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How to Navigate YouTube

Have you ever struggled to understand how to navigate YouTube? I know a lot of people do so I thought I would take a few minutes to share some helpful information. For many of you, you're likely already experts on this, but for those who aren't, here's the info! When you first go to YouTube, you'll see a whole selection of videos that the algorithms think you might be interested in based on what you've watched before. At the top of your screen, you'll see the 'search' bar. You can type in anything that you want to look for. You'll then see a selection of videos along with their logo below such as in the example below. If you click on the logo (the circle) under the video, you'll be taken to the person's YouTube channel. Each video has a title below the video along with how many views it has received and how old the video is.

I chose Joan MacDonald's video simply because I think she is inspiring by the choices she made to lead a healthier life later in life. I hope she'll inspire you, too.


Once you click on the person's video (as in the image below), you'll see the description underneath the video which explains what the video is about. As creators, most of us write more information in the description to tell the viewer what the video is about and what you can expect in the video. Each time I create a video, I write information underneath the video. To see all of the information, click where it says, 'Show more' (which you can see in the image below).

To subscribe to a person's channel, you simply hit the subscribe button under the person's video, but if you hit the 'bell' beside the subscribe button, you'll be notified every time they release a new video. If you don't get the notifications, go into your settings on your device and ensure you allow notifications.


Once you click on the person's logo, you'll be brought to the person's YT channel. Underneath their logo, you'll see:


Home Videos Shorts Playlists Community Channels About

  • The 'video' tab will show you the most recent to the oldest videos.

  • 'Shorts' are simply short videos that have been made by the YT creator.

  • 'Playlists' are beneficial since most YT creators categorize their videos into playlists. For all of my videos, I have placed them into different categories to make it easier for you to find what you are wanting to find.

  • 'Community' is a spot where the YT creator can write information that they want to share with subscribers on their channel (I only recently figured this out!)

  • 'Channels' will show you if the YT creator has more than one channel.

  • 'About' will tell you a little bit more about the YT creator (or whatever they decide to share with you).

There are many ways to help a YouTube creator. You can subscribe, hit the thumbs up button under their video, and watch the ads (or just let the ads finish playing). In order to be able to subscribe or write comments, you need to be signed into your google account. The more likes and comments a creator receives, the better it is for the channel and YT will recommend the video more to others.


Speaking of google accounts, if you are a private person and don't want your name in comments, you can easily change your name in your google account settings. Just change your name to a nickname or take off your last name so you come up as a first name only.


I hope this little bit of info helps. Now you'll know that each time I put up a video, there is always more information and links under each video. Just hit the 'Show more'!


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