Advertisers, publishers and video sharing websites are all trying to figure out the best way to monetize online video. The question is, what kind of advertising is most effective with online viewers? Should videos include a pre-roll ad at the start of the video, inlaid advertising on the bottom of the screen, or on page advertising next to the video player?

A new online video advertising study reveals that consumers respond best to customizable pre-roll ads.

The online TV site Hulu pioneered the Ad Selector, which allows viewers to choose the pre-roll ad they want to see. According to the study, the user-selected pre-roll ads had a click-through rate more than 100 percent higher than other forms of online video advertising.

Given these findings, I think we can expect to see expect to see more online video sites using this type of selective pre-roll advertising. If this method increases video monetization, it'll be good news for video producers and distributors.

Webcam recordings have a certain, recognizable style: A close up face, poorly lit, staring below the camera, in a cluttered bedroom or office. It's not universal, but it's definitely the stereotype that comes to mind.

This style of webcam recording is generally accepted, and a lot of producers have gotten hugely popular on YouTube with videos just like this. But webcam videos don't have to be this bad! With a few, simple adjustments you can vastly improve the visual and audio quality of your webcam recordings. This new article, How to Record Webcam Videos, will show you how.

YouTube has announced the featured topics for February's homepage. If your video fits into one of these categories, it could be featured as a Spotlight Video on the YouTube homepage.

The themes this month include Black History, Winter Sports, Valentine's Day and others. To have your videos considered, make sure to tag them properly so they can be found by the YouTube editors.

You need to manage your account, your content and your relationships on YouTube, if you want to maintain your privacy on the site. That's the gist of my new list: 9 Ways to Maintain Your YouTube Privacy

But it just doesn't seem complete, so please help me out! What your tip for protecting your privacy on YouTube? Leave a comment to share with other readers.