Before we go into the details of how to boost website traffic, first lets try to understand what Web 2.0 is. There is not a clear definition to what exactly Web 2.0. But it has got many faces and some of them can be used to drive traffic to any website old or new.
In this phenomenon a community of users share the content at a website and other users comment on the content developed by others. It's a win/win situation. if your content has a unique angle or creativity you end up receiving traffic in thousands in a very short time.
The content creation is normally in 4 media types.
1) Text 2) Photos 3) Audio 4) Video
If you visit Alexa.com and go to "Traffic Rankings" section you will see a list of "Global Top 500" most visited websites, you'll notice that many are community websites where people gather in thousands everyday. All you have to do is use your brain, develop unique content in the form of text/photos/audio/video and you get tons of traffic in a very short period.
* If you are good at writing articles, you can submit them to technorati.com or digg.com or del.icio.us where people are looking for new information. You will receive votes (good/bad) from other members. Depending upon the number of votes you receive, your text will be read by all other member (usually in thousands) making your article a "hot" topic
* Are you good at taking photographs/sketches/digital art/3d art, you can submit this to flickr.com and will be seen and appreciated by tons of other artists and art enthusiasts. If done well can generate great business 100% free without a dime on advertising.
* Do you have a video series that's funny or educational, you can submit this to youtube.com or Goggle video website and will be seen by thousands with their own comments to make you a hero in a few hours.
So the bottom line is getting your message in front of a big crowd with little creativity and you can boost your website traffic instantly.
Sunday, December 2, 2007
Monday, August 6, 2007
Youtube - The Left Wing Lapdog Of The Internet
Conservative web users argue that their views are being suppressed on youtube. Even heavyweights like Republican Hollywood filmmaker David Zucker can be censored.
A short film by Zucker, who worked with "Scary Movie 4," "Airplane!" and other comedies, reportedly had been offered to the Republican Party for use as an ad, but it was declined. It appeared briefly on YouTube, until it was flagged as being "inappropriate for some users".
On the YouTube Web site, anyone can post videos. Above is a still from a montage of some of President Bush's speaking blunders posted as "Stupid Bush."
Michelle Malkin was first blogger to point out the leftist leanings of YouTube.
While bloggers played a role in the last presidential election, most advertising and message delivery still comes from campaigns, political parties and interest groups with enough money to bankroll a television blitz. But the YouTube revolution -- which includes dozens of sites such as Google Video, Revver and Metacafe -- could turn that on its head.
If any teenager can put up a video for or against a candidate, and persuade other people to watch that video, the center of gravity could shift to masses of people with camcorders and passable computer skills. And if people increasingly distrust the mainstream media, they might be more receptive to messages created by ordinary folks.
"YouTube is a campaign game-changer, shifting the dynamics of how to reach voters and build intimate relationships," says Julie Supan, senior marketing director for the small, California-based firm, which by one measure now runs the 39th most popular Web site. "YouTube levels the playing field, allowing well-backed and less-known candidates to reach the same audience and share the same stage."
Even the seemingly simple act of posting footage of a politician's interview on "Meet the Press" or "The Daily Show" has a viral quality, because it can be seen by far more people than watched during a single broadcast.
The internet web site You Tube is a free and open area for internet users to post and view all kinds of video content. While there is a terms of service (TOS) that users must agree to before posting You Tube videos, the truth is that there is no real submission approval process. While posting copyright protected content is forbidden under the TOS, there is no mechanism to automatically screen for copyright protected material.
Detection of such material is left to the You Tube community, but, from the incredible number of protected videos that have appeared on the site, it seems clear that the TOS are not rigorously enforced. Of course, it is the responsibility of the users, not You Tube, to post material that is legal. Nevertheless, there have been some legal challenges to You Tube videos posted in recent months.
Contributors to YouTube seem to lean to the left. There are videos of verbal stumbles labeled "Stupid Bush" and "Bush Screwups," along with "President Bush Drunk," a bit on CBS's "Late Late Show" that slowed down a tape of the president so it appeared as if he were slurring his words. Another shows Bush, in his Texas days, extending his middle finger. (One positive video features a group called the Right Brothers singing "Bush Was Right.")
Any registered user can form a group, and the site includes one called "Support George Bush," which says, "Don't be afraid of your beliefs -- most campuses nationwide have a liberal bias anyway . . . as does the media." But it doesn't crack the top 100 in terms of membership, unlike "Bush Sucks," which is designed "for everyone who hates Bush and all his Republican cronies."
A short film by Zucker, who worked with "Scary Movie 4," "Airplane!" and other comedies, reportedly had been offered to the Republican Party for use as an ad, but it was declined. It appeared briefly on YouTube, until it was flagged as being "inappropriate for some users".
On the YouTube Web site, anyone can post videos. Above is a still from a montage of some of President Bush's speaking blunders posted as "Stupid Bush."
Michelle Malkin was first blogger to point out the leftist leanings of YouTube.
While bloggers played a role in the last presidential election, most advertising and message delivery still comes from campaigns, political parties and interest groups with enough money to bankroll a television blitz. But the YouTube revolution -- which includes dozens of sites such as Google Video, Revver and Metacafe -- could turn that on its head.
If any teenager can put up a video for or against a candidate, and persuade other people to watch that video, the center of gravity could shift to masses of people with camcorders and passable computer skills. And if people increasingly distrust the mainstream media, they might be more receptive to messages created by ordinary folks.
"YouTube is a campaign game-changer, shifting the dynamics of how to reach voters and build intimate relationships," says Julie Supan, senior marketing director for the small, California-based firm, which by one measure now runs the 39th most popular Web site. "YouTube levels the playing field, allowing well-backed and less-known candidates to reach the same audience and share the same stage."
Even the seemingly simple act of posting footage of a politician's interview on "Meet the Press" or "The Daily Show" has a viral quality, because it can be seen by far more people than watched during a single broadcast.
The internet web site You Tube is a free and open area for internet users to post and view all kinds of video content. While there is a terms of service (TOS) that users must agree to before posting You Tube videos, the truth is that there is no real submission approval process. While posting copyright protected content is forbidden under the TOS, there is no mechanism to automatically screen for copyright protected material.
Detection of such material is left to the You Tube community, but, from the incredible number of protected videos that have appeared on the site, it seems clear that the TOS are not rigorously enforced. Of course, it is the responsibility of the users, not You Tube, to post material that is legal. Nevertheless, there have been some legal challenges to You Tube videos posted in recent months.
Contributors to YouTube seem to lean to the left. There are videos of verbal stumbles labeled "Stupid Bush" and "Bush Screwups," along with "President Bush Drunk," a bit on CBS's "Late Late Show" that slowed down a tape of the president so it appeared as if he were slurring his words. Another shows Bush, in his Texas days, extending his middle finger. (One positive video features a group called the Right Brothers singing "Bush Was Right.")
Any registered user can form a group, and the site includes one called "Support George Bush," which says, "Don't be afraid of your beliefs -- most campuses nationwide have a liberal bias anyway . . . as does the media." But it doesn't crack the top 100 in terms of membership, unlike "Bush Sucks," which is designed "for everyone who hates Bush and all his Republican cronies."
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Youtube And Marketing Opportunities For Home Based Internet Businesses
More and more people are turning to online media in order to promote their home-based internet businesses. While blogging and e-zine marketing are effective forms of promotion for your business, another desirable method is to do it by way of the popular website http://www.youtube.com. One of the best things about creating a video clip on Youtube is that it is free and it is very simple to make. If you are industrious enough you can create a variety of video clips surrounding your home-based business and you can choose to release a different version as you see fit.
Youtube is an excellent way to get information out about what your internet business has to offer in terms of products and services as the exposure you receive is tremendous. Visitors to Youtube can easily share the links of video clips with other people which means that not only will the people you contact see your video about your internet business but so will others as well. This form of networking and word of mouth is invaluable to the success of your business. Due to the fact that Youtube hosts your video you do not need to be concerned about any special software or having advanced technical skills.
Youtube offers so much more than video clips to its audience. You can set your video advertisement up however you wish. You can include whatever sort of mood music you feel is suitable as well as creative imagery and taglines. Search for royalty-free photographs and royalty-free music over the internet if you are not in possession of your own as copyright infringement is a serious offence to be found guilty of.
Make sure that your video on Youtube regarding your internet business shows savvy and creativity and do not make it too long, boring or predictable in any way. Make sure you include a tagline that will immediately grab the audience's attention and have them interested in seeing more. It is recommended that your clip be anywhere from thirty seconds to two minutes. It is not recommended that your clip exceed two minutes as if you make it too long you are very likely to bore your audience as well as to lose their attention very quickly. Online people like things that are short and get to the point very quickly.
