By Bob Cheever
YouTube is a website where you can share videos that the whole world can view, which can make it a very valuable or embarrassing tool.
It can be similar to “America?s Funniest Home Videos” but it?s always available. YouTube was created in 2005 and is unique in that the users of the website can control the content as long as it meets the guidelines.
Favoriteroad.com Editor Nancy Griffin says YouTube can be useful for mass messaging to a broad audience.
Griffin says the advantages of YouTube are ?it is quick, easy, has a wide audience, allows for monitoring of competitor?s work and speeds up your message to your audience. The disadvantage of it is there is such a wide audience that it?s often hard to drill down searches for relative material.?
One of the terms used in online videos is going “viral.? This is when a particular video is viewed so many times that it spans the globe quickly in electronic format. By many standards, a video is considered viral if it is viewed over one million times in a 3 to 7 day time period.
In my research I found you can spend a lot time watching videos for what I?d consider two most important purposes: Education and Entertainment.
Education:
Porous Asphalt Pavement:
This video demonstrates the advantage of a porous asphalt pavement system. A porous asphalt pavement allows water to drain from the pavement into a stone bed and filter into the soil below. In some cases, the filtering that occurs can actually improve the water quality over a traditional pavement. When a porous asphalt pavement is used, as you can see in the video, it can greatly decrease the amount of spray caused by other vehicles which greatly improves visibility for surrounding traffic. A porous pavement would also decrease the chances of hydroplaning. Overall a porous asphalt pavement creates a safer roadway.
Dynamic Shear Rheometer Test:
A Dynamic Shear Rheometer (DSR) is one of the most commonly used tests in the PG grading system. The DSR, as its more commonly referred, is used to determine the viscous and elastic behaviors of asphalt binders at specified temperatures. Although there are no words in the video it does demonstrate how a sample is prepared, loaded in the machine, trimmed and tested.
Payne & Dolan Warm Mix Asphalt Demo:
Warm mix asphalt is a process that allows the production facility to produce the mix at a lower temperature. Producing the mix at a lower temp can reduce fuel consumption and reduce emissions both helping the environment. Payne & Dolan uses two different processes on the job. They have a 40 degree reduction in production temperature on the warm mix. The warm mix shows no noticeable differences other than the temperature.
Paving Daytona:
Daytona International Speedway is one of the most popular tracks in NASCAR. In 2010 a pothole caused a delay in NASCAR?s flagship event, The Daytona 500. The track was due for resurfacing after the 2011 season but this incident caused the paving to be moved up to 2011. Watching the paving take place on thirty one degree banking is very interesting, I would imagine the crew would have to be in very good shape from leaning in the banking all day.
Entertainment:
Saudi Arabian Skating:
Disclaimer: Do not try this at home. This video demonstrates some teens from Saudi Arabia who found an interesting use for asphalt pavement. This must be one smooth road!
Russian Asphalt Techniques:
This is why you need traffic control on all jobs; sometimes foot traffic can cause problems. The tack coat is definitely providing bonding strength, unfortunately for the pedestrians it is with their shoes.
Asphalt Batch Plant in Pakistan:
This is a whole new definition of manual labor. The proper staging of donkeys is the key to keep your production levels high.
Bob Cheever is General Manager of Supply & Logistics at Jebro Inc.