After launching to much media fanfare last week, the Vatican's YouTube channel is already losing its novelty it appears. Since hitting a high of 90,411 views on Jan. 24, the audience for the
English-language version of the site had dwindled to 31,558 views as of Monday, according to video measurement service TubeMogul.
Besides blocking users from posting comments and
ratings, TubeMogul pointed out that the Vatican channel also doesn't allow people to embed its videos on third-party sites. That policy could keep the site from attracting a wider flock on the Web.
The Vatican has said that it aims to broaden Pope Benedict XVI's audience through the YouTube channel, while also giving it greater control over the pope's online image. In his inaugural YouTube
appearance last Friday, the pontiff referred to the Internet as a "great family that knows no borders."--Mark Walsh