Webster's presence on YouTube leaves a lot to be desired
OK, I know that I'm a little late to the party, but I've recently become a big YouTube fan. When I have nothing really important to do (and sometimes even if I do have something really important to do), I'll pop on over to YouTube to be entertained for a little while.
A few weeks ago when I had tired of watching cute cat videos and April Fool's pranks, I wondered what I would find if I searched "Webster, NY." The results were pretty interesting and entertaining themselves.
In the top 40 results, the largest distinct group -- including five of the first ten results -- had something to do with the Christmas Eve, 2012 Lake Road ambush. The next big groups were marketing videos (mostly about cars) and real estate listings.
The remaining six videos were of a more miscellaneous nature. One was video from the Fireman's Parade, and another simply a "Collection of Webster Fire Trucks Responding." I guess people really like watching fire trucks. A third was a 90-second video, taken from a camera attached to a car's dashboard, of someone driving the length of Lake Road.
Okaaaaaay.
Another was a 2:14 segment examining the snow pack on Lake Ontario following a lake effect storm, which the narrator describes as "10-30 feet of ice" creating an "icy mountain range."
The last one was easily the most entertaining. For 25 minutes, the narrator explains to us how the Christmas Eve shootings actually were the result of some sort of supernatural energy created by the placement of several unique structures in our county and around the world, including Spengler's house, Hill Cumorah, the Mormon Tabernacle, Greg Street in Sodus Point, the Monroe County Courthouse, the Monroe County Jail, the War Memorial, and more. Oh yeah, obelisks and pentagrams, too.
No, really.
So, let's say that someone is thinking about moving to Webster, NY and goes on YouTube to see what the town is like. It's unfortunate that we're still best known for that tragic Christmas Eve shooting. Eventually, that will be tucked away in a more distant place in our consciousness. But it's also kind of discouraging to see that YouTube makes it look like Webster, NY is obsessed with fire trucks, has a claim as the snow capital of the United States, and is home to wackos who shoot firefighters and people who believe that obelisks and pentagrams are the real culprits.
I'm thinking someone needs to pull together some nice travel & tourism videos for YouTube to let people know what out great little town is really all about.
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