Monthly Archives: February 2021

More than 1.5 billion users log in and watch videos on YouTube each month.

Thats one important reason why crafting videos for your audience on YouTube can be a very rewarding experience for your small business or nonprofit.

Another is that by sharing videos that inspire, educate, or entertain, you can build a community and get more people talking about your business.

But before you can start using YouTube to your advantage, you first need to learn the basics.

In this post, well walk you through the steps you need to follow to upload a video to YouTube, and introduce you to some valuable features YouTube has to offer.

Take a look at the infographic below from our friends at Venngage Infographic Maker for a quick visual rundown!

The first thing you will want to do is to log in to YouTube. To do this, youll need to set up a Google account if you do not already have one. Your Google account can be used for YouTube, Google My Business, Gmail, and any other YouTube platforms.

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After logging in to YouTube, choose the upload arrow button near the upper right hand corner of the page. From there you will be taken to the Upload page.

Different types of videos should have different types of privacy on your YouTube channel.

Its important to set the privacy before uploading videos you do not want available to the public or visible on your channel.

Heres a breakdown of what each privacy setting means:

Once you choose your privacy, click the big arrow button and select the video you want to upload from your files, or simply drag and drop the file.

Tip: HD videos are best for your channel. You want to upload a video with dimensions that are either 19201080 or 1280720. Having a crisp, clear video gives people the impression that you are professional and that your content should be taken seriously.

While the video uploads to your channel, you can see its progress on a status bar. Once uploaded, the video then has to process. You can see the progress for that in the status bar as well.

Your title is the most important piece of information you will provide about your video.

You want to make sure the title of your video is relevant and you should keep in mind what people might be searching for. You dont want the title to be vague or difficult for someone to figure out what your video is about.

The title is what Google values the most when ranking your video in the search results page.

Its also important to add descriptions and tags to your videos. You want to include keywords in your description that will help your video get ranked higher in search results. The more relevant information you can provide to YouTube in your description the better they will be able to rank it.

Tip: While your video is uploading, if you have the privacy set to Public, you can check off the Facebook and Twitter buttons to automatically share your video on those networks when the upload is complete.

YouTube generates three choices of thumbnail images for you. The thumbnail image will be seen on your channel, playlists, suggested video previews, and also anywhere your video is embedded.

If you do not like any of the YouTube generated choices, you can create your own image to use. The recommended size for these images is 1280720 pixels. Be creative with your thumbnail image; it should convey what your video is about and look professional.

To upload a custom thumbnail click the Custom thumbnail button.

Now that you have uploaded your video, you can go to its dedicated YouTube page. Your video now has its own URL, where users can like, comment, and share your video.

From the videos page you can also access settings, enhancements, audio, annotations, and closed captions. You can also view the video analytics or go to your channel video manager from this page as well.

This page also serves as a jump off for social sharing (across thirteen platforms). It provides the code to embed your video and an option to email the video to someone directly from the videos page.

Tip: Want to make your Youtube channel look professional? Update your Youtube channel banner using a Youtube banner maker.

There are a few things you can do to get the most out of your video, like adding annotations, encouraging users to subscribe to your channel, linking your Google account to your YouTube channel, and more.

Youll also want to dive into the analytics for each of your videos to find out what type of content your audience is responding to the most. You can learn a lot about your audience from the numbers they generate on YouTube.

Remember, YouTube is a social channel and your videos should reflect that. Dont scare people away from your small business or nonprofit by just trying to sell to them on YouTube. Instead, provide them with engaging content that will make them want to come back for more!

Editors Note: This post has been updated for relevance and accuracy.

See the rest here:

How to Upload a Video to Youtube from Start to Finish

After you create a video, you'll want to share it with the world, and there's no better way than uploading it to YouTube. If you use the best video editing software for your needs and the right video hosting platform, you will be able to share your video content in a fast, efficient manner. And whats more, many popular video hosting platforms, including YouTube, are completely free to use.

In this guide, we outline everything you need to know to upload to YouTube, which is arguably the worlds most popular video-sharing platform. The process is actually surprisingly simple, even if you have no video creation experience, and there are various tools at your disposal to make it even easier.

