Press Herald reports on UMaine Extension’s popular how-to videos
The Portland Press Herald published a feature article on the popular how-to videos created by University of Maine Cooperative Extension and shared on YouTube. The goal of Cooperative Extension has always been to provide a teaching environment for vocational sciences such as engineering and agriculture, according to the article. UMaine Extension was an early adapter of the trend of making DIY videos, the article states. The top 10 most-viewed videos, from “How to Freeze Tomatoes” to how to grow and prune berries, have been viewed over a million times around the world. “We’re really thinking about it from the eye of the consumer,” said John Rebar, executive director of UMaine Extension. Consumers want tips and techniques about sustainable living, but they want them fast, “without sitting down for a two-hour movie or going to a lecture,” he said. “So we need to be concise and focused.” About half the viewers of the video channel on YouTube are Maine residents, he said.