Gary\’s Presentation

Web-based Video Distribution September 19, 2006

YouTube is a breakthrough product, becoming one of the Web’s most popular sites in less than two years. Established in February 2005, its growth has far outpaced MySpace. The site claims to download more than 100,000 video clips per day. According to the Nielsen/NetRatings, it has nearly 20 million visitors per month and is dominated by a teen demographic. (Source for the above stats is Wikipedia).

While YouTube leads the pack, they are just the first of many video hosting sites. Others include Motionbox, Metacafe, Veoh, youare.tv, blip.tv, video.google.com, and revver.com.

Content on these sites includes everything from movie trailers from the major studios to cell phone captures. In a few minutes of browsing you’ll encounter feature length movies (in the public domain, of course), a full range of student films, home movies, clever animations, as well as some very objectionable content.

Why should you care? Well, you may have already been “YouTubed.” Students with video capable cell phones are documenting just about everything in their lives, including embarrassing moments in the classroom.
The sites can also be used as a cost effective way to distribute your content. We’ve posted promotional video and commercials to these sites to be able to share them throughblogs and other linked media. For example…

But be careful, you’re just one click away from something you don’t want your children to see.

There are also compatability issues and posting rules to follow. For example, it’s easy to include a YouTube video in a WordPress blog, like this one, but other service’s clips are more complicated to insert or not allowed at all.