I’ve only made one video so far. And I’ll admit, video isn’t my preferred medium. But there are some good things about it. Anyway, I’ve got a few videos that are in the works, and I’ve been considering my options for distributing them. I’ve used Revver for the one video I have so far. And Revver’s not bad. But it has limitations. And these limitations have caused me to consider YouTube as an alternative. Here are some pro’s about Revver:
- No cost to post vides.
- Videos can be embedded, downloaded and linked to directly (good for podcasting).
- Revver provides a 50/50 revenue split for ad clicks through videos (ads are placed at the ends of videos, not the beginnings).
- Revver only hosts videos by original copyright holders (so there aren’t thousands of odd TV and movie clips, etc. on Revver’s site).
Here are some con’s about Revver:
- It’s impossible to share Revver videos on many popular sites, such as MySpace and Craigslist. For some reason, these sites block Revver embeds
- The main Revver site lacks many of the “community building” elements that make YouTube so popular. This really means that it’s up to producers to promote their videos, as it’s not likely that people will easily find them at random.
Here are some pro’s about YouTube:
- No cost to post vides.
- Videos are easily embeddable, just about anywhere on the Internet.
- Huge built-in community of content creators and users.
- (Maybe more? I’m not that familiar with all of YouTube’s features.)
Here are some con’s about YouTube:
- No direct download/podcast options.
- Site is full of material that wasn’t uploaded by the original copyright holders.
- (Again, maybe more?)
Of course, everything depends on a person’s point of view. You could argue that YouTube’s massive collection of copyrighted material is a positive, as it brings in a lot of people who might otherwise never look at a vlogging site. And on the other hand, some might dislike Revver specifically BECAUSE of the monetization aspect. Overall, I suppose there wouldn’t be any harm in using both services: Revver for hosting of direct downloads and a YouTube channel for embedding/sharing.
YouTubers vs. podcasters
I’ve subscribed to a few YouTube channels. And it’s been interesting to see how some of these vloggers perceive things. I don’t mean to be harsh. But compared to podcasters, these YouTubers seem kinda, well… dumb. It’s almost like they see YouTube as a magical device that can turn a webcam into an Internet video channel. I don’t think they have any concept of the logistics of storage, delivery, and the limitations placed on their content due to YouTube’s inability to provide true direct downloads. And while YouTube’s future potential for monetization is unkown (and currently nonexistent), most podcasters understand the basics of CPM, as well as what avenues are open for monetization. The vibe I’ve picked up from many YouTubers is that they’d really like to be as popular as “Ask A Ninja” but they don’t seem to know why.
Sorry for the sidebar there. Getting back to my original point: What should I do? I like the idea of using Revver for direct downloads and creating a YouTube channel for embeds, etc. Am I just overhinking all of this?
It sounds as though Revver would be the best option for you. Just make sure that they don’t stop allowing people to link directly to your videos. If that ever happens you’ll be in the same position I was. I am now hosting my videos on my own hosting account so I can link directly to them and I’m considering maybe uploading them to Vimeo & YouTube so I MIGHT (maybe, doubtful) get a few more viewers. Just make sure you put a title at the beginning or end of your video with your URL, that way they MIGHT be persuaded to come to your site from the video sharing site you choose.
Another thing to remember about YouTube is that videos you post on there can only be 10 minutes long. That’s SUPPOSE to help combat piracy, but, it just hinders some people from posting their entire video. Most people don’t go over 10 minutes but I do sometimes when I’m cooking or rattling on about something and I really don’t care, I’ll rattle on as long as it takes to get my point out.
I also know exactly what you are talking about with the YouTuber’s who think they’re all that and a bag of potato chips simply because they have a YouTube account and have videos of their own. They don’t know what it takes to be a real video blogger. I know I’m not super great at it, but, I feel like I do a lot more work than the YouTuber’s out there.
Oh and I wouldn’t worry about the monetization aspect. If you make some money from it, I seriously don’t think people will throw up arms over it as long as you are upfront and honest about it.
Another negative on revver: it takes a while for a video to become “revverized” after you upload it, so after creating an uploading a video you find yourself waiting and waiting before you can post it. That’s a pain.
Andy: It sounds a bit pretentious to say that YouTubers don’t understand “real video blogging.” But I actually think that’s kinda true. And I don’t really care about monetization. Sure, I’d like to make some scratch. But, I’d rather have my stuff seen by as many people as possible. Which is why it’s not a bad idea to have a YouTube channel.
Ed: No doubt! I think it took like 24 hours for the one video I posted to Revver to become “Revverized.” Though, this is probably due to the fact that they’re trying to keep people from posting copyrighted content. But, still. It’d be nice if the process was faster.
Have you looked into Blip.tv?
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