What Should I Know About YouTube Shorts?

Question: I’ve watched a few YouTube Shorts and am curious to find out more. Can you give me a short overview of YouTube Shorts?

Answer: YouTube Shorts (think 60 seconds or less) launched in the U.S. in 2021. However, short-form video is no stranger to YouTube. The channel’s first-ever upload was only 18 seconds long, filmed 17 years ago in front of elephants at the San Diego Zoo.

YouTube Shorts are vertical video content created using a smartphone and uploaded directly to YouTube from the YouTube app. The built-in creation tools allow people to easily:

• Edit footage.
• Add music from major labels.
• Add animated text.
• Control the speed of the footage.
• Edit together up to four 15-second video clips to create one YouTube Short.

Unlike other short-form video apps — including Instagram Stories and Snapchat — YouTube Shorts don’t disappear after a certain period of time and will remain on YouTube. Viewers of YouTube Shorts can share, comment, like, dislike, or subscribe to a channel while viewing the video.

Has this short overview inspired your creativity? All you need to make a YouTube Short for your friends is your smartphone and an idea. Click here for more information including “5 Steps to Create a YouTube Short.”

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Beware of Gift Card Scams

While gift cards are a welcome present to receive, they’re also a common way for criminals to steal from their victims. Watch out for these varieties of gift card scams.

Stolen Gift Card Number
The scammer removes a gift card from a store display, scans and records the card number with a magstripe reader, puts the gift card back, and leaves the store. After money is loaded onto the card, the scammer quickly uses it to make purchases. It’s best to purchase gift cards from the rear of a display, since they’re less likely to have been fraudulently handled.

Fake Gift Card Activation Website
Usually, a gift card must be activated before it can be used. The activation website address and all necessary information are typically listed on the back of the card or a sticker across the front. Some scammers create fake websites with almost the same web addresses to gain access to the gift card number, expiration date, and card verification code (CVC) that recipients provide. Make sure you’re on the real website and not a fraudulent one before you provide data.

A Dishonest Cashier
Sometimes the cashier at a store is also a scammer. Here’s how that works: You buy a gift card, and the cashier activates it, but instead of returning the activated card to you, the cashier replaces it with one that hasn’t been activated. This allows the cashier to make purchases with the activated card or sell it. Keep a close eye on the cashier whenever you buy a gift card!

Fake Online Auction
You may be tempted to buy gift cards from online auction sites, thinking you’ll get a good deal by paying less than the card’s face value. Don’t do it! Scammers steal gift cards that haven’t been activated and sell them at these sites, meaning that “bargain” gift card may end up being worthless. Others inflate the value of the gift cards they sell, and you’ll discover the $100 gift card you bought is only worth $25.