YouNow

Mark your calendars! Starting April 1st we will launch a new Fan Rewards Program!

YouNow’s Original Fan Rewards Program has ended and it was a huge success.  We gave away 70 cameras, 20 new iPhones as well as hundreds of YouNow t-shirts.  Congratulations to those who won.

Good news, starting April 1st you guys will be able to get your hands on some new rewards!

                           

The New Fan Rewards program will reward you for NEW FANS earned in APRIL ONLY (not before or after). We will be giving away YouNow Hoodies, Sol Republic Headphones and 7 New iPads, each with the opportunity to install the YouNow Mobile app - all in April!  

                 

There are friends to be made, coins to be earned, and NEW prizes to be won at YouNow.  So be sure to keep calm and GO LIVE!

This week’s airing of “The Musical Challenge” hosted by YouNow’s own Cody-Ann Palmer was awesome. The Musical artists on display were both talented and passionate music lovers. This week’s lineup of musicians included Adam Shallcross, Rosie Cotton, Vince Palermo, Dedra Kreider, Michael Glatzmaier, Michelle Gaw, Gavin Cole, Amy Massey & Caitlin Wilkins.

In the end the top three performers were Dedra Kreider, Michelle Gaw & Michael Glatzmaier but Michelle Gaw stood out amongst her competitors and was declared the winner.

Congratulations to Michelle as well as the rest of the broadcasters who performed on the Musical Challenge! Be sure to tune in next week for another entertaining episode of The Musical Challenge.

See you then!

The YouNow Team

                 

You log on via FaceBook, you click “go live”, and BAM, you’re ready to show you face to the world!  You’re probably going live to show the world your guitar skills, or maybe just to rant on how bad school lunch is.  Whatever the reason, YouNow is a wonderful place to get your opinions heard and your talent seen.  YouNow is also a great place to win prizes!  Yeah, you heard right!  PRIZES!  While using YouNow you can win buttons, t-shirts, hoodies, webcams, even iPads!

Today we will focus on the YouNow buttons and how you can get your hands on them. 

                 

Are you a karaoke god?  Can you rock the mic like no other?  If so then you could have a chance to win the coveted YouNow buttons. Getting your hands on these is no easy task.  In order to don the YouNow buttons you must win the weekly karaoke challenge.  If you think you have what it takes to win the karaoke challenge feel free to participate!  The challenge is held every Wednesday at 5 PM EST and is hosted by YouNow’s very own Cody-Ann Palmer. 

REMINDER!!!  Be sure to completely fill out the Personal Info page under My Settings.  This will ensure that we send any prizes won to the correct address. 

There are friends to be made, coins to be earned, and prizes to be won at YouNow.  So be sure to keep calm and GO LIVE!

This week’s airing of “The Musical Challenge” hosted by YouNow’s own Cody-Ann Palmer was a great success. The Musical artists on display were both talented and passionate music lovers. This week’s lineup of musicians included Serena Bhandari, Grant Parker, Cary Levin, Geovanny Vargas, Caitlin Wilkins, Eric L, André Ferreira & Thor Rippy. This week’s lineup of talented musicians gave it their all and did not disappoint to the excitement of the YouNow audience. 

Grant Parker who gave some great performances stood out amongst the broadcasters and was declared the winner and took home the top prize of $100.

Congratulations to Grant as well as the rest of the broadcasters who performed on the Musical Challenge!!!

Make sure and tune in next week for another entertaining episode of The Musical Challenge!

Please note that next week’s show will take place on Friday, March 23rd starting at 3:00PM EST.

See you then!!!

The YouNow Team

                 

This weekend is Playlist Live and guess who’s going to be there?  YOUNOW.COM!  Let me fill you in on what Playlist Live is and what we plan on doing there. 

Playlist Live is a three-day convention that brings new media producers and new media fans together to celebrate the online community.  In a nutshell, Playlist Live is a place where famous YouTubers and their fans can meet and interact.  Playlist Live will also feature live music, interviews, and autograph signings. The convention kicks off this Friday March 23^rd until Sunday March 25^th and will be held at the Buena Vista Palace in Orlando Florida. 

                             

We will have our own booth at Playlist Live and attendees can expect a whole lot of fun! Representing YouNow will be Adi Sideman - CEO, Dorian Dargan - Operations Manager, Dan Gilormo - Content Manager and our hostess Cody-Ann Palmer.  We will be giving away stickers and t-shirts and those who stop by can broadcast live! Saturday and Sunday will be all about performances and meetups but Friday is solely for business and YouNow’s very own Adi Sideman will be giving a talk Two Way Television is Here.

