When track student-athlete Chad Hurley graduated from Division II’s Indiana (Pennsylvania) in 1999, no one had heard of YouTube. That’s because he and his partners hadn’t invented it yet.

YouTube launched in 2005 and has since revolutionized the way video is shared and distributed online.

The NCAA recently announced its YouTube channel (www.youtube.com/ncaa), which features educational videos, public service announcements and other news and information. The channel allows the Association to share video with the membership and others free of cost using an embed code found on each video.

Universities across the country are also beginning to realize the marketing and outreach applications of a YouTube channel. California, one of the first schools to launch a channel, has attracted almost two million visitors.

Creating a YouTube channel is free and simple to do – it requires no programming and only minimal design.