Page 42 - How It Works - Book Of Amazing Answers To Curious Questions, Volume 05-15

used to rank its videos by how many times they
had been viewed, but this presented a few Video storage
problems. It often meant that new videos were
pushed to the bottom of the list as their view Every video uploaded to YouTube is stored
in at least one of Google’s 14 data centres
counts had not yet had a chance to grow, and it
spread across the world. These enormous
also enabled people to manipulate their ranking buildings contain thousands of servers
by clicking on their video repeatedly, as clicking – the powerful computers that handle the
the play icon counts as a view. To combat these billions of Google searches made every day
problems, YouTube has switched to a new and also store your videos. Giant cooling
towers keep the temperature inside at a
system of measuring a video’s quality by the
steady 27 degrees Celsius (80 degrees
length of time it has been watched for. If several Fahrenheit) to ensure the equipment runs
users have stopped watching after a few smoothly, and each piece of data is stored
seconds, this suggests that the video had a on at least two servers for extra security.
The data centres can also communicate
misleading title or thumbnail and didn’t give
with each other to send information
viewers what they were looking for, whereas if between them. When you upload your
is the range of signal frequencies needed to they stayed to watch until the end it was most video it will be stored at the data centre
transmit data over the internet and you have to likely appropriate for the search terms used and nearest you, but when someone wants to
pay for the amount you use. YouTube streams therefore worthy of a high ranking. The rest of play it, the video will be sent to their
nearest data centre for quick access. This
vast amounts of data each day, carrying the YouTube’s ranking tricks are a mystery though,
also means that in the event of a fi re or
bandwidth burden for other sites that want as the company is very secretive about its other disaster, the data is sent to another
to display video. algorithm and changes it all the time to stop data centre so that it’s always accessible.
Although embedding is great for spreading people manipulating it. What we do know,
your videos further across the internet, most however, is that YouTube does take some steps

people will actually find them simply by to ensure a video’s view count indicates it’s
searching. To help connect users to the videos quality and this is highlighted by the mysterious
they are looking for, YouTube uses a complex number 301. You may have noticed, that as a
algorithm made up of over one million lines of video’s view count climbs, it quite often pauses
code. When you search for a video, the at this number for a few hours or even days. This
algorithm decides which search results it will is because when a video reaches just over 300
show you and in what order. One of the main views, a team of YouTube employees has to
factors used to rank the results is video verify that the number accurately
metadata. This is the title, description, represents the popularity of the video.
thumbnail and tags that you give Over They do this by analysing the Google data centres can be found in Europe, Asia
your video when you upload it, so 500 viewing statistics to make sure and North and South America
you should make sure they are years of YouTube people are watching the video all
relevant to the content of the videos are watched the way through and not just
video and what people might on Facebook clicking play to raise the count.

search for to find it. However, the every day While they do this, the view count
other ranking methods YouTube is frozen at 301 until it has been

uses are out of your control. The site confirmed as genuine.
The site used to rank its videos by how
The site used to rank its videos by how
many times they had been viewed, but this
presented a few problems

The first YouTube was one
YouTube video of the original
has had over 24 applications on
million views the iPhone
since it was
A brief history of uploaded

2005 2006 2007 2008
The first YouTube video was Google buys YouTube for YouTube Mobile is launched 720p HD support is added,

uploaded by the site’s £883 million ($1.65 billion) enabling people to watch enabling high defi nition
co-founder Jawed Karim. in shares. The site now has videos on their videos to be uploaded and
It’s an 18 second clip of him around 72 million visitors smartphones, and the site viewed widely for the very
at the zoo. each month. begins showing adverts. fi rst time.
42 How It Works