Youtube.co.ke- Google is now more Kenyan than most Kenyans

Youtube.co.ke it is. Google is slowly making their presence felt in Kenya. This week Google Launched Youtube.co.ke . So is there any difference between Youtube.co.ke  and Youtube.com? Nope. Why lauch Youtube.co.ke?  After the lauch i entered a taxi together with James Murua and the first thing the taxi driver asked was what was the event for. We tried to explain but the guy kept on repeating, si watu wamekuwa wakitumia Youtube kwani tofauti ni gani?

With Youtube having .co.ke, Google is now more Kenyan than most Kenyans who can’t afford the .co.ke and instead go for .com. Google expect the YouTube Kenya to offer some of the most informative and entertaining video  content from around the world through a local interface that promotes the content most relevant to Kenyans.

“We are thrilled to be launching YouTube in Kenya today”, said Olga Arara-Kimani, Google Kenya’s Country Manager.  “We have remarkable reserves of information right here in Kenya, from music, educational clips, news, and self-help tips.  With a new localized version of YouTube, Kenyans will be able to connect and use this information more easily.”

YouTube Kenya makes it easier for local users to find and view the videos most relevant to them, by tuning search and discovery algorithms such as featured videos and homepage, as well as category spotlights. Content uploaded by users in Kenya will show up as “browse pages” on the YouTube Kenya site, creating a new virtual space for the national community and giving Kenyan users the opportunity to increase their exposure.

One problem has been the internet speed, in particular on the mobile phones where most Kenyans access internet through.  But good news is that most  mobile networks are now operating in 3G. Airtel switched on their 3G sometime last week, we are testing it here and we will talk about it soon. Orange did lauch theirs sometime back and of course the market leader Safaricom is getting better and better in terms of the speed.

For the ultimately experience of Youtube the internet speed is very important and it is great that Google is working on ways to make the videos load and play quickly. Well, If you are on the slow network like Yu without 3G, don’t give hopes, Google has something for you.   In addition to the standard YouTube experience, users have the option to watch videos with YouTube Feather. This “light” version only includes the site’s most basic features, to help ensure that those with low-speed Internet connections are able to play videos play faster.  YouTube Feather can be found in TestTube (http://www.youtube.com/testtube), the area on the site where new products are tested.

If you are reading this and wondring what you can do with Youtube, here are a few info to help you out depending on your background:

If you are A musician, you have a chance to hit platinum by just clicking upload. . You remember the Just Aband 2010 hit single,HaHe, and that mean looking guy called Makmende? The group made history by creating  Kenya’s first viral internet meme

If you are blogger or a journalist, the world is yours for taking. Simple, by creating and running interactive Youtube Channel, you can reach the world and change it.

If you are a marketer, your are now living in a village crowded with consumers. Just be creative and they are all yours.

If you are a Church Leader. Yes, the men of God. We talk of changing the world and its peole, you have a chance to  take the world to heaven.. I like mavuno church and i follow it online but i have no idea where it is physically. Thanks to blogs and twitter

If you thinking or you have already declared yourself a candidate for the 2012 General elections, YouTube gives  you the biggest free platform to reach the masses. Just don’t bore them with nonsense.

If you are a winjiku then go to Youtube.co.ke and see what is there.

Fianally some interesting stats aabout Youtube:

  • 3+billion views a day-up over 50% from a year ago
  • 400M mobile views a day
  • 800million unique users visit YouTube each month
  • 100mmillion people take a social action with YouTube (likes, shares, comments, etc) every week
  • YouTube is available on 350 million devices (PCs, tablets, mobile phones, smart TVs, gaming consoles)

[pullquote]YouTube allows millions of people to discover, watch and share originally created videos. YouTube provides a forum for people to connect, inform and inspire others across the globe and acts as a distribution platform for original content creators and advertisers large and small. YouTube, LLC is based in San Bruno, Calif., and is a subsidiary of Google Inc.[/pullquote]

Kennedy Kachwanya1087 Posts

--- Kennedy Kachwanya is a technology blogger interested in mobile phones both smart and dumb, mobile apps, mobile money, social media, startups ecosystem and digital Savannah. New media must not forget the strength of old tech.

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