Today we're going to talk to you guys a little bit about what
is caption certification on YouTube.
When you're uploading your videos,
perhaps you'll notice underneath the Advanced tab
that there's a little option there to certify captions.
What is it?
What is it about?
Do you need it?
We're going to talk about that.
It's coming up.
Hey, guys.
My name is Tim Schmoyer and this is Tole Khesin
from captionsforyoutube.com, the smartest person I know anyway
about captions on YouTube.
So Tole, what is this whole certification thing,
caption certification YouTube?
What's it all about?
Do we need to care about that as creators?
Yeah.
So a little background-- captions actually
originated in the early 1980s as a result of an FCC mandate
that now basically applies to all broadcast television.
Oh, OK.
In the US?
Or are we talking internationally as well?
This was just in the US.
And captions weren't required for internet television
until enactment of the 21st Century Video Communications
and Accessibility Act, often abbreviated as the CVAA.
And the CVAA basically expanded the SEC requirements
to the internet.
So what this means for captioning
is that any video that aired on TV with captions
also requires captions if it's published on the internet.
CVAA actually defines that responsible party that
has to add captions is the owner as
opposed to the station or cable provider, which
was the case previously.
According to YouTube's terms and conditions,
when you upload a video YouTube basically
gets an unlimited worldwide license
to broadcast your video.
But you retain ownership, thus you're
responsible for creating captions.
However, the new FCC rules also require video distributors
to confirm compliance through a captions certification.
So what that means is that if you're not adding captions
to your video, you just need to select why you're not doing it.
And so the options in that certification are, number one,
this content has never aired on television in the US
without captions.
So if that's the case, then you don't need to add captions.
So that's pretty much the vast majority
of all user-generated content, right?
Exactly.
Another option that you can select
is that this content does not fall
within a category of online programming
that currently requires captions.
So some of the types of content that have been exempted
are video clips.
So at least right now video clips have not been mandated.
So, for example, if you have a one- or two-minute clip
from a TV program that did air on TV,
you don't need captions for that right now.
That might change.
But currently you do not need to.
So if I used a clip from, you know, like,
"Colbert Report," or something like
that-- which I shouldn't do anyway
because I don't own the copyrights.
But if I have permission and used it,
I would still not have to use captions.
That's right.
That's correct.
Another option is that you can select
that the FCC has granted an exemption from captioning.
So even if you do qualify, you can actually
petition to get an exemption.
So you basically select one of those--
If you really don't want captions for some reason.
But like you said, the vast majority
of video creators on YouTube will just
select that first box which is that it has never aired on TV.
So what if the other way around?
And this has happened to me before where
I've had a video on YouTube and then
it goes to television either because it went viral
or because you talk about a newsworthy subject or matter.
Or maybe you shot a clip that the local news
wants to use or something like that.
Do I then need to go back and add captions to my video?
So that's interesting.
I think that would depend on whether the portion that's
shown on YouTube is the entire program
or whether it's a clip of the entire program that airs on TV.
If it's a one-minute video on YouTube
that gets incorporated into a 30-minute TV show,
then you would not need to caption that.
But if the entirety of the YouTube program is shown on TV
then you would have to go back and add captions.
Got you.
And so if I need to go back and add captions to it,
we've already talked about many ways.
If you guys are watching this, links in the description
below about the value of captions,
why they're important, what they do for your videos,
how to create them, all that type of stuff.
So check out those links.
But the service that I've been using lately
is captionsforyoutube.com, which is
why I'm talking with you, Tole, because I think
it's a great service, and I've loved it so far.
Can you just give us a brief overview of what it is
and how it works?
And then I'm going to give you guys a little promo
code you can use to test it out for yourselves.
Yeah, so captionsforyoutube.com, we think,
is the fastest, easiest way to add professional captions
to your YouTube videos.
Basically you just login with your YouTube account,
you select which videos you want to have captioned,
you press a button, and that's it.
Everything else happens automatically.
YouTube sends the videos to us.
We caption them using professional transcriptionists
so that quality is over 99% accurate.
And then we send the captions back.
And then they just show up in your YouTube videos.
And it's as simple as that.
Yeah, I like it because all I have
to do-- I just got to think about it once.
I don't have to remember, like, OK,
go get-- because I was using a different service before,
a transcription service.
And then I had to actually go get the files.
It was finished, like, a week later.
Upload them to YouTube.
Make sure they sync.
You know, this way, with you guys,
I just login to my account.
I just say here's my YouTube video.
Transcribe this.
And then caption that.
And then I just leave.
And then when the transcript is done,
it's just automatically added to my video on YouTube.
And I like it.
Yeah, so go check that out, guys.
Creators10 is the promo code.
And it's really simple.
Check out some different videos maybe
on your channel you want to try to test out
and see how well the system works for you guys.
And if you're trying to figure out which videos should you
do, you've only got 10 minutes, well, we've
talked about that as well.
Links below, so you go check all that out.
So thanks for hanging out with us, guys.
And, Tole, thanks you for hanging out with us as well.
If this is your first time here and you have other questions
maybe about captions, you can comment below.
I am not an expert, but I will do my best to help you.
And maybe we can get some other people
who know better about this stuff to hang out and help you guys
in the comments down there as well.
So we'd also love to have you subscribe.
If this is your first time here, every week
we do creator's tips just like this
to help you guys out as creators.
Tomorrow, we'll doe some YouTube Q&A.
And then on Tuesday, we cover some YouTube news
and talk about some of the things that are changing here
on this platform called YouTube and how to keep up with it so
that your content can continue to perform well,
your channels continue to grow, and all that type of stuff.
So thanks for hanging out, guys.
And I'll see you guys again tomorrow.
Bye.