                         

Be sure to stay tuned this Friday through Sunday for a peek at what Playlist Live has to offer.

The long anticipated YouNow iPhone App is available for FREE in the iTunes App Store.

This means you can now broadcast LIVE from your iPhone, unlocking countless possibilities for you to make unique and interesting broadcasts! 

This first version of the app only works for Wi-Fi, and allows you to broadcast. We are working on a version that supports 3G broadcasts as well as viewing and chatting.

Let’s take you on a quick walk-through of the app:

1. Once you open the app, you are immediately prompted to select a channel to broadcast in. The app shows you how many viewers are in each channel and how many are in the queue. Click “GO” to enter a channel.

   

2. Once you have logged in via Facebook, you will be entered immediately into the queue, where you can see who is waiting ahead of you and directly behind you. The app shows very clearly your queue position, also giving you the opportunity to back out of the queue by clicking the X on your thumbnail. 

   

3. Once you are about to go live, we give you a 10 second countdown, to give you ample time to prepare to be live.
   

   

4. You are now live… OMG! If you wish to switch from front-facing camera to rear-facing, you have the option. You can also end your broadcast by clicking the red square.

   

5. You’ve completed your first broadcast from your iPhone! Look at you. Hot stuff.

   

     

NOTE:

• This app is compatible with iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPod touch (4th generation), iPad 2 Wi-Fi, iPad 2 Wi-Fi + 3G, iPad (3rd generation) and iPad Wi-Fi + 4G.Requires iOS 4.2 or later.

Have comments or suggestions about the app? Add them in the comments below.

                  

YouNow is a great place to showcase your talent, voice your opinions, and meet new people.  Let’s add one more to that list.  YouNow is a great place to find love.  This is true for Sean Luellen and Billie Stone who met each other in the karaoke channel and are now dating!  3,700 miles and the Atlantic Ocean separates Sean and Billie but that doesn’t keep the love from flowing.  Check out the interview below to get an inside scoop on exactly how all of this unfolded.  

Q.  Where are you from?

Billie:  Birmingham, UK

Sean:  I’m from Virginia, USA

Q.  How did you hear about YouNow?

Billie:  Sam Pepper

Sean:  I heard from a video by MattG124!

Q.  Rumor has it that the two of you found romance on YouNow, is that true?

Billie :  Yes we have <3333

Sean:  Yeah that is true! :D

Q.  When did you both meet, and on what channel?

Billie:  The first time I saw Sean was on New Year’s Eve. I missed the YouNow English broadcast so I had to go on the American time. I spotted Sean in the queue and decided to watch him. That was the first time I ever saw Sean. I met him after a karaoke competition one night.  I watched him live and Fiona MacLennan, Adam Shonesy, Adam Shallcross, James D Jones, Sean Luellen and Rosie Cotton were in a Skype call and they added me.  This was the start of it, we became friends instantly and soon after we found love.

Sean: Oh wow! I saw her the first time when I participated in the karaoke contest back when it was on Music +, but we didn’t meet then.  We met in a group Skype call of YouNow-ers, and then we officially met about 3 weeks ago in yet another YouNow-er filled Skype call with James Jones, Me, Billie, Adam Shallcross, Adam Shonesy (How I love him), and last but not least Fiona MacLennan.

Q.  What went through your mind when you first saw Billie/Sean?

Billie: I couldn’t believe how attractive he was (not gonna lie…) I thought he was extremely good looking, and within minutes he had me laughing. A major thing is making me laugh and it took him all of a couple of minutes to do this. My first impression that I got from Sean, was a very good one.  I still have that impression now.

Sean:  Let’s see - beautiful hair, amazing blue eyes, so pretty, sign me up! Haha not that last part, But I also did notice her style, call me a girl but it’s a huge thing for me! I always make sure to keep my style in check and she definitely had the style I love. Before we even actually started talking, the first thing I did was complement on the OBEY jumper she had on (or hoodie if you are from USA). I loved it, and she seemed too good to be true J

Q.  Who made the first move?  How did that go down?

Billie:  The first move was not made by me. I was having a private conversation about Sean with Adam Shallcross and Adam decided it would be funny to say it in a group Skype call. Everyone was kind of silent and Sean was in the call. I turned my camera off quickly so nobody could see me blush.

