Video Sharing Web Sites
January 4th, 2009
YouTube is but one example of a web site that people upload and share their videos publicly. YouTube is the biggest video hosting and sharing site and attracts the most viewers: I placed Video Production Guide videos there as to test for audience numbers, and also to experiment with its HD settings.
But YouTube is not the only public video hosting site. If you want to appear in front of even more viewers there are other possibilities where you can reach more potential customers. These viewers can then be enticed to your web site and perhaps purchase your product, a service, or a subscription. Just like many of the social blog web sites, there are many more video sites that also have certain viewer traits and social aspects.
The following sites are some examples where you can upload your video in the same manner as YouTube, after first registering or creating an account at each web site.
Metacafe
Break
Google Video
Dailymotion
Yahoo! Video
Revver
Viddler
Vimeo
Smugmug
Some sites have a niche audience, therefore it would be inappropriate to submit a marketing or demonstration video to, for example, a movie review site. Smugmug attracts professional photographers and videographers like Vincent Laforet.
It would make sense, then, to keep in mind your prospective clientele and use the video sites that target that audience. YouTube is the numbers leader but your video can get lost in the mass of submissions. Yahoo, Myspace, Metacafe, Google, Viddler, DailyMotion and Vimeo are just as important. Howcast, Graspr and 5min are good if your videos are how-to related. But, sites like Crackle, Imeem and Break are very niche oriented and have fewer viewers.
When submitting the videos made for Video Production Guide I chose not to use some hosting sites that were not a good fit with the style of my content and profile of the audience.
