• by Lydia Loizides , Op-Ed Contributor, December 13, 2007

The announcement this week by Google's YouTube that it is expanding its Partners Program should be good news to content creators. But is it? This project -- which lets users who upload videos to the site share in revenue created from their content -- is what most content creators have dreamed of: capitalize on reach, own your content and earn money.

But the concern still lies in whether or not the "semiprofessional" -- meaning anyone who isn't a network with an entire marketing and advertising budget in the hundreds of millions -- will be able to be heard enough above the noise of content. And let's be real here -- there is a heck of a lot of noise.

And while I tend to agree when proponents say that the reach through YouTube is there, one thing sticks in my craw. It is that dirty little secret that those outside of the digital community understand and are plagued with daily: not everyone is a designer/programmer/technocrat. Gasp! I know it is hard to believe, but trust me -- they ain't. Not everyone can upload video, design the page, syndicate through RSS, ensure that best practices SEO formats are being followed, track advertising, find brands, and continue to market, market, market while all the while making a living. The disadvantaged and even the advantaged in the content community understand the power of YouTube, but many lack the power tools to get the job done without having to rely on a staff of technorati. All this means is that I suspect there are a host of creators of compelling and high-quality content who are lying fallow.

We need to find a way to tap into this group of creators -- the ones who aren't technologically multitalented or don't have access to what I term a 21st century Master-of-the-Web. Why? Because what the likes of YouTube and others are offering might as well be access to a UHF channel in the minds of the creative masses.