For better or for worse, YouTube has just made it easier to add annotations to your videos. Annotations, which were introduced to the site last June, consist of little grey popups that can include standard text boxes or speech bubbles, or offer interactive links to other clips. They’re useful when they’re used sparingly, but can also be more than a little annoying.
To insert the annotations, users previously had to use an editor tucked under the ‘edit video’ menu. Starting this week, you’ll be able to add annotations directly using a targeting crosshair that appears whenever you view a video that you’ve uploaded. Clicking on the video will bring up a menu asking which annotation you’d like to insert, and you can use a sliding bar on the video’s timeline to determine how long each one appears. A pair of arrows appear at the bottom of the video, allowing you to jump between each annotation so you don’t have to manually watch through the video to find them all.
Aside from the (possibly alarming) fact that this makes adding annotations easier, the addition is notable for what looks like one of the first implementations of Omnisio’s technology on YouTube. Omnisio, a company that allowed users to enhance their videos by creating mashups, adding comments, and interacting with other users, launched last spring and was acquired by YouTube only a few months later in July 2008.
Note: If you don’t like the annotations, you can always turn them off.
Please god tell me it is possible to turn this feature off on videos you’re watching – I’ve seen the grey boxes pop up on a number of videos and NEVER to good effect.
Hopefully there’s a way in settings to say – never show annotations on videos – but I somehow doubt it.
http://www.goog...mp;answer=92712
Im with Ryan on this one. This is absolute rubbish!
I hate the annotations. I turn them off but there is no option to turn them off for everything. I wish I could turn them off forever.
I agree, the only time I would want to see annotations is if I were watching a guide!
It takes one click to turn them off on the video you’re watching so hardly a big deal.
If YouTube allowed you to turn annotations off by default, I for one would be much happier.
+1
+1
interesting
so these are the things that tell me to click to watch in hd. yeah its cool but it does distract you a bit when watching clips
Pop-Up Video 2.0.
Not a fan of YouTube but cool tech if it improves usability. Good job Omnisio.
in the right hands: comedy brilliance. in the wrong hands: blink tag.
blink tag LOL.
Curse you Lou Montulli. But at least you realized the error of your ways.
Can this be hyperlinked? It’ll be a gold mine for advertisers.
Rephrase: Can the annotations be hyperlinked? It’ll be a gold mine for advertisers.
Just how long will it take before YouTube will be overflooded with affiliate links on ‘product reviews’…?
Good for advertisers as well good for spammers, virus/malware/adware/phishers – so these should never have hyperlink capabilities!
Annotations are a ba’aaad idea. Please let it die, quick.
Here is a interactive video game made with annotations. Can’t hate on this usage…
http://www.yout...h?v=LPQ1XrllZmA
Here is a reason why annotations are NOT a bad idea:
youtube.com/watch?v=LPQ1XrllZmA
Extremely creative use…
I just read this post and…jizzed in my pants.
Youtube is starting to suck more and more. The only good thing they’ve done lately is allow HD, which many sites were ahead of them on.
{seesmic_video:{”url_thumbnail”:{”value”:”http://t.seesmic.com/thumbnail/dtNEzPadTx_th1.jpg”}”title”:{”value”:” ”}”videoUri”:{”value”:”http://www.seesmic.com/video/a80D0Sqc20″}}}
Nice copy of http://picbite.com/
I hate these popups!
Annotations are good if they are used creatively. however, It would really be annoying if it will be used just for the sake that it’s there. it would be better if annotations will be monitored.
Soon we’re gonna see a bunch of kids doing massive annotations on their silly videos
Talk about going down market. Could make money in the same way American Stupid Home Videos does.
In reality, Americans are very stupid and uncivilized so this could work well.
o man …… i think there would be no comfort watching youtube. it should be removed.
I saw same feature, but for images, long time ago at the website http://picbite.com/
nice post
They don’t really bother me that much.
I think they are very annoying and click away faster!
There are all sorts of banner block options and now it all starts again in video?
When you have something serious to say and want people to hear you out I think it is better to not use them.
Regards Marcel
asterpix has a much better implementation. looks like youtube is simply copying the UI.
well, this is going to make video watching a ‘lot’ of fun.
*that was sarcasm btw*
Very interesting!!
As an interactive director I have found many great uses for annotations when used appropriately with a strategic or creative purpose, annoying when they aren’t.
The biggest drag on my end is the failure to incorporate Flash que points or something similar. For interactive video, a page refresh is a slap in the perceived reality face, unless the hiccup is in your creative vision.
They should’ve used this technology for subtitles, not for annoying bubbles. And when making it wiki-like you can quickly have awesome subtitles (or very funny ones).
hi
This might not be so bad if it gets rid of the habit of adding a minute and a half of slow-to-display intro text on a 2 minute video. I’m on youtube to watch videos, not read text displayed on a video.
Interesting feature.
I was just wondering is there a way to download a youtube video with annotations?
I would love to know this as well. Did you ever get an answer?
Thanks!