Before you can upload to YouTube, there are a few things you need to do. For starters, make sure that you have an active YouTube account. Create a new channel if required, and make sure its name and appearance are relevant to the content youre planning to share.

Additionally, you need to make sure that the visual side of your video is edited and compiled as you want it. If you require voice-overs or other sound effects, you can add them as well, but keep in mind that YouTube has a large, free audio library that allows you to add music and other sound effects after uploading.

You also need to make sure that your video file type is supported by YouTube. In saying that, most common video formats are fine. You can find a full list of YouTube-supported file types here.

When you log in to your YouTube account, you will see a small video camera icon with a plus in the center located in the top right corner of the screen. Click on this, and two options will appear: Upload video and go live. Click the upload video option, and you will be taken to the YouTube Studio.

Here, you will be shown a screen that allows you to upload your raw video file from your computer or other device. Click the Select Files button or drag and drop your video file to begin the upload process.

Once youve selected your video file, you will be taken to a screen that allows you to specify information for your audience. Create an attractive file name thats relevant to your content. Remember, its a good idea to use keywords and phrases that people are likely to search for.

Similarly, make sure you put together a clear description that tells viewers exactly what they can expect to find in your video. Ensure its clear and well written. Select a suggested thumbnail from your video file or upload a custom one. This will be shown in search results and suggested video menus, so make sure its neat and attractive.

You can also add your video to a playlist here and specify whether or not its appropriate for children.

At the bottom of the initial detail page, you will find a More Options button. We highly recommend clicking this and filling in as much information as possible, as it will help you gain visibility and grow your audience.

You can add relevant tags, select and upload subtitles if required, and add a video recording date and location. Specifying a video category will help people find your content, and you can also choose how comments are shownif you want them to be shown at all.

Hitting the next button will take you to a video elements section. Here, you can choose to add an end screen or in-video cards to promote relevant content or products. If you have a website, its a good idea to add a link here to help drive extra traffic. Or, if youre working alongside a business to promote a product or service, you might like to add information about them. In many cases, a disclaimer is a good idea as well.

If youve made it this far, all the hard work is done. Now, you just need to select whether you want your video to be private, unlisted, or available to the public. You can also schedule it to be uploaded at a later date if required.

Before you hit the publish button, we recommend heading back to the beginning and checking your information. Proofread your title, description, and other written content to make sure there arent any spelling or grammar errors. Ensure the correct thumbnail and call-to-action elements are selected, and make sure youve complied with YouTubes Community Guidelines.

Once youre sure everything is correct, hit the publish button and send your video live.

While it's not as robust as the best free video editing software, YouTube has a few tools to enhance your movie. Once your video has been uploaded, you can edit it by navigating to the YouTube Editor tab. Here, you can perform a number of actions, including adding audio, blurring faces or other sensitive parts of your video, and adding or customizing your end screen.

You can also split your video into sections, which is a great way to add different audio tracks in different places. There are numerous music and sound files available, but unfortunately, you cant upload your own audio files here. If you want to add custom audio, make sure you do it before uploading your video.

Once youve uploaded and customized your video, its time to get people watching it. Make sure you share a link to your social media channels and encourage people to click through and view your content. If you have a website, consider embedding it in a blog post or on one of your main pages.

Who knows, if you do things right, you may even gain enough interest to be able to monetize your content!

At the end of the day, uploading and publishing a video on YouTube is actually a very straightforward process. It requires little technical expertise and really shouldnt take you more than half an hour or sounless, of course, your video is large and requires more time to upload.

If youd like to find out more about putting a custom video together, check out our guides to the best free video editing software and the best video editing software. Or, if youre working from a mobile device, consider reading about the best video editing apps for phones and tablets.

Today's best Adobe Premiere Elements 2021 deals

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How to upload and publish a video on YouTube - Tom's Guide

22 February 2021, 07:10

Olivia Rodrigo and Joshua Bassett shared their reactions to social media, after they were name-dropped in a sketch on Saturday Night Live.

Olivia Rodrigo's 'drivers license' has taken the world by storm, spending three weeks at the top of The Official Big Top 40.

