Google Adds New Videos to Its YouTube Privacy Channel
Google has a privacy channel on YouTube and has added new videos recently. As Elinor Mills notes:
The videos aren’t professionally produced; they are made by Google engineers, product managers, and Google public relations representatives using a handheld video camera, according to Victoria Grand, a manager of public affairs.
Googlers were wondering “how do we communicate with users about privacy and what is the best medium?” she says. “YouTube is a scalable platform that will let us get our messages out there.”
The videos do a good job of explaining technical subjects, with the on-camera Googlers speaking plainly and using whiteboards for illustrating concepts. Rather than using actors or slick-looking “suits,” the talent is Googlers casually sitting in their offices, on beanbags, in hallways, and otherwise looking as if it’s just another day at the office.
Some of the new videos posted this week show how to control privacy settings in specific Google products, including Blogger, Calendar, Docs, and Picasa, as well as how to chat “off the record” using Google Talk and how to make it so your phone number doesn’t show up Google’s search engine.
It’s hard to judge how successful the videos are, or will be. Grand says the first privacy video had about 50,000 page views in the first three weeks–no competition for the hand-holding otters–but still not bad.
Here are two of the new videos.
Google Privacy Tips: Chat “Off the Record”
Google Privacy Tips: Unlisting Phone Numbers