Digital Lab TV caught up with one of CES’s most anticipated keynote speakers this week Robert Kyncl, Head of Global Content for YouTube. Robert shared insights on the motivation behind YouTube’s recently launched Channels strategy and expanded on how advertisers and brands can better take advantage of the offering to engage with the end consumer.

Last week Google unveiled its latest foray into social networking, Google +, in a limited invitation-only release. For a platform that is still in its infancy, it’s already causing quite a commotion, garnering a reported 10 million users, with some heralding it as a future Facebook disrupter. But between Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, and Foursquare, social network-weary users are right to wonder—do we really need another platform to keep up with?

The act of sharing is closely linked to the pleasure of discovery, and the blissful marriage encourages innovation. The “gang of four” – namely Apple, Amazon, Facebook and Google, understand the importance of creating meaning in their products or services by building a community first and foremost. What gets people talking, bodies moving, and hearts racing? Are there any features we can integrate to make the online experience more personal?

2010, the year that brought us the iPad, augmented reality ads, the attack of Groupon and the group buying clones and the rise of location-based social networks, has come to a close. Winners like Apple and Facebook may look upon last year fondly given their dominant respective business performances whereas much of the rest of America may just be breathing a sigh of relief because the fragile fed-fueled economic recovery did not collapse.