Saturday Night Live even dedicated a whole sketch to the song on Saturday, 20 February, as Bridgerton's Reg-Jean Page hosted.

> The 'Love Triangle' Drama Between Olivia Rodrigo, Joshua Bassett And Sabrina Carpenter Explained

The High School Musical: The Musical: The Series stars shared their reactions to being mentioned in the sketch to social media, with Olivia Rodrigo uploading clips to her 6.5 million Instagram followers, saying "I'm losing my mind a snl sketch ab drivers license omg [sic]".

Joshua Bassett also posted a TikTok, captioned "FRIEND: dude you were on SNL last night!!!," only for him to react as Saturday Night Live cast member, Mikey Day, says "My b**** ex, Gina, is Joshua Bassett".

Olivia Rodrigo celebrated her birthday on the same day as this SNL episode, and took to Instagram to thank her fans, as she posed in front of a banner, saying "thank u all for the birthday wishes! Im on my adult s*** now its crazy!"

> You Can Hear Olivia Rodrigo's 'drivers license' on Global Player Now

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Olivia Rodrigo and Joshua Bassett React To Being Featured On Saturday Night Live - Capital

On Thursday, VHP leader Champat Rai slammed NDTV after it tried to cast aspersions about the nationwide donation drive for construction of Ram Mandir at Ayodhya. Rai is the General Secretary of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust.

During the programme Reality Check on NDTV, journalist Sreenivasan Jain decided to sow the seeds of doubt in the public mind about the ongoing donation drive. As part of the agenda, Jain sent a reporter to quiz Champat Rai about the collection that has been made so far. How much money has been collected? What is the target?, the reporter asked.

We have no target in mind. Amassing wealth cannot be the goal of an individual in life. Money is Maya (unreality). It will come and go. And whose money is it? None should develop arrogance believing that it is his money. It is Gods money, the VHP leader replied. On being pestered further, he said that it was no possible to update the collection every day, as contributions have been pouring from donors each day. Champat Rai added that as per estimates, a total of 1500 crores have been collected.

However, the NDTV reporter was not content with the answer. She further asked, Will the funds collected in 1990s be used for temple construction? Will they be added into these accounts? It must be pointed out that the issue of donations collected in the past has been raked up by several Opposition parties, including Congress leader Digvijaya Singh to suggest impropriety by the ruling dispensation.

A miffed Champat Rai replied, This is a bad question This is not even your questionWhoever has prompted you to ask this, tell him that I have said that he is a person of low intelligence. Whoever has told you to ask this question, tell him that he is a foolYour Editor has no brain. He is a bogus man with a negative mindset. The VHP leader further added that over 37000 volunteers are connected to the State Bank of India, Bank of Baroda and Punjab National Bank.

He emphasised that they have all details of the collection made and deposited by the 37000 individuals. The banking system is such that they wouldnt even allow the children of the karyakartas to deposit money on their behalf, Champat Rai reiterated. On being asked about the controversy surrounding stickers being pasted outside homes of donors, he added that no such direction has been given by the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust or VHP.

Ahead of the Bhoomi Pujan of the Ram Mandir in August last year, habitual offender NDTV continued uploading posts on its social media pages, describing the Ram Mandir site as disputed. The groundbreaking ceremony for the proposed Ram temple at the disputed Ram Janmabhoomi site in Ayodhya will take place tomorrow, read one of the Facebook posts uploaded by NDTV on August 4, 2020. This was not an aberration as another post uploaded the following day on NDTVs Facebook page once again described the Ram Janmabhoomi as disputed.

A temple to Lord Ram at the disputed site of Ayodhyas Ram Janmabhoomiawaited by many through decades of turmoilwill get started today with a ground-breaking ceremony attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other VIPs, the post read. A barrage of criticism was directed at the NDTV for continuing to depict Ram Janmabhoomi as disputed, even though the Supreme Court, in its landmark judgment last year, had granted Hindus the site for the construction of a Ram Mandir over it.

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Your editor at NDTV has no brain, he is a bogus man, VHP leader slams NDTV for casting aspersions on the Ram Mandir donation drive - OpIndia

Anthony Fantano aka 'theneedledrop'

Anthony Fantano is an American music critic, interviewer, YouTuber and internet personality known for his music-related YouTube channel The Needle Drop.

