VidCon Take-aways from SMCLBK on Vimeo.

July 21, 2010 was the first meeting of the Lubbock Social Media Club. We kicked things off with lunch at Orlando's, a local favorite. Jacie Hood, one of our members and the Production Director, gave a presentation about YouTube. You can watch the whole presentation above, or see  the full slides of the presentation below.

Jacie joined YouTube soon after it launched in 2005 and has been active in and passionate about online video ever since. She manages multiple channels on YouTube, including one for the Lubbock Science Spectrum, a nonprofit YouTube partner.

This past month, Jacie attended the first ever VidCon in L.A. where she met and learned from some of the most successful online video experts from around the country. She brought back a lot of insights and practical knowledge, as well as some great stories about the personalities at the conference.

She started the presentation with a brief description of YouTube and where it's going, including features like the new "Lean Back" and partner grants. She then gave a concise but useful lesson on getting started with YouTube such as creating an account, customizing your channel and uploading video.

She shared with us three tools that are useful for every person that wants to use YouTube to its full potential. Annotations can get the viewer to subscribe or comment; remind them to watch the video in HD; and pause the video to share links to other social sites. Playlists allow viewers to watch a series of videos in one sitting. And you can share a video through your social sites, copying and pasting the direct link or connecting your social accounts directly to YouTube.

She spent some time talking about YouTube partners. This is a new program that allows individuals, corporations and nonprofits to partner with the site to gain some benefits, including increased branding on their channel and web banners to direct viewers to their website.

Overall, Jacie did a great job of combining basic information with more advanced tips and tricks. I'm sure everyone who came was able to take something away that they didn't know before. And her stories of the content creators she met were at least entertaining.

It might have been a small group (not bad for a first meeting), but the July presentation was a success. For more information on our club and the upcoming events, visit our site or join us on Facebook.