Earlier this year, YouTube released a way to finally make a bit of cash off this internet video thing with the "Partner Program." The program was widely panned for a number of reasons: CPC were thought to perform far inferior to CPM, and only a select few were being allowed into the program.
Now that folks know they can make substantial piles of cash monetizing with CPC ads with Revver and other places, folks have been clamoring to get into the limited beta program. In response to the overwhelming negative coverage of the fact that the Partner Program was limited to an ambiguous group of "YouTube Elites," YouTube has created an expanded version of the program.
This applications process for this version is open to, and I'm quoting here: "anyone living in the United States or Canada." On face value, it at least sounds less ambiguous.
So, to recap and translate the YouTube-speak: "In response to the allegations that regular uploaders felt miffed they weren't accepted into our limited beta, we're having a limited beta."
I'm really starting to wonder what's going on over there at YouTube. I can't tell if they just think we're all stupid, or if they are actually, in fact, stupid. Phrasing this as if it's opening it up to the wide wide world of the YouTube userbase while boasting of an additional 100 members to the program looks rather foolish in the face of the millions of users that YouTube presently has.
On that same note, I understand the legal need to mention that a user needs to comply with the Terms of Service to maintain the ability to stay within the YouTube Partner Program, but it probably wasn't the best decision to include that in the "Wow, We're Announcing New Awesome" verbiage. The first thing that comes to mind when they mention the Terms of Use is the shifting definition of what that means, and the many users world-wide that have their free speech curtailed as a matter course.
My advice to serious producers? Stick to respectable distribution methods with a history of paying their producers: BlinkX, Revver and Blip. Use YouTube as a promotions vehicle to funnel folks back to distribution methods with monetization on it. That means turning off viral features, and tagging your YouTube uploads with URL stamps leading back to your website or podcast feed.
Perhaps when YouTube gets their ad program figured out, I can change my advice a bit.