When you create your video clip on Youtube make sure not to use PowerPoint and it is not advisable to set it up as an interview of yourself in regards to your home-based business. That shows no incentive or originality on your part. Think outside the box! Always make sure that the web address for your business is clearly visible in the video clip as well.
y
Youtube is an excellent way to get information out about what your internet business has to offer in terms of products and services as the exposure you receive is tremendous. Visitors to Youtube can easily share the links of video clips with other people which means that not only will the people you contact see your video about your internet business but so will others as well. This form of networking and word of mouth is invaluable to the success of your business. Due to the fact that Youtube hosts your video you do not need to be concerned about any special software or having advanced technical skills.
Youtube offers so much more than video clips to its audience. You can set your video advertisement up however you wish. You can include whatever sort of mood music you feel is suitable as well as creative imagery and taglines. Search for royalty-free photographs and royalty-free music over the internet if you are not in possession of your own as copyright infringement is a serious offence to be found guilty of.
Make sure that your video on Youtube regarding your internet business shows savvy and creativity and do not make it too long, boring or predictable in any way. Make sure you include a tagline that will immediately grab the audience's attention and have them interested in seeing more. It is recommended that your clip be anywhere from thirty seconds to two minutes. It is not recommended that your clip exceed two minutes as if you make it too long you are very likely to bore your audience as well as to lose their attention very quickly. Online people like things that are short and get to the point very quickly.
When you create your video clip on Youtube make sure not to use PowerPoint and it is not advisable to set it up as an interview of yourself in regards to your home-based business. That shows no incentive or originality on your part. Think outside the box! Always make sure that the web address for your business is clearly visible in the video clip as well.
y
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
CNN's Youtube debate draws impressive ratings
NEW YORK (Hollywood Reporter) - Monday's CNN-YouTube debate brought in pretty good numbers, delivering the highest viewership for a debate among adults 18-34 in cable news history.
The two-hour debate featured answers from the Democratic candidates responding to videos from YouTube users. It was moderated by CNN's Anderson Cooper live on Monday night from the Citadel in Charleston, S.C.
The debate averaged 2.6 million viewers, according to Nielsen Media Research, making it the second-most-watched debate so far this season. It was just behind CNN's June 3 Democratic candidates debate in New Hampshire, which averaged 2.8 million viewers, and ahead of Fox News Channel's May 15 GOP candidates debate, which averaged 2.5 million viewers.
Included in the latest viewership numbers were 407,000 viewers in the coveted adults 18-34 demographic, which topped the previous record of 368,000 for the New Hampshire debate. Both are higher than the previous record holders, CNN's February 15, 2000, GOP debate (357,000), Fox News Channel's January 22, 2004, Democratic candidates debate (340,000) and MSNBC's South Carolina debate on April 26, 2007 (327,000).
Among adults 25-54, another prized demo, the YouTube debate averaged 890,000 compared with 1.1 million for CNN's New Hampshire debate.
The two-hour debate featured answers from the Democratic candidates responding to videos from YouTube users. It was moderated by CNN's Anderson Cooper live on Monday night from the Citadel in Charleston, S.C.
The debate averaged 2.6 million viewers, according to Nielsen Media Research, making it the second-most-watched debate so far this season. It was just behind CNN's June 3 Democratic candidates debate in New Hampshire, which averaged 2.8 million viewers, and ahead of Fox News Channel's May 15 GOP candidates debate, which averaged 2.5 million viewers.
Included in the latest viewership numbers were 407,000 viewers in the coveted adults 18-34 demographic, which topped the previous record of 368,000 for the New Hampshire debate. Both are higher than the previous record holders, CNN's February 15, 2000, GOP debate (357,000), Fox News Channel's January 22, 2004, Democratic candidates debate (340,000) and MSNBC's South Carolina debate on April 26, 2007 (327,000).
Among adults 25-54, another prized demo, the YouTube debate averaged 890,000 compared with 1.1 million for CNN's New Hampshire debate.
Sunday, July 22, 2007
What is YouTube video?
YouTube is an Internet website that specializes in publishing user-posted video clips. As of early 2007 YouTube is one of the top ten most popular websites on the Internet. Started in late 2005, the site was purchased one year later by Google for over one and a half billion dollars. During that time the website amassed a fanbase of over twenty million users, mostly teens and young adults. Two million videos are added to YouTube's stock of 100 million videos every month. While much of the content consists of original amateur home video, many advertisers and media producers are now providing professional content. Media giants CBS, EMI Group, Universal MG, Sony BMG, and Warner MG have all agreed to either provide content to YouTube, or to license their respective copyrighted material for use in independent videos released on the site.
What does Naevius YouTube Converter do for me?
Unlike other similar services, YouTube Video allows only viewing video inside client's browser (YouTube's video player is designed to be used within your browser as an Internet experience), and currently you can't download our videos to your computer. But it can be easily downloaded and converted to the common "avi" format with Naevius YouTube Converter!
Naevius YouTube Converter is a convenient tool to download and convert your favorite videos from YouTube website into the standard AVI DivX video format: www.naevius.com
How Naevius YouTube Converter Works.
1. Run Naevius YouTube Converter.
2. Enter the YouTube URL
3. Click "Start" button to download and convert YouTube Video to AVI format.
4. As result will be AVI DivX file.
What does Naevius YouTube Converter do for me?
Unlike other similar services, YouTube Video allows only viewing video inside client's browser (YouTube's video player is designed to be used within your browser as an Internet experience), and currently you can't download our videos to your computer. But it can be easily downloaded and converted to the common "avi" format with Naevius YouTube Converter!
Naevius YouTube Converter is a convenient tool to download and convert your favorite videos from YouTube website into the standard AVI DivX video format: www.naevius.com
How Naevius YouTube Converter Works.
1. Run Naevius YouTube Converter.
2. Enter the YouTube URL
3. Click "Start" button to download and convert YouTube Video to AVI format.
4. As result will be AVI DivX file.
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
What is Youtube?
What is the big fuss over Youtube? You have to live in a cave to have not heard of Youtube, but what is it and how is it changing the internet. This article will tell you everything you need to know about the latest internet craze.
WHAT IS YOUTUBE?
YouTube is a popular free video sharing Web site which
lets users upload, view, and share viral video.
Video sharing refers to a site that allows user to distribute their video clips.
The site utilizes Adobe Flash technology to display video.
On the About Us page at Youtube.com it states, "YouTube is a place for people to engage in new ways with video by sharing, commenting on, and viewing videos. YouTube originally started as a personal video sharing service, and has grown into an entertainment destination with people watching more than 70 million videos on the site daily."
YouTube is a place for people to engage in new ways with video by sharing, commenting on, and viewing videos. YouTube originally started as a personal video sharing service, and has grown into an entertainment destination with people watching more than 100 million videos on the site daily. Our users determine what is popular on the site, and can unleash their creativity and broadcast their talents to a global audience.
On the YouTube Fact Sheet it continues, "YouTube is creating a community for personal video, musicians, amateur filmmakers and comedians, and professional content owners. .... Anyone can broadcast themselves by creating content and distributing it through YouTube. And the community decides what is popular through their ratings and comments."
CREATION
Youtube was founded by three employees of PayPal, Chad Hurley, Steve Chen, and Jawed Karim on February 14, 2005. Since its creation Jawed Karim left the company to pursue an advanced degree at Stanford.
WHAT TYPES OF VIDEOS ARE ON YOUTUBE?
The wide variety of site content includes movie and TV clips and music videos, as well as amateur content such as videoblogging.
There are candid videos of stars:
Britney Spears at the gas station http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HZbXv5x-g4w&NR
Clips from star appearances:
The Tonight Show clip of Matt Damon doing an impression of Matthew McConaughey
Clips of nobodies:
A girl named Esmée Denters singing… she’s good!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GffFQZVdpZM&mode=related&search=
The evolution of dance by a comedian: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMH0bHeiRNg
Crazy dog:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4cSRpu7bI04
9 Month Gestation in 20 seconds
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aU6ojtBW0Qo
WHAT IS THE YOUTUBE HYPE ABOUT?
YouTube is currently serving 100 million videos per day, with more than 65,000 videos being uploaded daily. According to Hitwise, YouTube videos account for 60 percent of all videos watched online and people are spending an average of 17 minutes per session on the site. According to Nielsen NetRatings, YouTube has nearly 20M unique users per month.
Currently staffed by 67 employees, the company was named TIME magazine's "Invention of the Year" for 2006. In October 2006, Google, Inc., announced that it had reached a deal to acquire the company for $1.65 billion USD in Google's stock. The deal closed on 13 November 2006.
