Break A Record With Guinness World Records On Guinness World Records Day!

Inspired by Juan Mann's Free Hugs video Guinness World Records is looking to establish a new world record for the Most Couples Hugging in One Minute and are calling on YouTube users to help them succeed.

So if you fancy helping share the love and make it into the Guinness World Records Book in the process, be at St Pancras International Station early on November 12, which – as it happens – is also Guinness World Records Day 2009. In the spirit of research, Guinness World Records Editor-In-Chief, Craig Glenday, headed down to the home of the Eurostar in London to test the waters with nothing more than a Free Hugs sign for protection.



"I really wasn't expecting many people to take me up on the offer, given how miserable most early morning commuters seem to be," said Craig. "But after about 10 minutes of no reactions whatsoever, I got my first hug - a group hug, in fact, by a gang of lovely old ladies! Then the flood gates opened, and dozens came forward for a cuddle."

Alongside the Most Couples Hugging attempt, November 12 will see a mass cheerleading event in the US, an attempt to bake a giant gingerbread man in Norway, a biggest bikini parade bid in Australia, concrete block chopping in Mexico, pickled egg eating in Scotland and a bus-pulling with the hair attempt in England.

"The idea of the day is to spread the word and the joy of record-breaking around the world," explains Craig, "and get as many people as possible setting or breaking records in a single day. It's costs nothing to have your record ratified by GWR, and it's open to anyone in the world. It's a great way to raise money for charity, too - we help raise millions of pounds every year."

Keep your eyes on the Guinness World Records channel for updates on their plans, and remember: if you want to be a record breaker, head down to St Pancras International on November 12.

Have fun,
Jamie Dolling, Community Editor, YouTube UK, recently watched “Various Jobs I Could Get”.

Can You Beat Michael Phelps? Do You Have The Edge On Dame Kelly Holmes?

Face facts: in a swimming race against 14-time Olympic gold medalist swimmer Michael Phelps, you'd have no chance whatsoever...but you may be able to beat him in speed putting! If you can make more than 12 five-foot putts in a minute, you'll have bragging rights forever:



This is "The Best of Us Challenge," presented by the International Olympic Committee, where Olympic athletes challenge the YouTube community to compete in some truly unique events. For example, you can challenge American Olympic gold medalist gymnast Shawn Johnson by tapping-your-ears-while-doing-a-handstand. (FYI: she did it 54 times in 30 seconds.) Or take on one of the world's fastest men, Jamaican sprinter Asafa Powell, who balanced a stick on his foot for two minutes and 30 seconds. Six-time Grand Slam winner and Olympic gold medalist Rafael Nadal picked up 24 tennis balls in 30 seconds (making great use of his groin area) — how many can you get?

If you've got the moxie to best these world class athletes, check out the The Best of Us Challenge channel on YouTube to learn how to submit your video. Prizes include a trip for two to the Vancouver Winter Olympic Games in February 2010 and a trip for two to the Youth Olympic Games in Singapore in August 2010, as well as T-shirts, video games and posters. Submissions end on Sunday, November 15, so whatever your skill is — putting, hand-standing, hula-hooping, etc. — get out there and show the world your best.

Andrew Bangs, YouTube Sports, recently watched "Tiger Woods Golf Swing in Slow Motion"

Celebrating Free Expression 20 Years After The Fall Of The Berlin Wall

In 1989, the fall of the Berlin Wall became a striking symbol for free expression far beyond the borders of Germany. Just 20 years later, Iranian citizens used online tools like YouTube and Twitter to share firsthand accounts of the brutal government crackdown waged against protesters disputing the country's election results. Many Iranians risked their lives to document the violence, despite the government's attempts to expel journalists and stifle any voices of dissent.

The democratizing power of the Internet has enabled individuals to share their stories with a global audience in ways never before possible, and given a voice to those who wouldn't otherwise be heard.

To commemorate the twentieth anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, we're launching a YouTube channel — youtube.com/GoogleFreeExpression — to highlight and celebrate free expression around the world, and we want to hear from you.

