Most of us secretly dream of having a hit viral video on YouTube. Though few of us actually realize YouTube web celebrity, there's now more incentive than ever to mastermind a viral video sensation.
Today Google and YouTube are announcing that they're rolling out the YouTube Partnership Program, an advertising revenue sharing program, to regular Joes like you and me. Basically, individual videos that become widely popular, amass a ton of views, and abide by YouTube's TOS will be eligible to earn revenue share dollars.
Your 15 minutes of web fame could turn into something quite profitable, though the criteria does seem to be a bit arbitrary. You'll know that you've hit the jackpot when they contact you. According to YouTube's post on the news, "To determine whether a particular video is eligible for monetization, we look at factors like the number of views, the video's virality and compliance with the YouTube Terms of Service. If your video is eligible for monetization, you will receive an email and see an "Enable Revenue Sharing" message next to your video on the watch page, as well as in other places in your account."