You have an impressive 2,300,000+ subscribers on your main Youtube channel and were recently profiled by theN.Y. Timesin September 2020. As your brand continues to grow, does the role of being a content creator become easier or more difficult?

I think when you're doing anything for this long, you do fall into a groove with it. I think that's the point that I'm at now. The most recent development is learning to hire other people because there was a long time when I feel like I toiled very much independently. There wasn't a budget to hire or work with anyone else in the beginning. And even after the point where there was, I was still figuring out how to be a manager or a boss. I hate that word. But trying to figure out how to do that, on top of creating content, is even more difficult. There are still aspects of what I do that I'm still learning to do well, and a lot of it is behind the scenes stuff that nobody really knows or understands. Because, you know, all they see at the end of the day is the review, but they don't see everything that needs to occur for the content to happen. I'm trying to get better every day doing that stuff and trying to be better at bringing other people in on those processes so it can be done efficiently. So yeah, I think it's becoming easier. But even as things get comfortable, I then learn about new things that I could be doing or should be doing. And when I understand what those things are, I have to go out and learn to do them. There are always new challenges to take on even when things seem to be easy, you know?

Walk us through your listening & review process. How many times do you have to hear a record until you break it down? Do you keep notes? Is there a strict routine?

On average, I would say four to six times, and I do keep notes. And I would say that there is a strict routine given that I have to put out reviews regularly. So, as a result, there is a strict listening routine, a strict digestion routine, I guess you could say. And again, if you were watching it from the outside, it would be very much like watching grass growconcentrating, writing notes, doing a little bit of research online, etc. I'm not an encyclopedia, and I have to be reminded of things. But there's definitely a process, and I will spend some of the early listening sessions hearing the record casually and just getting a general sense for it instead of diving into the nitty-gritty of a record immediately. With a record, there's a macro and a micro picture, and I find personally it's a bit easier to write a review if I can take a little bit more time with it without feeling a time crunch. I can write an entire review of just nothing but micro-details from front-to-back of every track. Still, sometimes if you get a macro picture of the record first, it's easier to tell which details are worth sharing and which ones aren't, or which ones are vital to point out or explain as far as describing the appeal of the album for me personally.

How do you structure your week to consume so much music?

I have no idea. My week is a mosh pit between work, online stuff, family, shooting videos, and listening to music. It's crazy. To tame my chaotic days, I do a lot of listening at night. And since I signed up with Twitch, I do a lot of listening and live album reactions on stream. I would have to spend time listening to albums anyway, so I figured I'd spend it on Twitch getting subs, getting bits, and getting engaged on that platform. And it's made sense so far. It's been a fun experience bringing people in on that side of the process.

I feel like the only way I get through my week and get as much done as I want to is to have people who work with me pick up some of the slack. I can lean on them if I shoot a review and need it edited, or I'm running a show on Twitch and I need someone moderating so I can concentrate on listening to music and getting my writing done.

Your reviews carry a ton of weight online. Have artists ever thanked you for positive reviews? Have any of them threatened you because of a negative review?

There have undoubtedly been negative comments and some bad experiences for sure. But wow, you just went right to the threats. (Laughs) Like 'Anthony, you put out this review. Has Jack White threatened to kill you? Has Jack White sent you an email, put you on blast, and sent you a picture of a pistol and said "you're going to meet your maker, buddy" for that Dead Weather review?' No, Jack White's never done that; Jack White's never threatened my life. But yeah, of course, the reviews have gotten negative responses. None of which are worth noting or anything. There's no negative response from anybody that's haunting me to this day. There are great positive responses that I'm happy with, but nothing I want to toot my own horn about. I'm glad that I'm stirring feelings up in fans and artists alike. And honestly, I don't take the negative criticism as a bad sign, as long as there's balance. There are people firmly in my corner who understand what I do and feel it plays a vital role in their lives. Others think it's trash, garbage, the worst thing ever, and I should die. I guess as long as there's a balance in the force, then I think I'm doing something right. If all I ever did were piss everybody off, there'd be something wrong. And if all I ever did were elicit moderately positive vibes from everyone, I feel like I'd be doing something wrong as well. Because, as a critic, you've got to take out the trash sometimes, and there are going to be unhappy people with angry responses as a result.