Sean: Hahahahahahaha! Oh yes this is a good one, NEITHER of us made the first move.  It was actuality Adam Shallcross.  She messaged him saying I was a babe and asked if he thought I would date over the internet and said “Don’t say anything!”  and What does he do?  Adam pops right in and asks me if I would date someone over the internet and that Billie said I was a babe. I was laughing so hard but I did say yes, and that’s how we started to grow towards each other.  This wasn’t when we became girlfriend and boyfriend though.  

Q.  What is the hardest part about being in a long distance relationship? 

Billie:  The hardest part of being in a long distance relationship is the fact that all I want to do is be there for Sean when he’s not having a good day and not being able to hug him when he needs someone there for him. Not being able to be there for him is one of the things that kills me more than anything. That’s one, in a list of hard things in a long distance relationship. But to be honest I would never discourage someone to not be in a relationship because of the distance.  Distance is nothing when you like someone this much.

Sean : Ah… the one everyone would probably guess is the worst to me… We can’t touch or feel each other.  It’s upsetting at times and I have cried a few times over it (wimpy Sean).  It’s hard not being able to talk to each other and not be able to even give her a hug.  I wish I could but she is worth waiting for and that’s what we have to do for now.

Q.  What does the future hold for Billie and Sean?

Billie:  When I’m done with college in two years time, I’m heading over to America. It’s always been my dream, but I love the idea of going over to see Sean and be with him. The future would be perfect if I could go over there to see him. 

Sean:  A lot!  She’s flying out to America next year during my summer break. We Skype call daily and that will continue.  I can’t wait for the day when we get to broadcast together in person from America.  We’re not going anywhere and we have a YouTube channel we are going to keep up to date with slideshows and videos we surprise each other with! The channel is:  http://www.youtube.com/user/SeanAndBillie for anyone who wants to have a look. I will see you all on YouNow.

YouNow will like to congratulate Billie and Sean on their newfound love.  We wish you all the best.

This week’s airing of the “Making Music with Willie Wisely” was a success. There was quite an audience to watch the show; which featured some great YouNow talent.

This week’s lineup of musical talent included Danny Maika, Daniel Hostetter, Michael Glatzmaier, Ian Koss, Connie Avila, Sonya Sbp, Suzen Juel, Lauren Hatch, Matt Fiebig & Saturn Towne along with the host of the show Willie Wisely.

YouNow would like to thank all the broadcasters for keeping the crowd excited and entertained as well as for performing great music and entertainment.

Make sure and tune in next Monday between the hours of 9:30-11:00PM EST for another entertaining episode of Making Music with Willie Wisely.

See you then!!!

The YouNow Team

Hi, my name is Piers Roberts.

On the 25th February I hosted a meet up sponsored by YouNow. It was the first time I’d ever seen anyone from YouNow in person, so I was slightly apprehensive to say the least, but this apprehension was soon put to rest and an excellent day ensued.

I was forced to wake up at 8am and then hopped on the train at 10 to be in Birmingham by 12. Funnily enough, I was one of the last to arrive to my own meet up. Corey-Jake Middleton, who ran up to me to receive a hug, closely followed by the others, greeted me warmly.

We waited around for 30 minutes for more people to come along, then we moved on to the fun times. We weaved through crowds and managed to find ourselves right outside the Apple store! We all piled in at speed, with the intention of broadcasting live in the Apple store. Sadly this didn’t happen, for some reason YouNow wouldn’t load, and to top it off, we were kindly “asked to leave”.

              

 

We weren’t about to let this stop us! As soon we were outside Corey opened up the app on his iPad and started to broadcast, but yet again we were let down, this time by the appalling 3G signal.

By this time we were all starving, so we decided that Nandos was definitely the place to be. Marina Joyce decided to try to get Danny Tee to eat the hottest sauce they had. Danny stepped up to the plate, and just easily conquered his challenge with ease. We stayed in Nandos for a good length of time, just talking with each other around a huge round table.

After lunch Lauren Berry and Brandon Murphy went into an underwear shop, where they

proceeded to have more fun, eventually resulting in them being asked to leave, whilst the rest of us made our way to Selfridges – a huge department store, but on the way Corey found a friendly looking man to take a group picture of us. When we got to Selfridges we decided to play a big game of hide and seek on all four floors of this humungous department store, but Robert Kinbrum and I (the seekers) soon found out that this was a leviathan task. So we then decided to narrow it down to just the bottom floor, which was still huge. 

This time it was Abigail Green’s time to find everyone, along with Ellis Marriott. Of course Robert and I were the first to be found, so we decided to help out and find the others, but this was easier said than done. Corey and Lauren Berry, and Brandon Murphy and Marina Joyce had both hidden in the elevator and gone up to the second floor, the dirty cheats! Instant disqualification! Hannah Newnham and Morgan Murphy won the round of hide and seek, so they both won t-shirts. 

