Dean(ish)

The following is a prophecy from an uneducated bystander of internet affairs.

There are just too many video hosting sites out there. Why? They all basically do the same thing - host videos for mass consumption. We’ve got YouTube, Google Video, Yahoo! Video, Revver, Daily Motion, Metacafe, LiveVideo, Brightcove, Grouper, MySpace… the list goes on and on. It’s pretty ridiculous, really. Instead of competing for their own piece of the pie, what I think these companies should be doing is joining forces to create über-sites of epic proportions. And all of these sites should strive to be more like newcomer Viddler, which is now in a “public beta” stage (and really, what site isn’t in some sort of Greek alphabetic stage nowadays?).

So, why Viddler? If the internet is full of too many hosting sites as it is, why am I rooting for a newcomer? Because Viddler has the potential to change the shape of the field. Aside from a few differences, mostly in the way that their communities are built, the other video sites aren’t really doing much that the ever-popular YouTube isn’t already doing. What that means is, in a few years, some of those video-sharing sites out there are going to fall flat and cease existence. It’s unfortunate, but it’s a fact. So what is Viddler doing differently? Read on.

Most video hosting sites I’ve used impose 100MB limits on the files being uploaded. That sucks a lot for me, because my camera records in the QuickTime .MOV format which means that a video over a few minutes will easily exceed the 100MB limit. Thus, I have to convert my videos to .WMV with a third-party tool and edit them to get them to fit on the intertubes. It might not sound like much but, trust me, it’s a gigantic pain in the ass. I just want to be able to upload my videos and be done with it. Viddler allows me to do just that with a whopping 500MB cap per video, which translates to better quality and longer videos for all.

Viddler’s approach to commenting is refreshing, and is probably the most creative part about the video hosting site. Instead of simply replying to a video post the same way one would reply to this blog post, you can actually attach comments and tags to the video’s timeline, thus making the comments more relevant. These comments then show up in the timeline of the video, and are easily seen by simply hovering your mouse over the notation. Not only is it ingenius, but it’s the most intuitive form of commenting I’ve ever seen. Of course, the option to read comments old-school style - that is, a simple ascending list - is available by simply going to Menu > View Comments in any video. The comment list could be a bit easier to navigate but, according to Viddler staff sandieman, “Great Feature requests…. all of them are coming…. and very soon.”

Another refreshing aspect of Viddler’s site is its design. Aside from their friendly colors, they also make good use of AJAX to make for a very efficient website with fast loading times. The overall organization is on par with the other hosting sites, but Viddler seems a bit wider than YouTube which is used to their advantage in making the fonts a bit larger and, as such, easier to read. Viddler’s rounded finish is nice, too.

I need to take a moment to comment on Viddler’s complete lack of advertising. I love it, but I fear for Viddler’s survival because of it. On one hand, I’d rather not see ads. I like to think that I do a pretty good job of ignoring them, for the most part, but if I didn’t have to see them at all then that would be ideal. On the other hand, advertising is how a lot of these video hosting companies make money. If you’re not selling subscriptions for “pro” accounts, and you’re not selling ads, how can one survive in the online hosting world? Maybe they’re funded by a grant; maybe they have a rich uncle; I don’t know. I do know that, if they’re going to be around for the long term (and I obviously think they should), they need to be able to make money to sustain as a business.

With all that Viddler’s doing right, there are a few things I’d like to see. First, a rating system. Every other video site has one, and Viddler should be no exception. Second, easier comments. It’s really great that the comments are added to the timeline of the video, but there should also be a straight-up, easy to follow “comments” section as well. Third, categories for favorites.

Viddler is still very young; this is apparent as one looks through its catalogue of videos, which is probably 1/1000th of YouTube’s archives (that’s a totally baseless guess, btw). What I do see in Viddler, however, is brass. I see a site that takes good things and makes it better. Viddler’s not curing cancer or anything, but it’s got the makings of what could be the best video sharing site on the net. Perhaps as Viddler becomes a more formidable player in the video hosting game, they’ll be able to merge with other companies to create a super ultra mega video host complete with network partnerships that would put cable and satellite TV to shame. Ah, a boy can dream, can’t he?

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