Now you can join the rest of the planet and know the basics of youtube.com!
WHAT IS YOUTUBE?
YouTube is a popular free video sharing Web site which
lets users upload, view, and share viral video.
Video sharing refers to a site that allows user to distribute their video clips.
The site utilizes Adobe Flash technology to display video.
On the About Us page at Youtube.com it states, "YouTube is a place for people to engage in new ways with video by sharing, commenting on, and viewing videos. YouTube originally started as a personal video sharing service, and has grown into an entertainment destination with people watching more than 70 million videos on the site daily."
YouTube is a place for people to engage in new ways with video by sharing, commenting on, and viewing videos. YouTube originally started as a personal video sharing service, and has grown into an entertainment destination with people watching more than 100 million videos on the site daily. Our users determine what is popular on the site, and can unleash their creativity and broadcast their talents to a global audience.
On the YouTube Fact Sheet it continues, "YouTube is creating a community for personal video, musicians, amateur filmmakers and comedians, and professional content owners. .... Anyone can broadcast themselves by creating content and distributing it through YouTube. And the community decides what is popular through their ratings and comments."
CREATION
Youtube was founded by three employees of PayPal, Chad Hurley, Steve Chen, and Jawed Karim on February 14, 2005. Since its creation Jawed Karim left the company to pursue an advanced degree at Stanford.
WHAT TYPES OF VIDEOS ARE ON YOUTUBE?
The wide variety of site content includes movie and TV clips and music videos, as well as amateur content such as videoblogging.
There are candid videos of stars:
Britney Spears at the gas station http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HZbXv5x-g4w&NR
Clips from star appearances:
The Tonight Show clip of Matt Damon doing an impression of Matthew McConaughey
Clips of nobodies:
A girl named Esmée Denters singing… she’s good!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GffFQZVdpZM&mode=related&search=
The evolution of dance by a comedian: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMH0bHeiRNg
Crazy dog:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4cSRpu7bI04
9 Month Gestation in 20 seconds
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aU6ojtBW0Qo
WHAT IS THE YOUTUBE HYPE ABOUT?
YouTube is currently serving 100 million videos per day, with more than 65,000 videos being uploaded daily. According to Hitwise, YouTube videos account for 60 percent of all videos watched online and people are spending an average of 17 minutes per session on the site. According to Nielsen NetRatings, YouTube has nearly 20M unique users per month.
Currently staffed by 67 employees, the company was named TIME magazine's "Invention of the Year" for 2006. In October 2006, Google, Inc., announced that it had reached a deal to acquire the company for $1.65 billion USD in Google's stock. The deal closed on 13 November 2006.
Now you can join the rest of the planet and know the basics of youtube.com!
Youtube
If you browse the web, you'll come across many websites that has one or more video clips embedded in it. News websites such as BBC and CNN fall in this category. But, what about a website that has only video clips and nothing else? This is exactly what the Youtube Phenomenon is all about. To those who have not heard about Youtube, it is a video sharing website where one could upload, share, and watch video clips - Youtube videos - for free. It is owned by Google.
Here is a bit history of what all went behind in the making of Youtube.com. Little had the three former PayPal employees - Chad Hurley, Jawed Karim, and Steve Chen - anticipated about the growth and fame Youtube would achieve in less than one year since its inception, when they first planned such a video sharing website. An out-of-the box idea, Youtube.com was launched as an unknown new website on February 15, 2005 with virtually no promotion. The website with its full features become operational few month later; the first preview of the website was offered in May 2005 and its official debut in November the same year. As it had been with many great path breaking projects in the past, the incubation days of Youtube took place in a modest garage in California, much like its present owner's - Google - beginnings, who started their journey from a leased space in a Menlo Park garage in 1998.
The beginnings of Youtube was pretty modest and its creators more than once at least went through a cash crunch as the visitors to the website grew and the need for better infrastructure and technology became inevitable. Irony it may be that the first helping hand they got which had pulled them out of the financial crisis was that of the venture capital firm Sequoia, the very same firm that had funded Google in its early years. Sequoia invested $3.5 million initially in Youtube, the stake which they upped to $8 million few months later, realizing the vast potential Youtube.com has in the fast growing world of infotainment in the near future.
Another development that had immensely helped catapulting Youtube into the forefront of online entertainment industry came from rather unexpected quarters, in the form of new software tool - the Flash Player 8 by Macromedia - that enabled people to view Youtube videos directly from their web browsers without having to download it into their PCs and view it with the help of third party software programs such as Windows Media Player or RealOne Player. In fact, it not only eliminated the need to view downloaded files in third party tools, but also provided a far improved video quality than its predecessor, Flash Player 7. Had it not been for the new Flash Player, the Flash Player 8, it is unlikely that Youtube.com would have taken off this fast, in such a short span of time.
Here is a bit history of what all went behind in the making of Youtube.com. Little had the three former PayPal employees - Chad Hurley, Jawed Karim, and Steve Chen - anticipated about the growth and fame Youtube would achieve in less than one year since its inception, when they first planned such a video sharing website. An out-of-the box idea, Youtube.com was launched as an unknown new website on February 15, 2005 with virtually no promotion. The website with its full features become operational few month later; the first preview of the website was offered in May 2005 and its official debut in November the same year. As it had been with many great path breaking projects in the past, the incubation days of Youtube took place in a modest garage in California, much like its present owner's - Google - beginnings, who started their journey from a leased space in a Menlo Park garage in 1998.
The beginnings of Youtube was pretty modest and its creators more than once at least went through a cash crunch as the visitors to the website grew and the need for better infrastructure and technology became inevitable. Irony it may be that the first helping hand they got which had pulled them out of the financial crisis was that of the venture capital firm Sequoia, the very same firm that had funded Google in its early years. Sequoia invested $3.5 million initially in Youtube, the stake which they upped to $8 million few months later, realizing the vast potential Youtube.com has in the fast growing world of infotainment in the near future.
Another development that had immensely helped catapulting Youtube into the forefront of online entertainment industry came from rather unexpected quarters, in the form of new software tool - the Flash Player 8 by Macromedia - that enabled people to view Youtube videos directly from their web browsers without having to download it into their PCs and view it with the help of third party software programs such as Windows Media Player or RealOne Player. In fact, it not only eliminated the need to view downloaded files in third party tools, but also provided a far improved video quality than its predecessor, Flash Player 7. Had it not been for the new Flash Player, the Flash Player 8, it is unlikely that Youtube.com would have taken off this fast, in such a short span of time.
Sunday, July 15, 2007
AIDS Fact
Alternative names
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome
Definition
AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) is the final and most serious stage of HIV disease, which causes severe damage to the immune system.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, AIDS begins when a person with HIV infection has a CD4 cell count below 200. CD4 cells are also called "T-cells" or "helper cells"; they are a type of immune cell. AIDS is also defined by numerous opportunistic infections and cancers that occur in the presence of HIV infection.
Causes, incidence, and risk factors
AIDS is the fifth leading cause of death among persons between ages 25 and 44 in the United States, down from number one in 1995. About 25 million people worldwide have died from this infection since the start of the epidemic, and 40.3 million people are currently living with HIV/AIDS globally
Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) causes AIDS. The virus attacks the immune system and leaves the body vulnerable to a variety of life-threatening infections and cancers.
Common bacteria, yeast, parasites, and viruses that ordinarily do not cause serious disease in people with healthy immune systems can cause fatal illnesses in people with AIDS.
HIV has been found in saliva, tears, nervous system tissue and spinal fluid, blood, semen (including pre-seminal fluid), vaginal fluid, and breast milk. However, only blood, semen, vaginal secretions, and breast milk generally transmit infection to others.
Transmission of the virus occurs:
Through sexual contact -- including oral, vaginal, and anal sex
Through blood -- via blood transfusions (now extremely rare in the U.S) or needle sharing
From mother to child -- a pregnant woman can transmit the virus to her fetus through their shared blood circulation, or a nursing mother can transmit it to her baby in her milk
Other transmission methods are rare and include accidental needle injury, artificial insemination with donated semen, and organ transplants.
HIV infection is not spread by casual contact such as hugging, by touching items previously touched by a person infected with the virus, during participation in sports, or by mosquitoes.
It is not transmitted to a person who DONATES blood or organs. Those who donate organs are not in direct contact with those who receive them. Likewise, a person who donates blood is not in contact with the person receiving it. In all these procedures, sterile needles and instruments are used.
However, HIV can be transmitted to a person RECEIVING blood or organs from an infected donor. This is why blood banks and organ donor programs screen donors, blood, and tissues thoroughly.
