# How common is it to call a YouTube video "a YouTube" **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 19, 2013, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-is-it-to-call-a-youtube-video-a-youtube/666667 "2013-08-19T21:58:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![EmilyG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/emilyg/32/364_2.png) [@EmilyG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EmilyG)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2013, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-is-it-to-call-a-youtube-video-a-youtube/666667/1 "2013-08-19T21:58:09Z")
Somewhat inspired by [this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=699606)(not to pick on people or anything), but it’s also something I’ve been wondering for a while: My mother used to call each video on YouTube “a youtube.” She’d refer to YouTube videos as “youtubes.” I think I’ve heard a few other people use the word “youtube” in this way too. Is it common? ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2013, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-is-it-to-call-a-youtube-video-a-youtube/666667/2 "2013-08-19T22:27:38Z")
When I saw the thread title I thought “the only person I’ve ever seen say ‘a youtube’ is jinx in that other thread”, so, not common. And, to my ears, it sounds just as bad one someone says ‘a facebook’, as in ‘Do you have a facebook?’ ---
**Author:** ![EmilyG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/emilyg/32/364_2.png) [@EmilyG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EmilyG)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2013, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-is-it-to-call-a-youtube-video-a-youtube/666667/3 "2013-08-19T22:39:05Z")
I admit, I do say “a twitter” and “a tumblr” to refer to a Twitter account and a Tumblr blog, respectively. I haven’t heard “a Facebook.” ---
**Author:** ![drewtwo99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2013, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-is-it-to-call-a-youtube-video-a-youtube/666667/4 "2013-08-20T00:05:37Z")
I’m fine with “a facebook” “a twitter” and so forth. But never have I heard “a youtube” to refer to an individual youtube video. If someone said “do you have a youtube?” I would probably think they meant “youtube account.” If someone said “you gotta see this youtube” I would raise my eyebrow and say “huh?? There’s only one youtube!” ---
**Author:** ![RandMcnally](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b782af/32.png) [@RandMcnally](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RandMcnally)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2013, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-is-it-to-call-a-youtube-video-a-youtube/666667/5 "2013-08-20T00:20:26Z")
If I heard that in real life I’d assume the person was either really old or being ironic. ---
**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2013, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-is-it-to-call-a-youtube-video-a-youtube/666667/6 "2013-08-20T00:51:34Z")
Never. ---
**Author:** ![AClockworkMelon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aclockworkmelon/32/10803_2.png) [@AClockworkMelon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AClockworkMelon)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2013, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-is-it-to-call-a-youtube-video-a-youtube/666667/7 "2013-08-20T03:18:58Z")
It’d be acceptable coming from my 80-year old grandfather but that’s about it. ---
**Author:** ![kittenblue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ba8739/32.png) [@kittenblue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kittenblue)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2013, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-is-it-to-call-a-youtube-video-a-youtube/666667/8 "2013-08-20T03:23:18Z")
Yes, it is common. I hear it all the time. ---
**Author:** ![EmilyG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/emilyg/32/364_2.png) [@EmilyG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EmilyG)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2013, 11:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-is-it-to-call-a-youtube-video-a-youtube/666667/9 "2013-08-20T11:08:45Z")
> [@kittenblue](#): > > Yes, it is common. I hear it all the time. Maybe it’s more of a regional Ohio thing? Calling a YouTube video “a youtube” amuses rather than bothers me. What does bother me is when food from a restaurant is called by the restaurant’s name. “I ate McDonald’s” or “I’ve eaten Burger King in different places” - that bothers me. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2013, 9:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-is-it-to-call-a-youtube-video-a-youtube/666667/10 "2013-08-24T09:42:14Z")
> [@EmilyG](#): > > Maybe it’s more of a regional Ohio thing? > > Calling a YouTube video “a youtube” amuses rather than bothers me. What does bother me is when food from a restaurant is called by the restaurant’s name. “I ate McDonald’s” or “I’ve eaten Burger King in different places” - that bothers me. I’ve only heard that with word “some” in front of it. They will say, “I ate some McDonald’s,” or “Do you want some McDonald’s?” For some reason, that doesn’t bother me as much. ---
**Author:** ![PSXer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/48db29/32.png) [@PSXer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PSXer)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2013, 11:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-is-it-to-call-a-youtube-video-a-youtube/666667/11 "2013-08-24T11:08:19Z")
Me and all my friends call watching a video on youtube “having a youtube”