What was the First Video on YouTube?
Many people might be wondering what was the first video on YouTube. Well, the answer is quite simple: the first video uploaded to the site was of the co-founder Jawed Karim on a tour of the zoo. It is the only video that the co-founder has posted ever since. In its short duration of 18 seconds, we can see Karim posing in front of an elephant and explaining why elephants are very cool. He states in the video that the cool thing about elephants is that they have long trunks. This is quite a simple statement, but Karim’s face and expression are worthy of all the views the video has gathered (90 million views).
Unlike the majority of the videos today, Karim ended the video by saying that he had nothing more to say. There was no mention of him telling people to like his video or subscribe to his channel. The video itself is not of the best quality or made with fancy video editing software. No camera crew was used in the making of the video and there were no filters to be found. The content of the video is undoubtedly genuine and pure, as Karim only discusses elephants in it. The difference in production quality between the first ever video on YouTube and the ones we see now is quite stark.
YouTube: A Worldwide Sensation
The platform has seen some major highs and lows as well. YouTube has even expanded to create YouTube Red, where viewers can now stream original movies and TV shows; thus, YouTube has expanded to incorporate everything. The world of vlogging on YouTube can be credited to the first video ever posted, which essentially is just about a guy going around the zoo and recording his average day while giving out information and indirectly addressing his audience through the camera. This concept that emerged from the first video set the precedent for all vlogging videos we see across multiple channels today.
Global Fame
People can now access YouTube in over 76 languages. Thus, YouTube has leveled up and raised the bar for promoting inclusivity for all. People can grow their passions and build their skills and interests by going through and learning through different people already on the platform. Being a YouTuber is now considered to be quite a lucrative and forgiving job, as you get to decide what content you are going to film and what time you are going to do it.
YouTube has allowed people to expand and grow their careers just by creating content that other people are interested in. The community now has billions of videos that are being consumed every day by people all over the world. And to think that it all started with a guy talking about his day at the zoo!
Lessons from the First Video on YouTube
The first video posted on YouTube teaches us some really valuable lessons, one of which is that you need to put out content that is interesting to you. Fancy video editing can wait because, if you have got the content on point, you can easily buy camera equipment and learn how to edit properly. However, you must establish a style that is coherent and carry it on in your videos. Other than that, the first video of Karim teaches us that you don’t need to spend countless hours planning your first video: you just need to take the first step.
Building a YouTube Channel is not only feasible if you’re a lone individual but it can also greatly promote your business if you have one. By just sitting down and telling people about your product, you are likely to draw in more customers than by just handing them leaflets when they visit. Many people would much rather watch a video about a person explaining instructions than reading them out. Humans are visual beings and the first video is the prime example of this; people are more likely to watch someone show them the zoo than read about it.
Using this strategy helps YouTubers. If you’re a new YouTuber, use this to your advantage. We hope our article was helpful and has answered your question of what was the first video on YouTube.