Those at highest risk include:
Persons engaging in unprotected sex
Sexual partners of those who participate in high-risk activities (such as anal sex)
Intravenous drug users who share needles
Infants born to mothers with HIV who don't receive HIV therapy during pregnancy
People who received blood transfusions or clotting products between 1977 and 1985 (prior to the beginning standard screening for the virus in the blood)
AIDS begins with HIV infection. People infected with HIV may have no symptoms for ten years or longer, but they can still transmit the infection to others during this symptom-free period. Meanwhile, if the infection is not detected and treated, the immune system gradually weakens, and AIDS develops.
Acute HIV infection progresses over time to asymptomatic HIV infection and then to early symptomatic HIV infection. Later, it progresses to AIDS (defined as very advanced HIV infection with T-cell count below 200).
Most individuals infected with HIV, if not treated, will develop AIDS. There is a small group of patients who develop AIDS very slowly, or never at all. These patients are called non-progressors, and many seem to have a genetic difference that prevents the virus from attaching to certain immune receptors.
Symptoms
The symptoms of AIDS are primarily the result of infections that do not normally develop in individuals with healthy immune systems. These are called opportunistic infections.
Patients with AIDS have had their immune system depleted by HIV and are very susceptible to such opportunistic infections. Common symptoms are fevers, sweats (particularly at night), swollen glands, chills, weakness, and weight loss.
See the signs and tests section below for a list of common opportunistic infections and major symptoms associated with them.
Note: Initial infection with HIV can produce no symptoms. Most people, however, do experience flu-like symptoms with fever, rash, sore throat, and swollen lymph nodes, usually two weeks after contracting the virus. Some people with HIV infection remain without symptoms for years between the time of exposure and development of AIDS.
Signs and tests
The following is a list of AIDS-related infections and cancers that people with AIDS acquire as their CD4 count decreases. Previously, having AIDS was defined as having HIV infection and getting one of these additional diseases. Now it is additionally defined as a CD4 count below 200, even without an opportunistic infection. Many other illnesses and corresponding symptoms may develop in addition to those listed here.
Common with CD4 count below 350 cells/ml:
Herpes simplex virus -- causes ulcers/vesicles in the mouth or genitals, occurring more frequently and more severely in an HIV-infected patient than before HIV infection
Tuberculosis -- infection by the tuberculosis bacteria that predominately affects the lungs, but can affect other organs such as the bowel, lining of the heart or lungs, brain, or lining of the central nervous system
Oral or vaginal thrush -- yeast infection of the mouth or genitals
Herpes zoster (Shingles) -- ulcers/vesicles over a discrete patch of skin caused by the varicella zoster virus
Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma -- cancer of the lymph glands
Kaposi's sarcoma -- Cancer of the skin, lungs, and bowel, associated with a herpes virus (HHV-8). Can occur at any CD4 count, but more likely at lower CD4 counts, and more common in men than women
CD4 count below 200 cells/ml
Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia, "PCP pneumonia," now called Pneumocystic jiroveci pneumonia
Candida esophagitis -- painful yeast infection of the esophagus
Bacillary angiomatosis -- Skin lesions caused by a bacteria called Bartonella, which is usually acquired from cat scratches
CD4 count below 100 cells/ml
Cryptococcal meningitis -- infection of the lining of the brain by a yeast
AIDS dementia -- worsening and slowing of mental function, caused by HIV itself
Toxoplasmosis encephalitis -- infection of the brain by a parasite, which is frequently found in cat feces; causes discrete lesions in the brain
Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy -- a viral disease of the brain caused by a virus (called the JC virus) that results in a severe decline in cognitive and motor functions
Wasting syndrome -- extreme weight loss and loss of appetite, caused by HIV
Cryptosporidium diarrhea -- Extreme diarrhea caused by one of several related parasites
CD4 count below 50/ml
Mycobacterium avium -- a blood infection by a bacterium related to tuberculosis
Cytomegalovirus infection -- a viral infection that can affect almost any organ system, especially the large bowel and the eyes
In addition to the CD4 count, HIV RNA load, and basic screening lab tests, regular vaginal Pap smears are important to monitor in HIV infection, due to the increased risk of cervical cancer in immunocompromised patients. . Anal Pap smears to detect potential cancers may also be important in both HIV infected men and women.
Treatment
There is no cure for AIDS at this time. However, a variety of treatments are available that can delay the progression of disease for many years, and improve the quality of life of those who have developed symptoms.
Antiretroviral therapy suppresses the replication of the HIV virus in the body. A combination of several antiretroviral agents, termed highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), has been highly effective in reducing the number of HIV particles in the blood stream, as measured by a blood test called the viral load. This can help the immune system recover from the HIV infection and improve T-cell counts.
Although not a cure for HIV, and people on HAART with suppressed levels of HIV can still transmit the virus to others through sex or sharing of needles, these treatments have been enormously effective for the past ten years. There is good evidence that if the levels of HIV remain suppressed and the CD4 count remains high (above 200), life can be significantly prolonged and improved. However, HIV may become resistant to HAART in patients who do not take their medications on schedule every day. Genetic tests are now available to determine whether a particular strain is resistant to a particular drug -- these may be useful in determining the best drug combination, and adjusting the regimen if it starts to fail. These tests should be performed for any failing treatment course, and prior to starting therapy.
When HIV becomes resistant to HAART, salvage therapy is required, to try to suppress the resistant strain of HIV. Different combinations of medications are used to try to reduce viral load, and there are a variety of new drugs coming out on the market for the treatment of drug-resistant HIV.
Treatment with HAART is not without complications. HAART is a collection of different medications, each with its own side effects. Some common side effects are nausea, headache, weakness, malaise, and fat accumulation on the back and abdomen ("buffalo hump"). When used long-term, these medications increase the risk of heart attack by affecting fat breakdown, specifically through increasing lipids and glucose levels.
Any doctor prescribing HAART should carefully follow the patient for possible side effects associated with the combination of medications the patient takes. In addition, routine blood tests measuring CD4 counts and HIV viral load (a blood test that measures how much virus is in the blood) should be taken every three to four months. The goal is to get the CD4 count as close to normal as possible, and to suppress the HIV viral load to an undetectable level.
Other antiviral agents are in investigational stages and many new drugs are in development. In addition, growth factors that stimulate cell growth, such as Epogen (erthythropoetin) and G-CSF are sometimes used to treat anemia and low white blood cell counts associated with AIDS.
Medications are also used to prevent opportunistic infections (such as Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia) if the CD4 count is low enough. This keeps AIDS patients healthier for longer periods of time. Opportunistic infections are treated as they occur.
Support Groups
Joining support groups where members share common experiences and problems can often help the emotional stress of devastating illnesses. See AIDS - support group.
Expectations (prognosis)
At the present time, there is no cure for AIDS. It is always fatal if no treatment is provided. In the U.S., most patients survive many years following diagnosis because of the availability of HAART. HAART has dramatically increased the time from diagnosis to death, and research continues in the areas of drug treatments and vaccine development. Unfortunately, HIV medications are not always available in the developing world, where the bulk of the epidemic is raging, due to socioeconomic reasons.
Complications
When a person is infected with HIV, the virus slowly begins to destroy that person's immune system. How fast this occurs differs in each individual. Treatment with HAART can help slow and even halt the destruction of the immune system.
Once the immune system is severely damaged, that person has AIDS, and is now susceptible to infections and cancers that most healthy adults would not get. However, antiretroviral treatment can still be very effective, even at that stage of illness.
Calling your health care provider
Call for an appointment with your health care provider if you have any of the risk factors for HIV infection, or if symptoms of AIDS are present. By law, AIDS testing must be kept confidential. Your health care provider will review results of your testing with you.
Prevention
See the article on safe sex to learn how to reduce the chance of acquiring or spreading HIV, and other sexually transmitted diseases.
Try not to use intravenous drugs. If IV drugs are used, do not share needles or syringes. Many communities now have needle exchange programs, where used syringes can be disposed of and new, sterile needles obtained for free. These programs can also provide referrals to addiction treatment.
Avoid contact with another person's blood when the HIV status of the bleeding individual is unknown. Protective clothing, masks, and goggles may be appropriate when caring for people who are injured.
Anyone who tests positive for HIV can pass the disease to others and should not donate blood, plasma, body organs, or sperm. An infected person should warn any prospective sexual partner of their HIV-positive status, should not exchange body fluids during sexual activity, and should use whatever preventive measures (such as condoms) will afford the partner the most protection.
