless and imprudent decision to follow the digital tide. Technology itself does not promise successful teaching. It needs to be used with an effective pedagogy to maximize its potential for successful learning and teaching. Composition instructors, among many of whom still apply the writing process, need to reexamine students’ needs and their learning styles in this digital era to readjust their pedagogical practices so that they can make rational choices to foster students’ learning.