Does it ever feel like 'work'? Are some artists harder to review than others?

I wouldn't say any artists in particular, but some projects are more challenging to review than others. Some projects, in a way, defy reviews. Outsider artists, legendary albums, and very lengthy projects fall into this category. Sometimes for personal reasons and sometimes due to time, it's hard to find the mindset to digest everything. Does that ever feel like work? Yeah, it does. It really does feel like it's work, work, work, work work. The listening and writing parts are both fun, but I'm not merely spending my entire day just reviewing, reviewing, reviewing, and reviewing. On top of that, there are commentary videos, streams, editing & uploading, social media stuff, P.R. people to email, brand deals, interviews, and so on and so forth. There's a lot to do and a lot to get done. It's work that I enjoy doing. It's a labor of love. It sounds clicheand it is a clichebut it's a labor of love.

How do you manage the balance of being an impartial reviewer while maintaining your personal music preferences?

I don't perceive myself to be an impartial reviewer. I try to lay it all out there so that everybody knows this is my opinion. Let's say Animal Collective comes out with a new record, and I think it's trash. And I think it's trash for reasons that are personal or petty or something along those lines. If I'm impartial, I'm going to take that reason and I'm going to hide it. And then I'm going to come up with a bunch of disingenuous reasons to mask the real personal reason that I'm not liking this record. Unfortunately, this is a habit people fall into, so I avoid it by being as straightforward as I can possibly be about what I do and don't like about something. Honestly, there are records that I dislike or don't have strong feelings about that I feel wouldn't make for a compelling review. There are some projects that I don't have much to say about. While I try to review all that I can, I can't possibly review everything, even if I wanted to force myself to. I try to be open and forthright about what's driving my feelings and what I don't like about a particular sound, artist, or record so that everybody knows where I'm coming from. I wouldn't call it impartiality, and I wouldn't call it objectivity. But I'm just trying to be as forthright as I can be, just lay all my cards out on the table.

Last but not least, let's talk album ratings. Out of the albums you've previously scored in the 0-5 range (out of 10), which of them would you elevate past a 6+/10 today?

I've done videos in the past where I've listed ten albums I would change my mind on and rank higher. For example, I'd slightly elevate Foo Fighters 'Wasting Light', Earl 'I Don't Like Shit, I Don't Go Outside,' and 2 Chainz 'Based on a T.R.U. Story'. There are plenty of records out there that have increased in terms of enjoyability. Opinions are not written in stone. If you're somebody who's always experiencing new things and open to having your mind changed, you're going to find yourself in a position whereespecially if you're reviewing 1000s of recordsyour opinions are going to change on some of them. It's just the law of averages working against you at that point. If you keep reviewing records, you're going to hit an opinion that you'll change down the road. It's inevitable. I'm honestly happy about it because I have another album I enjoy in my back pocket. I don't have to keep defending my opinion over and over again.

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Its A Labor Of Love: A Conversation With Anthony Fantano - Forbes

Which F1 driver has the most followers? What glimpses into their lives do they provide their fanbase with? Is Sebastian Vettel ever going to join social media?

We are answering those questions and more with our ranking of every F1 drivers social media presence and dont worry, weve already done the stalking for you.

Sir Lewis Hamilton

Facebook: 4.3m Twitter: 6.1m Instagram: 21.5m Combined Total: 31.9m

Unsurprisingly, atop the ranks is our seven-time World Champion, Sir Lewis Hamilton, who is a staggering 24.3million combined total followers ahead of his closest rival.

Hamilton is most popular on Instagram, where his bio reads Plant based. Love Animals. Constantly searching for my purpose, for adventure, open-mindedness and positivity.

He has been an active user of social media for years, using his platform not just to display his F1 successes but to highlight the global matters he holds close to his heart, such as the Black Lives Matter movement, animal cruelty and global warming.

Hamilton is a prime example of how sporting superstars can use their influence to inspire positivity and help to pursue a healthier, safer world for future generations.

