I've noticed a lot of people ask for this. It's fairly easy.
Skill Level: Intermediate skill level required (setting up a new site & Uploading files to it)
You will need to do 3 things:
- Have a website (free is ok)
- Set your site up with simple files (I've attached file(s) you will need)
- Authorise your site on YouTube and make a spotlight annotation link to your site.
Important: the method I am sharing is a way of using your own site to redirect visitors straight to your twitter, facebook or anywhere. For this example we are going to assume your site is called "myfreesitename.myfreesitehost.com". It will, of course, be different. Go ahead and make your new free hosting account somewhere, and they will tell you what your site is called. All images are from 000webhost, cause that's the one I use - if you are with someone else, things will look different but the steps are the same.
Lets get started.
Step one, Have a Website.
I have successfully used 000webhost, any free host will work as long as it allows PHP.
Make a new account at a free web host, you will end up with a new site at somewhere like "myfreesitename.myfreesitehost.com". This is fine, you don't want people to visit the actual site you just need somewhere to host the redirects from.
Step two, Set Your Site Up with the files:
Once your account is created, go into the CPanel, as pictured:
use the free host's web based "file manager" (or you can use ftp if you know how) ...
... and make 1 new folder (Directory) for EACH site the redirect will go to (so 1 new folder for twitter, one new folder for facebook etc.).
Important: If you are using 000webhost, you MUST go into public_html first, then click "new dir" to make each folder.
For example, make a "twitter" folder & also a "facebook" folder, what has just happened when you do this is the site structure will now actually be as follows:
"myfreesitename.myfreesitehost.com/twitter" and "myfreesitename.myfreesitehost.com/facebook"
(And actually that's what you are going to want your spotlight links in the annotation editor on youtube to point to, but more on that later...)
Open the zip I have attached, it has 2 files, 1 for the twitter folder, one for the facebook folder - both of them are called "index.php"
Open each of the index files in your favourite text editor. Use notepad on pc.
Edit the line with the "Location" link to be the link that points to your social media site (or any site), change only the bit that is highlighted in red in the below image,
Like in this example, you would change the link I have highlighted in red to reflect your twitter page:
Important: Do not touch any other parts of this file, do not change a single thing other than the text for your link, or it wont work (leave the " " quotes in there, don't touch them - just change the link text!). Make very sure you don't save the file as a text file (.txt). This is a php file, if you changed the extension you will have to rename it back.
Put the index file(s) you have just saved into their respective folders using the "upload" feature on your free host's "file manager" (just upload the files, I realise I put them in 2 different folders, this was just to keep them separate as they have the same name - also, do not change the name I gave those files).
For example, go into your newly created twitter folder, then click "upload", then upload the twitter/index.php file from my zip
Step three, Authorise with YouTube & Make a Spotlight Annotation
Using YouTubes "Channel Settings->Advanced->Associated website", select the option to authenticate by uploading the file they give you (don't use the analytics code option).
Upload this file to your sites main folder, if you are using 000webhost you will go into "public_html" and upload this file to there directly.
When this is done, paste your URL into YouTube to let it find the file, for example "myfreesitename.myfreesitehost.com" (or whatever yours is called)
YouTube will now confirm the site.
You may now make Spotlight Annotations using your associated website, point them to your twitter or facebook folders, like so:
For Twitter - Make a new Spotlight link for Associated Website: "myfreesitename.myfreesitehost.com/twitter"
For Facebook - Make a new Spotlight link for Associated Website: "myfreesitename.myfreesitehost.com/facebook"
Finished.
Like everything, it's easy when you know how. First timers may have some troubles, just follow my steps and if you get stuck, keep trying.
For an example, just watch the last 10 seconds of my latest video.
F.A.Q.
1)
Why aren't you redirecting with Java, HTML etc.?
Not everyone enables Java. HTML might give an error like "The page at somewhere wants to redirect you, yes? no?"
2)
Will this work with any free host?
No. They must support php (many do), they must support redirect (some do).
3)
Why your free site has a .tv ? I want like that.
If you purchase a domain name, you can use it.
