[Important Tip!] How To Embed YouTube Videos on BetterMost

[Phillip Dampier]

We are pleased to introduce a new feature for residents.  You can now embed YouTube videos directly into your messages in the forums!  This lets you share content you've found on YouTube and let the user see it as a built-in player right in your message.  You just hit the play button and you can watch whatever your friends have found to share.

It's easy!  Just take a moment to review this short tutorial and you'll be ready to go!

1. Writing your message: When you post a message on BetterMost, you'll discover a brand new icon in the editor that looks like this:   At any point in your message you wish to embed your YouTube video, simply click the icon (it'll be just below the Italics symbol.)  When you do, something like this will appear:

Code: [Select]

[youtube=425,350][/youtube]
It's really just another bulletin board code you can use.  The numbers 425,350 just tell the system what size video player the content is customized for.  Don't change them.

2. Go and find the URL for the video you want to share.  When you visit any video on YouTube, to the right of the player you'll find code for the URL of the video.  It usually looks something like:

Code: [Select]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eD8oO2HIORc
You want to use the copy and paste feature in your web browser to transfer that URL into the BetterMost editor, fitting in-between the youtube and /youtube commands.  Here is an example:

Code: [Select]

[youtube=425,350]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eD8oO2HIORc[/youtube]
Now you can either finish writing your message, or just preview it and then save it.  The software will automatically convert your link to work properly with the forum software.

I recommend embedding one video per message.

[j.U.d.E.]

Just saw that! GREAT! Brilliant Philip! Thank you!

j. U. d. E.

[Kelda]

oooh! I could have fun with this!!!

[Meryl]

Phillip, I just tried embedding a YouTube, but only blank space appeared when I clicked "Preview," so I just posted the url instead.  Is it me, or is it not working yet?  I made sure to use the url instead of the embed link.

[Kelda]

yeah I've done that too and just getting a blank screen.. ?

[Phillip Dampier]

The latest upgrade for this feature has now been installed.  Between the youtube command, you now insert the full URL of the video.  If you have questions, please let me know.

[injest]

Just a request for those of us on dialup...if you could give a hint on how long the video is; that would really be helpful. If we know upfront how long the video is we can make the decision if we have time to take a look or bookmark for later!

 

[David In Indy]

Just a request for those of us on dialup...if you could give a hint on how long the video is; that would really be helpful. If we know upfront how long the video is we can make the decision if we have time to take a look or bookmark for later!

 

You got it Jess! 

I went back and added the lengths under the several videos I posted in my "Messages From The Heartland" blog.

And Jess has a very good point. For those of us on dial-up, videos more than 2 minutes in length can take a HUGE amount of time to upload. It would be nice if we had an idea of the video length before we try to watch it.

Thanks Jess! 

[Ellemeno]

My computer downloads fairly quickly, and I also am glad when the length of the video is indicated.  That way I know whether to start watching now or not.

[moremojo]

This is a good idea, David. I haven't tried to embed any YouTube in any posts, but I have tried to embed/paste other things, sometimes with no success, and have had to resort to links. Embedding seems like a more elegant solution usually, but it's not always necessarily an advantage over simple linking.