HIV-positive women who wish to become pregnant should seek counseling about the risk to unborn children, and medical advances which may help prevent the fetus from becoming infected. Use of certain medications can dramatically reduce the chances that the baby will become infected during pregnancy.
Mothers who are HIV-positive should not breast feed their babies.
Safe-sex practices, such as latex condoms, are highly effective in preventing HIV transmission. HOWEVER, there remains a risk of acquiring the infection even with the use of condoms, if the condom breaks. Abstinence is the only sure way to prevent sexual transmission of HIV.
The riskiest sexual behavior is unprotected receptive anal intercourse -- the least risky sexual behavior is receiving oral sex. Performing oral sex on a man is associated with some risk of HIV transmission, but this is less risky than unprotected vaginal intercourse. Female-to-male transmission of the virus is much less likely than male-to-female transmission. Performing oral sex on a woman who does not have her period carries low risk of transmission.
HIV-positive patients who are taking anti-retroviral medications are less likely to transmit the virus. For example, pregnant women who are on effective treatment at the time of delivery with undetectable viral loads transmit HIV to the infant <1% of the time, compared to approximately 20% if medications are not used.
The U.S. blood supply is among the safest in the world. Nearly all people infected with HIV through blood transfusions received those transfusions before 1985, the year HIV testing began for all donated blood. Currently, the risk of infection with HIV through a blood transfusion or blood products is vanishingly low in the United States, even in geographic areas with high HIV prevalence.
If you believe you have been exposed to HIV, seek medical attention IMMEDIATELY. There is some evidence that an immediate course of antiviral drugs can reduce the chances that you will be infected. This is called post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP), and has been used to treat health care workers injured by needlesticks, to prevent ultimate transmission.
There is less information on the effectiveness of PEP for people exposed via sexual activity or intravenous drug use. However, if you believe you have been exposed, you should discuss the possibility with a knowledgeable specialist (check local AIDS organizations for the latest information) as soon as possible. Anyone who has been raped should be offered PEP and should consider its potential risks and benefits in their particular case.
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome
Definition
AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) is the final and most serious stage of HIV disease, which causes severe damage to the immune system.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, AIDS begins when a person with HIV infection has a CD4 cell count below 200. CD4 cells are also called "T-cells" or "helper cells"; they are a type of immune cell. AIDS is also defined by numerous opportunistic infections and cancers that occur in the presence of HIV infection.
Causes, incidence, and risk factors
AIDS is the fifth leading cause of death among persons between ages 25 and 44 in the United States, down from number one in 1995. About 25 million people worldwide have died from this infection since the start of the epidemic, and 40.3 million people are currently living with HIV/AIDS globally
Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) causes AIDS. The virus attacks the immune system and leaves the body vulnerable to a variety of life-threatening infections and cancers.
Common bacteria, yeast, parasites, and viruses that ordinarily do not cause serious disease in people with healthy immune systems can cause fatal illnesses in people with AIDS.
HIV has been found in saliva, tears, nervous system tissue and spinal fluid, blood, semen (including pre-seminal fluid), vaginal fluid, and breast milk. However, only blood, semen, vaginal secretions, and breast milk generally transmit infection to others.
Transmission of the virus occurs:
Through sexual contact -- including oral, vaginal, and anal sex
Through blood -- via blood transfusions (now extremely rare in the U.S) or needle sharing
From mother to child -- a pregnant woman can transmit the virus to her fetus through their shared blood circulation, or a nursing mother can transmit it to her baby in her milk
Other transmission methods are rare and include accidental needle injury, artificial insemination with donated semen, and organ transplants.
HIV infection is not spread by casual contact such as hugging, by touching items previously touched by a person infected with the virus, during participation in sports, or by mosquitoes.
It is not transmitted to a person who DONATES blood or organs. Those who donate organs are not in direct contact with those who receive them. Likewise, a person who donates blood is not in contact with the person receiving it. In all these procedures, sterile needles and instruments are used.
However, HIV can be transmitted to a person RECEIVING blood or organs from an infected donor. This is why blood banks and organ donor programs screen donors, blood, and tissues thoroughly.
Those at highest risk include:
Persons engaging in unprotected sex
Sexual partners of those who participate in high-risk activities (such as anal sex)
Intravenous drug users who share needles
Infants born to mothers with HIV who don't receive HIV therapy during pregnancy
People who received blood transfusions or clotting products between 1977 and 1985 (prior to the beginning standard screening for the virus in the blood)
AIDS begins with HIV infection. People infected with HIV may have no symptoms for ten years or longer, but they can still transmit the infection to others during this symptom-free period. Meanwhile, if the infection is not detected and treated, the immune system gradually weakens, and AIDS develops.
Acute HIV infection progresses over time to asymptomatic HIV infection and then to early symptomatic HIV infection. Later, it progresses to AIDS (defined as very advanced HIV infection with T-cell count below 200).
Most individuals infected with HIV, if not treated, will develop AIDS. There is a small group of patients who develop AIDS very slowly, or never at all. These patients are called non-progressors, and many seem to have a genetic difference that prevents the virus from attaching to certain immune receptors.
Symptoms
The symptoms of AIDS are primarily the result of infections that do not normally develop in individuals with healthy immune systems. These are called opportunistic infections.
Patients with AIDS have had their immune system depleted by HIV and are very susceptible to such opportunistic infections. Common symptoms are fevers, sweats (particularly at night), swollen glands, chills, weakness, and weight loss.
See the signs and tests section below for a list of common opportunistic infections and major symptoms associated with them.
Note: Initial infection with HIV can produce no symptoms. Most people, however, do experience flu-like symptoms with fever, rash, sore throat, and swollen lymph nodes, usually two weeks after contracting the virus. Some people with HIV infection remain without symptoms for years between the time of exposure and development of AIDS.
Signs and tests
The following is a list of AIDS-related infections and cancers that people with AIDS acquire as their CD4 count decreases. Previously, having AIDS was defined as having HIV infection and getting one of these additional diseases. Now it is additionally defined as a CD4 count below 200, even without an opportunistic infection. Many other illnesses and corresponding symptoms may develop in addition to those listed here.
Common with CD4 count below 350 cells/ml:
Herpes simplex virus -- causes ulcers/vesicles in the mouth or genitals, occurring more frequently and more severely in an HIV-infected patient than before HIV infection
Tuberculosis -- infection by the tuberculosis bacteria that predominately affects the lungs, but can affect other organs such as the bowel, lining of the heart or lungs, brain, or lining of the central nervous system
Oral or vaginal thrush -- yeast infection of the mouth or genitals
Herpes zoster (Shingles) -- ulcers/vesicles over a discrete patch of skin caused by the varicella zoster virus
Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma -- cancer of the lymph glands
Kaposi's sarcoma -- Cancer of the skin, lungs, and bowel, associated with a herpes virus (HHV-8). Can occur at any CD4 count, but more likely at lower CD4 counts, and more common in men than women
CD4 count below 200 cells/ml
Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia, "PCP pneumonia," now called Pneumocystic jiroveci pneumonia
Candida esophagitis -- painful yeast infection of the esophagus
Bacillary angiomatosis -- Skin lesions caused by a bacteria called Bartonella, which is usually acquired from cat scratches
CD4 count below 100 cells/ml
Cryptococcal meningitis -- infection of the lining of the brain by a yeast
AIDS dementia -- worsening and slowing of mental function, caused by HIV itself
Toxoplasmosis encephalitis -- infection of the brain by a parasite, which is frequently found in cat feces; causes discrete lesions in the brain
Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy -- a viral disease of the brain caused by a virus (called the JC virus) that results in a severe decline in cognitive and motor functions
Wasting syndrome -- extreme weight loss and loss of appetite, caused by HIV
Cryptosporidium diarrhea -- Extreme diarrhea caused by one of several related parasites
CD4 count below 50/ml
Mycobacterium avium -- a blood infection by a bacterium related to tuberculosis
Cytomegalovirus infection -- a viral infection that can affect almost any organ system, especially the large bowel and the eyes
In addition to the CD4 count, HIV RNA load, and basic screening lab tests, regular vaginal Pap smears are important to monitor in HIV infection, due to the increased risk of cervical cancer in immunocompromised patients. . Anal Pap smears to detect potential cancers may also be important in both HIV infected men and women.
Treatment
There is no cure for AIDS at this time. However, a variety of treatments are available that can delay the progression of disease for many years, and improve the quality of life of those who have developed symptoms.
Antiretroviral therapy suppresses the replication of the HIV virus in the body. A combination of several antiretroviral agents, termed highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), has been highly effective in reducing the number of HIV particles in the blood stream, as measured by a blood test called the viral load. This can help the immune system recover from the HIV infection and improve T-cell counts.
