Handing YouTube Over to You

Last night came a somewhat exciting announcement by YouTube: the online video mecca has released a set of new open APIs along with other features that position itself as “an open, general purpose, video services platform, available for use by just about any third-party website, desktop application, or consumer device.” Website developers can now upload videos directly to YouTube, as well as allow their visitors to rate, comment, and post video responses directly from their site (no need to be redirected to YouTube.com). The expansion of its APIs also means developers can create video-players that are free of YouTube’s stylization and formatting (in essence, allowing them to create their own, personalized YouTubes).

And for a bit of a meta-trip, check out co-founder Steve Chen discussing the new features… in a YouTube video: