The year in YouTube politics

<span class="byline-author">Posted by Steve Grove, Head of YouTube News and Politics</span><br /><br /><a href="http://youtube.com/watch?v=bfZ_gXCHaMw">Candidates caught singing on camera</a>. <a href="http://youtube.com/watch?v=nQi7PaYKqTU">Dorm-room presidential interviews</a>. A martial arts master<a href="http://youtube.com/watch?v=EjYv2YW6azE"> endorsing</a> a presidential candidate. Citizen-created campaign <a href="http://youtube.com/watch?v=6h3G-lMZxjo">commercials</a>. And <a href="http://youtube.com/republicandebate">two presidential primary debates</a>. 2007 was quite a year for YouTube Politics.<br /><br />At this time last year, YouTube had developed a reputation as a place where <a href="http://youtube.com/watch?v=r90z0PMnKwI">"gotcha!" videos</a> posted by citizens were changing the political landscape. Some even called the 2006 U.S. midterm elections "the YouTube election" after several candidates were caught on camera saying things they probably shouldn't have. But in 2007, that changed. Seizing the YouTube opportunity, presidential candidates came rushing to the platform themselves, setting up official campaign channels on our <a href="http://youtube.com/youchoose">You Choose '08</a> platform. Seven of the 16 presidential candidates even announced their candidacies on YouTube.<br /><br />Candidates and voters now speak to each other through video. At their best, campaigns use YouTube not as a shrunken TV screen through which to distribute their soundbites, but as a window through which to have a dialogue with the American people. YouTube's leveling effect is this: anyone can upload a video with their political message, and the best content rises to the top through community view counts, rankings, linkages, and embeds. Any voter with a video camera and access to the Internet has the opportunity to be seen and heard.<br /><br />Our two presidential debates with CNN highlighted this phenomenon. Eight thousand video questions were submitted for the two record-setting debates, which opened up a traditionally closed event to the rest of the world via YouTube. Time was, you had to be in New Hampshire, Iowa, or Florida to get access to candidates at a debate. With questions coming directly from voters via video, our YouTube debates helped to break down some of the geographical barriers that have so sharply defined American politics in the past.<br /><br /><object height="355" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/JEmulj-6tgQ&rel=1"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/JEmulj-6tgQ&rel=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" height="355" width="425"></embed></object><br /><br />So what's ahead in 2008? Things are only going to get more exciting. As Congressional and Senate races heat up, you'll see more and more candidates coming to YouTube. And as the presidential races narrows down to two candidates, YouTube will be a critical battlefront in the general election. With voters, candidates, issue groups, media companies, trade associations, lobbyists and activists all interacting on the same level platform, 2008 promises to be a true "YouTube Election."

The year in YouTube politics

Posted by Steve Grove, Head of YouTube News and Politics Candidates caught singing on camera . Dorm-room presidential interviews . A marti...

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NORAD tracks Santa with Google

<span class="byline-author">Posted by Melissa Crounse, Santa Tracker</span><br /><br />Now Dasher! Now Dancer! Now, Prancer and Vixen! On, Comet! On, Cupid! On, Donner and Blitzen!<br /><br />We're counting down the hours until Santa's flight around the world. On Monday, December 24th, starting at 1 am PST, visit <a href="http://www.noradsanta.org/">noradsanta.org</a> to track Santa with NORAD on his annual trip.<br /><br />NORAD will use Google Maps to track several hundred of Santa's stops in over 200 countries and territories, and will embed videos of Santa's stops captured on their <a href="http://www.noradsanta.org/en/how.htm">Santa Cams</a> on the Google Map and post the videos on the <a href="http://youtube.com/profile?user=NORADTracksSanta">NORAD Tracks Santa YouTube channel</a>.<br /><br />Want to see more of Santa? NORAD will also provide a downloadable Santa Tracker file to track several thousand of Santa's stops in <a href="http://earth.google.com/santa/">Google Earth</a>. Santa's visits are only a few seconds long, and then -- poof, he's off to the next location. Click on the gift icons in Google Maps or Google Earth to learn more about the cities that Santa visits.<br /><br />Happy holidays from all of us at Google!

NORAD tracks Santa with Google

Posted by Melissa Crounse, Santa Tracker Now Dasher! Now Dancer! Now, Prancer and Vixen! On, Comet! On, Cupid! On, Donner and Blitzen! We...

