Tune-Up #3: Pandora and YouTube

Part 1: Pandora (Create Your Own Radio Station)

DEFINE
Part of the Music Genome Project, Pandora is an Internet radio station that YOU create. Hundreds of artists and thousands of songs were listened to and analyzed by musicians and music-loving technologists, who distilled each song into attributes such as melody, instrumentation, rhythm, arrangement, lyrics and vocal harmony. By using these attributes, and with your feedback, you can create a radio station that plays your favorite type of music. Not only that, you can create more than one station to listen to, depending upon your mood.

Pandora lets you listen to your favorites and introduces you to new artists and songs based on your feedback to the songs it chooses. If you like the song playing, give it a “thumbs up.” Then the next songs chosen will contain the same attributes. If you don’t like the song, give it a “thumbs down.” That song will be removed permanently from your playlist and another will be chosen. In this way, you can hone the station into one that plays only the type of songs you like.

DISCOVER
Go to http://www.pandora.com/.
Click on “About Pandora” and read about it. In particular, check out the "Frequently Asked Questions" section.

DO1. Create a free Pandora account, and then create your own radio station. Start by typing in the name of a song you like. After the first songs plays, a second one will start. Give it thumbs up or thumbs down, or choose to skip it. You are allowed six skips per hour. If you give a song a thumbs down, it is eliminated permanently from your playlist.

2. Once your station has been created, rename it (click on the "Options" button)

3. Create another station using a different type of music.

4. Blog your experiences.


Part 2: YouTube (Free Videos )

DEFINE
YouTube is a site devoted to creating and sharing multimedia. You can find and share videos of almost anything you can think of on YouTube. Anyone can post a video to YouTube; it is then tagged with key words that help it to be found by anyone searching for it. You can find it all on YouTube, from lessons on playing guitar or knitting to classic commercials and political debates. Once you sit down and start exploring YouTube, it might be a long while before you get up again!

DISCOVER
Go to YouTube.com.
Click on the Help link in the upper right portion of the screen. Here you will find links for general help, a glossary, help videos, and a search box for you to enter your own keywords. Help is available here for first timers and experienced YouTubers alike. Remember YouTube is uncensored so you may be surprised at what you will find.

DO
Go to http://www.youtube.com/ and create a free account. (This step is not necessary; you can search and view videos on YouTube without creating an account, but having one allows you to add comments and keep track of your searches and favorite videos.)

Click in the search box and begin searching. For example, if you would like to view the Alka-Seltzer commercial from the 1970s with the catchphrase, “Mama mia, that’s a spicy meatball!”, simply enter the search terms “alka seltzer” and “ spicy meatball” (without quotations). Click “search” and within seconds, you will be brought to a page with a number of little video screens with text beside them that describes the clip with the keywords you used for your search. Click on the video screen or the colored text beside it to view the clip.

Think of another old commercial, television show or music video from your youth (!) that you would like to see. Type some keywords in the search box and view your results.

Pretend you are looking for instruction of some type, like how to crochet or play bass guitar. Type some search terms like “crochet” and “instruction” in the search box. View your results, and write about your results in your blog.

Next week: Tune-Up #4 discusses methods for sharing your photos over the Internet.