This channel is designed to feature your stories and reflections on free expression. Tell us about how you or someone you know has taken a stand for free expression. Perhaps you've protested against something you didn't agree with, taken action when someone else's free speech was being suppressed or been inspired by someone who has stood up for the right to speak out. Make a short video sharing your experience, upload it to YouTube, and add it as a reply to this one:

We'll be featuring the best submissions on the Google Free Expression channel, so be sure to check back in the weeks to come. We look forward to hearing from you.

Annette Kroeber-Riel, European Policy Counsel, recently watched "Getting past the 'Barbed Wireless'"

U2: Live On YouTube Tonight

We are counting down the hours to this evening's U2 concert at the Rose Bowl stadium in Pasadena, CA. The live stream begins at 8:30 p.m. Pacific Time (3.30 a.m. GMT), and YouTube users all around the world can tune in. (To figure out what time the concert starts where you are, simply click the time converter here and select the name of your country in the pull-down menu.)

Once the show starts, scroll down on U2's channel for a Twitter gadget displaying real-time comments about the webcast. If you Tweet from this tool, you'll see that each message is pre-populated with the hashtag #U2webcast, instantly plugging your comments into wider discussions about the show.

For those of you who miss the live event, the full performance will be re-broadcast two consecutive times after it ends. It will also be archived as a video on the U2 channel -- so there's really no excuse to miss Bono's distinctive wail, the Edge's guitar mastery, the roll of Larry Mullen's drums, or Adam Clayton's thumping bass lines. Let this preview whet your appetite for the experience up ahead...

Michele Flannery, YouTube Music, recently watched "They Come From Everywhere"

Channel 4 Goes 3D, Seeks Content From YouTube Users

In November Channel 4 is set to run a week of programming dedicated to 3D film-making and is inviting YouTube users to produce their own 3D films to serve as trails to introduce the programmes.

The broadcaster is looking for videos shot around the theme of “4” of around 10-15 seconds – as per this effort, shot outside the station’s London headquarters.



The team has produced this excellent 3D How To Video and you can learn more about the YouTube 3D experiment here. If this has piqued your interest, then head to the 3D Week On 4 channel to learn more.

Have fun,
Jamie Dolling, Community Editor, YouTube UK, recently watched “Svengali – LA Woman”.

Share A Smile, Save Money… And Do A Little To Save The Planet

As climate change campaigns go, What’s Funny About 1,431 takes a slightly different tack to many but shares the same message: you can make a difference and you can do it today in many, many simple ways. The kicker being that these efforts can also save you money in the process – up to £1,431 a year.



The people behind the programme, Together.com, are using comedy and YouTube to help get the word out. They have challenged 10 comedians to come up with their take on the number 1,431 and are asking viewers to vote for their favourite. If you back the winner, you will be in with a chance to win £1,431… and if you can impress the panel with your take on their power number, you’ll be in line for a similar amount.

YouTube UK’s BenLoka has already leant his support to the programme, sparking an interesting debate on vegetarianism in the process, so head over to WhatsFunnyAbout1431 and learn more. As for us, we’re off to stock up on energy saving lightbulbs (saving up to £37 a year in the process).

Have fun,
Jamie Dolling, Community Editor, YouTube UK, recently watched "Newton Faulkner - Badman".

Search Comments On YouTube In Real Time

Today, Comments Search moves into Test Tube, the place where our engineers and developers test out new features and gather data and feedback before pushing them out to a wider audience. This feature allows you to search the comments people are making on YouTube in real time. The full comment will appear on a continuously updated results page, and "trending topics" indicates the hottest topics of conversation on YouTube at that particular moment. Comments Search is a way you can find out what YouTube users are saying about everything from the news stories of the day (below, see results when we typed in "balloon boy") to your individual channel or brand.

So try it out, enter your feedback here or comment below, and help us get this feature ready for the masses. We're always working on new ways to enhance search across YouTube and give quick and easy access to the information people are looking for.

Jamie Davidson, Product Manager, recently watched "Strange Cloud Over Moscow Oct 2009."