You can also keep updated with his training camps up in the snow-blanketed mountains or if you are lucky, you may even see some adorable Roscoe content.

Fernando Alonso

Facebook: 1.8m Twitter: 2.7m Instagram: 3.1m Combined Total: 7.6mSecond on the list is Fernando Alonso, upon his welcomed return to the sport this coming season. Despite not being a part of F1 for the last two years, it seems his social media accounts have not taken a hit and, since the announcement of his return to the sport with Alpine, his following has grown larger.

Throughout his socials, Alonso shares a wide variety of his life, from pictures with his family to his ventures in IndyCar and Le Mans. He also enjoys karting, with images of him racing around in a tricked-out, 2005 Renault R25-inspired livery.

We are sure that as he settles back into F1, his following is set to grow even more.

Daniel Ricciardo

Facebook: 1m Twitter: 2m Instagram: 4.1mCombined Total: 7.1m

Taking the final step on the podium is everyones favourite Honey Badger, Daniel Ricciardo. It seems the joy of the Aussies constant wisecracks spreads much further than the F1 paddock as he has a significant following across all social media platforms.

Ricciardos content tends to focus more on his high-octane life as a racing driver but gives a couple of glimpses into what he gets up to during his downtime, such as golf and adventuring.

If his big cheesy grin is all you are after, however, we are sure he wont disappoint. Seriously, he is smiling in nearly every single one of his photos, even when wearing a mask.

Max VerstappenFacebook: 1.2m Twitter: 1.4m Instagram: 4mCombined Total: 6.6m

Next on the list is F1s youngest race winner, Max Verstappen, who missed out on the podium by a mere half million followers, behind his old team-mate Ricciardo.

The majority of his content is nothing out of the ordinary for a professional athlete, mostly consisting of updates during his race weekends or clips of his training routines on Instagram as he battles hard to reach the top. He loves a run around Monacos coastline too, but then againwho wouldnt?

The youngsters exhilarating performances throughout the years have no doubt grabbed the attention of those who have followed him and since he is quite possibly a World Champion in the making, there is definitely room for his social media prowess to grow in the future!

Charles Leclerc

Facebook: 291k Twitter: 869k Instagram: 4.1mCombined Total: 5.2m

Speaking of runs around Monaco, next on the list and 1.4m followers behind Verstappen is Monegasque Charles Leclerc.

Leclerc loves his fashion and you should not be surprised to catch uploads of him in a sharp new suit on his Instagram to help remind you of how long it has been since you last got dressed up to go out. But more to the point, Charles has only been in F1 for two seasons and its a seriously impressive feat to appear this high on our list.

His stunning victory at Ferraris homeland in Monza must unquestionably have been a huge boost for his fanbase and his time Twitch streaming during lockdown dressed as a banana thats right, a banana will have indeed drawn in more of an audience.

Much like Verstappen, this exciting young talent is certain to amass great success in his F1 career so its more than likely his following will expand.

Sergio PerezFacebook: 483k Twitter: 2.3m Instagram: 1.5m Combined Total: 4.2m

Next up is veteran Sergio Perez, who has grown quite a respectable following throughout his 10-year career in F1.

Unlike the previously mentioned drivers on our list, he is the first to have more followers on Twitter than Instagram. It seems then that he is either an expert tweeter or he needs to hire a new photographer.

Perezs social media accounts mostly consist of uploads following his life at the racetrack and claiming his emotional first F1 victory at the Sakhir GP last season was certainly a favourite moment with the fans too, attracting more followers to his socials.

However, more recently things have taken a swift turn towards the future as he prepares to race for Red Bull, with uploads of him training in his new gear and promotional videos of him at the factory.

Its set to be a thrilling year for the Mexican and his followers.

Carlos Sainz

Facebook: 536k Twitter: 895k Instagram: 2.2m Combined Total: 3.6m

The followers of the next persons social media accounts will see lots and lots of red should they visit his page because its Ferraris new driver, Carlos Sainz.

We can tell Sainz is excited about his move to the Scuderia because apart from shots with his family or looking back at his youth, his more recent posts on Instagram involve him either driving the prancing horse or being in his scarlet red racing suit.

