Peek inside our Friday afternoon mini “film fests”

When you work here, one of the most frequently asked questions from friends and acquaintances is, “So, do you get to watch YouTube videos all day at work?”

Unfortunately, the answer’s no, but we do gobble up latest memes and must-see videos just as much as anyone else in the YouTube community. And every couple weeks, we do this gobbling (nom nom nom!) together, during our mini “YouTube Film Fest.”

We start with a fresh Google Moderator to collect and rank staff submissions. Employees add and vote on all their favorite videos until the date of the next film fest. As with YouTube itself, our fests draw from a diverse array of tastes and experiences. At any given showing, you might expect to see weird science, feats of endurance, shocking optical illusions and, of course, adorable pets.

If it’s a busy couple weeks and the Moderator’s looking slim, no problem. I just search company Buzz to find out what people are watching, liking and sharing. I curate these YouTube videos to create the Film Fest playlist. Then, come Friday afternoon, I cook up some popcorn, fill a cooler with drinks, draw the shades and hit “Play All.” The new playlist bar streamlines the viewing experience, so videos play continuously and/or we can quickly and easily jump ahead to the next clip.

What about you? Do you ever host YouTube viewing parties? How do they work? What tools do you use, and where do you archive your playlists? Tell us in the comments below (though please note comments are moderated due to spam).

John McCallen, User Experience, recently watched “Curious Stroboscopic Effect.”