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A very special Christmas broadcast

<span class="byline-author">Posted by Theo Luke, YouTube partnerships, EMEA</span><br /><br />1957 was a very special year for the British Monarchy. It had already become an annual tradition for the monarch to issue a Christmas message to people in the United Kingdom and around the world. But fifty years ago this Christmas, Queen Elizabeth II's message was televised for the first time.<br /><br />In her broadcast, the Queen spoke about the technological developments that allowed her image to appear in people's homes around the nation, saying that "I very much hope that this new medium will make my Christmas message more personal and direct. That it is possible for some of you to see me today is just another example of the speed at which things are changing all around us."<br /><br />This Christmas, fifty years later, we are thrilled to say that the British Monarchy is embracing another new technology by launching <a href="http://www.youtube.com/theroyalchannel" onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)" target="_blank" title="http://www.youtube.com/theroyalchannel">The Royal Channel</a> on YouTube. By setting up the first ever channel from a monarchy, the Queen joins other world leaders including the French President <a href="http://www.youtube.com/nicolassarkozy" onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)" target="_blank" title="http://www.youtube.com/nicolassarkozy">Nicolas Sarkozy</a> and the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/downingst" onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)" target="_blank" title="http://www.youtube.com/downingst">British Government</a> in using online video to communicate with people around the globe.<br /><br />Right now, you can visit The Royal Channel to see <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mBRP-o6Q85s">that first 1957 broadcast</a>, along with other rare and previously unreleased archive footage. And at around 3pm BST on Christmas Day, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0nmkYGCljE">this year's Christmas broadcast from the Queen appeared on YouTube</a> as well as on television.<br /><br />We're delighted to welcome the Queen to the YouTube community, and hope that you enjoy the unseen treasures on her channel as much as we have.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Update:</span> Linked directly to the 2007 Christmas Broadcast.

A very special Christmas broadcast

Posted by Theo Luke, YouTube partnerships, EMEA 1957 was a very special year for the British Monarchy. It had already become an annual tradi...

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Save some energy over the holidays

<span class="byline-author">Posted by Bill Weihl, Green Energy Czar</span><br /><br />Here's a suggestion for everyone to save energy over the holidays (and at other times!): turn off your computer and monitor or put them into "sleep" mode when you're not using them.<br /><br />Why? The typical desktop PC uses 100-200 watts even when it's idle. That's the equivalent of 1-2 bright incandescent (read: inefficient) light bulbs. (Note: new PCs that comply with the latest Energy Star specifications consume less than 50-60 watts when idle.)<br /><br />You wouldn't leave your car running for hours when it's just sitting there. Most of us wouldn't leave a bright light bulb burning for hours when no one is nearby to need the light. So why leave your computer on?<br /><br />If you're leaving your office for the holidays, turn off your PC. If it consumes 100 watts, that will save 2.4 kWh/day, or over 25 kWh for the next 11 days through January 1st. In California, that will stop about 40 kg of CO2 from being put into the air, and save about $2.50. For every 1 million people who do this, that will stop 40,000 tonnes (metric tons) of CO2 from being emitted, and save $2.5 million. In many areas, it will reduce emissions even further, and save even more money.<br /><br />The same issue applies at home: turn off your computer or put it to sleep when you're not using it. The automatic power management settings on most computers will put them to sleep automatically after a specified idle period.<br /><br />If you use a screensaver, set it to "blank" the screen and put the monitor in sleep mode after a few minutes. Screensavers don't have any benefit (other than being nice to look at) on modern displays, and they consume as much or more energy as just about anything else you could ask your computer to do.<br /><br />You might be thinking, "why now?" This isn't just an issue for the holidays, but this is a good time to remind people. In general, when you're not using your computer, turn it off or put it to sleep. Most computers can go to sleep quickly, and then wake up with all your work exactly as it was when you put it to sleep -- so there's no downside.<br /><br />If you want to do even more to save energy with your computers and to help the entire IT industry move to higher energy efficiency, check out the <a href="http://www.climatesaverscomputing.org/">Climate Savers Computing Initiative</a>, which we co-founded last June to create a positive "virtuous circle" between the supply of and demand for energy-efficient computers. More than 140 companies, universities, governments, and nonprofits, along with thousands of individuals, have pledged to buy energy-efficient computers and to use automatic power management tools to save energy. As more people make the same commitments, the volume of energy-efficient computers sold will increase, and the very modest price premium they demand today should drop.<br /><br />Have a great holiday season!

Save some energy over the holidays

Posted by Bill Weihl, Green Energy Czar Here's a suggestion for everyone to save energy over the holidays (and at other times!): turn of...

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'tis the season

<span class="byline-author">Posted by David Griswold, Google Blog Team</span><br /><br />The holiday season is a time for reuniting with friends and family, reveling in <a href="http://books.google.com/books?q=christmas+stories&btnG=Search+Books" id="s7x2" title="stories">stories</a> and sentimentalities, cozying up to a cup of warm cocoa, listening to a fire slowly pop and fizzle. It's a time when we ease ourselves out of our <a href="http://www.google.com/calendar/" id="it0v">routines</a>, and have a moment to share our joys with those who are nearest to us. And the season affords us a unique opportunity to step back and empathize with people who face hardships <a href="http://www.mdgmonitor.org/" id="x5ph" title="throughout the world">throughout the world</a>.<br /><br />This season, Googlers everywhere are not only celebrating the joys of the holidays; quite a few of us have joined together to give back to our <a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&time=&date=&ttype=&q=community+service&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=29.384021,69.257813&ie=UTF8&mrt=kmlkmz&view=text" id="jx0r" title="local communities">local communities</a>. Whether it's helping kids craft public service announcements, contributing to <a href="http://www.mytwofrontteeth.org/google" id="tztk" title="toy drives">toy drives</a>, gathering donations for food banks, working with high schoolers on their college apps, writing get-well cards for sick children, or pitting teams of chefs against one another for charity, Googlers have made it a point to get creative.<br /><br />We've assembled pictures from these events in this album, and encourage you <a href="http://www.google.com/search?source=ig&hl=en&rlz=&q=community+service&btnG=Google+Search" id="wxem" title="to find a way">to find a way</a> to give back in your own community.<br /><br /><center><br /><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&captions=1&noautoplay=1&RGB=0x000000&feed=http%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Fgblogphotos%2Falbumid%2F5146466862343602145%3Fkind%3Dphoto%26alt%3Drss" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" height="267" width="400"></embed><br /></center>

