YouTube is still getting blocked by way too many corporations and schools. For awhile, my Sprint EVDO card made it a moot point – but I need to get a newer card for a faster speed.

A blocked firewall and a slow connection would normally place a hurdle in front of our trying to view valuable videos on marketing or education or creativity…or whatever.

Enter Zamzar or KeepVid. Both allow an end around to such hurdles.

Zamzar
This is becoming one of my favorite tools. While I use it most for turning a YouTube video into a file I can keep on my flash drive, I can also convert other file formats and Zamzar emails me when the file is ready for download.

You simply follow the instructions:

1. Enter the URL of the web page of the video
2. Choose a format (I usually choose MP4, but have done iPod)
3. Enter your email
4. Convert the file

It may take a few hours for Zamzar to email your notification, then you simply go back to the site and download the file. Zamzar also has a premium membership where they convert files quicker and send them directly to you.

KeepVid
A little bit easier to use, though not as powerful and available only for videos (and at that, only some sites — including YouTube).

Simply add the URL of the video’s web page and the download begins. One cool thing about KeepVid is their bookmarklet. By using the bookmarklet, when you go to YouTube just click on the bookmarklet and the download begins.

Easy peasy!  Now you can grab a video to store and show rather than just having to skip it. What other tools do you use to get beyond those stodgy firewalls?

In our Same Stuff, Different Tools (SSDT) series, we’ll start where most people start — Google.

I remember decades ago when we had a question, we’d call the librarian. Of course, there was no Google, no Barnes & Noble, and Dave Taylor wasn’t taking questions yet.

We’d ask the librarian our question, and often they would ask a question back — just trying to be clear about our question. We’d be put on hold a few minutes and presto! Our question was answered.

Today, we often go to Google for these questions. The answers come quicker — but only if we’re clear and specific with our questions.

When I do a Google search, the first place my eyes go on the results page is how many results appear:

If there are more than six figures, I need a more specific query. Let’s try it:

Much better!

There are other ‘thin-slice’ muscles we can build to make sure we get great information from the results Google provides — and we’ll go over some of those in future posts — but for now, know that Google is more than a "search engine." In fact, Google can be a "find engine" if you know how to change your Google inquiry.

Related Posts Elsewhere:
– How to Get Better Google Search Results
– 50 Awesome Searches Every Librarian Should Know About

#SSDT