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• YouTube Widget

New to YouTube? Learn about getting started with video storage.

Need to place an existing widget on your page? Skip to Step 3.

Before You Begin: Video Requirements

Videos must include closed captions in order to be accessible. You can use YouTube's auto-generate function, but you must manually review them as they are only about 95% accurate and often incorrectly display proper nouns. You can also enlist the help of a captioning service to caption your videos for you.

Due to YouTube terms of service, all videos on our Cascade websites must be designated "not made for kids" (general audience) in YouTube Studio. Our recommendation is to only embed videos from an official W&M channel to help ensure this practice is followed.

Step 1: Get the YouTube Video ID

• Browse to the video on YouTube 
• Right-click within the video
• Select "Stats for nerds"
• In the screen that appears, your Video ID is the short string of letters and symbols on the first line.

Step 2: Build a YouTube Widget

1. Navigate to your widget storage folder. Don't have one yet? Build one now.
2. Select Add Content >> Right Column Items >> YouTube Widget Folder (if you don't have this asset, contact your Cascade Web Manager).
3. Enter Folder Name (lowercase, no spaces) and Display Name then Submit.
4. Edit the Widget file.
5. Enter your Custom Header Text, YouTube Video ID and Teaser Text.
6. Choose an Internal URL or enter an External URL for a "More..." link.
7. Use + to enter additional YouTube videos, up to a maximum of 8, if applicable (this enables the rotating video widget/teasers). Use the up/down arrows or drag-and-drop to reorder the videos.
8. Preview Draft >> Submit >> Check Content & Submit then Publish the widget folder.

Step 3: Put the YouTube widget on a page

1. Edit the page where you want to place the widget.
2. Check the box to "Show Right Column?"
3. In the Widgets section, click "Choose Page" to browse to the Widget file and select it then click Choose.
4. Preview Draft >> Submit >> Check Content & Submit then Publish the index page.

Troubleshooting

What if my YouTube Widget does not show up on a published page?

Widgets need to be published separate from the page(s) that contain them. Make sure that your YouTube Widget folder is published.

What should I do if I added the widget to a page, but I don't see it in the preview?

In addition to adding the widget to your page, you must check the box next to 'Show right column?' in order to enable ANY features in the third column.

Can I put widgets on my page from other sites?

Sure! When you browse to select a Widget file, you can select one located anywhere in the folder navigation tree. (Note that you cannot borrow widgets from other schools ... for example www.wm.edu sites cannot borrow law.wm.edu widgets.)