Send me your stereotypes - YouTube

OK, we can't have her celebrity or looks but hats off to Queen Rania of Jordan who has been running an interesting YouTube project for the last few months.

Back in April she posted a video on the Queen Rania channel asking for people to post questions about the stereotypes YouTubers have of the Arab World and for other YouTubers to help breakdown those stereotypes.

It's interesting because although her initial video is ever so nicely shot in black and white with soft backlighting she hasn't steered away from controversial topics.  Her latest post covers an Arab wedding that was bombed by terrorists.  The comments on the videos are numerous and that initial post has 81 video responses.

Along with some other examples such as RhymingWithOranges it demonstrates that YouTube is not just a place to host video you embed in your site.  It is a social network in itself.  Comments get left, and get rated.  Videos get responded to by video and commented upon themselves.  Word gets passed around. 

In comparison the very impressive No.10 Downing Street site has nearly as many subscribers and lots more videos, but the individual films get far fewer views and comments and I can't find any video responses to the No.10 films.  Downing Street seems to be using the site as a broadcast tool as opposed to a networking tool.  I can understand the hesitancy to network but wonder if they are missing out.