And why shouldnt he show it off? After all, the move to Ferrari will have indeed brought more fans to his accounts as the loyal Tifosi welcome their new driver.

Interestingly, we discovered a certain canine friend who has featured on his Instagram. It appears Roscoe may have some competition

Lando Norris

Facebook: 188k Twitter: 892k Instagram: 2.5m Combined Total: 3.5m

Only 100k followers behind Sainz is his old team-mate and meme-master Lando Norris who, like most of the drivers, has a significantly higher number of followers on Instagram compared to his Twitter and Facebook accounts.

The cheerful McLaren driver is always up for a good gag and likes to spread his joy through his social media and Twitch accounts, where he even shared the launch show of the 2021 McLaren.

His upbeat take on life has no doubt kept his fans returning for more, making him a solid fan favourite despite his relatively short career in F1.

As McLaren look to be getting ever more competitive and he joins Ricciardo in the driver line-up, surely his following will grow even bigger?

Valtteri Bottas

Facebook: 365k Twitter: 758k Instagram: 1.9m Combined Total: 3.0m

Next on our list with three million combined followers and some stunning Instagram imagery is Valtteri Bottas.

From a dockside view of the sunset to the northern lights illuminating the skies, photographers could learn a thing or two from the flying Finn.

On top of some ideal desktop backgrounds, Bottas also shares with his fanbase his love of cycling and rallying, portraying his escapades away from the racetrack.

However, he is quite far down the list compared to his team-mate Hamilton, but will this year finally be his year? If he was to win the World Championship, that would in no doubt multiply his following by ridiculous amounts.

George Russell

Facebook: 363k Twitter: 560k Instagram: 1.6m Combined Total: 2.5m

Making it into the top 10 with significantly more ease here than he has out on track is George Russell.

Russells exceptional performance at the Sakhir Grand Prix for Mercedes and his reign as the F1 Virtual Grand Prix champion will have no doubt drawn more followers to his socials, helping him claim the final top-10 spot.

Another driver who likes to look presentable, Russell can often be pictured in some very stylish outfits (youre welcome, George).

He also loves a good topless photo or a casual selfie from time to time. Its just like any usual social account for someone his ageexcept hes an F1 driver.

Kimi Raikkonen

Facebook: N/A Twitter: N/A Instagram: 2.2m Combined Total: 2.2m

Considering the Icemans only social media presence comes from Instagram, its pretty impressive how he has only just missed out on the top 10. That says a lot about how much the fans love him.

He is the most experienced driver on the grid yet, as much as he loves racing, Raikkonen is a devoted family man and his feed mainly consists of him being with his wife and children, including their lovely holidays that we are definitely not jealous about

Alongside those are a handful of shots captured of him during his race weekends or when he is training. Although he is 41, that doesnt seem to slow him down.

That should give him something to be cheerful about. He certainly smiles more on his socials than he does in the paddock anyway.

Mick Schumacher

Facebook: 543k Twitter: 239k Instagram: 1.4m Combined Total: 2.2m

Next up, and only a few thousand followers behind the Iceman, is his old rivals son, Mick Schumacher.

The freshly crowned F2 champions feeds are full of highlights from his F2 years and now more recently filled with shots of him driving around in the Haas F1 car during testing. Do you think he is looking forward to making his F1 debut?

Being the son of F1 legend Michael Schumacher has no doubt drawn many of his followers to stick around and his triumph in F2 will have ensured a healthy growth in his following, putting him ahead of some of his F1 rivals before he has even started.

As the promising rookie prepares to follow in his fathers footsteps, we are sure his numbers will grow even further once he hits the track.

Pierre Gasly

Facebook: 118k Twitter: 483k Instagram: 1.4m Combined Total: 2.0m

Surprisingly low down our list and 200,000 fans behind Schumacher is F1s courageous Frenchman, Pierre Gasly.

Gaslys content is pretty straightforward, his feeds mainly displaying what he gets up to during training or when he is battling it out on track. And of course, he also takes the opportunity to look back on what must have been his favourite F1 moment, his triumph at Monza.