Although not a cure for HIV, and people on HAART with suppressed levels of HIV can still transmit the virus to others through sex or sharing of needles, these treatments have been enormously effective for the past ten years. There is good evidence that if the levels of HIV remain suppressed and the CD4 count remains high (above 200), life can be significantly prolonged and improved. However, HIV may become resistant to HAART in patients who do not take their medications on schedule every day. Genetic tests are now available to determine whether a particular strain is resistant to a particular drug -- these may be useful in determining the best drug combination, and adjusting the regimen if it starts to fail. These tests should be performed for any failing treatment course, and prior to starting therapy.
When HIV becomes resistant to HAART, salvage therapy is required, to try to suppress the resistant strain of HIV. Different combinations of medications are used to try to reduce viral load, and there are a variety of new drugs coming out on the market for the treatment of drug-resistant HIV.
Treatment with HAART is not without complications. HAART is a collection of different medications, each with its own side effects. Some common side effects are nausea, headache, weakness, malaise, and fat accumulation on the back and abdomen ("buffalo hump"). When used long-term, these medications increase the risk of heart attack by affecting fat breakdown, specifically through increasing lipids and glucose levels.
Any doctor prescribing HAART should carefully follow the patient for possible side effects associated with the combination of medications the patient takes. In addition, routine blood tests measuring CD4 counts and HIV viral load (a blood test that measures how much virus is in the blood) should be taken every three to four months. The goal is to get the CD4 count as close to normal as possible, and to suppress the HIV viral load to an undetectable level.
Other antiviral agents are in investigational stages and many new drugs are in development. In addition, growth factors that stimulate cell growth, such as Epogen (erthythropoetin) and G-CSF are sometimes used to treat anemia and low white blood cell counts associated with AIDS.
Medications are also used to prevent opportunistic infections (such as Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia) if the CD4 count is low enough. This keeps AIDS patients healthier for longer periods of time. Opportunistic infections are treated as they occur.
Support Groups
Joining support groups where members share common experiences and problems can often help the emotional stress of devastating illnesses. See AIDS - support group.
Expectations (prognosis)
At the present time, there is no cure for AIDS. It is always fatal if no treatment is provided. In the U.S., most patients survive many years following diagnosis because of the availability of HAART. HAART has dramatically increased the time from diagnosis to death, and research continues in the areas of drug treatments and vaccine development. Unfortunately, HIV medications are not always available in the developing world, where the bulk of the epidemic is raging, due to socioeconomic reasons.
Complications
When a person is infected with HIV, the virus slowly begins to destroy that person's immune system. How fast this occurs differs in each individual. Treatment with HAART can help slow and even halt the destruction of the immune system.
Once the immune system is severely damaged, that person has AIDS, and is now susceptible to infections and cancers that most healthy adults would not get. However, antiretroviral treatment can still be very effective, even at that stage of illness.
Calling your health care provider
Call for an appointment with your health care provider if you have any of the risk factors for HIV infection, or if symptoms of AIDS are present. By law, AIDS testing must be kept confidential. Your health care provider will review results of your testing with you.
Prevention
See the article on safe sex to learn how to reduce the chance of acquiring or spreading HIV, and other sexually transmitted diseases.
Try not to use intravenous drugs. If IV drugs are used, do not share needles or syringes. Many communities now have needle exchange programs, where used syringes can be disposed of and new, sterile needles obtained for free. These programs can also provide referrals to addiction treatment.
Avoid contact with another person's blood when the HIV status of the bleeding individual is unknown. Protective clothing, masks, and goggles may be appropriate when caring for people who are injured.
Anyone who tests positive for HIV can pass the disease to others and should not donate blood, plasma, body organs, or sperm. An infected person should warn any prospective sexual partner of their HIV-positive status, should not exchange body fluids during sexual activity, and should use whatever preventive measures (such as condoms) will afford the partner the most protection.
HIV-positive women who wish to become pregnant should seek counseling about the risk to unborn children, and medical advances which may help prevent the fetus from becoming infected. Use of certain medications can dramatically reduce the chances that the baby will become infected during pregnancy.
Mothers who are HIV-positive should not breast feed their babies.
Safe-sex practices, such as latex condoms, are highly effective in preventing HIV transmission. HOWEVER, there remains a risk of acquiring the infection even with the use of condoms, if the condom breaks. Abstinence is the only sure way to prevent sexual transmission of HIV.
The riskiest sexual behavior is unprotected receptive anal intercourse -- the least risky sexual behavior is receiving oral sex. Performing oral sex on a man is associated with some risk of HIV transmission, but this is less risky than unprotected vaginal intercourse. Female-to-male transmission of the virus is much less likely than male-to-female transmission. Performing oral sex on a woman who does not have her period carries low risk of transmission.
HIV-positive patients who are taking anti-retroviral medications are less likely to transmit the virus. For example, pregnant women who are on effective treatment at the time of delivery with undetectable viral loads transmit HIV to the infant <1% of the time, compared to approximately 20% if medications are not used.
The U.S. blood supply is among the safest in the world. Nearly all people infected with HIV through blood transfusions received those transfusions before 1985, the year HIV testing began for all donated blood. Currently, the risk of infection with HIV through a blood transfusion or blood products is vanishingly low in the United States, even in geographic areas with high HIV prevalence.
If you believe you have been exposed to HIV, seek medical attention IMMEDIATELY. There is some evidence that an immediate course of antiviral drugs can reduce the chances that you will be infected. This is called post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP), and has been used to treat health care workers injured by needlesticks, to prevent ultimate transmission.
There is less information on the effectiveness of PEP for people exposed via sexual activity or intravenous drug use. However, if you believe you have been exposed, you should discuss the possibility with a knowledgeable specialist (check local AIDS organizations for the latest information) as soon as possible. Anyone who has been raped should be offered PEP and should consider its potential risks and benefits in their particular case.
copyright fight over YouTube
Dick Parsons, the chairman and chief executive of Time Warner, fired a shot across the bows of Google, saying his group would pursue its copyright complaints against the video sharing site YouTube.com.
Google paid $1.6bn for YouTube this week amid concerns that some of the fledgling website's 100m videos breached copyright rules. Time Warner, the media and entertainment group that owns the Warner Brothers movie studio, Time Inc magazines and the HBO TV channel, is one of several large media companies concerned about possibly illegal use of its material on YouTube.
Mr Parsons told the Guardian: "You can assume we're in negotiations with YouTube and that those negotiations will be kicked up to the Google level in the hope that we can get to some acceptable position."
He denied the decision to pursue any potential infringement had been prompted by this week's acquisition. Google, whose core search function attracted 204 million users in August, four times those who used YouTube, has a higher market capitalisation than Time Warner. "We were going to pursue it anyway," he said. "If you let one thing ignore your rights as an owner it makes it much more difficult to defend those rights when the next guy comes along."
He took a more emollient stance than some when he said: "We'd like to have our content displayed on these platforms, but on a basis that it respects our rights as the owner of that content."
This echoes many of his media peers, who are keen to come to some agreement with sites such as YouTube, which has 35 million regular users. However, Doug Morris, the chief executive of Universal Music, attacked YouTube and MySpace, the social networking site bought by Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation last year, as "copyright infringers" at an investors' conference last month. News Corp is understood to be talking to Google about the possibility of extending an existing advertising deal involving MySpace. News executives say 60-70% of YouTube's traffic comes from the social network site.
With clips limited to 10 minutes maximum, many of the most popular videos on YouTube are music or humour based. Some music companies have recently signed revenue-sharing arrangements with YouTube. Warner Music, which is no longer part of Time Warner, agreed to make its music video library available to YouTube this month in one of the site's earliest commercial agreements. The deal was followed by agreements with Sony BMG and US television channel CBS.
Mr Parsons said that, like many media companies, Time Warner had looked at buying YouTube but balked at the price. "The best buyer for YouTube was Google because it has the most advanced ability right now to monetise traffic. Whether they overpaid or not, time will tell."
Both YouTube and Google, which has also come under fire for infringing copyright, remove content where breaches can be demonstrated.
Mr Parsons said Time Warner looked at "everything" when it came to acquisitions. But it was unlikely to be interested in ITV, which did not meet the US group's financial or operational disciplines. The hiatus at the top of the organisation is understood to be a deterrent to potential bidders. He has expanded Time Warner's cable operations and signed off a radical overhaul of its struggling AOL internet business, but said he had concerns about the "broadcast business" more generally.
Google is facing legal challenges to Google News and Google Books.
YouTube founder Chad Hurley has also sought to play down copyright fears. "We're committed to developing tools to identify the content and monetise it so [content owners] can have a new outlet for their content."
