Five years ago today, YouTube began changing the world of online video consumption. As of now, the company reports that there are approximately two billion video views per day. I’ve been lucky to have been a part of this service almost since its inception. Watching the changes over the years has been exciting… and a headache, at times. Not every change has been for the better. However, the folks behind the service are pretty good at listening to what their users really want.

YouTube is launching a new channel of videos that they have named “My YouTube Story.” This will include a collection of clips featuring people from all over the World talking about how the popular video-streaming service has changed or enhanced their lives. According to TechCrunch, “The initial batch of clips were filmed by documentary filmmaker Stephen Higgins, and some of them are quite touching. YouTube users can upload their own video stories as well; YouTube will be plotting these videos on a global map, and will also offer an interactive timeline of clips.”

I like to believe that our community has contributed in some small way to the success of the site. Since I joined the site in April of 2006, I have recorded a grand total of 2796 videos. Our channel has garnered 78,661,584 total views!! There have been 4,702,845 channel views, and we are number 34 on the “most subscribed” list of YouTube Gurus and Partners. We’re also ranked nineteenth on the list of most viewed Gurus and Partners of all time!

All I can say to that is that I am blessed to have been able to grab a small corner of the YouTube merry-go-round for our community, and it’s been one hell of a ride thus far. Happy birthday, YouTube… here’s to another successful and amazing five years.