You may find it useful to add video content to MyFolio; perhaps to add to a Page or as evidence for reflection in a Journal entry. This can enrich the viewing experience for the person accessing your Page. The problem is that video can take up a lot of space. As you probably already know, you have 256 megabytes quota of space to use but this would also include any files and images that you uploaded. It's also good practice to keep your video content somewhere you can more easily re-use it. However, help is at hand thanks to Google's YouTube service.

It's highly likely that you'll have heard of YouTube, if not visited the site before. YouTube is designed so that anyone with an account can upload video to share with the world. You can upload video clips of up to 15 minutes in length by default from your computer or mobile phone. However, you can increase your video length limit by following the YouTube guidance on How to get longer uploads on YouTube. What you may be unaware of is that there are levels of access that you can select for each video you upload:

1. Public – this is the standard level of access and means that anyone in the world can search YouTube to find and view your video.
2. Unlisted – this is the best option if you want to add your content to MyFolio and control who can see it. Essentially the video is still public – anyone with the exact URL can access it – but nobody can search for the video, making it almost impossible to find without the URL. 
3. Private – your video can only be shared with specific YouTube users. Useful only when you want to use YouTube to store video but don't want to share.

To upload and share your videos you'll need a YouTube account.

1. Go to http://www.youtube.com.
2. Click the blue Sign in button in the top-right corner.You have to have a (free) Google account to set up your YouTube account, so either log in with your existing Google account, or click the Create an account link and follow the instructions.
3. Complete all fields of the form, ideally after reading the YouTube Terms of Use, Google Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.

Once you are logged in to YouTube it's a good idea to set your account preferences, particularly the settings related to Privacy.

YouTube enables you to upload videos in a number of different ways. You can get iPhone and Android apps to record video on your phone and upload to your accoount, and you can upload by sending a video by email (though this would only work for small videos). To upload from your computer:

1. Log in to YouTube.
2. Click the Create a video or post (video camera icon) link to the right of the Search bar.
3. Click the Upload video link.
4. Select the video file from your computer and click the Open button.
5. Alternatively, 'drag and drop' files into the area provided.
6. The video will now upload, with a progress bar showing the status of the upload. While you are waiting you can add Video information and privacy settings. Remember that you'll need to choose Unlisted or Public to use your video in MyFolio. Once you are happy with all of the Basic and/or Advanced settings click Done.
7. In the Sharing Options section, select and copy the URL or embed code of the video if you are ready to add it to your Page.

Once you've finished uploading your video and have copied its URL or embed code, you're ready to add it to your Page. To do this:

1. Go to your Page (in Edit Content mode).
2. Click on the External tab.
3. Drag the External media content block into your chosen place in the Page.
4. The Configure screen will pop up. Give your video a Title.
5. Paste the YouTube URL or embed code into the URL or embed code field.
6. Choose a width and height for the video. Remember that different sized screens will display your view differently, so don't make it too large; 250x250 or 480x320 are good sizes. You can always change this later should you need to.
7. Click the Save button.

The video will now be displayed in your Page, even in editing mode, so you can easily change the size of the video if it's unsuitable, by clicking the edit button in the top-right corner of the content block. If you'd like more control over how the video is displayed in your Page, try using an Embed code.

You can, of course, use any YouTube URL to add a video to your Page. You may like to use a video which supports or illustrates an opinion or idea that you share with its author. This is a legal "grey area", so it's worthy of some explanation. Please note that the following guidance isn't from a legal expert...

As you found when you uploaded/recorded your own video to YouTube, you have some privacy and sharing options which allow you to decide what others can do with your video, so it's common sense to assume that embedding a video which someone else has decided can be embedded is okay. However, it's also reasonable to assume that this person simply didn't realise what they were doing.

The legally correct approach would be to contact this person through their YouTube account, explain what you'd like to do and ask their permission. In practice this could be difficult as they could choose simply to ignore you. Let's be completely clear here: a lack of a definitive "no" does not mean "yes".

Of course, some YouTube users are more savvy than others and may already include a creative commons licence or other disclaimer in the video's description. In these cases it should be fine to use the video if that's what they are saying, provided that you are complying with their terms. With this in mind, you should also consider when you upload a public video whether you'd approve of someone else using it, and state this in the video's description.

Finally, bear in mind that the person who uploaded the video may not hold its copyright, so be very careful in the case of television and film clips. It's highly likely that any illegally uploaded video will be taken down at some point. This can also happen in the case of perfectly legal videos when, for instance, someone closes their YouTube account.

Further Reading

• Is it Okay to Post YouTube Videos on My Website?
• YouTube Copyright Help
• Creative Commons