Andy Warhol famously observed that in the future, everyone would be famous for 15 minutes. That day is here, although the average minute count stands between two to five. Andy, who once made a 24-hour film of the Empire State Building and whose own improv-driven films featured unknowns and wannabes, would have loved the video-sharing phenomenon.

		On the Internet Video-sharing sites to behold

In the past year, the online universe of user-created videos has exploded and is expanding at an ever-increasing rate. Sites like YouTube -- whose slogan is "Broadcast Yourself" -- and a host of others give anyone, anywhere, the chance to star in their own reality show, with a potential global audience.

For those of us who are easily amused and have a high-speed Internet connection, it's possible to drift online for hours, watching video clips of just about anything you can imagine -- would-be musicians and athletes strutting their stuff, people sharing their innermost thoughts and feelings, stupid pet tricks and even weirder human performances .... The only limit is the human imagination.

YouTube, one of the leading video sharing sites, made headlines earlier this week when search engine giant Google purchased the company for $1.65 billion. The deal shows how seriously mainstream media companies are taking an Internet phenomenon that's only a few years old -- and has yet to show a profit. YouTube users tune in an estimated 100 million videos a day. The majority of the audience is in the teens and 20s.

Many of the big online forces like Google, Yahoo, AOL and MSN have their own versions of YouTube. MSN's new Soapbox -- an invitation-only service -- is scheduled to expand in the coming weeks. And there are a host of independent sites, many of which are exploring new technologies and ways to make it easier for more people to upload their videos.

There appears to be an undeniable appeal to a rough five-minute video over a network TV program that's passed through all the layers of focus groups and network suits.

"User-generated content breaks down the falsified barriers between audience and creator," says Justin Kownacki, a Pittsburgh-based artist and creator of the Web series "Something to Be Desired" (www.somethingtobedesired.com). "Folks who enjoy sharing video and audio online are drawn to the imperfections, the work-in-progress feel. It allows a viewer to feel much closer to the process and the creators than a slick Hollywood film or prime-time television show can ever hope to achieve, because their very methods create a distance between themselves and the audience."

Kownacki's Web-based soap opera, now in its fourth season, revolves around a young group of friends living and working in Pittsburgh and features many recognizable locations as a backdrop. Kownacki has used several video-sharing sites in the past for his video shows, including YouTube and Motionbox, and now works with blip.tv.

Video-sharing is a revolution fueled by the viral video phenomenon -- online video clips that become popular by Internet word of mouth: e-mails, blogs and instant messaging.

Anyone with a video camera and Web savvy can record and upload short videos. Many mobile phones and digital cameras have video recording capabilities as well, making it even easier for more people to create videos.

To watch them, one needs a high-speed Internet connection -- or dial-up and a ton of patience. Most sites use Adobe Flash Player to show selected clips. Others use QuickTime or Windows Media Player.

The cinematography varies just as widely as the subject matter: from well-paced, well-edited clips, some by aspiring professionals, to jerky footage straight out of "The Blair Witch Project."

There are three kinds of video sharing going on:

One is on the personal level: friends and families exchanging video milestones online, e.g. little Jimmy's first steps or the trip to Disney World.

The second kind is more public, with people posting videos for the entire planet to watch. Some attract thousands of viewings, others much less. Parents take note: Because of some of the content's unedited and uncensored nature, supervision for young viewers is strongly recommended.

The third group of online content creators is more professional, and the first wave in a massive sea change in the entertainment industry.

New York-based blip.tv is an example of the latter, serving as a platform and distributor for original Web-based shows.

"We have people who are essentially creating original and serialized TV shows," says blip.tv co-founder and chief operating officer Dina Kaplan. The site features short programs, around five minutes long, in several genres, including citizen journalism, music, comedy, environmental issues, science and video blogging.

Kaplan, who grew up in Squirrel Hill, sees online video as a new outlet for creative talent.

"Instead of dreaming about a show, you can create a show. The best content will rise to the top, and the possibilities are endless for anybody who wants to create a show or star in one."

In the era of reality TV and American idols, it's becoming a new way for aspiring talent to get seen. Cleveland hip-hop artist Denny Blaze's "Average Homeboy" video made it to VH1 and also is popular on both YouTube and Google sites. The phenomenon already has generated stars such as Lonelygirl, a teen expounding on her world from her room, and Little Loca, a Latino girl with lots of attitude -- both are fictional characters played by actresses.

Web programmers are excited about the future of this relatively new medium, and its impact on film and TV.

Says Kownacki, "The '70s was the age of film-school graduates -- Spielberg, Lucas, Scorsese -- taking over Hollywood, and the '90s saw music-video directors -- David Fincher, Spike Jonze, McG -- make the leap. The 2000s are the era of a new breed of amateur filmmaker who will soon be leading the charge to change the way mainstream films are created, structured, marketed and distributed.

"YouTube is the first popularized service for these filmmakers, but it certainly won't be the last."

"We're in the midst of a massive video revolution," Kaplan adds. "What we consider a TV show will be enormously different five years from now.

For years, network executives have made the programming decisions, she says. "Now the people can decide. It's the ultimate democratization."