Category Archives: google video

90 Percent of Online Video Sites Will Disappear

In this San Francisco Chronicle article by Ellen Lee, Charles River Venture Capitalist George Zachary predicts that 90 percent of online video sites will disappear. Some will simply shut down; others will be gobbled up by larger companies. (Brief ad here- if anyone wants to gobble up CubeBreak, make an offer… I just got a new job and probably won’t have time for it).

Does this bring you back to 1999/2000?

The froth of activity surrounding online video is reminiscent of the dot-com boom and bust just a handful of years ago, when companies were created seemingly overnight to tackle Web site hosting, online retail and other new avenues made possibly by the Internet. In many of the most popular fields, a glut of companies would be formed, setting the stage for a shakeout. Most closed, unable to attract enough customers or sales, leaving customers and investors in the lurch.”

Here’s the Hitwise report on the Top 10 Video Sites. This is share data not unique views, and Hitwise has shown that YouTube’s share exceeds that of the next several players combined.

1. YouTube www.youtube.com

2. MySpace Videos www.vids.myspace.com

3. Yahoo Video Search www.video.search.yahoo.com

4. MSN Video Search www.video.msn.com

5. Google Video Search www.video.google.com

6. AOL Video http:us.video.aol.com

7. iFilm www.ifilm.com

8. MetaCafe www.metacafe.com

9. Grouper www.grouper.com

10. GoFish www.gofish.com

Source: Hitwise

Google Video- More Viral Popularity Than I Thought

Up until recently I didn’t think my videos on Google Video were getting many views. Then I discovered you can enter your account and see total views. I’ve got more than 250,000 views on my videos. Here are a few.

I ‘d recommend submitting your work to Google even if you put it elsewhere… seems that although traffic to Google Video is lower than YouTube, my content is getting more than twice the visibility.

When a Copyright Violater Gets Violated

I like scoring my videos with copyrighted songs, but I started to realize that it’s not sustainable. So now I’m carefull with copyright issus — using royalty free content or my own creations on GarageBand (Mac).

I had a new awakening about copyright violation yesterday when speaking to a guy from Google Video. I realized (see image below) that my “Google Earth: Has it Gone Too Far” had been submitted by two other people. Then while we were speaking I realized his team had selected Crackberry as a “Google Pick.” He asked why I hadn’t included the name of my company and I said it must have been an oversight. But when I went to edit the video entry I realized… I hadn’t submitted Crackberry! Someone else scraped it from YouTube or Revver.

As he observed, this isn’t an issue for those seeking viral fame. But for those with content they hope to commercialize, it’s a bummer. It’s also a risk as someone could easily edit my work, add something offensive and submit it as me.

To be honest, I’m flattered that someone would go to the trouble. Yet if someone starts making money on my content I’m going to have to create a fake URL of an attorney’s website and send out really good BS letters from him. I think I’ll use the name Mike Huntz.

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The Mad Search for the Most Popular Videos

I’ve noticed that my most popular posts are not my deepest thoughts about the future of online video, or about how amateurs can make money. Nope, if I want blogger popularity I simply write about what video is hot that week.

popular.jpgIndulge me, dear readers, in an experiment. In this post I will write about the hotest videos. I’ll report back how many views this post gets. Did you know that Emmalina is the most popular YouTube uploader? BritBot& Simula Special gets more comments than most. The Diet Coke and Mentos fad, unfortunately, is not over. Today I’ll get at least 4 e-mails asking me if I’ve seen the Comcast guy sleeping. Don’t ask me why, but computer animation with musical scores are all the rage. Check out Naruto AMV- Hinata’s Perfect World. It’s one of the top rated videos on YouTube.

Today thanks to Google sponsors you can watch Felix the Cat for free (which is nice, because I’ve been wanting to watch him for a while, but didn’t want the guilt of searching for an illegal posting of him… that was sarcasm on both fronts). Paris Hilton is the number one video on Google Video. That name still gets searches, doesn’t it? Or is she yesterday?

Learning how to fold a perfect shirt seems to be hot on MetaCafe. And here’s one of the shortest most viral clips: Hiding the beer gut. And Dancing Around the World is one video that deserves the viral status it’s getting. Most people will stop watching this video of an Asian woman performing what appears to be an illicit act but is actually an ad.

Okay- I’m fried. It ‘aint easy finding the good stuff.

Who Will Help Me Find Good Videos?

Since most online video sites are now swelling beyond their capacity, I’d say there’s an interim (and maybe permanent) market for editors that are willing to sift the good from the garbage. It’s not easy, but it adds value. And anyone can do it. Even a 15-year-old kid from New Jersey.

binocular.jpgAs the big video sites are battling for content, eyeballs and advertisers, it will be interesting to watch people that find a niche and identify good content regardless of what site features it. Let’s call it “video host agnostic.” Bloggers like to create new terms and hope something sticks.

Eventually the sites will do a better job of helping ensure the good content rises to the top, but it remains an imperfect science. Take YouTube- the most popular video site. Are YouTube’s “most viewed” videos a representation of what our culture values? I’d like to think not. It goes like this… a small group help fling a video into slight popularity, and then it becomes a self fulfilling prophecy. The more that watch, the more that want to watch. In theory bad stuff will drop out of this upward spiral but that’s not always the case. And “bad stuff” to me might be an “LOL” to you.

The way to master the art of video organization (by interest area or category) is via social networking. People vote for videos, and as my vote matches the taste of others it becomes more powerful. Some day, for example, I’ll find a few other nuts with  similar sense of humor to me and we’ll all help each other find the best videos. Sounds futuristic, doesn’t it? But I met with Adriana Lukas yesterday. She makes me think this weird stuff is possible.

Google Video: Advertisers Bid for Space on Select Videos

Well, I couldn't have seen this coming if I had a Deep Throat at Google… In a  test, Google Video will serve ads for about 2,000 videos from 8 providers. Advertisers will select the videos on which to advertise their products through a combination of banner ads and 15-second video ads (at the end of a video). Google will split advertising revenue with the content owners, but no percentage has been identified yet. For full details see this PCWorld story

So why do we care, and why don't we care?

  • We care because this is an interesting model. The way ads are served is interesting and non-intrusive. More importantly, the bidder's market (which is how Google sells keyword inventory) is very clever.
  • We don't care because amateur content is not included in the pilot. According to Adotas, the test will include videos including The Charlie Rose Show and Mr. Magoo. For the online video viewers that were born after 1960, these shows are both about a senile old man who can't see.

copy_of_mr-magoo1.gifHere's the thing that has me scratching my head like Magoo. Is the bidder's market sustainable (beyond a pilot) for the HUGE amount of content with rapidly changing viral video content? Imagine the media person working for the advertising agency that has to surf each day's content and decide whether to bid. Aside from the fact that I want that guy's job, that doesn't seem very practical. I would imagine Google Video would offer other solutions to advertise on sporadic, amateur content.  

Bidding prevents an advertiser from being associated with objectional content, but it's also a lot of work.