Who can blame him? After all, that momentous victory must have definitely attracted some of his followers to his pages. It seems a trophy is not the only reward you get for a race win!

Esteban Ocon

Facebook: N/A Twitter: 322k Instagram: 793k Combined Total: 1.1m

The final driver on our list to have hit over one million combined followers is Alpines Esteban Ocon.

Ocons following has certainly grown stronger since his much-awaited return to the sport in 2020 and those scrolling through his feeds can see he is certainly proud of how he has bounced back to where he is today. There is a Renault badge in nearly every photo!

He enjoys showing off Alpines new colours in his recent uploads and there are also multiple uploads of him celebrating his podium at the Sakhir Grand Prix and thanking his fans for sending messages of congratulations. Its the kind of content every F1 fan wants to see.

Antonio Giovinazzi

Facebook: N/A Twitter: 154k Instagram: 524k Combined Total: 678k

Some way behind Ocon is Alfa Romeos Antonio Giovinazzi, who is also quite far back from his team-mate Raikkonen.

The Italians social feeds mainly follow him during his F1 weekends or training hard, as the smaller number of followers could suggest he is still yet to prove what he is capable of doing on track.

Nevertheless, he loves to engage with those who follow him and he uploaded a special image on Instagram to thank his fans for helping him reach 500,000.

Lance Stroll

Facebook: 28k Twitter: 139k Instagram: 428k Combined Total: 595k

Lance Stroll finds himself surprisingly quite far down the list, despite usually being up near the top end of the grid when out on track.

This may be down to the Canadian not uploading too regularly. His last Instagram upload was at the end of January and his most recent tweet all the way back in December when the 2020 season had ended. The rest are just retweets of the new Aston Martin F1 teams uploads.

Its not the end of the world, mind you. We are sure he is spending his time focusing hard on how he can beat his new team-mate Sebastian Vettel in the coming season and finally clinch that first victory.

Had his race in Turkey panned out a different way, you could argue he may have found himself much higher up our list.

Nicholas Latifi

Facebook: N/A Twitter: 83k Instagram: 191k Combined Total: 274k

We can tell who is the fans favourite Williams driver as Nicholas Latifi finds himself way down the list from his team-mate Russell, by around 2.2 million combined followers.

That does not stop him from cracking a smile in most of his selfies, while other captures consist mainly of him in his Williams.

He really likes to spread joy and flip a good pancake, clearly loving his life as an F1 driver its the positive energy we are here for.

The lower following could also suggest he still has more yet to prove to the F1 fanbase. But considering how off the pace Williams were during his rookie season last year, we think its fair to let that one slide.

Hopefully if his team can get back to winning ways, his socials will feel the benefit too.

Yuki Tsunoda

Facebook: 2k Twitter: 68k Instagram: 195k Combined Total: 265k

Read the rest here:

Drivers with the biggest social media followings | F1 News by PlanetF1 - PlanetF1

This whole last year was a shit show...

Credit to Mike Shinoda, he knows how to make an entrance. Linkin Parks frontman returns to the fray with new single Happy Endings, an upbeat, wry reflection on shaking off the new year blues and taking 2021 by the horns.

Paired with Phoenix, Arizona pop star Upsahl and Puerto Rican-born, Texas-based rapper Iann Dior, Shinodas new single hangs around the optimistic chorus lyric, Still, at least in my mind, Im feeling like Im the hero that saves me, and offers hope that maybe the year ahead might just be one worth celebrating, a welcome shot of positivity we could all appreciate right now.

Shinodas PR team have proudly informed us that, this week, the LA-based rapper became the first major label artist to launch a single via NFT auction. This, apparently, has something to do with cryptocurrency authorities, but we'll level with you here, they might as well have told us that Shinoda composed the song by synthesising unicorn urine and uploading the stem files into ProTools. Whatever, thefinaltop 10 bidders will each receive an original print of the single artwork signed byShinodaand contemporary artistCain Caser, with proceeds from the auction benefitting the ArtCenter College of Design, which sounds like a good thing. So, well done everyone.

Originally posted here:

Hear Linkin Parks Mike Shinoda marry alt.pop, hip-hop and the hope of a 2021 to remember on Happy Endings - Louder