In February 2005, several PayPal employees introduced the beta test version of a site known as YouTube. They designed the site to let people share videos online. In November 2005, Sequoia Capital invested over 3 milion dollars in the site, and a month later YouTube emerged as a fully fledged Web destination. It didn't require much time for the website to become popular, and in November 2006, Google search engine purchased YouTube for $1.65 billion.

As the website has grown, so has the scope of the videos on the website. In the early of YouTube, you could find videos showing interesting locations, amazing tricks and hilarious pranks. You may even now find that sort of video material now, but you'll also see political discussions, musical performances, instructional videos and unfiltered war clips. In 2007, YouTube even provided users with a way to talk with possible U . S . presidential candidates. YouTube members submitted video questions, and CNN featured some of them in Democratic and Republican debates.

YouTube has also become the center of several controversies. One of the most publicized controversies concerns copyright infringement. YouTube doesn't check videos before they appear on the site -- people upload tons of videos all the time. Frequently, YouTube users will upload television shows or movie trailers to share with other people. If the YouTube member doesn't own the copyright to that video material, there could be problem.

Another controversy is now brewing in the YouTube community itself -- the battle between the online community and companies. YouTube has established partnerships with primary television studios like CBS, NBC and the BBC and with companies like Universal Music, the National Basketball Association and the National Hockey League. Famous celebrities like Oprah Winfrey and Paris Hilton have also become a member of YouTube. Some users feel that these wealthy organizations and individuals are squeezing out the average contributor. They consider that average user videos are competing with individuals and companies that have big budgets and extensive resources, and many users suggest that these groups and celebrities are applying underhanded methods to ensure their videos rise to the top of YouTube's video lists.

There are many different methods YouTube members can interact with one another. You are able to send private messages or write a comment for everybody to see through a user's personal channel. You can even comment on individual videos unless the video's author has turned off that feature.

Some people prefer to turn off the comment feature in an effort to avoid online trolls -- users who make offensive messages. Another annoying comment byproduct is spam. Many YouTube accounts seem to exist only so the user can leave comments promoting a selected website or YouTube video in as many comment sections as possible. However, YouTube has provided users with an option to block specific accounts from commenting on video clips.

Some people choose to leave every comment, even negative ones. That's because each comment on a video contributes to the video becoming one of YouTube's "most discussed" videos. When a video lands on the most discussed list, it's featured on YouTube's videos section, which can result in a dramatic increase in viewers. On YouTube, it really is true that there's no such thing as bad publicity.

Members can even leave video replies to another online video. The member wanting to comment films himself or herself and uploads it to YouTube as a comment. It's possible for two or more members to engage in a video conversation or debate by uploading video responses to one another. YouTube has a Quick Capture tool that allows people to record a video using a Webcam and upload it to the site using a single application, which works great for video responses.