'tis the season

Posted by David Griswold, Google Blog Team The holiday season is a time for reuniting with friends and family, reveling in stories and sent...

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My Maps are Our Maps

<span class="byline-author">Posted by Joscelin Cooper, Google Blog team</span><br /><br />The tools used for navigation and exploration are fraught with metaphorical possibility. A compass or telescope can be a powerful symbol for search, discovery, and the fearless embrace of the unknown. A map can tell you where you are, give you an idea of what lies ahead, and even better, give scale and breadth to your location. Maps connect us with the world in a way that is tangible, visual and now, even <a href="http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2007/04/map-making-so-easy-caveman-could-do-it.html" id="bfmg" title="interactive">interactive</a>.<br /><br />And for any of the myriad places you can point to on a map, there are traditions, stories, pictures and memories -- each is as unique and fascinating as its teller. For this year's holiday season we've created a <a href="http://maps.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?answer=68480" id="rv7z" title="My Map">My Map</a> for <span style="font-weight: bold;">you</span> to customize.<br /><br /><iframe width="425" height="350" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&om=1&msa=0&msid=103284839433106201971.000441462e89d7d0615ea&ll=58.539595,-74.179687&spn=76.872975,-84.375&output=embed&s=AARTsJp452pOViQTv0tJF8YVlefkXT1xlA"></iframe><br /><small><a href="http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&om=1&msa=0&msid=103284839433106201971.000441462e89d7d0615ea&ll=58.539595,-74.179687&spn=76.872975,-84.375&source=embed" style="color:#0000FF;text-align:left">View Larger Map</a></small><br /><br />Mark your place in the world with <a href="http://maps.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?answer=68480#photos" id="emy6" title="photos">photos</a>, <a href="http://maps.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?answer=68480#videos" id="wh_h" title="video">video</a> and stories that illuminate something about how you celebrate. Your stories can make for a considerably bigger map than any featuring geopolitical boundaries and highway markers; they can mark a human space of Chanukah candles, Christmas trees, family feasts and reunions great and small. We look forward to seeing how you make your mark.

My Maps are Our Maps

Posted by Joscelin Cooper, Google Blog team The tools used for navigation and exploration are fraught with metaphorical possibility. A compa...

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New Toolbar adds accessible features

<span class="byline-author">Posted by Jonas Klink, Software Engineer, Accessibility</span><br /><br />Last week Google Toolbar for Internet Explorer <a href="http://www.google.com/intl/en/press/annc/20071212_toolbar.html">launched version 5</a> as a public beta. This version introduces a number of exciting features, such as making your Toolbar settings available from any computer that you log into with your Google Account, improved suggestions for broken links, as well as important changes that make Toolbar more accessible for assistive technology users.<br /><br />This release adds support for Windows Accessibility APIs (used by screen readers, etc.) and enables keyboard navigation and access. From inside a browser with Toolbar installed, the global shortcut Alt+G places your cursor in the Google Toolbar search box. If you're using a screen reader, you'll hear "Google Toolbar Search". Pressing the Tab key brings keyboard focus to the button placed immediately after the search box, and right and left arrow keys move focus between buttons. More information on keyboard access is documented in the <a href="http://www.google.com/support/toolbar/bin/search.py?query=accessibility&Action.Search=Search&ctx=en%3Asearchbox">Toolbar Help Center</a> (query 'accessibility').<br /><br />Version 5 comes as a part of our ongoing efforts to enhance accessibility in our client-side and web applications, which is a matter I hardly need to mention is very important. Personally, I see my work that went into the Toolbar as an important step forward, as the product reaches a very large number of users and enables everyone to gain quick access to a multitude of useful features, through a unified UI. Adding keyboard navigation and other features that enhance the ease of access to these features benefit everyone.<br /><br />We look forward to making further improvements to accessibility (including the installation process) in future releases. You can download the new Google Toolbar at <a href="http://toolbar.google.com/T5">http://toolbar.google.com/T5</a>.

New Toolbar adds accessible features

Posted by Jonas Klink, Software Engineer, Accessibility Last week Google Toolbar for Internet Explorer launched version 5 as a public beta...

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