Source : http://business.guardian.co.uk/story/0,,1921154,00.html#article_continue
Google paid $1.6bn for YouTube this week amid concerns that some of the fledgling website's 100m videos breached copyright rules. Time Warner, the media and entertainment group that owns the Warner Brothers movie studio, Time Inc magazines and the HBO TV channel, is one of several large media companies concerned about possibly illegal use of its material on YouTube.
Mr Parsons told the Guardian: "You can assume we're in negotiations with YouTube and that those negotiations will be kicked up to the Google level in the hope that we can get to some acceptable position."
He denied the decision to pursue any potential infringement had been prompted by this week's acquisition. Google, whose core search function attracted 204 million users in August, four times those who used YouTube, has a higher market capitalisation than Time Warner. "We were going to pursue it anyway," he said. "If you let one thing ignore your rights as an owner it makes it much more difficult to defend those rights when the next guy comes along."
He took a more emollient stance than some when he said: "We'd like to have our content displayed on these platforms, but on a basis that it respects our rights as the owner of that content."
This echoes many of his media peers, who are keen to come to some agreement with sites such as YouTube, which has 35 million regular users. However, Doug Morris, the chief executive of Universal Music, attacked YouTube and MySpace, the social networking site bought by Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation last year, as "copyright infringers" at an investors' conference last month. News Corp is understood to be talking to Google about the possibility of extending an existing advertising deal involving MySpace. News executives say 60-70% of YouTube's traffic comes from the social network site.
With clips limited to 10 minutes maximum, many of the most popular videos on YouTube are music or humour based. Some music companies have recently signed revenue-sharing arrangements with YouTube. Warner Music, which is no longer part of Time Warner, agreed to make its music video library available to YouTube this month in one of the site's earliest commercial agreements. The deal was followed by agreements with Sony BMG and US television channel CBS.
Mr Parsons said that, like many media companies, Time Warner had looked at buying YouTube but balked at the price. "The best buyer for YouTube was Google because it has the most advanced ability right now to monetise traffic. Whether they overpaid or not, time will tell."
Both YouTube and Google, which has also come under fire for infringing copyright, remove content where breaches can be demonstrated.
Mr Parsons said Time Warner looked at "everything" when it came to acquisitions. But it was unlikely to be interested in ITV, which did not meet the US group's financial or operational disciplines. The hiatus at the top of the organisation is understood to be a deterrent to potential bidders. He has expanded Time Warner's cable operations and signed off a radical overhaul of its struggling AOL internet business, but said he had concerns about the "broadcast business" more generally.
Google is facing legal challenges to Google News and Google Books.
YouTube founder Chad Hurley has also sought to play down copyright fears. "We're committed to developing tools to identify the content and monetise it so [content owners] can have a new outlet for their content."
Source : http://business.guardian.co.uk/story/0,,1921154,00.html#article_continue
Thursday, July 12, 2007
Move Youtube Video On To Your Ipod
You finally bought yourself the IPod that can play videos. Congratulations. I’m actually a little jealous since I don’t have one yet. Now, you have thousands of songs uploaded on to it for your listening pleasure but where are your videos? It’s actually a pretty common problem people are discovering. They just don’t know where to find videos for the IPod.
Have you thought about YouTube? They have tons of movies on anything and everything imaginable. The only issue with them with their videos is that you don’t want to stumble on any copyright infringement claims. That can be messy.
However, if you convert the video to a more compatible format, you can easily transfer it to your iPod. Doing this appears to be in compliance with YouTube’s Terms of Use and as long as you do not distribute the videos to others and retain any copyright notices on the files, you should all right. Here are few instructions on how to do it for those of you who aren’t the most tech savviest of people.
Option 1: Windows
Browsers on a Windows platform don’t have any convenient controls for finding and saving the Flash video file from YouTube. You're better off selecting a standalone solution that downloads and produces the file at the same time.
The YouTube to iPod Converter at DVDvideosoft.com works great. It is fast and easy to use, even though it produces MPEG-4 files only, and not H.264. It converts all files to 24 frames per second, while 29.97 fps is the normal frame rate for videos. Bearing in mind the video downloaded from YouTube is already degraded quality; you’ll probably not notice the difference.
The program operation is extremely simple: Just copy and paste in the URL, choose a preset, and click "Download & Convert." You’re done.
Option 2: Online
Your second option can apply to both Mac and Windows computers and is a free, totally online beta service available at vixy.net.
Simply paste in the URL you want, choose a format, and hit "Start."
The site converts the video to a 320-by-240 MPEG-4 video at 29.97 fps and eliminates the need to download or install any software at all.
Take note of the additional MP3 audio option. It’s a great add-on for any concert videos you may want YouTube.
Option 3: Mac
The Mac requires a little more work since it has a few additional steps involved which Windows does not.
Download - You can take care of the downloading and encoding manually.
It’s nice and easy on the Mac. In Safari, open the Activity window after starting the playback in YouTube, and double-click the downloading video file. It will have a "get_video?video_id" code in the line. That should start a download in Safari to the default location of your hard drive.
Encode - The best free iPod encoder for the Mac is the iSquint program.
Download the program, drag the downloaded video file in, choose the presets you want, and hit "Start."
"Optimize for iPod" will encode the video at 320-by-240 resolution, which fits the iPod screen near perfectly.
"Optimize for TV" encodes at 640-by-480, which is best for viewing on a television screen using the iPod's TV output port.
However, since YouTube runs most files at 320-by-240, you're not going to improve the output by encoding at 640-by-48o. The file will just take up wasted space.
Your iPod can accept one of two video formats, H.264 and MPEG-4. The former lets you get more video onto your iPod, but will have longer encoding time.
Have you thought about YouTube? They have tons of movies on anything and everything imaginable. The only issue with them with their videos is that you don’t want to stumble on any copyright infringement claims. That can be messy.
However, if you convert the video to a more compatible format, you can easily transfer it to your iPod. Doing this appears to be in compliance with YouTube’s Terms of Use and as long as you do not distribute the videos to others and retain any copyright notices on the files, you should all right. Here are few instructions on how to do it for those of you who aren’t the most tech savviest of people.
Option 1: Windows
Browsers on a Windows platform don’t have any convenient controls for finding and saving the Flash video file from YouTube. You're better off selecting a standalone solution that downloads and produces the file at the same time.
The YouTube to iPod Converter at DVDvideosoft.com works great. It is fast and easy to use, even though it produces MPEG-4 files only, and not H.264. It converts all files to 24 frames per second, while 29.97 fps is the normal frame rate for videos. Bearing in mind the video downloaded from YouTube is already degraded quality; you’ll probably not notice the difference.
The program operation is extremely simple: Just copy and paste in the URL, choose a preset, and click "Download & Convert." You’re done.
Option 2: Online
Your second option can apply to both Mac and Windows computers and is a free, totally online beta service available at vixy.net.
Simply paste in the URL you want, choose a format, and hit "Start."
The site converts the video to a 320-by-240 MPEG-4 video at 29.97 fps and eliminates the need to download or install any software at all.
Take note of the additional MP3 audio option. It’s a great add-on for any concert videos you may want YouTube.
Option 3: Mac
The Mac requires a little more work since it has a few additional steps involved which Windows does not.
Download - You can take care of the downloading and encoding manually.
It’s nice and easy on the Mac. In Safari, open the Activity window after starting the playback in YouTube, and double-click the downloading video file. It will have a "get_video?video_id" code in the line. That should start a download in Safari to the default location of your hard drive.
Encode - The best free iPod encoder for the Mac is the iSquint program.
Download the program, drag the downloaded video file in, choose the presets you want, and hit "Start."
"Optimize for iPod" will encode the video at 320-by-240 resolution, which fits the iPod screen near perfectly.
"Optimize for TV" encodes at 640-by-480, which is best for viewing on a television screen using the iPod's TV output port.
However, since YouTube runs most files at 320-by-240, you're not going to improve the output by encoding at 640-by-48o. The file will just take up wasted space.
Your iPod can accept one of two video formats, H.264 and MPEG-4. The former lets you get more video onto your iPod, but will have longer encoding time.
Move Youtube Video On To Your Ipod
You finally bought yourself the IPod that can play videos. Congratulations. I’m actually a little jealous since I don’t have one yet. Now, you have thousands of songs uploaded on to it for your listening pleasure but where are your videos? It’s actually a pretty common problem people are discovering. They just don’t know where to find videos for the IPod.
Have you thought about YouTube? They have tons of movies on anything and everything imaginable. The only issue with them with their videos is that you don’t want to stumble on any copyright infringement claims. That can be messy.
