YouTube launches online video channels for Congress

YouTube has launched a dedicated web site for both houses of Congress Monday that will allow each senator and representative to have their own video channel. The pages will use a U.S. map graphic to allow viewers to quickly find the channels of politicians they want to follow.

YouTube videos by Senate and House members are nothing new and have factored into the election process for a few years. But YouTube is hoping the dedicated site and channels will lead online video to have more influence in U.S. politics, and that the channels will allow more participation and interaction between representatives and their constituents.

"People out there don't really know what senators and congressmen do on a daily basis," Steve Grove, head of news and politics at YouTube, told the New York Times. "This will give them a sense of what they are doing."

A centralized place for political discourse should lead to more participation by members of Congress in new media technologies like online video. The dedicated channels will also give the Senators and representatives more peace of mind about posting videos, as they will have full control over the presentation and comment functions.

YouTube will not sell advertising on these channels initially. 

For more:
- see the New York Times article here 

Related articles
Obama to give weekly online video addresses
The first online video election