YouTube

The email account associated with the YouTube Channel should use a group mailbox that several members of the department or program can access rather than an employee’s personal UHCL email address.

The channel’s name should include the university name in it and should be consistent with the naming of your other social media sites.

Follow the official University of Houston-Clear Lake YouTube Channel @uhclearlake. 

Photographs/videos published on university social media sites require a signed release form from students, faculty, staff or visitors who are visibly recognizable in the image. Photos of crowd scenes where no single person is the dominant feature are exempt from this requirement. The signed photo release must remain on file in the office/department that is the social media account owner. For questions, email socialmedia@uhcl.edu.

Unlike other social media sites that display the most recent content you have shared, the content a user sees on YouTube is based on the user’s viewing history, video recommendations and video popularity. So, your content may not be seen by a user as soon as you post a new video. Check your channel regularly to see if your content is still being watched and shared. Videos on your channel for longer than two years should be archived using the "Private" setting. The view settings on YouTube are as follows:

• Public – Videos and playlists can be seen and shared by anyone
• Private – Videos and playlists can only be seen by you
• Unlisted -Videos and playlists can be seen and shared by anyone with the link and do not show up in search, related videos and recommendations on YouTube.

All academic and course lectures created for a specific course can be uploaded to YouTube, but need to be designated as unlisted or private. All academic/course videos must be uploaded to Blackboard for students to access online.

While YouTube allows videos up to 15 minutes in length, most viewers don’t have that long of an attention span. Try and keep your videos to about two to three minutes long for general purposes. There are exceptions for lectures, presentations and live streaming videos. Email socialmedia@uhcl.edu if you have any questions.

YouTube accepts a variety of video formats and allows you to upload up to 15 minutes of video or longer, depending on your account type. View YouTube Help Center for more information.

Your content is less likely to be watched if the video quality is poor. Mobile devices should NOT be used to record video for YouTube. At minimum, use a digital camera to record your videos. If you need assistance with producing a video, email socialmedia@uhcl.edu.

When you upload your video, make sure to give it a descriptive title, a thorough description, and tag any potential keywords to help someone would search for to find your video. As a general rule of thumb, use “UHCL”, “UH-Clear Lake” or “University of Houston-Clear Lake” in the video’s name, description and keywords to YouTube’s search engine find your video.

Thumbnails display an image from your video, and is the first thing users encounter when they view your channel’s videos. First impressions are important, so think of it as the cover to a book. An attractive thumbnail can draw users to watch your video.

Playlists help categorize your videos into groups to help users find it more easily and to promote traffic on your channel.

Share links to your videos on other social media sites when appropriate. This will add content for your other platforms, and drive users to your channel.