However, if you convert the video to a more compatible format, you can easily transfer it to your iPod. Doing this appears to be in compliance with YouTube’s Terms of Use and as long as you do not distribute the videos to others and retain any copyright notices on the files, you should all right. Here are few instructions on how to do it for those of you who aren’t the most tech savviest of people.
Option 1: Windows
Browsers on a Windows platform don’t have any convenient controls for finding and saving the Flash video file from YouTube. You're better off selecting a standalone solution that downloads and produces the file at the same time.
The YouTube to iPod Converter at DVDvideosoft.com works great. It is fast and easy to use, even though it produces MPEG-4 files only, and not H.264. It converts all files to 24 frames per second, while 29.97 fps is the normal frame rate for videos. Bearing in mind the video downloaded from YouTube is already degraded quality; you’ll probably not notice the difference.
The program operation is extremely simple: Just copy and paste in the URL, choose a preset, and click "Download & Convert." You’re done.
Option 2: Online
Your second option can apply to both Mac and Windows computers and is a free, totally online beta service available at vixy.net.
Simply paste in the URL you want, choose a format, and hit "Start."
The site converts the video to a 320-by-240 MPEG-4 video at 29.97 fps and eliminates the need to download or install any software at all.
Take note of the additional MP3 audio option. It’s a great add-on for any concert videos you may want YouTube.
Option 3: Mac
The Mac requires a little more work since it has a few additional steps involved which Windows does not.
Download - You can take care of the downloading and encoding manually.
It’s nice and easy on the Mac. In Safari, open the Activity window after starting the playback in YouTube, and double-click the downloading video file. It will have a "get_video?video_id" code in the line. That should start a download in Safari to the default location of your hard drive.
Encode - The best free iPod encoder for the Mac is the iSquint program.
Download the program, drag the downloaded video file in, choose the presets you want, and hit "Start."
"Optimize for iPod" will encode the video at 320-by-240 resolution, which fits the iPod screen near perfectly.
"Optimize for TV" encodes at 640-by-480, which is best for viewing on a television screen using the iPod's TV output port.
However, since YouTube runs most files at 320-by-240, you're not going to improve the output by encoding at 640-by-48o. The file will just take up wasted space.
Your iPod can accept one of two video formats, H.264 and MPEG-4. The former lets you get more video onto your iPod, but will have longer encoding time.
Have you thought about YouTube? They have tons of movies on anything and everything imaginable. The only issue with them with their videos is that you don’t want to stumble on any copyright infringement claims. That can be messy.
However, if you convert the video to a more compatible format, you can easily transfer it to your iPod. Doing this appears to be in compliance with YouTube’s Terms of Use and as long as you do not distribute the videos to others and retain any copyright notices on the files, you should all right. Here are few instructions on how to do it for those of you who aren’t the most tech savviest of people.
Option 1: Windows
Browsers on a Windows platform don’t have any convenient controls for finding and saving the Flash video file from YouTube. You're better off selecting a standalone solution that downloads and produces the file at the same time.
The YouTube to iPod Converter at DVDvideosoft.com works great. It is fast and easy to use, even though it produces MPEG-4 files only, and not H.264. It converts all files to 24 frames per second, while 29.97 fps is the normal frame rate for videos. Bearing in mind the video downloaded from YouTube is already degraded quality; you’ll probably not notice the difference.
The program operation is extremely simple: Just copy and paste in the URL, choose a preset, and click "Download & Convert." You’re done.
Option 2: Online
Your second option can apply to both Mac and Windows computers and is a free, totally online beta service available at vixy.net.
Simply paste in the URL you want, choose a format, and hit "Start."
The site converts the video to a 320-by-240 MPEG-4 video at 29.97 fps and eliminates the need to download or install any software at all.
Take note of the additional MP3 audio option. It’s a great add-on for any concert videos you may want YouTube.
Option 3: Mac
The Mac requires a little more work since it has a few additional steps involved which Windows does not.
Download - You can take care of the downloading and encoding manually.
It’s nice and easy on the Mac. In Safari, open the Activity window after starting the playback in YouTube, and double-click the downloading video file. It will have a "get_video?video_id" code in the line. That should start a download in Safari to the default location of your hard drive.
Encode - The best free iPod encoder for the Mac is the iSquint program.
Download the program, drag the downloaded video file in, choose the presets you want, and hit "Start."
"Optimize for iPod" will encode the video at 320-by-240 resolution, which fits the iPod screen near perfectly.
"Optimize for TV" encodes at 640-by-480, which is best for viewing on a television screen using the iPod's TV output port.
However, since YouTube runs most files at 320-by-240, you're not going to improve the output by encoding at 640-by-48o. The file will just take up wasted space.
Your iPod can accept one of two video formats, H.264 and MPEG-4. The former lets you get more video onto your iPod, but will have longer encoding time.
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Harry Potter Movie
The Harry Potter film series is the collection of fantasy films based on the Harry Potter series of novels by English author J. K. Rowling. The four motion pictures released to-date are among the highest grossing film series of all time, with USD$3.5 billion in worldwide receipts, only trailing the James Bond films ($4.3 billion) and the Star Wars films ($4.1 billion). As of 2007, the series consists of four motion pictures with the fifth, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, scheduled for release in cinemas in the United Kingdom on 12 July 2007[1], and in Canada, Asia and the United States on 11 July 2007[2]. Warner Brothers holds the film rights to produce adaptations of the two remaining novels, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.[3]
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince has already been given a release date of November 21, 2008, and will be directed by David Yates.[4]
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince has already been given a release date of November 21, 2008, and will be directed by David Yates.[4]
Monday, July 9, 2007
How To Become A Billionaire Via Youtube
Youtube is a somewhat new video system that allows people to share entertaining pieces as well as informative snippets. This is the new way to bring targeted traffic to your sites. By applying a few simple principles, you will become a billionaire via youtube.
In this age, many people are more comfortable learning by watching videos than by reading a book. It is just how it is these days. People can search youtube to find almost anything they are looking for. Right from the beginning people were uploading top video youtube information and short films. Now even psp youtube information is available. By tapping into this new arena you can learn create a new stream of income to really launch your site.
By taking advantage of the willingness of individuals that want to watch videos on their computer, you can target specific people who have an interest in the products or information that you have available for them. The web youtube is an amazing, untapped market with literally millions of eager people that look for something new every day. You can learn to be a youtube fanatic and make lots of money.
The first thing you need to do is clearly articulate who your target audience is. Once you have that then you can proceed to create the right video for them. Try to get into the minds of the people you are speaking too. What are their needs? What makes them want to buy anything? What sort of information are they always on the look out for?
Next, your audience will search youtube for the information that they need and here is where you start making your money with youtube. Have an opt in list for them to get to the highly informative information that awaits them once they log into your site and after you capture their email. With top video youtube information, you will have more people sign up with your site than ever! All because you are presenting the hook, or top level information, in a visual way.
You can learn to become a billionaire via youtube just by learning the how to use youtube. You can reach more people that might not take the time to read information you have and you are sure to get more targeted traffic this way.
If you would like to learn more about how to create opt in lists, plug youtube marketing into your existing affiliate marketing plan, and properly set up your youtube account for maximum profits than click on the link provided or cut and paste into your browser.
In this age, many people are more comfortable learning by watching videos than by reading a book. It is just how it is these days. People can search youtube to find almost anything they are looking for. Right from the beginning people were uploading top video youtube information and short films. Now even psp youtube information is available. By tapping into this new arena you can learn create a new stream of income to really launch your site.
By taking advantage of the willingness of individuals that want to watch videos on their computer, you can target specific people who have an interest in the products or information that you have available for them. The web youtube is an amazing, untapped market with literally millions of eager people that look for something new every day. You can learn to be a youtube fanatic and make lots of money.
The first thing you need to do is clearly articulate who your target audience is. Once you have that then you can proceed to create the right video for them. Try to get into the minds of the people you are speaking too. What are their needs? What makes them want to buy anything? What sort of information are they always on the look out for?
Next, your audience will search youtube for the information that they need and here is where you start making your money with youtube. Have an opt in list for them to get to the highly informative information that awaits them once they log into your site and after you capture their email. With top video youtube information, you will have more people sign up with your site than ever! All because you are presenting the hook, or top level information, in a visual way.
You can learn to become a billionaire via youtube just by learning the how to use youtube. You can reach more people that might not take the time to read information you have and you are sure to get more targeted traffic this way.
If you would like to learn more about how to create opt in lists, plug youtube marketing into your existing affiliate marketing plan, and properly set up your youtube account for maximum profits than click on the link provided or cut and paste into your browser.
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