If you are one of those people who thought "reality television" was a trend that would fade away, you are probably not pleased with current TV listings.

Like Capri pants or the Clintons and Bushes running for president, reality shows seem to be one of those fads that have become a permanent part of the landscape. It turns out that the public has an insatiable appetite for both the complete banality and utter outrageousness that average people are prone to display before the camera.

But these days, reality television is not limited to prime-time programming. In the era of YouTube, anything and everything can be digitally recorded and broadcast to an internet audience.

As the name suggests, www.youtube.com is a video-sharing site dedicated to putting you onscreen. It makes millions of video clips - submitted by just about anyone who wants to share video content - available to anyone looking for something to watch online.

YouTube was created in 2005 by a group of former PayPal employees, and acquired by Google Inc. in 2006 in exchange for more than $1.5 billion in Google stock. As of March of this year, the site featured more than 77 million videos.

Although registration on YouTube is optional and allows access to a greater breadth of content - notably, videos meant for mature audiences - most YouTube users never register, but find plenty of interest and amusement in YouTube's public offerings.

What could a site known for broadcasting outrageous homemade videos have to do with the practice of law? Quite a bit, it turns out.

Lawyers, firms and teachers have found ways to make use of YouTube for advertising, recruiting and educational purposes. Unlike technologies such as blogs or wikis, YouTube videos add visual and audio dimensions that make its use in the legal world potentially more effective, and much more risky. Considering that the concept of cameras in the courtroom.