To make things more interesting, we decided to step up the game, I promised to give away a hoodie of mine, so Robert and I hid and waited for someone to find us. Hannah Newnham was the first to find us, and therefore won the hoodie.

After a long and exciting day it was time for me to head home, so I said goodbye at the train station, got on my train and set off home with Brandon Murphy chasing after the train calling my name.

Thank you to everyone who came. It was an amazing day, enjoyed by all. I hope to see everyone soon!

             

Piers Roberts, Faithful YouNow user :) …(that’s me in the center with the YouNow t-shirt)

   

Recently on YouNow there was a competition held for the YouNow community to best describe what YouNow is, how they heard about it, how does it work and what has YouNow done for them?

During the competition 19 people submitted videos. Bethany, a passionate YouNow broadcaster provided an awesome video describing the site. To show our gratitude and appreciation we at YouNow did an interview with Bethany and gave her some “airtime” on our blog. We posed some questions to her and her answers are below.

Q1) Where are you from?

A1) I’m from Falkirk which in Scotland.

Q2) What is your favorite thing about YouNow?

A2) I can interact with more people and get people’s views from different countries.

Q3) What are your passions\dreams in life?

A3) My dream is to become a photographer or care for disabled people.

Q4) How did you find out about YouNow?

A4) I seen it on Sam Pepper’s Facebook and I clicked on it and it lead to YouNow.

Q5) Who is your favorite musician and what is your favorite song?

A5) is Christopher drew ingles from NeverShoutNever and my favorite song of his would be On The Brightside.

Q6) What would you like the world to know about you?

A6) I would like the world to know about me that I am a caring and considerate person, and if they want to chat I will speak to them I will not bite and music and photography is my life.

Q7) How do you feel about Social Media and how do you think it has changed our world?

A7) I like it because if it wasn’t for social media I wouldn’t be doing this right now and you can learn about people and  there are so many different things.

We at YouNow wish Bethany all the best in her future endeavors.

The YouNow Team

                                             

Howdy, my name is Angel and I work at YouNow.com.  At YouNow I have a handful of
responsibilities, which include: QA, uploading clips to YouTube, and writing blog posts, among other tasks.

So let me tell you how you can help me help you:

1. Quality Assurance

We at YouNow take a great amount of effort to make sure that our service meets and exceed your expectations.  But we understand that sometimes issues occur.  These issues have a name and we call them bugs.  A bug is an error or a flaw in the software that produces an incorrect or unexpected result.  Quality Assurance or QA for short is is the process of verifying or determining whether a service meets or exceed user expectations.

Our staff are always sniffing out bugs and correcting them in order to make YouNow run as smooth as possible.  But there are some bugs that go unnoticed.  This is where you come in. If you experience an issue that affects the usability of the site or the iPhone app, please report it to us.  If you see something, say something.  You can report these issues to bugs@younow.com.

If you do stumble upon a bug we will like for you to provide us with the following information: name, time of occurrence and what happened (try to be as precise as possible).

2. YouTube channel

Now that we’ve covered QA, let us focus on how you can help us get the juiciest content for our YouTube channel.  Moving forward, we at YouNow will be adding a ton of content to our YouTube channel.  As the YouNow community grows, it will be harder for us to sift and discover the most entertaining, funniest, and bazaar broadcasts.  If you happen to be watching the most epic broadcast you have ever seen, we will love to know.

Click to view our YouTube page

Giving us the name of the broadcaster, date, channel, and time will make it much easier to find exactly what you watched.  You can also use the “share” feature in the broadcasters “info” page.  If there was a particular moment of the broadcast that made your jaw drop, had you rolling on the floor laughing, or just simply impress you, let us know.  Just make sure you give us the estimated time that this moment happened.  We will be accepting emails at clips@younow.com.  

3.  YouNow Blog

The YouNow blog is a lot like an information hub.  Our blog provides you information and updates on upcoming events, contests, and shows.  If you have any suggestions on what you would like to see in the future please let us know.  Also, if YouNow has taken over your life we would love to know why.  Tell us in a couple of paragraphs why you love YouNow.  This will give you a chance to be featured in our “Why I Love YouNow” series.  Again you can contact me at Angel@younow.com.

We welcome all the help the YouNow community lends us.  With your assistance, we will make the YouNow experience as smooth as possible.